After Xiao Sheng left, Mi Duoduo was the only one left in the room.
As she stared glumly at the bland bowl of dough drop soup, a timid voice suddenly rang out in her head: "Host, you're awake?"
"Who? Who’s talking?" Mi Duoduo jolted, nearly dropping her bowl.
Xiao Sheng had just gone to the sink to scrub his shoes; there was clearly no one else in the room.
She hurriedly looked around—the earthen bed, the old wooden chest, the propaganda posters on the wall… there wasn't a soul in sight.
"Host, don't look for me. I'm in your mind. I am the Duplication System." The voice sounded a bit nervous, as if afraid of being rejected.
Mi Duoduo froze—a system? Like the Golden Finger in those novels?
She suppressed her racing heart and whispered, "System? Is it the kind of system I'm thinking of? The essential Golden Finger for transmigrators?"
"Host doesn't need to speak out loud; we can communicate through consciousness." The system's voice paused. "First, take the pill in your hand. Your head won't hurt as much after you eat it."
Mi Duoduo looked down and realized that at some point, a round pill had appeared in her other hand. It was pitch black and carried a faint, refreshing scent of herbs.
"What medicine is this?" she asked in her mind.
"A Fuyuan Pill. It can be taken by ordinary people. You've lost too much blood; eating it will help you recover faster."
Mi Duoduo hesitated for a moment but eventually popped the pill into her mouth. Before she could even register the taste, it slid down into her stomach.
Not long after, the dull ache at the back of her head truly lessened, and she felt a bit more strength returning to her body.
"System, can I see you?" she asked again.
The system's voice brightened slightly. "I have a virtual avatar… but Host, please don't make fun of me."
"I promise I won't laugh," Mi Duoduo said quickly.
As soon as she spoke, a translucent veil seemed to cover her vision. Upon the veil, a palm-sized cartoon figure appeared—it had a round head, thin arms and legs, and its features were simple lines, like a toddler's drawing. It was so abstract it was almost cute.
Mi Duoduo pursed her lips tightly, but the corners of her mouth still twitched upward. Even the pain in her head seemed to lighten a few more degrees.
"Host, you're still making fun of me!" the system's voice cried out aggrievedly, the lines of the little figure drooping.
"No, no," Mi Duoduo hurriedly waved her hands in her mind. "I just think you're exceptionally cute. I feel happy just seeing you."
"Really?" The little figure's eyes lit up, and its lines straightened.
"Truer than gold." Mi Duoduo stared at the cartoon avatar, her gaze particularly sincere. "Look at my eyes; see how sincere I am."
"Mm… it does seem quite sincere."
The system’s voice relaxed. "Then I'll give Host a welcome gift! These are treasures I've been saving for a long time!"
As the words fell, a series of notifications exploded in Mi Duoduo's mind like fireworks—
[One gold hairpin, one pair of gold bracelets, one pair of gold rings, one pair of gold earrings, one gold neck ring (A sincere Host must possess real gold!)]
[One silver hairpin, one pair of silver bracelets, one pair of silver rings, one pair of silver earrings, one silver neck ring (People often say 'gold and silver jewelry,' so how can there be gold without silver?)]
[One jade hairpin, one pair of jade bracelets, one pair of jade thumb rings, one pair of gold-inlaid jade earrings, one jade pendant (All crafted from the same piece of Hetian white jade; now that you have gold and silver, how can you not have jade to match?)]
"All of these have been placed in the System Space. Host, are you satisfied with this welcome gift?" The system's voice carried a hint of pride, like it was fishing for a compliment.
Looking at the pile of dazzling gold, silver, and jade in her mind, Mi Duoduo's breathing hitched.
Back in the modern era, she hadn't lacked food or clothing, but her family didn't own this much hard currency. At most, she had seen such things through glass windows while shopping with her mother at jewelry stores.
A wave of warmth rushed to her eyes as she suddenly thought of her parents. If they knew she was gone, how heartbroken would they be… she hoped they could move on quickly.
