Twenty thousand and twenty.

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[New Mission Available! Please satisfy Charlotte Lingling’s craving for desserts!]

[Mission Reward: When preparing dessert-related dishes, the chance of obtaining rare desserts increases by 1%.]

This reward feels somewhat trivial yet subtly practical.

An increase of 1% in probability, at least compared to those unscrupulous mobile games that have deeply ensnared countless players, is actually quite a significant boost.

Here’s looking at a certain card game with a drop rate of 0.7%—thrillingly tense.

However, Li Yue thought that even without the mission reward, she would gladly make desserts just for the adorable little pig.

This time, she used fewer innovative ingredients and prepared a dish more aligned with common sense. She poured the remaining half bottle of honey into the pan and, after careful thought, added only apples.

[Congratulations! You have created an R-rank dish: Honey-Glazed Apples!]

[Description: An unremarkable yet delicious treat. Congratulations on finally attempting dishes that ordinary people can make!]

[Effect: Attack cast time reduced by 0.5 seconds; increases fullness by 15 points.]

Since it’s only an R-rank dish, the effects are modest at best.

Li Yue handed the honey-glazed apples to the little pig, who eagerly devoured a bite the moment the dish came off the stove, chewing contentedly.

The pig rested its hooves on its cheeks, smiling so broadly its eyes disappeared.

It even jumped up on the spot and performed a dance for Li Yue, singing in a soprano voice, “Delicious! Delicious~! Li Yue, your dessert is just too~ tasty!”

Li Yue: Got it, this is a pig straight out of a Disney film.

Li Yue had used plenty of apples, so the output of the R-rank dish was abundant. She ate only two portions to satisfy her hunger, giving the rest to the pig.

The pig visibly brightened, beaming as it accepted all the apples and focused intently on its feast.

Nearby, the Oviraptor enclosed within a wooden fence slowly stirred awake. It suddenly realized its predicament, showing a mix of surprise and anger, glaring at Li Yue with a look as if it wanted to break free and bite her to death.

Yet, the game interface showed no signs of any immediate threat.

As Li Yue approached the fence, the information about the Oviraptor popped up above its head:

[Species: Oviraptor]

[Status: Single / Captive]

[Produces [Dragon Eggs]: One per day (unfertilized / cannot hatch)]

Li Yue immediately understood.

The Oviraptor still bared its teeth at her, ready to attack at any moment.

Behind Li Yue, the little pig—seemingly oblivious to everything beyond its dessert—suddenly lifted its head and glanced lightly at the Oviraptor.

The Oviraptor: So well-behaved.jpg

It stopped baring its teeth and ceased growling. The Oviraptor cast a humble glance at the pig behind Li Yue, carefully folding its small winged claws behind its back to show it meant no harm.

Li Yue politely greeted the Oviraptor: “Hello, I have something I’d like to discuss with you.”

The Oviraptor’s expression remained cautious: What is it you want to discuss? I’m listening.jpg

Li Yue then examined the Oviraptor carefully, confirming it truly understood human speech.

She said, “Since you’re rational, I want to discuss the possibility of keeping you in captivity... I mean, to put it formally, I want to hire you.”

The dinosaur tilted its head.

“If you don’t agree, I can’t imprison you illegally, so I thought it best to talk it over with you.”

“What’s there to discuss? If you want me to do something, just threaten me with a punch.”

The pig behind her munched on an apple, watching the show: “As long as I’m here, there’s no way it can run away.”

“What are you talking about? I’m a model employer,” Li Yue said seriously as she introduced herself to the Oviraptor:

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“Because you lay eggs, I want to employ you. First, let me clarify: the eggs you lay are unfertilized and can’t hatch into baby dragons; leaving them unused is just a waste... ahem.”

The Oviraptor was shocked, staring at Li Yue in disbelief: No way, my eggs can’t hatch into baby dragons?!

“The system says so, so I guess they really can’t,” Li Yue scratched her head. “Also, are there any other dinosaurs of your kind on this island?”

The dinosaur shook its head in confusion, exchanging looks with Li Yue.

“So, can you provide me with your eggs?”

The dinosaur still looked at Li Yue, unsure.

“There’s no choice. Even if I put you in the breeding house forever and level you up to LV99, the breeding house old man won’t suddenly tell me there’s an extra egg—but that’s okay!”

Li Yue probed, “I can go to other islands to find you a mate. Then you should be able to hatch baby dragons, right?”

Though the dinosaur was initially lost in the first part of her words, it was clearly dazzled by the promise at the end.

Its eyes lit up with hope as it looked at Li Yue: Really?

“Absolutely,” Li Yue said solemnly. “When my island is sufficiently built, I will sail out to find you a mate.”

