Air Friend

Lu Ban hadn't decided yet when his phone rang again.

Checking the number, it was his former squad leader, Feng Yu, with whom he hadn't been in contact for a long time. Lu Ban hesitated for a moment, but ultimately didn't pretend not to see it. The moment he answered, her cheerful voice, bright as midsummer sunshine, came through.

"Lu Ban, I saw that video. Are you okay?"

Judging by her voice, she seemed genuinely worried about Lu Ban.

"I'm fine, it's all just for the show."

Lu Ban replied.

"Haha, I knew it. How come I didn't know you were so good at special effects back in college? Did you learn it somewhere?"

After hearing Lu Ban's response, his old squad leader laughed again.

"Practice is the best teacher."

Lu Ban answered honestly.

"It really looks the part. Are you planning to go down the self-media route?"

"Making videos is just a means to an end. My goal is to make movies."

Lu Ban stated directly.

"Wow, that's impressive. Let me help out as a gofer on your set when the time comes."

"That might be a bit difficult."

Lu Ban could handle those forbidden lands himself, but he couldn't bring his acquaintances into danger.

"Just kidding. Speaking of which, when are we getting together? Seeing you in your video made me worry you might be depressed, but you seem fine now, with a hundred thousand followers."

"When I gather material... No, never mind. Maybe next time, definitely next time."

Lu Ban retracted the death flag he almost uttered and chatted with Feng Yu for a couple more minutes before hanging up.

Strange, he didn't really interact with her much in school, but after graduation, they've become like friends who can chat on the phone.

Lu Ban put down his phone. The discomfort caused by the [Madman's Knowledge] had significantly subsided. He had only gotten a nosebleed and felt a bit weak. It seemed talking to people was an important way to maintain his sanity.

Oh, wait. His sanity was already at zero. So it doesn't matter.

Lu Ban finally understood why this thing was called "Madman's" Knowledge.

These heads probably contained records of history, culture, and current affairs from otherworldly worlds, sometimes with bizarre imagery that ordinary people couldn't imagine.

Moreover, this knowledge was forcibly injected into the brain and was difficult to erase.

If he really drew once every day, it wouldn't take long for a person's brain to be filled with these illusory ramblings from other worlds, and then they would completely break down.

Lu Ban didn't draw a second time, mainly because the second draw had no discount and required 100 Silence Points.

He currently had 4106 Silence Points, so he couldn't afford any items of [Excellent] quality.

As for items of [Good] and [Normal] quality, the side effects were a bit too large, and their uses were not clearly defined, lacking consumption value.

"Might as well save up. At this rate, after one or two more missions, I can refine my repeater."

Lu Ban thought to himself.

When an item is marked as upgradeable, people will want to upgrade it; it's an instinctive desire.

It's like being told that pressing this button will launch all the world's nuclear missiles, everyone will hold hands, link hearts, and take a step into the bottle-cap-collecting era, so you absolutely must not press it, but you just can't resist the urge to try it.

He couldn't help himself.

Despite this, Lu Ban, driven by curiosity, bought an item to keep as a backup.

[Air Friend].

It only cost 70 Silence Points, just a little more expensive than the daily single draw. Cheap.

Lu Ban purchased it.

He felt a gust of wind brush past his ear.

Nothing happened.

Lu Ban looked around the room; nothing had changed. Neither the smell, the temperature, nor the space had altered.

"Hello? Are you there?"

He asked.

There was no response.

If something cannot be seen, touched, or smelled, and it doesn't respond when called, then it probably doesn't exist.

Could he have been defrauded?

The Emperor's New Clothes? Lu Ban's New Friend?

Lu Ban closed his eyes, minimizing all his senses, as if falling asleep.

At this moment, he distinctly felt someone beside him.

Unlike those strange beings who were cold and indifferent, this presence felt friendly and close. Simply existing was enough to make Lu Ban feel at ease.

"Is this the Air Friend?"

Lu Ban vaguely grasped the purpose of this item.

After chatting with the Air Friend unilaterally for a while, Lu Ban felt much more relaxed.

He looked at the computer screen and peered into one of the three small holes.

[One Night Carnival]

[The Ruined Capital is the place where all hope resides, the place where all despair resides, the beginning of all stories, and the end of all stories]

[There are many ways to get to the Ruined Capital, and by car is definitely the most uncomfortable. It's not only long, narrow, and dirty, but also prone to trouble, and I'm talking about trouble from non-humans]

[Compared to these monsters, even the typewriters of the Ruined Capital's gangsters will seem friendly]

[Cheer up, at least when you see the sun the next day, you'll be full of anticipation, won't you?]

[Mission Difficulty: Player's Choice]

[Mission Requirement: Complete the journey to the Ruined Capital]

["Pack your things, prepare to depart!"]

[Note: This mission involves regional changes within The Silent Land. Please ensure the surrounding area is clear beforehand and pay attention to personal safety.]

"Player's choice for difficulty?"

Lu Ban noticed the difference from before.

Was this what the player's choice mode meant?

He clicked on the mission difficulty section and found three options to choose from.

[Mortal]

[The choice of ordinary people, the best option for casual Chosen Ones who simply want to experience the adventure in the Ruined Capital without being good at dealing with unexpected situations]

[Of course, if you choose to close your eyes, you naturally cannot glimpse the reality behind it]

[Base Reward: 1000 Silence Points]

[Difficulty Reward * 1]

The text for this option was as cold as ever, devoid of any emotion.

The text next to it displayed a sense of bleak desolation, making one feel disheartened with just a glance.

[Contamination]

[Want to seek excitement? No problem, but I have to tell you in advance, some things are far crazier than you can imagine]

[A penny of risk for a penny of reward, isn't that right?]

[Base Reward: 1200 Silence Points]

[Difficulty Reward * 2]

The last option's font was almost written in blood, twisting and turning on Lu Ban's computer screen, outlining terrifying words.

[Erosion]

[Only the boldest, most foolish, and most insane Chosen Ones will want to experience this damn experience]

[You can see everything, and everything can see you]

[Base Reward: 1500 Silence Points]

[Difficulty Reward * 3]

"The difference is quite significant."

The most ordinary "Mortal" difficulty only offered a reward of 1000 Silence Points, and the description suggested that the exploration progress wouldn't be very high, with its upper limit fixed.

On the other hand, the most difficult "Erosion" difficulty offered a base reward of 4500 points, and this would increase with exploration bonuses. It sounded incredibly generous.

As a cautious person who planned before acting, Lu Ban didn't hesitate after reading the three options.

He directly chose [Erosion].

*

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