What Do You Want in Return?

Zhao Xun opened his phone's photo album, selected a picture, and showed it to Tiantian.

Tiantian studied it for a moment, then looked up and asked Zhao Xun, "These two look pretty old. Are they your parents?"

"Have you seen them?" Zhao Xun asked instead of answering.

"No." Tiantian shook her head.

Zhao Xun said nothing, nor did he look disappointed. He calmly put his phone away.

He had already prepared himself for the possibility that he might find no information at all about those two people on this journey.

He had only asked one veteran player so far. It was perfectly normal to learn nothing.

"Do you know all the veteran players?" Zhao Xun asked.

"Of course not." Tiantian laughed. "The veteran players who get to live in the first three cars are all ranked in the top fifty. I rarely see those players, and even when I do, they never give me a chance to get close."

"The people in cars one, two, and three don't come out to eat?" Zhao Xun looked surprised. "As long as they go to the dining car, surely you'd see them."

"They rarely eat in the dining car." Before Zhao Xun could speak, Tiantian waved a hand. "Don't ask me how they get their three meals a day. I've never lived in those three cars, so I don't know."

Zhao Xun changed the question on the tip of his tongue. "How long have you been on the Endless Train?"

"About half a year, I guess," Tiantian answered casually, seemingly unconcerned about sharing her information with Zhao Xun.

"Then you've been here quite a while. Why haven't you made it into the top fifty?" Zhao Xun looked at Tiantian. "I get the feeling you must have quite a few points."

"I'm not obsessed with rankings. As long as I'm not in last place, I'm fine," Tiantian said indifferently. "Besides, I like spending my points on good food. I don't want to scrimp and save just to get into the top fifty."

"All right." Zhao Xun shrugged and said nothing more.

Seeing that Zhao Xun wasn't disappointed or upset by his failure to learn anything about the couple, Tiantian pursed her lips, a little bored.

After thinking it over, she said, "I can ask around about those two for you."

Zhao Xun looked at Tiantian again. There was no delighted surprise in his eyes. Instead, he calmly asked, "What do you want in return?"

"Oh, come on, you stole my line." Tiantian huffed in mock reproach, then pretended to think seriously for a while before saying, "Hmm, how about owing me a favor? I haven't decided what I want yet."

Zhao Xun nodded without hesitation. "Sure."

After a pause, he added, "But I'll only owe you that favor once you provide a useful lead. And you should understand that if you ask me to do something that harms my own interests, I definitely won't do it."

"Deal!" Rather than being upset by Zhao Xun's words, Tiantian smiled brightly. "I like how honest you are."

"Once we're back aboard, let's meet in the dining car around eleven thirty on the sixth." She quickly set a time. "I'll introduce you to someone then."

"I can only eat in the regular dining car. If you want to go to the upscale one, you'll have to treat me," Zhao Xun said bluntly.

"Fine, fine. The regular dining car it is." Tiantian pursed her lips.

"All right," Zhao Xun finally agreed. "I'll be there on time."

According to the Train Rules, fighting was forbidden in the dining car.

Even if the veteran players' Train Rules differed, this rule should be the same as the one for new players.

Meeting in the train's dining car would be safe for both of them.

Nothing else happened that night. Zhao Xun stayed beside Tiantian without sleeping, keeping Ruby and Sculpture safe.

In the small hours, Ruby finally couldn't stay awake any longer. She drowsily slumped against Sculpture and fell asleep.

On the afternoon of the fifth, Sculpture finally regained the ability to move freely. She thanked Zhao Xun again, then took Ruby with her and swiftly left Nairui Town, heading off into the unknown.

Once Sculpture and Ruby had vanished completely from sight, a notification finally popped up in front of Zhao Xun.

[Congratulations to player Zhao Xun for completing the Hidden Mission. You have earned 60 points and the special item [Scorching Blood].]

[Congratulations to player Zhao Xun for unlocking all storylines in the [Nairui Town] game. You have earned a bonus equal to twenty percent of your total points for this round: 22 points.]

With Tiantian beside him, Zhao Xun showed no particular reaction.

But he was in an excellent mood.

From the information he had gained this time, he confirmed that there were three ways to pull ahead in points.

One was how a quest was completed. The harder the method, the higher the points.

Another was triggering Hidden Missions to earn hidden points.

The last was how much of the game's backstory was unlocked. Unlocking it completely granted an extra reward.

To upgrade his special ability as quickly as possible, he needed to participate in more Platform Games, complete their quests in more complicated ways whenever possible, and look for opportunities to trigger Hidden Missions.

Zhao Xun picked up the jacket he had left on a nearby rock. It was completely dry now.

He shook the dust off his jacket and put it back on.

Then he strode toward the town's main gate.

Seeing this, Tiantian followed him.

As he walked, Zhao Xun discreetly used his mind to open [Scorching Blood] and read its detailed description.

[Scorching Blood]

Anyone who swallows Scorching Blood can become your closest friend, provided they harbor no ill will toward you.

If they harbor ill will toward you, they will instantly melt into a puddle of blood.

P.S. There are two drops of Scorching Blood in total, allowing for two uses. After all, with good friends, quality matters more than quantity~

This was an excellent special item, whether used for its beneficial effect or its harmful one. Zhao Xun liked it very much.

The two walked all the way to the entrance of Nairui Town, where they happened to encounter the Short-Haired Woman hurrying over. They exchanged glances and nodded politely to one another.

The next second, the scene before all three of them flickered briefly again, and they found themselves back beside the train.

Yes, beside the train, not on the open grassy field where they had initially gathered after running for more than ten minutes.

Six players had arrived, but only three remained to leave.

This outcome was actually considerably better than Zhao Xun had expected.

The Short-Haired Woman was about to board, but when she noticed that neither Zhao Xun nor Tiantian had moved, she instinctively pulled her foot back.

After a moment's thought, she walked over to Tiantian and asked, "Why aren't you getting on?"

"I think it's better to board a little later," Tiantian answered with a smile.

Although Zhao Xun said nothing, he clearly shared Tiantian's thoughts.

The Short-Haired Woman was a little bewildered. She racked her brains for quite some time, carefully reviewing every detail she might have overlooked, before finally figuring out what was going on.