17: Chapter 17 unlocks new supplies: Grade E Energy Mineral Water!

Late at night.

The room was pitch black.

Only the faint light of the snow outside filtered through the tattered curtains, casting a sliver of brightness into the room.

Ye Qingyue lay on the bed, her eyes open.

She was awake.

Although her body was too weak to move, her mind was exceptionally clear.

The words her sister had spoken to her just moments ago were still echoing in her ears.

"Qingyue... I don't know if what that beast said is true or false... but I cannot watch you starve to death..."

"I would rather take a gamble... even if there is only a one in ten thousand chance..."

Ye Qingyue looked at her sister's silhouette in the darkness.

Her sister had cried until she was exhausted and was now leaning against the headboard with her eyes closed.

But she knew that her sister wasn't asleep either.

Because her sister's body was still trembling slightly.

She was still crying silently.

Ye Qingyue's heart felt as if it were being torn apart by something.

It hurt.

It hurt terribly.

She had known since she was little that her sister was the person who loved her most in this world.

Although her parents loved her too, they were always busy and rarely home.

It was her sister who had accompanied her as she grew up.

It was her sister who taught her to write, took her to school, and protected her from being bullied.

Her sister had given her all her love.

And now...

Now, in order to save her, her sister had to...

Ye Qingyue closed her eyes, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

It was all her fault.

If she weren't so weak, so useless...

If she weren't about to die...

Her sister wouldn't have been forced to this point.

Ye Qingyue gritted her teeth and, slowly, bit by bit, made a decision.

She could not let her sister suffer any longer.

If... if there was really a one in ten thousand chance of survival...

Then she was willing to try.

Not for herself.

But for her sister.

To keep her sister from continuing to live in such guilt and pain.

Ye Qingyue struggled to sit up.

This simple action exhausted every ounce of her strength.

Her hands were trembling, and her body was swaying.

But she held on.

She looked at Lin Yuan, who was leaning against the wall.

Lin Yuan had his eyes closed, seemingly resting.

But Ye Qingyue knew that he wasn't asleep either.

He was waiting.

Waiting for her to make a decision.

Ye Qingyue took a deep breath.

Although she was very weak and very afraid, she still spoke up.

"I..."

Her voice was very soft, so soft it was almost inaudible.

But in the deathly silent room, it was exceptionally clear.

"I agree to your terms..."

Lin Yuan opened his eyes and looked at her.

His expression remained calm, but a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes.

He hadn't expected Ye Qingyue to speak up on her own.

Ye Qingxue opened her eyes abruptly and turned her head to look at her sister.

"Qingyue?! You..."

"Sister, I know..." Ye Qingyue said weakly.

"I know everything..."

She looked at her sister's red, teary eyes, and her heart felt as if it were being stabbed by a knife.

"Sister, you have already sacrificed too much for me..."

"I cannot... I cannot let you suffer anymore..."

"Qingyue! No!" Ye Qingxue tried to stop her, but Ye Qingyue shook her head.

"Sister... if this can really save us..." Ye Qingyue turned to look at Lin Yuan, her voice trembling.

"I am willing... but you must keep your word..."

"You must really be able to get supplies..."

Lin Yuan stood up and walked to the bedside.

He looked down at Ye Qingyue, his eyes filled with a hint of scrutiny.

"Are you sure?" His voice was calm.

"Are you doing this voluntarily?"

Ye Qingyue gritted her teeth.

Her eyes were filled with fear and unease.

But more than that, there was determination for her sister's sake.

"Yes..." Her voice was trembling, but firm.

"I am... doing this voluntarily..."

"Qingyue!!" Ye Qingxue screamed and tried to pounce over.

"No! Don't agree to him!"

But Ye Qingyue reached out and stopped her sister.

"Sister... enough..." she said, crying.

"I don't want to die... and I don't want to watch you die..."

"If this is the only way... then I am willing..."

Ye Qingxue was trembling all over, tears streaming down like a burst dam.

"No... don't... Qingyue... I would rather die..."

"But I don't want to!" Ye Qingyue's voice suddenly raised a little.

Although she was weak, that determination stunned Ye Qingxue.

"Sister... ever since we were little, you have always protected me..." Ye Qingyue said, crying.

"This time... let me protect you, okay?"

Hearing this, Ye Qingxue broke down completely.

She hugged her sister and cried her heart out.

The two sisters held each other and wept bitterly in the darkness.

Lin Yuan watched this scene without any emotional fluctuation.

He just said calmly: "Remember, this is a transaction."

"A fair transaction."

"From now on, your lives were saved by me."

"So you both belong to me."

After saying that, he turned and walked toward the corner of the room.

"Wait. Soon you will know that everything I said is true."

Time passed bit by bit.

It was unclear how much time had passed.

Perhaps ten minutes.

Perhaps half an hour.

Perhaps longer.

The room fell into a deathly silence.

There were only the faint sobs of the two sisters.

And the sound of the howling snowstorm outside the window.

A long time later.

Ye Qingyue curled up in the corner of the bed.

