Volume 4, Chapter 52 – Don’t Even Think About It (Part 1)

“Tch.”

Li Zhuying’s lips curved into a deeply displeased arc.

Why had this obnoxious-looking player shown up again?

Orange-Flavored Candy did not care what Li Zhuying thought. Right now, she only wanted to seize the opportunity to become Anran’s sales agent and help sell the robots. All she needed was a small commission.

No matter what, she had to earn enough to pay the rent first.

How miserable.

Otherwise, was she really supposed to sell her body when the time came?

That probably was not a sustainable solution.

After all, her body in the real world was very weak. She would not be able to keep it up after more than a few times.

Ahem…

More importantly, the customers would probably be terrified.

It would be great if she could do it in the game.

Hmm…

Casting those outrageous thoughts aside, Orange-Flavored Candy sprinted over.

“Anran, Anran, that watermelon-selling outsider is back.”

In Aila’s mouth, Orange-Flavored Candy’s status had already fallen from “young lady” to “outsider.”

Orange-Flavored Candy?

Anran, who had been thinking of a way to send Li Zhuying away, turned around and saw Orange-Flavored Candy running toward her with an excited expression.

She stopped two meters away from Anran.

Aila watched her warily, afraid that Orange-Flavored Candy might try something improper.

“Do you need something from me?”

Under the rules of the Most Evil Person title, killing the same player would only count a second time after twenty-four hours had passed. Therefore, Anran currently had no intention of doing anything to Orange-Flavored Candy.

“Well…”

Even the hot-tempered Orange-Flavored Candy suddenly became somewhat bashful.

She really was not good at dealing with NPCs.

In a certain sense, NPCs were much harder to read than players.

As natives of this world, they had far too many things to consider.

However, the moment Li Zhuying saw Orange-Flavored Candy’s expression, she misunderstood.

Could this thief who had tried to steal something also have designs on Anran?

That would not do.

“Thief, are you here to confess?” Li Zhuying stepped in front of Orange-Flavored Candy.

“Huh?”

Orange-Flavored Candy froze. What did that mean?

And just who was this player following Anran around supposed to be?

“What are you talking about?”

“I saw everything. You were lying at the doorway with your butt in the air, trying to use a pole to steal Anran’s things.” Li Zhuying exposed Orange-Flavored Candy without mercy.

“Huh?”

Only then did Orange-Flavored Candy realize that the three of them had already been watching while she tried to retrieve her belongings.

She hurriedly explained, “I was picking up something of mine that fell inside. You can go look if you don’t believe me.”

“That sounds nice, but why did you come running over here if you had no ulterior motive?” Li Zhuying curled her lips.

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Orange-Flavored Candy was furious and wanted to leap up and challenge Li Zhuying to a duel, but after thinking it over, she let it go. Business came first.

“I’m a merchant!” Orange-Flavored Candy said. “Of course I came to discuss business with you.”

“Business? Mm…”

The corner of Anran’s mouth twitched.

A player who sold watermelons by the beach and lived in the civilian district wanted to discuss business with her. No matter how she looked at it, the whole thing felt unreal.

Yet faced with Orange-Flavored Candy’s sudden confidence, Anran found her claim a little more believable.

“I saw those two robots of yours just now. If you want to sell them, plenty of people will definitely want to buy them, whether they’re natives or outsiders. Even if their other functions were terrible, just having a robot standing beside you and dutifully holding an umbrella would make you look incredibly impressive. Rich people would definitely love them. I…”

“What do you mean, ‘even if their other functions were terrible’? Butler No. 1 killed you with ease too, didn’t it? Hehe.” Li Zhuying abruptly threw in a mocking remark.

“…”

Was there something wrong with this woman?

Orange-Flavored Candy glanced at Li Zhuying.

But for now, she had to endure it.

“I know quite a few wealthy outsiders. If you want to sell these robots to outsiders, I can act as your agent. I only need a certain percentage as commission.” Orange-Flavored Candy said everything she wanted to say in one breath.

In truth, when she said she knew quite a few wealthy outsiders, she merely meant that she had met them before and done business with them once or twice. Naturally, she had no real friendship with any of them.

Otherwise, she would not have ended up in such a miserable state.

Still, Orange-Flavored Candy had a plan.

After learning Anran’s identity, she had spent a long time searching through the forums.

She discovered that Anran was an NPC who inspired extremely polarized opinions.

Because of her outstanding appearance and great strength, many players supported her. On the other hand, since she was always confronting Morningstar, many players on Morningstar’s side hated her intensely.

If Orange-Flavored Candy could become one of Anran’s subordinate agents, she could use Anran’s name to contact the wealthy players who supported her.

Then there would be no need to worry about finding buyers for the robots.

The key question now was how to persuade Anran to agree. Compared with other players, Orange-Flavored Candy had no particular advantage. If she had to name one, it was simply that she happened to be close to Anran right now.

