Chapter 165 It's Important to Be Stronger Than the Federation

　　Once the two were far away, Lu Xiaoyao, a native of the Empire, emerged from behind a haystack, hiking up her skirt and making an obscene gesture at their retreating figures.

　　"Did the Empire offend you?! You Federation guys aren't any better! Bastards!"

　　As a citizen of the Empire, Lu Xiaoyao had now entered the usual state of mutual mockery between the Empire and the Federation on the Star Network.

　　The love-hate relationship between the two sides had been a convention for many years; you mock me sarcastically, I criticize you indirectly—neither of us is a good bird!

　　So, seeing that she wasn't really going to challenge them to a fight, but just cursing them in place, Bai Xiao didn't bother stopping her.

　　Did they think the Empire was full of young masters and delicate misses?

　　Bai Xiao secretly vowed that she would beat them so badly in this year's military academy student league competition that they wouldn't even recognize their own mothers.

　　However, thanks to Lu Xiaoyao's live broadcast perspective, Mingmei also learned of Julian's and the others' evaluation of her.

　　"Am I really that expressionless?" Mingmei stubbornly held a small bronze mirror in the tent and looked at her face again and again, but she still didn't feel anything special. "I think I look fine. A nose is a nose, and eyes are eyes. What's wrong with that?"

　　Gui Gui: [...]

　　Hearing its host's evaluation and question, what could it say?

　　As long as they were human, didn't everyone have a nose and eyes?

　　If someone had nostrils growing where their eyes should be, that wouldn't even be considered human, okay?

　　[Actually, they probably mean you could be a little gentler, and a little more enthusiastic when selling the bento boxes.]

　　Gui Gui was also a bit put off by the other party's tone. Its host was the only merchant NPC in the entire scene, how could she be "giving things away for free"?

　　But that didn't mean it, as a system, had to add fuel to the fire, did it?

　　"Heh, I've already made it so obvious. Why should I greet players who can't even figure out I'm a merchant NPC with a smile? They should see if their IQs are high enough."

　　See? Even when Gui Gui said nice things, its host's mouth was still as sharp as ever, except that the timing seemed wrong.

　　Because, just as Mingmei finished her cold laugh and curses, she turned around and saw Lu Xiaoyao, who had just reached out and lifted the curtain.

　　Mingmei: "..."

　　Lu Xiaoyao: QAQ

　　"Don't overthink it. I'm not cursing you. Don't take it personally." Facing Lu Xiaoyao, who seemed to have misunderstood her words, Mingmei still explained concisely. However, the more she explained, the more Lu Xiaoyao felt that she was talking about herself.

　　That she was brainless and blinded by the fancy clothes.

　　That she herself! Had missed the opportunity to buy something from the merchant QAQ!

　　"I..." Lu Xiaoyao looked pitifully at Mingmei, wanting to confess, but she was choked by the other party's cold face, and turned to Bai Xiao for help.

　　Seeing Lu Xiaoyao's cowardly appearance, Bai Xiao could only smile awkwardly at Mingmei and ask, "Excuse me, can we still buy that bento box?"

　　"There's still nearly three hours of buffer time," Mingmei told the truth. "Once you miss it, there's a six-hour recovery period."

　　"Ah~" The two nodded dully, saying nothing more.

　　In the end, it was just that Lu Xiaoyao hadn't recognized her.

　　"By the way, can I ask you, did those two people just now... buy your bento boxes too?" Bai Xiao thought of the other two male players. Judging by their tone, they seemed to have come to buy bento boxes as well?

　　Mingmei nodded, but didn't hold anything back, only saying, "They also rejected me earlier, and now they're running back to beg for forgiveness."

　　Mingmei curled her lips coldly. "Keep waiting. They'll be waiting even longer than you."

　　Sometimes, people could be happy because of just one sentence.

　　"Wahahaha, I'm not the last one!"

　　Lu Xiaoyao, who had just been immersed in the sorrow of Mingmei saying that she was too stupid to understand the hint, was instantly revived and laughed like a fool. "As long as I'm stronger than the Federation, hahahaha!"

