Twenty-one thousand and twenty-one

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The moment Liyue awoke, a mission prompt appeared:

[Side Quest Updated! Charlotte Lingling wishes to experience another [Sweet Dream]. Please fulfill her wish!]

[Mission Reward: +25 Personal Reputation with the Island Lord; When crafting dessert-related dishes, the chance of obtaining rare desserts increases by 2%.]

Early the next morning, Liyue checked the stolen dragon’s nest, and sure enough, there was an egg waiting for her. Meanwhile, coconuts and palm fruits were plentiful along the beach, with honey being the only somewhat elusive ingredient.

Liyue glanced over at Lingling, who seemed just awakened. Lingling didn’t say much, nor did she bring up “wanting to have another sweet dream” on her own. But the system’s quests were always purposeful, and since they offered rewards, there was no reason for the player to refuse.

Liyue said to Lingling, “I want to explore deeper into the forest.”

With wood supplies maxed out at 999, there was no need for extra carpentry work. The little pig was idle anyway, so Liyue decided to bring it along.

The pig showed no hesitation, happily following her with a bright smile.

Deeper into the forest, beehives were not hard to find, but Liyue’s mindset was different this time.

Ahead was a beehive. Liyue cautiously surveyed her surroundings for any nearby rivers, then glanced hesitantly at Lingling, who stood like a bodyguard at her side:

“Lingling, are you afraid of bees?”

“If a swarm attacks you, can you protect me?”

“Bees?”

Lingling seemed puzzled by the connection between bees and honey: “Isn’t honey all just kept in jars and sold at the market?”

“Can you really find honey in wild forests? Or is there a devil fruit nearby that turns everything into honey?”

…Setting aside the pig’s innocent questions, Liyue’s ears perked at the term “devil fruit.”

She had heard this term before but still couldn’t grasp its full meaning. Just as she was about to ask more, Lingling excitedly exclaimed, “Ah, could that fruit hanging on the tree be a honey fruit?”

Though it was indeed “the fruit of honey,” Liyue suspected this hive wasn’t quite what Lingling thought.

Before she could stop her, Lingling approached and plucked the entire beehive with her bare hands.

The swarm poured out, quickly surrounding Lingling.

The same situation, but a different outcome. If it weren’t for the system notification, Liyue might not have noticed what Lingling had done:

[Charlotte Lingling used [Conqueror’s Haki]! The swarm has been defeated!]

Bees fell like rain.

Liyue was amazed.

At that moment, she clearly understood—the [Conqueror’s Haki] wasn’t just for fishing! It was truly an Area of Effect skill that could both ward off pests and aid in gathering resources!

A pity she couldn’t use such a great skill yet.

Liyue bounced over to the little pig: “Lingling, Lingling.”

“Hm?” The pig was still holding the beehive, curiously inspecting it. Hearing Liyue’s call, it looked over.

Speaking of which, players automatically awaken [Conqueror’s Haki] upon reaching a certain level. But what about these little animals? How did they learn this skill?

Liyue asked from the start: “The move you just used—is that [Conqueror’s Haki]?”

“That’s right.” The pig, having finished examining the hive, didn’t see the point of it. It handed the hive to Liyue: “Is there really honey inside?”

“Yes, yes.”

Carrying a cooking pot in her backpack, Liyue immediately set it up, broke open the hive, and extracted the honey.

An exclamation mark appeared above Lingling’s head; she drooled in anticipation, her expression full of hope.

While cooking, Liyue asked, “How did you all learn [Conqueror’s Haki]?”

The pig watched Liyue cook, swaying its head to and fro, and replied: “It’s a gift from heaven.”

“Some are born with it, some never acquire it in their lifetime. Only a very few have the aptitude to awaken [Conqueror’s Haki].”

Liyue laughed upon hearing this: so not everyone—even among the little animals—had it?

Players are truly talented! Of course, she herself was special!

Unable to resist, Liyue called to the pig, “Look at me, Lingling!”

The pig looked back, a question mark above its head: “What’s wrong, Little Liyu?”

Liyue whispered mysteriously, “Guess if I will awaken [Conqueror’s Haki]?”

The pig paused, then burst out laughing: “Mamalama~!”

It seemed very happy. Liyue, knowing the result from the system, smiled knowingly, but the pig was even more confident without any evidence:

“You’re the one I’ve chosen. Of course you have the qualification to awaken [Conqueror’s Haki]!”

Liyue beamed, loving this answer from the pig.

Just then, the cooking was finished.

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Once again, she made ten full servings of [Egg Flower Honey Coconut Cream]. Liyue handed them all to Lingling, who carefully separated half of them, giving five servings back to Liyue:

“You eat too!”

Liyue looked surprised at the pig, who beamed boldly: “Delicious desserts are meant to be shared! You should try some too!”

Holding the food, Liyue watched as the pig began to feast enthusiastically.

(Charlotte Lingling’s affinity with you +10. Current affinity: 83.)

(Charlotte Lingling’s affinity with you +10. Current affinity: 93.)

…

“Mamamama~ so tasty!”

The pig happily waved its hooves.

Liyue nibbled on her first piece of dessert.

(Charlotte Lingling’s affinity with you +10. Current affinity: 100.)

This was the first little animal whose affection had reached 100. Although mainly thanks to the pig’s ease of affinity farming by constant sweet treat feeding…

Still, being the first, Liyue felt inexplicably nervous and watched Lingling closely.

Would some special event happen?

After eating the dessert, Lingling smiled brightly. It stood up and gave Liyue a big hug:

“Thank you for your kind hospitality!”

