Chapter 93
“Eugenia, over here!”
Inside a massive coral thicket, a little mermaid with a deep-blue tail quietly waved to another little mermaid with a golden tail. It should have been a beautiful scene—but the way she was sneaking her head out instantly turned it from dreamy to hilarious.
“Margaret, I finally found you!” The golden-tailed little mermaid beamed and swam over quickly.
Just as she was about to reach Margaret, another blue-tailed mermaid suddenly charged in and slammed into her, knocking the golden-tailed little mermaid over.
Eugenia flipped upright in one smooth motion and yelled angrily at the mermaid, “Lanny, are you rushing to reincarnate or something? If you do that again, I’m going to beat you up!”
The moment that booming voice rang out, the mermaids lagging behind in the migration procession abruptly turned their heads and glanced back.
“Whoosh”—the golden-tailed little mermaid instantly darted into the coral and dodged the adults’ searching gaze.
“So close—almost got caught.” Eugenia patted her chest, relieved.
However—
“Smack.”
Eugenia got hit.
“You idiot!” Margaret swam over, glaring furiously at Eugenia.
Not daring to argue with an angry Margaret, Eugenia puffed her cheeks and admitted defeat.
“Alright, alright—don’t be mad, Margaret. Didn’t we agree we’re here to shop?” Eugenia clung to Margaret and kept acting cute, shaking her a little as she coaxed.
Margaret’s temper came fast and left even faster.
The moment Eugenia mentioned shopping, Margaret broke into a grin.
Margaret said excitedly, “Eugenia, listen—first we grab what we need, then we log into the holographic marketplace. Before everyone realizes what’s going on, we rush to the tasting slots and buy there. And we pay separately for each item—one purchase, one payment—until we hit the limit, got it?”
That’s right. The reason the two little mermaids were hiding here was to join Earth Commerce’s Lunar New Year Carnival event!
Honestly, they didn’t want to buy things in such a sneaky way either, but Earth Commerce’s shopping event happened to land right in the middle of the mermaids’ once-a-year migration season.
Sigh. Talk about timing.
Adults always had a million rules during migration season. The two little mermaids didn’t dare openly take part in the Lunar New Year Carnival in the middle of the migrating pod, so they quietly slipped away, planning to shop fast and then return.
They were pretty crafty, too. Each of them lied to their parents, saying they were going to find the other and travel together for a while. Since the two families were quite far apart, their lies still hadn’t been exposed.
And they dared to do it for a reason.
First, mermaids were kings of the water. Second, even though they were “little mermaids,” they were actually decades old. Third, this was the annual migration—any vicious creatures along the route had long since avoided these even more vicious rulers of the sea. And lastly, it wasn’t just them: some older brothers and sisters in the pod did the same thing and set the example, so the two little mermaids dared to be this bold.
For example, right now, inside this huge coral thicket that seemed quiet and empty with only two little mermaids—there were actually more than a hundred mermaids hiding here, including quite a few strong ones.
Seeing that Eugenia still hadn’t opened her light-brain, Margaret couldn’t help knocking her on the head. “Hurry up and open it! There are only two minutes left before the rush starts.”
Eugenia grinned dumbly, her pretty little face once again wearing the innocent smile Margaret always called “the little dummy smile.”
As the seconds ticked down, both little mermaids couldn’t help holding their breath.
When the countdown ended, they shouted happily at the same time:
“Hahahaha! I got sugar-roasted chestnuts!”
“Hahahaha! I got a roujiamo!”
But then they immediately panicked.
“Oh no—I forgot to change the address!”
They hurriedly changed the delivery address to the sea-surface pickup point closest to their family’s migration route, then changed the delivery time to three days later.
Technically, delivering into the ocean wasn’t impossible—you could cover the food with a bubble enclosure and eat it underwater. But… some things were only good when they were hot, and by the time they reached the sea, they’d be cold.
After grabbing the food, the two little mermaids logged into the holographic mall and rushed to the tasting slots—but they found dozens of people already lined up ahead of them.
As expected—there were so many smart people these days!
The two little mermaids exchanged a subtle glance, a bit regretful they hadn’t thought of this method first.
But very quickly, they felt ecstatic again.
Because buying tasting slots really did increase draw chances!
And every single purchase added one draw chance.
Tasting slots had a daily limit of five items per person. If you checked out separately, that was five orders. Plus the order they’d just snatched earlier, Eugenia and Margaret each had a total of six draw chances.
They were over the moon. After wolfing down the tasting-slot food, they logged off excitedly and followed a group of older brothers and sisters, swimming quickly back to the pod.
It wasn’t until the pod stopped to rest that they gathered again. Eugenia pulled her big shell bed out from her storage button and invited Margaret inside.
Margaret said, “We’ll draw at the exact hour. Sister Ruth said drawing on the hour gives you the best chance of getting something good!”
