14 Blessings

“……” Cen Jiu fell silent for a moment, then answered abruptly.

In reality, this question could easily offend someone, but within the game, it was a bit more delicate.

This was a game developed by Seven Strings Studio, so it shouldn’t contain any adult content…

Moreover, since the game had entered the holographic era, regulations on such content were much stricter. Such elements had to be clearly marked in the promotional materials, with very prominent warnings upon entering the game.

Cen Jiu hadn’t seen any such warnings when logging in. It couldn’t be that the game was still in beta and they hadn’t decided on content cuts yet—no, her own studio had never created content of that nature.

After a moment’s reflection, Cen Jiu replied without hesitation, her expression resolute: “No, I love adventure, and I’m happy to help others.”

What did real-life matters have to do with a game character? Her in-game persona was completely innocent.

Bandras closed the pocket watch in his hand, as if that question was merely to enhance the game’s atmosphere.

“I believe your answer.” He gave Cen Jiu a respectful bow. “If you wish to help, come find me at sunset tomorrow.”

Mission updated:

[Ortega’s Trouble (Optional): Rest and prepare; speak with Bandras at sunset tomorrow. 0/1]

“I’ll be there on time.” Cen Jiu felt that the white-bearded old man’s offer was a bit grandiose, and the mission prompt looked somewhat ominous.

“By the way, Priest Silva came looking for you last night,” the butler reminded the player before leaving. “Excuse me, I still have work to do.”

Cen Jiu was reminded of that person only then; she ought to return and check in with the lodging manager.

…Wait, she hadn’t made any appointments with Silva last night—why was this character so concerned about the player?

In the end, prioritizing efficiency, Cen Jiu went to the quarry to haul back the cartload of stones she had mined.

Thank heavens, not a single stone was lost.

After piling the stones near the building site, she returned to White Rock Church.

The church doors stood ajar. Cen Jiu slipped through sideways and immediately collided with a solid wall of muscle.

At 1.75 meters tall, Cen Jiu was taller than most modern people, but in this game, which honestly referenced past eras, her height ranked among the tallest characters. Very few were taller than her; Silva was one of them.

Her forehead bumped sharply against his gaunt cheek. Unaware anyone was behind the door, Cen Jiu had dashed in at normal speed, and Silva’s jaw bore the brunt of the impact.

Silva staggered back, tilting his head upward. As a player, Cen Jiu’s sense of pain differed from the character’s—she only felt her head had touched something.

She saw Silva instinctively clutch his cheek.

The priest’s eyes were reddened from the sharp pain; a tear welled up at the corner of his eye, leaving him looking quite pitiable.

“...Uh, sorry,” she offered a perfunctory apology, knowing that uttering words of remorse usually earned forgiveness from game characters.

Silva’s tone remained as calm and enigmatic as ever: “…It’s nothing, a destined accident.”

But his reddened eyes and stiff movements betrayed his effort to maintain composure.

Cen Jiu silently looked away, tactfully giving him face.

“I accidentally fainted outside last night. Sorry for worrying you.”

No response. When she looked back, the priest stepped forward, closing the gap.

In her sight, his sharp-featured hand reached out slowly, cautiously.

With her silent consent, Silva’s cool fingertip gently touched her forehead—the spot where she’d collided.

A brief melody sounded in her ears, like the resonance of strings, fading into a distant, ethereal echo.

It was the familiar sound effect of spellcasting.

[Star’s Blessing (Minor): Increases maximum health and stamina by 5%, greatly accelerates natural recovery speed. (Duration: 3 hours)]

The description said three hours, but Cen Jiu knew it actually lasted three hours and fifty-nine minutes. The four-hour duration only existed in the first players’ eyes, a traditional Seven Strings countdown.

“Is your pain gone?” Silva withdrew his hand, asking lightly, as if casting a spell were trivial.

“…” Cen Jiu touched her forehead, where a faint warmth lingered momentarily, like placing a hand in someone’s neck on a winter day for warmth.

“Ah Jiu…?” Silva noticed her dazed state and grew concerned.

Had he overstepped?

Cen Jiu suddenly looked up, eyes sparkling with excitement: “Star’s Blessing?! Silva, you’re amazing!”

The priest really had a buff ability—she wanted to learn it too!

“Silva! Can you teach me?” Cen Jiu’s eyes shone with hope as she awaited his answer.

Her reaction startled Silva. The priest instinctively stepped back, closed his eyes, and touched the pendant hanging at his chest.

“…Sorry.” After a moment, he opened his eyes, furrowing his brow. “The gods did not answer me.”

His action was undoubtedly a cold splash of water on her enthusiasm.

True—such buffs appearing out of nowhere couldn’t be handed out casually to players.

“I see. Then could I trouble you to bless me every day?” Cen Jiu took a step back and looked at him earnestly.

