WEF - Chapter 3
Chapter 3: How About It, a Swap?
[Old Liar]
Some people appear to be honest, down-to-earth cement haulers, but are actually seasoned Old Liars.
Skill One: A plain-looking Old Liar is more likely to gain trust than an ordinary person. The lies you tell are more believable than anyone else's truths. No matter how outrageous the lie, as long as it comes from your mouth, there is a certain chance that people will believe it.
Skill Two: An Old Liar's words are half true and half false. As long as enough people believe you, you can use Passing Lies as Truth to change reality.
Skill Three: An Old Liar's skin is thicker than a city wall. The more outrageous the lies you speak, the thicker your skin becomes, and the greater the defense of the Shield you gain.
(The Shield can stack, with no upper limit.)
A long string of text flashed before Ning Dali's eyes. Before she could understand it word by word, it vanished from sight.
Luckily, Ning Dali had spent time in prison.
Memorizing every word, image, and detail she saw within a second or two was basic training in prison. The guards and surveillance cameras would not let her see it a second time.
Nearly a third of Ning Dali's life had been spent in prison, and her foundation was solid.
She pressed one finger to her temple and closed her eyes. The long string of text from moments ago appeared clearly in her vision.
At first, Ning Dali frowned and thought, Could lying really count as an Ability?
Reading farther down, the corners of Ning Dali's mouth rose. She wished she could print out the Ability description, paste it onto her household register, and proclaim to the world that this was an Ability she had been born with.
What she lacked most right now was defense.
Ning Dali's vehicle was packed with all sorts of things. Against ordinary Ability Users, she had more than enough ways to attack and was confident she could hold her own.
Defense was the only thing that gave her trouble.
In an unfamiliar world, surrounded by Ability Users she did not understand, Ning Dali would have to sleep with one eye open if she had no way to save her life.
Only magic can defend against magic.
The thick skin of [Old Liar] happened to make up for her weak spot.
The activation conditions for this Ability were simple enough, and the Shield it granted could stack without limit... Ning Dali had played games before, and a skill capable of infinite stacking was rare even in games.
By any measure, it was a practical, overpowered Ability.
But she could not celebrate too soon. She still had to test it out to know its exact effect.
Ning Dali suppressed her excitement, shifted her gaze, and turned toward Wang You and Zhuang Yuezhen.
What had they been saying just now... Was it about oil? They had extra gasoline in their vehicle and could sell it to her.
Smiling, Ning Dali began stacking the Shield. "Name your price for the gasoline. I'm easy to deal with. Whatever conditions you propose, as long as I can do it, I will not bargain."
At her words, Zhuang Yuezhen inhaled sharply, her eyes going round. Her mouth asked faster than her brain: "You're asking us to name the price? Aren't you afraid we'll ask for an outrageous sum?"
Ning Dali asked with a half smile, "Would you?"
"Of course not," Wang You snapped.
"I believe you wouldn't either." Ning Dali spread her hands and said considerately, "You can go aside and discuss the price. I need at least fifty liters of gasoline."
Wang You nodded, pulled Zhuang Yuezhen a short distance away, took out her smart device, and typed while they faced each other.
Ning Dali could not hear what they were saying or read their lip movements, and she was too lazy to work out what they were discussing from their typing.
She clicked her tongue, pulled her gaze back from the car window, and looked at her hand.
A faint halo had already formed around her hand.
The moment she finished lying, without doing anything else, the Shield appeared automatically and enveloped her entire body.
With every lie she spoke, she could feel the Shield grow a little more solid.
The sight of it alone gave her an immense sense of security.
From the reactions of Wang You and Zhuang Yuezhen, she could tell that only she could see the Shield. No one else could.
That was good. She would not have to worry that the Shield appearing automatically would give her lies away in the future.
She just did not know whether deceiving herself counted as lying.
Ning Dali lost no time making several attempts.
She muttered a few words to herself while looking in the rearview mirror, but no matter how outrageous they were, the Shield did not change.
