Chapter 184: No Romance
Bai Wei still couldn't find the book she wanted to read, so she could only silently listen to the romantic novel "Love and Waiting for Childhood Friends" for two hours.
As he listened, he felt that something was off.
Wasn't it supposed to be about childhood friends?
Where did Mena go?
Who is Lanya again?
How did she, a newcomer, become the female lead? And why did Mena suddenly become a side character?
The novel that was supposed to promote childhood friends turned into a complete deviation, and even the promotional cover of this volume became Lanya... Unbelievable.
After a long reading session, they moved on to the next stop, which was shopping at the mall.
They saw a large number of goods, some of which tempted him to shop, while others seemed bizarre.
For example, figurines that could be used as smoke bombs by twisting their heads;
Or balloons that would combine and transform into an explosion when two different colors touched each other;
Bottles of drinks without caps... You had to consume them together with the bottle. Is this the equivalent of red and blue potions in online games? No wonder there are no bottles left after drinking.
He even saw "Gun Sets for Ten-Year-Old Children," "Armor-Piercing Explosive Incendiary Rounds," and "Easy-to-understand Gun Assembly Tutorial that even a chimpanzee can grasp" exchange coupons in the capsule toy vending machine.
Damn, I really want them.
The society's ethos is filled with martial virtue and strength.
Thank you, the Sacred Religion. You must have worked hard behind the scenes all these years.
You are so gentle, the Sacred Religion.
Michelle also stood in front of the capsule toy vending machine for a while, staring at it, hesitating.
“Do you want this?” Alena pointed at the gun set and asked.
“I already have three sets at home,” Michelle shook her head. “I got tired of playing with them when I was a child.”
“Then what are you looking at?”
“This.” Michelle pointed at the sign that said 'Limited Edition Cards.' "Inside, there are silver limited edition cards. I started collecting them since I was a child. The set includes cards of the founding heroes, 109 flags, and 239 character cards, ranging from bronze, silver to gold editions!"
Her eyes sparkled, just like when she used to collect Water Margin cards by eating instant noodles when she was young.
Alena used to collect these as well. Many older people had the habit of collecting stamps and postcards. Nowadays, with the absence of smartphones, mobile games, and computers, their entertainment methods still remained at the level of the past, such as collecting tabletop game cards.
“Gold cards are limited edition, right? Only fifty copies are released worldwide in the same version."
Yeah, with my financial means, I can't afford it at all... In the past, I could only buy the beggar's edition. I heard that recently, a gold card of Liliana was auctioned off for 80 million.
That auction ended without a buyer. No matter how expensive a gold card is, it can't possibly be worth 80 million, unless...
Unless?
There are rumors that these gold edition cards have added some unique materials, and each card contains a relic from past heroes, such as nails, hair, or blood. Therefore, they have a mysterious quality and can be used as ritual props. If they really can be used as a crystallization of an upper-level Heroic Spirit Principle, 80 million wouldn't be expensive." Alena touched her cheek. "But it's probably just hype, right?"
Does the official release still need any hype? If you want to know if it's true or not, you can ask the Blood Noble.
I've asked, but my aunt didn't tell me," Alena said. "I think she doesn't know either. If they really added some additional materials..."
If they did?
Knowing my aunt's personality, she would probably collect all the gold cards from the mentors. It's unlikely they would end up in the hands of ordinary people."
Yeah, that makes sense," Michelle wasn't surprised at all.
After the Alliance was founded and reached a stable period, the youngest group of founding heroes should also start families and establish their careers.
However, according to later statistics, among these founding heroes, 60% of the women chose to remain single, while 30% of the men chose to remain single. The marriage rate was not high, despite the fact that the Alliance government had arranged plenty of matchmaking events for officials in the early days.
No one dared to pressure Liliana about marriage, but it was different for Sasha. At that time, she was not yet the head of the Capesh family, and she was still subject to the Elders' control among the Blooded. The card she played was called "Defending Celibacy for the Mentors."
This incident remained in history, and to this day, most people believe that the Blood Noble and the mentors had a relationship that went beyond mere mentorship.
After this, there were many followers of the celibate lifestyle, but as for the ultimate truth of it all, no one is really sure.
Alena has also asked her aunt why these people chose not to have descendants, which is the most direct reason.
——你知道为什么Capesh一族，一旦出了三代血缘就必须改回旧姓分家吗？
- Do you know why the Capesh clan, once it reaches the third generation, must return to their original surname and split the family?
It's the same reason.
...
The two girls finished exploring the shopping mall and started looking for lunch. By then, it was already two or three in the afternoon, time for afternoon tea.
While passing through the square, Bai Wei noticed several different groups gathering in different corners.
One was promoting the law of racial equality, which is still a national policy in the current Alliance.
On one hand, there is the promotion of intermarriage between different races, the fusion of bloodlines, and the lowering of racial barriers. On the other hand, each race is given different subsidies, encouraging them to learn from each other's strengths and make up for their weaknesses... Each race elects their own leaders, and this political system has been in place for five hundred years. It is unclear how far it has evolved, but from the slogans, it seems to bear no difference from the past.
There is a place called the Blood Donation Vehicle, where the blood of different races cannot be fully mixed.
