Chapter 15
After wandering around for a while, Mo Xi returned to the transport ship’s main hall. By then, most of the other staff selected by the Paradise had arrived.
“Hi there! I just baked these cookies. Would you like to try one?”
The voice reached her before the sight did. When Mo Xi returned to the hall, the first thing she saw was a little girl in an apron handing out cookies.
As if sensing Mo Xi’s gaze, the cookie girl turned around, gave her a sweet smile, and waved in greeting.
Mo Xi nodded slightly and thought to herself, “It seems the staff get along pretty well. There’s none of the scheming and backstabbing you see among contractors.”
Come to think of it, that made sense. They were all working for the Paradise, so there was no reason to make things difficult for one another.
Once Mo Xi realized there was no need to be on guard around everyone, she found a seat in the hall and began observing the people there.
There was a bartender in a suit standing behind the bar, a blacksmith with his shirt off and a cigarette dangling from his lips, and an occultist secretly cheating at cards while playing against an engineer...
As Mo Xi watched everyone, the girl who had greeted her earlier came over.
“I made a lot, so you can have some more.” As she spoke, the girl set a little basket of cookies in front of Mo Xi.
Mo Xi picked one up and took a bite. It was soft and moist, with just the right amount of sweetness. Best of all, after she ate it, she received a notification from the Paradise.
“Food buff acquired. Gained 30 temporary HP.”
“These are delicious. Thank you.” Mo Xi smiled as she thanked her.
Watching the little girl go off to give cookies to the others, Mo Xi couldn’t help thinking, “No wonder the Paradise picked her. She’s really good at what she does.”
Just as Mo Xi was wondering whether it was really necessary to dispatch such a diverse group of staff, the transport ship’s hatch suddenly opened.
Bang~
At the sound of heavy footsteps, everyone who had been resting turned to look. Through the outline still veiled in cold air, Mo Xi could make out a burly figure.
But when the cold air cleared, the figure’s true appearance made Mo Xi blink in surprise.
“So short...”
The same thought appeared in everyone’s mind at once.
Standing at the transport ship’s entrance was a little old dwarf with goggles on their head and a tiny hammer in hand.
As if noticing everyone’s strange looks, the dwarf put both hands on their hips and looked around at them.
“Let me introduce myself. The Paradise has assigned me as your captain for this mission to the Origin World. Any objections?”
At this, everyone shook their heads. They clearly understood that anyone chosen to captain a transport ship had to be strong.
Seeing everyone look away, the dwarf captain blew on his upturned mustache, then toddled off toward the captain’s cabin.
As soon as the dwarf captain had left, the cookie girl couldn’t help asking, “Why is he so short?”
No one answered, because at some point the dwarf captain had appeared right behind her.
“Ow!”
After a righteous rap landed, the cookie girl covered her slightly reddened forehead and sucked in a breath, while the dwarf captain stormed off toward the captain’s cabin.
Mo Xi couldn’t help laughing at the sight. She casually gave the girl a quick heal to ease the pain.
A warm current swept over her like a gentle breeze, and the girl blinked in surprise. Her gaze toward Mo Xi was full of curiosity.
“The captain seems pretty strong. Their control over their strength is incredibly precise,” Mo Xi thought, stroking her chin.
Raw strength alone doesn’t necessarily make someone powerful. In actual combat, only those who have complete control over their own strength can bring it to bear to the fullest...
Just as everyone was discussing which Origin World they were heading to, a burst of static suddenly came through the transport ship’s intercom.
A moment later, the voice over the intercom became clear.
“Testing, testing. Can you hear me? The transport ship is about to take off, so find a seat and sit down. Also, bartender, get me something with a kick!”
At that, Mo Xi raised an eyebrow.
What did he mean, he needed something strong to pilot the transport ship?
If you’re sailing, don’t drink; if you’re drinking, don’t sail.
“I have a feeling this is going to be a really bumpy ride,” Mo Xi muttered, gripping the handrail beside her.
Rumble rumble~
As the transport ship roared to life, Mo Xi watched the scenery outside the window slowly shrink.
The next moment, a flash of blue light streaked past the window, and the transport ship suddenly sped up, pressing Mo Xi back into her seat.
“Woohoo!”
Hearing the cheer over the intercom, Mo Xi’s mouth twitched. It seemed this “trip” was going to be a pretty unpleasant experience.
No one knew how much time had passed. Once the transport ship landed, everyone rushed out and started vomiting in the open area.
The contractors from another transport ship came out too. They stared at the staff’s ship in utter disbelief, their faces full of horror.
From their perspective, the staff’s ship had been flying as if it had gone haywire, darting all over the place with maneuvers no ordinary S-turn could compare to.
Mo Xi came out slowly, leaning against the transport ship’s wall, her face pale. It might sound unbelievable, but when the ship had spun around 1,080 degrees, she’d faintly glimpsed memories of her past life.
Put simply, the ship’s wild piloting had made Mo Xi feel as though her life had flashed before her eyes.
While everyone recovered from their “battle trauma,” the dwarf captain acted as though nothing had happened. He found a lounge chair and sat down to sunbathe, as if what they’d just gone through had been nothing to him.
Just then, a notification from the Paradise arrived.
“Entered Origin World: Rain.”
“Main Mission: Assist the contractors in killing ???”
“Difficulty Level:”
“LV6 (Staff)”
“LV9 (Contractors)”
“Mission Information: The world core of this Origin World has been devoured by a powerful creature. You must find and kill it, then retrieve the world core.”
“Mission Deadline: 7 days”
“Mission Rewards: Blue Chest ×1, Free Attribute Points ×8, Paradise Coins ×15,000, Soul Crystal (Small) ×2.”
“(The above rewards are for staff.)”
“Failure Penalty: Death!”
“Time until the next rain: 15 minutes.”
“Reminder: The rain in this world is extremely dangerous. Do not expose yourself to it.”
Looking at the generous mission rewards and the word “Death” in blood red under the failure penalty, Mo Xi finally understood what high risk and high reward meant.
Thinking it over, it made sense. If the Paradise sent so many elites and they still couldn’t complete the mission, the contractors might as well give up on making a living in the Paradise.
After all, the rewards Mo Xi had seen were only for the staff. The contractors’ rewards should be at least a tier higher.
With that thought, Mo Xi immediately headed back to the potion lab. She wanted to brew some more potions so she could set aside time to explore.
Because she thought she recognized this world.