Garbage Day

"H-how is it?" Although a bit embarrassed, Chen Xiyao couldn't resist the temptation of a Storage Item and immediately changed into the new skirt.

It had to be said, this skirt lived up to its reputation as a versatile piece. Even though Chen Xiyao was wearing a very unfashionable tracksuit on her upper body, pairing it with the skirt made her look quite lively and radiant.

"It's just a bit awkward to retrieve things like this." Chen Xiyao tried to reach into the unknown dimension. While this Storage Item had the same ability as Feng Xue's Storage Pouch, which could automatically send desired items to her hand, the downward reaching motion still made Chen Xiyao feel inexplicably awkward.

On one hand, she wasn't used to the posture, and on the other, she found it psychologically difficult to accept.

"Maybe this Equipment should be paired with a pair of safety shorts..." After a couple of experiments, Chen Xiyao found herself torn between wanting to play with the Storage Item and worrying about accidental exposure. She let out a heartfelt sigh. Feng Xue, who was tidying up the pages of failed concoctions that had resulted in a large pile of Tags, said indifferently, "You can try that when you go back, but I don't think you should get your hopes up too high. After all, the essence of this Phantom is to blur the concept of 'unknown dimension.' If you wear safety shorts, there's no risk of exposure, and it becomes a state of 'it doesn't matter if it's seen,' which is no longer an unknown dimension. Hmm, similarly, if it's not worn correctly, like using it as a battle skirt, a waist guard, or a scarf, it definitely won't work."

"Is that so?" Chen Xiyao sighed helplessly and put her discarded pants and the pistol Feng Xue gave her into the unknown dimension. Then, as she reached for the pink remote-controlled toy, she froze. Should she put it away or not?

Seeing Chen Xiyao's conflicted expression, Feng Xue, who had intended to tell her to put her excrement into the dimensional space later, swallowed his words. Forget about this girl; he probably wouldn't agree to it himself.

"Never mind, I can retrieve it whenever I need it anyway."

Another morning. Chen Xiyao woke up from her dream. Between the dilapidated ceiling and the mottled walls, she accurately located Feng Xue. He was still in his usual White Robe, and the food was still some roasted meat. Although eating meat every day could get a bit tiresome, ever since she noticed the bloody smell on Feng Xue intensifying each day, Chen Xiyao rarely made requests. Instead, she even started occasionally chewing on the bran porridge she used to dislike to supplement her fiber intake. As for vitamins, they were present in the half-cooked meat.

After completing her morning routine, Chen Xiyao estimated that it was time to move again today. However, Feng Xue directly took her back to their previous residence. Before she could speak, he said solemnly, "I have to go out for a while and will probably be back by evening. During this time, the Cross Sword Guild may send people to search the entire city. After I leave, you hide in the Cardboard Box. That space should be enough for you to maintain a fetal position. You should be able to last until I return."

"Where, where are you going?" Chen Xiyao's previously calm face immediately showed panic. In this strange and counter-intuitive world, she had developed the impression that as long as she stayed by Feng Xue's side, everything would be fine. Conversely, once Feng Xue left, she couldn't help but start to panic.

This was not because Feng Xue intentionally [adjusted · educated] her, but rather due to the inherent gregariousness of humans. Just as the greatest difficulty in wilderness survival is overcoming loneliness, in a strange world, the importance of a reliable companion is undeniable.

Feng Xue was somewhat helpless about this. After all, today was Garbage Day, a public workday for the Landfill Area. Feng Xue was certain that the Cross Sword Guild would send people to search today. If he went to the Garbage Dump obediently, even if Chen Xiyao were caught, it would be difficult to suspect him, as his registered name was "Assassin," not "Feng Xue." But if he didn't go, even if Chen Xiyao wasn't discovered, he would be labeled a person of interest.

On the other hand, Feng Xue now had nearly a thousand sheets of paper that could be converted into Phantoms, but his material library was starting to wear thin. He had accumulated some Elements from collecting corpses, such as those related to various ways of dying, but common Elements like [Item], [Weapon], and [Storage] were already depleted.

Even to convert these pages into Phantoms as quickly as possible, Feng Xue couldn't miss the benefits of Garbage Day.

Therefore, he had to go!

After briefly reassuring Chen Xiyao that he would definitely return, he handed over his White Robe, along with his Storage Bag, Sleeve Blade, and the Mist Field Skill machine he had previously created, to Chen Xiyao. This made her feel utterly miserable.

You're definitely coming back? This is clearly you making your final arrangements, isn't it?!

"Don't be nervous, it's not as dramatic as you think. It's just that the place I'm going to, carrying supernatural Items will easily draw suspicion." Feng Xue looked at the girl whose tears were about to fall and felt a little helpless. Chen Xiyao, hearing him say this, seemed unconvinced.

"Are these things really that rare?"

"Yes, very rare." Feng Xue nodded, then pointed to the stack of paper. "In the Infinite City, knowledge equals information equals power. Therefore, it's very difficult for ordinary people to see a book in their lifetime here. Books from your world are top-tier secret treasures. I was able to create so many Equipment using them as a medium."

"Is that so? So those people are catching me for the books?" Chen Xiyao looked at Feng Xue with a suspicious expression. Feng Xue continued to shake his head.

"External knowledge carriers are very precious. You, a living person from the outside world, are naturally even more precious. Hmm, do you know the story of the Mermaid's tears turning into pearls?"

"Yes, I've heard of it." Chen Xiyao nodded. As a high school student, she remembered "fearing there might be a Mermaid on the shore, shedding pearls under the moon" appearing in her textbooks.

"Then what do you think would happen if someone in reality discovered a Mermaid? What would that person do?" Feng Xue's expression turned somewhat frightening. Chen Xiyao, who had just started fantasizing, felt a chill surge into her heart. She was no longer a little girl who believed in fairy tales and had some understanding of human malice. Therefore, she understood better that if a Mermaid truly existed, it would likely face not peace and friendship, but being caged and tortured through various means to make it cry continuously and produce a large number of pearls.

At this moment, she remembered Feng Xue's earlier words about himself being Tang Monk and gained a deeper understanding of her own predicament.

Looking at Chen Xiyao's expression, Feng Xue gently patted her shoulder.

"Alright, you've seen the effect of that Cardboard Box, haven't you? Hiding in there won't cause any problems. All my assets are on you now, so you have to keep them safe for me!"