**Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)**
“Mia, do you consent to becoming my follower? To follow me through life and death, obeying me forever.”
Nobody Does Human Things turned his head again.
This was a necessary process for a contracted follower. It seemed that the followers he had contracted before had once again become disconnected. After the system fully loaded the follower system, players had to re-contract their followers.
“Of… of course,” Mia didn’t understand why Nobody Does Human Things would say that.
She tugged at a piece of cloth on the corner of her armor, rubbing the soft cloth to gradually alleviate the nervousness in her heart. However, the words “life and death” kept echoing in her mind.
Her face flushed.
“Mia… I, I will always follow you, my Lord, as you said, through life and death, obeying forever, unless, unless you want to send… send me away…”
Mia’s voice grew softer, and the last few words were almost inaudible. However, Nobody Does Human Things didn’t pay it any mind because he had successfully signed the follower contract with Mia. Compared to the previous information panel, there was now an additional “Favorability” stat.
He looked at Mia’s favorability towards him, which was as high as 82!
“Her favorability is already this high after such a short time? Could she be gay…” Nobody Does Human Things thought, looking at Mia with a hint of wariness in his eyes.
[Follower Shop has been refreshed.]
Another system notification popped up, attracting Nobody Does Human Things’ attention. He opened the follower shop with curiosity and saw rows upon rows of dazzling merchandise.
It was mainly divided into three categories: Skill Seeds, Equipment, and Potential Development.
Nobody Does Human Things first checked the Skill Seed section. There were over ten pages, with prices varying from high to low, encompassing combat skills for various professions:
[Battle Cry Skill Seed (1000 Contribution Points)]
[Advanced Horsemanship Skill Seed (500 Contribution Points)]
[Scarlet Slash Skill Seed (3000 Contribution Points)]
[Fireball Spell Skill Seed (500 Contribution Points) (Mage Profession Required)]
He read the brief introductions.
The so-called skill seeds were items used to awaken skills in followers. These skills were basically ones that players had on their upgrade trees, but now they could be learned quickly by followers in the form of seeds.
Next were the equipment, also exchanged with contribution points. However, these equipment pieces were different from the armor and long swords worn by players; they were special equipment with amplification effects.
For example, the cheapest [Storage Ring] cost 1000 contribution points. After purchasing it, followers would have a backpack-like ability.
There were also more impressive items, such as the [Loli’s Blessing Necklace], which could be used three times a day, allowing the wearer to experience Loli’s top-tier healing like a top-tier healer. It was priced at 5000 contribution points. He didn’t look at the more outrageous items because he couldn’t afford them for now.
Finally, there was the Potential Development section.
It contained only one type of potion, the Potential Potion, but it was marked as unpurchasable.
[Potential Potion (10000 Contribution Points) (Unlocks when Follower Favorability reaches 100)] Using the Potential Potion will increase a follower’s potential. The higher a follower’s potential, the lower the probability of improving them with the Potential Potion.
Nobody Does Human Things closed the follower shop, his mind racing, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.
His own equipment hadn’t even been upgraded to +6 yet, and the game system had already released potential potions for followers to reset their talents.
Fortunately, what was needed were only contribution points, which looked useless before but were given out for completing missions.
If it were like Tencent’s games where everything required money, he would definitely go to the official game forums to showcase his superb “keyboard skills.”
“Mia, this is for you.”
Nobody Does Human Things exchanged a storage ring from the follower shop and handed it to Mia.
The ring was silver-white throughout, and its material was unknown. It was engraved with vine-like patterns on both sides, which wound and intertwined until they converged to form a silver rose that shimmered with a faint light.
The silver petals of the rose reflected Mia’s shining eyes, like a fallen star.
Mia clasped the ring. It felt as smooth and warm as water in her hand. Resting on her finger, this was the first gift she had ever received from a man, let alone such an exquisite ring.
Suddenly, she felt a little scared, looking at Nobody Does Human Things with trepidation.
“Is… is this really for me?”
“Of course. Don’t be so hesitant,” Nobody Does Human Things didn’t understand what Mia was so moved by; it was just a tool.
“This is a space ring. You can put things you usually want to carry but have to leave behind because they are too heavy into this ring. It’s very convenient and useful.”
It was actually a space ring.
Mia had heard of such things. Her father was a traveling merchant. Every time he returned from a trade run, he would complain enviously to her:
“Little Mia, Dad wishes he had a space ring. I could carry more goods like those merchants, travel farther, and earn more money… I’m getting old, and Danta is also old; that cart is too heavy, and Danta can’t pull it anymore…”
Danta was an old ox in their home. Its eyes were blurry, and its legs trembled when it walked.
But in their impoverished family,
It still contributed its meager strength even at an age when it needed rest.
Later, Danta broke its leg in a pit on the ground during a trade run. It tilted sideways, and the cart of goods tumbled down the cliff.
Her father, that always smiling old man, sobbed in the wind and rain, calling out the old ox’s name. When he returned home, he was dejected.
After that, Mia put on the armor and long sword her father had forged by a blacksmith years ago, used a wooden pot lid as a shield, and enlisted in the army on a moonless night.
She listed her home address as the recipient for the military pay, not a specific army unit or person.
“Hey? What’s wrong?” Nobody Does Human Things waved his hand in front of Mia.
Ever since he gave her the space ring, the young soldier follower had been dazed and vacant as if possessed.
If it weren’t for the fact that everything on her status panel was normal, and her favorability had even increased to 88, Nobody Does Human Things would have thought she was possessed by undead.
Mia, returning from her memories, refocused her gaze on Nobody Does Human Things’ face. Her eyes then locked onto the space ring, and she finally realized what kind of favor she was receiving.
“No… Thank you, but, but this thing is too precious. I can’t accept it…”
Mia bit her lip and handed the space ring back.
“If I tell you to take it, then take it.” Nobody Does Human Things’ attitude was firm, and he pushed the ring back.
“Consider it a welcome gift as my follower. Besides, I have one myself, so having another is useless. It has more value with you.”
As Nobody Does Human Things spoke, he also took out a fresh apple from his backpack and showed it to Mia.
Even without seeing where the space ring was, this scene made Mia truly believe that Nobody Does Human Things also possessed a space artifact.
