The girl selling goods at the market had never seen money before.

"Your mother is sick? What's wrong? Is the life-saving medicine not working?"

"Magic Life Exhaustion Syndrome is generally caused by prolonged mining, hence its common name, ore disease. Almost every miner will get this disease."

"Every miner gets it? Does no one escape it?"

Hearing this, Jia Ruolin laughed and looked at Bai Jinxuan with a complicated expression: "Do you think miners work several hours a day? In that environment, getting Oripathy is considered lucky. If you're a little unlucky, you might experience gene mutations, causing your hair and pupils to change color. If it's even more serious, you might suffer from physical deformities, organ failure, and die within a few days."

"But I heard that mining is just dangerous and hard work, and only after working for a very long time will the body crystallize due to excessive magic power, right? Besides, why don't life potions work? Even if organs crystallize, can't you just have surgery to cut them off and let them grow back?"

Bai Jinxuan became more and more serious as she spoke, so Jia Ruolin had no choice but to explain it to her on her way home.

"Since you know that excessive magic can crystallize, you should understand that the distribution of magic in the human body is uneven, and so is the size of the crystals. If many extremely small crystals appear in your blood, they will all pierce your blood vessels when your heart beats. How can you treat that? Even if the life potion helps repair your blood vessels, they will still be pierced in the next second."

"Besides, some crystals are located inside the brain. You can't exactly cut open the head to remove them, can you? What about the crystals inside the brain? What about the crystals inside the cells? Anyway, the doctor said that this is probably the reason for the decline in life, and there is no solution."

"Even if you replace everything below your body, the crystals inside your brain can't be removed. Once you contract Oripathy, your life is already on a countdown. Whether you take medicine or have surgery, it's just prolonging your life..."

Halfway through her sentence, she suddenly stopped talking, put her index finger to her lips, and whispered to herself, "Shh—," then walked to a small brick house, opened the wooden door, and cheerfully called out:

"Mom, I brought my friends home to play!"

"Eh?"

Volume 1: Chapter 104: The Girl Who Was All a Lie

"Mom, I brought my friends home to play!"

As soon as the words were spoken, a slightly weak voice came from inside the house: "Lin'er, things haven't been very peaceful around here lately, be careful when you go out... Wait, you brought your friends back?"

As a series of hurried footsteps rapidly approached, a gaunt woman with most of her hair dyed red emerged from the darkness.

Her face was ashen and pale.

The leaves, however, suddenly come to life the moment they see themselves.

"What a beautiful girl, Lin'er! Why didn't you tell me you were bringing a friend home? We didn't have anything to offer..."

For a moment, Bai Jinxuan didn't know whether these were polite words or the truth. If they were just polite words, her expression didn't seem like an act. If they were the truth, her face was fake; it was a deliberately sculpted image of a young woman around 20 years old.

When she first arrived at the black market, in order to avoid attracting too much attention and getting into trouble, she made her face very ordinary, just plain and unremarkable, the kind that you'd see on the street.

Although it sounds nice, I really can't call myself pretty right now. In comparison, Jia Ruolin is much more attractive than me.

Although she tried to hide her age, last week, he accidentally glanced at her information about registering as a black market trader—she was 17 years old, only a few months older than him.

Jia Ruolin looked helpless after hearing her mother's complaints.

She didn't respond, but instead turned around and turned on the light.

After the old light bulb flickered a few times, it emitted a faint yellow light.

Then, she led Bai Jinxuan to a small table in the living room, brought out a stool for her to sit down, and pointed to a middle-aged woman on the side, saying, "This is my mother... She is a very warm and generous person, so you don't need to be too reserved."

Then she turned around and said, "Mom, this is a colleague I work with at the restaurant. She's not very talkative, so please don't keep asking her questions."

Hearing Jia Ruolin lie without batting an eye, Bai Jinxuan instantly understood and quickly followed up, "Hello, Auntie, my name is Bai Qianye. This is just a small token of my appreciation..."

She quickly pulled a carefully packaged bag of fruit from her handbag.

This scene left Jia Ruolin bewildered. She hadn't seen Miss Bai buy any fruit along the way. Could it be that Miss Bai bumped into her by chance while she was shopping?

Before she could think further, Bai Jinxuan immediately started setting up a stall, quickly taking out transparent plastic boxes from the bag and arranging them neatly on the table.

Even if she said she didn't work at the restaurant, Grandmother Jia wouldn't believe her now.

After a few brief pleasantries, the three gradually became acquainted, eating fruit and chatting about everyday things.

