A Short Rest
[Amulet: Windowless Cottage]
[Characteristics: Made from preservative-treated Siberia pine heartwood, these are a pair of paperclip-shaped wooden hairpins, each end adorned with a tourmaline gemstone. The base element is magnesium group monocrystalline tourmaline, exhibiting a golden, transparent texture; they are regular hexagonal polyhedral gemstones.]
[Amulet Category: Spirit-resistant/Hairpin/Chopsticks]
[Versatility: In environments rife with Spirit Calamity, the amulet can ward off spirits for passengers. Most Spirit Calamity can affect brainwaves and optic nerve signals, causing hallucinations. The brilliance of the pyroxene can illuminate the true environment, guiding passengers to the correct path.]
[Instructions for Use: This magical single-crystal tourmaline helps its owner maintain a refreshed mind and beautiful appearance—when you are in a Spirit Calamity environment, maintaining a beautiful mood and appearance will naturally help you avoid disaster.]
[Production facility: Nine Realms Station Ironworks - Lingweng.]
[Note: These are paired hairpins that can be used for updos, buns, or decorations in various styles. Magnesium tourmaline is often found in bathhouses and saunas, a treasure from Finnish baths. They can also be used as a magical tool to release a weak electric current during skincare, makeup, and bathing, breaking down water molecules. Girls who obtain a windowless cottage will also possess an unbreakable vow.]
[Note II: Of course, you can also use it as chopsticks.]
This is Xiao Qi's protective charm, just like Xue Ming's Steel Heart, it's a pair of hairpins.
Xue Ming was immediately drawn to them when she took them out of the box.
Siberia pine, also known as Scots pine, is a natural preservative-resistant wood, and objects made from it have a lifespan of about fifty years.
Jiang Xueming held the pair of long wooden hairpins, shaped like white jade, and gently stroked them, feeling the craftsmanship of the wax and varnish sealing. The ends of the hairpins were decorated with gold tassels and brilliant diatomite.
He could clearly sense that these hairpins were very special, quite peculiar.
They are like a pair of batteries, powered by tourmaline. As the instructions state, the glycerin and water in many skincare products and shower gels can be activated by this stone breaking down molecular bundles.
"Hey! Give it to me! Give it to me!" Xiao Qi was impatient; finally getting her life-saving talisman back felt wonderful.
Xue Ming didn't think much of it and returned the treasure to Xiao Qi.
Xiao Qi, as if familiar with the place, began to maintain the amulet, asking the bar for olive oil and cotton swabs—yes, they had returned to the station's square terrace and were resting.
Seeing that Xiao Qi had started working, Xue Ming decided not to disturb her any longer.
He opened the small envelope left by the lobby manager at the luggage storage area and saw the description of the steel mace and rod, which was an authentication document made by the BOSS himself.
[The Unworthy Work: The lion's bones are gone]
[Characteristics: A spliced rod made of chromium-molybdenum alloy, carbon steel, aerospace aluminum, Mingde remains, and wild animal fur from Huasheng. It has eight sections in total, four black and four white. The outer layer of each section has an aerospace aluminum alloy anodized coating for rust prevention and ultra-high hardness scratch resistance.]
[Weapon Category: Strike/Catalyst - Nunchucks - Steel Mace - Whip - Chain Hammer - Long Staff - Barbecue Tools]
[Versatility: This staff can be used to clear paths and break down doors for passengers to exercise and improve their fitness. Its complex structure makes it sturdy and durable. As Magic Wand, it can be used for basic fire-lighting magic and can barely produce low-level magic like fire blades, with very mediocre results—the outer flame temperature is around 1300 degrees Celsius, and the staff's maximum temperature is around 700 degrees Celsius.]
[Instructions for use: In dark environments, it can illuminate your path, striking both living and inanimate objects as it glows. It's too heavy for a nunchaku, but the eight directions and eight trigrams on the staff constantly train the user's muscle control and balance. In your spare time, the loose sections can be arranged in a row to create an excellent barbecue grill—very environmentally friendly.]
