First Floor Lobby.
Gong Qu set the recycling bin down in a corner that wouldn't ruin the aesthetics of the room.
Clang!
A wooden crate, roughly the size of a small coffee table, materialized before him.
He gave the top a gentle tap.
Creak—with a mechanical groan, the lid swung open automatically.
Huh. Why does this remind me of Stardew Valley? This MC world is getting weirder by the day...
"Let's go! Time to sell off part of our loot from the past few days."
"Mm-hmm!"
The two made their way across the living room toward the underground storage.
A few minutes later, they returned, backpacks now bulging with supplies.
"Let's see how much we can get for these."
Gong Qu tossed in a stack of cobblestone first.
[Cobblestone (64): 0 World Coins]
Well, no surprise there. Even the recycling bin isn't interested in the world's most abundant trash.
Next, he tried a batch of wheat.
[Wheat (64): 50 World Coins]
Wheat in MC takes about five days to mature. Fifty coins per stack wasn't much, but considering he could harvest more than one batch from a square meter of land, it wasn't a bad deal.
He began feeding in more items.
[Copper Ingot (64): 50 World Coins]
[Iron Ingot (64): 100 World Coins]
[Tomato (64): 50 World Coins]
[Raw Salmon (30): 120 World Coins]
[Fishing Rod: 3 World Coins]
[Bow: 5 World Coins]
[Bow (Punch II): 7 World Coins]
[Bow (Infinity): 105 World Coins]
[Leather Cap: 8 World Coins]
[Leather Pants: 11 World Coins]
...
After the round of selling, they racked up a total of 875 World Coins. Crops and ores sold by the stack; gear was priced proportionally to the cost of its materials.
Using the prices displayed, he could even estimate values of items they didn't yet possess.
Take the fishing rod, for example—crafted from 2 strings and 3 sticks. Sticks were worthless, so two strings must sell for 3 World Coins. That meant a stack of string sold for around 96, possibly rounded off; in reality, it probably matched the iron tier at 100 World Coins.
Same logic applied to leather—also likely valued at 100 coins per stack.
The whole setup was oddly reminiscent of the "Equivalent Exchange" mod.
Though not without its differences.
For instance, enchantments added extra value in a tiered system:
Level 1: +1
Level 2: +2
Level 3: +4
Level 4: +8
Then there was Infinity, that one outlier—worth a whopping 100 coins by itself, the same as a hundred minor enchantments combined.
Once he got a grasp on the value system, Gong Qu pulled the iron ingots and enchanted bow out of the bin, leaving behind goods worth 670 World Coins to sell.
As it stood, fishing was more profitable than farming, but if their agricultural scale expanded, just two people fishing might become a waste of manpower.
Keqing had clearly noticed that too.
"Ah-Qu! Let's clear a few plots in the western plains tomorrow and start planting," she proposed.
"I was thinking the same. Fishing brings quick money, but it's not sustainable long-term. Let's check out the general store next."
Gong Qu led the way, with Keqing trailing close behind. Together they exited the villa and stepped into their little garden-like front yard.
The general store was presented like a blueprint, manifesting into a physical building—like an old-school newspaper stand, only way cooler.
Once placed, it shimmered into reality like something out of a sci-fi flick, assembling itself piece by piece, like a 3D printer at warp speed.
Thud!
With a solid final sound, the general store stood proudly in place.
A compact, round structure roughly 3–4 meters tall, its interior was lined with transparent grid shelves. A virtual screen floated above what resembled a front desk—this was their interface for browsing items.
"Wow... is this some kind of tech from your world?" Keqing asked, awe in her voice.
"Not quite! Stuff like this only exists in movies or video games. Back home, we call this style cyberpunk."
Naturally, it was a randomized store, and the first three items looked like they were from entirely different genres.
Suppressing a groan, Gong Qu split the holographic screen into two windows so he and Keqing could browse separately.
Store Prices:
[Cobblestone (64): 20]
[Andesite (64): 20]
[Copper Ingot (64): 100]
[Iron Ingot (64): 200]
...
