The socialite circle.
Chen Yu felt it was not an exaggeration to refer to Jiang Yaqing and her circle this way.
These people—
Were either wealthy or noble!
Chen Yu was quite envious of such people.
It was unavoidable!
Even in this new world of the caves, which had undergone a complete reshuffle, they still had loyal dead servants to attend to them, giving them resources that others could hardly match in the caves.
They lived smoothly in the caves.
If Chen Yu were to enter this circle at this time, it would not be an exaggeration to say he was entering the core circle of cave survivors.
With the resources Chen Yu controlled.
He could very likely use this circle to elevate his status and strength in the caves.
However—
"Heh, forget it."
Chen Yu, looking at the projection on his watch, raised his hand and touched his nose, declining Jiang Yaqing's invitation.
Jiang Yaqing, upon receiving this answer, was also taken aback.
Chen Yu had refused!
This was quite unexpected for her.
She had thought that if she invited him, Chen Yu would definitely accept. It wasn't that she thought her circle was that great, but rather that she believed Chen Yu would benefit without any harm from joining.
Chen Yu held numerous resources.
It was difficult for individual cave dwellers to monetize the resources he controlled, but within their circle, he could effortlessly find many wealthy clients with abundant resources.
Her invitation also stemmed from a desire to help Chen Yu.
Who knew that Chen Yu would not agree.
She had always considered Chen Yu to be a smart person, and she understood these simple principles, so Chen Yu should not have been unaware of them.
"You don't need clients?"
"Who doesn't need clients? Aren't you here?" Chen Yu smiled faintly. "If there are quality clients, you can introduce them to me. As for joining the circle, that's a no."
Joining the circle?
While seemingly beneficial, it actually came with more restrictions.
Chen Yu had participated in student unions before.
Although he had some authority on campus, the strict regulations made him feel like he was shackled.
A student union could be considered a microcosm of social circles.
There was no such thing as something that was entirely beneficial and harmless in this world.
It was just that the presence of benefits might have masked the disadvantages to some extent, but it did not mean the disadvantages did not exist. Integrating into a circle meant Chen Yu would inevitably come into contact with many people.
These people, possessing certain strength and financial means, were bound to have personalities that were not easy to deal with. Not everyone was as easy to talk to as the "big fat sheep" Jiang Yaqing.
Chen Yu might have to be diplomatic with them.
He disliked that the most.
And, there was a very important point—
If he joined the circle, and they all knew each other, seeing each other constantly, how could he get rich in the future?
Whom would he scam?
Whom would he rob!
In the circle, if he saw someone he didn't like, he would have to put on a fake smile. He might as well not know them at all and just tie up anyone he disliked.
To save trouble.
"You look down on my circle?" Jiang Yaqing, unaware of Chen Yu's thoughts, frowned slightly. "Our Jiangnan circle might be a bit different from your circle, but still..."
"I absolutely don't have that thought."
Chen Yu quickly explained righteously.
"I'm truly happy that you invited me. It shows you consider me a friend. As for joining the circle, perhaps my nature is a bit solitary. I get allergies from interacting with too many people."
"Ah?"
"Allergies, with a rash all over."
"Really!"
Jiang Yaqing's voice from the watch sounded genuinely convinced.
"Of course," Chen Yu said solemnly. "I'm already breaking out in a rash now, just thinking about joining your circle. I won't say more, I'm going to apply medicine."
The call ended.
Looking at the disconnected screen, Jiang Yaqing tilted her head.
This, could also cause allergies?
Immediately, she lowered her gaze to her own arm and muttered with a frown.
"This should be considered a psychological illness."
As she spoke, Jiang Yaqing opened her chat page and entered a group chat.
In the group chat—
The people inside were still discussing Jiang Yaqing and An Pingruo Shan's reward for activating the magic workbench. Although many people in the group had tagged her, she had not participated.
Instead, she singled out someone in the group.
Jiang Yaqing: @Guo Wen Yuan, Iron Bucket Yuan'er, pop out!
Guo Wen Yuan: ?
Guo Wen Yuan: You're the one who's an iron bucket. What's wrong? I'm busy.
Jiang Yaqing: Hey, I remember you're a psychology major. I have a friend who seems to have a psychological problem. He says he gets a rash all over when he interacts with too many people. What's up with that?
Guo Wen Yuan: ?
Guo Wen Yuan: Allergies? This kind of symptom?
Guo Wen Yuan: Hurry, tell me all about it.
...
Chen Yu, who had ended the call, had no idea that the warm-hearted Jiang Yaqing had already started looking for a psychologist for him. He had now wholeheartedly devoted himself to the development of the camp.
"Future technology!"
Chen Yu's eyes lit up as his palm covered the control panel.
The magic workbench.
The moment Chen Yu touched it, it emitted a curtain of what seemed like future technology. His fingers could operate it, and Chen Yu also saw the fusion page that Jiang Yaqing had mentioned.
However—
There was a difference from what Jiang Yaqing had said, regarding the quantity he needed for fusion.
5!
It took 5 elemental shards to fuse into 1 complete elemental crystal, with a fusion time of 1 hour and a success rate of 95%.
Furthermore, his fusion queue was 3.
Seeing this, Chen Yu instinctively glanced sideways, his eyes widening as he looked at the little demon.
"This..."
"Special attribute!" the little demon said emphatically. "This should be a special attribute of your magic workbench. Chen Yu, how is your luck so good?"
Even Chen Yu felt his luck was indeed quite good.
Fusion time halved.
Required materials halved.
Success rate increased.
The fusion queue was also tripled.
Just the fusion queue alone saved Chen Yu 110 elemental crystals compared to others.
"Heh, perhaps this is the destiny's chosen one!"
Chen Yu arrogantly crossed his arms, his expression defiant.
"Tsk~"
The little demon snorted dismissively.
"Don't get so proud. Such early advantages can be negligible later on."
"Are you sure?" Chen Yu raised an eyebrow and smiled. "My expansion to 4 queues requires 10 elemental crystals, while others need 1000 elemental crystals. I can fuse double the elemental crystals in the same time, with half the materials. You tell me if this advantage is negligible?"
"You think quite beautifully."
Unexpectedly, the little demon let out a chuckle.
"Try expanding your queues. After these special attributes are granted, there are usually accompanying curse attributes. The time you save and the materials you economize might all be lost when you expand your queues."
"Huh?!"
"Scared?" the little demon pouted. "If you don't believe me, just try it. Expand to 4 queues, and if it doesn't cost you ten thousand elemental crystals, I'll call you Daddy!"
--
Author's note:
Good afternoon, have you eaten?