Chapter 228: Are You Sure?
After settling Cole Kensington in, Faye Yardley went into the training room.
By the time she came out, it was already evening.
After washing up and changing, Faye Yardley came downstairs to find only Willow Yardley busy at the dining table. Blackwood meowed and bounded over, and she caught him with outstretched hands.
"Aren’t Eamon and Cole Kensington eating?"
"They both said they’d handle it themselves. I put some food in each of their refrigerators for them."
Faye Yardley didn’t press the issue. She wasn’t one to force others to eat with her. This was good, too; everyone could do as they pleased.
"Sister, it’ll be August 1st in a few more hours. The general mood is a little strange. Some people are excited and looking forward to it, others are heartbroken and crying, and some are torn about whether to bring anyone over, since many are still just struggling to survive themselves."
Faye Yardley grunted in acknowledgment. That was out of her control, and besides, she didn’t have anyone to bring over.
For her, August 1st was more about the ranking updates.
Right now, her Strength exceeding 30 was entirely due to the boost from the rankings.
Her own Strength Attribute was still three points short, and she had no idea how long it would take to raise it just by training in the training room.
High Level Body Refining Pills required All Attributes to be over 30 before they could be used, so she still had to wait.
"Ugh, is there anywhere I can go to improve faster?"
Willow Yardley served her a bowl of rice. "Sister, you’re already improving so quickly. You’ve surpassed the vast majority of people."
She placed Blackwood on the table, gave him a piece of dried fish, and then picked up her chopsticks. Faye Yardley hummed in response. She had thought her progress was more than enough, but people kept popping up around her, shattering her preconceptions and reminding her that she was still far from strong enough.
After all, in Nora Nash’s eyes, a young boy like Cole Kensington was stronger than her; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been sent to protect her.
’So how weak am I? We’re both from the Human Race, and I’m three years older than Cole Kensington. I can definitely be better and stronger.’
"In a few days, when Cole Kensington has recovered a bit, I’ll spar with him and see."
Willow Yardley smiled and ladled her some soup. "Sister, this is beef bone broth. Miss Jonas gave us the ingredients."
"Okay, got it."
After dinner, Faye Yardley sat in her favorite swing chair, her small group chat hovering in the air before her.
Their emotions were just as Willow Yardley had described—some were nervous and expectant, while others were scared and distressed.
Faye Yardley just watched as they each expressed their feelings, saying nothing.
’Indeed, the joys and sorrows of one are not felt by another.’
’But I can make the group members a little happier and more relaxed.’
So she sent a luck-based Red Envelope to the group chat.
The contents were all fruits and vegetables—exactly what people adrift at sea for long periods needed most.
This was followed by a stream of "Thank you, Group Owner!" messages.
Gavin Donovan: Boss, we might be taking in a group of kids tomorrow. Do you want to come take a look?
Faye Yardley: No thanks, I’m not really the type to look after and comfort kids, but I can get some pastries and candy that kids like ready for your group.
Gavin Donovan: Okay, thank you, Boss. If any other friends know someone good-natured and good with kids, please recommend them to us. This is a rare opportunity, so everyone, seize it!
Leo Sloan: Donovan, do you think my wife would be a good fit?
Gavin Donovan: Your wife is great, of course, but if she came here, she wouldn’t have as much freedom, and she wouldn’t be able to spend as much time taking care of your own little family.
Bonnie Callahan: What are you guys talking about? Why do I feel like I don’t quite understand?
Faye Yardley just watched. Since she had already decided not to interfere in her brother’s affairs, she wouldn’t meddle with the decisions they made.
Besides, other than Rainie, that group was full of guys. It was about time they found some unmarried, good-natured young women to go over there. To balance out the yin and yang.
At first, the pressure to survive suppressed any need for romance. But everyone is different. Some people’s need for emotional connection, or even physical desire, is simply stronger than average.
Suppressing it long-term just wasn’t realistic.
This applied not only to men, but to women as well.
It’s normal for people to have desires; not everyone likes being alone.
In Faye Yardley’s eyes, this was all just human nature. Someone was bound to have the courage to bring it up eventually.
Of course, for her, being alone saved a lot of trouble and offered more freedom.
These thoughts flashed through her mind. Perhaps tomorrow, after the rankings updated, she could choose her next Dungeon. Relying on her own training and fishing for treasure chests offered very limited progress.
Besides, relying only on fishing for chests wouldn’t yield any High Level ones; that method was more for meeting basic survival needs.
Speaking of which, she had already saved up a lot of Dungeon Invitation Cards. She had one for each of Dungeons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7.
Dungeon 3 was a team-based one, and right now, everyone was excitedly waiting for their loved ones to arrive. Faye Yardley wasn’t so thoughtless as to spoil the mood.
As for the solo Dungeons, there were so many to choose from it was hard to decide.
The Dungeons would scale in difficulty according to the challenger’s strength. So even for the all-too-familiar Dungeon 1, Faye Yardley would still need to be fully prepared if she were to go.
As for the Dungeons she had never been to, she was eager to try them—like the Amusement Park Dungeon, number 5.
’If my brother could clear it, I should be fine, right?’
From the stack of Invitation Cards, Faye Yardley pulled out the card for Dungeon 5 and examined it. She felt it was time to go and meet this clown. After all, she had crafted the card a long time ago, and it wasn’t doing any good just sitting there.
Having made up her mind, Faye Yardley put all the Invitation Cards back into her Storage.
Now she had to think about what to prepare.
She touched the puppet pendant on her chest, and her confidence suddenly swelled.
’In an environment like that, would a high charm value make it easy to attract... special entities?’
"Willow, prepare some food that’s easy to store and carry. Oh, right, also get some sweet and sour pastries and candies that kids like."
"Okay, Sister."
Faye Yardley stretched. Having made a decision, she began to look forward to the next day with anticipation.
RING RING RING~
The call chimed. She glanced at the notification and answered.
"Mr. Pierce, good evening. To what do I owe the pleasure? A busy man like you calling at this hour."
Zachary Pierce grunted. "Sorry, am I bothering you?"
"Oh? So polite today. Isn’t this the perfect time to just zone out after dinner? Just tell me what’s on your mind."
Zachary Pierce wasn’t one to beat around the bush. "If possible, I’d like you to take us to Dungeon 3 again sometime soon."
"Dungeon 3? Are you sure?"