Lucky Blocks

"Ta-da! Lucky Blocks! Let's open some mystery boxes before bed!"

Chen Ming pulled out three Lucky Blocks: a classic yellow one with a question mark, a colorful one with a question mark, and a sea-blue one with a question mark.

"What are these?"

Dong Qianqiu stared curiously at the unusual blocks. Was there something special about these little things?

She had no idea what Lucky Blocks were, but Di Qiu'er knew about them after sharing Chen Ming's memories.

"They're like mystery boxes. You break one, and it might give you something special."

Di Qiu'er explained. Dong Qianqiu nodded. What could a little block like this give her? A small doll? Or a toy?

"Qianqiu, Qiu'er, you each pick one."

Chen Ming set the three blocks in front of them. Di Qiu'er casually chose the blue Lucky Block, Dong Qianqiu picked the colorful one, and Chen Ming took the yellow one.

"Let's open them outside. We don't want to blow up the house. Oh, Qianqiu, remember to set a Mini-map teleport point."

"How do I do that?"

Dong Qianqiu was a complete beginner and knew almost nothing about this world. Chen Ming had found that teaching a newbie was fun, so he immediately went to stand behind her and confidently showed her how.

"Just say 'map' in your head, and it'll pop up. Then tap the bottom of the map. Right, tap 'Create Teleport Point.' Name it 'Home,' 'Doghouse,' or 'Shark Den'—whatever you like."

With Chen Ming's guidance, Dong Qianqiu quickly learned how to use the map. She marveled at it again.

"That's amazing. Can you really teleport no matter how far away you are?"

"You have to be in the same dimension. For example, you can only use the teleport points here while you're in My World. Once you're on Tiandou Planet, you can use the points there."

Chen Ming explained the map's limitations, but his words still shocked her.

"Can I use this teleport ability when I return to Tiandou Planet?!"

"Sure. Just remember to be discreet. If the wrong person sees you, they might think you have a space-type treasure."

Chen Ming nodded to confirm it would work, then reminded Dong Qianqiu to be careful. She nodded to show she understood.

"Come on, let's go farther away before we open them. We don't want to blow up our home."

As he spoke, Chen Ming swept her up in a bridal carry. Dong Qianqiu's cheeks instantly flushed pink, and she reflexively wrapped her arms around him.

A pair of golden dragon wings spread out, and they flew from the sleeping quarters. Di Qiu'er did the same. The three of them flew out of the palace, then landed on a flat patch of ground some distance away.

"I'll go first and show you how it's done."

Di Qiu'er set down her Lucky Block. Under Dong Qianqiu's curious gaze, she punched it and shattered it. A golden trident dropped out.

"What's that?"

"Isn't that... Lord Poseidon's Golden Trident?!"

Di Qiu'er picked up the trident, a question mark appearing above her head. Dong Qianqiu was the first to recognize it as the Seagod Trident.

"What a letdown... It's useless."

Di Qiu'er casually tossed the trident to Chen Ming, who caught it. In My World, no matter how heavy an item was, it could be used once it was in the Inventory.

"Perfect for knocking Tang San on the head later. Qianqiu, your turn."

Chen Ming looked at Dong Qianqiu, signaling her to open her mystery box. She nodded, set down the colorful Lucky Block, and punched it with her tiny fist, imitating Di Qiu'er.

Bang!

The Lucky Block cracked, but didn't break, so Dong Qianqiu punched it again.

Whoosh!

The sound of fireworks suddenly filled the air. Dong Qianqiu jumped in fright and hurriedly backed away, looking up. Several red fireworks burst in the sky.

"Qianqiu, looks like you're lucky. You got something good."

Chen Ming beckoned Dong Qianqiu back. Confused, she walked over and saw a pile of metals on the ground: white Iron Ingots, gold-colored gold ingots, and blue diamonds.

"Did I get all of these?"

"Yep, they're all yours."

Dong Qianqiu went over, and all the minerals were absorbed into her. She opened her Inventory and saw the three types of materials inside.

"The white ones are Iron Ingots, used to make equipment. The gold ones are gold ingots. You can make equipment with those too, but it's weak, so we usually use them to make Golden Apples. Diamonds are for making equipment as well."

Chen Ming gave her a rough explanation of what the three materials were used for. Dong Qianqiu listened attentively, turning the sparkling diamond over in her hands.

"Okay, my turn."

At last, Chen Ming got to open his box. With Di Qiu'er and Dong Qianqiu watching, he set down the yellow Lucky Block and punched it apart.

A pile of red things burst out. Chen Ming's pupils contracted. He turned, ran over, and scooped up Dong Qianqiu, who was still watching the show, grabbing her around the thighs.

"Huh? What's going on?"

Chen Ming had lifted Dong Qianqiu onto his shoulder. The sudden change startled her. She looked at the flashing red block, which had the letters "TNT" written on it, completely baffled.

"It gave us a bomb. Run!"

Chen Ming explained, and Dong Qianqiu finally understood. He carried her and sped away.

Boom!

With a thunderous blast, a deep crater appeared in the ground before them. Dong Qianqiu's eyes widened in shock.

"Mystery boxes can give you bombs?! That's so dangerous!"

"The odds of getting a bomb should be really low. How did I end up getting one?"

A question mark appeared above Chen Ming's head too. Then he bent down and set the tiny Dong Qianqiu on the ground.

Di Qiu'er had already run away. Seeing Chen Ming flee with only Little Shark after getting a bomb, she spoke in a sour tone:

"Chen Ming, you care more about romance than friendship!"

"Me? I care more about romance?"

Chen Ming was dumbfounded. He pointed at himself and asked, but Di Qiu'er confirmed it.

"Yep!"

"And I neglect my friends?"

"That's right!"

After Di Qiu'er's emphatic double confirmation, Chen Ming immediately protested.

"How do I care more about romance than friendship?"

"When the TNT flew out just now, you only grabbed her and ran. You didn't care whether I lived or died!"

Di Qiu'er folded her arms and pointed accusingly at Chen Ming. So love really could disappear!

"Didn't I warn you?"

"The TNT hit me on the head! You didn't!"

"You shouldn't need me to protect you, right? Qianqiu's still a newbie. She definitely needs me to look after her."

"You care more about romance than friendship!"

Chen Ming tried to justify himself, but Di Qiu'er wouldn't let him off the hook. Dong Qianqiu thought the two of them were a pair of squabbling rivals, though it was obvious they were close.

"Ahem. I'll make you something tasty tomorrow."

"Really? Then I'll magnanimously forgive you."

Chen Ming managed to placate the little Auspicious Beast with just one sentence. Foodies really were easy to appease.