She then comforted the unconscious woman in the passenger seat, saying things like, "I will risk my life to protect you" or "I will definitely avenge you." The Shield still did not change.
It seemed she had to communicate with a conscious person for it to count as lying.
With some disappointment, Ning Dali pulled a small knife from her pocket and cut a line across her arm.
The knife touched her skin, bringing an icy sensation.
The sensation was cold, but not sharp.
At the moment it was about to break her skin, an invisible force stopped the knife.
The sensation of the blade moving across her skin remained, but it could not cause Ning Dali any actual harm.
[Old Liar] really lived up to its name. It never let a detail slip.
After finishing her test, Ning Dali put away the knife and stared at the backs of Wang You and Zhuang Yuezhen, already plotting how to lure the two of them into coming with her.
The two of them could not only provide gasoline for her RV, but also tell her about this world and show her the way.
Most importantly, Zhuang Yuezhen did not seem very bright, so Ning Dali could keep stacking the Shield on her without restraint.
After a minute of discussion, Wang You and Zhuang Yuezhen turned around and saw Ning Dali's sparkling eyes.
The eagerness in her eyes was too obvious, so Wang You instinctively took a step back.
"Did you reach a decision?" Ning Dali asked.
Her tone was as composed as if she were loaded with money, and she managed to increase the Shield's defense by the smallest amount. The [Old Liar]'s skin grew thicker.
"Fifty liters of gasoline in exchange for half the supplies in an Airdrop bag." Wang You pointed to the Airdrop nearby.
There were several plastic bags on the ground. Ning Dali had noticed them long ago, but she had not dared get out of the vehicle to collect them, afraid someone might ambush her and leave her no time to escape.
Although she had no idea what was inside the Airdrop bags, she still said, "You only want this much? Isn't that a little too little?" just to stack the Shield.
Is that even a little?... Zhuang Yuezhen's mouth hung half open, and for a moment she did not know what to say.
"That is not little at all," Wang You said without hesitation.
Ning Dali nodded casually. With the Shield protecting her, she finally lifted her foot off the accelerator and lowered the explosive she had been clutching in her hand.
"Which bag do you want?"
"The black plastic bag." Zhuang Yuezhen pointed.
"Good." Ning Dali got out and walked over to pick up the bag Zhuang Yuezhen had indicated.
The bag was opaque and had a little heft when she lifted it. She had no idea what was inside, and it smelled strange.
Ning Dali paused and untied the knot at the top of the bag.
The bag contained rotten greens.
"?"
Ning Dali's brain briefly crashed.
She held her breath, hesitantly reached out, and poked the rotten greens.
Even the Countdown seemed to pause for three seconds before appearing in front of her eyes.
[167:48:21]
Why was there a Countdown again? And why had it gotten longer?
Wait, this thing can actually be eaten? Won't eating it give me cancer?
Ning Dali fell into thought, still holding the bag of rotten greens.
Beside her, Zhuang Yuezhen looked nervous and secretly typed on her smart device.
[Is she regretting it and not wanting to trade her vegetables for our gasoline?]
[Did we set the price too high?]
[Is that politeness from a moment ago just an act?]
[If she backs out, do we run?]
Wang You gave Zhuang Yuezhen a look that told her to stay calm.
Her typing was so obvious that it had already drawn Ning Dali's attention.
Ning Dali gently set the bag of rotten leaves on the ground.
Zhuang Yuezhen watched her movements nervously.
Ning Dali opened another bag on the ground and glanced inside.
Then, expressionless, she tied it tightly shut with two knots of the kind used in prison to bind death-row inmates.
"You want half of this bag?" Ning Dali asked with a frown.
Wang You reluctantly nodded, looked at the open displeasure on Ning Dali's face, and thought, I didn't ask for an outrageous price. What is she unhappy about?
Half a bag of vegetables for fifty liters of gasoline was a fair deal, no matter how you looked at it.
