"However, with your current level, you can only contact level 10 Survivors."
"Level 10?" Hearing that, Rover grew even more confused. "So levels exist too?"
"That's right!" Otrix nodded. "Of course, that level doesn't mean you level up by killing monsters. That level corresponds to the rounds you've cleared."
"Level 10 means you've cleared 10 rounds of the System. Naturally, above level 10 there are other levels as well, but you can't come into contact with those levels right now."
Hearing that, Rover felt the amount of information was enormous. He thought for a moment, then said, "Wait for me a bit."
Otrix nodded and stood still to wait.
Rover turned back into the room, then called Nanoe and Selina over and told them what had just happened.
Nanoe and Selina's expressions turned extremely serious. At this moment, Selina spoke up, "Master, this person… we absolutely have to befriend him."
"Explain a bit more," Rover asked softly.
Selina said, "Whether he's an NPC or a Survivor, it proves he's a special existence. Besides, that walkie-talkie is insanely valuable. It's not just for gathering information, it can also help us understand this world better and make friends with stronger people."
"I think so too." Nanoe added, "A Lamp-bearer is an extremely special existence. Rover, we need to befriend him. Even if we can't be friends, we can't allow a conflict with him."
Rover nodded, then chose the best kinds of food and carried them out to Otrix.
At this moment, Selina went with Rover, while Nanoe stayed behind, her hand tightly gripping the pistol, in case something bad happened.
Selina smiled and said, "You're… Otrix, right?"
Seeing Selina, Otrix smiled. "Wow! Brother, I didn't expect there'd be such a beauty in your room."
"Hello, beautiful lady…" Otrix placed a hand over his chest and smiled like a gentleman. He wasn't pushy at all. On the contrary, he was very courteous. "I'm Otrix."
He extended his hand, gloved, toward Selina.
Selina responded just as politely and shook his hand.
Otrix only lightly held her hand for a moment before letting go, smiling. "Looks like you're someone who likes swords, right?"
"That's right." Selina smiled back. "I specialize in the Foil Sword, but I can use almost any kind of sword."
"Oh! If you can survive to the third or fourth round, then go to the Thornspike Forest. You'll find what you need there."
Hearing that, Selina nodded, memorizing the name 'Thornspike Forest' in her mind.
She said, "Thank you, Otrix. I'll give you the food, but it's quite a lot, so can I trade with you?"
Selina did this because she wanted to probe whether Otrix was also a Survivor or just an NPC. And after the trade, she could contact him through the chat channel.
Otrix nodded. "If we do it through trading, that's too convenient for me. Of course I agree."
Very quickly, Selina and Otrix completed the trade. Naturally, at this moment, Selina also realized that Otrix was a Survivor, but…
"Good!" Otrix laughed. "Thank you so much. With these, I can hold out a while longer, hahahaha…"
As he laughed, he handed the walkie-talkie to Rover and said softly, "If you open the system info panel, you'll be able to find the usage instructions inside."
"See you later!"
Otrix placed a hand over his chest, then turned and left.
But after taking a few steps, he stopped, turned back, and said, "Ah! Tell the girl in the room that she doesn't need to let the past bind her. That person never hated or blamed her."
"Here's one more piece of information for free. After the round ends, look for the 'Piper'. He can give you something very wonderful. Remember, he really likes tea and porcelain items."
After saying that, Otrix left.
Watching his figure disappear completely down the stairwell, Rover let out a sigh and gripped the walkie-talkie tightly in his hand.
However, when he remembered Otrix's words, he looked toward Nanoe, who was standing inside the room, her face filled with confusion as she looked at him.
Selina also looked at him, then looked toward Nanoe, making her even more confused.
Rover closed the door. He didn't rush to check the walkie-talkie, but told Nanoe what Otrix had just said.
Nanoe jolted upon hearing it, her hands loosening.
Clang!
The pistol fell to the floor. Her eyes widened as tears suddenly streamed down like two springs.
"No!" Nanoe dropped onto the floor, then covered her face and sobbed, crying like a wronged child, crying like heavy rain pouring down.
Rover didn't know what had happened to her. He could only pull her into his arms and gently pat her back to comfort her.
After a while…
Nanoe had calmed down. She sat on the floor, leaning her head against Rover's lap, her arms wrapped tightly around him, silent, not saying a word.
Rover didn't rush her either. Even though he didn't know why she had cried like that after hearing Otrix's words, he knew very well that he needed to give her time to steady herself.
"Rover, do you know why I want to get pregnant so badly?"
Suddenly, Nanoe asked softly.
Rover shook his head. "No. But I know you have your own reasons."
Nanoe took a deep breath, then spoke.
"In the past, I had a little sister, three years younger than me. Back then, I was very ordinary, but my little sister was different. She was an angel. Not only beautiful, but also smart, and she really knew how to make people happy, so my parents almost only revolved around her."
"I was very jealous. I was jealous of my own little sister. Why? Why did everyone always give all their love to her and not to me?"
"Back then, I often played little prank games, causing my little sister to get hurt many times or end up in danger. At that time, I just wanted her to disappear from this world."
"But whenever my parents found out about the bad things I did, that girl said nothing. She even defended me. That made me hate her more and more. Why? Why was I so evil, yet she still treated me well?"
"My parents, of course, noticed the hostility I had toward my little sister, so when I was 12, they pushed me to a relative's house to separate me from my little sister."
"Hahahaha…" Nanoe laughed bitterly. Even though Rover couldn't see her face, he could still tell she was laughing and crying at the same time.
"They cruelly threw away one child for another. But that actually made me feel more comfortable. I didn't have to watch them give all their love to my little sister anymore. I treated them as if they didn't exist, and quietly lived my own life."
"But… when I was 15, my father had an affair. My mother found out, and they fought a lot."
"I still remember that day. The rain was very heavy. My little sister… she stood alone in the rain, outside the courthouse. She didn't hold an umbrella, letting her whole body get soaked. The lively light in her eyes gradually lost all emotion."
"I don't understand why in that moment… my heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly by an invisible hand. I wanted to hold my little sister in my arms, but I couldn't. In the end, I could only stand there and watch her in the rain."
"The divorce proceedings ended. No one wanted to take me in, but the court ruled that I had to go with my mother. As for my little sister, she was taken away by my father and his lover."
"I thought we would never meet again, until… until my mother was contacted by the hospital, saying that she had been abused by my father, seriously injured, and needed family to come and handle the procedures."
Nanoe suddenly cried. She cried even harder, her arms clinging to him as her whole body trembled violently, as if she were afraid of something.
Rover patted her back and said, "If you don't want to say it, then you don't have to."
Nanoe shook her head and took deep breaths, trying to calm down, but tears still streamed out, so many that even his shirt became soaked.
After a while, she finally steadied herself and continued, "After she was discharged, my mother brought her back to live with me. Only then did I learn how painful her life had been."
"My father's lover was jealous of my sister's beauty and talent, so she incited him to abuse my sister. He beat her so badly that she went deaf in one ear and broke two ribs."
"Do you know, Rover? Even after being injured that badly, when she saw me, she still asked… whether I was doing okay."
"My little sister was so foolish. From that day on, I decided I wouldn't hate her anymore, that I would protect her. But… but…"
"When my little sister had lived with me for less than a month, my father showed up again. He had gone bankrupt, and his lover had run away with the money. He went insane, wanting to destroy everything, so…"