[Vol. 6] Chapter 198: I'm a Good Boss with a Conscience
Violet studied the object in front of her for quite a while before finally figuring out how it worked.
If her guess was correct...
She casually took out a [Crystal Jade] and placed it on the square stone block labeled [Plain Biscuit].
*Buzz~*
The calm magic array suddenly reacted to the official currency. The [Crystal Jade] was quickly enveloped in a silver glow, then faded away. When it reappeared, it had transformed into a stack of thick biscuits, wrapped in paper, standing three inches tall!
"Just as I thought..."
Now she understood.
It wasn’t a particularly complicated mechanism. This magic array was essentially a mid-range teleportation system with two interconnected nodes. One of them was located here, and the other was most likely set up in an official camp outside the forest.
Whenever someone in the forest used these supply points to send a [Crystal Jade], the staff at the other end would place the corresponding supplies on the marked stone block, which would then teleport back here to complete the exchange. The energy required for the teleportation was drawn directly from the [Crystal Jade] itself, so it wouldn't react to anything unrelated.
With this setup, the officials cleverly allowed participants to exchange [Crystal Jades] for supplies without having to send large teams of workers into the forest. The only significant cost would have been building these teleportation arrays.
After completing her little experiment, the black-haired girl stood up and glanced at the lush forest in the distance. The sky was growing darker, and the forest was already dim and shadowy. Not ideal for further exploration.
As for this supply point...
There were probably more of these scattered throughout the forest, like automated vending machines. Finding one when you needed supplies shouldn’t be a problem. The concept seemed simple, but coming up with it and making it work seamlessly from scratch was no small feat. It was likely another idea provided by [Spirit Veil Immortal Island].
While Violet pondered the intricacies of the system and considered her next steps…
Suddenly, a gust of wind came rushing in from the distance!
*Swoosh!*
The young woman, as if she could foresee the future, instantly raised her hand and caught the flying arrow. With a forceful snap, she broke it into two. Her silver-blue eyes narrowed slightly.
She casually tossed the broken arrow to the ground and shifted her gaze toward the dense canopy of an old tree nearby. The branches rustled, clearly indicating that the attacker hiding there realized the situation wasn’t in their favor and was attempting to flee.
“Hah! Take this!”
Putting on a dramatic show, Violet quickly pulled out an oddly shaped weapon from her backpack and hurled it toward the tree canopy!
The elongated, L-shaped object spun rapidly through the air, cutting through the thick foliage and clearing her line of sight. Amid a startled cry of “Ouch!” it struck the attacker squarely in the back, sending them tumbling down from the tree and landing face-first on the ground.
A direct hit! The "weapon" spun in the air before flying back into Violet’s hand.
It turned out to be a boomerang about the length of an adult's waist. It looked like it was made of wood, with blunt edges, and its size was just right for someone to hold with one hand. It seemed more like a toy than an actual weapon.
The black-haired girl stepped forward to where the attacker, now sprawled on the ground in an awkward heap, lay motionless. The attacker was a short-haired girl dressed in tight, ninja-like clothing with a face mask. Violet, her expression indifferent, glanced at her and curled her lip.
“Get up. Stop pretending. That thing can’t kill anyone.”
“Ugh… uh, hehe…”
Hearing Violet's blunt remark, the so-called thief or ninja opened her eyes, embarrassed. She slowly got up and rubbed her lower back, which seemed to be sore from the hit. Her face was full of grievance.
“Geez, sister, did you really have to go that hard? That arrow wasn’t even aimed at you…”
“If I hadn’t, you’d be lying here for real, and we wouldn’t be having this cheerful little chat.”
Violet's tone was calm as she responded to the girl’s attempt at making small talk. She wasn’t ready to let her guard down around this unknown person. Instead, she tightened her grip on the harmless prank weapon she had been holding, a [Whirl-Whirl Boomerang] that only caused pain but never inflicted real injuries.
“What were you trying to do just now?”
This person had actually arrived near the supply point before Violet. When she first showed up, she openly experimented with the supply point's function, seemingly to observe Violet's intentions.
If she had just happened to pass by, Violet wouldn’t have bothered with her. But if her intentions weren’t good, it was only a matter of time before she made a move.
As expected, she didn’t stay idle.
The thief girl’s sharp eyes darted around nervously. Forcing a smile, she explained, “It’s a misunderstanding! Just a little joke, you know…”
“Hm?”
Seeing Violet frown slightly and raise the "weapon" in her hand, the thief girl’s body trembled. She quickly raised her hands in a pleading gesture, shouting, “Wait, wait, wait! Let’s talk this out! No need for violence! Fine, fine, I’ll tell you. I had my eye on the supplies you exchanged. I thought I’d scare you off and claim them for myself, but I really didn’t plan to hurt you…”
Her voice trailed off as her confidence wavered. Her gaze shifted guiltily to the side. Violet frowned.
She didn’t seem to be lying.
Petty theft, scamming, sneaky tricks. Those seemed like her usual schemes. But she didn’t appear capable of something as violent as robbing and killing. Her attire also gave away her general style.
“What’s your name?”
The thief girl clearly didn’t want to answer, but under the pressure of Violet’s “weapon,” she reluctantly mumbled in a low voice, “Le Qiaoqiao…”
Violet gave her a quick once-over, then pulled out some plain biscuits from her pack. Rations provided by the officials when she first entered the forest, which she hadn’t touched yet. She dangled them in front of the girl.
Le Qiaoqiao’s eyes instantly lit up, and she stared at the biscuits, practically drooling. A shiny trail of saliva even escaped the corner of her mouth.
Seeing her pitiful state, Violet couldn’t help but smile.
“Are you that hungry? It’s only been three or four hours since the competition started. What happened to the food the officials handed out?”
Staring intently at the cold, hard biscuits as if they were some kind of gourmet delicacy, the thief girl wiped away her drool and answered honestly.
“I already finished them… That little bit wasn’t even enough to fill the gap between my teeth. But I didn’t want to spend my [Crystal Jades] on food on the first day, so I just hung around the supply point, hoping to snag something leftover...”
“Hmm.”
Watching the girl’s still-genuine expression, Violet thought for a moment before suddenly speaking.
“Le Qiaoqiao, are you interested in working for me?”
“Huh?”
The thief girl froze, her tired look replaced by surprise.
She had expected that, at best, Violet wouldn’t kick her out of the competition, and at worst, she’d confiscate her meager stash of [Crystal Jades]. She hadn’t expected to hear such an unexpected offer in this situation.
“What do you mean by ‘working for you’?”
“It’s simple.”
Violet raised five fingers.
“Five days. During the next five days of the competition, I’ll provide you with enough food and supplies to keep you full. In return, you’ll stick by my side and follow my instructions completely or in other words, work for me. How about it?”
“Oh…”
Le Qiaoqiao finally understood.
“You mean you’re hiring me to work for you, right? Sure, I’ve done this kind of thing plenty of times before. But let me make one thing clear, my needs aren’t small. If I don’t get enough to eat, I’ll bolt without hesitation.”
Violet tossed the biscuit she was holding toward Le Qiaoqiao, who fumbled to catch it in a hurry. Violet nodded, a faint, almost imperceptible smile curving her lips.
“Don’t worry. I’m a boss with a conscience. Everyone who’s worked for me always praises me~”