Chapter 76: Blessings of the Ancestors 2.0

Staring at the smiling face of Yang Jian on the screen, Shen He found himself momentarily stunned. This fellow—he couldn't quite say whether he was lucky or unlucky. How had he managed to experience every disaster firsthand, not just once or twice, but again and again throughout his life? And, as if that weren’t enough, he always survived. Until the seventh time, when he tried to climb Everest. In the end, he died on the mountain. It seemed that, at last, Lady Luck had turned her back on him.

Shen He bent down and opened the treasure chest before him. As a burst of light shimmered, a single crystalline drop of tear hovered before his eyes.

[Yang Jian’s Mother's Tear]
[This item is essential to activate the side quest: "Favor of the Goddess of Luck."]
[Would you like to activate this as a side quest?]
[Yes/No]
[…]

The instant he saw the name of the tear, Shen He fell into a daze. Almost unconsciously, he chose “Yes.”

[Daily Quest 1: Favor of the Goddess of Luck]
[Completed]
[Quest converted to Side Quest]
[Reward accumulating]
[…]
[Side Quest 1: Favor of the Goddess of Luck]
[As the sole player of Earth Online, you have successfully found a tear from the Goddess of Luck. Keep striving!]
[Quest Reward: Favor of the Goddess of Luck]
(Note: This quest can be upgraded to higher levels, including daily, side, and main quests. It all depends on whether the Goddess of Luck truly favors you.)
[…]

As the words appeared before his eyes, Shen He couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement. Just as he’d heard, this could be turned into a side quest, and then advanced to a main quest. It was real, after all. Still, the process seemed rather hasty—this quest had simply replaced the previous "Martial Artist" prerequisite to become Side Quest 1.

No surprise, then, that a prematurely released system would have so many flaws. He eyed the first side quest before him, especially the crude interface, and couldn’t help but feel a wave of disdain. Yet curiosity tugged at him. If he completed every task, even the final main quest, what kind of reward would await him? The prospect was truly enticing.

As Shen He reveled in his anticipation, the tear floating before him split into two in midair and merged directly into his eyes. In the next instant, a woman’s figure seemed to materialize before him. The woman appeared to be in her twenties. Beside her stood a small child. Looking at the child’s face, Shen He thought he looked remarkably like the Yang Jian he’d just seen in the video.

The woman began to speak: “My name is Huang Mei. I married my husband in 1995. In 1996, we had our child. My husband adored him and named him Yang Jian.”

“In 1998, a great flood struck our region. My husband lifted me and our child onto a tall tree and was himself swept away by the water. I stayed on that tree for a long time as the water kept rising, bringing with it all sorts of debris—and bodies.”

“When I could no longer hold on, clinging to my child, I fell into the water. With the last of my strength, I placed him in a large wooden basin, hoping he would survive.”

“I don’t know when it happened, but it seemed I awoke again. I saw my child in the orphanage. Many people there were ill, so I stayed by his side, warding off disease.”

“Two years passed. Just as the epidemic seemed to subside, it struck again. I had to protect my child, help him grow up healthy.”

“Another three years went by. There was a great earthquake at his school. He helped rescue many people and grew more and more like his father. I was so proud. When the aftershocks came, I shielded him and waited for help.”

“But I could feel my strength ebbing away. Perhaps I wouldn’t be able to stay with him much longer. I wondered if I’d even live to see him marry.”

“The last time I awoke, the whole world seemed sick. I could only protect him alone, but, in the end, I could no longer hold on. Just before the lockdown was lifted, my consciousness faded away. I suppose I’ll never see my Jian’er marry and have children. I only hope he lives a good life.”

[…]

As the vision faded, Shen He saw, in his mind’s eye, the woman named Huang Mei leading a young Yang Jian forward. Ahead of them stood the indistinct figure of a middle-aged man, as if he had been waiting for them on that path all along.

Shen He regained his composure, instinctively wiping at his face, and muttered, “The wind’s really kicking up today—my eyes are all teary…”

[Special substance detected. Absorbed.]
[Congratulations, player. Ancestors' Blessing—Ancestors' Blessing (2.0)]
[This passive skill, in addition to a slight boost in luck, now grants additional disaster avoidance.]
[…]

Shen He drew a deep breath and bowed solemnly before the tombstone. The gesture was not for Yang Jian, but for his parents.

Very good—now your mother’s protection has become my ancestors’ blessing. For him, this was an unexpected delight. He hadn’t anticipated that simply completing the daily level of “Favor of the Goddess of Luck” would bring such a great reward. Now, he looked forward even more to the rewards for completing future tasks.

Standing before the tombstone, he watched as the treasure chest before him slowly vanished, and gradually collected his thoughts. This was the twenty-sixth treasure chest he had opened. By rights, there should be four more left. Yet daily quest two was already completed, and had even advanced to a side quest. Whether there were still four chests remaining was now uncertain.

Come to think of it, though many of these chests had yielded useless items, quite a few had been valuable. If possible, he would have liked to keep opening chests forever.

He summoned the system panel, but even the option to spend points for guidance had disappeared. What a pity. If only he could have found another tear in the last chest. He gave the tombstone one last look—Yang Jian’s smiling face was still there, and beside him, two indistinct figures seemed to stand.

Shen He turned and walked away. As he passed the security booth, the guard glanced up at him, made sure he wasn’t carrying anything out, then returned to his phone. Shen He had barely walked a few steps when he heard the guard say to his gaming buddy, “Wait for me after this round, I’ll go check if there are any new offerings. Someone left a box of premium cigarettes last time, tasted pretty good. Wonder when someone will bring a bottle of Maotai, so I can finally try what that’s like.”

Shen He looked back at the guard booth, his expression complicated. The cemetery’s security these days was truly shameless, helping themselves to other people’s offerings. Did they never fear the dead might come looking for them in their dreams?

Luckily, he hadn’t brought anything, so that guy’s trip would be for nothing.

Shen He got in his car, started the engine, and headed toward the city center. Tomorrow was the day for signing the confidentiality agreement. Since he’d finished his tasks a day ahead, he had time to do some shopping—buying whatever useful items he could. That way, if tomorrow left him no time to prepare, he wouldn’t have to worry. And if he did have time, he could always make up for any oversights.