Shu Bao ultimately failed to convince his teammate to switch to a snake-skin tent. However, this regret was compensated when Shu Bao discovered the second floor of the newly constructed Mission Hall. The spacious hall covered nearly 300 square meters. The first floor, as the name suggests, is for task assignment and unlocking technology nodes. The second floor serves as a bedroom for rest. Shu Bao checked it out and found a total of five bedrooms—enough for both mouse and snake.
Lan Qing, who was quite familiar with the infrastructure system, found it odd. Typically, a Mission Hall only has one floor, used for task assignment and base development. The distinction between the hall and living quarters is usually clear. But now, Shu Bao’s Mission Hall unexpectedly includes an entire floor of bedrooms. When did the system become so considerate? Lan Qing couldn’t help expressing his surprise at the bright and spacious bedrooms.
Shu Bao mused, “Perhaps this is compensation for not being able to live in a snake-skin tent.” The fluffy ball quickly picked a sunlit bedroom, although it was currently empty. Clearly, they’d need to furnish it themselves.
Lan Qing: “…” Why would a mouse be so fixated on snake skin?
In the live chat.
“Why the obsession with living quarters? Check the tasks!”
“How can their first priority upon entering the Mission Hall not be reviewing tasks?”
“Show some ambition! Are they really snake and mouse of the same nest?”
…
Unaware of the audience’s comments, the mouse and snake continued, completely absorbed in choosing their preferred bedrooms. Their reason for heading downstairs? To figure out how to add a bed or nest to the room.
At this moment, the first floor of the hall was eerily empty. All the tribal members crowded at the doorway, peering inside. The smooth, pristine floor made them hesitant to step further, fearing they might defile the sacred temple.
Indeed, in the eyes of the crowd, this structure that had silently risen overnight was nothing short of a temple.
“Come inside and take a look! Why linger outside?” Shu Bao waved a paw toward the entrance.
After some shoving, the high priest was pushed into the room. Standing on the polished floor, the high priest seemed unsure how to walk. He quickly regained composure and took stiff steps forward.
The mouse and snake watched as the high priest followed the curve and approached them. Before them lay a virtual screen—the main interface of the system.
After clicking the activation button, Shu Bao and Lan Qing both heard a prompt from the system: 【Mission Hall activated, data information processing enabled, task panel activated, technology panel activated, magic panel activated.】
The initial information seemed normal, but that last part about the magic panel left Lan Qing perplexed. He tilted his head and asked, “Shu Bao, did I just imagine things, or did the system mention magic?”
“I heard it too.” Shu Bao proudly tapped his face with a paw and then spun around happily. “Perfect! I’ve been saying that relying solely on technology lacks challenge.”
Lan Qing blinked. What is this mouse talking about? And when did the system become so whimsical? Why shift from technology to magic?
Even Lan Qing felt bewildered, not to mention the viewers in the live chat. Although they hadn’t heard the system’s prompt, as the main panel unfolded, they saw a module they’d never encountered before: the magic panel!
“Whoa! Am I hallucinating or is this a system glitch?”
“The system seems to be playing tricks on me!”
“I had a hunch that this development would be different from others.”
“Too far-fetched! Magic? We’re in the interstellar age!”
“So that fireball-wielding wand is an actual magical wand, not some tech gadget.”
Despite the buildup, the word “magic” remained jarring for most people. It clashed with their established worldview. Consequently, the system’s customer service received a flood of reports and error messages.
Soon, the response came: “System operating normally, no vulnerabilities or errors.”
Amid the earthquake in the live stream, Shu Bao had already become curious about exploring the system interface.
While Shu Bao wasn’t entirely sure what ‘data information processing’ meant, the three main panels were clear: the task panel for system-assigned tasks, and the technology and magic panels representing the technology tree and magic tree.
At this moment, the task panel displayed two tasks. These tasks refresh every twenty-four hours. Once accepted, they won’t refresh until completed.
Task 1: Build five comfortable tents and reach a population of 10 in the base. Reward: Furnace blueprint x1.
Task 2: Kill ten Dark Night Cat Demons and collect ten Cat Demon Eye Gems. Reward: Cat’s Eye Necklace x1.
Shu Bao hesitated. With a pointed paw, he clicked on Task 1. “I think Task 1 is good. We can dismantle the old tents and rebuild them, and our base population is sufficient.”
Lan Qing waited, noticing that his teammate didn’t mention Task 2. Curious, Lan Qing approached, tail poised to click. But Shu Bao swiftly hugged them, prompting Lan Qing to ask, “What’s wrong?”
Shu Bao remained calm. “Let’s forget about Task 2. It doesn’t sound like a serious necklace, and mice don’t need necklaces anyway. Besides, I haven’t heard of any Cat Demons nearby.”
“But Task 2 clearly involves magic,” Lan Qing insisted. “The Cat’s Eye Necklace must be a magical item. Let’s give it a try; if we can’t complete it, we can abandon it.” Lan Qing’s curiosity about magic drove his decision. He wanted to understand the completion rules for magical tasks.
With Lan Qing’s reasoning, Shu Bao released his grip on the tail. “Fine, it’s not that I’m afraid. I just think the reward for this task isn’t great.”
Lan Qing nodded understandingly. “I get it. It’s like how I dislike snake-skin tents.”
Shu Bao: “…” Do these two things even compare?
After completing two tasks, Shu Bao checked the technology and magic panels again and discovered some new techniques unlocked: a comfortable tent, a wood processing factory, and a magical plant nursery.
“The wood processing factory can be built closer to the forest for easier transportation,” Lan Qing explained. But as Lan Qing stared at the magical plant nursery, confusion set in. Wood and stone made sense, but what were those ten red owl tail feathers for? And the reeds growing in the dark swamp? Most absurdly, they needed venom from a two-headed snake?
“What does snake venom have to do with plants?” Lan Qing instinctively licked his venomous fangs, suddenly aware that his furry teammate was watching. “I only have one head,” Lan Qing quickly clarified.
“I know. I just wanted to ask if you’ve ever seen a red-tailed owl,” Shu Bao said, crossing his paws and tapping his little feet on the ground. The system seemed fixated on cats, snakes, and now owls.
