15 - Dungeon Growth Log

### Chapter 15 The villagers had almost cleaned up the remnants of the puppets along the road, but for some reason, they all looked at her with expressions full of deep sympathy. As an outer sect disciple, her accommodations were covered, but meals were not. The small wooden house provided to her kept out the wind and rain through the seasons, adequately shielding her delicate body. ...Although, it was quite a bother when it occasionally leaked due to old age and disrepair. But no worries, she was quite the little handywoman, skilled in all sorts of repairs. Fixing a leaky roof was no big deal√ After a long day of running around, Xia Ge finally arrived at her small house. “…” Staring deeply at her little wooden abode, Handy Xia Ge’s face twitched slightly. ...Could someone tell her what had happened? The system, utterly devoid of sympathy, sighed: “...How tragic.” Handy Xia Ge slowly raised her head and looked at the massive black scythe lodged in her roof, having fallen from who knows where, her mood immediately turning melancholic. Previously, during her fight with the demonic puppet, she hadn’t noticed that the scythe was this gigantic. However, when it was flung by Chu Yao’s sword energy onto her little roof, its size was beyond apparent by comparison. The massive scythe blade, about a meter long, was sticking out of the roof. The two-meter-long scythe handle pointed towards the moonlit sky, with the chain at the end swaying in the night breeze and jingling softly. No matter how handy she might be, this level of damage was beyond her capabilities!!? Xia Ge clutched the taels of silver in her bosom—a sizeable sum—and tried to console herself: “A spacious house of thousands of rooms...” System: That’s not going to happen.jpg. Xia Ge had to face reality: “...So the large sum of money I just earned today has to go to fixing the roof tomorrow?!!” The system kindly added: “It might not even be enough.” Was that bastard just messing with her on purpose!!? Xia Ge: I’m going to challenge her one-on-one!!! She’d rather have been compensated with ten meat buns!!! Thinking about how her newly acquired wealth would vanish tomorrow due to the fallen scythe, a herd of raging horses seemed to trample through Xia Ge’s heart. Carefully unlocking and pushing open her dilapidated wooden door, Xia Ge stood in a corner of the room, staring at the rafter, which was dangerously pierced by the scythe blade. The blade glinted in the faint candlelight she had lit, almost as if mocking her powerlessness. “Little Koi, I’ve been thinking, and I feel like this won't do.” Xia Ge spoke with a pained voice, “We need to come up with a money-making plan.” The system wisely kept its mouth shut. Every time Xia Ge started thinking about ways to make money, it was the system that bore the brunt of it. There were no money-making plans with her, only schemes to fleece others! Xia Ge earnestly coaxed, “Little Koi, why can’t we unite during these special times? Look at our shared assets—don’t you feel heartache? Don’t you want to do something for your dear host?” The system remained indifferent. Not even a little bit. Xia Ge was heartbroken: “Little Koi, even if not for your host, for your own sake—can't we sell the scythe on the roof for some money?” The system: “…” The system finally spoke up: “Taking it down would collapse the room.” Xia Ge righteously said, “Aren't you a system?” The system: “…” System: “Host, I advise you to level up quickly. After upgrading, you won’t have to ask me to sell scythes for money.” Xia Ge: “Huh? Why?” The system: “…” Once upgraded, stealing, thieving, and robbing would be child’s play; no need to fiddle around selling scythes!! Seeing that the system remained silent for a long time, Xia Ge finally sighed deeply, looking crestfallen as if her child had grown up, “Ah, Little Koi has become smart, knows how to change the subject…” System: “After the upgrade, the host can try pillaging houses and achieve the pinnacle of life.” Xia Ge: “Am I that kind of person?! Little Koi, I’m so disappointed in you for thinking of me like that!” System coldly: “Oh.” Xia Ge’s brow suddenly furrowed, and she looked serious, “But back to the point, Little Koi, I really have an important question about leveling up.” The system, seeing Xia Ge rare seriousness, inadvertently straightened up its tone, “What’s the matter?” Xia Ge earnestly: “...After upgrading, will it be easier to steal spirit wood from the back mountain?” The system: “...” Damn it, if it believes this garbage host has any integrity, it’ll go recycle itself in the scrap bin!! Bickering aside, the scythe and roof damage discussion could wait. The matter of upgrading was indeed pressing. Xia Ge opened the window and looked outside. She lived alone in this small house. Ye Ze, who used to live next door, would still often return to stay—after being admitted to the inner sect, Linxi Peak provided accommodations up on the mountain, but that fellow still frequently came down to reside here. However, today he seemed busy with his studies, too busy to come down the mountain. When there were too many classes, he wouldn't come down. The night was deep, everything was silent. The puppet remnants had been quickly cleaned up, and the ground was already spotless, maybe because the matter of the scythe in the roof was too troublesome, it had been left for tomorrow. So… let’s just leave it here for now. The small house was very shabby. Near the wall, there was a simple wooden bed with four legs. Each bed leg had a four-cornered wooden board at its base, like a horse’s hoof. The warm yellow quilt was neatly and cleanly laid out. Xia Ge yawned, closed the window, and squatted beside the bed, musing that she hadn’t had time to air the quilt being busy with copying books the past few days… She grabbed the left rear leg of the bed with one hand and lifted it up. The bed leg fitted with a little square wooden board revealed a hidden compartment on the floor beneath. Under the lifted bed leg 'hoof' was a small dug-out hole concealing a tiny iron box. Xia Ge took out the iron box, carefully stored her tael of silver inside, and then placed the small iron box back into its hiding place. System: Is that tael of silver really that important? Xia Ge put on a face that said the system didn’t understand human hardships: “Little Koi, it’s a sizeable sum.” System: … Each of the bed legs had a hidden iron box beneath. Xia Ge removed them one by one. There was white clay for crafting puppet skins, black stones for making eyes, black silk threads for hair, bone jade for bones, and finally, colored glass wood for flesh and blood. By the tightly shut window was a small table. Xia Ge lined up the materials neatly, looking at the small black stone among them. She tilted her head and suddenly smiled, “Speaking of which…” System: “Hmm?” “Parents’ grief for their son is like a pendant of onyx.” Xia Ge picked up the black stone, her eyes curving into a smile, “Even the mighty Senior Sister has a name that means black stone.” System: “…” The system didn’t even want to ask Xia Ge what that phrase meant, instead, it straightforwardly searched its database for information. After looking up the data, the system couldn’t help but attempt to clear things up: “...It's not just any black stone; it’s a black jade.” Xia Ge sighed, “So, Little Koi, you’re clearly coveting the Senior Sister’s beauty, aren’t you?” System: “…” “Alas, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. A black stone becomes black jade in a lover’s eyes.” Xia Ge didn’t know if she was thinking about Senior Sister’s stunning appearance or her own unfortunate looks, but she let out a couple of snickers, “...But in my eyes, a black stone is just a black stone!” System scoffed: “You’re not even as good as a black stone.” Xia Ge wisely switched the topic, “The materials are all here—what’s the next step?” The system snorted. This is why comparing tends to backfire.