Chapter 20: What Does Meieruita Mean by This?

“Ice Jade Flower Bud?”

It took two days, but An Luo finally learned from John’s explanation what this thing was called.

Similar to the Thorn Beast Flesh from last time, the Ice Jade Flower Bud was also a collection item for a mid-level task.

The difference was that this time, An Luo could take the Ice Jade Flower Bud straight to the task hall to turn it in.

“This way, you won’t have to worry next month,” John said happily for An Luo. “You can accept the task and hand in this Ice Jade Flower Bud right away. That counts as completing it.”

Lan Lian really is a good guy, John thought. To actually receive a gift like this.

An Luo’s expression looked a bit strange.

The Ice Jade Flower Bud had come from Meieruita.

He had given it without saying a word, his expression cold as ice.

Anyone who didn’t know better would think he’d stuffed a bomb into An Luo’s hands.

Very strange.

Collecting Ice Jade Flower Buds was a mid-level task, and An Luo remembered writing about it.

For ordinary Low-Level Wizard Apprentices, it was very difficult.

Not only did they have to slowly melt the thick, hard ice encasing the bud with fire, but they also had to keep their distance. Get too close, and the chilling aura from the Ice Jade Flower could freeze them into an ice sculpture.

It required painstaking effort, patience, mastery of fire-element witchcraft, and a decent reserve of Magic Power.

Usually, completing such a task took at least five days.

—Of course, that was for other Wizard Apprentices.

The protagonist was naturally different.

While other Low-Level Wizard Apprentices labored away, roasting it bit by bit with tiny fireballs and carefully maintaining distance—

Too far, and the Fireball Spell’s power weakened. Too close, and they’d freeze into ice sculptures.

They had to walk a tightrope to maximize efficiency.

But Meieruita, having modified and upgraded his Fireball Spell, greatly increased its power. Normally, one shot was enough to secure the Ice Jade Flower Bud.

He directly shattered the fastest clear time: thirty seconds.

And half of those thirty seconds were spent picking up the bud that had fallen to the ground.

What a satisfying plot point in comparison.

So, what did Meieruita mean by this?

An Luo quickly recalled Meieruita’s character bio and related plotlines in his mind.

He soon extracted the purpose from a sea of similar cases.

Meieruita didn’t trust anyone and was extremely paranoid, but he wasn’t stupid. He wouldn’t make his intentions too obvious.

In certain situations, he would even use soft tactics to lower others’ guards.

Then, when they relaxed, he’d strike decisively, killing with one blow.

…Was he pulling this routine on An Luo now?

An Luo: “…”

You’ve got some nerve.

Direct deception didn’t work, so now you’re taking it slow?

An Luo felt both annoyed and amused.

John noticed An Luo’s odd expression and didn’t understand why.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” An Luo shook his head. “I still plan to take a low-level task next month.”

“Why?” John was puzzled. “With this bud, you can just turn in the task next month.”

He looked at An Luo. “You should spend more time on Meditation, sensing Magic Power, and learn a witchcraft spell as soon as possible. Then you can take tasks later.”

John made a lot of sense; it seemed like a safer approach.

But An Luo knew his own situation. His soul had changed this body, meaning he was now exactly the same as the modern Earthling An Luo—no differences.

And after practicing Meditation for so long, he still had nothing to show for it.

This meant An Luo either had low talent or no talent at all.

Of course, there was a chance he just hadn’t found the trick yet.

But that was too optimistic to bank on for now.

So, An Luo had to prepare for the worst: that in the next five years, he wouldn’t be able to sense Magic Power.

In that case, he could only take low-level tasks.

Low-level tasks were doable even without Magic Power or witchcraft.

As the saying went, you could dodge the first but not the fifteenth. An Luo would have to take tasks eventually.

Going now with John leading the way was safer and would let him gain experience.

So he had to go.

As for this Ice Jade Flower Bud… uh, that sugar-coated cannonball from Meieruita, better not to use it rashly.

Didn’t An Luo know the protagonist’s true nature all too well?

During serialization, he’d spent pages describing how deep and scheming Meieruita was.

To achieve his goals, he could lurk like a venomous snake in the shadows, biding his time.

For Meieruita, knowledge and his own strength were paramount.

Fame and fortune that others chased? He didn’t care. Later, as a powerhouse, he even despised the adoring gazes of others.

Why was he like that?

Because An Luo had thought such a protagonist was super cool back then.

The things the world desperately pursued, Meieruita discarded like trash.

So badass!

To back up Meieruita’s character, An Luo had created incredibly detailed settings.

In short, Meieruita’s sugar-coated cannonball couldn’t fool An Luo.

He didn’t think that Ice Jade Flower Bud came from goodwill.

It was just corn kernels in a bird trap.

An Luo wasn’t some dumb bird who’d gobble it up.

“Since you insist.” John scratched his head and didn’t press further. “Alright then, same as before.”

He said, “I need to focus on learning witchcraft for the rest of this month, so I might not be able to come after that.”

“No problem,” An Luo said. “See you at the start of next month.”

He saw John to the door, but just as the other was about to close it, An Luo’s mind suddenly spun with dizziness. Then, his limbs went out of control, heavy as if filled with cement.

Before losing consciousness, An Luo suddenly thought of that Ice Jade Flower Bud.

It must be Meieruita’s doing!

He didn’t have time to think more before blacking out.

John, who was about to leave, jumped in fright. He quickly supported An Luo. “Are you okay?!”

He panicked, looking left and right, and helped An Luo into the room to lie down.

John hadn’t even learned the Fireball Spell yet and knew next to nothing about witchcraft, so he couldn’t tell what was wrong with An Luo.

He wanted to lift An Luo’s hood to check, but remembered how the other had been gravely injured trying to use a witchcraft tool for Fireball Spell before.

His face had basically been disfigured, so he always wore a mask and had a hoarse voice.

John hesitated. He figured the other probably didn’t want him seeing his real face.

But the situation was urgent… No choice. If he wakes up mad, I’ll sincerely apologize.

He gritted his teeth and pulled off An Luo’s hood.

Then he noticed something off.

Black short hair…?

Wasn’t Lan Lian’s hair blonde?

John took a deep breath and removed the mask from An Luo’s face.

His eyes widened.

Under the mask wasn’t the burned, disfigured face he’d imagined, but a soft, pretty, and unfamiliar one.

What… was this?

Outside the door, Meieruita let out an extremely soft, slow laugh. He silently pushed open the door John had forgotten to lock in his panic.

Click.

The crisp sound of the lock made John whip his head toward the door.

The tall figure loomed like a dark cloud. The newcomer’s gray-green eyes locked onto him as he spoke leisurely, “What are you doing?”

“I…”

John found his throat terribly clogged.

“Ah.” Meieruita didn’t seem to need an answer.

He walked over slowly, shaking his head gently.

“So you’re just a thief who pries into others’ secrets at will.”

The “ah” at the end rose in tone, laced with fake pity and obvious delight.