After listening, Lu Fengmian thought for a moment and agreed that she could help.
However, she also earnestly told the other person, “I cannot guarantee success, nor can I guarantee whether they are-.”
“Still alive,” Lu Fengmian paused for a moment before speaking those three words softly.
These words were cruel, yet Lu Fengmian truly could not promise her anything.
The woman shed tears once again, but she did not make an unreasonable scene, merely expressing her gratitude once more.
“Thank you, heroine,” several nearby street vendors who had gathered around at an unknown time also expressed their gratitude to Lu Fengmian one after another.
Lu Fengmian did not even know how she had suddenly become like a hero.
“No, no, no, please do not be like this, I merely encountered it by chance, if I can help I certainly will, but as I said, I cannot promise anything,” Lu Fengmian spoke very sincerely.
She did not want to make grand boasts to them, filling people with hope only to make them fall into despair later. From her own perspective, that would be a very terrible thing to do, so if she could not play the savior, she should not exaggerate.
Sure enough, the eyes of a few people dimmed slightly, but they still managed a forced smile to thank Lu Fengmian.
After leaving that street, Lu Fengmian held Qing Shi and let out a deep sigh.
“Ah Shi, tell me, what is all this about?”
Qing Shi nibbled on the small snacks Lu Fengmian bought for her, saying casually, “You brought this trouble upon yourself.”
Lu Fengmian gave her a faint, exasperated look, “Fine, fine, fine, I am looking for trouble when there is none.”
[Is this some kind of hidden quest? I saw other people walking past that street without encountering any little girl asking for help?]
[Hidden quests have trigger conditions and specific times, they are not necessarily available all the time.]
[What kind of luck does Mianmian have?]
[It is not just Mianmian, I saw other players triggering hidden quests as well.]
[The degree of freedom in this world is really high, many NPCs you think are insignificant might be hidden big shots, plus they actually open up to you, each NPC’s attitude toward different people is different, it really feels like a mini world.]
[Is the production team really broke? The production cost for this must be insanely high, right? Setting the storyline aside, it is completely unique in the entire interstellar region.]
[How could anyone set the storyline aside? You have to realize how powerful a brain it takes to create a world worldview system completely unrelated to the real world, including the language and writing.]
Lu Fengmian let out a soft laugh, thinking that was not really the case.
All of this was merely a part of the lost civilization belonging to themselves, and at most, she and the system had simply organized it.
After going through that incident with the little girl earlier, Lu Fengmian no longer had much interest in continuing her quests. After informing the viewers in the live stream chat, she ended the broadcast.
After all, she was the producer and possessed the authority to independently control when to end the stream.
Once the live stream closed, Lu Fengmian continued walking down the main street with Qing Shi.
“Has this world always been so chaotic?” People came and went along the street, some were game NPCs while others might be real people, and Lu Fengmian could not tell them apart.
The more she knew, the more unreal it felt, for the amount of information acquired over these past few days was truly overwhelming, almost like a dream.
“No, it was not so chaotic in the beginning, later, as the world evolved and creatures like evil thoughts and the demon race were born, it became chaotic, and with the addition of the outsiders, it grew even more chaotic.”
“Furthermore, my power has weakened significantly, leaving me unable to maintain the stability of this world, perhaps it is because of me that evil thoughts sprouted and the demon race was born,” Qing Shi did not remember much, but she vaguely felt that these things might be related to herself.
Lu Fengmian had designed her as a guardian deity, so now that she realized her neglect of duty, would she be very disappointed?
Qing Shi looked at Lu Fengmian with a touch of anxiety and unease.
Lu Fengmian stopped in her tracks, turning around on the bustling, crowded street to embrace Qing Shi.
“Do not take everything onto your own shoulders, a goddess is not meant to exhaust her all to protect others, the existence of a god is to give people hope, not to act like a bodyguard.”
“The greed and desires of mortals gave rise to evil thoughts, and the instability of the world brought about the birth of demons, these are not entirely your responsibility.”
Lu Fengmian’s comfort dispelled much of the unease in Qing Shi’s heart.
“But I am a sinner,” she ultimately confessed the secret she had been hiding from Lu Fengmian.
“Hmm?” Lu Fengmian released her, her face written with surprise.
Qing Shi took a small step backward, and the two vanished from the bustling street, arriving at a scenic spot outside the city.
“I am a sinner, just like those sinners in the land of exile,” after speaking, she even revealed the chains bound to her soul for Lu Fengmian to see.
Looking at the chains restricting her soul, Lu Fengmian felt a sudden, sharp ache in her heart.
She could not explain why she felt such deep sympathy, so she could only find an excuse for herself in her mind.
It was because Qing Shi was created by her own hands, she had poured a tremendous amount of painstaking effort and love into Qing Shi, bestowing many wonderful traits upon her.
It was like a carefully nurtured flower suddenly wilting, causing heart-wrenching pain and discomfort no matter what.
“Does it hurt?” Lu Fengmian asked.
“Occasionally a little,” Qing Shi had not expected that instead of blaming her, she would ask if it hurt.
“What crime did you commit?” Lu Fengmian watched a flower petal fall onto her head, suppressing the sourness in her nose as she asked.
Right now, her feelings for Qing Shi were certainly not an unforgettable love, but that did not prevent her from feeling sympathy and a trace of pity for Qing Shi.
Qing Shi let out a soft laugh, then gently shook her head, “I do not remember.”
Lu Fengmian felt a headache coming on, thinking what a trouble this fellow was.
“Will Mianmian hate me, will you feel disgusted by me?” When Qing Shi asked, she did not even dare to look at Lu Fengmian, fearing she might see disappointment in Lu Fengmian’s eyes.
Lu Fengmian walked over to the edge of the stream and sat down, watching the fallen flowers drift into the water and get carried away by the current.
She reached out to scoop up a handful of water and splashed it apart, the droplets refracting the light of the sun in the air, looking exceptionally beautiful.
“Not for now,” Lu Fengmian watched the water droplets fall back to the ground, answering Qing Shi unhurriedly.
“You were created by my own hands, so I naturally view you through a filter and feel fondness toward you, I know what kind of person I hope you to be.”
“Although you have awakened and gained your own consciousness, you probably would not abandon all those settings, for some will always remain, in fact, spending time with you during this period, I can also feel that you indeed still retain many of those settings.”
“I choose to trust my instincts for once, after all, I currently do not know what crime you committed or why you committed it, perhaps it is even related to me? If that is truly the case, what right do I have to hate you?”
“If the future proves that you are indeed beyond redemption, I suppose I will also find a way to do everything in my power to stop you or even destroy you,” Lu Fengmian curled her lips, then unexpectedly splashed a handful of water at Qing Shi.
A portion of Qing Shi’s clothing was soaked by her water, yet she was not angry at all, even breaking into a happy smile.
She walked over to sit beside Lu Fengmian, reaching out to cup Lu Fengmian’s cheeks, stealing a sudden kiss.
“Mianmian is so wonderful, if I am truly beyond redemption, I definitely will not make Mianmian act against me, as long as Mianmian says you wish for me to accept justice, I will never resist,” after kissing her, Qing Shi dutifully swore an oath to the heavens.
Looking at her wearing that exquisite face she had customized, swearing to the sky with such a serious expression, Lu Fengmian found it strangely comical in a way.
“Alright, alright, we have not reached that point yet.”
Lu Fengmian did not like over-predicting future events, after all, the future was full of too many variables, and no one could guarantee what would happen to her or what would happen to Qing Shi when that time truly arrived.