Ning Dali thought gravely, If they only wanted half of the rotten vegetables, what would she do with the other half when she took it back?
There was no way she could eat it. She could not exactly take it back and put it in the refrigerator... Her refrigerator was full of fresh food, and rotten greens would contaminate the air inside it... Throwing it away was not practical either. These rotten leaves were clearly worth something...
"One whole bag of vegetables for seventy-five liters of gasoline," Ning Dali said.
Before Zhuang Yuezhen could celebrate, Ning Dali continued, "I have no sense of direction. I don't know the way. In exchange for the remaining twenty-five liters of gasoline, you two will navigate for me. I have to take my friend to receive the best treatment."
Zhuang Yuezhen's expression changed like a roller coaster, rising and falling dramatically.
"So, is that a yes or no?" Ning Dali asked lightly.
That was definitely not acceptable.
Wang You silently took a deep breath, edged behind Zhuang Yuezhen, and was just about to bravely say no.
Ning Dali could see that Wang You was about to say no.
If Wang You said no, the situation would become rather awkward... because if they refused, Ning Dali actually could not do anything to them. She could not exactly start a fight with them.
She was an Old Liar, not a martial arts champion.
"Wait." Ning Dali said as she pulled half a bottle of milk from the vehicle.
Her "friend" had drunk this bottle of milk.
People in this world had incredibly strong stomachs. Ning Dali did not dare continue drinking anything her "friend" had drunk, afraid of poisoning.
The milk came in one-liter bottles, and about five hundred milliliters remained, so it was worth more than the rotten leaves anyway.
It was just right to take it out and trade it before it spoiled.
"If you agree to my previous deal," Ning Dali said, shaking the milk in her hand and coaxing them, "then I will trade this bottle of milk for one of your smart devices."
The moment the half bottle of milk appeared, Zhuang Yuezhen's weak resistance gave way, and even Wang You's eyes stayed glued to it.
"This... this is milk... fresh, huh..." Zhuang Yuezhen swallowed hard.
The pure white milk in the transparent bottle had no strange color, no lumps, and no stringy bits.
Without a doubt, this was half a bottle of milk still in its prime.
Nothing in this world was more tempting.
Zhuang Yuezhen had never tasted milk in her life.
"How about it, a swap?" Ning Dali asked slowly.
"Swap!" Zhuang Yuezhen nodded decisively, without a trace of hesitation.
"Do you want the ID card on my smart device? If you do, I'll give it to you too. Take the power bank and charger as well."
Wang You, a step too slow, was heartbroken. She could only wish she had eight hundred smart devices.
Ning Dali slowly pulled out a flatbread.
The flatbread was as large as her face, with three gaps bitten out of it by her "friend."
Wang You's eyes went from bright to greedy to despairing.
A filling flatbread was worth more than milk, and she could not afford it.
She could not afford it...
Reading the despair in Wang You's eyes, Ning Dali stuffed the flatbread back into the vehicle.
She could keep the flatbread in the refrigerator and find a buyer later.
Under Wang You's gloomy gaze, Ning Dali and Zhuang Yuezhen completed the deal smoothly and exchanged names amicably.
After initializing her own smart device, Zhuang Yuezhen gave it to Ning Dali along with all its accessories.
After they took out tools and added some fuel to the RV, the two vehicles set off.
Wang You drove the off-road vehicle in front, Ning Dali followed in the RV, and Zhuang Yuezhen played with Wang You's smart device.
"You've been using my smart device. Can I have a sip of the milk later?" Wang You asked plaintively.
Before Zhuang Yuezhen could answer, the smart device displayed an incoming call from Xiao Zhen.
Zhuang Yuezhen gave a puzzled "Huh?" and tapped Answer.
"Sis Dali, what's up?"
"Nothing." Ning Dali's voice came through the smart device. "I was just a little scared driving alone, so I wanted someone to talk to."
Besides, she wanted to test whether she could stack the Shield over a phone call.
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