Chapter 65: The Trouble of Happiness

"After taming a pet, you can’t switch to a new one within three months of game time. That’s why the first pet you tame is crucial; otherwise, you might encounter a rare pet later and be unable to tame it, which would be agony."

Lu Kuan pondered silently—it was not yet time to tame his own pet.

Arriving at the Adventurer’s Hall, Lu Kuan immediately posted a bounty task: offering a high price to purchase several kinds of fresh fish, the more the better!

Anyone could freely take on bounty tasks published by other players, even NPCs. As long as they mailed the required items to Lu Kuan, the task-taker would instantly receive Lu Kuan’s reward—convenient and efficient.

Having set up the bounty, Lu Kuan headed to the Alchemy Hall. He had been busy with various tasks these past days, and his alchemy skill had remained at level 2 for far too long—it was time to advance.

As soon as he entered the Alchemy Hall, Lu Kuan was taken aback. The hall was bustling—at least a hundred people, a stark contrast to its usual quiet emptiness.

"How odd..."

Lu Kuan scratched his head. Seeing his usual seat occupied, he chose a spot further away. As he surveyed the room, a familiar figure caught his eye.

Dressed in green with a black cap, she had shed her warrior armor for casual clothes, focusing intently on potion-making. Her lowered hair veiled her beautiful eyes, but even from afar her extraordinary aura was unmistakable.

Lu Kuan headed straight over, intending to greet her. Yet after a few steps, several nearby players turned in unison to glare at him—eyes filled with disdain, contempt, and even hostility.

No wonder: she came to the Alchemy Hall daily to practice her skills. Even though she was discreet, the title "The Silent Beauty of the Alchemy Hall" spread quickly.

Recently, male players flocked to see her; the Hall’s owner collected so much rent that his hands cramped and his smile was crooked.

"Here comes another fool. Let’s see how he gets rebuffed~"

"Today alone, over a hundred guys have been cold-shouldered by the Ice Queen. We’re mere air in her presence…"

"Sigh, her gaze is so frosty. Most guys can’t handle it; I wonder how thick-skinned this one is."

A group of young men whispered conspiratorially, their eyes gleaming with schadenfreude.

Lu Kuan paid them no mind and walked up to Qing Yi, gently tapping the table, "Why are you here alone?"

Qing Yi’s hands paused. She looked up, and to the astonishment of the crowd, the usually icy beauty stammered, "The other two went out for a late-night snack. I’ll… I’ll join them soon."

Heavens! The Ice Queen actually spoke!

And she spoke to a man!

And she was nervous and stuttering!

The spectators’ worldview shattered, replaced by a tidal wave of fury and envy! Had jealousy been heat, Lu Kuan would have been incinerated on the spot.

Lu Kuan sensed the shift in atmosphere, coughed lightly, and smiled, "Tomorrow or the day after, someone from Dark Paradise might contact you. Just follow Paradise Everdark into the dungeon. All right, I’ll let you get back to work~"

"Okay." Qing Yi nodded gently. As Lu Kuan turned to leave, she calmly resumed her seat, seemingly oblivious to the burning gazes around her.

Lu Kuan took a seat far from Qing Yi.

Soon enough, the eyes that had followed Lu Kuan returned to Qing Yi. Lu Kuan smiled wryly, took out herbs from his bag, and began practicing his skill.

Before long, system notifications started popping up—players were completing Lu Kuan’s bounty task. Whoever mailed fresh fish to Lu Kuan could instantly claim the reward he’d left in the Adventurer’s Hall.

There weren’t many fish yet, but Lu Kuan wasn’t worried. Once word spread about the high price, plenty of people would find ways to get fish.

Time flew by; a few hours passed quickly. By midnight, when Lu Kuan logged out, his alchemy skill had reached 2nd level, 99%, almost ready to level up.

He browsed the forum for a while, then left his room and went downstairs.

"Damn! Did you see the newly released answers for the college entrance exam? I got four wrong on the Chinese multiple choice… How about you?"

"Hehe, I did okay~ I estimate my score around 570, maybe 580. And you?"

"Sigh, I’m probably only at 540. Looks like I’ll have to retake the exam…"

"Don’t lose hope, keep fighting! By the way, what’s the top estimated score at our school? Did anyone post it in the group?"

"…"

Many had barely logged out of the game before rushing to check the newly published exam answers online. After calculating their scores, some were thrilled, others crestfallen—a lively scene.

Lu Kuan smiled; he already knew the answers, so there was no need to check again.

Back home, he found his parents sitting on small bamboo stools, chatting in the courtyard. Between them was a little wooden table, littered with heaps of sunflower seed shells—a clear sign they’d been there a while.

When Lu Kuan returned, his mother immediately stood up.

"Why aren’t you asleep yet? You’re not working overtime, so why stay up?" Lu Kuan complained.

"We’re not working overtime," his mother replied, waving her fan with a smile as she walked over and took Lu Kuan’s hand. "Kuan, the exam answers are out. Go online and check—see what your estimated score is."

Lu Kuan sighed, "Oh, Mom, the results will be out tomorrow morning. Why bother? Go to bed already; I have things to do in the morning."

"How can I sleep if you don’t estimate your score?"

His mother feigned a stern face and tapped Lu Kuan’s forehead, "Go check now. Your father and I will wait here."

Lu Kuan scratched his head helplessly. His father came over, grinning, "Just check your score, Kuan. Otherwise, your mother and I won’t be able to sleep~"

With his parents’ insistence, Lu Kuan had no choice but to return to his room, open the answer page, and pretend to look.

He skimmed through—it matched his previous estimate. Lu Kuan stood up and shouted through the window, "I’ve checked! It’s about 640, give or take. I’m going to bed now!"

Without waiting for his parents’ reaction, he shut the window and went off to wash up.

"Did you hear that, dear? Kuan said 640!" His mother was so delighted her mouth was nearly frozen in a smile, clapping her hands with excitement.

"I heard, I heard! All right, let’s sleep. We’ll see his results tomorrow," his father replied with calm joy.

"But we have work tomorrow, don’t we?"

"Let our son call us with the news~"