C6 Boring Woman

Tang Tianyuv bent down to pick up another stone fragment from the ground, stepping on it to hold it in place as he resumed sawing.

By now, he had been at it for over ten minutes, yet he still felt strong. This was a clear sign that his health had improved from before.

In just five minutes, he managed to saw the stone in half, revealing its crimson interior.

Undeterred, Tang Tianyuv grabbed another stone half and got back to work.

"Brother," Yem Yu said, her concern for Tang Tianyuv evident in her eyes.

"Don't worry, I'm okay," Tang Tianyuv reassured her with a smile. "You're about to see something amazing."

The sense of power grew increasingly distinct. As Tang Tianyuv worked the stone beneath his feet, his movements softened. Three minutes later, he felt a sudden lightness in his hand; the saw's teeth were no longer meeting the resistance of hard stone.

A faint blue light began to seep out from underfoot, nearly imperceptible in the light, yet it sent a wave of excitement through both onlookers.

"Brother..." Xiaoyu's voice quivered, "Is that a Universe Energy Crystal?"

Tang Tianyuv steadied himself and whispered, "Xiaoyu, turn off the light."

With the lights off, the blue glow shone more vividly. Though minuscule, it was intensely pure and deep, like a boundless azure ocean hidden within the stone's core. In that moment, the young man and woman in the room could hear the pounding of their own hearts.

With careful precision, Tang Tianyuv used the saw to remove the surrounding stone, eventually freeing the source of the blue light.

It was a tiny solid speck, no larger than a grain of rice, nearly weightless in his palm. Tang Tianyuv closed his eyes, feeling a surge of power emanating from the crystal.

"Xiao Yu, can you feel its energy?"

"Brother, stop teasing," Yem Yu replied with a shake of her head. "They say it takes at least eighteen processes to extract this kind of energy. How could we possibly sense it?" Her cheeks flushed with excitement, she added, "Brother, looks like you won't have to worry about the rent now."

"Yeah, it's not just the rent—it's food, clothes, the internet, and so much more," Tang Tianyuv said, his face alight with dreams. "And hey, you've always been jealous of my Virtual Cabin, right? Once I've got the cash, I'm getting you the latest and greatest model…"

The night was fated to be a long one.

Xiao Mi slumped at the counter, listlessly staring at the Holo-Brain screen that played a hit idol drama sweeping through the Federation. Even though her favorite heartthrob, Yun Feiyang, was the star, by the eighteenth viewing, she couldn't deny her penchant for the new and her boredom with the old.

"This is so dull! I'm literally dying of boredom here," Xiao Mi exclaimed, stretching languidly, her svelte waist and impressive figure on full display. With a few deft taps on the Holo-Brain, she queued up her breakfast order.

Once upon a time, Xiao Mi had been a campus celebrity at East Hall University—known as one of the Energy Department's top ten beauties and boasting stellar grades. She graduated with honors and, to the envy of her peers, was fast-tracked into the prestigious Carlos Federation army system. Those were the days of glory. But the army's dark underbelly soon revealed itself; after spurning the advances of a high-ranking officer old enough to be her father, she found herself unceremoniously relegated to this Energy Procurement Base as its manager—a sentence that had already lasted five years.

Initially, Xiao Mi couldn't fathom why that sleazy old man had banished her to this outpost. In the tales spun around Worm Iron Ore and Universe Energy Crystals, the Energy Procurement Base was always a hub of activity, a place frequented by eccentrics and space rangers who'd swoop in with their energy crystals and leave just as quickly, sparking legends of interstellar adventures and overnight riches. These stories lured many to the pursuit of Worm Iron Ore.

Xiao Mi had once dreamed of encountering the Carlos Federation's most renowned space explorer, of discovering super energy crystals that would rock the military, of a dashing prince charming who would stumble upon her and fall hopelessly in love. But reality had a cruel way of shattering dreams. She came to realize that all those fabled tales were nothing but crap. The job, once thought to be a front-row seat to the miraculous, turned out to be the most mind-numbingly boring, pitiable, and unskilled work on the planet.

