Chapter 2: Chapter 2: Am I being kept?
"Phew... no need, teacher. Let's forget about the resources," Bai Ze immediately declined.
Though the homeroom teacher had phrased it politely, Bai Ze could still pick up the subtext.
Even if he did go to the resource office to request assistance, the school likely wouldn't allocate any resources to him.
After all, a planet with just a "world barrier" and no land or oceans demonstrated talent barely distinguishable from that of an ordinary person.
Why wouldn't they instead reward those so-called geniuses with more resources?
Bai Ze stepped down from the podium alone, the buzz of murmurs around him still ongoing.
At the front door of the classroom, Xia Yinyue had just returned from her visit to the principal.
Her gaze met Bai Ze's, filled with concern, and she jogged over to him.
"Heh, I heard something interesting," a classmate nearby whispered gleefully.
"Over in Wuji City, there was this guy named Xiao Huohuo. A genius who fell to mediocrity in an instant and his fiancée dumped him on the spot!"
"Really? Wow, are we about to witness a similar drama here?" another chimed in maliciously.
Several pairs of eyes turned toward Bai Ze, brimming with anticipation.
One represented the pinnacle of the school, while the other embodied its lowest point what a juicy spectacle to witness!
Bai Ze, noticing the not-so-friendly stares, simply chuckled. Before Xia Yinyue could offer any words of comfort, he stepped forward and wrapped an arm around her slender waist.
"Ah!" Xia Yinyue yelped softly.
"What are you spacing out for? My awakening's done, so let's head home."
"My world, well, it's got a bit of an issue can't exactly create life on its own. I'll need you to help me… populate it," Bai Ze teased with a playful grin.
Xia Yinyue, who had initially wanted to console him, felt her unease dissipate at his carefree demeanor.
Her smile blossomed sweetly. "Alright then, let's head back!"
With that, Bai Ze cast a disdainful glance at the classroom, sweeping over his gawking peers. Then, with his arm still around Xia Yinyue, he left, their figures gradually disappearing.
Behind them, the students left in the classroom were utterly dumbfounded, their jaws practically hitting the floor.
Their teeth ground in frustration as they muttered, "This... this feels like an insult!"
"So unfair! Why doesn't my failure get treated like this?"
"This isn't right! I refuse to accept it!"
The classroom erupted into a cacophony of complaints and even a few dramatic wails, leaving the teacher on the podium bewildered and at a complete loss.
Outside the school gate, Xia Yinyue suddenly stopped in her tracks.
"What's wrong?" Bai Ze asked, puzzled.
Turning to face him, Xia Yinyue looked at him with concern, hesitating for a moment before speaking. "I saw your awakened planet earlier... but don't worry too much about it."
"No land or oceans those can still be fixed with resource cards," she added reassuringly.
Then, as if remembering something, her expression brightened. "Oh! I happen to have a few things for you!"
Bai Ze tilted his head curiously as Xia Yinyue pulled out three cards from her waist pouch.
"These are the most basic resource cards: a Land Card, a Rain Card, and an Ecosystem Card. They should help you resolve your immediate issues."
Taking the cards, Bai Ze's system instantly began relaying information.
[Land Card]: Grade D resource card, produces 1 kilometer of land.
[Rain Card]: Grade D resource card, generates fresh water to fill lakes or even oceans.
[Ecosystem Card]: Grade D resource card, stabilizes the ecosystem and maintains climate balance.
These cards must have been part of the resources Xia Yinyue received from the principal.
The primary use of the simulator was to develop a planet's ecosystem and simulate the trajectory of civilization.
But for any of that to happen, there needed to be land first, right?
These three cards were exactly what Bai Ze needed most at the moment.
Not one to overthink things, Bai Ze accepted them without hesitation.
"Alright... give it a shot yourself first. If it doesn't work out, I'll just take care of you in the future!" Xia Yinyue said, her voice tinged with a mixture of courage and determination.
Bai Ze's expression froze for a moment, not with sadness but barely stifled laughter.
"You'll take care of me? You're barely an adult yourself how do you plan to do that?" Bai Ze teased.
Unexpectedly, Xia Yinyue wasn't having it.
Her face puffed up in indignation as she rummaged through her bag, pulling out a bank card and thrusting it in front of Bai Ze.
At a glance whoa. A purple card from the Interstellar Bank with a balance of 2 million Federal Credits!
"See? This is the scholarship the principal gave me. Now do you believe me?" Xia Yinyue said smugly, her cheeks slightly flushed.
Look at that.
The stark contrast between a successful and failed awakening.
One received personal recognition from the principal, along with an abundance of resource cards and a hefty scholarship.
Meanwhile, Bai Ze could only imagine the ridicule he'd face if he had gone to the resource office earlier.
"Alright, alright, I believe you. Let's head back, little rich lady," Bai Ze replied helplessly.
Taking Xia Yinyue's hand, they began walking again until she suddenly stopped.
"Wait, I just remembered! I've got one more thing for you!" Xia Yinyue exclaimed eagerly.
Bai Ze's expression turned strange.
More?
At this point, it felt like he was being taken care of by a sugar mommy.
"Found it, this is it!" Xia Yinyue said with excitement.
She took out a card from her bag and handed it to Bai Ze.
"This is a C-grade bio card, called Clay Creation."
"It can be directly deployed to the planet, and will create a batch of small beings based on the terrain and climate," Xia Yinyue explained.
Bai Ze was slightly stunned. Normally, to cultivate life on a planet, it would usually start from cells.
But this card could jump ahead and create a batch of beings to cultivate.
However, a C-grade card like this would probably cost millions of credits.
"This..."
"Why are you still being polite with me? Your planet doesn't even have oxygen, you can't create life."
"My planet is almost on the verge of forming true energy, and this thing is almost useless to me. Just take it."
Xia Yinyue forced the card into Bai Ze's hand.
He smiled slightly but didn't refuse.
After all, she was his girlfriend; there was no need to be polite.
"Thanks, yinyue, I'll accept it," Bai Ze said with a smile.
"Mm, try to create life yourself first. If it doesn't work, wait until I've developed more and I'll help you create life."
"Don't try anything rash!" Xia Yinyue repeated, giving another stern warning.
The world Bai Ze awakened to had only a world wall, without any land or oceans.
Such a fragile world, even if he used the cards to create land and oceans, couldn't be tampered with too much.
If the world wall were to break, it would fall into the mortal realm, and he would never be able to rise again.
"I understand. To thank you for your kindness, how about I treat you to a meal?" Bai Ze said.
"A meal?" Xia Yinyue tilted her head slightly and suddenly remembered something, asking, "How about we eat at my place?"
"My family is out today, and you can try my cooking..." Xia Yinyue lowered her voice a little.