Universe Infinite Canteen

Ma Lu had been busy looking at colors these past couple of days—but don't get the wrong idea, not those kinds of colors.

He was choosing colors for duvet covers and sheets. With Hou Yihan acting as a life assistant and human camera, running around helping him inspect properties, Ma Lu quickly found a house to his liking and swiftly signed the contract.

It was a standalone villa, about a twenty-minute drive from the restaurant, covering an area of 360 square meters. It had two floors above ground and one below, with a garage and a large yard.

There was even a fig tree in the yard, so he could eat fresh figs in the summer.

The monthly rent was 63,000. It came beautifully decorated; with just a small addition of some furniture and appliances, it was ready for him to move in. In fact, just last night, Ma Lu had already hosted a barbecue in the yard.

For the past couple of days, he had also been gradually moving his things from the rental house to the new place. There was actually more than half a year left on the lease of his old place, but all told, it wasn't much money—less than half a month's rent of the new house.

Ma Lu couldn't be bothered to sublet it. If it came to it, he'd just use it as a warehouse to store the hams and smoked meats Old Wang made.

Upon learning that he was planning to move into a new place, many people sent their congratulations. Among them was Yan Wu, who gave him a thermostatic shower system, allegedly from Hansgrohe, worth over 6,000.

But once Ma Lu got his hands on it, he felt the workmanship was shoddy and estimated it was probably a fake.

The Werewolf was stingy, so it was no surprise there was no High-Dimensional Artifact; still, it was unfortunate the hardware he did give ended up being counterfeit.

However, considering the giver was his creditor, Ma Lu still pretended not to notice and accepted the gift. By comparison, the Wandering Sorcerer was much more generous, giving him a Demon Nail.

It was enveloped in dark mist, looking rather ominous and ill-omened.

But according to the Female Sorceress, this object actually had no side effects on humans. Moreover, the demonic aura it emitted could deter lower-level Demons from approaching.

Demons are creatures with a very clear social hierarchy; higher-level Demons naturally suppress lower-level ones.

This nail came from a 2nd Level Demon. With it around, creatures like the Red Little Devil they had captured before would not come near this area.

The Female Sorceress also gave Ma Lu an artificial fountain that didn't need a pump and could be driven purely by a Spell. It would last for about 5 years, which was roughly when Ma Lu's lease was up. By then, he should be qualified to purchase his own property.

Then, the Red Ridge Project Department also joined in on the excitement.

The launch of the hair growth cake and the skin system had sparked a new gaming craze, with online numbers hitting new highs every day. Baldy was grinning from ear to ear, and this time, he personally came to express his congratulations.

Seeing that Baldy had come empty-handed, Ma Lu thought he was just there for a verbal congratulations. But after offering his congratulations, Baldy pulled him aside and said mysteriously,

"Boss Ma, do you trust me?"

"Uh... I guess I do."

Ma Lu was merely engaging in the usual business courtesy, but Baldy took him seriously, clapping him on the shoulder excitedly,

"Good, I haven't misjudged you. Boss Ma, since you treat me like a brother, I certainly won't let you down! I have seen all your hard work these days, and it's precisely because of your involvement that our team has been able to overcome difficulties and thrive."

"That's very humbling of you, Boss Baldy; it's mainly due to your excellent leadership."

Baldy's face broke into a hearty smile at the words, "You're a great guy, Boss Ma, but you're too polite. Come on, I want to show you something nice."

Ma Lu was invigorated at the mention of something nice, curiously asking, "Oh, what is it, Boss Baldy? Have you kept a treasure hidden somewhere?"

To Ma Lu's surprise, the usually straightforward Baldy suddenly became coy, "You'll know when you see it, Boss Ma."

"This secretiveness... well, now I'm really interested," Ma Lu said, his curiosity piqued by the other man's demeanor.

Baldy looked over at Beigong Meng, "Are you ready?"

Beigong Meng nodded, "Don't worry, boss. It's all foolproof."

Hearing this, Ma Lu finally sensed something was off. "What do you mean 'infallible'? Is there a risk involved with this thing?"@@novelbin@@

"Just a tiny bit, it's not significant." Beigong Meng reassured, "I've studied this for a long time and have tested it. It's perfect, I would even call it a work of art."

"Alright, enough talk, hurry up, or we'll be too late," Baldy urged.

Beigong Meng gestured an 'OK' with his hand, "Boss Ma, this way please."

As he spoke, he pulled Ma Lu under the fig tree and took out a gemstone the size of a pebble from his pocket, which seemed to have flames flowing inside it.

Upon seeing the gemstone, Ma Lu couldn't avert his gaze, pondering in his heart how much it must be worth.

He took the gemstone from Beigong Meng and scrutinized it carefully.

The more he looked, the more he felt it was priceless.

Priceless usually has two meanings, on one hand it implies that the item is extremely valuable with no upper limit, and on the other, it also means that there's nowhere to sell it, so it's difficult to put a specific price on it.

But even so, it would make for a nice addition to a collection.

Ma Lu was admiring the gemstone, unaware that the lawn under his feet suddenly lit up, revealing a giant hexagram magic circle.

But even if he had noticed, it wouldn't have mattered because half a second after the magic circle lit up, Ma Lu's figure vanished from the yard.

Ma Lu only saw a flash before his surroundings underwent a drastic transformation.

The beautiful garden and his new home had disappeared, replaced by a vast expanse of muddy roads, a dark sky, desolate Gobi, and the air was filled with an unpleasant sulfur smell.

Then, Ma Lu felt a chilling presence seeping into his body from the soles of his feet, causing his limbs to become stiff, like wood. If someone were to knock on them at that moment, they would probably make a clanging sound.

This is bad, he's turning into a dried corpse!

Luckily, in this moment of crisis, the ruby in his hand suddenly burst into a dazzling red light that enveloped him.

Then, the chilling presence disappeared, and Ma Lu could move his hands and feet freely again.

What kind of place was this? He hadn't used the Bug Egg, and the new route hadn't even been opened. How did he suddenly end up here?

Ma Lu furrowed his brow, surveying his surroundings, and suddenly felt it looked familiar.

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Hmm, wait a minute, isn't this Red Ridge?

Could it be that Baldy had once again upgraded their game to VR immersive type?

That was unnecessary. This level of technological prowess was clearly not from a game developer of this era. If it were to be promoted, players would probably go nuts—some secrets just can't be contained.

By the second day, both the Pigeon and Dragon Group would probably come knocking on the door, and who knows who would arrive first.

As Ma Lu was pondering, a skeleton walked past him, dragging the corpse of a blue Goblin that bore injuries and had several bones broken, suggesting it had just been through a fierce battle.

The skeleton also noticed Ma Lu, paused in its steps, let go of the Goblin's corpse, and started walking towards him with long strides.

Then, the magic circle on its chest lit up, and a ball of green flame leapt out.

Seeing this eerie scene, Ma Lu instantly became alert.

But then a voice rose in his mind, "Fuck, Boss Ma, is that you? Wow, look at that presence!

"They even got you an exclusive real-life model for the game. No wonder you've been promoting them and setting up collaborations—the fidelity is mind-blowing! The skins I just bought seem lackluster in comparison."