Chapter 178 - 145: Tired of Studying

Chapter 178: Chapter 145: Tired of Studying

Most girls instinctively felt a sense of tenderness toward those younger than them. As Huai Yu tilted her head up slightly—yes, she wasn’t as tall as Liang Zhu—and looked at her earnestly, Liang Zhu explained with extra enthusiasm:

"Anyway, it just means undergoing different training based on the tested direction. Like you said, my superpower actually has a big advantage in combat. After all, even with mutations, most plants still need to rely on the soil."

She let out a soft sigh. "It’s a pity that I’m not capable enough. My psychological resilience is too poor... I’ve never succeeded in any practical combat exercises. Even though it’s clearly a primary assault skill, I completely panic the moment I’m attacked..."

Liang Zhu looked at Huai Yu. "So, if you’re willing to learn, I’d still recommend trying a military academy.

"At the very least, your superpower will improve tremendously. Even if you don’t become a soldier, you can easily be assigned a job that matches your major."

She seemed to be doing quite well at school, and her words were full of genuine feeling. "Our country is still the most stable. The military academies adjusted their curriculum in the second year of the catastrophe. Does the Five Elements Superpower sound a bit unrefined?

"But in reality, because of our cultural background, anyone from our country can understand it. There’s zero barrier to entry for beginners.

"In foreign countries, there are a lot of supposedly incredible skills. For example, they also have a remarkable Earth Ability. It’s said that when unleashed at full power, it can cause tectonic plates to collide..."

Huai Yu’s eyes instantly widened.

But Liang Zhu spoke with quite a bit of disdain. "It’s a mess over there. This ability sounds arrogant and overpowered, but in reality, it can’t grow to that level at all. Clashing two floor tiles together is more like it.

"Besides, there are plenty of private laboratories over there engaging in some dramatic superpower transplants... Bah! People with powerful superpowers only dare to hide them away...

"Also, they give their abilities extremely profound names. For example, that tectonic-plate-colliding Earth Ability is named ’End of Jurassic’... Oh my god! They come up with a different name for every single one of the countless mutation paths of a superpower. Just memorizing all those terms would take half your life.

"Our Five Elements are still the best. They are all-encompassing, and everyone understands them the moment they’re mentioned."

She complained with such genuine emotion that Huai Yu couldn’t help but ask curiously, "Then Liang Zhu, what is your superpower called abroad?"

Liang Zhu let out two soft chuckles, PFFT PFFT. Seeing that no one was paying attention, she lowered her voice. "It’s called Gaia’s Fury. The names are all based on the ultimate growth direction of the superpower, which is calculated by AI.

"It’s such a domineering name, the fury of the Mother of the Earth. But that ’fury’ just amounts to digging up a vegetable garden or maybe building a small, two-story house...

"I blush every time I think of this name.

"It just makes me seem so useless."

Huai Yu was speechless.

Not knowing what to say, she decided to think about the military academy instead.

Huai Yu pondered it seriously. First, although she didn’t know if military school was good, mutations in the direction of Wood Element Affinity were very common...

But Lin Xuefeng had said that she shouldn’t casually reveal her Purification Ability.

Second, if she went to school, what would happen to Big and Second, Ke Taichiro, and the overly chatty Kuang Biao?

And lastly...

Huai Yu asked cautiously, "If I go to a military academy, I won’t have to do physical training every day, will I?"

"Of course you will!" Liang Zhu said, as if it were a matter of fact. "Your superpower requires your physical fitness to keep up so they can work together to exert better abilities.

"Besides, a strong physique is something everyone needs anyway.

"However, if you choose a civilian role—like being an architect like me—the physical training is much easier. You only need to run ten kilometers a day, then do an hour of comprehensive training, followed by superpower training and academic classes..."

Huai Yu’s heart instantly grew as still as stagnant water. "Thank you, Liang Zhu. I’m still young, and I hate studying."

Liang Zhu said, "...Ah."

That reasoning made so much sense that, as a poor student herself, she actually couldn’t refute it.

Just then, the surveyors returned holding a logbook. "The foundation framework has been laid. Next, we’ll level the surrounding land. Tomorrow, they can just arrange for people to lay the bricks, set the beams, and build the house."

Liang Zhu nodded, then skillfully asked the Defense Army soldiers nearby, "How large of an area do you need help leveling?

"Since this is a private transaction, you can be more specific with your requests. For instance, in the courtyard area, I can level and compact the dirt to make it easier for you to lay bricks or stones later. For the areas you want to use for planting, I can directly turn the soil over and break up the clods.

"Additionally, if you need a well dug, it will cost a bit more."

The Defense Army soldiers were still pondering, but the envy in Huai Yu’s eyes seemed to overflow!

Leveling the courtyard... She still didn’t have a proper courtyard, just ordinary dirt that would turn her feet to muddy messes on rainy days!

Turning the soil in the planting area... Huai Yu had shed who knew how much sweat just for those fragmented little vegetable patches at her doorstep!

At first, she would pant heavily just carrying a piece of wood. Now, she could walk a hundred meters with over eighty pounds of cowpeas on her back...

All of it was the hardship she had endured from farming and building a house!

So... so in the eyes of an Earth Ability User, these things were actually this simple?

And digging a well... If someone had offered this a month ago, Huai Yu would have tightened her belt and scraped together the points to pay for it.

After all, filtering water every day was a huge hassle.

But now... the mutated barnyard grass trees—one playing dumb and the other harboring bad intentions—spat out water balls in a continuous loop every day.

After some time had passed, the water in the pond had been completely purified by them once over. The pollution was still technically there, but at the very least, it looked crystal clear.

Sigh!

This is what happens when you don’t interact enough with others—you end up completely ignorant of the current state of society!

Liang Zhu, however, misunderstood her expression and quietly asked, "Do you need me to dig a well for your home too?"

She gave a straightforward quote. "500 points for a well. You can designate the location, but we don’t guarantee that we’ll hit water.

"You’ll have to find someone else to reinforce and brick up the sides of the well.

"This price is a steal! Since I’m taking this on privately, I can give you a 20% discount. But I can’t go any lower than that, otherwise it won’t be enough to split among the three or four of us on the team."

But before Huai Yu could answer, Liang Zhu quickly glanced toward the bamboo forest, of which only a small corner was visible, and her expression turned serious again.

"On second thought, never mind. It feels like your place is way too close to the Rose Corridor!

"What if the Rose Corridor gets angry while I’m using my superpower to dig the well and drags me inside?"

As she spoke, she quickly backed out. "Let’s just forget it. 500 points is pretty expensive anyway. You... you can think of another way."

Huai Yu was left speechless.

She had still been trying to come up with a reason to refuse! Like how she was poor, or that she already had a pond... Now it was fine. She didn’t even need an excuse; all she had to do was nod obediently.

Liang Zhu breathed a sigh of relief, but then felt a twinge of guilt, not even daring to look at her. Instead, she turned to urge the Defense Army soldiers. "So, have you decided on a location?"

The soldiers had been silently listening to her this whole time. Now, they nodded without hesitation.

"We have. Let’s discuss the exact dimensions now..."