The Oviraptor extended its feathered forelimbs: It’s a deal!

Li Yue shook its small claws warmly.

Meanwhile, Lingling the little pig sat nearby, eating dessert and watching the interaction, finally smiling: “That’s wonderful.”

Lingling glanced at the Oviraptor but still found the ground-dwelling chicken-like creature’s appearance somewhat displeasing, wearing a slightly disdainful expression. However, when she looked back at Li Yue, her expression returned to innocent joy:

“I want to build one too...”

“Hm?”

Li Yue looked at Lingling.

“…No, it’s nothing.”

Lingling shook her head, unwilling to speak the rest of her thought.

—

But after nightfall, in the stillness of the quiet night,

Charlotte Lingling arrived at this unfamiliar island. Though Li Yue had built houses there, they were only at human scale, and Lingling couldn’t even enter a wooden door.

She didn’t force it, choosing instead to rough it alone outdoors for the night. Though she found the raw natural environment a bit unpleasant and wasn’t sure if she’d be able to sleep…

Once asleep, she found herself in an unexpectedly sweet dream.

The scent of the desserts she had tasted during the day seemed to linger at her nose, making the dream even more blissful.

At the tender age of five, she was abandoned by her parents and exiled alone to “Elbaf.”

But there, she met the most important person in her life—Sister Carmel.

It was this nun who saved her.

Providing her with food and clothing, giving her a home.

From that day on, Charlotte Lingling finally had a true “home.”

It was a beautiful dream.

In the dream, Lingling reunited with old companions and the long-lost nun.

The nun was still as kind as ever.

She always looked at them all with such gentle eyes. When playing with her friends, under the nun’s watchful gaze, Lingling felt as if a layer of sunlight warmly and evenly bathed them all.

Lingling smiled unconsciously in her sleep.

The children the nun had taken in each had different pasts. Some were rejected because of their race; others, like Lingling, were abandoned; some suffered injustice due to misunderstandings.

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But with the nun, none of that mattered. Past grievances or race were irrelevant. Everyone was treated fairly, basking together in the sunshine the nun brought, dispelling the shadows of their past.

The nun said she hoped there would be a truly peaceful nation in the world, where everyone was treated equally.

There, regardless of background or race, equality would prevail. No discrimination, no one wronged.

Everyone could smile alike.

Everyone could live together harmoniously.

In that dream, Lingling played and chased around with her friends without a care.

They brought her desserts and a new friend.

Lingling saw her and widened her eyes in delight: “Li Yue!”

She happily approached Li Yue, clasping her hands: “Li Yue, come play with us!”

Lingling handed one of the desserts to Li Yue and sat down beside her: “It’s a pity that I’m too big.”

“If someday, we could all be the same size. No need to look up or down, just gathering around the table at an equal height for a lively tea party—that would be perfect!”

Hearing this fanciful idea, Li Yue looked at Lingling in surprise.

Li Yue seemed never to have noticed their size difference before, asking in astonishment, “Aren’t we the same height?”

Even dream-Lingling found this unbelievable—Li Yue gradually grew larger, and Lingling’s friends also grew taller, until they truly were all the same height.

Lingling was so joyful she almost cried. She called out excitedly, “Li Yue! I, I…”

“It really can happen!” Lingling babbled. “Everyone can grow, and my dream too—”

Li Yue and the friends smiled warmly at Lingling.

Lingling, encouraged but still a little nervous, said:

“I want to create a nation where everyone is equal, just like the nun dreamed! Like now, everyone is happy, and everyone is blessed!”

Lingling clasped her friends’ hands. The nun stood aside, smoking leisurely, watching them with eyes full of love.

Laughter drifted in front of their little wooden home they called “home.”

“I want to create a dreamland everyone yearns for! Where people don’t suffer the ravages of war and can live in peace and happiness… My [United Nations] will be renowned far and wide!”

Though appearing as a ten-year-old child, Li Yue’s gaze toward Lingling was as inclusive as the nun’s, without a hint of disdain. Lingling loved those warm, crimson eyes.

“My dream can of course come true, right?”

Dream-Li Yue smiled and nodded.

Lingling looked at Li Yue again, but this time she was grown up.

Her rational mind awakening, dream-Lingling reverted to an adult appearance, and her mindset seemed to shift as well.

“My dream can definitely come true. —Li Yue, if you are here.”

In the dream, Lingling spoke the words she had left unsaid before:

“Do you share the same dream as I do?”

Dream-Li Yue tilted her head, slightly parting her lips as if about to answer:

“I…”

…

Yet at that moment, Lingling opened her eyes.

She returned to the solitary reality.