Chapter 18 - The Empress Wants to Become a Rich Person
One month later.
I've failed miserably!
At the computer desk, Lin Fan stared at his work, a look of defeat on his face.
How could this have happened…
Within this month, his thoughts had flowed like a spring, his pen moving as if guided by a god. His keyboard had clattered away as he repeatedly revised, finally managing to write a hundred thousand words of saved drafts.
But when he submitted them to various website editors full of confidence, they were all rejected without exception!
The reasons were basically all similar: either the story plot was too cliché, the theme didn't suit the current trends, or the beginning was too slow-burn.
Under the successive rejections, he couldn't help but start to doubt himself.
He had done nothing for a whole month, yet his savings were about to bottom out…
The situation was not optimistic!
“Demon Sovereign, what do you want to eat for lunch? Shall we order takeout?”
Longyue’s voice came from the living room. Lin Fan sighed lightly and slowly walked out of the bedroom.
Longyue was lying on her side on the sofa, sipping cola from a straw, a large bag of potato chips in her lap, while a variety show played on the television in front of her.
Relying on her own memory and intelligence, after a month of understanding this world, she had gradually become familiar with and adapted to Blue Star.
The empress who was once ignorant of the world could now skillfully use her cell phone to order takeout and shop online…
Within this month, she spent every day either lying in bed scrolling through short videos on her phone or lying on the sofa binge-watching dramas.
Whether it was children’s cartoons, J-dramas, K-dramas, movies, variety shows, or the evening news, she watched them all with great relish. She often stayed up late to binge-watch, only reluctantly going to sleep at three or four in the morning, and then sleeping until almost noon before getting up.
They had agreed from the beginning that food and lodging would be covered, so he had linked a family card to her phone from the start. Whenever she wanted to eat something, she could just place the order herself.
And it was precisely because of this that, under her lavish spending, his savings were being used up even faster than expected…
He had planned for four thousand yuan to last the two of them for two months, but it had only lasted for one month...
Lin Fan stood at the bedroom doorway, staring at Longyue with annoyance, yet he couldn't bring himself to say anything.
She had only just arrived on Blue Star and was slowly understanding and integrating into this world. He was the one who had encouraged her to watch more TV and learn more about this world. He just hadn't expected that she would seem to integrate a little too well into this world, perfectly even…
Who could believe that this lazy woman lying at home all day, doing nothing but eating, drinking, and sleeping, was once the empress of an immortal realm!
Now she was happy watching TV and her phone every day. Where was the despair and unwillingness she had when she first arrived on Blue Star…
In this past month, he hadn't heard her crying and shouting about wanting to go home again…
“Demon Sovereign, this Empress just discovered a new takeout place, Curry Chicken Cutlet Omurice! Want to try it together?”
Longyue noticed Lin Fan standing at the bedroom doorway and excitedly held up her phone to show him.
Lin Fan pulled up a stool and sat in front of her. He propped his hands on the low table, fingers interlaced, his expression serious.
“Empress, there is something I must discuss with you.”
“Hmm? What is it?”
Longyue said, unconcerned, still burying her head in her phone, scrolling through takeout options and thinking about what to eat for lunch today.
Bang!
Lin Fan slammed both hands heavily on the low table, leaned his body forward towards her, and said with a solemn face:
“Empress, our household already has a budget deficit!”
As his voice fell, Longyue’s expression showed she was stunned, and the finger she was using to scroll through takeout options couldn't help but stop.
“Does that mean… we’re out of money?”
“That’s right!”
Lin Fan nodded solemnly.
“How did we run out of money so quickly?” Longyue asked, puzzled.
“That's a question for you, Empress!!”
Lin Fan’s brow twitched slightly as he roared in annoyance.
It would have been better if she hadn't said anything. The moment he heard her say that, his lungs nearly exploded from anger.
Aside from three meals a day, she also bought a lot of snacks and drinks online. When she binge-watched dramas at night, she also liked to order a late-night snack and milk tea.
