Chapter 114

Chapter 114

Happy New Year!

As Ji Xinghai entered the orchard, the audience in the live stream began spreading the news far and wide.

Lobster and abalone for lunch, fruit pizza for the afternoon.

For nine years, they hadn't experienced such abundance.

Was this challenge tailor-made for Ji Xinghai by the Hungry Academy? How could it be so perfectly suited to his tastes?

Curiously enough, Ji Xinghai thought the same thing.

However, after replenishing his food during the day, he was in good shape and didn’t overindulge. In the orchard, he ate one ripe fruit from each type of tree.

He always chose the largest and best fruits. If he liked them, he would eat several; if not, just one, making sure to finish it. He had no habit of wasting food.

The dragon maiden watched him from afar as he walked past each tree. The usually temperamental trees were exceptionally well-behaved today, with some even offering their most delicious fruits.

She was a bit puzzled, but according to the game rules, filling a basket with fruits meant passing the challenge. Since the student wasn't breaking any rules or harming the trees, she decided not to worry about the details.

Soon, he had walked through the entire small orchard, and both his basket and stomach were full. The dragon maiden came to inspect the fruits.

Even with her dark makeup, the dragon maiden maintained her image as a career woman who loved growing fruits. She sensed something extraordinary about the student before her, yet that didn't stop her from meticulously checking the basket for any bruised, unripe, or damaged fruits.

She found none.

Confusion filled the dragon maiden's eyes.

Fruits from mutated trees were deceptive; it was hard to tell their quality without daily contact. Yet, she couldn’t find a single bad fruit, not even one that was slightly imperfect.

All perfect.

How did this student manage it?

"Instinct?" Ji Xinghai offered an answer that wasn't quite an answer. Perhaps eating too many abnormal creatures made him able to sense which fruits had the most energy without tasting them. He selected the fruits based on their energy levels.

The dragon maiden quickly accepted this explanation and visibly pleased, said, "The best fruits make the finest wine. This batch will be excellent."

Perhaps impressed by his exceptional performance, she gave him twenty game coins, double the usual reward.

Ji Xinghai took the game coins and, with his other hand, pulled out a doll he had obtained from the dollhouse. It was a palm-sized, aged dragon robe doll, a traditional JiuZhou handmade doll, a luxury item among dolls.

Seeing the historical doll, the dragon maiden’s eyes widened. "How did you get it?"

After thinking for a moment, Ji Xinghai honestly replied, "Probably because I threatened it. If the dragon maiden wasn't satisfied, I'd go back and chat with it for three days and nights."

During that time, accidentally breaking a few more dolls was inevitable.

"...What do you want?"

The dream doll lay before her, exuding an oppressive aura. Its black robe embroidered with gold displayed an unbridled pursuit of power, transcending gender.

This doll belonged to her.

She was the dragon maiden, the inheritor, contender, and controller of power, destined to stir up storms.

As long as Ji Xinghai's request wasn't unreasonable, she was prepared to grant it.

"The Handcraft Hall Master's favorite wine."

"Agreed."

Without hesitation.

Soon, Ji Xinghai received a large sealed barrel of fine wine, while the dragon maiden took the doll. Holding it with both hands, she suddenly laughed, her body enveloped in black mist. Her dark makeup slowly faded, replaced by a golden eyeliner at the corner of her eye.

The audience in the live stream witnessed this transformation, akin to a cartoon character's metamorphosis.

But the transformation wasn't of a beautiful girl; it was of the main antagonist.

Her black robe with golden embroidery flowed along her feminine curves, shimmering with the patterns of mountains, rivers, sun, and stars. A young dragon with horns coiled around it.

She wore no jewelry except for a crown on her head.

With slender fingers, the dragon maiden traced her brow, her smile cold and alluring. "I've been here too long. Now it's time to leave."

The door of the orchard behind her closed automatically.

"To thank you for the doll, I'll give you a piece of advice: seek invisible rewards, as many as possible."

The dragon maiden and her orchard vanished, leaving Ji Xinghai looking up at the sky. Was he cursed? The restaurant he visited had closed, and now the orchard was gone forever.

The cat maiden, after eating, would sleep; cats, after all, eat, sleep, play, and repeat.

The dragon maiden was triggered by the doll, hinting at evolution. But given her ambitious nature, staying content with farming was unlikely.

Let's wish them well.

After all, the seafood and fruits were delicious.

Ji Xinghai packed away the wine barrel and got on his bicycle, heading towards the hotel.

In the real world, JiuZhou.

"This is my first time witnessing the evolution of an abnormal creature! Is there a special trigger?" The leader of the psychic analysis team, the researcher specializing in soul energy, wished he could dive into the screen.

Anyone with special abilities could see the qualitative difference between the dragon maiden in casual clothes and the one in a dragon robe.

Amazing!

She had been studying biological mutations for so many years and always had one lingering question: Could abnormal creatures undergo secondary evolution?

Generally speaking, based on what humans currently understood, once items, animals, or plants mutated, their levels were fixed. Of course, this did not include the abnormal creatures in exceptional natural disasters, which seemed to be forcibly triggered into mutation and then returned to their original forms after an hour of the disaster.

