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“Your Highness, your facial mask has fallen off.” The intelligent butler picked up the mask from the floor, scanned it with its pupils, and said, “It can still be used.”
“Your Highness, shall I reapply it for you?”
“Take it away!”
How could Xiu Jin possibly care about a facial mask at a time like this? He stepped out of the massage chair, turned the light-brain screen toward the intelligent butler, and demanded, “What did you see?”
The butler neatly folded the facial mask and put it away, then read aloud with deep emotion upon seeing the words on the screen: “Intimacy +50.”
“…”
Confirming that his exhaustion hadn’t caused him to misread, Xiu Jin stared at the “+50 Intimacy” for a long while until the notification disappeared. The intimacy value in the top right corner, originally -10, had now become 40.
From negative to positive.
He hadn’t entered the game for merely half a day; how could the intimacy value have suddenly increased so much!
Suddenly, Xiu Jin remembered that ugly Level 3 Ant Corpse Beast.
His precious daughter must have known he had fought the Corpse Beast for her, which made her feel more affectionate toward him, naturally increasing their intimacy value.
But… why didn’t it increase while he was online at that time?
Could it be that the intimacy value is delayed?
Xiu Jin’s mind was a chaotic jumble of thoughts, but he quickly cast them all aside, leaving only a joy that radiated from within.
Regardless of whether the intimacy value is delayed or not, he now has it and can buy delicious food for his precious daughter!
This afternoon, Xiu Jin went to the Black Market again, only to find that the boss who sells NR still hadn’t shown up, making his trip a waste of time. To make matters worse, he had to deal with Chu Xinran during the process, which annoyed him to no end.
Yet now, with the intimacy value increasing by such a massive amount as +50, all those troubles vanished; he felt utterly at ease, and every trace of unease lurking within him disappeared.
Just as he opened the mall to see what he could buy, another notification suddenly popped up: [Zhu Yuan has been infected by the virus. To prevent Bianbian from feeling sad or scared, he chose to leave alone.]
Xiu Jin froze.
?
Zhu Yuan got infected and turned into a zombie?
Like Lu Yu?
“How could this happen!” Xiu Jin’s brows knitted tightly, his earlier ease and joy replaced by gravity. Leaving aside the fact that Zhu Yuan had left, leaving his precious daughter alone again, how had Zhu Yuan become infected in the first place?
When he logged out of the game, everything should have been resolved; logically, nothing should have gone wrong.
Before he could ponder further, the system chimed in again: [Zhu Yuan’s departure dealt a heavy blow to Bianbian, causing her to fall ill with a high fever last night. Fortunately, her fever has now subsided and she is out of danger. However, she has lost too much bodily energy; please provide energy for Bianbian.]
As if I needed you to tell me that.
Compared to Zhu Yuan, his precious daughter was naturally more important. Xiu Jin stopped overthinking and immediately entered the shop.
“Why are the other categories still grayed out?” he muttered in frustration. Besides food, he wanted to buy other things for his precious daughter. “Don’t I have enough intimacy points now?”
The system remained silent.
“…”
He clicked on the food category, and finally, all the icons in the first row lit up. There were four in total: besides the first one, a red apple, the remaining three were respectively:
[Organic Mineral Water]: 100 Star Coins. This organic mineral water contains special minerals suitable for children aged one to five, helping to strengthen their constitution. Limited to one bottle per purchase.
[Magic Bouncy Sausage]: 200 Star Coins. Made from special meat, Magic Bouncy Sausage helps children aged one to five absorb energy more effectively for their bones, promoting healthy development. Limit one per purchase.
[Brain-Development Toddler Formula]: 500 Star Coins. Formula is an essential source of energy for infants and toddlers. Brain-Development Toddler Formula aids in unlocking the brain potential of children aged one to five, making babies progressively smarter as they grow. Limit one can per purchase.
　　……
After reading, Xiu Jin complained dissatisfiedly, “Why is it grayed out again at the end?”
He wanted to treat his precious daughter to a grand feast!
Not these crude, unappetizing meals.
[First, your intimacy level is insufficient to unlock the subsequent icons. Second, Bianbian is still young; her body has low tolerance, and foods with excessively high energy will cause adverse side effects. Note: any backlash resulting from such side effects is irreversible. Player One, please raise Bianbian responsibly.]
Xiu Jin: “…”
So, this is advising him to be rational while spending money in the game, not to flaunt his wealth like a nouveau riche by endlessly buying things, ultimately harming Bianbian? Is that what it means?
Yes.
Xiu Jin: “…”
Too lazy to bother.
He was raising a daughter, not a pig; he could naturally judge what to buy and what not to. He simply wanted more options, allowing Bianbian to try a richer variety of foods, so that his precious daughter could grow up fair and plump.
All the icons afterward were grayed out, making it impossible to tell what they represented. He asked again, “How much intimacy points are needed to unlock them?”
The system readily replied: [500.]
Perhaps because gaining +50 intimacy points at once had boosted Xiu Jin’s confidence, he instantly felt that 500 points were nothing. After all, his precious daughter already knew of his existence and understood that he would never harm her; earning intimacy points would be easy.
Five hundred… a piece of cake.
Xiu Jin tapped the payment interface, swiped once, and the transaction succeeded.
