6. This is what it means to be truly fortunate, as Orange Tea describes it.

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Jiang Heyi simply wanted to get to know the new teammates a little, preparing for either temporary or long-term cooperation, but the prison guard brother had gathered far more information than expected…

“Flavored Orange Tea” was a gaming novice.

The only reason she joined "Proof of the Constellations" was because she saw a friend sharing a reservation link during a discussion and clicked it on a whim.

Before this, her gaming experience was limited to mobile games, with zero exposure to consoles or PC gaming.

If cloud gaming counted as experience, she had at least watched some game strategy videos.

Orange Tea was very honest, afraid that her lack of experience would make others see her as a “fraud.”

Upon hearing that Jiang Heyi’s group of four was a fixed team, Orange Tea hesitated and said, “I might not play very well, so it’s okay to put me at the back for material distribution.”

Hey, being a newbie isn’t a big deal.

Among the people Jiang Heyi knew, there were plenty who played poorly; if being bad was a crime, they’d at least be serving a life sentence.

After a session of gaming, those who teamed up with them experienced wild blood pressure swings, their names flashing on the death register like a strobe light—add an LED and it could blind the ten kings of the underworld.

Sometimes, Jiang Heyi was thankful for these silly friends, who made him think about health preservation with goji berries at such a young age.

Because he had experienced so much, his mindset had become remarkably calm; being betrayed or left hanging, he could respond steadily.

Whether they were compatible with others was the key to whether Orange Tea could become a long-term teammate.

Meeting again in Windpod City, Orange Tea got to know everyone one by one and learned each of their nicknames from the socially awkward prison guard brother.

Compared to full IDs, interesting nicknames could quickly shorten the distance between players.

With Orange Tea joining, the team’s composition finally became clear.

Jiang Heyi, ID: [Cyber Potato]

Zhong Zemo, ID: [All Humanity Flies to Heaven]

[Original Flavor Fries]

All three chose the warrior class; except Zhong Zemo leaned towards support and protection, wielding a large shield, Jiang Heyi and Original Flavor Fries planned to specialize in more offensive skills.

[Prison Guard Appreciation Expert], the team’s only mage.

[Flavored Orange Tea], gaming novice, full-time support.

Original Flavor Fries had the highest level, already at level 7.

Jiang Heyi, Zhong Zemo, and Prison Guard Brother were in the second tier at level 5.

Orange Tea was level 4.

Jiang Heyi naturally became the leader of the five, responsible for planning and decisions.

Generally, such a role is best suited for support characters, like Zhong Zemo, who draws fire and raises his shield, or Orange Tea, who could provide team-wide protection.

Since Orange Tea was a nearly zero-experience newbie, she was naturally out of consideration.

Zhong Zemo didn’t want to be the leader simply because he wanted to play more casually.

As for Original Flavor Fries…

“Not interested.”

Cold and simple, those three words placed the responsibility squarely on Jiang Heyi’s shoulders.

The saying “the capable bear more responsibility” seemed apt.

Dandelion Street, the northern trade district of Windpod City, led directly to the main trade route of the Anna Empire outside the city gates, so caravans heading north and south all stopped here to unload goods. The shops lining the street were bustling.

In two days, the players of Proof of the Constellations had spontaneously formed some unspoken rules.

On either side of the street parallel to Dandelion Street, players holding signs seeking trades could be seen everywhere—this was the result of such spontaneous order.

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Because local chat in the current game area could be turned off, many players chose to shout at the top of their lungs, creating a scene reminiscent of Jiang Heyi’s childhood New Year visits to his hometown during market days.

“Can’t even make money, Proof of the Constellations should release some map or world megaphones and put them in the store—they’d sell like hotcakes.” Prison Guard Brother joked.

“There’s a rumor the planners are AI. What you say gets turned into data summaries, reviewed by the designers, and might actually become reality.”

Original Flavor Fries’ remark made Prison Guard Brother immediately backtrack: “I’m just kidding.”

Jiang Heyi came here first to understand the current trade situation, to see if there was a method more cost-effective than direct shop purchases.

Knowing he was looking for merchants to exchange goods, Prison Guard Brother scanned around and pointed to a red-skinned troll holding a sign nearby.

“That guy’s ID looks pretty trustworthy.”

Can an ID really show credibility?

Jiang Heyi looked up.

[Reincarnated Color Torture God Chosen Draining the Emperor]

“……”

“……”

Proof of the Constellations allowed game IDs up to twelve characters, and legendary IDs were common.

“How do you see he’s a merchant? He’s just a player wanting to exchange materials.”

Jiang Heyi was sure Prison Guard Brother was teasing because in the next moment, he pointed to a real merchant stocking up goods.

After inquiring a few times, some merchants accepted the lowest tier slime cores, whose drop rates were currently stable, as equivalent trade items; others preferred tundra wolf pelts—varied approaches.

