So she is ugly duckling (Chapter 87)
"Huh?"
Ye Sheng looked at Gu Luoyu in confusion. She had been searching for information on the Super Net for a long time but couldn't find anything about the little Dark duck. She never expected to hear it from Gu Luoyu.
However, considering that Little one was once a psychic, it made sense that she knew more than Ye Sheng, who was in mitigation zone.
"This is the Calamity Dark Swan, which has the ability to foresee events."
Gu Luoyu didn't leave Ye Sheng hanging and explained directly.
In ancient times, swans were called "hù."
So, it's not a dark duck but a dark swan.
Upon hearing that the little Dark duck was actually a swan, Ye Sheng suddenly felt like laughing. Is the real-life ugly duckling right beside her?
(?? ?? )σ
Ye Sheng gently stroked the little Dark duck—well, it should be called a little Dark swan now. Just the name sounded impressive, and now it was so obedient in Gu Luoyu's hands, which showed they had a connection!
But how does this little Dark swan predict things?
"Gu Luoyu, how do these polluted creatures make predictions? And how do people discover it?"
"This Calamity Dark Swan is still in its juvenile phase, and its third eye hasn't fully developed. Once it grows a bit more, a red spot on its forehead will open, revealing a special eye."
"!!!"
This was a development Ye Sheng had never imagined.
The little Dark swan has a third eye???
Σ( ° △ °)
"After foreseeing danger, it transmits the images 'seen' by its third eye through psychic power. It was discovered during a base's operation to hunt polluted creatures when many people 'saw' the images transmitted by a Calamity Dark Swan before they could act against it."
"However, the Calamity Dark Swan's predictions are only about itself, which led to a vision of it retaliating and killing many mercenaries, causing the base to hold off and let the Calamity Dark Swan fly away."
"After discovering the unique abilities of the Calamity Dark Swan, the base wanted to capture and tame it from the wilderness. But unfortunately, Calamity Dark Swans are not social animals; they always appear alone. Because they can foresee danger and escape in advance, it's hard to catch them."
Ye Sheng listened quietly to Gu Luoyu's explanation, her Dark eyes immediately sparkling.
Foreseeing calamities, unique characteristics, hard to capture—these words together indicated that the Calamity Dark Swan was extremely rare and valuable! = Super expensive!
And she got one for free.
The little Dark swan even chased after her relentlessly.
?(^?^●)ノ
"So, I'm the first to tame a Calamity Dark Swan!"
Just as Ye Sheng was about to sing out of excitement, Gu Luoyu shook her head, extinguishing the little spark in Ye Sheng's heart: "No, someone in the base's central area already has one. The unique nature of the Calamity Dark Swan means people will go to great lengths to acquire it."
Seeing Ye Sheng suddenly deflate, like a little puppy with drooping ears, Gu Luoyu felt an itch in her hands, wanting to pat her head...
However, this sudden fondness made her frown.
Looking at Ye Sheng again, her red eyes were clear, but there was a hint of caution. At the same time, the little Dark swan in Gu Luoyu's left hand trembled, as if sensing it was in imminent danger.
Too scary for the swan!!!
Fortunately, Gu Luoyu's complex emotions lasted only a moment before she returned to her usual self. She even gently comforted Ye Sheng, "However, among the entire base, there are fewer than ten people who have taken in a Calamity Dark Swan as a pet. Ye Sheng, you're very lucky. Once this Calamity Dark Swan grows up a bit more, I can feel assured when you take it out scavenging in the wilderness."
Gu Luoyu's comforting words made Ye Sheng feel a bit embarrassed.
She had only felt down for a moment, but she quickly bounced back! Getting a free little Dark swan that could foresee calamities meant her luck was already sky-high. Comparing herself to others wouldn't bring happiness, and besides, Gu Luoyu was worried about her!
As the head of the household, she needed to stay positive!
"Mhm, let's take good care of the little Dark swan together. My safety is in your hands from now on!"
Ye Sheng looked down at the obedient little swan, her smile deepening with dimples. She affectionately patted its head, her Dark eyes curving into crescents, completely free of the earlier sadness.