[Production Organization: Ming De · Wen Bucai]
[Note: This is a reforged piece by JOE, a shoddy work of art. The use of materials from a sacred beast has given it new life. The special metal layering technique allows it to maintain its original shape and prevent deformation even when its internal temperature changes drastically, showcasing the pinnacle of blacksmithing craftsmanship.]
The pair of nunchucks that Xue Ming gave to Xiao Qi were pure white.
He kept the black stick for himself. Wen Bucai said the color didn't have any special meaning; he just wanted to try two different oxidation colors when he was doing the anodizing process, and there was no difference between the two.
The black stick was stained with blood, making it difficult to spot.
The white stick was stained with blood, which immediately revealed the results of the attack on the target. Whether the target was bleeding or not was clearly visible through the scratches on the stick.
Xue Ming combined the black stick with steel mace and used it as a walking stick.
Just then, Xiao Qi finished fixing her hair and asked Xue Ming for a favor.
She unscrewed the jeweled hairpin of the life-protecting amulet, revealing the round hole inside, and then inserted the pair of silver chopsticks into it.
Xue Ming recognized the chopsticks; they were Xiao Qi's stick.
It turns out that [Windowless Cottage] was actually a pair of hollow hairpins.
--At this moment, the pair of silver chopsticks act as electrical wires, like paperclips, perfectly catching the hair.
Xiao Qi held the ponytail in one hand and asked Xue Ming to help her secure the life-saving talisman to the base of her hair at the back of her head.
Xue Ming did as instructed, carefully threading the two hairpins through her hair and the red ribbon, finally combining them into one.
Hearing the crisp sound of the mortise and tenon mechanism meshing, Xiao Qi shivered all over, as if stimulated by the faint electric current of the pyroxene, and suddenly became more energetic.
Jiang Xueming could also feel the two golden tourmalines connected by silver chopsticks, a tingling and stimulating sensation shooting through his index finger and Thumb.
In just a few seconds, Xiao Qi's face turned rosy, and she looked like she had just had a spa sauna. Her hair became black and shiny. Her hair was already in good condition, but now it looked even more like the silky smooth hair in an advertisement with special effects.
Xue Ming was stunned. "Your pyroxene even has a beauty filter on?"
Seventh Brother shook his head violently and slapped his cheeks hard, still not fully recovered. "Yes! My head is a little numb! It's constantly stimulating my cerebrospinal fluid and spinal cord."
Xue Ming pressed further, "Besides beauty filters, what other effects does it have?"
Seventh Brother smiled smugly, "It relaxes muscles and joints, relieves fatigue, and moisturizes the skin, preventing aging."
Xue Ming: "And then?"
Seventh Brother: "Uh, that's all."
Xue Ming: "That's it?"
Seventh Brother looked embarrassed.
Jiang Xueming asked in confusion, "Back in the Dead Puppet Agency City, next to the big water tower, you said that as long as you had a Shining Stone, you could enter that water tower. So, this thing is just to make you beautiful? To make you beautiful for the monsters to see?"
"No, no! I've become more beautiful! ~ So I've become more powerful!" Xiao Qi said, describing the characteristics of the golden gemstone. "We are confident and lucky, a little arrogant, and we need to maintain a refined, petit-bourgeois demeanor at all times to better control our spirits! Look!"
After saying that, Xiao Qi immediately activated her spirit body. The spirit threads that emerged from her arm were no longer as soft and weak as before, but became vibrant and energetic. In just a few seconds, they wrapped around a pink palm, and even the way she held the wine glass and drank milk was so elegant.
Xue Ming gasped in amazement. "That's interesting! Becoming more beautiful makes you stronger? What kind of anime setting is this?"
"Isn't your Radiant Stone the same?" Xiao Qi withdrew her spirit form and whispered to her employer, "If I could get back the Steel Heart, I should be even more powerful!"
