Chapter 2: I hope you can tolerate me for one more night

“Two copper coins, two copper coins, Spitfire!”

Before the morning mist had even cleared in the bluestone alley, Livia was already shouldering her simple knitted satchel, hawking her wares.

“High-quality rare goods, it’ll refresh and invigorate you, only two copper coins, and you’ll feel great for half the day! Delicious and long-lasting, outrageously so, magic leaps on your tongue, you just can’t stop!”

A gentle breeze wafted by, carrying the fragrance of grass and wildflowers. Livia, wearing a simple linen dress, slowly walked along the path.

“Little girl, what is it that costs two copper coins? You speak so mysteriously.”

A mature-looking woman, carrying a basket of freshly picked vegetables, approached with a bright smile.

“What little invention have you come up with today?”

“Oh, this one is something special.”

Livia leaned in, her crystal-clear ruby-red eyes darting around as she said, “Sister Amy, this thing is called rubber, ah no, chewing gum. It’s a bit like beef that you can chew forever but it never gets tough. Every chew makes you feel cool and refreshed, and it’s sweet. Would you like to try?”

“Oh?”

Amy was clearly very interested, but she patted her pockets and gave an apologetic smile, “But I’ve spent all my money on vegetables. How about I trade some vegetables for it with little Xiaoya?”

“Sure, sure!”

Livia readily agreed, handing over two green pieces and exchanging them for two potatoes and a few leaves of cabbage.

“Chew one on each side, but remember not to swallow. If it loses its flavor, spit it out.”

“Mhm,” Amy chewed, her eyes suddenly sparkling, “It really is delicious… cool and minty.”

“Hehe, I’ll go sell elsewhere now.”

After bidding farewell to Amy, Livia approached the marketplace in the town center.

Merchants had set up their stalls early, their calls rising and falling, selling fresh vegetables and fruits, handmade fabrics and clothing. Livia, having no money for a stall, could only ‘tap-tap’ her way along the bluestone path, hawking her goods.

Man is iron, and rice is rice; without a meal, one feels hungry.

She was willing to sell or trade for food.

“Sigh… what day is it already?”

Livia lowered her small head, helplessly counting on her fingers.

“One, two, five, it’s already the fifth day…”

She wasn’t originally from this world.

In her past life, she was a soon-to-be college freshman. She had a full three months of vacation to enjoy, but she accidentally got herself killed.

Although the feeling of dying and coming back to life was miraculous, making her want to thank the gods every day, but…

Livia knelt by the river under the small bridge, her fingertips lightly touching the water’s surface.

Ripples spread out, shattering the reflection of the white-haired, red-eyed girl.

She gazed at her reflection in the lake, lost in thought. The reflection of the girl in the stream made Livia suffocating.

That girl had a delicate face like a porcelain doll, her skin as fair as the first snow, yet pale to the point of transparency.

Her waist-length pure white hair was like silk woven from moonlight, with a few dead leaves clinging to the ends.

What startled her the most were her deep red pupils, like gemstones soaked in blood, emitting an eerie glow in the morning light, set against her delicate face, making them particularly striking.

She instinctively hugged her knees, and the girl in the reflection curled up as well.

The linen dress that had fit her before now hung loosely on her frame.

She tried to stand up.

The reflection in the water was only the height of a child, the reeds by the river could easily hide her head.

Livia sighed deeply.

—What was with this petite and frail body!?

She admitted that the first time she saw her appearance, she found it indescribably beautiful, so beautiful that she wanted to find a table leg to stare at.

But as she learned more, she realized that in this other world, being pretty was useless!

There was no high technology, nor perfect laws. The town she was in was called Elton, located on a fertile plain, surrounded by lush forests and rolling hills.

In this border town, strength was everything. Someone like her, a pitiable little thing, could not survive here at all.

The owner of this body couldn’t eat enough or sleep warmly, and eventually stopped breathing under a large tree, clutching fallen leaves.

As she thought about it, a sense of inexplicable melancholy arose in Livia’s heart.

Her appearance seemed unusual, even somewhat strange.

It was easy to attract attention and unnecessary trouble.

Moreover.

“It’s been five days, and the system still hasn’t arrived…”

Livia grumbled, standing up from the riverbank.

Just three days ago, she had proudly patted her chest and shouted, ‘I am the chosen one, and the only one!’

At this moment, cold reality starkly presented itself.

She was not a chosen one, she had no system to help her, no mysterious old man to guide her, she couldn’t even chop wood. Her survival depended solely on the meager knowledge in her mind.

“Wuwuwu…”

She wished she had studied more.

She had thought that even without a system or cheat golden fingers, she could rely on her good grasp of math, physics, and chemistry to travel anywhere without fear, but reality had slapped her hard.

She had no idea where to start, and her surroundings did not support her in any way.

At this moment, the white-haired loli was like a blind person trying to touch an elephant, lost, uneasy, and confused.

Here, with no family and in an unfamiliar place, she couldn’t sleep well day and night, living in anxiety.

Her ‘ambition’ to conquer the other world on the first day had long since been shattered.

Elton was a border town with underdeveloped economy.

On the first day, she tried to work as an accountant to earn startup capital, but the person kicked her out without even looking at her.

“Sigh, I’ll just keep selling… Selling, selling, selling, so annoying!”

For the hundredth time, Livia kicked a stray stone on the ground, watching it hit the mottled stone wall.

This was not the life she wanted!

She irritably ran her fingers through her hair, pure white strands tangling between them.

She had to get up before dawn every day, and after selling her goods, she had to go up the mountain to gather herbs. At night, she had to stay up late to mix potions or research new things. The money she earned was barely enough to pay rent and eat, she couldn’t even afford a decent piece of clothing.

She was living in a daze, just to exchange a few copper coins for a hot meal, and then fall asleep worrying about her livelihood for the next day.

What was good about this kind of life! It was worse than being a corporate s*ave!

To transmigrate to another world, only to live such a life?

‘Maybe tomorrow will be… a little better?’

She told herself this deceptively, but deep down she knew that in this world with its rigid class structure, it was a fantasy for an outsider with no family or background to rise above.

Just as Livia let out a sigh, an urgent voice suddenly called from behind her, “Livia, hurry up, the landlord is here to collect the rent again.”

“…Huh?”

When it rains, it pours. Livia’s heart trembled slightly, followed by her shoulders slumping in resignation.

She turned around and saw a young girl standing behind her.

“Collecting rent again?”

“Yes, the landlord is in a hurry. She said if you don’t pay the rent soon, she’ll kick you out!”

The girl trembled slightly. Livia knew that what was coming had finally arrived.

“Alright, I’ll go now. I hope she can be a little more tolerant of me for one more night…”