Chapter 4
Summer in Jin City was truly scorching. The midday sun burned the air, and the streets grew increasingly empty—only the impatient car horns remained.
After a busy morning, Jiang Jitang lay sprawled on the sofa, eyes closed, listening to the crisp sound of the bamboo wind chime on the balcony. It sounded like a stream running through a quiet forest, easing the heat just a little.
But it couldn’t ease the hunger in his stomach.
Hungry.
Don’t want to cook. Don’t want to order delivery either.
Maybe I should just lie here forever.
After a long while, still starving, Jiang Jitang turned over briefly and casually opened a short-video app.
Let’s see what surprise big data has for him today…
“???”
Bright red spicy crayfish, sizzling boiling fish fillets, steaks grilling with oil crackling—such intense summer flavors made the day even hotter.
Big Data-sama usually pleased him, but today she slipped up badly. He immediately shut the app.
Starving, stomach growling, Jiang Jitang finally sat up under irresistible force.
In this weather, better to eat something light.
He ran his fingertip over the dark-gold metal eye on his bracelet and casually asked, “I’m going to make some rice noodles. Do you want any?” Nothing else was quick enough to prepare right now—rice noodles would do.
The golden eye trembled slightly, and after a long pause, let out a faint sound: “Squeak?”
The metallic eye emitted a strange tone, but Jiang Jitang understood—it was asking, “Can I eat too?”
Most of the time, Jiang Jitang enjoyed solitude, but occasionally—just for one or two minutes every couple of days—he needed a person or non-human to respond to his words.
This thing had to be as quiet as a shadow most of the time, but whenever he needed it, it had to respond immediately.
Between making things difficult for himself and for others, Jiang Jitang chose a magical tool—the Golden Eye was created for this reason.
Earlier today, just after he “awoke,” the first thing he did was retrieve the Golden Eye.
“I’ll cook extra. If you can eat it, go ahead. If not, I’ll keep it for myself.” He made the decision on his own, put on an apron, rolled up his sleeves, and tied the string into a bow behind his waist.
The kitchen door reflected his silhouette—a slim, tall young man with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, soft light tracing the lines of his pants, and his slightly lowered eyelashes casting a gray shadow.
Rice noodles were made from steamed rice paste cut into flat strips—white and half-translucent, glistening like jade. To prevent sticking, a bit of vegetable oil was lightly applied.
The clear broth for his rice noodles was simple—boiling water, salt, lard, soy sauce, seaweed, dried shrimp, and pickled mustard stems. Extremely minimal. Yet when the noodles were added, and the drops of glistening oil floated atop the soup and noodles, it looked unexpectedly delicious.
The Golden Eye was practically drooling uncontrollably. Jiang Jitang placed two vibrant green vegetables in each bowl of noodles, then sprinkled freshly blanched minced lean meat seasoned with salt and MSG, and finally topped it with a sunny-side-up egg fried to golden crispness in hot oil, finishing with chopped scallions.
Two bowls of food appearing like they shone with golden light were placed on the table. Jiang Jitang removed his apron.
“Didn’t have time to make anything else. Just eat something simple first.”
There’s still “later”? There’s something even better coming?
“Ibuli! I’m so moved!”
The Golden Eye dove into the noodles like a black hole, utterly lost in the sea of deliciousness. Jiang Jitang watched it like one would a naughty but endearing child.
“What happened after I left?” Jiang Jitang asked suddenly.
The Golden Eye froze, its noodle-slurping sound fading. How should it say it… bones crushed to ash, infamy carved forever?
Jiang Jitang smiled, holding his chopsticks. “After I left, were there many rebels?”
“Huh?” The Golden Eye finally reacted, blinking furiously. “Yes. A lot.”
The Holy Church wanted to build a bigger, grander temple on the ruins, exploiting the people. But the common folk living peacefully under the rebel army refused to tolerate it. The suffering fell upon the farmers within the Church’s territory.
With the rebels taking the lead, they rose too. The continent was full of farmers waving flags of rebellion.
“My flame scattered into a sky full of stars.” As for the infamy after death—who cared? What was the Holy Church to judge him?
Knowing events unfolded as expected, Jiang Jitang reverted to his usual mild and harmless demeanor.
To the twilight of the gods—eat noodles.
The Golden Eye quickly finished an entire bowl of rice noodles, not even leaving a drop of soup.
Watching the non-human being finish the noodles in an unimaginable way, Jiang Jitang’s expression didn’t change—it seemed he was used to this.
Though come to think of it, after all he’d experienced, could anything still surprise him?
Hard to believe—before, he had been just an ordinary person worrying about post-graduation employment. And now…
“Hm?” He suddenly remembered—he hadn’t yet sent a message to Mrs. Jiang.
She had spent the past six months flying around the world with her mentor, constantly crossing time zones. They were nearly used to voice messaging, but this was something he wanted to say personally.
“Hi, baby.”
Jiang Jitang’s serious face flushed slightly at the sudden “baby.”
“Dear Mrs. Jiang, allow me to introduce the gentleman you’re speaking to—he is already twenty.”
To the mother who bore and raised him, he sometimes called her Mom, sometimes Mrs. Jiang.
The former—out of love.
The latter—to remind himself: Let this single woman be free. She deserves love and to chase her dreams. What she must not be is tied down and lose herself.