Her eyes were complex, and her heart was filled with mixed feelings.

Moments ago, she had made a choice, willing to trust Lin Yuan in exchange for a chance at survival for her sister and herself.

Although there was still fear in her heart, she knew this was the only way.

Ye Qingxue crawled over and hugged her tightly.

"Qingyue... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." Ye Qingxue said, crying.

"It's all because I'm useless... I'm the one who harmed you..."

"It's not your fault..." Ye Qingyue said weakly.

"It's me... I'm too useless..."

The two sisters held each other and cried silently in the darkness.

Meanwhile, Lin Yuan, by the wall, stood in front of the window.

His heartbeat was accelerating.

Because he was waiting.

Waiting for the system's notification.

Finally.

[Ding!]

A crisp notification sound rang out in his mind.

Lin Yuan shuddered, suppressing his excitement.

[Congratulations to the Host for successfully collecting the second goddess!]

[Detection complete: The goddess Ye Qingyue has achieved sincere recognition.]

It was here!

It had really come!

It seemed that the time they had spent together, coupled with the crisis just now, had finally made Ye Qingyue truly trust and accept him.

[System is automatically matching supplies...]

[Matching...]

[Matching successful!]

Lin Yuan's heart raced as he waited for the system to announce the results.

Please don't let it be something strange...

Food or water would be best...

[Currently generated supply: e-grade energy mineral water]

[Specifications: 500ml/bottle]

[Generation speed: 1 bottle/second]

[Supply description: Drinking one bottle can maintain hunger and hydration levels for 20 hours.]

Lin Yuan was stunned.

Then, ecstasy surged into his heart.

The problem of water and food was solved at once!!

This e-grade energy mineral water could not only quench thirst but also resolve hunger!

One bottle could last for 20 hours!

This was, damn it, a divine item!

Lin Yuan suppressed the excitement in his heart and took a deep breath.

He couldn't let the sisters see any flaws.

He had to remain calm.

He turned around and looked at the two sisters who were crying in each other's arms on the bed.

"Stop crying," he said calmly.

"I said I would keep my word."

Ye Qingxue and Ye Qingyue looked up at him with teary, blurred eyes.

Lin Yuan shifted his thoughts and retrieved a few bottles of e-grade energy mineral water from the system space.

The next second, several transparent bottles appeared out of thin air in his hands.

They were filled with a light blue liquid that emitted a faint glow.

Seeing this, Ye Qingyue was stunned.

Her eyes slowly widened, and her pupils trembled.

Out of thin air...

Manifested out of thin air?

Things... appearing from the void?

This... what was this?

Magic?

Or...

Ye Qingyue felt her worldview collapsing.

This eerie method, which transcended the cognition of ordinary people, left her feeling extremely shocked in an instant.

Ye Qingxue saw it too.

She was equally stunned.

Her mouth was slightly open, and her eyes were filled with disbelief.

"This..." her voice trembled.

"How did this..."

"Drink," Lin Yuan said, tossing the bottles onto the bed.

"You won't be hungry after you drink them."

Ye Qingyue mechanically picked up a bottle of water.

Her hands were trembling.

She stared at the bottle in her hand as if she were looking at something incredible.

Then, she slowly unscrewed the cap.

The light blue liquid emitted a sweet, refreshing scent.

Ye Qingyue hesitated for a moment, then brought the bottle to her lips.

She took a small sip.

It was slightly sweet.

Then—a warm current instantly surged from her throat into her stomach, then rapidly spread throughout her entire body.

That feeling...

It was like her cold body had suddenly been placed into a hot spring.

It was warm and so comfortable that it made her want to cry.

And even more miraculously...

That heart-wrenching hunger was rapidly fading away.

It was like a receding tide, disappearing bit by bit.

Her stomach no longer hurt.

Her head no longer felt dizzy.

Her body... seemed to have gained a little strength.

Ye Qingyue was stunned.

She looked at the bottle in her hand, her eyes filled with shock.

This... what was this?

Was this really just water?

Why did the hunger disappear after drinking it?

Why did her body warm up?

This... this wasn't scientific...

Ye Qingxue also picked up a bottle and fed a few sips to her sister.

Then she took a large gulp herself.

The same feeling.

The same warm current.

The same fading of hunger.

Ye Qingxue looked at the bottle in her hand, then at Lin Yuan, in shock.

For the first time, a complex emotion appeared in her eyes.

There was shock.

There was disbelief.

There was fear.

And also... a hint of imperceptible awe.

This man... really possessed some kind of power she couldn't understand.

Everything he had said... was true.

He really could "manifest" supplies out of thin air.

And the condition... was them.

Ye Qingxue held her sister and looked at the water bottle in her hand.

Tears flowed down again.

But this time, the tears were no longer just from despair and humiliation.

There was also... the relief of surviving a disaster.

And... fear of the unknown.

They were saved.

But at the same time... they were also completely controlled by this man.

Lin Yuan watched the two sisters drinking the water, the corner of his mouth curling into a smile.