Miraculous Forger

"Cut your poor mother some slack, darling. After we returned to the real-world node, we found that our guardian privileges were only partially functional. But when we actually saw you, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, so we weren't sure whether you'd met with some misfortune and been possessed by someone else. Ah, my poor son..." Li Changxi pulled out a tissue and sorrowfully wiped at the corners of her eyes.

"Alright, I'm not dead yet. I just ran into a little trouble, nothing much different from usual." Chen Li said with a dark expression.

"You really are such a loving family." Having roughly grasped what was going on, Houraisan Kaguya watched from the side with a bewildered look.

Though Houraisan Kaguya's own family situation was not much better.

"How did you notice that your parents were testing you?" Houraisan Kaguya asked Chen Li curiously.

"Because normally, when the two of them come back, they lounge on the couch like they own the place and make me cook." Chen Li explained casually.

Besides, even Tonghua could notice the abnormalities in Chen Li's personal panel. How could Chen Li's parents, who were his guardians, fail to notice?

So Chen Li had known from the very beginning that he would have to explain himself.

But then again, Chen Li did not want to cook either.

"???"

"You mean you knew they'd suspect you if you didn't cook, but you still didn't do it? And you didn't explain yourself right away, either. Why?" Houraisan Kaguya asked uncertainly.

"Because I'm lazy," Chen Li said.

"Huh?"

Your family was really something. Making a meal was treated like usurping the throne.

"As expected of my darling, so clever. You even managed to fool a legendary investigator. This way, when you go to another world, you won't have to worry about being tricked by bad women from another world." Li Changxi suddenly appeared behind Chen Li and, with a gratified expression, reached out to knead his cheeks.

"Did I really fool them?" Chen Li's words came out extremely muffled as his face was being toyed with.

"As expected of my darling, so clever. You even managed to fool a legendary investigator." Li Changxi put even more force into rubbing Chen Li's face.

"Actually, before coming home, we went to find Tonghua—the evil god who signed a True Name Contract with our little Li. We learned the truth from her." Chen Shi said, looking up after flipping through the Miraculous Forging Guide and realizing he could not understand a single word.

The reason they had gone to find Tonghua first was that they had checked the surveillance footage and seen that Tonghua had only left the house that morning, so they figured she must know something.

Modern technology, my friend.

Of course, Chen Li had not dared to slack off based solely on guesses...

Tonghua had notified Chen Li through their friend messages.

Miraculous technology, my friend.

"So you two started putting on an act before you even got home?"

"It can't really be called acting. We merely wanted to judge, based on Little Li's performance, whether he had the ability to deal with the complicated situations and bad women he might encounter in another world." Chen Shi said, pushing up the flat glasses that had appeared at some point.

"Then why are you both so afraid that your son will run into bad women?" Houraisan Kaguya asked, puzzled.

"Isn't it obvious enough?" Chen Shi glanced at Houraisan Kaguya.

The instant Houraisan Kaguya felt his gaze, she understood.

I'm the bad woman?

Uh, well, that was not exactly wrong.

"Being cheated out of your wealth is only temporary. Being cheated out of your feelings lasts a lifetime." After letting go of Chen Li, Li Changxi spoke seriously from the side.

"Then what if Chen Li didn't pass?"

"Then we'd first find a bad woman in this world to deceive Little Li."

"Seriously?"

"Of course not. If Little Li didn't pass, we'd naturally urge him to forge a miraculous item that could prevent bad women from tricking him out of his feelings first."

"You can forge that kind of miraculous item too?" Houraisan Kaguya looked at Chen Li.

"In theory, yes." Chen Li nodded.

"As expected of my darling. You can even do that—so impressive." Li Changxi praised him without hesitation.

"Alright, enough praise. Do you two have any miraculous items you want?" Chen Li hurriedly changed the subject.

"A miraculous item that lets us observe your experiences in another world in real time, darling?" Chen Li's mother proposed.

