Races: Online (VR Smartphone App)

"You try to sound like you're different from your parents, but you're also not risking that much, aren't you, Han?"

"That's…" Han Jing wondered if they knew what it exactly felt like being compared to one's parents' negative attributes. Like most kids, he grew up being proud of his parents and his father… but somewhere down the line, you realized that they were human like yourself.

Prone to bad decisions and mistakes.

Mistakes and faults in characters that Han Jing swore he'd avoid because he'd seen how it affected them. Now that Odele pointed it out? It was like pouring acid on a fresh wound… and then stabbing it with a sword.

"I guess I'm kinda like them, but I guess most people are." Han Jing laughed it off and scratched his head. "You know that cheesy line about becoming what you've sworn to avoid? Wow, now I finally get it." 

"You humans and your awful references," The Demon Lord muttered underneath her breath.

Odele only smiled at him and clasped his hands in hers. "Well, I just hope the best for you, Han."

"Thank you, I really appreciate that." Han Jing realized her skin was extremely cold, moist and damp in general.

—-

Suffice to say, both Jilanya and Odele left around after an hour and left Han Jing thinking about what they said. Both of them were in a sense pushing him to do more, be more—be someone who took risks and came out on top.

While he'd never actually forget the destruction that the Demon Lord did in the Otherworld as he knew and had seen the effects it brought on the people of Rockfall Village… she was also the type to insist him to get stronger.

At least for her to kill him and gain valuable EXP once she did.

It was a ridiculous thing to say.

Odele and him were supposed to stay for a bit more, but somehow, she thought that it was fair to leave a  bit early and only had him send her regards to Dai Song Lan.

"... Odele sends her regards," Han Jing said.

"Hmm?" Dai Song Lan raised his brows, but then nodded. 

Han Jing really wished that those two stayed because it was awkward meeting the cultivator in the rented room all by themselves. It wasn't as sexually weird as Mou Gu tended to make it to be, but Dai Song Lan was just himself and that was all it took for the uncomfortableness.

First off, he slowly placed the pouch on the table and slightly regretted that he was showing it to the cultivator—these guys already got their own interdimensional spatial rings, right? Han Jing wanted to keep the pouch, but the guy didn't seem to have anything on him right now.

"So, one hundred pearls. We agreed on a price of one thousand and three hundred yuan, so I think that's already a good price."

Han Jing was expecting a jade slip, some mythical token to show off his vast riches—not for the guy to pull out his wallet. Wait, no, not his wallet but his phone. "Can I get your bank account number?"

"Oh, right away." Han Jing received the man's phone which happened to be the latest model and found himself inputting his details and staring at the screen in amazement.

Heck, the guy was just going to transfer it?

Why did they even have to meet? This transaction could have been done online… well, except for the pearls. 

Han Jing cleared his throat as he returned the phone. "If you don't mind, would you send the amount divided per month? I don't want my bank to think I started money laundering or some other finance crime by getting this much money."

"You think it's suspicious?" 

"Yeah!" Han Jing nodded and grinned. "I'm glad we're on the same page."

"It's not that big of an amount." 

Han Jing's smile kind of fell off. Okay, the two of them weren't on the same page at all, but as long as the guy paid. Screw whatever.

However, Dai Song Lan just nodded and took note of his bank account number and transferred an initial amount of twelve thousand yuan. It was approximately one thousand and eight hundred fifty US dollars and Han Jing still needed to check his bank account to consider it as the real deal.

The "game company" of Races: Online only sent him a thousand dollars before, but now he nearly had twice that and it would be a steady amount for twelve months. 

"I received it, thank you." Han Jing offered the pearls to the cultivator and tried not to bite an imaginary handkerchief once Dai Song Lan left—he could have sold it for more, but he was really trying not to be that greedy.

His parents would be super suspicious if he brought in too much money in the first place.

This wasn't something that could actually change his family's lives and level him up to the wealth that CEOs and young heirs earned… and both Timothy and Chan Lee's guy friend came to his mind at the 'young heir' part.

But this was good—great really.

Except he probably should have chased after Dai Song Lan to ask about the cultivator gig and what it entailed. Maybe he didn't speak up immediately because he was the coward that Odele and others called him… but he could just text Dai Song Lan maybe on a better time.

Right now, Han Jing was going home.

It was just in time for the actual Mid Autumn Festival night… so his parents were going to be happy. Well, his mother would be the only happy one. 

Han Jing paused and looked around the room that he was in—it was good for four people when he upgraded it when they first arrived. It had decent furnishing and he got it at a good price because he booked it here before the festival.

He could stay here if he wanted to and not go home immediately. Let the day pass and get it over. Han Jing's gaze drifted to the remaining lantern left on the table, the one that he made with his friends? Yeah, his friends from last night.

That had been sort of fun despite everything and the conversation at that time revolved around the moon and the story of Chang'e being seperated from Houyi. It was sort of cringy that he somehow managed to connect it to being with family.

Yet that was practically ingrained in their culture… He sort of hated himself for still being a filial son.

—-

The returning trip back to the city was a quiet one for Han Jing. 

There was a certain ebb of silence compared to when he first traveled to the beach and amusement park to meet with Odele.Both Jilanya and Faeran accompanied him on his way to meet the Mermaid and he had been used to the presence of the Wood Elf—that was a little disconcerting. 

Han Jing played it off though as he finally got off the train and then got on the bus for his way back home.

"Wait, I should get something for them."

He stopped by at the mall and found it crowded.

It was also fair to say that the streets were the same too. Numerous people filled the entire city so it wasn't a surprise that some like Dai Song Lan and the others decided to spend the Mid Autumn Festival in the sleepier and more rural provinces.

Han Jing actually secured some mooncakes from a random store and then began his trek back to his own apartment… until he found himself in an eerily empty street again. He didn't even need to notice the atmosphere.

The mere fact that there were no people in the streets was already a sign.

He was once again back in that strange mirror version of the earth. It might have made him want to throw the box of mooncakes in panic, but that was until he realized that the streets were empty—he didn't have any traffic!

There were no cars, vehicles and neither were there any nasty foot traffic at all. Who cared if he was in this place? 

All he needed to do was get out once he reached his home and then he'd call it a day.

Han Jing practically ran across the streets with his items with him. With the streets completely free from others, he could run at full speed and not worry about a single thing. He laughed to himself and ran with reckless abandon. 

This was going to be an easy trip back—wait, he practically just jinxed himself by saying that to himself. 

Or he didn't.

Han Jing stopped in his tracks and rubbed his face. He needed to quit believing in luck—even if that was an actual stat in the game or whatever. It wasn't doing him any good to be entirely reliant on it when it all boiled down to accomplishing what he had in mind.

Sure, luck helped… and it was sometimes on his side, but if he kept relying on it? That was no good. Han Jing gazed around his immediate surroundings at first to check if the coast was clear.

Despite not having encountered anything dangerous on his last visit here—except for Mou Gu himself. There was Peach's warning that kept him on his toes. The universe, or earth in particular have finally taken notice of him.

This wasn't exactly good for Han Jing who wanted to keep his presence unknown to many. 

But everything that happened to the beach and everywhere else was not doing him any favors at all. If there was a certain allotment for how many things that Han Jing could get away with and stay as an ordinary person… he was already tipping over its maximum limits.

He was playing a dangerous game.