Chapter 49: Smuggling Aboard Zelan Star

[I'm Feeling So Happy Again!] Its cooldown was 6 hours, but she possessed a necklace that reduced cooldowns by 15%. Calculated properly, she could actually use it every 306 minutes. Theoretically, as long as she meticulously timed every cooldown, she would only need slightly less than eleven days' worth of skill quotas to exchange for a chance to travel to another world—a price Yu Xunge could totally accept!

If she were the one who owned this door, she probably would have set a similar price. It did justice to the preciousness of the opportunity without being excessively greedy, while also allowing her to build some goodwill with the other party.

Yu Xunge asked, "I only need you to turn me into an animal and smuggle me out of the city. How much is that?"

Zhao Shuying replied, "5 skill crystals."

Feeling utterly numb, Yu Xunge asked her final question, "Then if that person dies, can we still come back?"

Zhao Shuying answered, "Well, that involves another service fee."

Yu Xunge said, "You know what, you guys should probably just leave. I'll pretend you were never here today."

Zhao Shuying and Wu Qingbai stood up in unison: "Alright."

Yu Xunge raised a hand: "Let's talk this over!"

Wu Qingbai retorted, "You wouldn't like what we have to say."

Yu Xunge: "..." I am a dignified, reborn protagonist of a revenge novel!! How dare you treat me like this... Do you really believe I won't get mad!

Zhao Shuying said, "We have portal skill crystals right here. You can crush one and return on your own, completely safe and worry-free. Just 52 crystals each."

Yu Xunge: "Do you accept gold coins?"

Zhao Shuying: "We don't. We only accept your skill crystals."

Yu Xunge: "Can I take out a loan? Meaning, I go over first, and I pay you back a few crystals every now and then."

Zhao Shuying: "Of course you can! Given your special circumstances, taking a loan means you must guarantee repayment every three days, with a minimum of 10 crystals per payment, and you'll need to pay an extra 5 crystals as interest."

Yu Xunge: "Are you guys really people from the government?"

Wu Qingbai: "As genuine as they come."

Yu Xunge: She couldn't help feeling like she had just run into a scam syndicate.

Smuggling... no, wait, the teleportation fee was 50 crystals, transforming into an animal to get smuggled out of the city cost 5 crystals, the return teleportation crystal fee was 52 crystals, and the loan fee was 5 crystals.

After seeing them off, Yu Xunge sat alone on the sofa, clutching 112 blank skill crystals, a loan agreement, and a confidentiality contract. The confidentiality contract was extremely detailed; not only did it prohibit telling anyone about the ability to enter the game, but it also forbade revealing player-related information if captured in the otherworld. Every act of whistleblowing would result in being muted for several days.

Zhao Shuying had mentioned that this was a product of a God-given talent. Yu Xunge had seen such things in her past life. After checking to ensure there were no traps and that the clauses weren't overly harsh, she signed it.

How did things suddenly turn out like this?

She seemed to still be a lone wolf, but now she was a lone wolf carrying a massive debt.

She had been plotting to sell this skill for 3 gold coins a use! 108 uses—rounded up, wasn't that 500 gold?

Yu Xunge wiped her face, telling herself that this time when she went over, she absolutely had to break even before coming back.

She spent the first few days investigating Zhao Shuying and Wu Qingbai. Only after confirming they were genuinely affiliated with the authorities did she completely relax.

She posted an ambiguous message on her Moments, where those who understood would understand: [Luck 10] has been taken over by the authorities and will no longer be sold publicly.

She then went to bake cat biscuits for the backyard, which were tastier and more nutritious than cat food, and didn't stop until all five feeders were filled to the brim. The food inside would be enough to last these cats a whole month, dispensing every 3 hours.

Finally, she dropped a message in the family group chat.

Only Yi Qiuguo, the idlest of them all, replied instantly in the group, while the other two jerks had probably turned on Do Not Disturb.

[Yu Xunge]: My skills can only be used by people from the government lately. I'll be going on a business trip for over a month, and my itinerary is classified.

[Happy Qiuguo]: Ah, do they pay?

[Yu Xunge]: What do you think?

[Happy Qiuguo]: I think they can't not pay.

[Yu Xunge]: They don't pay, and they even told me to pay taxes.

[Happy Qiuguo]: How could they do that?! Is there no rule of law anymore?

[Yu Xunge]: Exactly!

After chatting nonsense mixed with a bit of truth, Yu Xunge changed into clothes that facilitated movement—long sleeves, long pants, and boots made of light, soft material. She didn't care about wind- or waterproofness; her only requirement was that her movements made no friction sounds. She then checked her weapons, potions, and food once more. Making sure everything was correct, she drove to the address Zhao Shuying had given her, where a portal would open tonight.

Wearing a face mask, sunglasses, and a duckbill cap, Yu Xunge walked into the top floor of the library. It was already packed with people, most of whom, just like her, wore masks and sunglasses to hide their true identities.

There were dining tables in the corner piled with food and drinks, but Yu Xunge ignored them. She was traumatized; she would never eat anything free again in this lifetime.

At 7 PM, a man in military uniform walked in and explained the rules for those heading over to the gathered crowd of hundreds.

"Those joining a team must obey commands. If you disobey orders more than three times, we have the right to execute you."

"For cooperative players not joining a team, you can act freely after leaving the city. You may also seek shelter from us when facing crises, but I assume you all understand the cost—we are only generous to our own people."

"For those friends with loans, I hope everyone repays on time, otherwise, it will be difficult to cooperate in the future."

"I hope everyone abides by the clauses in the confidentiality contract. That is the product of a God-given talent, and I believe none of you want to know the consequences of violating it."

"Attention everyone, understood?!"

Yu Xunge joined the crowd in shouting an acknowledgment, suffering from the bizarre illusion that she was participating in military training.

...

Su Yitong only learned about Yu Xunge's situation after coming out of a meeting.

Her brows knitted slightly. This skill had actually been requisitioned by the authorities...

She felt a sense of displeasure, as if something belonging to her had been snatched away.

Yet she quickly reined in those emotions, shifting her thoughts instead to why the authorities needed the God-given talent [Wheel of Destiny].

While eating dinner at home that night, she asked Yu Xunhuan at the dining table if she knew about this matter.

Yu Xunhuan directly showed her the group chat.

Su Yitong's gaze lingered for a moment on the line that read, "I'll be going on a business trip for over a month, and my itinerary is classified."

She asked, "Did they really not pay?"

Yu Xunhuan shrugged, "It should be true. Stingy as she is, she wouldn't lie about something like this."

Su Yitong nodded thoughtfully and said nothing more.

Soon, she cast the matter to the back of her mind.

She simply assumed the government needed [Luck 10] for something special, much like how she and Liang Yuquan had once used divination to make things go smoother.

This skill was indeed practical. She had recently been considering bringing Yu Xunge into the Su family, though she was still trying to figure out which collateral branch member should marry Yu Xunge. Someone too exceptional wouldn't be a match for Yu Xunge, yet someone mediocre would cause her to lose face. After all, regardless of everything else, Yu Xunge was her husband's sister...

What a pity she was a step too late.

Never mind, it was just a B-grade talent anyway.