Chapter 88: Ideas for Making Money (Thanks to Jiushan Xuanqing Xiangyao Jueze Daoist, Ren Yige, and the Acrobat Falcon.)

What would have originally taken three days and nights, Wang Keyue and Xiao Hongyu completed in just over five hours, speeding toward the Northwest military camp in their flying car at the fastest velocity. After Wang Keyue had opened all her reward light spheres, she entrusted Xiaobao to monitor everything aboard the ship, and then fell asleep at the pilot’s seat. Four hours later, it was the dazzling sunlight streaming through the window that roused her gently from her slumber.

Only then did she realize that Xiao Hongyu beside her was already awake. As she opened her eyes, she saw the boy’s flawless profile; his head rested lightly on his right hand, gazing into the distant sky, lost in thought, his eyes deep and contemplative.

When Xiao Hongyu turned his head and found that the girl beside him had awakened, her large, hazy eyes stared at him in a daze. He found this amusing and offered her a faint smile. Unbeknownst to him, that smile, illuminated by the sunlight, seemed especially radiant, and the tenderness and affection in his gaze made Wang Keyue lose herself for a moment.

Snapping back to reality, Wang Keyue feigned a cough and quickly diverted her gaze. Oh dear! Beauty is truly distracting!

Hurriedly, she turned her head toward the other side of the window, trying to change the subject. “…Um, Xiao, you’re awake? Are you…hungry? I have some food prepared…”

Feeling her cheeks burning, Wang Keyue deliberately turned away, reaching behind to retrieve a prepared meat bun from the thermal box, and two bottles of iced water from the cooler. The cold air from the cooler soothed the heat on her face.

Passing the food and water to Xiao Hongyu, Wang Keyue opened the real-time map.

“We’ll arrive at our destination in half an hour! Xiao, do you think it’s better for me to disguise myself as a boy, or to alter my appearance as Doctor Wang?” she asked, munching on her meat bun.

“You look fine as you are. Just thicken your eyebrows and darken your skin a bit, and you’ll look even more like a young boy,” Xiao Hongyu commented, observing the girl before him. At thirteen or fourteen, she was full of youthful innocence, hardly different from a boy, so there was no need to disguise herself as an old man.

Besides, if she did turn herself into an elderly figure, he’d have to constantly address her as ‘senior’, which would be quite amusing to think about.

Wang Keyue listened and nodded thoughtfully. “Xiao, if I barge into the camp with you like this, won’t people gossip?”

She was afraid of causing trouble for Xiao Hongyu. If it would be inconvenient to enter the camp, she could easily travel alone, touring the vast Northwest in her flying car. It might be exhausting, but at least she wouldn’t be a burden.

“You’re overthinking it. The Northwest camp is my Xiao clan’s personal guard. Enter as my sworn brother, and I’ll appoint you as my adjutant. Rest assured, no one would dare question my decision!” Xiao Hongyu replied with bold confidence.

Wang Keyue gave him a thumbs-up in admiration.

During the remaining journey, Xiao Hongyu took the initiative to introduce the current situation of the Northwest military camp under his command.

From his account, Wang Keyue learned that his troops faced dire shortages—lacking both clothing and food.

She silently made a note of this. Feeding over ten thousand soldiers was no small matter; the stock in her warehouse was barely enough to fill the cracks between their teeth.

So, she had to find a way to earn more money!

“Xiao, what if I told you I can procure a large amount of provisions to help your troops survive the winter—would you believe me?” Wang Keyue decided it was best to speak frankly, since this concerned the lives of his personal soldiers.

Xiao Hongyu paused mid-chew and smiled sweetly at her. “Of course I believe anything you say, Xiaoyue!”

She had prepared a heap of explanations, but in the end…

Well! If Xiao Hongyu was willing to trust her unconditionally, so much the better—she could spare herself the trouble of explaining.

“Xiao, I need a lot of people to feel grateful toward me. That way, I can earn gratitude points in this world—think of it like game currency, which I can exchange for food,” Wang Keyue explained, omitting the existence of Xiaobao the system, but nonetheless revealing ninety percent of the truth.

“So you mean, this world is somewhat like a game? If we complete certain tasks, we get corresponding rewards?” Xiao Hongyu pondered her words carefully.

Without waiting for her answer, he extended his left hand, the spatial ring on his index finger glinting between them. He pointed to the ring with a serious expression. “This…should be a reward, right?”

“Yes, did you see a white light sphere?” Wang Keyue asked, having already guessed when Xiao Hongyu produced the ring.

He nodded. “I found it on the corpse of Bamuta from the Qianghu tribe. Oh! And the miniature crossbow I gave you earlier—I came across a white light sphere after waking up on the battlefield, and when I touched it, the crossbow appeared.”

Her suspicions were confirmed. Now, she wondered if Xiao Hongyu had a system like hers.

“Xiaoyue, relax. Only one system can exist in each plane!” Xiaobao’s voice sounded in her mind. “I reckon he’s got a system bug—just like yours!”

Wang Keyue laughed inwardly. She liked this bug!