Fang Yuan rubbed the trembling Tuantuo. "What's wrong, Big Sister Tuantuo? Why are you shaking so much?"
Puffing out her chest, Tuantuo poked her little head up from her palm. "I-I'm fine! Little Sister Hammer Star, d-don't be scared! With me here, Tuantuo will protect you!"
That's right, she was an adult spirit now! She had to take on the responsibility of protecting her little sister!
"Tuantuo! Stay away from that Candidate!"
Fang Yuan looked toward the voice. A Dandelion Spirit slightly larger than Tuantuo was hugging a fluffball, her wary gaze locked onto the bright "Poor Conduct" label hovering above Fang Yuan's head.
Tuanchun was in a terrible mood.
She had seen many Candidates with a Righteousness Value below 20. They were inhumane, utterly lacking in empathy, despicable, and vicious. She had watched with her own eyes as members of her tribe withered at the hands of those Candidates, while she remained powerless to stop it!
"Tuantuo! Get over here!"
Accompanying her emotionally unstable voice was a crisp, cheerful tone.
"Hi! I'm Big Sister Tuantuo's friend, Little Sister Hammer Star."
Fang Yuan seemed completely oblivious to her hostility, extending her palm slightly toward Tuanchun.
Tuantuo floated up from her palm, gesticulating wildly as she tried to explain things to Tuanchun.
Tuanchun's guard did not drop despite Tuantuo's emotional explanation; instead, she grew even more vigilant.
Feigning kindness and pretending to help just to get close to Tuantuo—she hadn't merely seen tricks like these before; she had seen them far too many times!
The Dandelion Spirit tribe possessed virtually no combat power. Young Dandelion Spirits were exceptionally pure, innocent, and friendly. These should have been the most beautiful qualities, but in a place like the Crucible, they became the ultimate source of fatal misfortune.
"Tuantuo, what does she want?"
Candidates of this sort never came without an ulterior motive.
Tuantuo waved her tiny hands rapidly. "N-No, Chief! I was the one who offered to give her our tribe's fluffball! She just saved me—otherwise, I would've been snatched away by that bad brother outside!"
"Really, Chief! I'm not lying! Don't just look at what's above Little Sister Hammer Star's head. Maybe Righteousness Value doesn't always reflect whether a person is good or bad?"
Tuanchun snapped angrily, "Yes, it does! It directly reflects whether someone is good or bad! You're still young and haven't experienced many iterations of the 【God Selection】. You don't understand, child!"
"If you think she's friendly, that only proves she's a hypocrite! A master of disguise! That kind of person is the most terrifying of all!"
Fang Yuan's voice cut straight through her emotional outburst, forcefully putting an end to their conversation: "Give me one of your tribe's highest-capacity fluffballs, and I'll leave."
The smile remained on her face, and as she spoke, she even gave Tuantuo a wink.
Tuanchun couldn't help but sneer.
Hypocrites were always like this. Once they were close to achieving their goal, they stopped bothering to maintain the act.
Still, considering she had saved Tuantuo while playing her hypocritical game, Tuanchun was willing to give her a fluffball.
"I can give you one, but you must make a promise: once you take the fluffball, you will never pester Tuantuo again, nor harbor any designs on her!"
The moment her words fell, Tuantuo was the first to fly up in objection.
"Chief! She's not like that! I already told you! She's the younger sister, and I'm her big sister!"
Fang Yuan tilted her head with an expression of mild trouble. Every gesture radiated dilemma and hesitation, yet her eyes remained entirely devoid of emotional fluctuation.
"What a headache, but I'm afraid I can't promise that. After all, I plan to get a job here at the post office later! Even as a Candidate for the God of Wealth, one has to earn money with their own two hands to stay grounded."
Tuanchun's gaze turned even colder.
Money and foul stench truly went hand in hand. Wherever there was money, there was filth, and Candidates for the God of Wealth were the most prone to producing vile individuals like this!
"How about we talk to the post office owner?"
She had seen the description beside the Sunset Post Office on the map: "The Sunset Post Office was established by Letter Dreamers, employing all Dandelion Spirits as Sunset Mail Carriers."
At the mention of the post office owner, a pink-haired head suddenly popped up from behind the wooden counter.
She had long, gradient pink-and-white hair tied into a low ponytail with a faded dark-green ribbon, and a pair of thick, black-rimmed glasses rested on her face.
She looked as though she had just woken up, rubbing her sleepy eyes with her hand.
Perhaps the words "post office owner" served as her boot code.
Rubbing her eyes, she adjusted her glasses and stepped out from behind the counter.
She was not tall, appearing to be around 1.5 meters high at a glance. She wore a faded yet neat dark-green standard mail carrier uniform. Her face was soft, and her eyes bore the purple-grey hue of twilight—a color impossible to forget once seen.
Faint dark circles sat beneath her eyes, and a bulging canvas mail bag hung slung across her body.
【Divine Creation: Letter Dreamer】
【Physical Characteristics: Height 1.34–1.54 m, gradient cherry-blossom pink-white long hair, loves tying a low ponytail with a faded dark-green ribbon, wears a faded dark-green standard mail carrier uniform, twilight purple-grey eyes, has dark circles, loves wearing a crossbody bag】
【Letter Dreamers love collecting everyone's dreams; they like to experience people's dreams during the night】
【Letter Dreamers wrap dreams into candies and tuck them into envelopes, which the Dandelion Spirits deliver to the dreamers】
【Every dream candy is unique】
【Letter Dreamers will not send out dreams filled with negative emotions; they wrap negative dreams into odd-flavored beans to eat as casual snacks while working】
【Dreamland is where dreams are born. Envelopes containing dreams will always be delivered before sunset, which is why they established the Sunset Post Office】
"Hello, Boss. Are you hiring?"
Fang Yuan was quite interested in delivering mail. She had often seen Grandma communicating with her pen pal through letters.
Even though cell phones were already around back then, Grandma had preferred this method of communication destined to be phased out by time.
Later, the pen pal passed away, sending one last letter before never replying again.
They had never exchanged addresses, yet during every past night, it felt as though they sat side by side, speaking heart to heart.
Since she was already here in the Crucible, it would be a total waste not to experience life here.
Youmeng didn't even look at her; turning around, she pulled out a contract from inside the counter and tossed it into Fang Yuan's hands.
"I'm Youmeng. If nothing's wrong, don't bother me. If something is, talk to Tuanchun."
"Once you sign the contract, you're an official employee of the Sunset Post Office. As a mail carrier, there are many restrictions. You can read them yourself. I'm going back to sleep."
She turned around, crawled back behind the counter, lay down, and fell completely silent.
Fang Yuan's gaze swept across one of the clauses. She pointed at the text for Tuanchun: "It says right here: 'As a Sunset Mail Carrier, one must not bully or humiliate colleagues in any way.'"
"See? Isn't there a rule right here to put your mind at ease? The contract will keep me in check."
She bit her fingertip and pressed it onto the contract.
A streak of golden light spread out from her bloodstain. The entire contract was instantly covered, turning transparent before vanishing into Fang Yuan's hands.
"I'll come to work on time tomorrow. Looking forward to working with you, fiery-tempered colleague."
Rate on N.U.
