"Mm… yes, that really was the purpose."
Just as Feixiao said, those [Power-Enhancing Kick Shoes] were indeed made so that one battle-hardened elementary schooler could knock down an adult. For convenience, they even stuffed the oversized football into the belt.
If children in a place needed such gear… hmm…
It did sound misleading. At first glance, one might imagine some lawless city of crime. But in reality, that place… law enforcement was actually quite effective. Truth be told, not a single criminal there ever managed to escape justice. A hundred percent clearance rate—a veritable bane of criminals, a model land of law and order!
"Where is this place?"
But Feixiao didn't know the details. She imagined children living in constant fear, scrutinizing everyone around them each day to survive. The thought made her furious.
Her conscience would not allow her to ignore such a place. As soon as she knew the coordinates, she would gather her fleet, lead the Verdant Knights, and bring judgment upon its rulers.
"Not that bad, not that bad—this was just a one-off. A self-defense tool custom-made for one genius kid. The place itself… is fine."
Sylvester set aside his conscience and forced himself to give that world the highest praise he could muster, hoping to extinguish her idea before it ignited. Not that he held any deep affection for that world's people—but what could he say? He couldn't very well admit these were all props from manga, could he?
And from the same manga universe as the last batch, no less.
"Really?" Feixiao eyed Sylvester skeptically.
She wasn't a fool. That "it's fine" carried the same energy as: An outlander's first taste of bean soda; An intern of the Alchemy Commission staring up at a medical tome taller than herself; or Jiaoqiu spotting cilantro swishing in a hotpot.
Not merely a troubled expression—it was the full face of "sorry, my conscience hurts." No way she wasn't suspicious.
"Of course it's true. That place… well…"
Argh. It's hard to spin a good cover story on the spot. Whermst? Was that place good? Nowhere, honestly. But how about law and order? Certainly not.
He couldn't say the only bright spots were: lightning-fast police response, patrol cars with extra-bright sirens, prisons so vast they still overflowed no matter how many prisoners were crammed in daily.
Thinking fast, Sylvester clapped his hands: "Its nation provoked a powerful neighbor it shouldn't have, and was flattened in one blow. It became a minority autonomous region. After a grand cycle of reward and punishment, everyone received the fairest end possible."
"So, it's already over…"
Feixiao looked at him half-convinced. His delivery this time was smoother, and she didn't think he had any reason to lie. After all, he was only providing information; raising troops and gathering supplies wasn't his job. Surely, he bore no special affection for a wicked place like that. From their time together, she didn't peg him as that type.
"Exactly—over and done with." Sylvester poured himself a cup of tea, sipping leisurely. "And if that place were really so lawless, who would take the trouble to design children's equipment like this? Remember, they'd only just discovered quantum mechanics. For them, the tech in this gear was far from trivial."
Hearing that, Feixiao examined the Curios again.
Indeed, for such a civilization, these were far from commonplace.
So… perhaps she had overreacted.
She rested one hand on her hip, smiling again, inwardly chiding herself for being too tense.
Meanwhile, Sylvester, calm on the outside, was sighing in relief within.
If she ever learned that the "parent nation" of that place once manufactured pink rifles specifically marketed to little girls, she'd marshal the fleet, fire up the dreadnoughts, and scour the galaxy for Earth itself.
"All right then, three Trash Cans left. Shall we?"
"Of course."
Feixiao nodded—she would see this through.
She had seen summary videos from past customers boasting of "single-can miracles."
But to her, luck was nothing one could grasp. Better to just use all her pulls at once.
Simple and efficient.
Without another word, she flipped open the eighth can. A plain green light again.
What appeared was a red porcelain bowl filled with steaming fried rice.
She recognized it immediately: "Cosmic Fried Rice."
In wartime, to reduce logistics pressure while maintaining nutrition, such simple dishes were common in the military.
"Not bad—a reminder to always stay battle-ready."
Really, she was just humoring herself. That "cost-effective" fried rice had been priced at a million credits—anywhere else it would be called fraud.
She opened the ninth can, another green light.
A green plastic pouch appeared in her hand, filled with little green seed-like pellets.
They looked like… some kind of snack?
Sylvester smiled faintly.
Wasn't this Huang Quan's personal weapon?
He said: "[Novelty Snack]. Roasted seeds inspired by cyclonic principles. Pop one in your mouth and it bounces like popping candy against your palate. Trouble is, it won't come down again—so best eaten lying facedown."
"Uh… what a ridiculous food."
Feixiao sighed. For a Xianzhou general to eat in such a clownish manner—no thanks. Maybe Moze would like them, as he was such a slouch.
But still, if even this turned up, then clearly her good fortune had already run out.
Now she understood the mindset of ordinary customers.
Like Yanqing, who got a blue and a purple out of just three pulls—such people were rare. This run of back-to-back greens, nearly worthless, was far more typical.
Most would never even touch purple Curios; even blues were considered as a windfall.
And those were no joke either—like the [Interstellar Probe] she'd drawn earlier. Used properly, it could make her nearly invincible in battle!
At this stage, the probe was arguably more valuable than even the [Resurrection Elixir].
Resigned, she opened the last can carelessly. Only when the flash of light stabbed her eyes did she wince shut.
But despite the momentary blindness, the corners of her lips curled upward.
Because this time, the glow wasn't the wicked green—but blue!
Not the treasure of the cosmos, perhaps, but after the probe, how could she not be excited?
She waited eagerly for the light to fade.
When at last she saw it clearly, she froze.
On one end, a wooden handle. On the other, a broad, gleaming slab of steel.
This… this was a kitchen knife?!