Also, she was fairly attractive, and her chest was quite large. She had a D-cup figure that even she was proud of.

Unfortunately, Anran was not a man. Otherwise, perhaps seduction might have worked.

Hmm…

“Tch. If we’re talking about wealthy outsiders, I know plenty too. Anran, if you want to sell Butler No. 1 and Machine Gun Warrior, you can just come to me,” Li Zhuying said.

Orange-Flavored Candy immediately shot back, “Are they all on No. 1886?”

“Mm…” Li Zhuying was swiftly defeated.

They really were not.

She could not bring herself to lie shamelessly. One lie would require even more lies to cover the original one.

Anran was so smart that she would definitely see through the deception sooner or later.

“Hmph. The people I know are here.”

Orange-Flavored Candy looked at Anran.

Anran’s expression remained unchanged, leaving Orange-Flavored Candy unable to tell what she was thinking.

If Anran merely sold the robots, then given the current strength of the players and the number of Mechanics among them, it would be impossible for anyone to reverse-engineer the blueprints for Butler No. 1 and Machine Gun Warrior.

Anran was the sole supplier. If she truly sold them, she would undoubtedly earn a fortune. Combined with the money she would receive from Nine Songs, she and Aila would have enough for tickets to Sea Blue Forest.

As for whether they posed a threat, Butler No. 1 and Machine Gun Warrior were indeed very powerful. But expecting a mere dozen or twenty of them to threaten her in her current state was wishful thinking.

What Anran was more concerned about was her merchant role.

Generally speaking, merchant NPCs in games remained fixed in one location. An NPC like her, who traveled everywhere, had a difficult time selling things.

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Players could not find her, and she did not have a permanent shop. She truly did need an agent.

As for who that agent should be… Mm, Zhou Jieyu seemed like a good choice.

That adorably silly player was extremely wealthy in the real world, so she must know many rich people. Having her help sell the robots would definitely be convenient.

All right, Zhou Jieyu it was!

The only concern was that she might refuse.

When Anran pulled her attention back from her thoughts, Orange-Flavored Candy was gazing at her expectantly. “What do you think of my proposal? If you can’t decide immediately, you can try me out for a while first.”

“Mm.” Anran nodded. “Your proposal is very good. As it happens, I know a very wealthy outsider. I plan to ask her to help me sell the robots.”

Thud!

It was as though Orange-Flavored Candy had been struck hard by a club. Her mouth fell open, and she stared in stunned silence.

What the hell was this?

So she had never had a part in this at all?

And she had somehow ended up doing all the groundwork for another player?

“A wealthy outsider?”

Li Zhuying instantly became alert. “Anran, are you talking about…?”

“Leading the Escape. The girl who was beside me when I participated in Nine Songs’ assessment last time,” Anran answered.

The image of a pretty female player who was loud, excitable, and somewhat dim-witted instantly flashed through Li Zhuying’s mind.

When they first met, Leading the Escape had kept trying to peek at the book Li Zhuying was reading.

Ugh…

An arrow struck Li Zhuying in the chest.

She had also read the live-update posts Zhou Jieyu had made on the forums.

After all, they were about Anran. How could she possibly ignore them?

Ugh…

Leading the Escape.

Whether it was meeting Anran or helping Anran, Leading the Escape had gotten there first!

Sure enough, Anran had thought of Leading the Escape again.

Her heart hurt so much!

Ugh…

Orange-Flavored Candy’s heart hurt too.

She had come in a hurry and had not made much preparation. Faced with this unexpected situation, Orange-Flavored Candy felt she could still salvage things. Otherwise, where was she supposed to earn her rent?

She was different from other players. She could not capriciously remain inside the game pod indefinitely.

First, the nutrient solution that kept her body functioning was not cheap, and neither was the energy cost. At times like this, she had to save wherever she could.

Second, for players with physical disabilities like her, the game pod would forcibly log them out after a certain amount of time. Remaining immersed in a game pod for long periods was not a good thing.

“Wait!” Orange-Flavored Candy said. “As a professional merchant, I’m very confident in my class skills. I also ask for very little commission. You only need to give me one percent. I don’t think you need to trouble that outsider called Leading the Escape at all. I’m cheaper and easier to use.”

Cheaper and easier to use?

Anran rubbed her chin.

Even so, Leading the Escape still felt more comfortable to use.

Mm, why was she calling it “using” her?

“Hmm…”

Li Zhuying felt that if she could not do it herself, then letting Orange-Flavored Candy handle it would still be better.

No matter what, Leading the Escape could not be given the opportunity.

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Li Zhuying’s head was now filled with strange thoughts. Her lewd brain had mutated into a lovestruck brain.

“I think… why not let Orange-Flavored Candy do it?”

“…”

“If being your agent won’t work, we can use a different arrangement,” Orange-Flavored Candy said. “Anran, give me your contact information, and I’ll help you find potential customers.”

These were two somewhat different approaches.

