Chapter 113
Many blue star people wanted to learn alchemy from her, but Hufflepuff turned them all away, each time with a different excuse. Over time, even Xiao Maqi learned those lines.
But Hufflepuff knew why she was willing to teach Yu Xunge.
At first, it was just a whim, a way to pass the time.
Perhaps it was because she found Yu Xunge pleasing to the eye, even in her goblin form; she was a goblin with charm.
But later, she genuinely began to see Yu Xunge as an apprentice, teaching her because she witnessed the sincere devotion and happiness radiating from Yu Xunge’s face as she brewed potions.
And that sense of both fear and fulfillment, as if she had received a blessing from fate.
It reminded her of her own past.
The assessment lasted three days and three nights.
During this time, Yu Xunge returned to the blue star to bring Tu Lan back, intending to leave it in Xiao Maqi’s care. However, when Hufflepuff saw the dragon, her eyes sparkled with greed, scaring Tu Lan into hiding in Yu Xunge’s pet space.
For those three days, Yu Xunge only took breaks during meals, using that time to handle the orders in her emails.
All orders had to be postponed, and she replied to each one, noting that she would randomly include some potions or crafted items as gifts upon delivery.
As for sleep? There was no time. Yu Xunge relied entirely on stimulants to get through it. After all, this was the alchemy master’s assessment; Hufflepuff didn’t need sleep, so how could she dare to ask for it?
During this time, as long as Yu Xunge was brewing potions, Hufflepuff stood by her side, only sipping a few bottles of wine and never lighting a cigarette.
Xiao Maqi was also watching. Sometimes, Hufflepuff would directly quiz Yu Xunge on her potion-making techniques, asking her why Ravenclaw did things a certain way.
When she heard the words “Ravenclaw,” Yu Xunge’s hand trembled, nearly ruining the potion.
Three days later, a total of 302 potions were successfully brewed, with 7 failing midway. Even though those couldn’t be counted towards her final score, Yu Xunge insisted on redoing them.
Hufflepuff had never left her side, so there was no need for her to grade each potion. Thus, at the moment the last potion was completed, Yu Xunge looked at Hufflepuff with eager anticipation.
Hufflepuff stared at Yu Xunge in silence for a long time, long enough for Yu Xunge’s hands to start shaking. Finally, she nodded and said, “Not bad. My time wasn’t wasted.”
The failure rate was less than 3%, and among them, 17 potions exceeded the average effectiveness.
This was already the level of alchemy she had achieved in her second year, but how long had this blue star person been practicing alchemy?
Yu Xunge’s heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally landed with that statement. After a long period of intense mental strain, she was suddenly hit with overwhelming joy, like a bowstring pulled to its limit and then released, causing her emotions to spill over.
In a rare display of exuberance, she laughed and picked up Xiao Maqi, spinning around in place while tossing her like a doll, singing excitedly, “Dibi dibi~ chaba chaba~ lubi lubi~ laba laba~ hajigumi lubi lubi~ hoo hoo hoo~~~”
Hufflepuff: ???
Xiao Maqi: !!!
Even after Yu Xunge joyfully returned to the blue star to rest, the melody lingered in Hufflepuff’s mind.
She had no idea what the tune meant, but she suspected it was some sort of spell. Otherwise, why did it keep playing in her head for days after hearing it just once?
She asked Xiao Maqi, and Xiao Maqi said she felt the same.
---
**Chapter 145: What’s the Difference Between This and Pooping on Yu Xunhuan’s Neck?**
500 times of Hope’s Hymn was indeed asking for too much. Su Yitong and the Special Affairs Bureau eventually compromised, settling on 300 times of Hope’s Hymn, starting from September 1st, once a day.
Su Yitong had only used this skill within the Su family, with the most she had done at once being for 18,000 individuals. She only knew that the skill required the target to see her and hear the Hope’s Hymn to have a chance of triggering. She didn’t really know the limits, as there were only a few people in the Su family qualified to enjoy such a skill.
However, she wouldn’t be responsible for the results; the Special Affairs Bureau would measure the limits, and all the details would be written in the contract.
The Special Affairs Bureau would send 94 players to help Su Yitong weaken the dragon so she could contract it, with at least 80 of those players being at or above the average level of the top 100 on the leaderboard.
They would also be responsible for protecting Su Yitong, and she wouldn’t have to worry about the costs of potions, food, or any casualties.
The key factor that made Su Yitong decide to agree to this deal was that the Special Affairs Bureau guaranteed to help her capture the dragon before October 30th. For every day of delay, the number of times she could use Hope’s Hymn would decrease by 5. If the dragon was captured by another force during that time, the Special Affairs Bureau would help her find another boss-level beast with a level not lower than 12 for her to contract.
