Chapter 347.1: Technology That Changes The World

"It smells like phenolic compounds... It looks like kerosene, but not quite," after sniffing for a while, Mosquito gave an uncertain assessment.

Chasing Souls, standing nearby, suddenly frowned. "Could it be hydrazine?"

"No ammonia smell, so probably not," Mosquito shook his head and immediately screwed the bottle cap back on.

Phenolic compounds would oxidize easily in the air.

He couldn't determine the composition of this thing for the time being, only inferring that it should be something similar to kerosene based on the viscosity of the liquid and its smell.

But then again, this small bottle felt a bit heavy...

Wait a second.

Oil?!

Mosquito, holding the glass bottle, suddenly froze, standing motionless with a blank expression, as if his brain had shut down.

"Are you lagging?" Seeing Mosquito's blank expression, Stopping Fights waved a hand towards him, but found that he seemed disconnected, showing no response at all.

"Is this item bugged?" Killing Gods muttered, curiously reaching out to take a look at the glass bottle.

However, before his hand touched the bottle, Mosquito jolted as if electrified, snapped out of it abruptly, and without a word, dashed into the nearby factory.

Although he was an agility type, nobody had ever seen him run this fast before.

Watching Mosquito's sudden movement, everyone was left dumbfounded.

"What's wrong with him?"

"Has he been cursed?"

"I doubt it."

Chasing Souls, who had some knowledge in chemistry, faintly sensed something and his expression became intriguing. "Fuel..."

"Fuel?" Stopping Fights furrowed his brow.

"

Mhm

..." Chasing Souls nodded, throat slightly moving, continuing, "And most likely the type we're looking for."

...

The fields in the northern outskirts of Dawn City.

Sitting under a windmill, Pai gazed at the distant verdant fields, holding a bowl of slushy in her hands, enjoying the breeze brushing past her, squinting her eyes comfortably.

Local residents led two-headed oxen along rural paths, carrying agricultural tools while working in the fields. Children played and frolicked under the shade of trees, while the distant sound of tractors rumbled.

This was a sight she had never seen in West Continent City.

It was hard to imagine that it was just a few days ago that the war had ended...

Sitting beside her on the steps, Xiaoyu was similarly relaxed, swinging her legs happily while digging into the slushy resting on her lap.

Perhaps because she was eating too quickly, she couldn't help closing her eyes, letting out a whimpering sound as the ice hit.

"Darn it... Critical strike," The bear sitting not far away mumbled, wearing an expression that could easily be misunderstood by other bears.

"Hahaha..." The Catgirl had a relaxed smile on her face as she gently brushed the bear's fur.

It was a peaceful day today.

But speaking of which, the war had only just ended less than a week ago.

If it weren't for being in the game, everyone wouldn't be able to enjoy such a relaxed holiday.

Tail, sitting nearby and stroking her chin with her nose wrinkled in thought, looked quite intelligent. Suddenly, she spoke up. "This doesn’t feel right."

"Hmm?" Sisi glanced at her.

Tail quickly turned to face Sisi, eyes sparkling. "Don’t you feel it? My Xiaoyu is becoming cuter and cuter!"

"You... Your words are getting dangerously daring."

Silently moving her gaze away from her friend, Sisi glanced at Xiaoyu not far away, suddenly understanding why Tail had said that.

When she first met Xiaoyu, the girl had noticeably dry, almost yellowish hair, a sign of zinc deficiency, which Sisi, being a medical student, recognized.

But now, that hair was envy-inducing. It was glossy and black.

"... It's probably due to an improvement in nutritional status. After all, she's still growing," Sisi said thoughtfully.

From the perspective of the game setting, the citizens of the Prosperous Era had already embraced genetic modification technology and had extensively applied it in fields such as medical aesthetics.

As long as they maintained their nutrition, people generally appeared above average in looks, especially the residents of shelters. That made Sisi feel somewhat numb upon seeing handsome boys and pretty girls in real life.

"Oh! So, does that mean she'll grow up?" Tail asked excitedly.

Sisi hesitated a bit, nodding slightly. "Probably... Yeah."

NPCs would grow with the passage of time.

If that logic held true, it meant that as long as one played long enough, one day they might see Xiaoyu grow into a mature woman?

Ah, that... It seemed too real to be true.

"Then, then what about me?!"

"Well, if you don't die?" Looking at the expectant Tail, Sisi nodded again, but this time, her tone carried a hint of uncertainty.

Hearing that statement, Tail deflated like a balloon losing air.

Watching the windmill slowly turning above, she sighed deeply. "Darn it! That's too difficult."

"..."

The field was filled with the sounds of frogs and cicadas.

In June, the valley's air already carried a hint of heat.

Thanks to the invention for artificial rainfall by the New Alliance's factory, they had produced a refrigerant called ‘difluoromethane’.

