Chapter Eighteen: Return and a Bountiful Harvest!

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World: Earth (Derivative)
World Difficulty: C (Easy)
You have completed the main quest: [Survive]
Your current world participation rate is 80%
You have completed the side quest: [Real-Life CS Competition]
Your current world participation rate is 100%
You have triggered the hidden quest: [Blood Debts Must Be Repaid]
Your current world participation rate is 120%
You have received the highest-tier reward for the hidden quest: [Blood Debts Must Be Repaid]!
Your current world participation rate is 150%
You have received Universal Points 6000 (4000)
You have received Basic Skill Points 5 (3)
You have received Basic Attribute Points 8 (5)
[Note: numbers in parentheses are base rewards]
You may select three rewards from the following four options:
A: 1 Gold Skill Point
B: Chest (Purple)
C: [Contract of Sprout (First Tier)] (This option is a rare reward)
[Contract of Sprout (First Tier)]
Origin: Exclusive Newcomer World (Earth Derivative)
Quality: Special
Type: Consumable
Effect: Pay 5000 Universal Points to sign the “Sprout Contract” with “Sprout Space.” Before entering any new first-tier world, the chosen one may ask “Sprout Space” three questions, which will calculate and answer with the best possible solution. Additionally, before entering each new world, the chosen one may select between two worlds.
Rating: ???
Description: To the confident and stubborn, it is worthless; to the indecisive, it is priceless; to the conspirator, it is a trap; to the devotee of space, it is a textbook.
This item cannot be sold!
[Note: This item may only appear with probability in the first world of each tier]
D: Bring out items that cannot be taken from this world
[Note: 100% world participation rate earns one reward; 120% allows you to choose two from three; 150% allows you to choose three from four; 200% ?????? (insufficient permissions, unavailable)]
Chen Qi watched the barrage of notifications from the space with a bitter expression, especially the final three out of four choices. For someone greedy yet indecisive, every selection was nothing short of torment.
At that moment, Chen Qi suddenly remembered he had one remaining permission to ask the space a question, and it felt like finding a lifesaving remedy. He immediately used it, requesting from the space:
“Please provide a data-based recommendation index for the four options.”
[Beep... Analyzing the chosen one's characteristics]
The space's prompt appeared quickly.
[A: Short-term recommendation index 50/100, long-term recommendation index 90/100]
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[B: Short-term recommendation index 80/100, long-term recommendation index 40/100]
[C: ...]
The space’s prompt suddenly stalled, and just as Chen Qi thought something was wrong, an image appeared in his mind.
It was a mysterious parchment contract, covered densely in scrolling comments—each comment someone’s evaluation of the item.
Chen Qi scanned a few:
“What a piece of junk—get lost!”
“Newcomer’s artifact!”
“Whoever owns this will one day achieve greatness.”
“Too expensive!”
“It’s a trap; using this will make you a slave to the space forever.”
“Why not just take 5000 Universal Points instead?”
The barrage made Chen Qi dizzy and he quickly exited the interface.
[D: Short-term recommendation index 80/100, long-term recommendation index 30/100]
[The chosen one has used all three first-tier question permissions. The space will no longer answer unrelated fairness questions.]
Chen Qi oddly sensed a hint of relief in the space’s prompt...
In the dim room, Chen Qi began his long contemplation.
“First of all, this C reward has to be chosen—it looks like fun,” Chen Qi joked.
He knew well that, having only encountered extraordinary works in literary fiction, guidance on the path to strength was invaluable to him.
As he continued pondering, he sighed:
“Why did my parents leave so early? I wish I had some god-king father to rely on.”
Next, he chose reward A—the 90 long-term recommendation index signified the foundation of future skyscrapers.
The problem was B and D; Chen Qi wanted both, but the merciless rules forced him to exclude one.
“Pick D, I guess—that outfit saved my life, I’ve grown attached to it. B might just contain some random junk.”
Having made his decision, Chen Qi selected in his mind:
“I choose A, C, and D.”
Seeing the familiar gear appear in his backpack, Chen Qi hurriedly donned the [Nightwalker II Nano Combat Suit].
Feeling the comfortable sensation once again envelop his body, Chen Qi hummed a folk tune from his hometown.
Then the space sent another message.
[Congratulations, chosen one, you have officially joined ‘Sprout Space.’ Please confirm your nickname.]
Chen Qi thought for a while and chose “Morning Star”!
Not only because his name contained “Qi,” but also because he wished his life would shine as the brightest star in the night sky.
“The brightest heart in the night sky, whether—”
A familiar melody echoed in his mind, and Chen Qi quickly stopped himself.
After spending 347 Universal Points to restore his gear’s durability and heal the last of his injuries,
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Chen Qi felt truly revitalized—he realized that recovering from serious injuries was a completely different feeling from simply being normal.
Suppressing the urge to open his hidden quest reward, Chen Qi turned his attention to the room.
What fascinated him was that, as soon as he focused his mind on the space, the three-dimensional layout of the entire room appeared in his mind.
With a thought, the whole space shifted like a slideshow.
“Let’s not make it too flashy—it doesn’t suit a powerhouse’s image.”
In the end, Chen Qi resisted the impulse to plaster the walls with posters (wives) and opted for a stark, minimalist black-and-white style.
With a thought, the room was transformed, spotless. As someone who hated tidying up, Chen Qi was delighted.
It was worth noting that two-thirds of the room was occupied by a bed...
Chen Qi felt that, with a thought, he could leave. Sure enough, the scenery changed, and in the next moment he stood on a bustling street.
He watched the crowds passing by, dressed in all sorts of clothing he’d only seen in literature. People hurried past without paying him any mind, prompting him to mutter:
“People here are cold and indifferent—the world is falling apart.”
Just then, a wiry young man with a sharp face and monkey-like features spotted Chen Qi. His eyes lit up, and he called out:
“Hey, brother, you must be new here! I’ve got a sword that can cut through iron like mud—only 888 Universal Points. What do you say?”
Chen Qi checked the weapon info the man sent over.
[Azure Edge Sword]
Origin: Any world with mature iron-forging techniques
Quality: White
Type: Sword
Durability: 27/56
Attack: 5–11
Requirement: Strength 3
Rating: 3
Description: An utterly ordinary sword; you’ll find it on every blacksmith’s rack.
Price: 130 Universal Points
...
Seeing the clearly used, lackluster long sword, Chen Qi shook his head repeatedly.
But the monkey-faced man wouldn’t give up, rattling off:
“Kid, you look promising—how about 666 Universal Points? Plus, I’ve got some pants you might wanna see.”
Noticing the gear had a white glow, Chen Qi immediately declined.
He didn’t know the pricing or purchasing power of Universal Points in “Sprout Space,” but after more than twenty years of survival experience, he knew that anything pushed at him like this could never be profitable!
Seeing the man was becoming a nuisance, Chen Qi returned to his private room.
He decided to open his hidden quest reward first—there was more reason to trade afterward.
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