A base run could be long or short.

  But no matter which, it was still a bit too early for dinner.

  Since there was still sunlight, Yu Zhiye didn’t just sit around and waste time listening to the drama of others.

  Instead, he happily went to dig sand to fill his pond, and collect some cobblestone that just so happened to be lying around as well.

  Hey, how kind of others to gather those up for him! Ahem!

  Of course, since the sun might go under anytime, he didn’t dare to go too far out and stuck to the area beside the back door...

  A little head poked out from the doorway.

  “Eih! Big brother, what do you need so much sand for?”

  Yu Zhiye didn’t even bother sparing the evil spirit, that has been haunting him for the past hour, a glance and simply threw out another lazy excuse.

  “To build the great wall of sandna.”

  Xiao Shuling looked at the many pits all over the sand and pouted. Sure it’s not the great moat?

  “Humph. Big bad liar.”

  Though Xiao Shuling grumbled unhappily inside, she still didn’t forget what she’s supposed to do.

  “Big brother the sun is almost setting on the other side. Uncle says let’s have dinner together”

  At that reminder, Yu Zhiye gazed afar at the darkening-reddish sky and spotted the waning crescent moon peeking out behind the rocky terrain.

  Yep, guess it’s about time. Definitely don’t want to toe the line.

  So, he dusted off his sandy hands and headed back in.

  Once inside, Miss Highschooler skippidy-skipped by his side to escort him down the hall. “Ehehe Dinner, dinner little Ling’er’s tummy is craving another yummy apple lalala~”

  “You really do like apples, don’t you?”

  “Eih! Of course! Mom said an apple a day keeps the nargles away!”

  Nargles? Isn’t it doctor? Yu Zhiye didn’t know what nonsense this silly girl’s mother fed her, but whatever. As long as she’s happy, that’ll give him a chance.

  Note to self: Gift apple for +1 favorability.

  Preferably daily. That’ll help him stay on her good side.

  Not for any romantic reasons, but just in case. You never know what dangers there are in the dark.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Since he can get a pocket dimension, the cheats of others might not be any worse.

  Speaking of the base...

  Passing by the men’s restroom, Yu Zhiye stopped. “Go on first. I ma go grab my dinner and dump the sand.”

  “Hum?” Xiao Shuling blinked her big curious eyes. “Where is big brother going to keep all that sand?”

  “I dunno. Flush it down the toilet, I guess?”

  The perfunctory excuse made Xiao Shuling pout, but Yu Zhiye slipped into the restroom and didn’t give her any more chances to interrogate him.

  “Humph. Big bad liar...”

  A girl grumbled to herself and skipped away. On the other side of the door, the man similarly grumbled. “Sweet Stars above, never knew the curious baby template can be so annoying.”

  That out there wasn’t a cute little sister, but a social theorist buzzing around him like a fly!

  But it’s not like he can really shoo her away. How dare he offend the female character that anomaly set his sights on? What if she bites his hook and won’t let go?!

  Honestly, he might be too superstitious, but for real, he would rather offend all the other side characters in the base!

  “Oh well. Some things you just gotta live with.”

  Into the portal and out. Soon, the fishpond was at his feet once more.

  Like magic, sand got dumped in by the truckload.

  “It won’t take more than a day to fill this pit. Good news, right?”

  Yu Zhiye didn’t know what he’ll do with that much sand, but having more was better than less, right?

  What happens if the desert disappears one day?

  Erhmm… unlikely, but always nice to have backup.

  And honestly? If he didn’t know that there will be buildings spawning during upgrades, he might’ve just spread sand all over and turned his pocket dimension into a beach resort.

  If all else fails, his cheat can still be a tourist attraction. Haha.

  Once the nearly four stacks of sand in his inventory got cleared for the most part, Yu Zhiye hastily went to pick up a few snacks, then left his pocket realm.

  Not much else he could do here. The wood was still cooking and his only friend here is the hammock.

  Back in the store.

  The mood was much more peaceful than earlier. The loot distribution was done and over with. Now, most have already settled down for dinner.

  When Yu Zhiye joined his party, Jack lifted a hand to greet him. “Yo, Steve, number two again?”

  Yu Zhiye shrugged. “Yeah. There was so much that I clogged the toilets.”

  “Really?” Jack looked shocked. “Well I’ll be damned.”

  Miss Highschooler swallowed down a bite of apple and pointed out, “Uncle, big brother is talking about sand. He said he was gonna flush sand down the toilet.”

  Jack choked and almost fell over laughing. “Bwahahaha! Aight, Steve, you got me there!”

  A beautiful lie – they’re not only meant for keeping secrets, but can also spice up the mood.

  His charisma stat may be trash, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t know how to get along with others.

  Just like that, the party of three chatted over dinner and everything was happy-go-lucky.

  But this cheery mood soon got ruined by the outsider taking the center stage.

  Clap. Clap. Clap! “Everybody, hear me out! I’ve got something to announce.”

  All eyes landed on the four-eyes and he certainly looked oh-so-pleased with all the attention. But the topic he brought up next was not pleasing at all.

  “Earlier today, I learned a news that’s quite unfortunate. Someone brought to my attention that there are greedy rats taking more than what they deserve, taking what the rest of us deserve!”

  The four-eyes didn’t call out any names, but that look he directed at him said it all.

  Wow, they reacted much faster than he expected. Yu Zhiye felt this was only natural.

  The only thing he’s wondering is: what they’ll do about it? No, more like: what can they do about it!

  “Hmm. By the looks of it…” Kwan Minhwoo adjusted his glasses like a smartass. “I know the offender will never admit his fault unless he sees his coffin.”

  “He’s probably still thinking no proof means no crime. He thinks keeping everything in his inventory will hide the truth from us! But right now, it’s time we teach him how wrong he is!”

  “So everybody…” Kwan Minhwoo spread his arms wide like a revolutionary preacher. “I have a proposal.”