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Chapter 33: Qiqi... Wants... Friends...
Amon knew that Qiqi had a bad memory.
But he hadn't expected Qiqi's memory to be this bad.
She forgot what he had just said in the blink of an eye.
In an effort to help Qiqi improve her memory, Amon picked up some amber fragments and wrote two names on the ground.
"Your name is Qiqi, and my name is Amon," he said.
"If you can't remember, you can look at the names I've written on the ground."
Amon wasn't sure what kind of script Liyue used hundreds of years ago.
He didn't know if Qiqi could even understand it.
But this was the only solution he could think of at the moment.
Fortunately, Qiqi could recognize the names written on the ground.
She stared intently at the words, repeating the two names over and over.
It was obvious the little zombie was trying very hard to remember them.
Finally, Qiqi looked up at Amon and said seriously, "I've memorized it...
"Your name is Amon... My name is Qiqi...
"Qiqi... didn't forget this time..."
There was a sparkle of joy in Qiqi's beautiful eyes.
She had finally remembered the names!
As she spoke, Qiqi stretched out her hand, wanting to write the names herself, but she quickly discovered her body was very stiff.
Not only could she not bend her limbs,
Even her fingers couldn't move normally.
It felt as if her whole body were encased in ice, frozen to the point of losing all sensation.
"Why..."
"Qiqi... can't move..."
"Hands... no feeling..."
Qiqi tilted her head, her big, clear eyes filled with confusion.
She didn't understand what was happening to her.
Why couldn't she move her body after waking up?
Seeing this, Amon patiently explained: "Because Qiqi is a zombie, your limbs can't move normally."
Qiqi didn't understand what being a zombie meant.
She only vaguely realized that she was no longer human.
"Zombie..."
"Qiqi... isn't human anymore..."
Though her face remained expressionless, Amon could clearly feel Qiqi's sadness.
She lowered her head, her beautiful eyes dim and lifeless.
Although Qiqi had lived for thousands of years, her mind was still like that of a child.
For a child, this was far too cruel.
Unable to bear it, Amon immediately tried to comfort her: "Even though Qiqi is a zombie, you can still eat and sleep like normal every day.
"As long as Qiqi exercises every day, your body will gradually return to normal, and you'll be no different from a human."
In the game, Qiqi needed to do stretching exercises daily to improve her flexibility.
Amon didn't know how to guide her in proper stretching techniques, but he knew how to do casual exercises.
The two should be somewhat similar.
Qiqi looked up at Amon and repeated softly, "Do exercises...
"Qiqi can be no different from humans...
"Really?"
Seeing her spirits lift, Amon nodded. "Yes, Qiqi. Come, let's exercise together."
As he spoke, Amon began demonstrating the exercises to Qiqi.
Stretching routines, chest expansions,
Even the sixth set of exercises for middle school students.
As the exercises continued, the light slowly returned to Qiqi's eyes.
Her limbs gradually loosened and she was able to move slightly.
She could now simply raise her hand and spread her fingers.
Even her little feet could wiggle slightly.
Her condition was much better than before.
"Thank you... Amon..."
"Exercises... Qiqi... likes..."
After a while, Qiqi raised her head and asked seriously,
"Can zombies... be friends with humans?
"Qiqi... wants... friends...
"Qiqi wants to be friends with Amon..."
Having been sealed in amber for so long, Qiqi was terrified of being alone again.
The first person she saw upon waking was Amon.
He taught her exercises and patiently guided her.
So, she wanted to be friends with him.
Looking at the innocent Qiqi, Amon nodded seriously. "Yes, I'm willing to be friends with Qiqi."
"From now on, Amon and Qiqi will be friends. Lifelong friends."
Faced with such a pitiful yet adorable little zombie,
Amon couldn't find a single reason to refuse her.
Qiqi's voice was filled with joy: "Qiqi... has a friend...
"From now on... someone will talk to Qiqi...
"So nice..."
For a moment, Amon was genuinely moved.
All he had done was teach Qiqi some simple exercises and agree to be her friend,
Yet she was so happy.
At that moment, the voice of the system suddenly echoed in Amon's mind.
"It has been detected that Qiqi's favorability toward the host has increased from 0 to 1.
"Congratulations to the host for obtaining one Intertwined Fate. Additionally, you have received an extra reward: a five-star holy relic—Sands of Time from the Gladiator's Longing set."
Amon wasn't surprised that Qiqi's favorability had increased.
After all, she had been so lonely during her time sealed in amber.
Having a friend now would surely make her happy for a long time.
Without hesitation, Amon opened the inventory screen to check the holy relic he had just received.
Out of habit, Amon first checked the substats on the relic:
Critical Damage: +26.3%
Critical Hit Rate: +14%
Elemental Mastery: +23
Attack Power: +16
Looking at these four substats, Amon couldn't help but sigh.
Finally, his luck seemed to be turning around.
All four substats were useful.
But then came the question—what about the main stat?
The main stat on the Sands of Time relic could vary between Attack Power, HP, Energy Recharge, or Defense.
Amon hoped it would be Attack Power.
At the very least, HP or Energy Recharge would be acceptable.
However...
When Amon saw the word "Defense" glaring back at him in the main stat,
He almost broke down on the spot.
"I have a few choice words, but I don't know if I should say them out loud!"
"Why is defense even a thing?"
It felt like he had climbed out of a pit, only to fall straight into another.
Who would have thought that in the blink of an eye,
He would once again become the world's unluckiest person?
Life truly is full of ups and downs...
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