Your delivery owl has taken flight

At midnight, the sky outside had long since turned pitch-black. Only the streetlights along the road offered faint illumination, flickering on and off.

With a pale face, dressed entirely in red and carrying a pumpkin lantern, Mu You strolled down the deserted streets.

Honestly, he looked rather frightening. If a passing security guard or neighborhood police officer happened to spot him, they would surely arrest him on the spot as a criminal.

So Mu You stuck to deserted side streets as much as possible, eventually turning into the park beside his residential complex.

After wandering around the park twice with his lantern, a thoroughly bored Mu You found a bench in a corner and sat down.

It was supposed to be a patrol, but he had no idea what he actually needed to do.

According to the quest description, he only needed to "leave home and patrol outside for one hour." There were no other requirements.

"I should be able to slack off, right...?"

Mu You glanced around, confirmed no one was nearby, then extinguished his lantern and took out his phone.

It was already past midnight, so his stamina in the game should have refreshed.

"Whatever, I'll give it a try. If playing on my phone doesn't count as working, I'll just walk around for another hour afterward."

Mu You tapped the "Fool" icon on his phone.

When the game loaded, he was still inside the little wooden cabin.

Mu You first tried making his character "go outside."

Fortunately, the scenario he had imagined-getting bitten to death by the werewolf the moment he stepped outside-didn't happen. It seemed the werewolf had already left.

However, that werewolf had killed him only a few hours ago. It should still be somewhere in the village, so if he wandered outside, there was still a chance he would run into it again.

"Whatever, let's explore the map first!"

Mu You guided his character outside and chose the direction leading to the village entrance from the three route options that appeared.

He planned to find Scarecrow at the village entrance first and ask about the werewolf. At the very least, he needed to know his enemy as well as himself.

[After walking along the westward path for a long time, you arrived at the village entrance once again.]

[Besides Scarecrow at the village entrance, you spotted an old friend-the owner of the Owl Shop. The old cat seemed to have moved the little wooden shop into the village. From now on, you could buy goods here without traveling far.]

[Scarecrow and the old cat shopkeeper both spotted you and greeted you. Where would you like to look around first? Scarecrow, Owl Shop.]

The Owl Shop had moved to the village entrance too?

Mu You perked up. The Night Watchman's Diary he had obtained that afternoon had told him to buy a dictionary from the old cat shopkeeper to learn a foreign language. He had been worrying that leaving the village to find the shop would cost more stamina, but the shop had moved in on its own. What wonderful news!

Between the two options, Mu You decisively entered the Owl Shop first.

[You entered the Owl Shop. Delighted by the arrival of tonight's first customer, the old cat shopkeeper enthusiastically showed you the three items on sale today.]

[Steel Bone: A low-tier defensive spell. Once cast, it makes all the bones and skin of your body as hard as iron. Price: 100 years of lifespan.]

[Vampire Sword: A magic sword forged from mercury mixed with a vampire's flesh and blood. It deals heavy damage to blood-drinking creatures. Price: 110 years of lifespan.]

[Poison Apple: This was originally an ordinary apple. A witch accidentally spilled poison meant for werewolves onto it, turning it into a deadly poisonous apple. Its scent holds an irresistible allure for werewolves. Eating it reduces lifespan by 5 years; for werewolves, it reduces lifespan by 10 years. Price: 1 year of lifespan.]

"Oh?"

Mu You raised his eyebrows. He noticed that the three items the Owl Shop offered each day seemed to consist of one spell and two items.

Ever since obtaining three spells from the old hunter earlier, he had known that he could get spells for free by rewinding time.

Unfortunately, even the cheapest spell sold here cost 100 years of lifespan. To get one for free, he first needed to scrape together at least a hundred years. For now, all he could do was stare longingly.

"Steel Bone, Vampire Sword... Hmm, skip anything I can't afford."

Mu You looked straight at the final item, the witch's Poison Apple.

It looked like an item designed purely to hurt others without benefiting its user. Normally, Mu You probably wouldn't have given it a second glance, but he had just been killed by a werewolf last night...

Since he had confirmed there was a werewolf in the village, he could buy the apple as a deterrent. If he encountered the werewolf again, he would at least have a way to fight back.

"Just one year of lifespan. It's not expensive. I'll buy it!"

[You purchased the Poison Apple. Lifespan -1. Remaining lifespan: 53 years.]

With his new item acquired, Mu You tapped the text to take it out for a look, then decisively put it right back.

Good grief, how long had this rotten apple been sitting around?

Judging by that horrifying stench, it had to have been at least half a year!

Unbelievable. Even without the poison, this thing alone was powerful enough to rival a biological weapon.

He had no idea how a werewolf could be tempted by something like this...

Mu You hurriedly turned aside and took a few breaths of fresh air. Only after recovering did he look back at the game.

Having finished shopping, Mu You didn't rush to leave. Instead, he tried tapping the "old cat shopkeeper" text.

The shopkeeper was an NPC too, so he ought to be able to interact with the old cat...

Sure enough, as soon as he tapped the text, a prompt appeared below.

[The old cat shopkeeper seemed to realize you wanted something else. You could enter the item you needed in the text box. After you paid a deposit, the shopkeeper could source it from another shop, then send an owl to deliver it to you.]

"I can shop online too?"

Mu You was dumbfounded. One-click delivery, with a professional owl courier bringing the goods straight to him? That was much better service than JD offered!

When the text box appeared, Mu You entered "Star Spirit Dictionary" and tapped send.

[Star Spirit Dictionary: A dictionary containing all written symbols of the Star Spirit World. It automatically translates Star Spirit Language into the language the reader requires. Price: 5 years of lifespan. Order price: 6 years of lifespan. (Ordered goods require an additional 20% shipping fee.)]

[Spend 6 years of lifespan to order a "Star Spirit Dictionary"?]

"Order it!"

Mu You immediately tapped confirm.

Ordering cost a little extra lifespan, but he had enough now, so he didn't care about spending another year or two. Time mattered most.

It wasn't just about translating that diary. Mu You had a feeling that as he explored the Star Spirit World more deeply, he would encounter more and more things that needed translating.

He would have to learn the language sooner or later. The sooner he bought the dictionary, the sooner it would prove useful.

[You ordered the "Star Spirit Dictionary." Lifespan -6. Remaining lifespan: 47 years.]

[Your delivery owl has taken flight. Estimated delivery time: within 24 hours. Please keep an eye out for its arrival.]

"Delivery within twenty-four hours. That's pretty fast."

Mu You nodded in satisfaction, selected "leave the shop," then headed straight over to Scarecrow.