RAAS Chapter 95: Origin World (2)

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The entire street beyond the massive gate was lined with shops selling all kinds of goods. Xin Er diligently carried out his duties as a guide, fiercely protecting Shi Qing’s wallet, fearing that he might be tricked into spending money unnecessarily.

This street was indeed a commercial district, but it wasn’t the main business hub. Instead, it was a black-hearted street specifically designed to lure in newcomers and drain their wallets. The items sold were genuinely high-quality, but the prices were at least ten times higher than elsewhere.

Outrageously expensive, but it didn’t stop the merchants from making a killing—because the customers were all naïve and gullible.

Newcomers arriving in the Origin World, unless their system was on its “second marriage” (meaning a returning player), had no chance of having a guide like Xin Er to show them the way. When they arrived blind to this new world and saw all these incredible items, it was only natural to be tempted. It wasn’t unusual for them to blow through the savings they had accumulated over dozens of worlds in one go.

And by the time they left the beginner’s street and entered the real commercial hub—where prices were actually reasonable—it was already too late to regret.

As they walked, Shi Qing saw many “newcomers” excitedly exploring, looking around with curiosity, buying this and that.

Even though Xin Er kept emphasizing how ridiculously overpriced everything was, Shi Qing couldn’t help but be intrigued by the items on display. He wasn’t planning to buy anything—he was just comparing prices, checking how much of a markup these stores had compared to his system shop.

As he looked around, he couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazement.

With this kind of price difference, he and his host wouldn’t even need to complete missions anymore! They could just buy and resell items and become filthy rich!

Qin Mo, on the other hand, only glanced at a few stores before turning to Xin Er and asking, “Are all these goods provided by the system?”

Xin Er had seen Qin Mo’s capabilities before and was somewhat intimidated by him.

Back when Xin Er escaped from Li Mi’s body, he had caught a glimpse of the two poachers at the end—the way they died was beyond terrifying. Even though he had only looked for a second, the memory still haunted him.

As a non-human entity, Xin Er didn’t particularly care for Qin Mo’s appearance—his sense of aesthetics was different. But he could clearly sense how powerful Qin Mo was, and for any being, there was an instinctive fear of the strong.

With Shi Qing, Xin Er felt comfortable chatting and joking around. But he knew that if he had encountered Qin Mo instead of Shi Qing, he wouldn’t have been nearly as lucky…

So now, when Qin Mo directly addressed him, Xin Er gave a slight shudder. But he quickly regained his composure and answered as formally as possible, “Yes. Most shops have an automated vending function. The items are produced by systems. Hosts and systems level up by completing missions, gaining the ability to create more powerful items. The lower-level items can be sold in the Origin World in exchange for Ya Coins.”

“Ya Coins?” Qin Mo questioned.

Xin Er continued explaining, feeling much less at ease talking to Qin Mo compared to Shi Qing. But since Shi Qing was too distracted by the shops around them to join the conversation, Xin Er had no choice but to push through, carefully choosing his words to avoid rambling.

“The universal currency of the Origin World. The exchange rate between Ya Coins and the points earned from completing missions is 1 to 10.”

Qin Mo frowned slightly.

Shi Qing, only catching the last part of the conversation, asked in confusion, “One to ten what?”

“Ten points can be exchanged for one Ya Coin.”

Shi Qing instantly deflated.

Damn it! Points were that worthless?!

The money in his wallet had just gone from hundred-dollar bills to ten-dollar bills in an instant. This was so frustrating!

Qin Mo glanced at him.

Shi Qing looked devastated.

Qin Mo: "…"

Shi Qing’s slow-processing brain finally started turning under the sharp gaze of his host.

After a few seconds, his eyes suddenly widened. He grabbed Xin Er’s flimsy paper-thin body with both hands, his eyes now shining with gold coins.

“You’re saying… one Ya Coin can be exchanged for ten points?!!”

Xin’er was shaken so hard that he was dizzy, completely baffled by what was going on. Didn’t he just explain everything clearly? Why was he being asked the same question again? However, considering that this was his savior, and acknowledging himself as a conscientious person who couldn’t repay kindness with ingratitude, Xin’er quickly responded, "Yes... yes... yes! Oh, please, don’t shake me too hard! I can’t afford to buy another body if you break this one…"

Shi Qing was already too shocked to speak.

Although ten point coins were only equivalent to one Ya coin, everything in his system store was purchased with point coins! And they were incredibly cheap—a single high-grade wound medicine cost only one point coin, but in the Origin World, it could be sold for a staggering ninety-eight Ya coins. And since Ya coins could be exchanged back into point coins, that meant it could turn into 980 point coins! With this cycle repeating over and over… Holy crap!

Even a herd of galloping alpacas wouldn’t be enough to express his volcanic-level joy at this moment!

And so, the entire way, Shi Qing was crouched in his own mind, counting the mountain of Ya coins that were raining down from the sky.

Meanwhile, Qin Mo continued asking questions.

"Can you enhance the physique of anyone other than your own host?"

Xin’er struggled to keep up with the pace of the conversation and blinked before responding, "No, of course not!"

