“You’ve met a friend?” Gareth repeated, curiously. “Is he a pen pal or something?” 

He couldn’t help but remark, “Just as I’d expect from a mage—still keeping in touch through such an old-fashioned and romantic method.”

Qiyu shook his head. “Not a pen pal—we chat every day.” 

“So you’re online friends,” Mia chimed in. 

Qiyu looked up, his gaze fixed strangely on the two of them.

Although his face was hidden by his cloak, his gaze was so intense that a martial officer with his keen senses couldn’t possibly ignore it.

Gareth asked, “What’s wrong, Mage?”

He realized something: “You haven’t even told us your name!”

“My name is Qiyu,” Qiyu explained, referring to his earlier odd behavior. “I just felt… that the term ‘online friend’ seemed a bit strange when applied to you two.” Hearing this, the brother and sister weren’t surprised at all; instead, they burst out laughing.

“That’s exactly what you mages—especially those of you who live in secluded, remote places—are like,” Mia said. “You’re always so traditional and old-fashioned, clinging to ancient rites and rituals.” 

Qiyu admitted with a smile, “After all, I’m a mage who’s just come from the countryside.” He asked humbly, “There’s a lot I don’t know about the outside world. Could you tell me about it?”

Since they were in the break room anyway, the Gareth siblings gave him a brief overview of the outside world.

There’s a huge difference between how professionals and ordinary people live their lives.

For practitioners—especially those in high-potential professions like mages, martial artists, and alchemists—their lives are much as Qiyu had imagined. 

They have their own professional systems, and through cultivation, they can attain great power and a long lifespan.

For practitioners, daily life is essentially about cultivation, adventure, and becoming stronger. Everything they do has only one ultimate goal: to attain transcendent power.

Ordinary people are different.

They lack natural talent, and throughout their entire lives, they find it difficult to set foot in another wondrous and magnificent world.

But ordinary people have their own way of life.

Although energy crystal cards are excellent, they are simply too expensive, so alternative energy sources have emerged—such as steam and electricity. 

The meat of exotic beasts is flavorful and nourishing, but equally expensive, so they focus more on bringing out the natural flavors of everyday ingredients, and cooking methods have evolved accordingly.

Ordinary people lack the ability to travel a thousand li in a single day—a feat reserved for professionals—so they invented tools for long-distance communication.

Perhaps because their lifespans are limited, their creativity became all the more astonishing. 

“Now, aside from your mages association being a bit old-fashioned… um, traditional, actually, many of us practitioners like to buy things created by ordinary people.” 

Mia took out an object—a sphere shimmering with a faint blue glow. It was so small that when placed in the palm of her hand, it looked like a delicate little toy.

She held the orb out toward Qiyu.

Qiyu, puzzled, took it and held it in his hand.

Mia nudged her brother with her elbow, and Gareth also pulled out an identical little glowing sphere.

“Now, say something to it—anything at all.”

Qiyu had a vague hunch. Looking at the little orb, he said with a straight face, “I want to dig up lots and lots of magic crystals.” 

Two identical sounds rang out.

One came from Qiyu, and the other from the light orb in Gareth’s hand.

“A communication device—the professional version,” Mia said with a smile. “Isn’t that pretty interesting?”

Holding the light orb, Qiyu asked instinctively, “How far does this work?”

Mia replied, “It’s made by the Dawson Trading Company. Theoretically, as long as there’s enough energy, it can work over any distance. Of course, if the distance is really too far, I recommend binding.”

Does it work in survival games too? Qiyu was a bit curious.

He voiced his interest: “Do you have any extras? I’d like to buy one.” 

Gareth and his sister exchanged a glance.

They actually did.

These communication orbs were sold individually, and they usually kept a spare on hand just in case of emergencies. This time, they’d won a magical crystal mine in a bet. Once they finished mining, the two of them would head straight home, so selling the communication orb to Qiyu wouldn’t be a problem. “Here’s one—I bought it for 100 gold coins, and it’s been used before.” Gareth pulled out a small glowing orb.

He showed Qiyu how to use it: there was a small mechanism on the side of the communication orb that could be opened; inside was a slot for an energy bead.

“Channel your energy into the communication orb; the first time you do so, it’s considered bound.”

