Chapter 00073: Frustrating
# Frustrating
Chapter 73
Novel: AFK Game: Portal to Another World
Chapter 73 Frustrating
The electric kettle was gurgling away until the switch clicked off with a snap, and wisps of steam drifted from the spout.
Li Chengxi tossed a few jasmine dragon pearl teas into a cup, lifted the kettle, and poured.
The hot water released the fragrance of the tea leaves and jasmine flowers, dispelling some of the thick instant noodle smell in the air.
Audel let out a long sigh and put down the instant noodle bowl:
“Ah… that was so delicious. I've never eaten anything so tasty. I feel like my life is now complete.”
This was also the first time Li Chengxi had met someone who felt their life was complete just from a bowl of instant noodles.
This person was way too easy to please.
Audel was extremely satisfied with the taste of the instant noodles.
If the cup wasn't so small, she might have stuck her tongue in to lick it clean.
“Lord Demon God, what is this made of?”
“The main ingredient is just flour.”
“It's actually flour!”
It seemed there were no noodles in the game at all…
Li Chengxi placed the lid on his teacup and said:
“By the way, you don't have to call me Demon God anymore. Here, my name is Li Chengxi.”
“Then what should I call you?”
“Er… calling me by my full name also seems a bit strange.”
Since graduating from university, only phone scammers and advertisers called Li Chengxi by his full name.
His neighbors called him either Brother Li or Little Li.
“Indeed. Addressing a god by their name directly is a very impolite act.”
Audel seemed to have misunderstood something.
“You can just call me Brother Li, or just Big Brother. It just so happens that I'm older than you.”
“Big Brother? Alright.”
“Besides, I'm not any Demon God.”
“You're not? But you could hear Viola and the others' prayers.”
“Yes, although I was the one who intervened, I'm not a god here.”
These words seemed to have confused Audel.
In fact, Li Chengxi also had a major headache trying to figure out how to explain.
You're actually a character in a game.
What's a game? A game is a type of man-made entertainment product.
What? Then what's a computer?
Li Chengxi felt that trying to explain this topic would give him a fatal headache.
He was worrying about how to explain things to Audel, when Audel walked around the cash register and pressed her forehead against Li Chengxi's chest.
This action left Li Chengxi quite puzzled.
He immediately held up his hands to show he had no intention of taking advantage of her.
The story Qian Sen told about that guy who got beaten half to death was now playing on a loop in Li Chengxi's mind.
“Um, what are you doing?”
And it seemed Audel was getting addicted to staring, not reacting for several seconds.
She couldn't have desynchronized like in a certain Assassin's Creed, could she?
Li Chengxi reached under the counter and took out some paper tissues:
“If you need to wipe your mouth, use this. Don't wipe it on my clothes, they're hard to wash…”
This just went to show that his train of thought was indeed different from most people's.
This time, Audel finally reacted.
She raised her head:
“Mm, I understand. I won't call you Demon God here from now on.”
Li Chengxi had no idea if she truly understood.
Then, Audel looked at the paper tissue, a flash of surprise in her eyes:
“You use such high-quality paper to wipe your mouth?”
“What I'm using is actually the cheap stuff…”
Besides, even if it were high-grade tissue, how expensive could it be? Was it gilded with gold or inlaid with diamonds? It's just tissue paper.
“Oh, oh, oh, as expected of the Divine Realm. Unbelievable!”
It seemed that no matter how outrageous something was, in Audel's eyes, it could all be explained away with the phrase 'this is the Divine Realm'.
Watching her wipe her mouth with the tissue, Li Chengxi asked:
“Is paper very expensive where you're from?”
“That depends on the quality and purpose.”
He gestured for Audel to throw the used tissue into the trash can, after which she continued speaking:
“The most expensive is the paper used for making magic scrolls. The raw materials range from sheepskin to monster hides. The more powerful the scroll, the higher the quality of paper required. Next are the marble papers that nobles use just for show; they are characterized by their toughness and are as white as marble, hence the name. Cheaper ones include papyrus and leaf paper. Commoners also use dried leaves.”