Gu Luoyu watched Ye Sheng's cheerful expression, her red eyes showing a hint of surprise.
She had never encountered someone like Ye Sheng before. People from the wastelands were typically pessimistic and reckless, living each day as if it were their last. Those in the central area played power games, using any means necessary to climb higher. Everyone was like a taut string, never relaxing.
But Ye Sheng was different. She didn't have the weariness of the wasteland people; she was like the rising sun, full of cheer and hope, striving for a better future.
As she thought about this, Gu Luoyu tilted her head in confusion. Could it be because she was hiding her identity, so the people she encountered were different from before?
She couldn't figure it out.
"Gu Luoyu, let's give the little Dark swan a name!"
While Gu Luoyu was lost in thought, Ye Sheng was already considering what to name the little Dark swan, since it would be a part of their family now! It couldn't just be called "little Dark swan" all the time.
Hearing Ye Sheng's suggestion, Gu Luoyu came back to reality and smiled, "Ye Sheng, you brought this Calamity Dark Swan home, so you should name it to commemorate this moment!"
Gu Luoyu's words were warm and kind, making Ye Sheng's smile even brighter. She looked down at the little Dark swan, considering names like "Tiane Jiaoao" or "Tiane Wang," but they seemed too grand. Then she thought of "Guodong" or "Tianxin"...
[TL note - Tiane Jiaoao = Proud Swan, Tiane Wang = Swan King, Guodong = Jelly, Tianxin = Sweety]
Hmm...
She realized she wasn't great at naming things. Unlike her well-read grandfather, she felt her own creativity was lacking. Plus, these names didn't really suit the little Dark swan. Scratching her head in frustration, she finally made a decision.
"Let's call it Ye Hei Ya! Hopefully, it will be delicious... cough, cough, I mistook it for a duck when I first found it. It's a funny story now."
Though she had changed her surname from "Zhou" to "Ye," the name "Hei Ya" (Dark Duck) still reminded her of the sweet and spicy flavor she loved.
Super tasty!
It also held some connection to her past life, a way to remember it.
"Ye Hei Ya..."
Gu Luoyu paused for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
After the name "Ye Hei Ya" was approved, Ye Sheng joyfully repeated it several times. However, after a while, it morphed into "Heiya," which was even easier to say.
Although Ye Heiya's behavior was different from other contaminated creatures, it still needed to be tamed before it could be safely kept around.
This responsibility was given to Gu Luoyu, who couldn't move yet.
Meanwhile, Ye Sheng started tidying up the house. Ah Mu had delivered two large sacks of gifts last night, and they still needed to be sorted and categorized!
After opening the nylon bags, Ye Sheng immediately began sorting. Food went in one category, clothing and daily necessities in another, weapons in another, and there were also some items that couldn't be categorized.
The food included dried vegetables and meat, dried fruits, and even a small packet of precious dried shrimp! Since oceans and lakes became extremely dangerous, edible seafood had become incredibly expensive. Even though there were only a dozen or so shrimp, it was still quite a find!
Ye Sheng felt like a little mouse who had fallen into a rice barrel, overjoyed. After finishing the food sorting, she moved on to daily necessities, which included high-quality, non-irritating toothpaste and multiple toothbrushes, strong soap, and other practical items.
There were also several pieces of clothing, including winter clothes and two sets of women's tactical bodysuits.
Curious, Ye Sheng picked up one of the tactical bodysuits and found that not only did it have added protection in important areas, but it also had protective settings at the joints. The material was quite good—flexible, comfortable, and quick-drying. However, it was quite form-fitting.
After looking at it for a while, Ye Sheng blushed, then sheepishly set it aside, thinking she might try it on later at night and see if it was suitable for wearing outside.
After categorizing the clothes and daily necessities, Ye Sheng turned her attention to the pile of weapons. There were swords, bows, crossbows, daggers, and other weapons, all quite complete... Additionally, Ye Sheng found a sharp spearhead that could be attached to a shaft to form a crimson spear.
