What's the Difference Between Not Spending Money and Being a Salted Fish?

In the end, Fang Zheng decided to go with Malte and the others into the depths of Shadow Canyon to stop the Lich's evil scheme. Truth be told, he didn't have much of a choice—there was no way he could make it out of Shadow Canyon alone, and since Malte and his group were dead set on going back, he had to tag along. On second thought, this might actually be a good idea; following these people could lead him to Stone and Miss M, and then leaving would be much easier.

In the battle at Blood Sandbar, the team suffered heavy casualties. Only five knights survived, including Malte and Conan. Two of them were badly injured, so Fang Zheng had no choice but to play the healer again, using the Paladin skill Holy Light Flash to patch them up. This naturally amazed Malte, but unfortunately, Fang Zheng's Paladin skills didn't include resurrection magic, so he couldn't do anything for the dead—though even if he could, he probably wouldn't bother. Back when he was with Knight Conan, Fang Zheng had picked up some info: in this world, you could save someone as long as they had a breath left, but reviving the dead was out of the question. That was the domain of the gods; anyone messing with resurrection would be lumped in with Necromancers who toyed with souls. Fang Zheng still had the Cultist label hanging over him, so he didn't dare stir up more trouble and add "Necromancer" to his resume.

According to Malte, the ones who cornered them were the main force that had set the ambush earlier. They fought and ran, scattering quite a few people along the way, until they had no choice but to make a last stand at Blood Sandbar. If Fang Zheng hadn't shown up in time, that "last stand" would have been literal. But now things weren't too bad—including Malte and Conan, five Holy Knights had survived, which counted as good news.

After Fang Zheng healed their wounds, the group immediately evacuated from Blood Sandbar. To their surprise, the journey was eerily quiet, with no enemies in sight. This was both good and bad news. The good news was that they no longer seemed to be the Lich's primary target; the bad news was that if the Lich didn't need them anymore, it meant he was confident enough to complete the ritual. That made it all the more urgent for them to hurry up and stop his evil plan and scheme.

Night deepened.

Fang Zheng sat on a rock, staring at the campfire—in the pitch-black wilderness, that flickering orange flame was strangely reassuring. The night wind swirled across the wasteland, and in the distance, strange sounds could be heard. He couldn't tell if they were roars of beasts or screams of ghosts.

How interesting...

Watching all this, Fang Zheng narrowed his eyes and leaned back comfortably against the rock. He'd grown up in the city and occasionally traveled, but this—spending the night by a campfire on an endless wilderness—was a first. The sheer novelty of it captivated him. It even made him feel like he'd traveled back in time to a primitive era thousands of years ago, where maybe ancient people also huddled around fires, enjoying warmth and driving away the dark. The weight of time hit him head-on, leaving him momentarily dazed.

"You don't travel much, do you?"

Just as Fang Zheng was soaking in the scene, Malte walked over and sat down beside him. Hearing Malte's question, Fang Zheng nodded.

"Yeah, not much. I used to be really busy. Honestly, I can't even remember the last time I looked up at the stars."

"People are always too focused on what's right in front of them, ignoring the beautiful scenery around them."

Hearing Fang Zheng's reply, Malte smiled at him.

"To be honest, sometimes it's better to get out and walk around, even in a situation like this. After all, no one knows if they'll live to see tomorrow, so you have to focus on enjoying the present. That way, you won't regret the good times you missed when you're about to die."

"That makes a lot of sense."

Fang Zheng nodded at Malte's reflection. Wasn't it the same for people living in the city? Busy every day with work and chores, caring only about food prices, medical insurance claims, and other trivial household matters. Clock in, clock out, socialize with colleagues, then go home to worry about kids' homework, mortgage payments, and maybe whether gas prices had gone up again. As for the city they lived in, who really cared what it was like?

What is the purpose of a person's life?

Everyone has a different answer to that question.

But the most important thing is...

"A person's life should be lived this way: when he looks back on the past, he won't regret wasting time, nor be ashamed of doing nothing..."

"Oh? That's an interesting saying. Did you come up with it?"

"No, I read it in a book once."

Noticing Malte's curious gaze, Fang Zheng shrugged.

"Honestly, I didn't think much of it back then. Anyone can spout big truths, and... they don't really help anyway... But now, I kind of get it."

"The good thing about being young is having no fear. Living cautiously might be stable, but it's way too boring. If you ask me, it's better not to understand some big truths. If you do, it means you've gained something but lost something else."

With that, Malte stood up and patted Fang Zheng on the shoulder.

"It's late. Aren't you going to rest? We've got a long way to go tomorrow."

"I'll stay a bit longer."

"Alright, be careful. The scenery's nice, but danger's still there. A person's life is like walking on a foggy road—no one knows what'll happen next."

"I know that all too well."

Fang Zheng felt a deep resonance with Malte's words—after all, who understood that better than him? He'd been killed by a high-voltage wire, transmigrated, and reborn. What else could life throw at him?

Malte went back to rest, leaving Fang Zheng alone. But he wasn't staying just for the view. After making sure no one was around, Fang Zheng pulled out the Spirit Crystals he'd collected earlier. Ever since the system told him he could recharge, he'd been itching to try it. Now that he had the chance, he immediately started figuring out how to do it.

Soon, as he held the Spirit Crystals, the system message appeared before him again.

[Detected valuable convertible materials. Convert and recharge?]

"Yes."

Without hesitation, Fang Zheng confirmed. He watched as a golden circular formation emerged from his palm, enveloping the Spirit Crystals. They silently dissolved into countless golden particles, swirling and merging into the formation like iron filings drawn to a magnet. Then, another system prompt appeared.

[Absorbed 190 Crystal Energy. Please choose how to use.]

190?

Staring at the number, Fang Zheng was stunned. He remembered that according to his design, Crystal Energy converted to currency at a 1:1 rate, meaning these Spirit Crystals were only worth that much? But wait... if he recalled correctly, the exchange rate from Crystal Energy to Dimension Points was 1:5... So at most, he could only get 38 Dimension Points?

At that thought, Fang Zheng's face stiffened.

That meant, including the 5 Dimension Points he'd saved up, he could only draw four times?

So the question was: should he draw, draw, or draw?

Fang Zheng thought this question was way too stupid to need an answer. If you recharge and don't draw, what's the difference between you and a salted fish?

So Fang Zheng made his decision.

Draw.