Eugenia nodded, completely convinced.
Margaret said, “Alright, one minute left. Let’s go in first.”
Eugenia tapped into the page with her.
They didn’t expect it to be a scrolling feed, constantly rolling lines like: “Congratulations to XXX for drawing XXX.”
Their eyes widened with envy.
Their standards weren’t high—anything was fine as long as it wasn’t “Thanks for your patronage.”
They stared intensely at the draw button. When the countdown hit zero, the two of them clicked six times at inhuman speed, so fast it left afterimages.
After clicking, they checked the prizes. Margaret suddenly screamed:
“Ah! I got two Priority Purchase Cards!”
Eugenia whipped around. “Really? Really? Let me see, let me see!”
Margaret immediately turned the screen toward Eugenia.
Earth Commerce: Congratulations! You successfully drew:
- “This Order Free (Order 1)” x1
- “Thanks for your patronage” x3
- Priority Purchase Card x2
Eugenia: !
Margaret really had drawn two Priority Purchase Cards.
That meant Margaret had twenty Priority Purchase chances.
Eugenia: !
Oh my god, that was insanely enviable!
Eugenia’s jealous tears practically leaked out from the corner of her mouth.
Margaret asked, “What about yours? Show me yours?”
Eugenia pouted, looking dejected, and turned her screen over.
Earth Commerce: Congratulations! You successfully drew:
- Citrus Mega Pack Purchase Chance (4) x2
- Citrus Mega Pack Purchase Chance (3) x2
- Citrus Mega Pack Purchase Chance (2) x1
- Citrus Mega Pack Purchase Chance (1) x1
After reading it, Margaret’s head filled with question marks.
Margaret said, “Why are there so many citrus mega packs? Are they just handing citrus mega packs out like crazy?”
Margaret was confused.
Because at that point, no one knew what the citrus mega pack even was, so it wasn’t particularly attractive. Compared to Priority Purchase Cards, it was definitely unremarkable.
When the event reached February 25, they could no longer get five draw chances per day from the tasting-slot machines.
Still, their luck wasn’t bad. On the 24th, they got four draw chances; on the 25th, even though they didn’t get five, they still got three.
But the win rate on the draws wasn’t high. Across three days and fifteen total draw chances, Margaret didn’t draw anything good again—aside from one Citrus Mega Pack purchase chance (1), everything else was “Thanks for your patronage.”
By contrast, Eugenia might as well have fallen into a citrus nest.
Out of fifteen draw chances, she drew fourteen citrus pack purchase chances, and the last one finally—at long last—was a Priority Purchase Card.
Originally, Margaret didn’t think it was a big deal. But after Earth Commerce listed the citrus mega packs, and after she bought the (1) pack, the way she looked at Eugenia changed instantly.
Margaret: putting on a clown mask.jpg
So the real lucky one was right next to me?
Looking at her own paper-bag citrus—just one fruit—then looking at Eugenia’s car-shaped box with three enormous citrus, little mermaid Margaret experienced the cruel inequality of the world for the first time.
Angry Fish: Waaaa why can’t I draw a citrus mega pack purchase chance? I want it so badly!
Sliding to my knees: Begging Boss Xie to raise the citrus mega pack probability. I want it too much. My brother, that little punk, drew one and wouldn’t even let me take a single bite—so mad!
Ever since the night of the 25th, when Xie Xingchen listed the four different citrus mega pack sizes, netizens instantly boiled over.
Before seeing the real thing, they already had expectations. After seeing it, that expectation turned into intense, burning “I want it!”
But unfortunately, some people were doomed to go thirsty while others drowned in excess. Some people wanted it desperately yet could never draw it, while others wanted different prizes but could only draw this.
Jealous of the golden tail: Sigh, let me tell you something. In our pod there’s a little girl—yep, the one with the golden tail, the goofy little mermaid who snuck off with us during migration—her win rate is 100%!
If only I were the golden tail: And not just 100%—she drew fifteen times, and aside from one Priority Purchase Card, everything else was citrus mega pack purchase chances.
Want to kidnap the golden tail: And most of what she drew was the citrus mega pack (4) purchase chances!
This was the definition of “infuriating without compensation.”
Once everyone realized the story wasn’t made up but was actually true, they cried even louder.
If only I’d been born lucky—why do you let luck exist at all?!
Was this blatant contrast just the heavens’ idea of a cruel joke?
Aaaah, this is miserable. Boss Xie, you have no heart.
After wailing for ages, people turned around and flooded Xie Xingchen’s StarBlog again.
Xie Xingchen’s forehead filled with black lines.
Be reasonable!
He didn’t draw for them, and he didn’t tweak the probability.
With the same probability, some people draw it and some don’t—yet they insist on blaming the person who hosted the event?