Fortunately, human blood can be transformed into Universal Blood after processing, as long as excessive amounts are not transfused, there will be no issues.
What's even more extreme is that beside the sign of the Blood Donation Vehicle, there is actually an advertisement for "Paid Sperm Donation".
Next to that advertisement, there is another one, recruiting husbands from certain races, although humanoid beings with four legs are quite challenging to human aesthetic standards.
In internal voting within the human race, the top three most popular non-human spouses are Ramiya (Snake Princess), Blooded, and Beast Ear Girl...
Actually, the Elves are not bad either. In the hypothetical voting, they ranked as high as second place. Unfortunately, there are no Elves on the Europa continent. The Ancient Elves used to be the rulers of the Europa continent but were overthrown. Under the extinction of the race, the Elves were completely wiped out, and a few escaped to the cold north. They have completely disappeared from the Europa continent and now only exist in circulated publications. Occasionally, the pointed ears seen are not from Elves but from the Long Ear race.
The reason why the Blooded receive higher votes is because numerous social experiments have shown that the Blooded have strong family values, and the happiness index is higher when marrying a Blooded woman. Moreover, their appearance is almost identical to humans, but with an exceptionally long lifespan. Being good-looking is even more appealing, breaking through the defenses of every "beauty connoisseur". The only comparable race seems to be the celestial beings of the Ming Country.
There are also some enthusiasts who say that fangs are really intriguing, especially when secretly sucking blood during sleep or feeling an indescribable soul resonance when being bitten during intimate moments. These comments come from people who have actually married Blooded individuals, regardless of gender.
Michelle asked, "Is the gender ratio among the Blooded recently also quite imbalanced?"
Alena didn't seem to mind, "The Blooded have a lifespan of several hundred years. Perhaps it will adjust back in the next cycle?"
Michelle added, "But the prime reproductive age is also within a hundred years, right?"
"As long as the physical body remains youthful, there is no need for such talk," Alena said. "The ancestors of the Blooded, the Sacred Blood Clan, reproduced through the tainted blood method. They rarely reproduced through conventional means. Instead, they would convert other races into their own through a ritual called 'First Embrace.' However, this ritual is highly difficult and burdensome for both parties involved, making reproduction challenging. Nowadays, the Blooded hold strong family values, and their reproduction rate is slow."
Michelle didn't inquire about that; she was merely curious. "Does Alena go on blind dates too?"
Alena revealed a subtle expression. "Probably not."
"Why?"
"I will take over Auntie's role. After graduation, I will either join the city hall or the armed forces to gain work experience. There is a high chance that I will live a life similar to hers," Alena said seriously. "Unless she marries first, I won't likely go on blind dates with anyone."
Michelle couldn't tell if she was envious or nostalgic. "You have such a positive outlook. It's as if you have already written out your life plan for the next few decades. Who knows, it wouldn't be surprising if you eloped with someone after graduation."
Alena playfully tapped Michelle's forehead and crossed her arms. "If I end up eloping, it would mean my life plan has gone terribly wrong. But the chances of that happening are extremely slim. I'm not a fool easily deceived by love. However, you, on the other hand, with that innocent and foolish face, look like you could be tricked by a scumbag at any moment."
Michelle retorted, "I'm not that foolish! Scumbag? He wouldn't dare to mess with me! I'll roast his kidneys!"
This is true. The divorce rate among Dragonborns is very low. With fierce wives at home, scumbags have no courage to make a move.
"That's true," Alena didn't argue. "I think you have a higher chance of being single in the future than I do."
"Why?"
"Your romantic aspirations are too high. Ordinary people can't handle it. Most love stories are plain and simple. Where are all those tumultuous romances that last until death?" Michelle, as a single person with no experience in love, spoke with authority on this matter. "Unless there's a special, fated encounter, it's impossible for you to be moved."
Michelle cleared her throat. She didn't argue, but she said, "I have a friend who just poured out her heart."
Before she could finish, Alena interrupted her, and the two girls playfully walked into the tea room, ordering a table full of dishes and desserts.
Bai Wei, on the other hand, stood under a sun chair by the roadside stall, listening to the nearby propaganda about racial equality law, feeling peaceful and wanting to sit and listen while having a cup of tea.
The young girls chatted about interesting things on the afternoon tea table. Groups of white pigeons pursued the scattered bread crumbs on the square. The loudspeaker's announcements were enthusiastic and lazy, blending with the noisy shouts. The crowd trod on the afternoon sunlight, and the passers-by fragmented the sunlight into uneven pieces. There was a white Samoyed lying on a mat outside the shop, gazing at the bustling crowd, sticking out its tongue, and quietly keeping calm. It couldn't see Bai Wei, who was also crouching down, but seemed to understand the young man's mood at the moment. Standing up, lowering its front legs, it stretched and shook its tail and fluffy fur.
Such tranquility, it's nice, really nice.
But right in the midst of this harmony, suddenly an unsettling sound emerged.
The ground trembled violently, shattering the afternoon silence as the clamoring sound spread. In the bright center of the sunlit square, thunder roared abruptly.
The girls looked towards the source of the noise in astonishment, accidentally knocking over their utensils. They caught a whiff of the dangerous and aggressive smell of blood in the air.
Danger always comes unexpectedly.
