Everyone's tolerance for alcohol was average at best, but those who couldn't hold their liquor often had an easier time enjoying themselves, drinking nonstop as if they weren't drinking alcohol but simmering porridge.
Two hours later, most of the people had left the beach, with the majority returning to their dormitories.
The seaside was very cold at night this time of year. Only a few particularly high-spirited people, or those living off campus, would stay out any later.
After everyone had drunk enough to start speaking without thinking, Mo Qiong took the opportunity to slip away.
Of course, he figured he would still have to help Han Dang back later, so he didn't go far.
He found a place to sit by the sea. While eating, he gazed out at the ocean.
Mo Qiong wanted a fishing boat of his own, one large enough to live on, fully equipped with all kinds of facilities and a complete set of diving gear. Ideally, he would also have a private warehouse on the coast.
The main reason was that the ocean provided natural cover for his trajectories.
In a city, or in the mountains, his projectiles could easily be seen. But at sea, he had nothing to fear. No matter how inexplicable the trajectory of his arrows was, nobody would see it in the ocean.
The second reason was that he knew his ability was exceptionally good at finding known objects.
Treasures, for example.
The ocean was full of treasures. He could look up what natural pearls looked like, what their shells looked like, and what kind of environment they usually grew in.
After consulting enough information, he could imagine a giant pearl oyster in the sea and shoot out a positioning device.
Perhaps the device would fly too far, or perhaps it would break halfway. But after trying several times and repeatedly adjusting the details of his imagination, one of the landing points would eventually end up in nearby waters, right where the target he imagined happened to be.
And that was only natural treasure. Not to mention ancient shipwrecks and the countless treasures that had been recorded but never discovered.
As long as he had enough information—for example, knowing that a certain famous treasure was on a ship that sank into the sea, while not knowing the exact location.
If there were also records describing the treasure's appearance, preferably with writing, distinctive patterns, or other identifying features to serve as auxiliary conditions, so much the better.
After trying a few times, his arrows would lead him to treasures that had been buried and never found by anyone.
Failure didn't matter. As long as he succeeded once, he would be set. He could use that success as a snowball and continue excavating every lost secret treasure from throughout history and across the world.
He could become a tycoon in no time and reach the pinnacle of life. Earning a hundred million in two years was already a conservative estimate, considering the issue of sales channels.
"Hey!" someone suddenly called from behind Mo Qiong.
"Hello, senior. Why are you sitting here alone instead of going to have fun?" a gentle voice said. A petite figure then sat down beside him.
Mo Qiong glanced over and was instantly speechless.
The girl was the one who had danced onstage. He had stared into her eyes for five minutes straight, testing the effects of concentrated hormone transmission.
He knew perfectly well that he wasn't popular with women. So the fact that she had watched him play ball earlier and had now approached him was undoubtedly because of the pheromones.
The two of them met eyes again. Perhaps because they were so close this time, the girl's face flushed in an instant.
It was as if she had been struck by some indescribable aura.
Her face red with embarrassment, she avoided Mo Qiong's gaze and stared nervously at the sand with her head lowered.
Mo Qiong sighed. He had merely found a random test subject and never intended to get to know her.
But the impact of the hormones apparently wasn't a one-time thing. It had created a unique first impression, a potent chemical signal of attraction deeply imprinted in her senses.
Perhaps the impression he had left on her earlier had been too strong. She had actually taken the initiative to find him.
This girl had probably worked up tremendous courage to approach him. He didn't know how long she had struggled with herself in the shadows. Only after spending two hours with her friends, when they were finally alone, had she dared to come over and greet him.
Judging from her appearance, it really must have been difficult for her.
"Hello. My name is Mo Qiong. If you find my name awkward, you can call me Magic Ball... I've played those games too much, so I'm not taking part this time." Mo Qiong couldn't very well leave her hanging. Since she had come over to greet him because of his ability, he couldn't simply reject her outright.
The girl said nervously, "My name is Qin Ya. I'm in the Foreign Languages Department, and I'm only a freshman. Um, Magic... Magic Ball?"
"Ha, my roommates started calling me that at first. Later, all my classmates started using it too. I couldn't be bothered to correct them. It's just a name, and I got used to it. It's pretty useful, too. If someone calls me that and I've forgotten who they are, then at least I know they're from Yan Da." Mo Qiong smiled.
Mo Qiong wasn't unpopular with women because he was withdrawn. He simply didn't have money to go out and have fun.
The two sat by the sea, drinking beverages in the ocean breeze and chatting sporadically. Before long, they gradually grew familiar with each other, and Qin Ya was no longer as nervous as she had been at first.
As they talked, he discovered that Qin Ya had studied dance since childhood and was even an academic prodigy. She knew four foreign languages, with proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. She currently worked part-time doing copywriting and translation, including helping Chinese subtitle groups with localization.
In her spare time, she often spent time in the library studying obscure specialized vocabulary.
Mo Qiong also liked spending time in the library. Aside from having a crush on the female librarian, he did most of his studying there as well. If he stayed in the dormitory, Han Dang would drag him into playing games.
Perhaps because he had been thinking about making money, their conversation gradually and unconsciously turned to treasure.
"Speaking of treasure, I've actually read some related records in the library. During the middle of the Ming Dynasty, there was a great pirate who ravaged the southeastern coast for years. He plundered many smuggling merchants in Jiangnan and accumulated enormous wealth, at one point earning the title Pirate King. Although General Qi later wiped him out, his wealth disappeared without a trace. Yu Dayou, the governor of Huguang, once searched his lair, but aside from a small amount of property, he never found the treasures that the pirate had truly plundered." Qin Ya spoke from memory.