Was this the legendary “If you can’t solve the problem, solve the person who raised it”?
He was innocent, okay?!
Turning around, Xie Xingchen poured out his grievances to Get-Rich for a long while.
Xie Xingchen said, “Compared to other games, I’m already pretty generous. But the base number is just too huge.”
When the participant pool is huge, the odds feel lower—that’s just how it works!
He wanted everyone to have a fun Lunar New Year, but right now he truly didn’t have other reward items to give.
He could give money, sure, but again—too many people.
Even if he was willing to throw in a few million star-coins, under this scale, only a tiny number of people would win.
That wouldn’t solve the problem; it might even create more.
Xie Xingchen: Sigh. In that case, might as well lie flat.
Xie Xingchen said, “Long-Life, how about we go plant purple alfalfa at the ranch?”
According to Robot Little A’s reports, more and more animals had been finding the ranch to overwinter.
Every day, the pasture consumption was massive, and as a manager, Little A naturally planned ahead.
Honestly, even Xie Xingchen—far away—was a little worried the ranch wouldn’t have enough forage.
So he specifically contacted a seller he’d bought hay and feed from before, bulk-ordered a decent batch, and had it shipped to the ranch.
But according to Little A, the animals didn’t like the purchased hay and feed at all. They refused to eat it.
Xie Xingchen could only say: if he weren’t considering ecology and sustainability, these little animals might have annoyed him so much he’d have slaughtered them all for meat.
But the problem was: he couldn’t be that willful!
So what to do if they wouldn’t eat the bought feed?
Xie Xingchen: Smile jpg. Grow it himself.
If it weren’t winter—if the snow melted a bit later—he’d have had people fly hovercars with a leaky bag of grass seeds tied behind, scattering seeds wherever they went, letting the grass grow wild on its own.
But spring wasn’t here yet. Even with huge amounts of seed, he couldn’t do that. Right now, he had only two options:
Option one: suffer through expanding the ranch in the dead of winter.
Option two: force the animals to eat the purchased feed.
Option two was easier, but option one wasn’t without benefit.
At the very least, if he chose option one, once winter ended, these animals’ meat quality would be even better—he’d directly harvest a batch of high-quality livestock.
And as spring arrived, they’d also enter breeding season. If cared for well, their offspring would have a high chance of being even better than the parents.
Thinking this way was why Xie Xingchen—who had only just returned from the ranch not long ago—was willing to consider going back to work there.
After all, hardship was temporary. Once he got through this period, he could harvest countless high-quality babies in spring.
Xie Xingchen: Just thinking about it was exciting!
Xie Xingchen wanted to take Long-Life with him, but Long-Life had his own work plan.
So he refused and pushed Get-Rich over instead.
Before Xie Xingchen could ask why, Long-Life said, “Boss, didn’t you say you wanted to eat whole roasted lamb? Then you can take Get-Rich along to help.”
Whole roasted lamb?
Xie Xingchen was shamelessly tempted.
He didn’t want to agree.
But… whole roasted lamb!
Fragrant whole roasted lamb!
Xie Xingchen nodded involuntarily, eyes shining, smile bright. “Okay! Then I’ll take Get-Rich. Long-Life, you work hard here too.”
Long-Life smiled. “Yes, boss. Understood, boss.”
The moment he thought of whole roasted lamb, Xie Xingchen couldn’t sit still.
He didn’t even eat dinner. He didn’t even wait for Prosperity. He called Get-Rich, drove another hovercar, and left.
When Xie Xingchen departed, it wasn’t dark yet, but by the time he reached the ranch, night had fallen.
The terrain here was high. Standing on the open grassland, it felt like you could reach up and scoop the stars out of the sky.
If it were before, Xie Xingchen would’ve stopped to admire the beautiful night sky.
But right now, he only wanted to find a lamb and test the taste of whole roasted lamb.
There were plenty of sheep at the ranch, including meat sheep suitable for eating. And recently, thanks to Little A’s planning, a branch of the breeding farm had also raised a batch of meat sheep.
If Xie Xingchen wanted one, they’d slaughter and send it over.
Near the small stream formed by high-mountain snowmelt beside the wooden cabin, Get-Rich built a fire. Xie Xingchen took out a custom rack and skewer, then mounted the little fat lamb onto the rack.
As it turned over and over, the lamb’s fat slowly rendered out.
When the fat dripped into the flames, the sudden flare-up made the roast lamb sizzle, and the meat became even more aromatic!
When the lamb was half-cooked, Xie Xingchen brushed on a thick layer of sauce and chili powder again, then pulled out his ultimate weapon—cumin he’d bought from the game shop ages ago but never had time to use.
The moment he sprinkled that cumin, the roast lamb’s aroma became unreal.
Grilling’s soul really was cumin. With it and without it were worlds apart.