The little pig actively snuggled up!

Liyue imagined the soft, warm embrace of the pig and envied the in-game characters again. She wanted to hug the little animals too!

Liyue, feeling envious but helpless, hugged the pig back.

The pig seemed even happier: “I really like you, Little Liyu! I want to take you to my island—”

The pig leaned in, more straightforwardly inviting:

“Come be mine, Liyue.”

…Huh?

Why do these little animals all act like bosses?

Isn’t this supposed to be a farming and base-building game? Why are the animals inviting her to leave?

How is the game’s storyline designed? Is it testing the player’s loyalty to the island?

And the pig’s “my island”…

Could it be that these animals, like players, each have their own island and can visit friends’ islands?

But since they’re just animals, despite Lingling’s bold confession sounding like a domineering CEO’s, Liyue didn’t take it as a genuine proposal.

She replied as usual to the pig:

“I like you too! Lingling.”

She was good at soothing animals:

“I’m already yours!”

“Mamamama~”

The pig’s heart blossomed. Seeing the pig so happy, Liyue’s heart also warmed.

But she wasn’t ready to abandon this island and leave with the animals. She continued:

“But I can’t leave this island yet. So…”

“Not leaving the island? Of course no problem.”

Before Liyue finished, the pig answered generously.

…So this game really tests the player’s loyalty to the island through these invitations?

Liyue felt the invitations were sincere but lacked any real insistence on making her leave.

From her gaming experience, such invites usually were traps—choosing “agree” would immediately lead to a bad ending.

Lingling mistakenly thought Liyue was a [Devil Fruit User] and that her inability to leave was a power limitation.

Lingling then said, “But since Little Liyu agreed to be mine, this island is also under my command.”

Liyue nodded, indulging the adorable pig: “You’re right, you’re absolutely right!”

The pig laughed again.

Liyue added, “But since I’m yours, then you should be mine too… my little pig, right?”

“Hmm? …Hmm?”

Lingling, just happy moments ago, now looked a little puzzled by this philosophical question.

Its expression grew serious; supporting its chin with one hand, tilting its head, a thinking circle appeared above it.

“I’m yours, so you’re mine! That’s a swapping reaction! …Wait, is that how swapping reactions work? Never mind.”

Liyue exclaimed loudly, “Anyway… whether human or pig, it must be equal!”

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—Equality.

A single word stirred Lingling’s memories.

The nun often spoke of this word.

“Equality.”

It was the nun’s favorite word.

And also…

Her own favorite word.

“You’re right, Liyue!” Lingling promptly agreed.

Liyue wasn’t sure if Lingling was truly confused or not.

But the pig looked serious, though its portrait still seemed silly: “Okay, I can be yours too!”

Liyue was satisfied.

At the same time, she thought the pig was too easily fooled. Suddenly, she blurted out:

“Hey, Lingling, does that mean if I ever face difficulties…”

“You’re mine!” Lingling emphasized, clearly a possessive little pig.

“With me backing you up, no matter what trouble you face, it won’t be a problem!”

Clearly, it was also a responsible pig.

This time, Liyue sincerely switched to starry-eyed expression:

“So if I encounter danger, Lingling, you’ll also…”

“Of course! Who do you think I am!”

The pig pounded its chest and said, “If anyone dares to harm you, even if you die, I’ll hunt them down to the ends of the earth and bring their head to your grave!”

…The last part was a bit much.

Besides, as players, they don’t truly die—there’s just save or no save.

Still, Liyue was moved by the pig’s chivalry.

She asked one last question:

“Since this island also joined your command, that means you’re an island resident, right?”

Lingling paused a moment, seemingly uninterested in the convoluted question and gave up thinking:

“You’re right, I am an island resident!”

Liyue was so touched she shed tears of happiness.

The animals in this game were just too adorable…!

“That’s wonderful, Lingling! You’re the kindest little animal I’ve met! I like you too, Lingling!”

Liyue spoke warmly and hugged the pig. The pig proudly lifted its head and patted Liyue’s back with its hoof:

“Little Liyu, you’re cute too! I like you as well!”

Both human and pig were overjoyed.

System prompt:

(Congratulations! You have gained your first island resident: Charlotte Lingling!)

(Charlotte Lingling’s profile has been unlocked and can be viewed in [Island Residents Archive].)

[Congratulations on increasing your island residents; the island becomes livelier! Island Building Score +1.]

[Special rewards are granted upon obtaining the 1st, 3rd, 6th, and 10th residents! Congratulations on gaining the first resident and receiving the reward: 1111 Combat Experience Points!]

[…Randomly selecting from system rewards of SSR, SR, and Random rarity…]

[Congratulations! You have received SSR material: [Century-old Ginseng], SR material: [Durian], R material: [Fish Mint]!]

[Your combat level has increased! The island becomes stronger with your growth! Island level raised to: Level 2.]

[With the island’s upgrade, you have become more powerful! Your bodily control is more flexible, and you can freely adjust your height, physique, and appearance to some extent!]

[Face customization feature unlocked.]

[Outfit change feature unlocked.]

Liyue was dizzy from the barrage of system messages, unsure which to check first. Lingling, who brought all this about, smiled:

“When the island becomes more prosperous, I can host a tea party with Little Liyu!”

“Many people will gather here, eating tea snacks and chatting—my children, guests, and friends—Little Liyu, you…”

It looked at Liyue expectantly, as if awaiting a certain miracle:

“Can you change your size to be as tall as me?”