Chapter 4: Got Money? I Can Help You
858 Words
Returning to his rental as dawn broke, Liu Jin, exhausted from a night spent testing his abilities, was so tired he didn't even want to eat. He just collapsed onto his bed and fell asleep. When he woke up, it was because he was hungry. Checking his phone, he realized he had slept the entire day; it was now past 9 p.m. Then, seeing over a dozen missed calls, Liu Jin snapped fully awake. "Crap, did I skip work?"
"No way, I need a reason... What am I talking about? If I skipped, then I skipped. My goal now is shipwrecks, not delivering measly takeout orders. What a lack of ambition."
Resigned to the fact that he might as well consider it quitting his job, Liu Jin relaxed, stretched lazily on his bed, feeling some soreness in his muscles - a remnant from the previous night's testing.
He had thought his physique was decent enough, given his daily grind of delivering orders in all sorts of weather. But the recent test revealed he was far from where he needed to be. To use his water control abilities more smoothly, he needed to seriously work on his physical fitness.
Of course, the most pressing matter was still making money. Now that he had his abilities and had tested their range, the ocean might be out of reach for now, but rivers with a history of shipwrecks were definitely within his purview.
And diving more would not only allow him to practice his water control but also potentially uncover treasures. It was a win-win.
Excited by his plan, Liu Jin got up and started searching for information about ancient shipwrecks. However, the first search result left him dumbfounded. "All ancient artifacts recovered by salvage companies are state-owned, and private enterprises or individuals are prohibited from unlawfully possessing them."
"Damn, it's illegal?"
Liu Jin was stunned. After all the effort of provoking water ghosts and mastering underwater skills, he was hit with the realization that salvage was illegal?
Frustrated but acknowledging the unyielding nature of the law, he continued to search, this time for ocean salvage information, only to be further disheartened. Even salvaging in international waters was illegal.
"What the hell, is there any way to make a quick fortune without breaking the law?" Liu Jin grumbled, collapsing back onto his bed.
After a moment of discontent, Liu Jin decided to go out, soon finding himself back at the park. At this hour, besides the odd couple, parks were usually deserted. He headed straight for the artificial lake, looking for the water ghost but found no sign of her.
"Where did she go at this time of night?"
Looking around and finding no trace of her, Liu Jin was puzzled. It seemed like she might have moved on after the previous night's events.
Just as he was wondering, he spotted a figure drifting towards him from afar - the water ghost, disheveled and dirty, just as before.
Relieved she hadn't moved on, Liu Jin picked up a few stones and greeted her with one, which hit her squarely. Normally, such an action would provoke a reaction, but the water ghost seemed unfazed, continuing her path towards the lake without triggering the provocation system.
"What's going on?" Liu Jin wondered if he should throw harder but then reconsidered. Provoking was necessary due to the system, but he didn't want to be malicious.
Following her, Liu Jin noticed something was off; the water ghost seemed distracted. "What's wrong with you?" he asked, catching up to her.
The water ghost, brought back to the present by his touch, looked at him, startled, then burst into tears, "Ah~~ My home is gone, my home..."
Liu Jin, slightly taken aback by her reaction, realized she might have tried to return home only to find everything changed.
"There, there, crying it out helps," he offered awkwardly, not sure how else to comfort her. Her loud sobs would have attracted attention if anyone could see or hear her.
After a while, the water ghost calmed down to a sob. Liu Jin suggested, "Why don't we sit down and you can tell me your story? It might make you feel better."
The water ghost hesitated, then agreed, despite remembering how Liu Jin had treated her the day before.
Sitting on a bench, she shared her name, Yang Jiao, and her sorrow over not finding her family and discovering her home had been sold and remodeled.
When asked about her husband, her demeanor changed, filled with hatred for the man who had killed her, relieved only by the news of his execution.
Liu Jin listened, intrigued by her tragic tale, and wondered aloud about her future, like reincarnation.
"How can I reincarnate?" she asked. "I've been lost in hatred and confusion. Since you're not ordinary, can you help me?"
Liu Jin internally rolled his eyes. His "unordinary" status was all because of her.
"Wrong expertise," he replied vaguely. "But if you had real money, I could help find a professional to assist with your reincarnation," he said earnestly.
The water ghost just looked at him, baffled by the suggestion.
- Writer