"It can be done, but no." Chen Li rejected the suggestion without hesitation.

"Do you have enough crystals right now?" Chen Li's father asked.

"I still have fifty-six crystals, but that's not really enough. If forging miraculous items for you can also earn me crystals, though, I could at least recoup some of the cost." Chen Li said.

Chen Li had never thought hiding things was a good habit.

Not having enough crystals meant he did not have enough crystals.

If he explained the problem to his parents, perhaps they could even help him get some Miracle Power.

"Oh, then how do we determine that?"

"State your requirements first. This book will judge them on its own. Don't bring up unreliable requirements, especially you." Chen Li said, turning to stare at his mother.

"How is that unreliable? I just want to see more of my darling son. What's wrong with that? Fine, fine, don't look at me like that. If I have to change my requirement, I'll change it." Chen Li's mother took a step back and raised her hands in surrender.

The child had grown up, his wings had hardened, and he had his own ideas now.

Of course, as his mother, she supported him.

After all, when Chen Li's mother was Chen Li's age, she had already fought her way through several "Secret Realms."

Secret Realms were special products left behind after worlds came into contact—small worlds built by merging the traits of two worlds with a small portion of each world's origin.

When people from both worlds challenged a Secret Realm at the same time, whoever cleared it first gained ownership of it.

Simply put, it was like two neighboring countries fighting over border resources.

This was another core duty of folklorists, aside from hunting and monitoring visitors from other worlds.

Only by understanding the "folklore" of both worlds could one clear a Secret Realm more quickly. This was also where the codename "folklorist" came from.

"Your dad might need something like a Time Anchor to prevent himself from getting lost in time. It's unlikely, but not impossible," Li Changxi said seriously.

"Your mom needs something capable of breaking through a Secret Realm to keep herself alive. The rules of Secret Realms are bizarre and unpredictable. No folklorist can guarantee they'll clear one successfully," Chen Shi said.

"Your parents have such a good relationship," Houraisan Kaguya remarked from the side.

"I understand. You two should go on your honeymoon first. Don't take any jobs during that time. I'll get the materials and required modifiers for those two miraculous items. I'll have it done within a month at most," Chen Li said after thinking it over.

"My baby is so amazing."

"Stop praising me. You've already praised me four times."

"Fine. I'll praise you differently next time."

Li Changxi rested her chin on one hand, smiling brightly. Her expression clearly said: I'm not wrong, and I don't intend to change.

PS: The porridge I use to soak instant noodles is actually corn and Chinese yam porridge. I know it's a bit of a weird way to eat it, but it's still better than drinking porridge by itself, right? 3

Also, please give me recommendation votes and monthly votes here. I can do anything, sob sob sob~~2

Chapter 49: Workaholic Mr. Sunday

"We're going to keep traveling to other worlds already? We only got home two days ago." Li Changxi stood at the doorway, reluctantly helping Chen Li straighten his collar.

"Can't be helped. I keep getting urged to work. Besides, we really have no reserves left at home," Chen Li said helplessly.

As he said that, Chen Li glanced at the client communication interface floating on the Miraculous Forging Guide.

Sunday: Did you forge a miraculous item yesterday? Did you gather Miracle Power? Did you create happiness? The dream has yet to be fulfilled; we must continue striving.

And Chen Li already had two messages like this on his communication interface.

Fine, fine, fine. Sunday, you created Order Garden and gave everyone seven-day breaks, yet you keep urging me to work.

Just you wait, brat!

The day before yesterday, Chen Li's parents had gone home after dinner and rested separately.

Yesterday, Chen Li spent the entire day squatting beside the crosswalk at traffic lights, waiting to help elderly women cross the street.

For no other reason than farming merit.

Later, Chen Li discovered that aside from helping elderly women cross the street, he could also earn merit by putting recyclable trash that others had tossed beside the bin—but failed to toss into it—into the bin.