Thanks to this invention, the industrial zone of New Alliance could now independently produce refrigerators.

Although it would take some time before these household appliances reached every home, clever players had already brought a variety of ice-related delicacies into the game.

Things like fruit-flavored slushy, milk-flavored popsicles, and many more... A lot of chilled delicacies appeared on the streets of the northern Dawn City, fascinating the traveling merchants and passersby.

While these items existed elsewhere, it was rare to find them as abundant as in the city.

What astonished them the most was that these were delicacies that even ordinary people could enjoy!

That was the most incredible thing...

"... I heard from Big Brother Chu that in another 2 months, the view here will be even more spectacular." Recovering from her brain freeze, Xiaoyu happily stuffed another mouthful into her mouth.

By then, the plains north of Linghu Lake would turn into a sea of golden waves.

Listening to Xiaoyu, Pai's azure eyes filled with anticipation, but soon turned into melancholy. "2 months... that's still a long wait."

Even though it had only been a short couple of days, she had already grown fond of this place.

There were endless delicacies to eat, countless sceneries to behold, stories to listen to, books to read, and interesting people of all kinds.

Of course, the people in Camp 101 were also good people, but everyone was engrossed in exploring their own interests.

Nobody had ever spent a leisurely afternoon with her like today.

Friendship.

The word, which she had only encountered in books, turned out to be so beautiful.

However, thinking that in a few days she would have to go back, Pai felt a sense of impending end to her vacation.

Seeing Pai's somewhat downcast expression, Xiaoyu tilted her head. "2 months will pass by quickly, won't they?"

"Uh... That's what they say."

Staring at the slushy in her hand, Pai fell silent for a moment before suddenly speaking up. "Xiaoyu."

Xiaoyu blinked. "

Mhm

?"

Pai made up her mind and spoke. "Do you want to go to school?"

"School?" Xiaoyu tilted her head, "Do you mean night school? Big Brother Chu said they can’t teach me much there."

Night school mainly taught arithmetic and federation language, mainly focusing on literacy. With guidance from Chu Guang, she had already self-studied algebra, geometry, and statistics.

In accordance with what Brother Chu said, she was now even able to go to school to become a teacher and teach children.

Pai shook her head, looking at her seriously. "Not that kind of school, but to learn more advanced knowledge."

She had visited the night school of the New Alliance, where the curriculum taught there was at most equivalent to 3 class periods in the school in Camp 101.

The education level in the New Alliance was quite worrying, just like the industrial backwardness.

Seeing Pai's seriousness, Xiaoyu's face showed a hint of confusion. "More advanced knowledge as in..."

"It's the kind of knowledge that can make windmills above our heads spin faster, make the vehicles in the fields run farther, and enable people to spend less effort farming millions of square meters of fertile land, and allow them to spend more time with their families..."

Pai described what she had seen in VR images.

From the fields to the factories, then to people's squares and parks, theaters, and schools.

Although she had never truly seen that era, neither had the people in the camp, her master had told her that as long as they could pass on the information about that era, one day people would remember their former pride and reclaim what they had lost.

Xiaoyu, sitting beside her, listened attentively.

Although it sounded like something from a dream to her, she was at an age when girls had a penchant for dreaming, and a hint of longing involuntarily showed on her face. "It sounds so amazing..."

"Isn't it? Although the knowledge we have is just a very small part, it's still quite amazing! As long as you study hard, that day won't be far away."

"But... Can I really do it?" Xiaoyu spoke softly.

"You definitely can! Believe me!" Pai gently reached out and touched her forehead, "I can feel that you possess some rare quality, similar to those residents of the shelter, even though fundamentally you're completely different."

"Quality?"

Pai nodded. "Have you noticed that you have a special talent in language and arithmetic?"

"Big Brother Chu did praise me, saying I learn quickly..." As someone touched her head, Xiaoyu's cheeks slightly reddened. Feeling embarrassed, she moved back a bit and continued in a low voice, "But how did you know?"

"That's the quality I mentioned!"

Pai looked at her, continuing earnestly. "Occasionally, our camp will recruit young newcomers whose brain structure is different from normal people. Problems that ordinary people take minutes to think about, they would only need seconds. What regular people need years to learn, they can grasp in just one month!"

"We will teach them knowledge and help them develop their talents, just like the pioneers of the shelter once reached out to help our parents."

Even without the Enlightenment Chip assistance, they had still reached an astonishing level of mental prowess through their innate talents.

"For the conditions that happen to them, they call it..."

"Ability users!"

Xiaoyu slightly held her breath, her bright eyes filled with surprise and confusion.

I... Have the quality of an ability user?

To be honest, she didn't have much pursuit for abilities. Her current life was already quite satisfying.

As for studying.