They would also provide at least ten different beasts for her to choose from.
It could be said that the Special Affairs Bureau was showing their utmost sincerity to enhance the overall strength of their players.
Su Yitong wanted to have 99 strong players from the Special Affairs Bureau accompany her for safety, but adding one more person would increase the cost.
In Zhao Shuying’s words: “Is this just a number? These are living, breathing lives! The foundation of our country! The hope of the blue star! 99 people is fine, but it’ll cost 388 times of Hope’s Hymn.”
Su Yitong: …?
So these living, breathing lives, the foundation of the country, and the hope of the blue star can be linked to a price just like that?
Su Yitong was left speechless by Zhao Shuying. She realized that Zhao Shuying was someone who would throw all shame aside when it came to negotiating!
In the end, they settled on 94 people. Su Yitong planned to call her leveling team and invite Yu Xunge, making it a perfect 100.
After signing the contract, Su Yitong couldn’t help but sarcastically tease Zhao Shuying, “I thought you represented the country and would have some dignity.”
Zhao Shuying smiled as she neatly put away the contract, her movements graceful and composed. She replied good-naturedly, “What I said just now, once I step out of this door, I won’t recognize a single word of it.”
Su Yitong: …
After Su Yitong left with Yu Xunhuan, Wu Qingbai, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke to Zhao Xianyin, who had come along to learn negotiation skills: “Did you learn anything?”
Zhao Xianyin shook her head gravely: “I can’t learn it.”
Wu Qingbai: “Why not?”
Zhao Xianyin: “My sister is level 5 and isn’t afraid of being killed, but I’m only level 3. I’m scared.”
Wu Qingbai was convinced. He sighed, “You’re right; this kind of skill that can provoke others indeed requires a certain level of strength to back it up.”
Zhao Shuying corrected him with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes: “That’s called negotiation skills, thank you.”
Zhao Xianyin and Wu Qingbai exchanged a look of affectionate exasperation at Zhao Shuying, smiling, “If you say so, then it is.”
Zhao Shuying: …
Tsk, there’s only one person in this world who understands her negotiation skills, and that’s Yu Xunge.
Once the contract was signed, Zhao Shuying immediately released the task internally within the Special Affairs Bureau.
The Special Affairs Bureau wasn’t a den of wolves, and this task didn’t concern the life and death of Huaxia, so they couldn’t just force anyone to go to their deaths. They set a threshold for strength and then followed the principle of voluntary participation for everyone to sign up.
Players had to bring their own potions and food, and the task reward was the chance to enjoy 300 times of a divine blessing that could increase attribute points, but that divine blessing would only take effect once every 30 natural days.
They only released 70 slots, with the remaining slots prioritized for players whose divine blessings could increase the team’s survival rate.
Did the Special Affairs Bureau need to force anyone to take the task?
No.
These living, breathing lives, the foundation of the country, and the hope of the blue star even needed to find connections to take on this task.
However, the task had a high threshold; it not only assessed strength but also required signing a contract, such as not abandoning the employer in the middle of the task, etc.
In fact, if this price were offered outside, Su Yitong could also find people to work for her, but as always, working with the Special Affairs Bureau meant no worries about betrayal.
Even if Zhao Shuying had made her so angry during negotiations that she felt like her liver was hurting, the contract ensured that both parties’ rights were protected, even detailing that all items dropped during the task would go directly to Su Yitong—such fine details were all included.
Of course, it was also written that the time and place for Su Yitong to sing the Hope’s Hymn would be arranged by the Special Affairs Bureau.
They were ruthless and cunning, but they were indeed professional.
---
Yu Xunge had no idea how long she slept. She woke up once due to hunger, got up to eat a bowl of noodles, and then went back to sleep.
Sunlight streamed in through the window, dazzling her eyes. Just as she hesitated about whether to get up and close the curtains, the doorbell rang downstairs.
Still groggy, she went downstairs and passed by Tu Lan, who was playing a game in the living room with her dragon claws and wing tips. She patted the little dragon’s head, disrupting its gameplay and causing it to be defeated by the boss’s ultimate attack. The little ice dragon screeched at her in frustration, flapping its wings furiously against the sofa.
Before Yu Xunge even opened the door, she already knew who was outside, as she could hear Yi Qiuguo’s excited voice from inside the house…
She opened the door and let her in, thinking Yi Qiuguo was there to take pictures of the dragon again, but the next second, Yi Qiuguo’s words jolted her awake.
—“Xunge~ Mom is pregnant~! Mom is having a baby!!!”
Yu Xunge: !
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