Unfortunately, Ye Sheng only knew how to play with a stick in a playful, half-baked manner.
Speaking of which, Ye Sheng was curious. The lottery space could recycle energy stones as well as weapons. However, not all weapons could be recycled. For example, the lottery space refused to recycle Ye Sheng's Dark dagger, but it took all the mercenaries' weapons cleanly. She wondered why.
Could it be that it depended on the person?
Thinking this, Ye Sheng sneakily glanced at the "little one" (Gu Luoyu) to see her patiently training Ye Heiya. Only then did she turn her back to Gu Luoyu, and from the pile of weapons, she picked up a dagger.
Compared to the Dark dagger Ye Sheng had spent 50 credits on, this dagger had a bright blade and easily stuck halfway into the ground with a gentle thrust—a truly excellent piece!
Ye Sheng tentatively called the lottery space.
"Would you like to recycle the dagger?"
Yes, yes, yes!
"Dagger recycled. You have earned 50 points."
Alright, case closed!
It was because the weapons were made of different materials.
Just, all are iron weapons, what's the difference?
[Detected a query from the lucky participant. To clarify, the lucky draw includes not only the collection of energy stones but also weapons forged with energy stone materials and metal products containing star iron ore, such as gold, silver, copper, and iron items. The points for exchange depend on the materials, with energy stones being more valuable than star iron stones.]
When Ye Sheng thought about things related to the lottery space, the space sometimes quickly responded.
Some doubts were also answered at this time.
For example, the energy sword's recycling points are as high as 800, definitely due to the addition of energy stones during the casting process.
And the dagger, which can only be recycled for 50 points, is what the lottery space referred to as containing star iron ore.
As for ordinary weapons, nothing is added, they are just plain iron weapons, so the lottery space does not recycle them...
After understanding the reason, Ye Sheng felt much relieved. She carefully selected a few small weapons, as she was worried about being detected by the little one's psychic ability and was very cautious when recycling points.
Yesterday, she owed double the points to awaken the little one!
1580 draw points, now after recycling a few weapons, it became 1105.
Fortunately, there are still half a month left, and she only needs a little more than a thousand points, which is completely achievable!
After sorting out the weapons, Ye Sheng turned her attention to the last pile of miscellaneous items that had not been classified, containing all sorts of things, such as various attribute enhancement syringes...
Yes, the kind with a needle so thick that it would be too much for even a pig!
(? _? )
Ye Sheng remembered injecting herself with a primary speed enhancement agent last time, and the experience felt as pleasant as flying. However, after the effect wore off, she felt pain emanating from her bones.
The side effects of the enhancement agent didn't last long, ending in less than half an hour.
But Ye Sheng still kept a respectful distance from this stuff.
She took one of each type of enhancement syringe and threw them into her Ruyi purse for backup, then packed the rest together and put them in the ugly bedside cabinet she made herself.
Ahem, now that there are more things, the furniture is not enough.
Someday, when she has time, she'll make a few more small cabinets.
They become less ugly with time, you get used to them.
After finally sorting out the gifts sent by the mercenaries, Ye Sheng stretched lazily. The action of bending over made her body stiff, so she quickly stood up to move around, thinking about the edible duck meat she had on hand.
She needed to sell it while it was still fresh.
However, entering the safe zone requires spending 1000 points, which Ye Sheng didn't want to spend.
After thinking about it, Ye Sheng had a flash of inspiration. She took out her super-intelligent network watch from her pocket, preparing to contact Mo Lin to see if he would buy the duck meat.
Mo Lin had a resident status in the safe zone, so he could enter and exit the city gates without spending a penny.
Selling information is for making money, and being a middleman can also be profitable.
Although Ye Sheng is not a native of the wasteland, the rules are the same in every world. The unified purchase price is just due to regulations.
To prevent market chaos, there have to be various restrictions.
However, with competition comes the opportunity to raise prices!
As a result, those restaurants buying medium-radiation duck meat at 100 points per pound definitely have room for negotiation... Ye Sheng wasn't greedy; she was content to sell at the standard price of 100 points per pound.