Especially Grandmother Jia. At first, Bai Jinxuan didn't take Jia Ruolin's words seriously, but as soon as the initial encounter buff wore off, she immediately turned into a child with a million questions, asking Bai Jinxuan incessantly.

"Xiao Ye, where did you go to school before?"

"Is your work usually tiring?"

How many people are in your family?

When she heard Bai Jinxuan reply, "I'm all alone now," she acted like a child who had done something wrong, quickly apologizing profusely, looking extremely flustered.

She then remained silent for a few minutes before asking questions again.

To be honest, it was quite interesting. At least there was no pretentious adult attitude. When we chatted, it was as innocent as children discussing things.

"Then, Xiao Ye, won't you be living a lonely life all by yourself? How pitiful..."

"It's not that bad. My parents just went missing while mining, and their fate is unknown. Maybe we'll be able to reunite."

When Bai Jinxuan said this, she showed no emotion whatsoever, as if she were talking about something trivial, which made the Jia family mother and daughter show warm looks.

At that moment, they all thought that if they died one day, their daughters/mothers might be able to stand tall, forget them, and live their own lives well.

“Mining, huh…” Grandmother Jia looked out the window and murmured, “It’s so nostalgic. Seeing your hair reminds me of a couple who also disappeared eight years ago. It’s a pity you don’t look like them, and you’re quite a bit older than their daughter.”

Bai Jinxuan's heart skipped a beat, and she opened her mouth: "Auntie, do you have a deep impression of them?"

"It must be deep. Back then, they were legendary figures in the mining team. The husband was named Bai Qingfeng, and the wife was named Bai Ruolan. Even though I wasn't on the same mining team as them, I knew their names. They were hardworking and diligent, and their mining team always had the highest monthly harvest, with a significant lead over the second-highest."

"If that were all, it wouldn't be so bad. What's even more amazing is that they work the longest hours, yet they have the mildest cases of ore sickness. This is unheard of in any mining team."

"Moreover, sometimes you can tell the difference between people just by their appearance. Take that legendary couple for example. All three of them have silver hair, pure silver, without a single highlight or blemish. This is extremely rare in the entire Star City, right? Even nobles who have never been underground will have their hair dyed with blemishes to some extent due to their genes."

"But they are different. Just like you, Xiao Ye, your hair color is pure silver-white. To be honest, the moment I saw your hair color, I thought it was their child, Bai... something Xuan. Anyway, the surname and hair color match, except you are a bit older than her."

"That's really intriguing. I thought I was the only one with silver hair," Bai Jinxuan said with a hint of pride.

Seeing this, Grandmother Jia sighed, her expression sorrowful: "Xiao Ye, I must advise you, never ruin your future for a moment's gain. The underground city is not a place for ordinary people like us. Demons are buried in that deep darkness."

"demon?"

"Don't you think it's similar? Demons lure people to the dungeons, then relentlessly harvest their souls... How many people who live in the dungeons have a good ending?"

Bai Jinxuan fell silent.

She knew that Grandmother Jia was right; the underground city was indeed, as she had described, a slaughterhouse for monsters, where countless people died every day, and where countless others were drawn every day.

But... I had no choice.

The whereabouts of her parents, the funds for her studies, her future life... all these factors drove her to take a step forward.

The moment he obtained the divine artifact, he knew he could no longer escape.

To return to the surface alive, we must be more careful, work harder, and become stronger.

“I heard about you from Jia Ruolin, Auntie. I know that the underground city is very dangerous.”

Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia awkwardly patted her daughter beside her: "Why are you telling Xiao Ye these things?!"

"What? Can't you talk? When you're always nagging me, why didn't you think to talk less? Dungeons, magic crystals, explorers... there's so much to talk about, why are you suddenly mute?"

Jia Ruolin had a resentful expression, but Bai Jinxuan couldn't detect any anger in their tone. Instead, it was full of affection and very warm.

To be honest, I'm a little envious.

She forced herself not to recall the past, took two deep breaths, and managed her facial expressions.

"Is Originium sickness really that serious? My parents have never told me anything about it..."

Upon hearing this, the Jia mother and daughter both shut their mouths and turned to look at her.

After a long time, Jia Ruolin finally spoke up.

"Perhaps it's a kind of pride. Most parents are like that. At first, my mother didn't say anything until she got so sick that her body collapsed and she couldn't hide it anymore. That's when I found out about Oripathy."

As she said this, Jia Ruolin glanced at her mother, Jia Mu, seemingly trying to put immense pressure on her.

Grandmother Jia, not to be outdone, retorted, "Lin'er, you're still studying, what use is it for you to know these things?"