Mo Qiong's eyes lit up. "What kind of treasures?"
Qin Ya said, "Uh? Gold, silver, and jewels, I suppose. Since he robbed so many merchant ships, there might also have been silk, porcelain, and things like that."
"But none of those compare to a crown. That was the real reason the Great Ming Dynasty was willing to send troops to exterminate him."
Mo Qiong immediately grew excited. Pirates and treasure really did exist. If he could find them, he would be rich.
"Tell me more," Mo Qiong said.
Qin Ya said, "That great pirate also did something major. He stormed the Ryukyu royal palace and stole the crown the Great Ming had bestowed upon Ryukyu..."
The Great Ming treated Ryukyu extremely well. Among all its tributary states, Ryukyu received the best treatment. Not only did the Great Ming give Ryukyu large ocean-going ships to aid its maritime trade,
it also exempted Ryukyu's goods from taxes and allowed them to be traded in the imperial capital without time restrictions. Even the return gifts for tribute were far more generous than those given to other countries.
Even the Ryukyu royal family's crown had been bestowed by the Hongwu Emperor.
Given such a close relationship, how could they tolerate a pirate stealing the crown? That was what brought the arrogant pirate a devastating calamity.
However, although the great pirate was destroyed, neither the wealth he had accumulated nor the crown was ever found.
Afterward, the Great Ming bestowed another crown upon Ryukyu, one even better than the previous one... That later crown had been passed down to the present day and was kept in a museum.
"Excellent..." Mo Qiong made up his mind. Once he had made the necessary preparations, the first treasure he would find would be that crown.
Of course, although the crown was valuable, the gold, silver, and jewels hidden by the great pirate would be far more useful to Mo Qiong.
The reason he was so excited to hear about the crown was that he needed a distinctive landing point to assist with locking onto the target.
Without a doubt, gold, silver, and jewels were not distinctive enough. But that crown was absolutely unique.
The key question was, how would he know what the crown looked like?
"Is there a picture of that crown?" Mo Qiong asked.
"There is. Every king has a portrait of himself wearing his own crown. The library has one of those pictures, but I can't remember the details. Anyway, it has a lot of gemstones," Qin Ya said.
"The library... I'll look for that book tomorrow." As he spoke, Mo Qiong thought that to hit a target accurately, it was best to have detailed information to lock onto. The clearer the image in his mind, the better.
He had made up his mind. Tomorrow, he would go to the library to look up the records and prepare properly.
Even though he wasn't currently qualified to go out to sea at all.
Qin Ya hurriedly said, "I know where it is. I can take you there."
Mo Qiong was startled. After thinking it over, he agreed.
"All right. Ten tomorrow morning."
"Mm..." Qin Ya replied softly, her voice as quiet as a mosquito's buzz.
Mo Qiong knew what she was thinking. She probably regarded this as a date.
Although Mo Qiong liked Qin Ya well enough, it was ultimately because of his experimental ability. Making someone extraordinarily enthusiastic toward him by transmitting pheromones left him feeling somewhat awkward.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "By the way, you often go to the library, so you probably know Che Yun, right? She's one of the librarians there."
"Of course. Sister Yun is very good to me, and she knows the library so well. She often recommends books that I really need," Qin Ya said.
"She's really smart and charming. Once I start working, I'll definitely confess to her," Mo Qiong said.
"..." Qin Ya froze. Only after a long while did she ask, "You like Sister Yun?"
"Yes, I like her. It's no secret. Many of my classmates know," Mo Qiong said, looking at Qin Ya.
Qin Ya blinked but said nothing.
After chatting for a while longer, Mo Qiong escorted her back first, then returned to drag Han Dang back to the dormitory.
Mo Qiong believed that after expressing that he already liked someone, the unique impression created by the pheromones probably wouldn't continue developing.
He wasn't saying that for no reason. He really did like Che Yun.
She wasn't a student, but she didn't look very old either. She had probably stayed on at the library to work after graduating.
She might have been working part-time, because he only saw her during the last few days of each month. The rest of the time, the students handled things.
In other people's eyes, she was merely an ordinary social worker at Yan Da. She was quite pretty, but wore glasses.
In Mo Qiong's eyes, however, she possessed a unique charm, a kind of beauty that was difficult to describe.
How should he put it? It was as if he naturally understood her completely.
Once, a classmate had tried to deceive a girl in the library, telling her some blatantly obvious lies. Che Yun had heard him and cast the male student a distant glance without saying anything.
But Mo Qiong noticed that detail and suddenly understood Che Yun's thoughts: Say one more word and I'll break your legs.
That might have been automatic inference based on her expression, but he wasn't nearly so certain when it came to other people. With Che Yun, however, he could be absolutely sure, as if Mo Qiong could feel her thoughts and she really had been thinking exactly that.
It was a very unique and indescribable form of telepathy.
However, it seemed to be one-sided. Because of that, Mo Qiong was always secretly observing her in the library, savoring the thoughts of Che Yun that he occasionally managed to sense.
After seeing her so often, he sometimes even dreamed about her. In his dreams, this ordinary library social worker would dress in formal finery, remove her glasses, and attend lavish banquets. Or she would wear cute pajamas and, while sleeping restlessly, roll right off the bed.
At other times, she would take part in extreme sports, skydiving from great heights or even flying in a wingsuit.
Having dreams like that all the time made Mo Qiong wonder whether he had fallen in love with her.
P.S. Technically speaking, this book does have a female lead. I'll try not to write her out of existence...
Before you continue