Just as he was about to drag the three purchased items onto his desktop, a message swiftly popped up on the screen: [Intimacy Points Cleared.]
He watched helplessly as the “40” in the top-right corner turned into “0”.
“???”
This damn system deducts both money and intimacy points when I buy something?!
System: [Of course. Entering the Black Market requires purchasing an entry ticket, and buying items inside also costs money. Intimacy points and Star Coins serve different purposes—one unlocks the purchasing channel, the other pays the price. They don’t conflict.]
Xiu Jin pinched the bridge of his nose, accepting this explanation.
Wait—
“You even know I went to the black market?” He stared suspiciously at the game screen. “Are you an intelligent system?”
This “intelligence” was not that kind of intelligence, nor was it like an intelligent butler possessing its own consciousness.
System: …
System: [I thought you knew that from our very first conversation.]
Compared to Nong Jiusi’s intelligence, hers was truly like heaven and earth apart.
The system silently mused.
But at least she had her advantages—easy to deceive, easy to control.
Xiu Jin snorted—he was merely momentarily surprised that the system of an ordinary game turned out to be an intelligent one.
No game developer would use an AI system for an ordinary game, because the servers of regular games simply cannot handle the massive data load required by such intelligent systems.
He suddenly understood.
It was likely a compatibility issue causing these problems with in-game purchases; it wasn’t that the game blocked spending money, but rather that the servers couldn’t support it, forcing the AI system to adopt this particular mode.
Thinking it through, Xiu Jin felt less angry toward the lousy system.
Once he identifies which game developer created the game, he will purchase it outright and hire a professional team to revamp it.
Even though she is merely his daughter within the game, he insists on giving her the very best. This means not simply pouring money into microtransactions, but replacing the bleak post-apocalyptic map entirely to gift his precious daughter a brand-new world.
While Xiu Jin’s mind raced with wild, boundless ideas, his hands remained busy; he slid the purchased items onto the table and carefully observed his precious daughter’s expression.
Surely she won’t be frightened this time.
Bianbian, gulping down mineral water from a bottle she had just twisted open until her palms turned red, noticed three items suddenly appearing on the table. Instead of immediately checking what they were, she spoke with a tone brimming with excitement and joy, yet tinged with unease: “Uncle, you’re here?”
Xiu Jin nudged the bottle of organic mineral water forward, indicating his presence.
Bianbian’s eyes lit up. The clever little girl understood the hint. Glancing around, her eyes curved into crescent moons as she flashed small, glutinous-rice-like white teeth. Fidgeting with her little fingers, she asked, “Can I meet you?”
She didn’t know why her uncle wouldn’t show himself to her, but she desperately wanted to see him, to thank him. Grandpa had always said one must express gratitude to those who have helped. She wished to see her uncle with her own eyes before telling him thank you.
Straightening her little body, she introduced herself in a childish voice: “Uncle, my name is Bianbian, and I’m five years old.”
As serious as could be.
Then she quickly added, “No matter what you look like, Uncle, Bianbian won’t be afraid.”
She guessed that this invisible uncle might not be very good-looking, which was why he wouldn’t let her see him.
When it comes to appearance, Xiu Jin possesses unparalleled acuity—a gift bestowed upon him by the Huan Tian Jue since childhood.
Thus, he miraculously grasped his beloved daughter’s underlying message.
—Bianbian thinks he looks ugly, which is why he refuses to meet her in person?
That simply won’t do!
As the most handsome prince of the vast empire, elected by its countless subjects, how could he allow himself to leave such an impression in his beloved daughter’s heart?
A sudden inspiration struck him; he remembered the self-portrait he had drawn behind the wardrobe.
To hint at it for Bianbian, Xiu Jin picked up a piece of bouncing sausage and pointed it toward the bedroom door.
Bianbian watched curiously as the bouncing sausage flew up and hovered at the bedroom doorway, sniffing with her little nose. “So fragrant~~”
However, a certain father, bent on proving his good looks, didn’t notice the little girl’s expression at all.
Bianbian hugged the magic orb as she entered the bedroom.
Xiu Jin shoved a bouncing sausage into Bianbian’s hand, then spent a while manipulating it with his fingers before finally managing to move the wardrobe aside.
The self-portrait he had drawn last time was revealed.
Bianbian held the bouncing sausage without taking a single bite, even though its enticing aroma constantly tempted her.
Then she walked to the wall, tilted her little head up, and studied the portrait with earnest attention.
The little girl’s soft, rosy cheeks twisted into a peculiar expression.
“Uncle, are you trying to tell Bianbian that you look just like the person in this painting?”
For some reason, the once-normal portrait now bore strange marks; it looked as though numerous scars crisscrossed the face, with the right eye smeared into a dark blotch, resembling someone who had lost an eye and wore an eyepatch.
Has nothing to do with “handsome.”
Xiu Jin: “…”
“No, that wasn’t me!!!” he roared loudly.
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Second update is here, chirp! From now on, Da Wanzi will post updates daily around 11 PM~
　　*
For a very long time, the image of Papa Xiu with his scarred face and missing eye firmly occupied Bianbian’s heart~
One of the things the little girl recorded in her diary to do in the future:
Little Papa had his eye and face injured by the evil O. When Bianbian grows up, she will find the evil O and avenge Little Papa.