"Wouldn't that just cause you more trouble? Do you expect me to make money mining here?"

"And the result was that we faced even more pressure in our lives, and we didn't finish our studies." She shook her head and handed over the half-eaten strawberry cake. "It was a dessert the boss gave me. I've already eaten half of it, and it tastes pretty good."

"Wow, it's so sweet! Lin'er, have a piece too!"

"I've already eaten."

"Sigh, rebellious phase. I still prefer the way you used to follow me around, begging for candy..."

"I'll eat it, I'll eat it, okay? Stop talking!"

Seeing Jia Ruolin's embarrassed expression, both Jia's mother and Bai Jinxuan couldn't help but laugh.

After the two of them finished feeding each other, Bai Jinxuan suddenly stood up, pressed her palm against the table, and created a green magic circle.

"Auntie, I actually know a little healing magic, maybe it can help you."

"No need, Xiao Ye, I know my situation, so I won't trouble you."

Grandmother Jia politely declined.

But for some reason, Bai Jinxuan's desire to treat her was particularly strong.

She glanced at Jia Ruolin.

After hesitating for a moment, the beautiful black-haired girl pursed her lips.

"Mom, give it a try. Once my colleague sets a goal, she will never give up until she achieves it. She always exceeds her targets at the store."

"This..." Grandmother Jia and Bai Jinxuan looked at each other. When she saw the expectant look in each other's eyes, she hesitated for a moment, closed her eyes, and agreed.

Because she suddenly understood why her daughter had become friends with that other person.

"They're all just as stubborn... They won't know a path is blocked until they've hit a wall and nearly died. If you refuse, they'll definitely look for other ways later, just like Lin'er, who's unwilling to give up on herself."

Thinking of this, she felt helpless. Perhaps it would be better to let such a child despair sooner rather than later.

Then, Grandmother Jia took off the clothes on her shoulders, revealing a blood-red crystal that was visible to the naked eye.

It's like a tumor, deeply rooted in the flesh, facing outwards on one side and inwards on the other.

If there is even the slightest impact, this crystal will pierce the body, damage internal tissues, cause massive bleeding, and leave behind many tiny fragments.

"Gulu..."

Bai Jinxuan swallowed hard. To say that she wasn't under much pressure would be a lie.

She only knows how to kill, and even when she tries to save people, it's by killing. This is the first time she's ever tried to do any kind of treatment.

After making thorough preparations, she clasped her hands together, drew out the healing magic circle she had recently learned, and infused it with magic power.

At this moment, Grandmother Jia said softly in a gentle tone, "Are you ready? I'm going to pull it out."

"Wait...wait a minute!" For a moment, Bai Jinxuan didn't understand what she meant. "Pull out your finger...?"

"Give out the crystals. Whether it's a cure or a potion, it's all about 'restoration,' right? If you don't destroy them, they won't work."

As she spoke, Grandmother Jia reached out and grasped the crystal, which was as thick as two fingers. With a slight pressure, blood began to gush out from the crack, instantly sliding down her shoulder and dripping onto her elbow.

"Well......"

The pain made her unconsciously clench her teeth.

Before Bai Jinxuan could speak, Jia Ruolin stepped forward and said, "Mom, let me do it."

"Alright."

Jia Ruolin looked numb, clutching the blood-stained crystal tightly in her hands, and asked, "Bai Qianye, are you ready? Actually, we don't need healing magic; we still have life potions..."

"It's okay, I can do it."

At this moment, Bai Jinxuan finally understood just how cruel Oripathy was.

The crystallized part itself is a new source of magic, which will drive the surrounding tissue to crystallize further, just like cancer, until it completely devours the person.

Removing the crystals only treats the symptoms, not the root cause; new crystals will still grow.

Jia Ruolin clearly didn't have the money to go to a major hospital for anesthesia, surgery, and to remove the crystals, so she could only resort to this most brute force method, taking it one step at a time.

It turns out that what Mom and Dad meant by going to the hospital for a checkup was actually going for surgery...

It turns out that Yao's parents were so resistant to the dungeon, and their health was so poor that they couldn't save money because they needed to see a doctor.

It turns out they were using their life-saving money to fund their schooling.

Bai Jinxuan's eyes were filled with tears, but she held her head high and refused to let them fall.

All she can do now is to make things a little easier for Grandmother Jia, so she doesn't have to be in so much pain.

Telekinetic magic ensures no fragments remain, while healing magic accelerates wound healing. Each is amplified by amplification magic, linking together to guarantee no mistakes.