With cumin, the roast lamb was like it gained a soul—just smelling it made saliva flood your mouth.
While skillfully rotating the lamb, Xie Xingchen enthusiastically explained to the two brothers on the video call how unbelievably delicious whole roasted lamb was.
Ludwig, the older brother, could still hold it together.
But little Randy absolutely could not.
The kid’s mouth hung slightly open, and the corner of his lips looked a bit sparkly—if you looked closely, it was drool from being tempted!
Xie Xingchen spotted it instantly and burst out laughing.
Xie Xingchen said, “Hahahahaha, Randy, look at you—my roast lamb made you drool!”
This awful adult felt proud instead of ashamed.
Randy closed his mouth, embarrassed, and wiped his lip. His cat-like eyes stared longingly at Xie Xingchen as he asked in a soft baby voice, “Big Brother Xie… can I come play with you again?”
Ever since that last time he played wildly on Earth for a few days, Randy had been thinking nonstop about when he could play again.
Earth was just too fun!
How could playing once ever be enough?
But no matter how he begged, his brother Ludwig refused to bring him.
Randy’s pale little face was full of melancholy.
A tiny kid, and he already had worries.
Sigh… when would he grow up?
When he grew up, he wouldn’t need his brother’s permission—he could come find Big Brother Xie on his own!
Not knowing Randy was thinking rebellious thoughts, Xie Xingchen saw his sparkling gaze fixed on the roast lamb, and smiled as he agreed, “Of course you can! If you come over, Big Brother Xie will make you a whole bunch of delicious food.”
Xie Xingchen trusted Ludwig’s character, so he didn’t mind the brothers coming to Earth to play.
He even invited them enthusiastically: “If you’re coming, I suggest you come in about half a month. That way you can celebrate the New Year with me!”
New Year was lively, and lively meant the more people, the better—so Xie Xingchen really hoped someone could come keep him company.
Hearing the phrase “celebrate the New Year,” Ludwig suddenly asked, “Does ‘celebrate the New Year’ mean the same thing as the Spring Festival?”
Xie Xingchen nodded, his voice bright and cheerful. “Yep! Celebrating the New Year is the Spring Festival. It’s a traditional holiday from a place called Huaxia a very, very long time ago. I’ve celebrated it for many years.”
Xie Xingchen wasn’t afraid to say it, and he wasn’t afraid of anyone checking.
That was because of how the Star Alliance was structured.
The Star Alliance had only been established a little over three hundred years, and many long-lived species lived longer than three hundred years, so leaving behind some odd traditions was perfectly normal.
Besides, the Star Alliance had many species—not only multiple civilizations, but within each civilization there were multiple races.
Before unification, many of those races had little-known traditional holidays. Some even preserved unique cultural legacies belonging only to themselves.
There were simply too many such things. So many that some minor holidays weren’t valued by other civilizations at all—some weren’t recorded, weren’t understood.
And yet, even so, there were still people who remembered them and celebrated them.
So even if no one knew where the Spring Festival came from, it didn’t matter. There were plenty of holidays with unknown origins. As long as you didn’t deliberately flaunt it, no one would dig too deep.
The world was too big, and there were too many things. Strange customs were often hearsay anyway—digging into them didn’t necessarily produce answers.
After hearing Xie Xingchen’s invitation, Ludwig neither agreed nor refused.
Ludwig raised his head. His calm, beautiful eyes looked straight into Xie Xingchen’s. His voice was low as he asked, “Do you want us to go?”
For a split second, being stared at like that made Xie Xingchen feel a little uneasy. But then he flashed a brilliant smile and said firmly, “Of course I want you to come! Otherwise why would I invite you? You’re my best friend in the Star Alliance!”
Best friend?
Ludwig pressed his lips together. His steady expression rippled slightly.
The person in front of him said he was his best friend.
Normally, Ludwig would be unshaken—but the reality was: he was very happy.
He was happy he could be that person’s best friend.
Xie Xingchen suddenly shouted, “Hey, hey, hey—stop talking, I’m not talking to you anymore. My roast lamb is almost ready. I have to deal with my roast lamb first!”
The dripping fat kept making the flames flare up. Xie Xingchen hurriedly raised the rack higher, then frantically turned the lamb.
His handsome face, flushed from the heat, seemed to glow in the firelight—bright and radiant.
Once everything was under control, Xie Xingchen continued, “Alright, where were we? Oh right, the Spring Festival. So, are you coming over? If you do, I can treat you to great food—and I can also show you fireworks!”
Thinking of how capable the system was, Xie Xingchen added, “Super beautiful fireworks.”
Yep. Exactly.
He hadn’t actually seen them before, but the New Year fireworks gift pack was system-made.
Xie Xingchen: Ah… then it must be gorgeous, giant fireworks!
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