Xue Ming nodded immediately. "Yes, we'll definitely get it back."
At that moment, the lobby manager approached Xue Ming and pleaded desperately.
"Boss of the Nameless Gang, can't we really talk about this outfit?"
As soon as Xue Ming returned to the station, the BOSS immediately took notice of her Flash Butterfly Armor outfit. However, the Little Kitty couldn't bring herself to do it, so she asked the manager to sound her out that she wanted to purchase this lightweight, portable bulletproof armor.
Xue Ming refused. "No."
The manager, slumped over the desk with only his hands and head showing, said, "Why? I need to explain this to the boss, give me some plausible reasons so I can go back and report."
Xue Ming patiently explained.
"The stitching of this outfit is very special and takes a lot of time. To perfectly utilize its pendulum bullet-deflecting function, it has to be custom-made. I must understand the user's body shape. If the BOSS wants me to mass-produce the Flash Butterfly Armor outfits for passengers and upgrade the equipment for Guangling Zhixi, then I'll never be able to step out of the Nine Realms Station in my life. I'll have to squat on the observatory every day and operate the sewing machine."
The manager took out a small notebook and started taking notes while asking questions.
"These clothes require hand-woven fabric, which has a technical threshold and requires manpower to coordinate production. Are there any other issues? I'll report them all to the boss, and he'll try to resolve them."
Xue Ming stood up and showed the rifling threads of the Flash Butterfly Armor suit. They were so sharp that they had already cut many slits in the leather chairs that held the long table.
"The sample garment is still in the trial production stage and cannot be considered a successful work. I need to wear it on trips and in real life to know how to optimize it. The matching pants and shoes are nowhere to be seen yet."
The manager nodded. "Okay, could you please give me a piece of fabric, boss? The Fenxing to try producing this kind of clothing."
Xue Ming felt extremely troubled. "Won't this just increase Fenxing's workload? My shop is right across from hers. What if she works overtime to the point of having an endocrine disorder, getting a sore throat, getting angry, and making enemies with me? Besides, the most important aspect of this garment is its one-piece construction; it's not made by piecing together fabrics. It's a seamless garment, and in the pendulum's bullet-dodging motion, the most crucial stress-bearing component is this one-piece outer garment."
Manager: "Don't worry, Ms. Fenxing's needlework skills are absolutely capable of producing it."
Xue Ming explained, "What I mean is, completing this kind of knitting requires a huge amount of work. For passengers of different body types, it's almost like redrawing the pattern design. There's no such thing as one-size-fits-all production. It's not Fenxing can do it, but whether it's necessary for her to work overtime to make the clothes. She's practically my teacher, she taught me how to make clothes, she's been kind to me, I can't repay kindness with ingratitude."
The manager didn't understand the process, so he could only obediently record all the information.
Xue Ming finally discussed the conclusion with the manager.
"Don't rush me. Once I get back from London, both the men's and women's patterns will have been tested. Then we'll make the matching shoes, trousers, skirts, and gloves. When I have time, I'll talk to the boss about this. Taking it slow will get us there faster."
As if that wasn't enough, Xue Ming changed to a more vivid way of putting it, saying that the BOSS should understand it better.
"The BOSS has a lot of top-tier character cards; they're VIPs. Now he wants me to enhance their survivability with the Flash Butterfly Armor Outfit. But enhancement takes time, requires meticulous research, and needs to be tailor-made—I'm still worried about whether this outfit can be worn with MOLLE, whether it can carry weapons and ammunition. I reckon even the MOLLE straps will be cut by these sharp rifling."
"Okay! I'll go back and have a good talk with the boss." The manager nodded, and was about to leave when he immediately turned back and squatted down. "Um... what should I call Bai Qingqing now? Should I call her Second-in-Command? Or Boss Lady?"
Xue Ming didn't care, feeling a bit like laughing and crying at the same time, "Asking me is useless. I've never cared about these titles. You have to ask her."