She would casually spend tens of yuan on takeout that he himself would be reluctant to order on a normal day!
With such squandering, how could the money not be spent quickly!
“W-Well, you can’t blame this Empress for that. Who knew the money in this world was spent so quickly? It feels like this Empress didn’t even buy much…”
Being yelled at by Lin Fan like that, Longyue was like a child who had done something wrong. She poked her fingers together embarrassedly and averted her gaze, not daring to look directly at Lin Fan.
“Sigh, forget it. It’s true that you’re not to blame for this.”
Lin Fan sighed lightly, tried hard to suppress the resentment in his heart, and sat back down on the stool.
He was the one who had said he would cover her food and lodging, and he was the one who had linked the family card. Longyue had only just arrived in this world, and her former self was the Empress of the Immortal Realm. Naturally, she had no concept of money. He really couldn't blame her.
“I’m going out for a bit. You stay home and behave, don’t run around.”
Lin Fan got up to leave but was suddenly stopped by Longyue:
“Wait, Demon Sovereign, you’re going out to find a way to get money, right?”
“Yes,” Lin Fan admitted.
If he doesn't find a way to get money soon, the two of them might have to drink the northwest wind in a couple of days...
“Hmph hmph~ Demon Sovereign, why don’t you ask this Empress if I have any money first?”
Longyue huffed proudly twice, a sly smile like a fox's on her face. Compared to Lin Fan's worried expression, she was practically high-spirited and full of confidence.
Lin Fan had a look of confusion, but still approached Longyue with anticipation.
“You have money?”
Longyue shook her head with a smile.
“This Empress has no money~”
Lin Fan: “……”
“Are you making fun of this sovereign, Empress?”
Lin Fan felt utterly speechless and turned to leave in disappointment.
He never should have had any expectations for this woman…
Since transmigrating to Blue Star, she had basically stayed at home with him all the time. Except for the occasional trip to the supermarket to buy a few things, she had hardly ever gone out. Every day was just eating and sleeping, so how could she possibly have any money?
“Although this Empress has no money, don’t you forget, Demon Sovereign, who this Empress is!”
Longyue planted her feet on the sofa, put her hands on her hips, her face full of pride and confidence, and declared in a proud, delicate voice:
“This Empress is the Empress of the Supreme Sacred Heavenly Palace! The Supreme Sovereign of the Immortal Realm!”
“…And then what?”
“This Empress doesn’t have this world’s money, but this Empress has valuable things!”
With that, Longyue took out an azure gemstone from her pocket.
“This is the Immortal Realm's Azure Stone, a priceless and rare treasure. It contains a thread of this Empress’s immortal spiritual power. If a cultivator wears it, it can provide immortal spiritual protection, protecting the soul and saving one’s life. If a mortal wears it, it can nourish the body with immortal spirit, making one immune to a hundred illnesses and prolonging one's life!”
“Just this one piece is enough to buy more than ten mortal cities! Hahaha~”
As she spoke, Longyue couldn't help but laugh triumphantly up at the sky, as if the endless wealth of this world were beckoning to her.
Although she had lost her spiritual energy and couldn't open the immortal ring on her hand, it was a good thing she still had a few treasures on her for protection!
Lin Fan stood rooted to the spot, dumbfounded. He did not share her optimism in his heart; instead, he had a faint feeling that things might not go as smoothly as imagined.
Can an immortal stone from the Immortal Realm still possess the same value in this world…?
“Demon Sovereign, just you wait and beg this Empress to keep you~”
“Don’t you worry, from now on, this Empress will permit you to eat whatever you want.”
Longyue clenched the Azure Stone in her hand, leaped off the sofa in a single bound, and walked towards the door with her head held high and chest out, full of vigor.
After this month of understanding this world, she already knew that there were pawnshops in this world, just like in ancient times. So from the very beginning, she had never been worried about money.
As long as she sold the immortal stone in her hand, she would, in a single transformation, become one of the handful of richest people in this world~!