"Ah—" Chen Miaomiao was so frightened that she stepped back and almost fell to the ground.
"Miao Miao, you've caused me so much trouble!" Qian Qi approached her, and a sinister expression slowly spread across her face, "Because of your wrong answer, I almost died!"
"I didn't know you were going to steal the Fire Qilin Fruit!" Chen Miaomiao screamed, unwilling to take responsibility for Qian Qi's injury. She knew that with Qian Qi's personality, she wouldn't let it go!
She might even kill her!
Qian Qi squinted her eyes and sneered, "I don't recall saying that I stole the Fire Qilin Fruit, did I?"
Chen Miaomiao: !!!
Uh-oh, she let it slip!
"No, I, you said you stole a fruit, and I just reflexively linked it to the question you asked yesterday!" Chen Miaomiao hurriedly explained, "Yes, that's it, which is why I guessed you stole the Fire Qilin Fruit!"
"Really..." Qian Qi's expression gradually softened, as if the menacing look just now wasn't hers. She spoke gently, "Miao Miao, you're so smart. Surely you didn't purposely give me the wrong answer."
"Of course not!" Chen Miaomiao patted her rapidly beating heart. She was almost scared to death by Qian Qi; she really thought Qian Qi wanted to take revenge on her!
"Don't overthink. Alright, I have to go out for a bit." After saying this, Chen Miaomiao hastily put on her coat and left the dormitory.
Qian Qi hung her clothes on the clothesline, wiped her wet hands on herself, and walked over to the window ledge.
When recalling the original owner's memories, she realized something was off with this Chen Miaomiao.
The previous Chen Miaomiao wouldn't dare to act up in front of her; she usually kept her head down, scared to even make eye contact.
But now, she dared to yell at her...
It was clear that someone was backing her up.
Watching Chen Miaomiao hurriedly run away outside the window, Qian Qi squinted her eyes dangerously.
Who was helping Chen Miaomiao from behind?
And why did the original owner steal the Fire Qilin Fruit?
[Are you curious? Are you itching to know the answer~? Just pay 97 bucks, and you can uncover all the mysteries~]
The system panel suddenly popped up in front of Qian Qi.
Qian Qi: ...
Qian Qi: ???
"I only have 97 bucks to my name, and I borrowed them, yet you still want to strip me bare?" Qian Qi was shocked.
[Shouldn't you be impressed by how awesome this system is?]
"Yeah!" Qian Qi seemed to have an epiphany, and she rubbed her hands flatteringly, "System Lord, you're so impressive~ Since you appeared, I noticed you're so noble and refreshingly unique. None of the golden fingers can compare with you. You must be the most powerful system across all realms!"
[Hum, stop it, stop it.]
"So, can we have it for free this time~?"
[Scram, no bargaining.]
"Tch." Qian Qi's face changed instantly, "I'll figure it out myself."
Right now, those 97 bucks were her lifeline; she couldn't possibly hand them over to the system.
Moreover, unraveling the mystery wasn't urgent. She was still dirt poor and needed Miao Miao's support~
"Let's check out my skills first."
She pulled the Fire Qilin Fruit from her pocket and used the "Decoding Technique" to scan the fruit.
[Name: Fire Qilin Fruit
Associated Magic Plant: Fire Qilin Lotus
Rank: E-level
Effect: Slightly enhances the flame power of the Flame Dog, no other special effects
Market Price: 20,000 yuan per fruit]
"Twenty thousand?" Qian Qi's eyes widened immediately. Weren't they saying magic plants were useless and worthless? Why is this Fire Qilin Fruit so valuable?
And this Flame Dog...
Qian Qi opened the Light Brain to search, and soon found the answer.
The Flame Dog was a very common E-level Magical Beast. Because low-level dog-type magic beasts were easier to contract, with less backlash, they were the first choice for most Guardian Beast rookies.
And the Fire Qilin Fruit could enhance the Flame Dog's power.
This was also why the Magic Plant Research Institute hadn't closed down. Although magic plants were of no benefit to humans, they offered some benefits to magical beasts, and even though only a few plants were known to help magical beasts, they could still bring real benefits.
So, the Fire Qilin Fruit was just a special case.
"Hmm, you need a planting permit to grow magic plants too."
Qian Qi agreed since magic plants were indeed dangerous; if everyone could plant them, who knows how many people might be harmed.