However, both of the above methods earned very little merit. He had to do them several times, or even over a dozen times, just to gain one Approval of Noble Morality.

He earned far more merit by saving unlucky high school students who were nearly sent to another world by a large truck driven by a fatigued driver.

Never mind whether those unlucky high school students could have dodged the truck themselves. Chen Li had still punched them out of the way, so it counted as saving their lives. That meant merit.

Farming merit was indeed rather boring, but none of the commissions Chen Li had on hand could be completed immediately, so he had to find something to keep himself busy.

"If we'd known you could resolve your own transmigrator profession issue, the two of us wouldn't have spent all our achievements on raising our personal panel levels. In that case, with our achievements, exchanging for a few relics from the Investigation Bureau wouldn't have been a problem," Chen Shi said with some frustration.

"By the way, honey, can't you travel back to yourself from over ten days ago, beat yourself up, and tell yourself not to exchange those achievements?" Li Changxi offered a suggestion from the side.

"The last time you used a lousy glass bead to trade with the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty when he was still a beggar, in exchange for that lousy bowl in his hands, I got warned twice immediately. If I dared interfere with time like that, I'd probably attract dozens of hounds to hunt me down," Chen Shi said, shaking his head.

When archaeologists traveled into the past, they inevitably violated certain taboos while uncovering secrets buried by history and clearing out time vermin. Therefore, every archaeologist had three chances to receive warnings during each journey through time.

An archaeologist could bring one dependent with them into the past.

A folklorist could bring one dependent with them into a Secret Realm.

And Chen Li's father and mother were each other's dependents.

"Alright, alright, raising your personal panel levels wasn't a loss either. So don't do anything that dangerous. You two should go on your honeymoon instead. Once the miraculous items are done, I'll call you," Chen Li quickly said.

Personal panel levels were different from profession levels. The higher one's personal panel level, the more functions became available. At the same time, one could receive more preferential treatment from the world and gain greater authority within it.

Moreover, the only way to raise one's personal panel level was by gaining experience through completing world missions.

Yet 99% of the people in the world would never even live to see the eight words "personal panel level unlocked."

At personal panel level 5, one could theoretically even exchange for the position of Earth President for three months.

"Fine. Oh, right, make your dad's first. I already have this." Li Changxi took out an emerald-green scallion that looked incredibly delicious.

"I've always thought that, as someone with time-based abilities, I'm more suited to this scallion," Chen Shi said, pushing up his flat glasses.

"Give it a rest." Li Changxi directly stored the scallion in her personal inventory.

This was also one of the benefits unlocked by raising one's personal panel level.

And this scallion was what Chen Li had forged for Hatsune Miku.

Scallion Twirling: I want a delicious scallion that can never be finished and can also be used to beat people up!

Posted by: Hatsune Miku

Reward: 15 crystals

Risk: Low

The scallion was a delicious large scallion from a Secret Realm, provided by Chen Li's mother. It really could be used to beat people up.

The Eternal attribute had been generously provided by Houraisan Kaguya.

Creating this artifact had cost only two crystals in total.

The method was to use Miracle Fire to fix an attribute onto the original item.

The artifact's only purpose was that it counted as an artifact, allowing it to establish a friendship bond. Chen Li had therefore lent it to Li Changxi for the time being.

That way, if Li Changxi encountered danger and sent Chen Li a message, he could summon her true body to his side.

As for the artifact given to Chen Li's father, it was the one requested by the noble girl from Akame ga Kill!.

Instrument of Torture: Forge an instrument of torture that, based on each person's unique traits, makes them feel the greatest possible pain.

Posted by: Aria (Akame ga Kill!)

Reward: 1 crystal

Risk: Low

Its base was a needle, and Chen Li had added a Pain attribute that could make someone feel extreme agony. It had also cost only two crystals.

Although this artifact did not quite meet her requirements and had even been made at a loss, Chen Li had never intended to give it to her. He planned to use it to trick her into opening the world gate, then use it on her.