　　Mingmei looked at Lu Xiaoyao, whose expression was so vivid, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly in a rare smile. She nodded as if agreeing. "Indeed..."

　　Lu Xiaoyao had been attracted by the clothes at that time, which was why she had rejected her. But those other two...

　　They had immediately treated her as a player and advised her not to eat anything, meddling in her business.

　　For a moment, Mingmei actually felt that their superfluous behavior was even more outrageous than Lu Xiaoyao's brainless state.

　　"But we're going to prepare for the dance later. Will we make it in time for you to sell the bento boxes?"

　　After her self-consolation, Lu Xiaoyao began to worry about her completely unclear future again. She grabbed Bai Xiao's hand and sighed. "Those two from the Federation don't look reliable at all. We from the Empire can't team up with them, and that last one is still somewhere..."

　　"Are you talking about the last player?"

　　Mingmei suddenly said this.

　　"Ah? Do you know something?"

　　"Do you really want to know?" Mingmei raised an eyebrow, her tone revealing that it wasn't impossible, as if she was luring a fish to bite.

　　Selling bento boxes in the newbie village was about performance, but selling bento boxes here was about earning academic points from the players, and the players were also playing the game for academic points.

　　Just like when Bai Xiao first saw the two bento boxes and ultimately chose the cheapest one.

　　Therefore, Mingmei didn't mind using her brain a little.

　　Bai Xiao quickly understood Mingmei's meaning, so after nodding, she directly asked what conditions needed to be met to know this.

　　"Buy all my bento boxes, both of them." After Mingmei finished speaking, Bai Xiao was stunned. The two kinds of bento boxes were 1.5 academic points. Even if they passed with a perfect score, they would only get 5 academic points. Giving the merchant 1.5, they would have a maximum of 3.5 academic points themselves.

　　Not to mention whether it was worth it in the end, if they spent 1.5 academic points and didn't pass smoothly, resulting in a very low score, that would be another sad story.

　　"Okay!"

　　Compared to Bai Xiao's careful calculations and hesitation, Lu Xiaoyao immediately nodded and agreed as soon as she heard Mingmei speak, without any hesitation at all!

　　Bai Xiao: "..."

　　"Pfft, okay."

　　Mingmei's eyebrows curved, and she was obviously in a good mood. She looked at Bai Xiao again, and saw that the other party's face was completely opposite to hers.

　　A look of hopelessness flashed across Bai Xiao's face for a moment. She tilted her head to look at Lu Xiaoyao, as if saying, "Couldn't you have been a little slower?"

　　"The last player isn't dead. He even bought two bento boxes from me," Mingmei said, and then added, "But the two players who came to buy bento boxes just now told me that the last player was dead, hanging outside."

　　Although Mingmei's background for trading with players didn't show all the players' information, none of the five gray figures had turned black.

　　In other words, the one hanging dead outside wasn't a player.

　　After Mingmei finished speaking, Lu Xiaoyao's barrage exploded.

　　[Wait! What is this, what is this merchant lady saying? I don't quite understand?]

　　[It's not what I'm thinking, is it?]

　　[Upstairs, explain clearly, what kind of thing?]

　　[Have you forgotten what our girl did in the newbie village?]

　　[Oh... 23333, so there really are people who are even worse than our girl, ah ha ha ha ha!]

　　[Awwwww! Are you saying that the Federation guy also mistook the NPC for a player?]

　　The guesses on the barrage were basically speculating that the two players seemed to have mistaken the NPC for a player, but the words that Lu Xiaoyao said next made Mingmei couldn't help but give her a thumbs up, praising, "As expected of you, Lu Xiaoyao!"

　　"Could it be that the one hanging outside isn't actually dead? Does he still have a breath left?"

　　For some reason, when Lu Xiaoyao said this, Mingmei couldn't help but look towards Bai Xiao, and saw that Bai Xiao, who was about to open her mouth, silently closed it.

　　While Lu Xiaoyao was staring at her, wanting her to speak, Bai Xiao had already covered her face, looking like she didn't want to speak at all.

　　Bai Xiao: My heart is so tired! Forget it, let it be, let's just destroy it!