It's not hard to grasp why Universe Energy Crystals are the epitome of luxury. Coveted by governments and manipulated by merchants for profit, these crystals are a testament to the merchants' superior business savvy and competitive edge over the military. Consequently, nearly all energy crystals initially end up in the hands of traders, who then distribute them through various channels to different factions. The military's energy acquisition points in each city are, frankly, nothing more than a facade, patronized only by those whose patriotism borders on the absurd, willing to part with these invaluable crystals at rock-bottom prices.

Over the last five years, she had managed to acquire a mere five energy crystals—one per year—and each of the lowest caliber. It's likely the sellers deemed the crystals too subpar to bother with.

Despite receiving a regular salary and decent benefits, 28-year-old Xiaomi felt as if she were an old woman in her seventies or eighties, her life stagnating before her eyes.

With a doctorate in energy studies, she was overqualified for a job that even a janitor could perform.

After breakfast, Xiaomi's gaze instinctively swept over the screen before her and drifted towards the door. To her astonishment, a figure entered with a hint of apprehension.

Xiaomi sprang from her seat in excitement!

It was a rare occurrence; aside from the delivery person, this was the first visitor in three long months!

Tang Tianyuv had located this official energy purchase point in East Hall City online. As he entered, he caught sight of the striking woman behind the counter, grinning at him in a dazed manner. He hesitated briefly before mustering the courage to approach and inquire, "Excuse me, do you purchase Universe Energy Crystals here?"

Xiaomi beamed with what she believed to be infectious enthusiasm, her laughter warm enough to thaw anything as she replied, "Yes."

Tang Tianyuv's brow creased slightly. He questioned the mental state of the woman before him, but a quick scan of the surroundings confirmed she was alone. From a nearby computer, a woman's voice resonated with anguish, "Tianyou, Tianyou, don't you love me anymore? Tianyou, have you truly stopped loving me? Yet, I am carrying your child!"

Tang Tianyuv shivered, quickly composing himself before asking, "Could you tell me your purchasing price?"

"We have to appraise your energy crystal first, as per our policy, and then we can offer you a price based on the appraisal," Xiao Mi explained proficiently. "Please present the crystal."

"Sure." Tang Tianyuv, noticing the woman across from him seemed more composed, felt a bit more settled. He gingerly pulled a neatly folded, thick cloth from his pocket and laid it out on the counter. Xiao Mi watched him with a peculiar gaze throughout.

"Do you actually have an Energy Crystal, sir?" Xiao Mi couldn't resist asking.

"Yes," Tang Tianyuv answered nonchalantly. "I acquired it just yesterday. It's on the small side, but I'm certain it's a Universe Energy Crystal."

As the cloth unfolded, Tang Tianyuv's expression turned odd. He sensed the energy within the cloth had significantly weakened since yesterday and was still fading. When he finally spread the cloth out completely, a blue light flickered briefly beneath his eyelids before vanishing into the air.

The cloth lay open, empty.

Tang Tianyuv's mouth hung open in astonishment. It took him a moment to look up at Xiao Mi, whose expression was just as bizarre. "You saw that, didn't you?"

Xiao Mi nodded.

"I did have a Universe Energy Crystal... I don't understand what went wrong," Tang Tianyuv was on the verge of tears. He had been up all night, eager to sell the crystal today to buy a house, a car, and a Virtual Cabin for Xiao Yu. Yet, he hadn't made a single purchase, and now the crystal had disappeared right before his eyes.

"Sir..." Xiao Mi finally spoke, her brow furrowed and a look of sympathy on her face. "Have you never encountered a Universe Energy Crystal before?"

Tang Tianyuv just shook his head, dejected.

"Do you even know how to store such a crystal?" Xiao Mi was actually quite annoyed, but her boredom led her to enlighten the poor guy. "Universe Energy Crystals are incredibly volatile and prone to dispersal. This universe is filled with this highly pure energy, but humans can't refine it. It's found in Worm Iron Ore because the ore naturally isolates all forms of energy, preventing the crystals from dissipating and allowing them to exist in solid or liquid form. Now, does that make sense to you?"