Chapter Thirty-Five: Believe Anything Except What Qian Qi Says

"It seems humans can enter and exit the dungeon freely before the boss respawns," Qian Qi murmured, rubbing her chin. It is said that monsters killed in an E-rank dungeon respawn every 48 hours; of course, the respawned creatures are new individuals of the same species, not the ones that previously died.

"What a pity. If the lion-headed boss from before were to respawn, it might have developed a psychological trauma from seeing me and would likely surrender or commit suicide on its own," she mused.

That way, she wouldn't have to work herself to the bone. Qian Qi felt deeply regretful.

System: [...]

It seems she is not only a pervert but also a devil...

"But can dungeons really get stuck underground?" Qian Qi asked, looking at the dungeon that was lodged in the earth, with only a tiny tip visible. She was quite curious.

[Certainly. Dungeons can exist in volcanoes, on the ocean floor, even in quicksand within deserts or swampy mires in dense forests.]

And these dormant dungeons... are undoubtedly the most beneficial for the evolution of humans and contracted beasts. It is just a pity that humans do not know this.

Qian Qi fell into deep thought. She opened her light-computer, and after a quick search, she couldn't help but chuckle. "If dungeons can be cleared repeatedly, then if I run this one enough times, can my strength attribute reach C-rank?"

[C-rank is unlikely, but D+ is definitely possible~] The system had already guessed what Qian Qi was planning.

"That sounds great!" Qian Qi looked at the dungeon stuck in the ground and let out a sinister laugh.

As far as she knew, dungeons in this world were public resources. Countless people stood in line to enter cleared dungeons to slay the boss and receive rewards. And now... she could have a dungeon all to herself!

Qian Qi suddenly stood up with a serious expression, turned to look around, and finally set her eyes on a small stone on the ground. She immediately squatted down, pressed her palms together, and bowed piously: "Thank you, Stone-sama, for tripping me into this dungeon. I shall repay this kindness in the future!"

After speaking, Qian Qi devoutly held the small stone in her hand, deciding to enshrine Stone-sama when she got back.

As for the blue interface that had actually tripped Qian Qi: [...]

It truly admired this wretched creature!!!

The oblivious Qian Qi didn't notice the system's irritation. She scratched her bird's-nest hair, looked at her tattered clothes, and prepared to find something to wear. Before leaving, she made sure to find a large rock and placed it on top of the dungeon to prevent the children from the orphanage from wandering in.

"No, that's still not safe enough."

Qian Qi stared at the rock for a moment, then reached out and wiped some charred black dust from her clothes onto the stone, drawing a vicious little figure with bared teeth. She then added a special note: *Property of Qian Qi, do not touch!!!*

"Hmm, much safer now," Qian Qi left the vegetable garden in a wonderful mood.

The system interface remained in place, staring at the large rock: (｡ŏ_ŏ)......

Well, it was indeed very safe; even it didn't want to touch that rock anymore.

...

On her way back, Qian Qi happened to pass by the window of the Director's office. Just as she was about to ask if there were any spare clothes, she saw Xiang Wenyun inside, holding a photograph and wiping away tears with her sleeve.

"Mom, your daughter is incompetent. Your orphanage can no longer be maintained."

Xiang Wenyun gently stroked the photo of a kind-faced old woman. She had inherited this orphanage from her mother, along with her mother's will and beliefs. When she was a child, she didn't understand why her wealthy mother would spend so much money to keep the orphanage running. Her mother told her she was also inheriting the will of their ancestors and that she would understand when she grew up.

Later, when she became an adult and began handling the orphanage's affairs herself, her mother said nothing, yet she understood everything.

This world is far too cruel to orphans. The awakening of skills is random; some people might awaken as toddlers, while others might not until middle age. In a world where having an awakened skill means being a cut above the rest, orphans who awaken early undoubtedly become delicious, fatty meat for predators. The underground trafficking, brainwashing, and exploitation are endless and horrifying to hear about.

As for those children born with "high expectations" who fail to awaken any skills and are abandoned by their parents—even if they enter an ordinary orphanage, they are neither fed nor clothed well, and every day they are nagged by directors to awaken quickly. Some orphans have tasted parental love only to lose them in monster outbreaks; others are born full of love only to face abandonment. No one can say which is more tragic.

And between the orphan who grows up in poverty, becoming humble and ordinary, and the orphan who is worshipped but lacks personal will—which is the more tragic fate?

Like her ancestors, Xiang Wenyun wanted to protect them. At the very least, she wanted them to be well-fed, warm, raised in kindness, and to learn a skill so they could support themselves.

"If only I were an awakened one..." Xiang Wenyun clenched her fingers slightly, her gentle eyes filled with unwillingness. Her mother's generation were all awakened; even when they were short on money, they could enter dungeons to hunt monsters and trade for wealth. But when it came to her generation... she became an ordinary person, and they could only live off their savings.

"Sigh, I wanted to have a child to inherit the orphanage, but I was so busy I never had time to find a partner." Xiang Wenyun gave a bitter laugh. Her mood improved when her gaze fell upon the fruit on the table. "Oh right, remember Qian Qi, whom I told you about? That child came back today and even brought back fruit."

"I knew that child had a kind heart. When she first came to the orphanage, look at how cute she looked in her light-computer photo. It's a pity her parents..." Xiang Wenyun sighed gently. "It seems that entering the Magic Plant Academy has helped her resolve some of her inner knots."

"I hope the future gets better and better..."

Outside the window, Qian Qi listened to these words, her chest tightening. It was a pity she couldn't remember anything. Perhaps these were memories the original owner kept buried deep down, unwilling to let anyone pry, which was why they were so hard to recall?

After a moment of silence, Qian Qi turned and left.

It was better not to look for the Director. If she saw her in this disheveled state, she wouldn't know how to answer all the questions she’d be asked.

Where could she find clothes...

Qian Qi moved stealthily, her gaze landing on several rows of clotheslines in the front yard.

Qian Qi: (*￣︶￣)~

System: ...

[You wouldn't be thinking of...]

"What of it! Is it not allowed!" Qian Qi retorted with righteous indignation.

Seeing that no one was around, she snuck up to the clothesline and reached out to pull down two garments. Fortunately, there were many older children in the yard, and the sizes were just enough for her to wear.

Qian Qi was looking for an empty room to change when she turned and locked eyes with a child.

Qian Qi: ...

Child A: ...

Child A looked at Qian Qi with an indescribable expression. "Have you no shame? Stealing children's clothes?"

Qian Qi blushed. "Go, go, go! Don't you see my clothes are torn?"

Child A looked at her tattered, unsightly clothes, sighed with a hint of premature maturity, and turned around. "The clothes you took aren't dry yet. Follow me."

He paused and added, "I'm only doing this because of the candy."

Qian Qi was deeply moved. She put the clothes back on the line, followed Child A closely, and promised, "Don't you worry, I won't take your clothes for free. In a few days, I'll have Director Mom buy you all new clothes."

Child A gave her a look of utter disbelief. He didn't trust the words of a woman, especially Qian Qi's. He had long known that Director Mom was out of money and the orphanage was about to close. All the children his age knew it; they just pretended they didn't.

Unfortunately, they were too young and hadn't awakened any skills, so they couldn't help the Director make money. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but glare at Qian Qi, the oldest among them.

She was useless; 19 years old and still hadn't awakened a skill!

Qian Qi: (⊙_⊙)?