“Yes, a tall boy of 1.8 meters,” Mrs. Jiang yawned—it was nighttime where she was. “So, baby, what’s up? Could it be that you have a girlfriend?”
“No, but I’ve got a job now. Not related to my major, and the pay isn’t much.”
“Do you like it? If you like it, that’s all that matters.” Mrs. Jiang’s voice was smiling. She had worked so hard precisely so that her child could choose—work if he wanted, or lie flat if he wished.
“I do.” His voice carried a smile too.
“You called just to tell me that? What a good boy our Tang Tang is.” (TNote: Tang Tang is the ML’s nickname.)
Hearing her gentle voice, he recalled some things—things from long ago, from a previous lifetime.
“God, why did you take away my best child? Why wasn’t it you who died? You, this useless waste?”
He couldn’t even remember that person’s face, yet he still remembered that vicious expression wishing him dead.
What was waste? Even if he earned small recognition as a scholar, even if he learned governance seriously—without talent in magic or martial arts, he was still waste.
After over ten years of suppression and humiliation, power became an obsession. When one day he deciphered ancient texts and discovered forbidden magic, he traded his lifespan without hesitation for magical talent.
He had never regretted that decision.
Though his life only lasted twenty-eight years, not a single day was wasted.
Yet in the middle of the night, a bitterness remained deep within.
What was he bitter about?
“Mom, even though I’m so useless, and can’t be your pride… do you still love me?”
“Of course.”
Without any hesitation—almost instinctive. The answer soothed his twisted heart. Joy overflowed from his eyes, sprouted in his chest, and bloomed.
Waste? Simply unloved.
“That’s all. Sleep early. Good night, Mom.”
Beep…
Jiang Sujin stared at her phone in confusion.
“He didn’t mention ‘one meter eighty-three’ today.”
Thinking of their earlier topic, her eyes lit up.
“Is it because he’s finally grown up? Boys really are amazing—they act like elementary school kids for years, then suddenly become mature adults.”
Even though it was only a short conversation, Jiang Jitang’s mood improved noticeably.
He stood up and cleaned his already tidy room again, took out winter coats and blankets from the closet to air out. He even disassembled malfunctioning appliances to clean and maintain them carefully before reinstalling them.
Clean, comfortable, warm—just like him, just like his home.
By evening, Jiang Jitang walked into his sparkling kitchen, tied on his apron, rolled up his sleeves, and took leftover rice from the fridge.
He said he was making omurice and asked the Golden Eye if it wanted ketchup.
“Eekuu?” What’s omurice?
“It’s a dish that turns leftover rice into a glorious golden legend.” Understanding its confusion, Jiang Jitang laughed and cracked a few eggs.
[Host, congratulations on completing all tasks.]
A strange voice sounded in the room—without a speech bubble popping up.
Listening to the unfamiliar yet foamy-sounding voice, Jiang Jitang asked, “You’re the system? You woke up?”
[Energy insufficient—can only awaken for five minutes. This is the host’s first task settlement, and I didn’t want to miss it.]
Perhaps because he had acquired what he once longed for most, Jiang Jitang surprisingly didn’t feel much resistance toward the unfamiliar system. “I was unconscious for three days. Do you know what happened?”
[Apologies, host. When I found you, you were already in that state. You were only a breath away from complete death, and I had no choice but to borrow credit to purchase a tool to stop your physical time.]
The system anticipated his thoughts.
[You’ve noticed your physical abnormality. I have only one suggestion—upgrade. Unlock more task worlds. The more worlds there are, the more possibilities.]
“Am I immortal?”
[Please do not attempt ‘death’ lightly. But yes, in a sense—you only need to retain 60% brain integrity for three seconds. And repay on time.]
Having learned the answer to his greatest concern, Jiang Jitang no longer asked. Instead, he shifted topics. “So why go through such effort to bind me?”
[Only a powerful soul can withstand multiple time-space traversals. Also, one must possess the temperament aligned with the Wish Fulfillment General Store.]
A reasonable explanation.
“I have no further questions. What’s the settlement result?”
Dingdong!
[All three tasks have been settled. Please click the results.]
New bubbles appeared, each with a small button corresponding to the three tasks. Jiang Jitang started with the earliest—the task of buying an old hen.
[Participant successfully purchased two hens.
Task completed.
Employer rated: 
Score: 5 points.]
Comment: My daughter was in postpartum confinement but had nothing good to eat. Thank you to that kind man for bringing two such plump hens. She has now recovered well, and the child is healthy. He truly saved my life.
Even though it was only the system’s dry retelling, he could almost see the relieved expression of an elderly mother worried endlessly about her daughter’s weakened state.
That elderly couple was poor, but their love was not diminished.
A smile unconsciously appeared on Jiang Jitang’s face. He opened the next result.
[Participant successfully purchased a durable abacus.
Task completed.
Employer rated:
Score: 5 points.]
Comment: I followed the accountant to learn the abacus but had no money, so I planned to buy a barely usable one. I didn’t expect such a fine abacus. The accountant inspected it—it’s high-quality craftsmanship. I gave it to him, and he nearly taught me everything he knew. Please thank that young man.
Finally came the order he spent the most time on.
[Participant successfully purchased a set of painting pigments and tools.
Task completed.
Employer rated:
Score: 5 points
Additionally received: one Wishing Star.]
A new item appeared—the Wishing Star.
Translator Note:
The author is very good at describing food… makes me hungry..
