Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 417: The System’s Task

"Stand up and stretch out your hands, so I can measure your size."

Jin Zha took a step back and spread his arms. "Like this?"

"Yes, spread your arms and turn around once."

Jin Zha did as Chen Nuo instructed and turned around. Chen Nuo conversed with the system in his mind and scanned Jin Zha’s measurements into the system’s scanner. After that, Chen Nuo spread his hands, and a set of clothes appeared in his palms.

"Is it really that amazing?" Jin Zha took the clothes. "Just a moment, and the clothes are ready, even faster than the Weaver Girl. With such skill, why don’t you become a tailor instead?"

"It’s simply because I like cooking," Chen Nuo said. "Clothes are a necessity, but cooking is different; it has always been my hobby."

"To be able to turn one’s hobby into their work and to excel at it so much, Shopkeeper Chen, you truly are the most impressive person I’ve ever met."

Jin Zha didn’t skimp on his praise. "More amazing than the Jade Emperor, I’ve made up my mind; you are my role model. Once I get back, I’m going to learn from you."

Always using the Jade Emperor as a standard for flattery, and so casually at that, Chen Nuo couldn’t tell if Jin Zha actually liked or disliked the Jade Emperor.

"Every time he finishes cultivating and goes through Tribulation, he gets scorched black by lightning."

The Mountain God looked at Chen Nuo and guessed his thoughts.

Even after becoming an immortal, one must still cultivate. The offerings from followers only increase mana, but this increase is horizontal growth.

If the number of followers decreases, mana also decreases. To solidify one’s mana, one must rely on cultivation.

Cultivation itself is an act against the natural order, and any increase would invite heavenly tribulation. Although Haotian doesn’t control the tribulations, Jin Zha stubbornly blames the scorching lightning on him.

The system silently commented, "Has he ever considered that he gets struck by lightning because his mana is of a metallic attribute?"

"He probably hasn’t thought about that," Chen Nuo added quietly.

"By the way, what’s your hobby?" Chen Nuo asked curiously. "It wouldn’t happen to be tailoring, would it?"

"Of course not," Jin Zha shook his head. "I love gold. My hobby is to open a gold shop, where I can craft anything out of gold."

"Isn’t that a bit extravagant?"

The system commented again: "Then his dream is probably going to burst like a bubble. Even the emperors of the mortal world can’t afford everything made of gold, and from what I see, his ambition isn’t about gold and silver jewelry—certainly something large. If he opens a shop, he might as well prepare for losses. No, maybe there won’t be losses, but he can expect everything in the shop to gather dust."

"When you’re free, you should visit my residence," Jin Zha offered. "If you like gold, I guarantee you’ll fall in love with it once you’re inside."

"No, thank you for the invite," Chen Nuo declined, already imagining how blindingly gold Jin Zha’s residence must be.

"Are you perhaps too busy? Other than working at the restaurant, you probably don’t have time to go out, right?"

Even after being rejected, Jin Zha wasn’t annoyed. He continued, "No worries, if you don’t have time, I have plenty. If you feel bored at the restaurant, just let me know, and I can come to visit you."

"There’s no need, my restaurant is very busy, and I don’t have time to chat with you," Chen Nuo politely refused again.

"You can’t say that. You can’t only focus on work in life. What’s the point of wasting time only in that small restaurant?" Jin Zha went on, speaking his mind. "Let’s settle on this, when I have the chance, I will visit Chaos Residence."

"If it’s for a meal, you still have to make a reservation. Without one, you can’t just come in to eat," Chen Nuo mentioned.

Jin Zha paused for a few seconds before laughing and saying, "Hey, why do you think of me like that? I said I would go to relieve your boredom, not to eat."

"Soft soap won’t work either," Chen Nuo added.

"I already told you, I’m going to relieve your boredom, why don’t you believe me?" Jin Zha pouted. "I was just being kind because I worried you’d be bored. Good intentions taken for donkey’s lungs, really!"

"I forgot to tell you, I have divine skills that allow me to hear others’ thoughts."

Jin Zha instantly fell silent, then covered his chest, "Pervert!"

"I can only hear thoughts; where is your mind wandering off to?" Chen Nuo, seeing Jin Zha’s exaggerated reactions, found it somewhat amusing.

"I was just trying to liven up the atmosphere," laughed Jin Zha.

There was no sense of liveliness, on the contrary, it made the atmosphere even more awkward, Chen Nuo silently griped in his mind.

The Mountain God had no time for idle chitchat with them; he had promised to make the stone pot and was seriously working on it without getting distracted by the noise around him.

Jin Zha, too, for fear of Chen Nuo reading his thoughts, was silently reciting the Classic of Poetry.

Chen Nuo didn’t have any ill intentions, he would occasionally eavesdrop on thoughts, but would turn off this ability once their conversation was over.

By this time, the Mountain God was crafting the fourth stone pot, and Chen Nuo suddenly remembered the energy ball mentioned by the system. Due to Jin Zha’s incessant chattering, he had forgotten about it, but now in the quiet, Chen Nuo finally remembered.

"The energy ball you mentioned, why haven’t I felt anything? Has your task been completed on your end?"

"No, the progress bar on my side hasn’t increased," the system answered.

"What’s going on? Is your task real or fake? Wasn’t it said that mining would yield energy? Why is there nothing yet?" Chen Nuo expressed his doubts about the system’s words.

"Or are you saying you’ve received the energy and didn’t tell me?"

"I swear to heaven and earth!" If the system were a living person at this moment, it would probably be holding up its hand, swearing an oath.

"I really haven’t received anything; don’t falsely accuse me!"

Without being able to see into the system’s heart, Chen Nuo naturally couldn’t tell if it was lying or not. However, relying on his so-called understanding of the system, he felt it probably wouldn’t deceive him.

"Then what’s the deal with your task?"

"How would I know? It just told me to guide you to mine for the energy ball, it didn’t say anything about a chance of success, and now the pots are almost done and we still haven’t gotten anything."

The system was puzzled too, "Could it be because this stone is the Mountain God’s seat, it doesn’t count as mining?"

"How am I supposed to know? Aren’t I asking you?" Chen Nuo retorted.

"My task only mentioned making you mine, but I really don’t know anything beyond that," said the system, "If there’s nothing here, then you, the host, might really have to go mining."

"I’m not going," Chen Nuo replied.

"Why not?"

"I’ve already found the Maifan Stone I wanted; I don’t need anything else. Besides, this is your task, not mine," Chen Nuo said, his tone mischievous.

The system became anxious, "Host, you can’t do this! Didn’t you say you would help me mine?"

"I did promise you, but the condition was that I was to look for a stone pot at the same time. Now that I have the pot, I don’t need to go mining," Chen Nuo stated truthfully.

"You can’t do this!" the system urged, "Don’t you want to explore the secrets above?"

"Secrets are secondary," Chen Nuo replied, with an attitude of indifference.

"Host, you...!"

Just as the system was about to say something more, they saw the Mountain God suddenly stop his work.