Sensing her low spirits, the system quickly comforted her: "Host, don't be sad! Let's work hard to duplicate resources and level up quickly. Once we reach Level 3 and open the System Mall, it's possible to buy a Dream-Entering Talisman! Then you'll be able to visit your parents in their dreams!"
A Dream-Entering Talisman? Mi Duoduo snapped her head up, a spark of hope reigniting in her eyes. "Really? Then what exactly are your functions? How do we level up?"
"I am the Duplication System. As the name suggests, I can duplicate things."
The system's voice became more serious. "For example, your younger brother, Xiao Sheng. If he has twenty-five cents in his pocket, I can duplicate it. The patched tunic he’s wearing, I can duplicate. The coarse porcelain bowl in his hand, I can duplicate that too—as long as it is a completely private item, it can be duplicated." (Note: Money and coupons can only be duplicated by their face value. The duplicated currency comes from unclaimed property or the ill-gotten gains of wicked people.)
It paused before adding, "A Level 1 system requires one Duplication Point per duplication. However, my level is low right now. If we encounter items of too high a value, I might only be able to duplicate a small portion, or perhaps nothing at all. Also, I can only duplicate physical objects. Things like luck, fortune, or emotions—the intangible things—cannot be duplicated."
Mi Duoduo caught the main point: "So can I duplicate things whenever I want?"
"Not quite," the system explained. "A Level 1 system gives the Host one Duplication Point every day. One Duplication Point allows for one duplication. Unused Duplication Points will be cleared at the end of the month. Additionally, completing duplication tasks earns Integral Points. Integral Points can be used to buy items in the System Mall or be exchanged for Duplication Points—one Integral Point for one Duplication Point. Once you've saved enough Integral Points, you can level up. After leveling up, your daily allowance of Duplication Points will increase!"
As the system spoke, a translucent panel floated before Mi Duoduo's eyes:
[Host: Mi Duoduo (Bean Sprout)]
[System Level: Level 1 (Total Garbage)]
[Duplication Points: 2 (Cleared at the end of the month)]
[Integral Points: 0 (System upgrades depend entirely on this)]
[System Mall: Not yet open (There are many good things inside~)]
[Level 1 Duplication Rules:
Unlimited duplications for the first 3 days; touching the target allows the duplication of any one of its resources.
After 3 days, limited to 3 times per day; a single target can only be duplicated once per day; all require touching the target first.
Each duplication consumes 1 Duplication Point. 1 Integral Point can be exchanged for 1 Duplication Point. The system automatically issues 1 Duplication Point every day at midnight.]
Mi Duoduo demanded, "System, what do you mean? You're the bean sprout!"
The Duplication System retorted, "Look at how thin and small you are. You're exactly like a bean sprout."
At those words, Mi Duoduo suddenly remembered she had transmigrated; this wasn't her original body.
She reached out to feel this new frame, sensing nothing but bones. She was so thin that there wasn't even much flesh on her thighs.
She remembered that she had passed away in the year 2030. But now, it was clearly the early autumn of 1974, more than three years before the resumption of the College Entrance Examination.
The original owner of this body had just started her first year of high school.
Fortunately, the foreign language taught in middle and high school back then was English, not Russian. Otherwise, she might have been exposed on the spot.
Mi Duoduo stared at the panel for a long time. Suddenly, her head didn't hurt, and her stomach didn't feel hungry.
She looked toward the sink outside. The faint sound of Xiao Sheng scrubbing his shoes drifted in—it seemed her first duplication target had already appeared.
For some reason, Mi Duoduo felt an inexplicable emptiness in her heart, as if she had forgotten something vital.
She figured it was likely because of her head injury and the fact that she had just transmigrated.
After a moment, her heart suddenly jolted. She sent a quiet, tentative thought into her mind: "System, you brought me to this world, didn't you? Then… can you send me back?"