First Position

Chapter 11: Rounding Up to One Hundred Million

Two basic-level learning maps—these tools were incredibly useful. Ren Xiaosu, a person with an insatiable thirst for knowledge, valued these maps as treasures. With just one map, he could study the experiences of others, gaining insights from their accumulated wisdom. While the skills they offered were learned at random, and some might end up being useless, the previous success in mastering advanced firearms had made Ren Xiaosu taste the sweet fruit of progress.

However, what truly drew Ren Xiaosu to the palace wasn’t these two learning maps, but rather the mention of... a side quest! Side quests, by nature, are often secondary or insignificant, or at best, short-lived. But when Ren Xiaosu listened closely to the palace’s instructions, he distinctly heard it say: "Because you lack weapons, special...". So, this quest was weapon-related, right?

Ren Xiaosu, who had spent years in the wilderness, knew all too well the importance of a good weapon. He recalled how Old Wang had once brought in a steel knife, hoping to sell it to him. After saving money for half a year, Ren Xiaosu still couldn’t afford it. Eventually, Old Wang sold the knife to the overseer at a nearby chemical plant. The overseer was typically a leader selected from the refugee groups who had sought refuge in a walled-off camp. In times of scarcity, such individuals would eat the meat while others drank the soup.

Back then, Ren Xiaosu had thought to himself: "If only I had a good weapon, I wouldn't need to wait in the wilderness for a tiny bird to show up. It’s becoming increasingly harder to find, and it’s exhausting." He imagined that with a solid weapon, he could hunt larger game, like rabbits, field mice, or bamboo rats... Now, even rabbits had become wild beasts in the wilderness.

Though rabbits don’t typically attack humans, there was one type with the strength of a calf. Ren Xiaosu once set a trap, digging a hole two meters deep. A rabbit fell into the hole, but when Ren Xiaosu approached, the rabbit kicked off the ground and sprang up, landing a swift kick to his forehead in mid-air. He almost ended up with a concussion.

Ren Xiaosu glanced at the typewriter's parchment and read: “Due to your lack of weapons, a special side quest has been unlocked: Obtain 100 heartfelt thanks to unlock weapons. You can also exchange thanks for items.”

His expression turned strange. This side quest felt... odd. Collecting gratitude? And it had to be sincere. While it was easy to gather gratitude, the real challenge lay in ensuring it was heartfelt. And to top it off, gratitude could be used as currency? What could he possibly buy with it?

Ren Xiaosu continued reading the parchment, where new text appeared from time to time. "Heartfelt thanks from Li Xiaoyu, +1."

It seemed there was no helping an ungrateful wretch, Ren Xiaosu sighed. The palace’s judgment was likely reliable. At the bottom of the parchment, there was a small note: "Unlock weapon: 1/100."

He felt a twinge of regret. If only the quest involved collecting negative emotional energy—he could easily fill the whole town with it! But since the palace had given him this task, he would make do. Ren Xiaosu was already beginning to look forward to the weapon he would receive. Whatever the palace offered was sure to be worth his effort.

Suddenly, Ren Xiaosu turned to Yan Liuyuan. "Liuyuan, say thank you to me."

Yan Liuyuan stared at him, bewildered. "Bro, don't do this, I'm a bit scared."

"Scared of what?" Ren Xiaosu grumbled. "Say it quickly."

Yan Liuyuan thought for a moment and then said, "Thank you for always looking after me."

"Heartfelt thanks from Yan Liuyuan, +1." Ren Xiaosu grinned. Was it really that easy?

"Come on, say a few more thanks."

Yan Liuyuan was speechless. "Thank you..."

This time, Ren Xiaosu was disappointed. It seemed the quest couldn't be repeated—sincerity was key. He gave Yan Liuyuan a dissatisfied look.

"Your heart isn’t in it!"

"No, no, you're not getting the right emotion. Try again."

"Still not right. Get your feelings together, come on—yes, that's the right expression."

"Try once more. Remember, sincerity is everything..."

"One more time, this time, put some emotion into your voice..."

Yan Liuyuan was on the brink of breaking down. "Bro, is this your ability? It's really taxing on the voice..."

That evening, Ren Xiaosu spent nearly the whole night testing Yan Liuyuan, only managing to gather a single thanks. The thanks turned into two coins, each engraved with a heart, and on the back, an inscription: "A heart full of gratitude, thankful for you, who accompanies me through life, giving me the courage to be myself. A heart full of gratitude, thankful for destiny, as flowers bloom and fall, I will cherish it all the same."

Ren Xiaosu grumbled to himself. It was pretty shallow.

At that moment, a change occurred in the display cabinet shrouded in black mist. To the left of the typewriter, the mist finally cleared, revealing... a vending machine.

Ren Xiaosu froze for a moment, thinking, What in the world is this for? He'd never seen anything like it before. There was no such thing outside. But he quickly understood the words on the vending machine: "Coin slot."

There were no other options—just the slot to insert coins. Without hesitation, he placed the coin, engraved with a heart, into the machine. A mechanical whirring sound followed, and a small bottle, no bigger than the palm of his hand, rolled out.

Ren Xiaosu pulled it out and noticed a single word written on the bottle: "Medicine."

"Wait, at least tell me what this is for..." Ren Xiaosu stared at the bottle. After a moment of contemplation, he thought of something, and with a flicker of his mind, the bottle materialized in his hand. A thought later, it disappeared again.

Yan Liuyuan gaped in amazement. "Bro, are you doing magic?"

Ren Xiaosu ignored him and pulled off the cloth bandaging his wound, revealing a wound that had become infected. Dark blood had pooled around it, and it had been leaking fluid for some time. Ren Xiaosu knew if he didn’t treat it soon, fever and necrosis would set in.

Seeing this, Yan Liuyuan immediately stood up to leave.

"Where are you going?" Ren Xiaosu grabbed his arm.

"I'm going to buy you some medicine."

"No need," Ren Xiaosu said, picking up the bottle of ointment. With his index finger, he carefully scooped out a small amount of the ointment and applied it to the wound. The bottle wasn’t large, and the depth was shallow—there was only enough for three uses.

After applying it, Ren Xiaosu immediately felt the burning pain in his wound dissipate. He realized he'd saved on the anti-inflammatory medicine Little Yu Jie had given him. If he used this ointment as an anti-inflammatory, it would take three days for the medication to work, but this ointment worked instantly. A single anti-inflammatory pill costs 200, so the value of this ointment... was worth, in a heartbeat, rounding up to one hundred million!

Ren Xiaosu suddenly turned to Yan Liuyuan with firm resolve. "Liuyuan, help me think of ways to quickly gather other people's thanks!"