However, students from the Magic Plant Department at Awakener University could have planting privileges on campus.
"Liang Yuting." Qian Qi turned to Liang Yuting, "How can I get magic plant seeds?"
"Huh?" Liang Yuting, who was on her bed, was briefly stunned, then immediately replied, "You can apply for 10 magic plant seeds for free each semester, can't you?"
Qian Qi had never planted any, so her application quota was still fully available.
"Can you apply for Fire Qilin Lotus seeds for free as well?" Qian Qi's eyes lit up, and she secretly rubbed her hands in anticipation.
"Definitely not." Liang Yuting shook her head, "Such valuable magic plants need to be bought separately. A Fire Qilin Lotus seed costs 1,000 yuan."
Although it seemed cost-effective, in reality, magic plants had low yield success rates and were difficult to cultivate; even if you planted a Fire Qilin Lotus, it might not bear fruit.
If it didn't bear fruit, both time and money would go down the drain.
"Hmm, although magic plant cultivation is challenging with low yield, my Second Skill, Divine Hand, seems capable of boosting the yield?"
Qian Qi pondered for a while and decided to get a Fire Qilin Lotus seed and give it a try.
...
The magic plants behind the school mostly had their owners' names marked on them, and Qian Qi clearly remembered that the owner of the Fire Qilin Lotus was a second-year senior, Li Shuyun.
She found the senior's dorm, knocked on the door, and when she heard a voice saying to come in, she opened the door and walked in.
"Which one is Senior Li Shuyun?"
Upon hearing her voice, a beautiful girl turned her head to look and was so startled that she dropped her eyebrow pencil, "Qian, Qian Qi?"
It seemed her reputation was indeed quite prominent, as even the second-year seniors knew of her.
Under Li Shuyun's terrified gaze, Qian Qi pulled out the Fire Qilin Fruit, sincerely saying, "I'm sorry, senior, I was so hungry and out of it that I picked your homework."
Li Shuyun's eyes tried hard to shift to her roommates, but unfortunately, they all shrank under their blankets, not daring to move. She could only continue to look at the Fire Qilin Fruit in Qian Qi's hand with difficulty, "It's, it's okay, if you want it, you can take it."
This Fire Qilin Fruit wasn't of high quality and couldn't be sold for much; her family wasn't short of money, and she was here just to get a degree.
"No way!"
Qian Qi, the type never to eat food given in scorn, marched over and placed the Fire Qilin Fruit in Li Shuyun's hand, firmly holding her hand.
She spoke earnestly, "Senior, your Fire Qilin Lotus was partly damaged by my hoe. It might not bear fruit again, so why don't I help you replant it?"
"This, this doesn't seem right." Li Shuyun's voice trembled more and more as Qian Qi held her hand, "I, I can replant it myself, and besides, the Fire Qilin Lotus seeds are expensive. You probably..."
Li Shuyun choked for a moment, then remembered that she had once managed to grow one by chance and added, "The growing difficulty of Fire Qilin Fruit is quite high. I'm the only one in the entire department who managed to grow it by chance."
"Wow!" Qian Qi put on a shocked expression, "Senior was the only one who managed to grow it? Incredible!"
"How could I!" She then put on a look of self-reproach, "It was so hard for you to grow it, and I actually ruined it!"
Qian Qi looked at Li Shuyun with bright eyes, gently holding her hands, "So, Senior, you will surely buy another Fire Qilin Lotus seed, right?"
Li Shuyun: ...
Li Shuyun: ???
So she didn't really want to plant the Fire Qilin Lotus; she just wanted a free Fire Qilin Lotus seed.
Li Shuyun: ...
"Alright..." Li Shuyun leaned her upper body back a bit and replied with difficulty, "I... I'll plant it again, and if you want to help, that's fine."
For her, getting a Fire Qilin Lotus seed wasn't hard. As long as Qian Qi didn't hit her, everything was negotiable.
Qian Qi left satisfied, leaving her Light Brain number, not forgetting to remind her on the way out, "Senior, you will definitely buy the Fire Qilin Lotus seeds, right?"
To Li Shuyun, this was nothing short of intimidation and a threat: I'm watching you, if you don't get those Fire Qilin Lotus seeds, I won't let you go.
After the door closed, Li Shuyun wanted to cry, but there were no tears, "Why on earth did I have to grow the Fire Qilin Lotus in the first place!"