It seemed this round of the game still couldn’t determine the main early-game trade currency.

Since that was the case, Jiang Heyi didn’t want to waste time haggling; calculating and bartering repeatedly to make a “small profit” was a losing proposition compared to exploring the map.

Returning to the magic supplies shop they had visited earlier, the giant spider shopkeeper still remembered Jiang Heyi and his group.

“Thank you for continuing to choose our Su Lan Workshop. How can I assist you this time?”

“Same as before, charge the starry sky jade.”

They traded all the items brought from the Whispering Forest without exception.

Rather than spending time and effort finding uses for the Tree Spirit Hearts, it was better to sell early and pave the way for exploration.

In the past, Jiang Heyi treasured materials and items dearly, always wanting to use them judiciously on critical occasions, so he hoarded everything.

Even when stuck at a difficult level, he kept telling himself it wasn’t the right time yet—maybe it would get harder later.

Only after finishing the game did he realize many important items and materials remained untouched.

It was an unconscious, hard-to-break habit, but now, in Proof of the Constellations, he decided to change his approach.

Use what’s needed; hoarding doesn’t incubate eggs—it should be converted into visible aid.

The purple Tree Spirit Heart fetched a good price, exchanged for three charged ordinary mana stones; other miscellaneous materials added up to only one more.

Four streams of light poured in, and the starry sky jade shimmered faintly, the constellations on its surface twinkling.

“This is… still a breath short?” Zhong Zemo was disappointed yet somewhat excited.

Just as Jiang Heyi’s group decided to head out for another round, Orange Tea, who had been quiet and listening, spoke up.

“I actually have quite a few materials here. Take a look; maybe some are useful.”

Jiang Heyi was taken aback. Since they had just met, they hadn’t considered including Orange Tea’s materials in their trade plans.

But they didn’t have high expectations either; a newbie just scammed, what valuable materials could she possibly have?

Orange Tea shared her backpack, and the four immediately gathered around.

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Sure enough, it was a backpack full of junk…

Huh?

Purple, purple, this one is purple too…

Among various materials, several purple ones stood out conspicuously.

Jiang Heyi and his group had painstakingly ventured into the dangerous area of the Whispering Forest to obtain a single purple Tree Spirit Heart, while newbie Orange Tea had seven purples in her backpack.

These included finished potions, monster materials, alchemy ingredients, and even a necklace with a Wish Star Stone usable by the support class (equivalent to a weapon for other classes).

“Where did these come from?” Jiang Heyi was dumbfounded.

“The potions and alchemy materials were gifts from a very beautiful lady wearing a witch’s hat whom I met while wandering outdoors on my first day in the game. I just complimented her looks and chatted a bit, and she gave them to me.”

“The monster materials appeared when she snapped her fingers and instantly killed all nearby monsters as she left… I don’t know why the materials ended up counted on me.”

A snap of her fingers wiped out all monsters…

No player could possibly have such power on their first day; undoubtedly, Orange Tea had encountered a native of this game world and triggered a special event.

According to her description, she only complimented the woman’s beauty—that was all.

Is that even possible?

Jiang Heyi didn’t know the probability of triggering such a special event, but after two days of intense browsing on various forums, he was convinced Orange Tea must be a supreme lucky player.

Prison Guard Brother’s focus was completely different from the others.

“Beautiful? How beautiful?”

“Fair-skinned, soft voice, slim and tall, big bright eyes, golden hair…”

Jiang Heyi interrupted Prison Guard Brother’s inquiry; he had to confirm one thing.

“Are you sure… you exchanged them?”

Orange Tea hesitated, then nodded.

“Yeah, I did. If you’re taking me along, I should contribute something, and since I might hold you back, this is my way of making up for the team.”

The cruelty of those who just killed Orange Tea surged sharply in Jiang Heyi’s mind.

If Orange Tea’s performance wasn’t an act, those villains were a bit inhuman.

After valuing the six purple materials, they exchanged for fourteen ordinary mana stones. The giant spider shopkeeper even generously gifted an extra one, hoping to continue cooperation rather than have them trade outside the district with other players.

That remark carried some subtext for Jiang Heyi.

It seemed players avoided trading directly on Dandelion Street not because they didn’t want to, but because local guilds objected.

This NPC feedback felt very authentic.

“Aren’t you trading the necklace too?” Orange Tea blinked curiously.

Always silent, Original Flavor Fries finally spoke.

“Keep it. Maybe something will happen if you meet that witch again.”

The mana stones shattered one after another, and the damaged starry sky jade glowed brighter and more lustrous.

When only six mana stones remained, the dazzling constellation floated above the jade, its sparkling stars casting light on everyone’s bodies. A subtle pulling force attracted Jiang Heyi to activate it, and in that instant, everyone in the team saw a distant scene.

That was exactly where the Lantern Girl and the Ghost Nun had appeared.

The starry sky jade was usable.