Chapter 10: We Are Partners!

“Your Witch Excellency, do you see something on me too?”

“Haha, yes.”

Li Zhi Ran laughed, pointing to Xu Lin’s side.

“There’s a little figure next to you. It was frowning earlier, but now it’s a bit happier.”

As expected!

With a thought, Xu Lin scanned the rest of the restaurant.

Sure enough, he saw a chibi figure beside each person.

These chibi figures closely resembled their respective owners.

However, he noticed that the figures only displayed two expressions: frowning or smiling, with varying degrees of intensity.

For example, a crying child nearby had a chibi figure with a face more bitter than others, but it wasn’t crying.

So that’s what ‘sharing others’ happiness’ means.

But is there more to it?

Xu Lin wanted to observe further, but the chibi figures around everyone disappeared.

Effect wore off?

Makes sense—I only had a tiny sip.

He looked at Li Zhi Ran, still beaming cheerfully.

“Minerva, do you feel anything else?”

“Nope, just a great mood. Everything feels joyful.”

Really nothing else?

Wait!

Xu Lin quickly opened the tag status interface and noticed her avatar faintly glowing blue.

Entering her dedicated page, he scanned it and locked onto a change.

Her tag status progress bar was glowing blue and seemed to have increased slightly.

It actually worked!

Though it might’ve been an illusion from the glow.

He clicked for details.

It had indeed increased!

But only by 5 points…

As he checked, it gained 1 more point, but then it stopped.

Looking at the history, it had gained a total of 5 points.

For a 160,000-point progress bar, 5 points was a drop in the bucket.

Xu Lin felt a twinge of disappointment.

It worked, but barely.

Still, he quickly realized that working at all was the key.

This confirmed that items synthesized from tags could affect their tag status levels.

The effect was weak now, likely due to the tag’s low grade or some other reason.

Regardless, having a direction was better than none.

Wait…

What if he used a tag made from Lin Shen Xue’s energy on Li Zhi Ran?

It was risky…

But even without testing it, couldn’t he just show it to her to see if she noticed a difference?

“Minerva, wait here for a sec!”

Acting on the thought, Xu Lin stood without further explanation and left the KFC.

He soon returned with a bottle of mineral water—the same brand Lin Shen Xue had given him.

Control variables matter.

Unfortunately, it was just regular mineral water, not a “Heavy Girl’s Gift.”

Xu Lin didn’t synthesize it on the way. He planned to do it in front of Li Zhi Ran to see if she noticed anything different.

He created a <Positive Role> (White) tag and synthesized it with the mineral water.

A bottle of Relaxed and Refreshing Mineral Water (White) was produced, white-grade.

He was starting to understand that the color next to tags and synthesized items indicated their grade, like in games.

Throughout his actions, Li Zhi Ran remained silent, observing quietly.

Only after the synthesis was complete did she speak.

“Young hero, what’s this?”

“It’s a… magical item made from the Gravity Witch’s magic.”

“Minerva, did you notice anything different during the process?”

“The glow was different.”

Li Zhi Ran answered without hesitation.

There really was a difference.

“How was it different? The color?”

Why can’t I see it?

Xu Lin found it odd.

“Not just the color. It felt different. To put it clearly, the glow from the magical item made with my power felt familiar, but this one has the Gravity Witch’s vibe, though not entirely the same.”

Her words made Xu Lin think: maybe they perceived tags differently?

Like they saw yellow light, while he saw wavelengths between 577 and 600 nanometers?

“Can I drink it?”

“Huh?”

Lost in thought, Xu Lin was pulled back by her question.

He looked at Li Zhi Ran, who seemed eager and determined to drink it.

“You think it’s risky?”

She smiled.

She’d noticed his hesitation.

“Have you drunk it?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“If you’ve drunk it, then I dare to!”

“Didn’t I say? Young hero, we’re partners in fighting the witch. This is necessary research to combat her!”

“If we hesitate, we’ll achieve nothing and face destruction.”

“Minerva…”

Her words struck a chord in Xu Lin’s heart.

She was right.

He now knew the danger was real.

If he didn’t find a solution, he’d end up in ruin.

Minerva was already so resolute, yet he was still wavering…

“Thank you, Minerva.”

Xu Lin made his decision and pushed the mineral water toward her.

She reached out and grasped the bottle.

In that moment, no words were needed. They looked at the mineral water with solemn expressions, as if facing a life-or-death trial.

Their demeanor baffled onlookers.

When Xu Lin suddenly left, people thought he was up to something new, but he just came back with a bottle of mineral water.

That was barely something new.

But then he claimed he’d made a magical item without any visible tricks.

And now, they were treating the bottle like it was a matter of life and death.

No clue. Really, no clue. Has the world changed into something they don’t understand?

That was the thought of ordinary people.

Those with a chuunibyou past smirked knowingly but cringed at their own memories.

“Still, Minerva, don’t drink too fast. Take small sips and watch for reactions.”

Xu Lin let go of the bottle.

“Got it!”

Li Zhi Ran picked up the mineral water.

“Young hero, I’m drinking.”

She unscrewed the cap and took a sip.

Xu Lin watched her closely, monitoring both her reaction and the system interface.

One second, two seconds, three seconds…

She seemed fine.

She took another sip.

Xu Lin’s heart leapt to his throat.

One second, two seconds, three seconds…

Still fine.

She drank about half the bottle in small sips.

“It’s like regular mineral water, just smoother.”

Li Zhi Ran concluded calmly, analyzing the taste.

Xu Lin was stunned.

So were the onlookers, who inwardly scoffed.

Of course it’s regular mineral water! Did they really think some random actions would turn it into a magic potion?

But why did the beauty suddenly stop playing along?

“No way!”

Xu Lin grabbed the bottle from her and took a sip.

The smooth sensation entered his mouth, spread to his stomach, and radiated through his body.

It felt similar to before, but…

No!

After a moment, he noticed a slight difference—the refreshing feeling wasn’t as strong.

Not only was it weaker than the green-grade version, it was even less potent than the white-grade one.

Was it because I drank less?

He glanced at the bottle—about a quarter remained.

“Hm, this is…”

Xu Lin noticed something off.