Silva returned to his usual serene and distant demeanor: “Of course. The church holds morning prayers daily.”

“Great! Thanks, I’ll leave you to your work now!” Cen Jiu excused herself and quickly ran off.

She had other matters to attend to and no time to waste chatting with characters who had already promised help.

Silva knelt again before the altar.

The church’s vaulted ceiling was adorned with deeply hued stained glass depicting bright stars, the seams aligning perfectly to form a star map, awaiting the divine alignment with the heavens.

“Oh, God of the Stars…”

Why no longer guide your followers?

Once favored by divine voices, Silva could no longer hear any commands from the gods, yet his authority to grant blessings remained, and his eyes still perceived the divine light upon humans.

The gods had not abandoned him—but why no longer speak?

Confusion filled Silva’s heart.

Footsteps of hurried adventurers echoed down the corridor; the priest was doomed to be unsettled.

She was a natural recipient of divine favor, though not a follower of the Star faith, yet her divine light shone so brilliantly.

—“The gods did not answer you, but they answered me, asking me to lead you safely away.”

Her words spoken at sea replayed in his mind.

Had the gods truly responded to her?

No one knew.

…

Cen Jiu ran back to the tool shed and selected a sickle, hoe, and watering can.

Today she planned to cultivate the land and plant the seeds she had brought.

Farming should have been done on the first day, but the lure of checking the limited-time free mining was too strong.

Based on yesterday’s mining speed, if she mined all day, she could gather enough materials for a modest-sized house within three months at most.

Not to mention the possible gains from mining skill upgrades, progress might be even faster—finishing the building within half a year was quite feasible.

So she decided to focus on farming today.

On the way to the fields, Cen Jiu noticed her stamina increasing instead of decreasing; the buff’s recovery outpaced the energy spent running.

Wonderful—her stamina bar was full!

The game’s land cultivation had no submenus; the only related features were real-time terrain and range indicators on the map, so Cen Jiu had to experience the primitive manual clearing herself.

From the growth of nearby trees, this land had once been cultivated but was now overgrown with weeds.

She pinched some soil and placed it in her pouch to identify it again.

[Dark Brown Soil: Fertile soil once blessed, highly suitable for planting crops.]

Identification complete—taken.

Cen Jiu opened the seed packet; all seeds were the same—irregular black granules about the size of sesame seeds.

Fortunately, not mixed, or she’d have to sort them individually.

She tried putting the unknown seeds into her bag to trigger identification but only got [Unknown Crop Seeds].

Fair enough—she had grasped the identification pattern; the system wouldn’t reveal everything. She’d just plant and see.

Cen Jiu found a patch of land near the river on the map, cleared it with the sickle, and began tilling with the hoe.

With few seeds, the field was small; she estimated it would take about an hour to clear.

With her mining experience, she started with energy-saving motions. Each swing consumed less stamina until it stabilized at a manageable rate.

[You have learned a new skill: Gardening.]

[Your Gardening skill has reached Level 2!]

Clearing, sowing, and watering—all done in one go.

Don’t ask why she was so skilled—just say she’d played plenty of farming simulation games.

Thanks to the buff, her stamina bar still had more than half left. As she rested, it visibly replenished, likely to fully recover before the blessing expired.

Items on player-owned land did not refresh, so Cen Jiu hid her farming tools in a nearby grass pile, making them hard to spot.

Though she doubted anyone idle in this quiet town would bother stealing tools from an uninhabited spot, better safe than sorry.

Checking the time—nearing evening, still early before her appointment with Silva—Cen Jiu decided she had time for other activities.

Like exploring the town.

She needed to buy a portable water bottle; her thirst dropped faster than her hunger during work.

With such a powerful buff, Cen Jiu felt her character was like a nearly empty canteen, urgently needing hydration.

Arriving at the town square, her first stop was again the Black Camel Tavern.

This time, she wasn’t the only customer.

Marta sat behind the bar, chatting with a customer while greeting Cen Jiu.

“Welcome! Oh? It’s you, young lady!” Marta was surprised Cen Jiu hadn’t left White Rock Town yet.

To her, this desolate town had nothing to attract adventurers to stay.

A woman seated at the bar also greeted Cen Jiu: “Hello! You must be the adventurer Ah Jiu they mentioned?”

She was slender and thin, with a crutch beside her and one leg tightly bandaged and supported by a wooden board.

Cen Jiu nodded and sat beside her.

“Get her a cup of berry wine too, it’s on me.” The woman laughed heartily, causing Marta to sigh.

Used to the woman’s teasing, she introduced herself: “I’m Minela. You’re Ah Jiu, right? Juya mentioned you too—she said you’re quite an impressive adventurer.”

“Oh, by the way, she’s my sister!”