The Right Mindset for Handling Quests

When the elder brother's career hindered the younger brother's development, and the returns no longer matched the investment, sustainable growth could collapse at any moment.

Lin Bai decisively chose to cut off his own wrist to save his life.

What was youth without a little willfulness?

Lin Bai had too many systems and too little energy to devote excessive time and effort to any one of them.

He had to ensure that he gained the greatest returns from each system at the smallest cost.

Ultimately, his elder brother, his systems, and emotions were all tools meant to serve him.

If a tool felt right in his hand, he would keep using it. If not, he would toss it aside and find another.

He completed system quests to live a better life; he did not live to complete system quests.

He had to keep that relationship clear and never reverse it.

"You play games to have fun, while I complete quests to stay alive. The right to life comes first. Fun should yield to survival." After deciding to take out his own elder brother, Lin Bai sighed wistfully and found an excuse to comfort himself.

To the natives of this world, he was a transmigrator.

To the players, he was an NPC.

His awkward position doomed him to walk alone.

To live a better life, he had to maintain an optimistic, proactive, and upward-looking mindset at all times.

After all.

He was still weak. One wrong step could bring his life to an end.

His elder brother, [Lao Mi], had found an occupation on his own, netting Lin Bai three Fortune points for free.

That gave him ample confidence.

Yesterday, he had bought a haunted house, yet emerged unscathed and resolved everything smoothly in less than a day.

That made Lin Bai realize Fortune was indeed working on him, turning danger into safety and calamity into blessings.

So.

He felt certain that good luck awaited him today.

His currently active quests were: open a restaurant for the God of Cooking System; collect Positive Emotions for the Emotion System; complete the Inner Force quest for the Flawed Creation System; and give his elder brother conviction for the Chief Supporting Character System.

The highest priorities should be the Flawed Creation System's Inner Force quest and the Emotion System's Positive Emotions quest.

The Charisma rewarded for collecting Positive Emotions certainly had its benefits.

But Lin Bai had already experienced the benefits of Spirit points. Just a few points kept him full of energy and clearheaded, allowing him to stay awake until well past midnight before feeling tired.

A higher Spirit score could very well shorten his required sleep even further.

There were few players during the closed beta, so dealing with them was not too troublesome.

Once the open beta began and player numbers surged, he definitely would not have enough time. He needed sufficient energy to deal with the players.

To grow faster than the players, he had to become the king of grinding among NPCs.

So.

For Lin Bai as he was now, Spirit mattered more than Charisma.

He believed he needed to clear the Positive Emotions collection quest quickly. It absolutely was not because he preferred collecting Negative Emotions.

Meanwhile, the Inner Force quest served to safeguard Lin Bai.

After all, collecting Negative Emotions offended too many people. He could easily get beaten to death.

The two complemented each other and had to advance together.

He got up early in the morning.

All right! He got up halfway through the morning.

Having drawn up his work plan for the day, Lin Bai felt fantastic. He pushed open his door. "Waiter, bring me a basin of water. I need to wash up."

"Just a moment, sir."

The waiter's voice came from far away.

A moment later.

There was a knock at the door.

Lin Bai opened it.

Holding a half-full basin of water, the expressionless waiter immediately plastered a fake smile across his face. "Your water, sir."

"Thanks." Lin Bai smiled. "Put it on the stool!"

"Certainly." The waiter entered, set the basin on the stool, and turned to leave.

"Wait." Lin Bai called him back.

"Is there anything else you need, sir?" The waiter stopped reflexively.

"A tip for you." Lin Bai looked at the waiter with a smile. Ten copper coins lay conspicuously in his palm.

[Joy from Liu Chun, +1]

"Thank you, sir." Liu Chun beamed, his fake smile instantly coming to life. He took the coins and bowed to Lin Bai. "If you need anything else, sir, just say the word."

Sure enough, no matter when or where, spending money was always a shortcut to growth!