"Mm. Then aside from completing tasks, do you have any other ways to earn Ya coins?"

Xin’er finally understood the meaning behind the question and hurriedly said, "Trading goods is just a side business. The real way to make money is through the Mercenary Guild!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Mo caught sight of a towering building at the end of the street, reaching into the clouds.

Its massive doors stood open, with a steady stream of people coming and going. There were no signs or symbols, but without a doubt, this was the Mercenary Guild.

Shi Qing also snapped back to reality and walked in alongside him, listening to Xin’er’s introduction.

The Mercenary Guild was the most authoritative place in the Origin World. It offered all kinds of bounty missions, ranked from the lowest level E to the highest level SSS. The rewards were astonishing—not just an abundance of Ya coins but also all sorts of rare and precious treasures, enough to open one's eyes to a whole new world.

Even the lowest-ranking E-level bounty missions offered rewards of at least 1,000 Ya coins, equivalent to 10,000 point coins—far surpassing the system’s internal random tasks.

As for the highest-level SSS missions, the rewards were so astronomical that Shi Qing, who wasn’t great at math, figured it was better not to look—staring at those numbers would just make his eyes go blurry.

Of course, the difficulty and the rewards were proportional. Overestimating one's strength could mean paying the ultimate price—one's life.

Xin’er led them on a tour of the Mercenary Guild, explaining everything he knew. Then, he dug around in his paper-thin body and pulled out a scroll, handing it to Shi Qing. "This is the map of the Origin World that I’ve recorded. Keep it; it will be useful to you in the future."

Shi Qing accepted it, looking at him with curiosity.

Xin’er then solemnly warned, "The Origin World is in chaos right now. Poachers are running rampant, and countless systems have died unjustly, creating many hosts who have lost their systems. Without their systems, hosts are left with nothing. To survive, they are forced to hunt other systems. This vicious cycle has already taken hold."

"Thank you for saving me. There’s not much I can do for you now, but as long as you need me, I, Xin’er, will go through fire and water without hesitation!"

At this point, Shi Qing had already understood. He looked at Xin’er and asked, "Are you going to find your host?"

Xin’er nodded, then added, "I've told you everything I can, and your strength far surpasses mine." As he spoke, he stole a quick glance at Qin Mo before hastily shifting his gaze away. He then looked at Shi Qing and earnestly said, "I survived, so I can’t abandon him. Leaving you like this might seem irresponsible, but I really want to find him as soon as possible!"

Shi Qing patted his paper-like hand reassuringly and said, "I understand. That was my oversight. You should go quickly. Hmm…" After a pause, he asked, "Do you need us to go with you?"

Shi Qing’s attitude finally put Xin’er’s anxious heart at ease. He firmly believed that he owed his life to Shi Qing and Qin Mo, and he needed to repay them properly.

As soon as he returned to the Origin World, he quickly bought himself a body and stood guard at the Gate of Rebirth. He waited there for three whole days, nearly driving himself crazy with impatience.

His original plan was for Shi Qing and Qin Mo to arrive quickly so he could help them get familiar with the area. Three days seemed like enough time. And coincidentally, after three days, the Time-Space Gate had a half-price self-travel opportunity—he could choose any small world to cross into for just 50,000 Ya coins.

He had exactly 50,030 Ya coins. After spending 30 Ya coins on the cheapest possible body, he was left with just enough to cover the travel fee… Not even enough to treat Shi Qing and Qin Mo to a meal.

But if he missed today, he had no idea when the next half-price opportunity would come.

If he delayed too long, the timing might be off, and if something happened to his host… What if he never found him again?

So, gritting his teeth, he had dragged Shi Qing and Qin Mo here, finally opening up about his situation.

Unexpectedly, not only did Shi Qing show no sign of disappointment, but he even comforted him, which immediately made Xin’er feel relieved. He quickly said, “No need, no need, I can go by myself. I’ll take the travel-through passage, without accepting any missions. It’s very safe. Once I find him and bind the contract, I’ll come back.”

Hearing this, Shi Qing was also reassured and said, “Go quickly! When you come back, we’ll have a drink together!”

“It’s a deal!”

Shi Qing and Qin Mo saw Xin’er off together and took the opportunity to witness the wondrous Time-Space Gate. Watching Xin’er reluctantly pay the 50,000-point fee, Shi Qing suddenly realized—was this guy broke?

Just as he was about to extend a helping hand, the paper-like figure had already rushed into the Time-Space Gate in a hurry and disappeared without a trace…

Shi Qing: “…”

In the end, he could only calmly retract his outstretched "Erkang hand."

The Time-Space Gate was fascinating, but for Shi Qing and Qin Mo, this entire world was full of interesting things that they had to explore one by one.

According to the map, the two first returned to the Mercenary Guild to take a closer look.

Who would have thought that before they even stepped inside, they were stopped by five or six people dressed in purple robes?

The man in the lead had very fair skin, slightly upturned eyes, and good looks. He glanced at Shi Qing and Qin Mo, raising an eyebrow lazily as he said, “Newbies, come over and register. Get your system abilities evaluated.”

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