Lin Sanjiu did not expect that her trip would last more than two months. When she saw Bai Xiaoke, Green Melon, and Qian Zhengguan again, she noticed that there was only hunger in their eyes. When they found the bag of food left by Lin Sanjiu, the three of them started rationing. However, even though they only ate a mouthful of bread each day, they already finished all their rations more than half a month ago.
As they couldn't step on the ground, they spent a significant amount of effort planting a few more tree stumps in Lin Sanjiu's excavation area. Every day, they would choose a different location and let Green Melon float up to the sky so that he could spot any signs of Lin Sanjiu returning.
"Miss Lin Sanjiu, if you still hadn't come back, we were planning to eat that Qian Zhengguan guy," Green Melon said while burping after he had his fill. "In the end, we didn't eat him because he was too skinny..."
Qian Zhengguan's face darkened. While he continued eating his noodles, he moved over to another tree stump. He was so thin that his face had sunken in, and his round eyes now looked larger than before.
Green Melon's careless joke immediately evoked some sentiments from the others—Snow knew that Error 517 had always been Green Melon's close friend. He and the twins called Green Melon aside and talked to him softly.
Seeing them, Lin Sanjiu sighed and looked away. After escaping a life-and-death situation and meeting each other again, Xueqin and Bai Xiaoke continued bickering while Xueqin occasionally let out a dry laugh. Meanwhile, B. Rabbit recently found a new hobby. Once he found a spot to settle down, he would find a bottle of beer from some unknown place. He would pour the beer into the [Bubbles Blowing Girl]'s hand so that it formed a small pool; then, he would bury his face in the pool and start drinking.
"Hey, we need to spend more effort looking for a consular officer," Lin Sanjiu walked over and smiled drily when she saw B. Rabbit drinking. "Even though I got a visa for some reason, you guys don't have one... Most of the people here had been sucked into the apple tree. I'm not sure how we're going to find a consular officer."
Her voice wasn't particularly loud but momentarily attracted the attention of the rest. Even Snow and the others who were discussing in low voices stopped and looked over.
Considering the current times, do you think any consular officer would survive?" Bai Xiaoke couldn't help sighing. "We have been here for two months, and we didn't see a single person."
Qian Zhengguan listened to them with a blank expression and even spat out a bit of noodle.
"Who gave you that visa?" B. Rabbit immediately asked the most important question, "Is that person still around?"
Lin Sanjiu shook her head. When she thought of Nüwa, she recalled how she imitated that woman's thought process. She reminded herself to find time to return to her [School of Higher Consciousness] as she didn't hear everything that Mrs. Manas wanted to say.
"I guess we don't have a choice," Xueqin added worriedly. After thinking about it for some time, she consoled Lin Sanjiu, "I think you should just use your visa and head to that world. As for us... we might meet each other again in the Twelve Worlds Centrum, right?"
"Well... actually..." Qian Zhengguan ate a large mouthful of noodles, so it took a while for him to finish swallowing the food in his mouth. "I..."
B. Rabbit did not hear his faint words at all. He waved his paws and exclaimed spiritedly, "That's right! We can set a meeting point! We're all manly people; we don't have to be together day and night!"
"I don't think that is the right way to use these words..." Bai Xiaoke immediately pointed out.
"This is my first time without a visa. I feel a little scared..."
"I wonder when we will meet again."
While everyone started discussing, Qian Zhengguan realized that no one was listening to him. He finally raised his voice, and it startled everyone, "Hey! Listen to me! Didn't you realize something?"
Eight pairs of curious eyes turned to him.
"My God. It is quite worrying to witness your stupidity..." Qian Zhengguan scratched his head, "Can't you guys associate my name with something?"
The crowd looked at him for a few seconds, trying to process his words. Someone suddenly gasped, "Huh?!"
"Qian Zhengguan, you're a consular officer?"
"Are you really a consular officer? And is that your real name?"
"To pair your name and that ability, isn't this a little too convenient?"
This blew them all away. They all started to discuss the extraordinary turn of events. Qian Zhengguan suddenly became the center of attention and felt uncomfortable. He answered a few of them timidly and approached Lin Sanjiu subconsciously, hoping to get some peace.
"We have looked far and wide for you, yet you've been hiding in plain sight[1]," B. Rabbit shook his head and sighed.
This time, even Bai Xiaoke had to agree that his choice of words was apt. Everyone took quite some time to calm themselves. After that, Lin Sanjiu asked urgently, "Isn't your ability [The Great Reversal Technique]? How could you also be a consular officer?"
If she remembered correctly, B. Rabbit once mentioned that consular officers usually didn't have additional abilities, so exchanging visas was the best way to keep themselves alive.
"Cough... Typically, most consular officers don't have a second ability... I guess I am an exception because of my birth name." Qian Zhengguan had the same confused look he had always had. "Anyway, [The Great Reversal Technique] is my primary ability. My consular officer ability is just an auxiliary ability."
All of them looked at him with open jaws. Their eyes were filled with disbelief.
B. Rabbit was the first to react. He leaped up and said, "Why are you just standing there dumbly? Quick! Look at Xiao Jiu's visa and give us all a visa to that world!"
Lin Sanjiu took out her visa, which showed Destination: Agriculture Farm, and carefully handed it to Qian Zhengguan. The latter answered B. Rabbit's suggestion and looked at her visa with an unreliable expression on his face. While he observed it, he slowly let out a curious tone.
Lin Sanjiu had almost forgotten that this man was skilled at stringing people along. "What's wrong?" she asked hastily.
"Um, there are two matters." Qian Zhengguan showed two fingers. He spoke so sluggishly that anyone listening couldn't help having the urge to punch him a few times just to see if they could punch out more words from him. "Firstly... this visa is a 'nameless' visa."
"What do you mean?"
"Supposedly, when a consular officer's ability reaches a certain point, that person would be able to issue nameless visas... Um, that is to say, anyone can use this visa, not just you."
Somehow, everyone had the feeling that his eyes were sparkling when he said those words.
"Alright, I can give this visa to you. Anyway, you can't use your own visas." Lin Sanjiu made a gesture and made that decision on the spot, "What is the second matter?"
"Well, this..." Qian Zhengguan started mumbling.
"Speak!"
"Uh. Alright... As I have two abilities, my consular officer ability isn't well-developed."
Everyone's gaze was fixated on him.
"What do you mean by 'isn't well-developed'?" Lin Sanjiu questioned him, holding back her anger.
"I can only issue seven visas," Qian Zhengguan stuttered a bit before he quickly asked, "Would you still give this visa to me?"
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[1] A quote from a love poem again