After hearing this, Li Chengxi was actually a little relieved.
He was genuinely afraid Audel would say, "We don't use paper where I'm from, we use a stick to scrape..."
“I heard from Viola that you once bestowed upon her a new papermaking technique.”
“I wouldn't call it new. It's a technology we phased out a long time ago.”
“It is precisely because the technology is old that it's easier to replicate. Your choice was not wrong.”
Audel was also a technical person in the City of Academics.
One look at the tissue on the table and she knew that even with the newest papermaking technology, they would absolutely be unable to produce it with their current manufacturing capabilities.
“Speaking of paper, could you bestow a notebook upon me? I was in too much of a hurry when I came and didn't bring anything.”
“A notebook? What do you want to write down?”
“Everything!”
Audel spread her hands, her eyes twinkling with excitement:
“I want to record everything I see!”
“Er… well, good luck with that.”
The main customers of Li Chengxi's store were the nearby residents.
The student crowd was also a very important source of income, so he had a full range of stationery and other items.
Li Chengxi found an exquisite notebook on the shelf and handed it to Audel.
She stroked the paper of the notebook as if caressing a lover's hand; it was so affectionate.
“Right, let me find you a pen.”
Below the counter next to the cash register was a row of different styles of fountain pens.
They were stock Li Chengxi had ordered when he first took over the convenience store, and he had barely sold any of them to this day.
But this kind of thing was something he had to stock just to have a complete range of products.
He picked out the best one and also grabbed a bottle of ink from the shelf.
“Twist the back part, yes, right there, then dip the nib into the ink and squeeze the sac. Then slowly release it to draw in the ink.”
“Oh, oh, oh! So I just need to squeeze this part made from some kind of animal organ?”
Audel seemed to have some strange misunderstandings about plastic…
“After drawing the ink, wipe the nib, then put it back together as it was, and it's ready to use.”
“It seems to work on the same principle as a quill pen, but it's much more ingenious.”
This girl was indeed smart; the principle was exactly the same as a quill pen.
Not just fountain pens, almost all modern pens work on the same principle as a quill pen, using a hollow part and air pressure to draw in ink.
“This one is a gold pen, 14K gold-plated. If you use it with care, it can last for several decades without a problem.”
“Giving me something so precious, is that really alright?”
“It's not that precious. You don't have to put it on a shrine, just use it.”
Although it was a gold pen, Li Chengxi actually only sold it for a little over a hundred.
He didn't have anything too expensive here.
Audel held the fountain pen and made a few gestures, as if getting used to the feel.
Then she said excitedly:
“Can I look around here? Everything is beyond my common sense.”
“Go ahead. Ask me if you have any questions.”
Then Li Chengxi watched as Audel started with the nearest shelf, recording every unfamiliar item one by one.
She could even fluently sketch them in her notebook with the fountain pen, and her drawings were very realistic.
Although her behavior was a bit odd because she was from another world, her attitude wasn't annoying at all.
In fact, she looked quite cute.
Li Chengxi watched her with a caring gaze as she sketched the products on the shelf.
Then he watched as she bent over, lower and lower, revealing the smooth curve of her hips…
“Wait a minute!”
Li Chengxi immediately jumped up:
“Why aren't you wearing any underwear?”
“Oh, I thought the Demon God was a being of debauchery. I assumed not wearing underwear would make me more acceptable.”
“No, don't you find it strange?”
“It's a little chilly.”
“Of course it is!”
Correction to the previous statement: this girl wasn't just odd in her behavior, her brain might also be a bit scrambled.
Li Chengxi pointed to a shelf against the wall:
“There's disposable underwear over there. Yes, that square box.”
Audel took the box, seemed to marvel at the printing on the cardboard first, then looked at the box, and then back at Li Chengxi.
Although her face remained expressionless, she said in a slightly bashful tone:
“In the Divine Realm, does everyone use boxes as underwear? Even for me, this is a bit hard to accept.”
Li Chengxi slapped his forehead.
Dammit, this is frustrating.
(End of chapter)