Chapter 3: Extreme Value
Chapter 3
Extreme value refers to the most intense emotions that a person experiences.
Feelings of love, hatred, regret... even the desire to live or die could all be considered extreme values: essentially, any emotion experienced by a person in its most amplified form.
Luo Manman's task was to stimulate the extreme values in valuable people around her to meet the assessment criteria for skin replacement.
Almost everyone has a mix of different desires. Luo Manman simply had to purify these.
"It feels dangerous. Panpan, if I do something less than friendly, do you think their hatred towards me would instantly blow past the extreme value threshold?" While studying, Luo Manman bought a few test preparation books and asked Pandora.
No one else was home. After driving Luo Manman back, Pandora had left that body and returned to Luo Manman’s mindspace.
[That’s not a bad idea, but your combat power is lacking. The likelihood of suffering consequences is quite high.]
"Then I could incite others to do it. The effect would be the same."
[Who do you think would listen to you so obediently?]
"Oh, alright."
Luo Manman’s pen did not stop moving as she swiftly completed another challenging math question.
"Panpan, what is 264 multiplied by 34? And help me calculate the square root of 17.6." Sincerely grappling with the questions before her, Luo Manman was filled with motivation.
[Instead of studying for the College Entrance Examination, shouldn’t you be thinking about how to deal with them? Don’t forget, you only have one year.] Pandora was rendered speechless. She had truly never seen such a fearless trader.
From the moment Luo Manman abandoned her own skin, she was fated to spend her life endlessly trading up to different skins, wandering between shells, lest she die.
"I’m a high school student. Of course I have to focus on studying! If I can’t even handle academics, how could I possibly manipulate them? I did my research. Three of the five are academic standouts. To get close to them, I naturally need to excel in my studies too. Otherwise, what common ground would we have?" Luo Manman’s eyes shone as she radiated motivation.
[At that age, a beautiful appearance holds no small attraction. That is your advantage, Luo Manman.]
"People may admire a vase, but they won’t fall in love with one. You don’t understand, Panpan." Luo Manman smiled at Pandora, as if soothing a child.
Soon, Luo Manman was immersed in a sea of math and physics questions, gazing intensely and frigidly.
Qingteng’s academic pressure was as immense as Luo Manman’s former school, but it offered far more flexibility. Luo Manman herself excelled in science but favored the humanities.
After working through several questions from Qingteng Affiliated Middle School’s exams, she grasped their style and comparing it against her hometown Y’s test format, she outlined a study plan.
Having finished prepping for the exams, Luo Manman put away her books and prepared to bathe.
"Panpan, open up the Skin Store."
The Skin Store sold many items across different price ranges: skins, currency from this world, new ID cards. If you desire it, they have it. Even things you can’t imagine, they have too.
The prerequisite, of course, is having the funds for those price tags.
Initially, Pandora had given her 300 extreme values to manage herself.
She spent 100 extreme values on a new identity and used another 50 extreme values to exchange for 2 million yuan, leaving 100 extreme values to exchange for skins.
Given her lv0 status, the Skin Store’s offerings were quite limited for her, with most goods greyed out. The skins available for trade could only be refreshed in the Wishing Pool, once a week.
Of the 100 skins revealed to Luo Manman in the Wishing Pool, she had her eyes on three.
One was a premium, pure lust skin: fair complexion, large pupils that gave an innocent amber gaze, 160 cm in height with a slightly plump, petite figure, pure yet sultry. Just the type most men would love.
Another perfectly suited Luo Manman’s aesthetics, an aloof vibe. 173 cm in height with enviable bodily proportions, a endearing mole on the nose, slender phoenix eyes: the pinnacle of allure when silent, utterly captivating skin.
Yet in the end, faced with her dearth of funds, Luo Manman chose this comparatively flamboyant skin she currently wore. The rationale was simple.
Luo Manman had no extreme values!
None!
Nada!
Nil!
Values!
Worth!
Zero!
The lustful skin for 3 months of use was minimally priced at 300 extreme values, while the elegant skin was 700 extreme values. And this current skin she possessed originally cost 300 extreme values for 3 months. But as a newbie, she was given a special new user big gift pack at the ultra low price of 100 extreme values for 1 full year of use. 𝒻𝘳𝓮ℯ𝑤𝘦𝒷𝓷𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝑐𝑜𝓂
"No extreme values just won’t do! *Sigh*" Luo Manman sighed at the skins refreshed in the store. No funds means no talk. A beauty’s struggles.
After drying herself, Luo Manman gazed at this gorgeous skin in the mirror.
So beautiful...
Leaning in, she left a kiss against the mirror.
"Good night, Yan Xi."