The system notification had revealed his name to Lin Bai, who smiled and said, "No need to thank me. You deserve it. Liu Chun, I've traveled far and wide for years, and you're the sharpest-looking waiter I've ever seen. Your clothes are clean and presentable, you're honest, you know proper etiquette, and you work briskly. You put people at ease without even trying."

[Joy from Liu Chun, +1]

"Thank you for the compliment, sir." Liu Chun's smile became even more sincere. He scratched his head sheepishly. "I'm not nearly as good as you say."

"You're thinking too small." Lin Bai shook his head, smiling even more warmly than the waiter.

"Thinking too small?" The waiter froze.

"Yes, too small." Lin Bai nodded firmly. Glancing at the basin on the stool, he said earnestly, "You might fool others, but you can't fool me. When you work for guests, you're meticulous about where you put things. Whenever a guest calls, you come immediately, without a word of complaint. When you're idle, you keep watching how the proprietor runs the business, and what every customer currently needs and how they're doing. So you must be quietly learning how to run an inn. Your body may be idle, but your mind isn't. Tsk, tsk. You're a man who puts his heart into things..."

Was I?

So the guests noticed how seriously I took my work?

So even my daydreaming had such profound meaning?

The waiter paused, then nodded firmly. Yes, that must be it. Otherwise, the guest wouldn't have said so. He even remembered my name!

[Joy from Liu Chun, +1]

Lin Bai raised an eyebrow imperceptibly and regarded the waiter with admiration. "Liu Chun! You might not know it, but you have countless shining qualities you haven't even discovered yourself. I see potential in you. Trust my judgment: your future won't end with being a waiter. Keep at it, and one day you'll have an inn of your own..."

[Confidence from Liu Chun, +1]

The waiter's chest puffed up.

Having caught a toad, he would squeeze it until it peed. As long as the waiter could still provide Positive Emotion points, Lin Bai did not mind offering a few more pleasant words.

Both sides benefited anyway.

The waiter gained affirmation, recognition, and hope for the future.

He gained quest progress.

It was a win-win.

"Waiter, a pot of tea!" Another voice came from outside.

"Go on!" Lin Bai waved. "Don't let me hold up your proper work."

"I'll be going, then. If you need anything, sir, just let me know. I'll come whenever you call." The waiter's smile grew even more genuine. Who wouldn't enjoy serving a customer who appreciated him, especially one who tipped?

At that moment, he was no longer a waiter merely muddling through.

He was a waiter with a goal, optimism, confidence, and hope for the future. He had to take his work seriously.

"Of course." Lin Bai smiled. "Do a good job, and there'll be more tips."

[Joy from Liu Chun, +1]

"There's no need to tip. It's all part of my job." The waiter smiled bashfully. "You don't have to be so generous."

"If it's deserved, it should be given. Let's forge a good connection. Consider it my contribution of a few bricks and tiles to your future business," Lin Bai insisted.

Buying quest progress with money offered the best value.

After all.

System quests grew progressively harder. When he needed to collect emotions in large quantities in the future, talking his way through them would no longer work so well. At that point, throwing money around would be the shortcut.

So.

Lin Bai felt it was essential to fatten up his wallet.

He remembered that a Tycoon System remained among his reserve systems. If it unlocked, it would be the Emotion System's ideal partner. Unfortunately, he had no idea how to unlock the later systems.

[Joy from Liu Chun, +1]

The waiter left, providing Lin Bai with another point of Positive Emotions before he went.

[Collect ten instances of Positive Emotions elicited by you (9/10). Reward: Charisma Three].

The waiter alone had provided six points of Positive Emotions.

It had to be said.

With enough care, any quest could be completed quickly.

After a quick wash, Lin Bai stepped out of the inn feeling refreshed and clearheaded, determined to take the day's quests seriously.

If he had been a devil while collecting Negative Emotions yesterday, then today, he was an angel bringing warmth to the world.