Chapter 276: Qi Han's Gift
Faced with Qi Han's invitation, Song Qiluo and Yan Ling didn't hesitate and quickly agreed.
Meanwhile, Qi Han returned to the kitchen to continue cooking.
"Ah Ling…" Song Qiluo reached out and held Yan Ling's hand. "Let's not break up, okay?"
"Mm…" Yan Ling's face flushed slightly. Remembering how she lost control and cried in front of everyone earlier, she now felt a little embarrassed.
"Qiluo… I'm sorry, I—"
"Silly girl, what are you apologizing for? This is my fault. I never considered how you felt in this regard. I promise I'll do better from now on. So, you're not allowed to leave me again." Gently wiping away Yan Ling's tears, Song Qiluo's face held a warm smile.
"Okay!"
Yan Ling nodded, then leaned lightly on Song Qiluo's shoulder, silently rejoicing at having their relationship restored.
Now that he understood Yan Ling's worries, Song Qiluo was determined to resolve them. He waved to Fu Ya, "Fu Ya, one Boiled Cabbage in Clear Broth, please."
"W-wait!" Yan Ling tightened her grip on Song Qiluo's hand. "Make it two. You need it too."
Song Qiluo was stunned for a moment, then smiled gently. "Alright."
<+>
In the kitchen, Qi Han began preparing the Boiled Cabbage in Clear Broth orders while conversing with Ru Yi in his mind.
"Ru Yi, is there any tech that can enable communication over great distances?"
After hearing Song Qiluo and Yan Ling's story, the progress for Side Quest 5 had reached 2/3.
Although their love story wasn't directly related to food, their relationship had been mended thanks to Qi Han's suggestion and the talent-enhancing benefits of Boiled Cabbage in Clear Broth. As such, Ru Yi's system considered it a food-related story.
Qi Han wanted to gift the couple a device that would allow them to communicate across long distances, making their future interactions easier. This would serve as a reward for their indirect help in advancing his mission.
"Why not just call it a phone already?" Ru Yi couldn't help but roll her eyes in his mental space.
"You can get me a phone?" Qi Han's face lit up with excitement. "Can it connect to the internet? If it can, get me one too."
If he could get a phone, Qi Han definitely wanted one for himself. If it could connect to his past life's internet, even better.
"Of course not!" Ru Yi pouted angrily. "How is that even realistic? Don't lump every absurd idea into the futuristic technology category!"
"Fine…" Qi Han sighed. It was wishful thinking to hope for a phone with internet access in this world. "So, is there a long-distance communication gadget or not?"
"There is: walkie-talkies."
"Walkie-talkies?" Qi Han raised an eyebrow. "But those only work over short distances, right?"
"There's no electromagnetic interference on the Douluo Continent, so the range of walkie-talkies is naturally extended. Plus, the system's futuristic technology modifications enhance output power and reception precision, allowing them to work across the entire continent."
That made sense.
Though Qi Han hadn't studied this field in his past life, as a STEM major, he could understand the basics.
"Can you add a restriction so only specific people can use the walkie-talkies?"
On the Douluo Continent, spirit-guided communication devices wouldn't be invented for tens of thousands of years. A long-distance communication device like this was far too advanced for the current era. Qi Han intended it as a gift of gratitude for the couple, but he didn't want it to cause unnecessary complications.
If word got out about this treasure that could enable communication over vast distances, it would undoubtedly stir up trouble.
"Of course! We can use a blood-recognition feature."
Thunk!
The knife in Qi Han's hand almost slipped to the floor.
Blood recognition? Seriously?
Couldn't you at least suggest something like voice recognition?
A walkie-talkie that requires blood recognition?
Does that even sound reasonable?
You can do this just fine, yet, you dismissed cross-dimensional internet access as "nonsense"?
The sheer number of issues with this idea is overwhelming!