Xiao Qi hesitated for a moment, then finally replied with a blush and a racing heart, "Manager, call me whatever you like. I think 'Xiao Qi' is more appropriate. Sister Yang Chun is at the same level as you; she's my direct supervisor. Changing the way you address her will make things awkward. I'm not used to it, and I doubt Xue Ming would like it either."
The manager chuckled, "Hey! Does your [JoeStar] club have any memberships? Can I reserve a membership card in advance? Oh no! Two! My wife and I both want one. She saw that slide and immediately ran to the construction site to join in the fun. When will it be finished?"
A barrage of questions was thrown at her, and Xiao Qi didn't know how to answer them.
Although she was Xue Ming's waitress, she was really unfamiliar with construction and decoration. When she was in prison, she worked with the construction team on the construction site, but the construction period was set by the supervisor and the person in charge. She was just a laborer and didn't know anything about these things.
As for the membership card issue--
Xiao Qi was certainly interested, and very interested at that.
She was born with a knack for making money and exploiting others; all she could think about was making money effortlessly. She considered it a wonderful thing that the BOSS had sent Xue Ming to her side.
The manager thinks so too.
--This new leader of the [Anonymous] gang has an ability to make money that has exceeded their expectations.
Handcrafted items like the Flash Butterfly Armor Outfit can be exchanged for a continuous stream of enormous wealth in the underground world. VIPs' survival is guaranteed, meaning that challenging and exploring unknown territories will become much easier, and the casualty rate for Guangling Zhixi will decrease when dealing with the armed thugs of the Madness Butterfly Sect.
The new region represents a new station, and the new station represents new resources, minerals, and various animal materials.
In the manager's eyes, this small piece of clothing was a magical trick performed by Mr. Jiang Xueming.
This is a future "big shot." Judging from the basic panel of the three elements, he is bound to become a potential new VIP. The manager will naturally want a membership card and befriend him in advance to do him a favor.
Even though Xiao Qi was speaking in a very, very low voice, almost right next to the manager's ear, she was about to tell him her grand plan to make money.
Unfortunately, Xue Ming overheard it.
She first talked about a membership system, then about entry requirements, and then about annual membership fees or V·VIP upgrade services, aiming to create a consumerist cult similar to Apple, Razer, Sony, and Air Jordan, ideally something similar to the world of jade speculation and stock trading.
Xue Ming grabbed Xiao Qi by the ear, pulled her close, and interrupted Xiao Qi's wicked money-making plan with a merciless kiss attack.
Xue Ming said to the manager, "I'm sorry, I don't have that many complicated thoughts. As for when the club can officially open, I have no idea."
Hearing Xiao Qi's confident words, the manager was almost tempted. He even considered taking out his life savings to invest in some initial public offering (IPO) shares, preparing to fleece the investors, or perhaps becoming the Xiao Qi would fleece.
Xue Ming turned to Xiao Qi and said seriously, "My building isn't even finished yet, and you're already thinking about opening champagne. Please, Bai Qingqing, wake up. I don't have that many complicated thoughts, and I believe A Xing didn't do this for the money."
Xiao Qi glanced sideways, thinking that the kiss on the cheek was quite nice, and hoped that Xue Ming would do it more often in the future, so that he wouldn't be ungrateful.
Xiao Qi laughed, and said in a affected manner, "Fine, you're so high and mighty, you think you're so great~"
Xue Ming smiled and mimicked the tone, replying, "Yes, I'm aloof, I'm amazing~"
Looking at the beautiful couple, the manager was reminded of his own youth with his wife, and sighed with emotion.
"That's great!"
Thinking this, the manager left two train tickets, the destination being the Great Bookstore, which were Xue Ming and Liuxing's tickets, and then left without a word.
A lively chorus of shouts emanated from the four-sided terrace of the Prince's Hall.
Amidst the cacophony of voices, the voice of 3301 could be heard.
