Chapter 467: Heart of Happiness
Chapter 467 -465: Heart of Happiness
Faye Yardley had always been very confident in her good luck.
Her luck might have helped her fish up so many chests, but she had put in the effort, too.
After pouring the rest of the Flower Tea from the teapot into her cup and finishing it, Faye Yardley stood up and gave a big stretch. It really was rare for her to sit peacefully for an entire afternoon.
DING DONG~
Faye Yardley opened the system and saw that Master Veridian had sent her a Gift. After accepting it, she found a very beautiful and cute puppet doll inside. The system prompted that holding it would bring a person immense happiness and satisfaction.
He said it was a reward from playing on the pirate ship.
Holding the puppet doll, Faye Yardley truly felt like she was the happiest person in the world.
But then, with a MEOW, a black shadow slammed right into Faye Yardley’s arms. Its claws gripped the puppet doll tightly, and it began to furiously tear, bite, and claw at it.
This sudden assault from Blackwood left Faye Yardley completely stunned.
‘Could there be something wrong with this puppet doll?’
“Blackwood?”
MEOW MEOW MEOW!
Although she couldn’t understand “meow-speak,” Faye Yardley knew that Blackwood would never harm her.
She thought for a moment. The system information she received when she got the doll hadn’t indicated anything negative about it. So, she asked Blackwood directly, “Blackwood, are you afraid that if I hold this, I’ll get so caught up in it that I’ll lose all my ambition?”
MEOW~
Blackwood hopped onto her shoulder and nuzzled its head against her cheek.
‘Looks like that’s exactly what it meant.’
Faye Yardley reached out to rub its head, then looked at Willow Yardley and asked, “There’s still some meat with Divinity left. Can you and Blackwood eat more?”
Willow Yardley nodded repeatedly in pleasant surprise, giving an unhesitatingly affirmative answer, “Yes.”
“Then you and Blackwood can each fry up a piece. Share a pound between the two of you, but don’t get greedy.”
“Thank you, Faye. But we’ll likely fall into a deep sleep after eating…”
“That’s fine. You two go ahead and sleep. We’re in a calm period for now, so it’s very safe.”
The raft’s defense would drop slightly after Blackwood fell asleep, but in Faye Yardley’s view, it wouldn’t really make much of a difference.
She didn’t feel like entering another Dungeon for the time being. Or rather, after such a quiet afternoon, she had no desire to go into a solo Dungeon.
She glanced down at the puppet doll on the sofa—the one that could make a person feel so happy they’d lose the will to strive, now torn to shreds by Blackwood. Faye Yardley walked over, sat down beside it, and picked it up for a closer look. In its tattered state, the doll’s smile now looked horrifying and sinister.
“Sorry about that. Blackwood just didn’t want me to get lost in some illusory happiness. Only by never giving up on getting stronger can I truly grasp my own happiness.” As Faye Yardley spoke, she took out a sewing kit she’d gotten from a chest before. Although she was genuinely bad at sewing, she wasn’t completely clueless. So, she tried her very best, using what little sewing skills she had, to stitch the ruined doll back together.
After more than an hour of painstaking work stitching up all the torn parts, the puppet doll smiled at Faye Yardley and vanished with a POOF. Immediately, she heard a system notification.
[Congratulations, Player, you have earned the affection of the Happy Puppet Doll. You have received Heart of Happiness x1.]
[Heart of Happiness: Can be fused with the island’s core. After fusion, the happiness of all living beings on the island will be greatly increased, reducing conflict and causing them to cherish the island more.]
‘The island has a core?’
She looked at the fist-sized, heart-shaped object floating before her, glowing with a faint white light. She reached out and grabbed it. Then, she had the system bring up a 3D model of the island. After careful inspection, she still couldn’t find the island’s core, so she just pressed the Heart of Happiness she was holding into the model.
The entire virtual model was gradually enveloped in a hazy white light. A few seconds later, the system announced that the fusion was successful.
After the success, the island’s 3D model returned to its original appearance, showing no visible change.
She couldn’t see any changes to the island, but the people on it felt a distinct difference. Two people who had been red-faced with anger just a moment ago suddenly apologized to each other the next, feeling genuinely ashamed of their recent behavior.
This was followed by fear. They felt like they had seen a ghost—where had such an absurd impulse come from?
After all these anomalies were reported to Wyatt Thorne, he immediately took out his All-World Communication Phone and called Faye Yardley.
Once the call connected, he skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point. “Island Master, did you do something to the island just now?”
Faye Yardley hummed in affirmation and explained the description of the Heart of Happiness to him. Then she asked, “Does it have a big impact on the people on the island?”
“It’s quite significant, yes. They probably just haven’t adapted to it yet. It should get much better after a while.”
“Next time I do something, I’ll give you a heads-up. I won’t be so reckless again.”
Wyatt Thorne, however, just chuckled and said, “The island is yours to begin with. To put it bluntly, we all belong to you as well.”
Faye Yardley gave a slight smile. “Sorry to have troubled you, Thorne.”
“It’s no trouble. This is a good thing; it can reduce a lot of unnecessary arguments.”
Wyatt Thorne took the opportunity to report on a few other island matters.
After hanging up, Faye Yardley looked a bit dazed and only returned to normal after a while. ‘I’m really not suited to be a manager. I’ve always preferred to do things my own way.’
‘Consider others?’
‘That’s something I only think about when I have way more stuff than I need.’
She patted her cheeks, telling herself not to dwell on it. ‘After all, I’m not the type to make sacrifices for the sake of others.’
‘If I’m not considerate, then I’m not considerate.’
‘There’s no need to make myself miserable over it.’
And Faye Yardley had never been one to make herself miserable.
A moment of being melodramatic was more than enough.
She got up, went outside, and stood on the veranda, gazing out at the vast sea. The dusk over the ocean was truly beautiful. An orange sun and vibrant evening clouds filled the sky, casting a shimmering golden light upon the water’s surface.
The sky was vast, the sea was boundless, and a warm breeze blew gently. It felt as if the entire world belonged to her alone.
CHIRP CHIRP~
Jade flew over and landed on the eaves of the veranda, then peeked its head down to look at her.
Faye Yardley smiled at it. “Jade, have you eaten?”
With a CHIRP, Jade launched itself like a cannonball straight into the sea. With a SPLASH, it sent up a small spray of water. A moment later, it shot out of the water, a fish bigger than its own body clamped in its beak, and flew rapidly toward the raft.
Faye Yardley watched the fish’s tail flapping against its chubby body and couldn’t help but feel sorry for it. ‘This poor kid really has it tough just to get a meal.’
Tossing the fish at Faye Yardley’s feet, Jade looked up at her with a proud expression.
The corner of her mouth twitched, but Faye Yardley still offered some praise. “Good job, Jade. You can even find your own food now.”
At her half-hearted compliment, Jade’s expression grew even more smug.
“System, return to Conch Isle.”
The travel fee this time was actually 3 gold coins. Faye Yardley was stunned. ‘No way! I should be near the border, not far from my own island. Why is the fee more expensive? This is totally unreasonable!’