Chapter 65
Chapter 65
Qi Jiajia rolled her eyes, braced one hand on the counter, and hopped onto it.
Swinging both legs, she craned her neck to look. “How much does he have?”
“A lot,” Brother Parrot said mysteriously. Qin Musong, however, answered without concern. “Probably around five thousand.”
Qi Jiajia exaggeratedly formed an O with her mouth. When Cheng Miao ignored her, she closed it again in boredom. She did not care how much money they had.
Instances were interesting. Cheng Miao was interesting. That was enough.
“All right. Your Team Account now contains 8,000 Travel Coins. One night’s lodging costs 500 per person, with a twenty-percent discount for stays of three nights or longer. How many nights would you like?” Brother Parrot held a pen in its beak and made sweeping revisions to the guest register while engaging Qi Jiajia in a battle of glares.
“How much does a night at a Hotel cost?” While Cheng Miao considered their options, Lin Zhu asked the question he knew would interest her.
Brother Parrot cackled. “A standard room costs 800 a night. Other room types vary between Hotels. But if the Game doesn’t transmit you there directly, I’ll have to charge a travel fee.”
Qi Jiajia reached for its feathers. Brother Parrot wanted to lose its temper but did not want to damage their relationship, so it flew up and pecked her head. “All merchants are crooks! Don’t you know that? Don’t you?”
Qin Musong had finally recovered from the group’s strange way of interacting with the Front Desk attendant.
Ignoring the furious fight between girl and bird, he explained to Cheng Miao and Lin Zhu, “Early on, there’s no need to stay too long. Lower-tier Inns have limited facilities and little to enjoy. It’s better to advance to a higher-tier Inn as quickly as possible.”
Stars filled Lin Zhu’s eyes. “Brother Qin, what does a Hotel have?”
Qin Musong curled one hand into a fist and coughed against it. “Better facilities. A wider variety of services.”
Brother Parrot raised its head midbattle to jeer, “More special services.”
Lin Zhu fell silent.
So did Qin Musong. That look was completely unnecessary. He had never purchased any special services!
Cheng Miao suddenly extended a hand. “Boss, is that canned cat food?”
With business on offer, Brother Parrot abandoned its battle with Qi Jiajia. Its feathers in complete disarray, it flew beyond her reach and preened with its beak, grieving over every feather she had plucked.
“That’s for people. Why do you need cat food?” Brother Parrot glared at Qi Jiajia. Qin Musong had pressed the girl down beside him and crouched to braid her hair.
Qi Jiajia had initially refused with cutting sarcasm. Then she discovered Qin Musong was genuinely skilled. He had clearly styled his daughter’s hair often, and his braids looked far better than the topknot Cheng Miao gave her.
No matter how strange her temper, a young girl still wanted to look pretty. She puffed her cheeks at Qin Musong like an angry blowfish but stopped resisting.
Cheng Miao was still thinking about seeing her cat inside the instance, even though it had not truly been her cat…
“Oh, I know. You’re waiting for Qiudong, aren’t you? I don’t know if he’ll eat it. I hear he doesn’t eat failed players either. Strange.” Brother Parrot flew onto Cheng Miao’s head and settled comfortably.
Her curls made an easy, warm nest.
Cheng Miao did not mind. “If you have some, I’ll buy it and keep it ready.”
Qi Jiajia approached with sleek, freshly braided hair and asked darkly, “Who are you buying it for?”
For the first time, Cheng Miao looked like a possessive child. She watched Qi Jiajia warily. “That cat is mine. Don’t even think about taking him!”
Qi Jiajia understood.
“Fine. I carry everything.” Brother Parrot spread its wings and returned to the shelves. From some forgotten corner, it dragged out a can with its beak. “Here. Ten Travel Coins.”
Cheng Miao extended her arm with the extravagance of the newly rich. “And give me a box of catnip.”
Brother Parrot fell silent. “…Certainly. Fifteen Travel Coins in total. Thank you for your business.”
Cheng Miao happily tucked everything into her Space Backpack. When she turned around, she found everyone staring at her with complicated expressions. She looked baffled. “What?”
Nothing. They had simply learned how humble a devoted cat lover could become.
“Right, how many nights are you staying?” Brother Parrot tapped its beak against the counter and returned to business.
Cheng Miao surveyed the group. Everyone looked exhausted and disheveled. The instance had not lasted long, but it had drained them mentally.
Lin Zhu in particular had barely rested since his nightmare on the first night.
“Let’s rest for three days, then move on to a Hotel.” Cheng Miao made the decision. Qin Musong handed the card to Brother Parrot without hesitation. “Thank you for your business. Total charge: 4,800 Travel Coins. Account balance: 3,200 Travel Coins.”
Brother Parrot held the card in its beak and processed the payment. Scratching its head with the tip of one wing, it said, “You can give your team a name.”
Qi Jiajia’s eyes lit up. “The Jiajia-Miaomiao Team!”
Everyone stared at her. That was going too far.
Lin Zhu assumed a thoughtful expression. “The Forge Ahead Team!”
Everyone stared at him. That sounded a little corny.
Qin Musong’s handsome, mature face scrunched with concentration. “Team Number One?”
Everyone stared at him. No. They had no particular reason. Just no.
Cheng Miao pinched the bridge of her nose, then pursed her lips. “Looks Are Justice Team! Good. It’s decided!”
Everyone accepted it. She was the captain, after all.
They looked from one person to another, blinking at each other for a long moment.
Actually, Cheng Miao’s name made sense. Every member of the team rated at least an eight out of ten in looks.
A slender senior, a handsome older man, a sweet little girl, and an aloof beauty. Take your pick…
No, forget that. They would take first place!
Some feared ghosts, while others were unhinged. At least they looked impressive.
“Team renamed successfully.” Brother Parrot liked the name. It fluttered its wings twice and was about to continue when its head abruptly tilted. “Oh, dinner’s here. Make yourselves at home.”
The Guesthouse had good soundproofing, so they heard no screams. Still, the person outside had been human. The group returned to their rooms in subdued moods.
After eating, Cheng Miao’s first priority was to sleep like the dead.
The instance had consumed so much of her energy that she slept with extraordinary depth. When she woke, sunlight stabbing through the curtains felt painfully bright.
Knock, knock, knock. Someone knocked on the door. Judging by the sound, it was probably Qin Musong. Then someone began kicking it while complaining, “All right, enough sleeping! Keep this up and you’ll start to stink!”
Cheng Miao climbed out of bed with obvious reluctance and opened the door. Her severe morning temper made Lin Zhu, standing at the back, shrink away. He gave her an awkward smile. “Sister Miaomiao, you’ve slept for an entire day. Get up and eat something.”
Cheng Miao turned with weary steps and stretched. They had returned to the Guesthouse at around two in the afternoon. It was now three thirty the next day, but she still did not want to get up.
She pitched face-first into the blankets and closed her eyes again.
Qi Jiajia bristled with rage. After several failed attempts to drag Cheng Miao up, she resorted to her trump card. “Fine, keep sleeping. That cat downstairs is leaving soon anyway.”
Cat?
Cheng Miao’s normally bright eyes blazed with longing. She washed, changed, grabbed the steamed bun Lin Zhu had brought between her teeth, and vanished at top speed.
The three people still standing in her room fell silent.