She yelled and cursed as she dragged Bu Liuxing into the bar and left him next to Jiang Xueming.
"That guy went to the women's bathhouse for a milk bath!"
Bu Liuxing has turned back to normal.
--After transforming back into a 193-centimeter-tall strong man, he was immediately kicked out by the other passengers.
A Xing hurriedly explained, "I originally wanted to go to the men's bathroom! But you wouldn't let me! Then I thought about going to the public bathhouse, but you wouldn't let me go there either!"
Teacher San San: "I won't allow other men to stare at you lecherously!"
A Xing just kept scratching his head, trying to figure out the logic for a long time, but he still couldn't understand it. Perhaps it was the territorial instinct of the mother wolf that was at play.
"You get angry when other women stare at me lecherously?"
Teacher San San was nearly driven to madness. "Otherwise what?"
Xiao Qi chimed in at the opportune moment and said to A Xing, "Is it possible... is it possible that you could take a bath in your hotel room at the station without having to go to the public bathhouse?"
Meteor said, looking aggrieved, "I'm 1.9 meters tall! And the bathtub in the guest room is so small! How can I stand this injustice!"
Jiang Xueming noticed that A Xing was only wearing a bathrobe, so he took a large plastic bag from his bundle and handed it to A Xing.
"Here you go, bro!"
Meteor immediately sprang to his feet. "A New Year's gift?"
Xue Ming: "Yes! Let's go change our clothes!"
"Charge! Charge! Charge!" Meteor ran barefoot towards the changing room of the bathhouse, almost instinctively running into the women's bathhouse instead.
Within minutes, the bar's patrons saw the 1.9-meter-tall muscular man, dressed in a black overcoat, jeans, and heavy leather boots, Bu Liuxing out.
The overwhelming aura and pressure were like a heavyweight character making their entrance in a comic book.
Meteor, feigning a cold and expressionless demeanor, walked up to Jiang Xueming, his thick cut-resistant gloves supporting his waist, and his other hand slowly pulling down the hood of his helmet and jacket.
A Xing's mask and helmet resembled a werewolf's hood, with a black V-shaped nose and golden wolf-kiss panel lines that created the texture of fur.
These gleaming golden patterns are decorative designs that Jiang Xueming re-etched onto the helmet after melting down the useless gold lock symbolizing Fusou Wannian.
A pair of lifelike wolf ears stand upright on the hood, serving as ambient sound listening microphones, and there is an external antenna for radio.
Two eerie blue electronic eyes were embedded in the wolf-shaped mask, making it look exceptionally fierce; they turned red immediately when the thermal imaging function was activated.
The werewolf mask has a third eye between its eyebrows, which is A Xing's Rose Shining Stone.
It is connected to a complex gold-plated finish.
--As it burned, the wolf's head came alive, transforming into a dazzling display of gold and red.
Xiao Qi's mouth was agape, before she could even say, "Get me one too!"
Xue Ming took out another large plastic bag and stuffed it into Xiao Qi's arms.
From beneath the werewolf mask came A Xing's deep, yet flamboyant growl.
"Tonight! Bu Liuxing joins the hunt! Awooo!~~~~"
330 was stunned. She hadn't expected her employer's demeanor to change so drastically just by changing her clothes.
But A Xing was only serious for a short while before he immediately pulled up his mask and sat down next to Ming Ge. He excitedly shouted, "Ming Ge! Wow! You really made me a werewolf headgear? I almost fainted from how cool it was when I saw it! What do you think? What do you think? What do you think?"
Xue Ming was very happy. It was a joy that her handmade gift had been appreciated by A Xing. She then waved to Teacher San San.
Why don't you ask her?
3301 pursed her lips and said to Bu Liuxing, "Uh, he's alright. He's always been in good shape."
Xiao Qi clutched the plastic bag, planning to secretly open the gift alone when she got back. "Wow, wow! The child has grown up overnight."