Once a communication orb is bound, only the two designated users can use it.

It can be used without binding as well—as long as one of the two people is holding the communication orb, they can talk to each other. However, binding it with spiritual energy makes the connection more stable. 

Qiyu observed curiously, “Can any type of energy bead be used?” 

“Any will do.”

Qiyu took out 100 gold coins and handed them to the two men; Gareth accepted them. “I’d like to trade this communication orb for two Strength Blessings.”

In a place like this, where magic is scarce, saving 100 gold coins was something Qiyu was more than happy to do.

Qiyu thought happily to himself, “Once we return to the Star Forest, I’ll send this to God Has No Form. That way…” Wait a minute.

He now has five and a half friends: God Has No Form, Duo Ju, Brother Tu Mu, Tranquility Yields Transcendence, and Dare Not Open My Eyes.

Why was his first instinct to send this to God Has No Form as soon as he got the communication orb? 

Qiyu was puzzled.

But life wouldn’t let him dwell on it; within a minute, he found the answer:

Most of his interactions with Tu Mu and the others revolved around survival games or trading, but God Has No Form—aside from the former—was also the chef who cooked him the most delicious food in the world. 

Plus, whenever they had free time now, they’d often chat about everyday topics. So he concluded: Giving it to God Has No Form would allow this communication orb to serve a greater purpose.  

After resting for a while and regaining their strength, the three of them resumed mining.

Qiyu cast a Strength Blessing on both of them, and on himself as well. The way he chose his position this time was quite remarkable.

The magic crystal vein contained magic crystals within it; based solely on the concentration of magical elements, the entire area was so rich in magic that it rivaled an elemental magic array. 

If it weren’t for the access restrictions, Qiyu would have loved to stay inside and cultivate for a while. On his previous attempts, he had simply chosen a spot at random based on his intuition.

This time, strictly speaking, he was still relying on intuition—only this time, that intuition was exceptionally strong.

It was like a sixth sense—the moment his gaze fell on a certain spot, it was as if a voice in his mind was shouting: “This is the place! Dig!”

Without a second thought, Qiyu chose to follow his intuition.

After striking the ground a few times with the Heart of the Great Tree Staff, Qiyu was panting.

He had already pounded a huge pit into the mountain wall in front of him—large enough for a person to sit inside.

Inside, the rocks were still a dull gray, and there were those distinct elemental fluctuations that signaled the presence of magical crystals. Not far away, the brother and sister seemed to have made a decent find.

Gareth glanced over at them, turned to say something to his sister, and walked over.

“You’ve dug pretty deep here,” he said, examining the rock wall closely before shaking his head. “It doesn’t look like there’s a magic crystal here. Why don’t we try somewhere else?”

Qiyu replied earnestly, “I think there’s a magic crystal in there.” 

Gareth offered the reminder purely out of goodwill—after all, the three of them had only met that day—but when he saw that Qiyu was determined, he left. Qiyu continued moving deeper inside, and with that single strike, he took out two of them.

Gareth called out to him, “It’s time to rest.”

Qiyu was about to say he wasn’t tired yet, but Gareth raised his voice: “It’s been 24 hours! There’s no day or night in here—we’ve been in here for a long time. Don’t get too carried away.”

He was actually a little worried that this mage might wear him out until he passed out.

Hearing this, Qiyu recalled the time he’d inscribed a magic scroll that had put him into a coma. This time, he heeded their advice and sat down to rest.

“I’ve noticed you’re a bit of a go-getter. Whether it’s strength or skill,” Gareth said as he sliced open a piece of bread with his dagger and handed it to Qiyu. “Want some?” 

Qiyu shook his head. “I’ve got my own food.”

As he spoke, he used a rock that had fallen from above as a table and pulled out a bowl of rice, a bowl of braised spare ribs, a bowl of blanched shrimp, and a plate of cold cucumber salad from his backpack…

The brother and sister sitting across from him: ??? 

Seeing the steaming, appetizing meal in front of Qiyu—with its rich aroma and vibrant colors—and comparing it to their own bread and dried meat, the food in their own mouths suddenly lost its appeal.

Wait, is this it?

Mia felt like pulling her own hair out: “You spent a fortune on these long-lasting, freshness-preserving storage items—just to store food?” 

Damn rich mages!