Here, they were talking about naturally mutated abnormal creatures on the planet. They were rare, but once they appeared, their levels were fixed. Even if they could enhance themselves through various means, beyond a certain threshold, their soul energy would no longer change.

However, she had always suspected that abnormal creatures might have the opportunity to undergo secondary, tertiary, or even multiple evolutions. She just hadn't figured out what conditions were necessary for such secondary evolution.

But just now, secondary evolution occurred.

"The Dragon Girl can undergo secondary evolution; what conditions did it meet? Perfect energy, and a suitable artifact?"

The researcher was incredibly excited, and so were her team members.

Not only Black Tower, not only JiuZhou, but everyone in the world interested in abnormal evolution was thrilled. If they could, they would all want to replace the trainees and enter the amusement park.

"Our trainee might know."

They suddenly turned their gaze to Ji Xinghai: "His strength far exceeds theory. Ji Xinghai might have experienced secondary or even multiple evolutions."

"Anyone who interferes with the trainees or their families under any pretext will be dealt with as a threat to national security." The minister sternly warned. These researchers could go crazy, but they could approach anyone except the trainees.

"The minister worries too much. Even if we dared think about it, we couldn't do it. Besides, Ji Xinghai is strong enough to crush us. Only a madman would provoke him."

The researcher really wanted to understand the secrets, but she wasn't so excited as to lose her mind. Just from the benefits Ji Xinghai brought to JiuZhou over these few months, he would be revered upon his return. Moreover, given his strength, why would anyone want to touch that landmine?

The minister still frowned, not letting down his guard. If it weren't for the necessity of the ability research group, he would send these lunatics away.

Sigh, those who thought Ji Xinghai might have experienced multiple evolutions wouldn't be limited to them. He could keep an eye on these people, but how could he stop those outside Black Tower and abroad?

Ji Xinghai didn't know the stir caused by the Dragon Girl's transformation. In the worlds he had experienced, there were relatively systematic energy systems, and such transformations were common. He didn't realize that back home, evolution was still in its early stages, and everyone was feeling their way forward.

Now he had just arrived at the hotel.

This was the only hotel in the vast amusement park, visible from the foot of the mountain as a golden castle.

The replica world didn't have a clear sun, but the sky's color indicated the time. Now, the gray-blue sky suggested nightfall was approaching.

Many trainees like Ji Xinghai came to the hotel, fearing trouble when night fell and the difficulty of finding a place to stay.

"... You must go to White Dove Park; the games there are very simple."

"... Whatever you do, don't go to the Puppet Theater; it's terrifying. Only three out of ten trainees come out."

Ji Xinghai pushed his bicycle up the steps, hearing the chatter of the trainees inside before entering the main door.

In the golden lobby, seven trainees were present. Two were consulting an NPC at the front desk, while five sat on sofas chatting. They had various skin tones—black, white, yellow, brown—and seemed to be from different cultural backgrounds, yet they were engaged in lively conversation.

He pushed his bike in and walked to the front desk. A leopard-shaped NPC smiled at him, asking, "What service do you need?"

The front desk was manned entirely by fierce beasts.

The others glanced at him curiously. Probably because his shoulder-length hair covered his eyes, they didn't recognize Ji Xinghai and quickly turned their faces away.

"Are there any rooms available?"

"There are, what type do you need?" The leopard enthusiastically introduced the hotel's current room options: ten game coins per night for the basement special, twenty game coins for a standard single room, thirty game coins for a double room, and fifty game coins for a super-luxury family suite.

"If you have companions, the double room offers the best value. Also, except for the basement special, all other rooms include breakfast and late-night snacks."

"I don't have companions. How many rooms are there in total?"

"All room types combined, there are forty-two rooms," the leopard smiled. "Eight have already been booked, so please make your choice quickly."

With nearly three hundred trainees and only forty-two rooms:

"Can more than one person stay in a single room?"

"No, sir. We have rules. The basement special and single rooms are for one guest each, the double room for two guests, and the family suite has one double room and one single room, accommodating three guests."

"What happens if more people stay?"

The leopard smiled without answering.

"Are there any precautions for the hotel?"

The leopard pointed to a sign on the counter, written in tiny letters:

The Golden Sun Hotel operates from 6 AM to 9 PM.

The Golden Sun Hotel provides high-quality smiling service.

Please take care of your belongings and do not damage hotel property.

Do not wander around during non-operating hours.

It seemed reasonable. The trainee next to Ji Xinghai, who had started inquiring earlier, decided to book a room and took out a handful of game coins: "I'll book for three days."

"Sorry, sir, the hotel doesn't offer reservations. You can only book for one day now. To book tomorrow's room, please place your order when the hotel opens." The crocodile-headed NPC smiled.

"Only one day?" The trainee frowned but still booked a basement special for one day.

"Here is your room card."

Beside him, Ji Xinghai watched as the two trainees booked their rooms. By the time the second trainee booked, there were no more basement specials left, and he had to take out twenty game coins to book a standard single room.

"Customer, do you need any other services?" Leopard asked with a grin.

Ji Xinghai also took out twenty game coins, preparing to book a standard single room. At that moment, a new announcement came over the loudspeaker outside:

"Dear visitors, there is a Halloween event at the amusement park at nine o'clock tonight. Interested visitors, please sign up at Custom Street in time."