Bu Liuxing excitedly said to Teacher San San, "Okay! I'm alright, right?!"
3301 leaned over and said seriously to Meteor, "It's the last one. That last 'Awoo,' it's not like that. It sounds like an insult to me, oh no, an insult to a wolf."
Bu Liuxing asked in surprise, "There's such a thing?"
Teacher San San didn't know what to say, "The three-colored jackals can distinguish different syllables and use the length of their tones to exchange information. We have our own language. What you just said sounded like you were cursing in a foreign language."
Bu Liuxing: "Then tell me! I'm fucking incredibly handsome! How do you say that in wolf language?"
Teacher San San covered her face, feeling embarrassed and reluctant to teach this sentence.
Xue Ming took out a third piece of clothing from his backpack and handed it to Teacher San San.
"This outfit is for you. I don't know if it will fit, but if Xiao Qi's measurements are correct, it should be fine."
San San exclaimed in panic, "Is this the treasure I can have? Oh my god!"
Xue Ming continued, "I didn't know about your half-wolf form, so I only made clothes for your human form. I'll think about it more carefully when I have time."
San San stared in astonishment, clutching the heavy plastic bag, still in a daze.
Meteor said to Teacher San San, "Just keep it! Consider it a gift from me!"
Xue Ming immediately replied, "Yes, it was given to you by A Xing."
Teacher San San accepted it immediately without hesitation.
At that very moment--
--Bai Bailu finally passed the mind-checking security procedure and returned with the waiter.
Two things were unexpected.
Firstly, after Bailu was summoned by the BOSS, the newbie tasks assigned to her by the BOSS were extremely absurd.
"Brother, the boss told me," Jiang Bailu said, looking utterly dejected, "That I should go visit your construction site and get some exercise."
Xiao Qi couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Jiang Xueming: "It's a good thing."
Jiang Bailu took out a Braille card, showed it to her brother, and immediately put it away, afraid of embarrassing him.
Her combat skills stats are stuck at D-, completely unqualified. She needs to live at the station for a period of time to adapt to the unique spiritual pressure of the underground world, at least to become a [bug egg] and complete her first metamorphosis before she can officially board the train.
The boss arranged a series of university-level cultural courses for Bailu, and the teachers were either waiters waiting at the Nine Realms Station or armed employees stationed at the station.
In addition, Bailu goes to the construction site to exercise every day. Although this little sister doesn't actually have to do anything, she at least needs to understand what her brother is doing. During this time, the head waiter Yang Chun and Bailu's waiter are in charge of her diet and fitness classes.
"And another thing," Jiang Bailu said with a shameless grin, "The sister-in-law you picked out for me here, brother, was so, so, so beautiful! I thought Little Kitty 'd arrange a Daniel Wu for me! My soulmate had to be at least a super handsome guy, right? But what happened? What happened!"
A little girl walked out from behind Bailu.
The girl looked quite energetic, with her hair styled in two buns, a classic Chinese look. However, the waitress's uniform made this eighteen or nineteen-year-old girl appear somewhat older.
Yes--
--The attendant during the Bailu Festival was a woman.
Specifically, she is a young lady who is about 163 centimeters tall and has a fairly well-proportioned and energetic appearance.
Judging from the shape of her arms in the long sleeves of the dress, she has a strong and muscular physique.
"Hello, I am Jiang Bailu's waiter, my number is 12306. You can call me Xiao Liu."
The girl seemed a little embarrassed as she muttered the station number, as if she had just arrived at the station and wasn't quite used to this designation.
Jiang Xueming was stunned for a long time, because he hadn't expected things to develop this way.
The older brother didn't know what to say. In fact, he had already rehearsed several plans in his mind. For example, if Bailu's waiter was a cocky, rebellious punk kid, he had nine ways to modify the kid's physical and mental essence to prevent his sister from being bullied.
But now
Jiang Xueming thought for a moment.
In the end, I simply stopped thinking about it.
"Yes, it's fine."