12: Freya

Ning was carried by the young lady with her sword, looking at the surrounding buildings; snowflakes fell, but none landed on him, as if the young lady carried an umbrella, blocking all the snow.

The scenery changed rapidly as they left the tall buildings and arrived at a place with only small houses. Ning looked into the distance, in the direction they had come from, and saw a huge wall separating them from the northern forest.

“So, all the large buildings are near the City walls, while the smaller ones are further away. Is it because more powerful cultivators live there, so they can fight at any time if animals break in?” he wondered.

Ning then turned his gaze to the towering trees scattered across the island… “Is this a village?” he asked, a little confused. Originally, seeing the tall buildings, he had assumed it was a large City, but leaving those buildings, there were only small houses and farmhouses left. He could no longer distinguish whether this was a City or a village.

Although what it was called didn’t matter. He looked at the sky, wanting to know the time, but couldn’t, as the sky was overcast, obscuring the sun.

“Hey, System. Do you know what time it is?” he asked.

“It is 4 PM.”

“Oh, then it must be getting dark soon.” The girl brought him to an empty space across from a field, where huge pillars were stuck in the ground. She took out her new sword, admiring its gleam with a smile. Ning could see the blue light reflected from the sword shimmering in her eyes.

She got ready and thrust the sword directly into a pillar.

“Ding.”

“You have gained 530 Energy.”

Although the points gained were not many, he was still surprised by how many points he could get by simply attacking wood. The girl hit the wood several more times, even using skills by the looks of it.

She put the sword back into its sheath, satisfied. Ning could feel the heat emanating from the blade after vigorously striking the pillar.

“You have gained 760 Energy.”

“You have gained 594 Energy.”

“Turn it off, System,” he said, knowing it would appear for a while.

“Confirmed.”

The girl decided to return to the village. Along the way, people would see her and greet her. Although Ning couldn’t understand what they were saying, he did hear one word repeated over and over. That was Freya.

“Is that her name?” he asked curiously. Seeing her reaction when she heard the name Freya, he was quite certain it was indeed her name.

Freya walked back to a small house, which was indeed better than most of the houses around the village. “Does she have some special status in the village?” he couldn’t help but wonder.

The interior of the house was very simple, with a bed against the wall, a small rug on the floor, and only one window with pink curtains. Besides a small wardrobe, Ning saw no other furniture inside.

“Don’t they have TVs? Is this world primitive? Impossible, right? They send people to fight monsters. They should be able to make TVs and radios.” Ning couldn’t imagine living in a world without TV.

He remembered how happy he was watching TV at the orphanage. What would he do if he couldn’t have that fun anymore?

“Maybe I should get enough energy to return to Earth, hmm.” He started to think of ideas, but he quickly forgot them when he saw the young lady begin to take off her robe.

“Wait a minute! No. I’m still here.” He started to panic a little but was quickly disappointed as he saw the lady merely unfasten her belt and sit cross-legged on the bed.

“What is she doing? It looks very uncomfortable.” He watched as her breathing became slower and slower, almost imperceptible.

“Is she asleep?” Just as he wondered, her clothes and hair began to sway slightly, as if blown by the wind. He looked towards the door, but it was closed, and the window was also closed.

“Where is the air coming from?” he wondered. Suddenly, an even glow began to flash around her. Although the light was very faint, it was visible in the enclosed room.

“Hey, System, what is she doing?” he asked, not knowing if this was some technique used by cultivators.

“The girl is cultivating.”

“Cultivating? Is she trying to become stronger than before? What is the light around her?” he asked.

“The light is Qi.”

“Qi? That energy only found on Kumia and a few other planets, right? Can I also absorb Qi?” he asked.

“Please unlock the shop.”

“Oh, that means I can. Thanks for finally answering, System.” He watched the girl steadily cultivate, whatever that was. After a while, he got bored.

He looked at his status.

“Status:

Energy: 796,000

Quest: Collect 204,000 more energy. Reward: You gain Parallel Thinking ability.

Shop: Locked.”

“How can I get so much energy in this climate? I guess I can only stick to using sound energy for now. I hope this girl takes me out often.”

He waited a little longer, but nothing happened. Not even a sound to notify him. “Oh, God, this is so boring to watch. I wish she had a TV that she could turn on right now. I want to watch some cartoons right now.” “Hey, System. I’m going to sleep. Wake me up when the sun rises again.” he said.

“Confirmed.” He slowly felt himself becoming drowsy and lost consciousness.