Under the first arrangement, Orange-Flavored Candy would essentially be an agent. She would obtain stock from Anran, sell it, and take a portion as commission. It was somewhat like a mobile-phone retailer.

Under the second arrangement, she would simply act as a middleman who introduced customers, and her fee would come from the customers themselves.

If the money isn’t coming out of my pocket…

After thinking about it, Anran felt that this arrangement seemed acceptable. She would not need to do anything, and people would come directly to give her money. That was a good thing.

The only concern was that she barely knew Orange-Flavored Candy. If Orange-Flavored Candy was a spy sent by Morningstar, then revealing her contact information and whereabouts would be dangerous.

“How can you prove that you aren’t a spy sent by Morningstar?” Anran voiced her concern directly.

The moment Orange-Flavored Candy heard those words, she knew Anran was interested.

As for proving her innocence, it would have been rather troublesome if Li Zhuying were not present. With Li Zhuying here, however, it was easy.

“I can, but I need her help.” Orange-Flavored Candy pointed at Li Zhuying.

“Me?”

“Just look at my status panel. I haven’t joined any faction.”

As she spoke, Orange-Flavored Candy made her status panel public.

Hm?

Anran discovered that she could also see the detailed information.

Name: Orange-Flavored Candy [Time Until Forced Logout: 1:10:35]

Age: 18

Race: Human

Gender: Female

Level: 9

HP: 120/120

Stamina: 35/144

Primary Profession: Apprentice Warrior Lv. 9

Secondary Profession: Merchant Lv. 5

Six Attributes: Strength 12, Agility 30, Endurance 12, Intelligence 5, Spirit 6, Charisma 6

…

Faction: None

Anran was stunned. What was with that absurdly high Agility compared with all her other attributes?

And what was with her Stamina being less than one-quarter full?

This character’s starting build could already be described as ruined.

Li Zhuying was just as dumbfounded as Anran.

From the looks of it, Orange-Flavored Candy had put all her attribute points into Agility. She had turned a Warrior class that was supposed to stand at the front and absorb damage into a parkour girl.

“See? I haven’t joined any faction, right?” Orange-Flavored Candy looked at Li Zhuying.

“Even if you haven’t joined any faction, that still doesn’t prove you…”

“Enough.”

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Anran stopped Li Zhuying from continuing.

She had suddenly figured it out.

If Orange-Flavored Candy was not a spy sent by Morningstar, then Anran could simply conduct business with her normally.

If Orange-Flavored Candy was a Morningstar spy, Anran could turn the situation to her advantage and farm more progress for her title.

She was only giving out a means of contact. Anran would still decide how everything was handled.

“Then we’ll do it this way. I hope you’ll work hard.”

“You really agree?” Orange-Flavored Candy’s eyes immediately widened.

She had thought she would need to keep pestering Anran for a while longer. She had not expected Anran to agree so suddenly, and she immediately became so excited that she wanted to jump into the air.

Orange-Flavored Candy raised a hand, then lowered it again. She was so overwhelmed with excitement that even after taking a deep breath, she still could not get the words out.

“1xxxx. That’s the phone number I’m currently using. Write it down.”

Anran recited the number.

Orange-Flavored Candy immediately saved it in her in-game notes.

Thank goodness for Anran. She had finally found a way to escape her current predicament quickly.

This meant the virginity she had preserved for eighteen years could remain intact.

Even though life had driven her into a corner, Orange-Flavored Candy was still only an inexperienced young woman. She still harbored many “unrealistic” fantasies. She wanted to experience a romance like one in a novel, then give herself to the person she loved.

“Anran, will this really be all right?”

“Trust me.”

Anran had a feeling that the main storyline on No. 1886 was nearly complete. She needed to gather the one million Bilu as quickly as possible. She wanted to reach Sea Blue Forest before all the other players and dig up the things Pirate Princess Anran had buried there.

“Oh.” Li Zhuying nodded.

Name: Orange-Flavored Candy [Hungry] [Weakened] […]

When Anran turned around, she suddenly noticed two additional negative statuses on Orange-Flavored Candy’s panel.

“…”

“Um…” Orange-Flavored Candy looked embarrassed. “Can I go get something to eat first?”

“…”

“Go ahead.”

Orange-Flavored Candy thanked her and ran off at top speed. Even from far away, they could hear her shouting, “I’m finally going to strike it rich!”

“…”

“…”

“Anran, Anran, what are we going to do now?” Aila asked.

Anran replied, “Let’s take Zhuying to the station on South Island first.”

“Huh?” Li Zhuying looked completely bewildered. “Why are we going to the station?”

“To send you back to Twinmoon City, of course!”

“No. I want to stay here.” Li Zhuying shook her head in refusal.

“No. You can’t stay here.”

“No. I’m staying.”

“No…”

After an argument, Li Zhuying was still tied up and put on the train by Anran.

South Island.

Once again, it appeared before her eyes.