[Wheat (64): 200]
[Wheat Seeds (64): 50]
[Apple (64): 100]
...
[Salt (500g): 10 World Coins]
[Soy Sauce (600ml): 10 World Coins]
[Vegetable Oil (5L): 100 World Coins]
[Fabric (5㎡): 50 World Coins]
...
[Sweet Flower (12): 100 World Coins]
[Jueyun Chili (12): 200 World Coins]
[Teleport Anchor: 2,000 World Coins]
[Vision: 10,000 World Coins]
The store's inventory was dizzying—and divided by three worlds.
Yes. Three.
First, the MC World, featuring most of the base game's materials—though minerals beyond iron were still undiscovered, showing as greyed-out blocks.
Then there were modded worlds.
The Basic Blue Star Architecture Mod unlocked everyday life items from Gong Qu's previous world, Earth.
The Maid Pact Mod was triggered through his connection with Keqing, unlocking some Genshin Impact-inspired content.
All in all, Gong Qu was very pleased with the store.
After all, it truly had everything—even the weirdest stuff you could imagine.
"All right, nothing else we can afford now. Let's go home and rest."
"W-wait!"
Keqing zoomed in on the screen, focusing on the section with fabric and sewing kits.
"Let's get some fabric. You've only had that one outfit all week. What if winter comes? You'll freeze. Don't be fooled by my silk-and-brocade upbringing—I'm actually pretty good at sewing!"
Rolling up her pajama sleeves, Keqing beamed with confidence.
Gong Qu blinked, then broke into a helpless smile.
"Ah-Qing... what am I going to do with you?"
"W-what? Am I being wasteful? Maybe we shouldn't—"
"No."
He gently lifted her hand, kissing it softly.
"If you keep spoiling me like this, I'll turn into someone who can't survive without Keqing."
"That's nonsense... You've been training hard with me, learning swordsmanship."
Her cheeks flushed under his sudden affection.
"Hmph, even flustered, you're still beautiful. I'm already addicted to you, Keqing."
"Eep!"
In one swift move, he scooped her up into his arms.
"Come! Let's battle three hundred rounds more!"
"Nooo! You'll break me!"
That night, sleep would once again be elusive.
9:00 AM, the next morning.
Gong Qu stirred in bed, instinctively reaching out beside him—only to find the space empty.
Hair still a mess, he noticed neatly folded clothes waiting on the nightstand.
Keqing had clearly woken early again to do housework.
"Spoiled rotten... I really can't go on like this. Gotta pull myself together!"
He dressed quickly and headed downstairs.
There she was—Keqing, sitting gracefully on the sofa, cutting pieces of deep-blue fabric. Judging by the shape, it looked like a Liyue-style short robe.
As for how she got the fabric? Gong Qu had quietly transferred some World Coins to her the night before—after all, those coins could be extracted and used as physical currency.
"Ah-Qing."
The voice behind her made her pause. She looked up to meet Gong Qu's gaze.
"Good morning, Ah-Qu. Are you hungry?"
She smiled, and it was like the sun spilled more brightly into the room.
Gong Qu playfully lifted a strand of her violet hair and inhaled the faint, elegant fragrance.
"We have a saying where I'm from: 'beauty is food for the soul.' Seeing you—so gorgeous and capable—is better than any gourmet meal."
"Hmph. Sweet talker."
But even as she said it, her expression gave her away. She was clearly pleased.
"Today, let me handle the cooking—and I'll prep the farmland too. You can take it easy, or explore a bit."
Keqing was momentarily surprised—this wasn't what they had agreed on.
But one look at his gentle yet resolute eyes told her all she needed to know.
She realized that her constant efforts might've bruised the pride of this little man before her.
"Pfft! All right then. I look forward to tasting your cooking, Ah-Qu."
"Relax, I'm from Sichuan—cooking is in our blood. Get ready to be fattened up!"
With energy bubbling, Gong Qu dashed toward the kitchen, a smile dancing at his lips.
Hardworking. Beautiful. Kind. Understanding.
Keqing was his and his alone.
Being transported to another world... might just be the best thing that ever happened to him.