Trapped Inside the Beta Test World for 1000 Years-Chapter 76

"Business? What business?" Joey frowned.
He couldn't think of anything more important than what the other party had just asked for. What he could offer was nothing more than that.
Could it be gold coins? Ha, then this person is really boring.
If he asked, Joey could bury him in gold coins. Spending money as a mage is on a whole different level, it's like burning money.
"About your 'future'."
Xia Ya said, his tone steady.
After hearing this, Joey and Jojo were stunned for a few seconds, then burst into laughter.
"Hahaha Joey, did you hear that? This guy wants to lecture us about our future?"
"Hahaha, I'm dying of laughter. I don't even know if I have a future..."
Xia Ya remained indifferent, patiently waiting for them to finish laughing, his expression unchanged.
The fact that these two clowns ended up together was, in a way, a stroke of fate.
Joey Jones was an only child, and his father was the second Governor of Burkeville, essentially the second-in-command of Astan City. However, the Jones family name was a big deal in the United Holy Nation, and Joey's father was always overshadowed by someone who was once a stonemason and edly a carpenter. So, he dreamed of using his influence to overthrow Burkeville.
But how should I put it, he was just really bad at it, the kind of person who's bad but still has big dreams.
In terms of tactics and mentality, he was no match for Burkeville, who had been through hard times. Over time, realizing there was no hope, he simply transferred the pressure onto his son.
In the NPC settings of Illusory Realm, mages were highly respected, and the birth of a mage was one in a hundred. So Joey's mage talent gave his father great confidence; he believed that toppling Burkeville depended on this trump card.
Unfortunately, Joey was no Shoto Todoroki, and his father was no Endeavor.
But his father had the same flaw as Endeavor.
Over time, Joey, this little sapling, was crushed, becoming introverted and questioning life.
On the other hand, Jojo was different; he was truly a genius and worked very hard, much harder than his peers.
But in the deformed goblin race, there were all sorts of terrible remarks.
"Everything Archfield (Jojo) has comes from talent, what a lucky kid."
"If only I could lie around and have endless inspiration like him..."
"If I were him, maybe I'd be even stronger, but unfortunately, I'm not. Fate is just so unfair."
...
Something like that.
Jojo, young and impetuous, tried to defend himself, but no one listened. They treated his words as wind in their ears; no matter what he said, he couldn't remove his talent.
Some people just love to drag things from high above into the mud and trample them, just to satisfy their twisted psychology. Unfortunately, Archfield didn't understand this at the time; he just wanted others to understand him.
Over time, he simply gave up, stubbornly trying to prove the "value of hard work." He became addicted to "magical powder," unable to extricate himself, and those who were already jealous of him became even more rampant, indirectly accusing him of squandering his talent and wasting opportunities.
Eventually, Jojo became the kind of person they most wanted to see, and he was expelled from the tribe.
So, when these two met, a wonderful chemical reaction occurred.
Joey, having been interfered with by his father since childhood, was weak and timid, just able to tolerate Jojo's bad temper.
And the latter saw the meaning of "talent" in Joey—those lacking talent trudged through the mire, each step requiring immense effort.
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The two complemented each other perfectly and have walked together until today.
Xia Ya liked these two clowns very much, having spent a long time with them and having witnessed their tragedy in the first cycle. Therefore, meddling in their fate became a compulsory course for him in every cycle.
But the way these two guys laughed together was just too annoying.
...
"Had enough laughing?"
Xia Ya put away the bag of herbal powder and directly asked, "Do you know what the people of Allendale use Soulbinding Grass for?"
"Sedatives, tea. What, you think I wouldn't know that?" Jojo raised an eyebrow.
"The biggest use is preservation," Xia Ya said. "Even if it's for consumption, they wouldn't extract the essence and ingest it directly like you do."
Jojo was about to argue, but Xia Ya interrupted, "I know what you're going to say: 'In terms of research on magical powder, you're nothing compared to the great goblins,' but don't forget, you can't go back to Treasure Plains or Rustwater Harbor now. After consuming this bag of highly pure 'magical powder,' do you know what you'll become?"
Xia Ya pointed to a jar of organ specimens on the table.
"Your internal organs will become like that. Blood will stop flowing, tissues will solidify, lose vitality, and can be cleaned and used as specimens."
"You're talking nonsense..."
"How long have you lost your sense of taste?" Xia Ya interrupted him, "Three months, right? You keep telling yourself it's 'withdrawal symptoms.' Are you feeling anorexic, tasting soap in your throat in the morning, and even your bowel movements feel like blowing bubbles?"
The mockery in Jojo's eyes vanished.
He suddenly turned from a proud genius into a frightened child, taking a half-step back and instinctively grabbing Joey's pant leg, as if finding some sense of security.
"Jojo, is what he's saying true?" Joey asked.
"Who the Fing Hell knows, I just woke up, my mind's not clear. I'm hungry, Joey, I have a great appetite, I'm not anorexic!! Give me something to eat!"
Before Joey could respond, Xia Ya pulled out a plate of roasted pigeon meat, which he had specially bought on his way here.
"Here, eat it in front of me. If recovering from a serious illness makes greasy food unsuitable, I have other options."
Jojo stared blankly at the plate of brightly colored roast meat for a few seconds, his eyes moving but his Adam's apple not.
Joey pulled the goblin behind him and stepped forward, "Lord Xia Ya, this matter..."
"Your turn, Joey," Xia Ya said. "Is it really okay for you to let your father boast about how many monsters you've killed?"
Joey froze, then frowned, "This has nothing to do with you..."
"Nothing to do with me? Ha, yesterday he said you single-handedly wiped out the Mourning Camp outside the Eye Tyrant Durum's lair. Today, he's ready to say you've mastered the technique to deal with the Eye Tyrant. In a couple of days, the idea of you tearing Synlos apart with your bare hands will spread throughout the Lugor Kingdom. I'm just here to pay my respects to the hero's remains, lest you get conscripted by the United Holy Nation and I never see you again."
"Xia Ya, you..."
"Joey! Is your idiot father still going crazy!?" Jojo suddenly jumped up, grabbing his collar, "Didn't you say he had shut up!?"
Joey's face was unnatural, and he whispered, "Jojo, that's my father..."
"Didn't I also say I'm your dad!? You recognize him as your father, but not me!?"
"We were just joking..."
"I'm not joking, Fing Hell, you useless piece of trash! You're going to get blown to death by him sooner or later! Did you forget what happened in the Foul Demon Valley last time? Burkeville only gave you twenty men, twenty! Those twenty cowards ran off as soon as the fight started! The Governor didn't take the opportunity to kill you, which is already a sign of conscience. Do you even understand!? You're about to be killed by your useless father, how much more are you hiding from me!?"
"Shut up, Jojo! You also have things you're hiding from me!"
"Oh! You dare to yell at me! You've grown some guts, huh!"
Yes, just like that, argue!
Xia Ya watched from the side, feeling satisfied.
Mission accomplished!
At this stage, this was all he could do. After all, the two of them always solved problems by constantly discovering them.
In the first cycle, Jojo died from organ failure, turning into a goblin specimen with his eyes wide open, dying in Joey's arms.
And Joey, driven insane by his father's boasting, was sent on a suicide mission to exterminate demons. Before leaving, his father bragged to others that his son would surely return victorious, only to curse him as a failure and shed a few symbolic tears upon learning that his son had been torn to pieces by monsters.
But now, none of that would happen.