<+>
In the end, Qi Han begrudgingly accepted the plan. Although the idea felt utterly ridiculous, Ru Yi managed to persuade him.
In the Douluo Continent, spirit power could be used to forcibly modify one's vocal cords, allowing spirit masters to temporarily mimic others' voices. This made voice recognition locks unreliable and unsafe.
In contrast, blood-recognition, though steeped in fantasy, proved to be a more secure and reliable method for such a world.
"Fine, you're the system; you make the rules."
To make the design feel less out of place, Qi Han had an additional request for Ru Yi.
He asked for the walkie-talkies to be modified into jade pendants, making the blood-recognition process seem more natural in the context of this fantasy world.
After this transformation, referring to them as "walkie-talkies" felt inappropriate. Thus, Qi Han whimsically renamed them Heart-Link Pendants.
Now, the fantasy aesthetic was maxed out.
What was this called?
This was self-delusion at its finest.
The two pendants weren't particularly expensive—1,000 gold coins each at base cost. With the addition of blood-recognition and design modifications, the total price increased by 500 gold coins.
At 3,000 gold coins for the pair, it was still a trivial expense for Qi Han.
<+>
The lunch service that day was uneventful, save for this small interlude. However, Qi Han couldn't help but notice that Yue Lengxin hadn't come to the restaurant for lunch.
Ever since Ru Yi's spirit-searching questions the night before at the Sea God Fated Blind Date Festival, Qi Han had come to realize that his feelings toward Yue Lengxin might contain elements beyond simple admiration. This revelation subtly altered his attitude toward her.
Her absence today left him with a mix of relief and disappointment.
Fortunately, the busy lunchtime rush quickly pushed these thoughts to the back of his mind.
The real chaos stemmed from Qi Han's admission of Boiled Cabbage in Clear Broth's effects.
That afternoon alone, the dish sold dozens of servings.
After all, who wouldn't want to enhance their innate spirit power?
And this was only the beginning. It was foreseeable that the dish would become even more popular, with its 1,000 gold coins price tag doing little to curb people's enthusiasm.
Once the lunch service ended and the four employees were sent off, Qi Han approached Song Qiluo and Yan Ling, who had been patiently waiting. He took out two jade pendants, each the size of half a fist.
"These pendants are called Heart-Link Pendants. By injecting your spirit power into them, you can communicate with each other even if separated by great distances," Qi Han explained with a smile, though he couldn't help but feel slightly amused.
Why… did this explanation sound so much like instructions for using a spirit tool?
"Can't be helped," Ru Yi's voice chimed in innocently from the system space. "Walkie-talkies need energy to function, and since the Douluo Continent doesn't have electricity, we had to adapt them to use spirit power instead."
Well, that's… resourceful.
Hearing Qi Han's explanation, Song Qiluo and Yan Ling exchanged astonished looks, their faces reflecting disbelief.
Due to the extraordinary nature of their world, the Douluo Continent relied on written messages for communication, much like ancient civilizations on Earth. However, their efficiency far surpassed that of Earth's ancient courier systems, thanks to agility-focused spirit masters and speed-type spirit beasts.
Still, not even the fastest God King boosted by all possible enhancement skills and miraculous phenomenon could compare to the speed of light.
Realizing the value of the gift, Song Qiluo instinctively wanted to decline. "Boss Qi, this gift is far too precious—"
"To me, it's nothing. But your story moved me deeply. With these pendants, you'll be able to stay connected more easily," Qi Han said with a slight smile. "Just drip your blood on each pendant, and they'll only respond to the two of you."
"This…" Song Qiluo hesitated, looking at Yan Ling, whose eyes sparkled with hope. After a brief pause, he nodded firmly. "Very well! Consider this a favor I owe you. If you ever need my help, I'll be there."
"You're too kind," Qi Han replied, intending to dismiss the formality. However, seeing the sincerity in Song Qiluo's gaze, he ultimately returned the smile.
"Then it's a promise."
<+>
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