While it was possible to contact middlemen from the city even in the buffer zone, they usually offered very low prices. Ye Sheng would rather spend 1000 base points to enter the safe zone than sell to them.
After logging into the Wasteland Forum, Ye Sheng suddenly noticed her ID nickname was still the factory setting. After some thought, she quickly changed it to a new nickname.
[Wasteland Digger]: "Are you there? Do you buy duck meat?"
[Wasteland Know-It-All]: "Yes, yes, yes!"
Mo Lin seemed to live on the internet. As soon as Ye Sheng sent the message, she received an immediate response.
This relieved Ye Sheng, as she was worried that the duck meat might end up going to waste.
[Wasteland Digger]: "I live in the mitigation zone, and it's inconvenient for me to enter the city. Let's trade outside the city gates. Medium-radiation duck meat, 100 points per pound. Besides medium-radiation ducks, I also have two low-radiation ducks."
[Wasteland Know-It-All]: "No problem, I have time now!"
[Wasteland Digger]: "Okay, I'll be at the city gate within an hour."
After agreeing on the location and time, Ye Sheng grabbed a sack containing five ducks, informed Gu Luoyu, and immediately locked the door behind her as she headed towards the city gate.
As soon as she stepped out, Ye Sheng quickly stored the sack in her Ruyi pouch. She didn't want to waste energy or draw unnecessary attention!
Ah, having a storage space is so convenient!
However, over time, she had been filling it up without refusing anything. The space, limited to 500 pounds, was nearly full. She would need to clear some space eventually.
Or perhaps draw another Ruyi pouch.
But specifying an item requires double the points...
Sigh!
She decided to take it one step at a time!
When Ye Sheng, moving at a brisk pace, reached near the city gate, she immediately found a secluded corner and took out a bamboo basket and all the ducks from her Ruyi pouch, ready to trade them for points!
Nowadays, with plenty of dried meat at home and the risk of attracting trouble if cooking, it was better to exchange the duck meat for points and buy a house in the safe zone as soon as possible.
"Sister Ye Sheng, I'm here!"
Before Ye Sheng had walked far, the skinny boy Mo Lin excitedly waved his arms, afraid she wouldn't see him. He then jumped up and down, causing Ye Sheng, carrying her bags, to twitch her mouth.
Before she could call him over, Mo Lin cheerfully ran over.
Seeing the several sacks Ye Sheng had brought, a bright smile spread across his face. He immediately flattered her, "Sister, you're truly amazing to have gotten so many ducks. It's simply..."
"Stop, stop, stop. No need for all that. Let's find a place to count them!"
The gate of the safe zone is large enough to accommodate many people entering and exiting, so there are no delays.
However, with so many people coming and going, Ye Sheng didn't dare openly take out the ducks. She led Mo Lin to a spot concealed by polluted plant foliage, and they began tallying up the ducks.
The feathers of the ducks account for a significant portion of their weight, so they weighed two-thirds of the total weight.
The medium-radiation ducks averaged eight pounds each, totaling 12,000 points. The two low-radiation ducks were sold by the piece, fetching 5,000 points each.
In total, these ducks sold for 22,000 base points.
This transaction not only reimbursed Ye Sheng for the cost of upgrading to VIP status on the Wasteland Forum and purchasing information, but she also made an extra 10,000 points. All of this was accomplished in less than a day—an excellent profit!
Ye Sheng was quite pleased, and Mo Lin was also very happy.
He hadn't expected Ye Sheng to catch so many edible ducks. With his connections in the safe zone, he could sell this duck meat for an even higher price!
He thought, "This young lady is not only capable but also quite lucky. Collaborating with her was the right decision!"
Not only could he resell the information about the duck flock's location, but he also stood to make a good profit from selling the edible duck meat.
She was practically a lucky charm for him!
As he thought about the information he had just acquired today, Mo Lin's eyes gleamed. He grabbed Ye Sheng and whispered mysteriously, "Sister, do you want to make another big deal?"