Chapter 26: Multiply

Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Multiply "No..." Ivy stuttered, her cheeks flushing red. She remembered everything; however, admitting to remembering everything would be equivalent to accepting that she flirted with Silas. Silas took Ivy’s flushed face as her being sick. Worry clouded his eyes, "Don’t stress. I have made dinner. Just wait here." Ivy nodded. She understood that Silas stopped questioning her, fearing Ivy would faint again. Once alone, Ivy started to consider why she had behaved strangely... ’Is someone using their power on me? Or is it those cultist groups? No... the timing is too off. Those cultists will only gain power during the 5th year....How can everything move so fast?’ Even after thinking for a long while, Ivy couldn’t conclude. ’Let’s keep it in the back of my mind. Now I should worry about the main problem.’ Her main power... had changed! In her previous life, she had awakened a fire superpower. However, this time... she has awakened a supplies-picking superpower... At least that was what Ivy believed. "Hey Temporal Storage, do you know what this power is?" Ivy heavily doubted that the anomaly in this life was closely related to this space she had acquired. No response. ’Damn it... How can I forget? Temporal Storage has pre-recorded audio, and other than basic commands, it hardly follows other commands.’ With so many variables, Ivy doubted if things would go according to what she had experienced. ’Oh, right... the bento box.’ Ivy thought and looked around. Seeing it lying on the table, she picked it up. [Would you like to multiply the bento box 25 times? It will cost 1kb.] Ivy agreed. "Yes." At the same time, she lamented how costly it was to multiply things. She had only spent 0.3 kb to store 50 trillion, and almost 700,000 amount of meat. But to multiply a simple bento box, she needs to pay 1kb! It should be worth it; otherwise, she might crack the temporal storage into pieces. Suddenly, Ivy thought about how the strange condition was mentioned by the temporal storage before, [And all the items you store using your superpower can be multiplied 25 times.] ’This temporal storage must know something...’ Ivy guessed. A glint appeared in her eyes, and her expression turned unreadable. [Bento box multiplied 25 times!] Ivy stared at the bento box and opened it. What appeared in her view stunned her. There were two pandas made of rice, their eyes formed from tiny bits of seaweed, and cheeks dotted with pink pickled radish. Small cherry tomatoes, two toro sashimi, golden tamagoyaki slices, and neatly arranged broccoli florets filled the rest of the box. The sight was both adorable and mouthwatering. "What the f*ck." Ivy cursed. To say she was surprised was an understatement. "Temporal Storage, give me one of the bento boxes." She ordered. A glitch like light flashed, and the bento box appeared in Ivy’s hand. Without hesitation, Ivy opened the bento box. Sure enough, same panda rice, same colorful vegetables arranged like a painting. Ivy’s hand trembled. Amazing. If this were the case, then... "Multiply it one more time." She ordered expectantly. [Error! The same things can’t be multiplied without ###!] Ivy wilted before becoming energetic again. Surely she can pick items like today again soon, right? [This item can be multiplied again if you earn 10kb!] "Eh? Wait! I don’t understand. You said that the item can’t be multiplied, but now you are saying it can be multiplied if I earn 10kb?" The Temporal Storage didn’t respond. "Tsk." Ivy clicked her tongue in frustration, gripping the edge of the table. ’So this storage has conditions... hidden conditions it won’t reveal unless triggered? Or does it think I’ll figure it out myself?’ Her mind raced, trying to connect the dots. Ivy understood the main concept. She can multiply a freshly picked item and create 25 copies. If she wants to multiply again, she needs to earn 10kb. So maybe if she wants to multiply again, she might have to earn 10 kb again, or earn 11 kb, or maybe the amount will double to 20kb. This was Ivy’s guess. She placed the second bento box in the storage and placed the first bento box on the table. Just then, Silas entered the room with porridge, two side dishes, and one soup. Only then did Ivy realize how hungry she was. Silas placed the food tray on the table, took out a small breakfast table and set it in front of her with practiced ease. His movements were gentle, but there was a quiet strength behind them, as if he’d done this a hundred times without complaint. "Eat slowly. You’re still recovering," Silas said, pulling a chair beside her but not sitting down, simply watching her with that steady gaze that made Ivy’s heart race for reasons she didn’t want to admit. Ivy swallowed, her stomach growling at the sight and smell of the warm porridge and steaming soup. Without waiting any longer, she picked up the spoon and took a careful sip of the soup first, light, with a faint hint of ginger, the kind of taste that soothed both body and mind. Silas finally sat down, arms crossed, observing her every move like a hawk. His expression was calm, but Ivy noticed the tension in his shoulders. He was worried. Truly worried for her. "Have you eaten?" Ivy paused midway her dinner. Silas blinked, his heart skipping a beat, while his mind replayed Ivy’s question. Was she worried about him? The mere thought was enough to make Silas delighted. He coughed softly and lied, "I have." Ivy heaved a sigh of relief and soon finished the dishes. Once done, she stood up, "I will take my leave then." Silas froze. In the past 2 days, Ivy had stayed in his apartment. He almost mistook it as her co-living with him. "You can stay here if you want." His voice was calm and steady, which perfectly masked the reluctance and hope. Ivy shook her head, "No, I need to leave." Firstly, she doesn’t want to jinx Silas, and secondly... she needs to pay all those, since no food can be hoarded now, she might as well deal with all those.