"Graaah! System! Why are you sitting so quietly? Have you connected to the Net yet?"

"Not yet, Host. The Tarkq emba.s.sy keeps denying access. They say there are still some problems with the doc.u.ments. It should be resolved by tomorrow."

Rik hadn't expected that the flight tickets he had purchased had some errors. His name was spelled as 'Rick' instead of 'Rik'. It had gone unnoticed at his home country's airport due to some system bugs but it was caught after he landed in Tarkq. He was detained and was asked to go through a lot of procedures. His clearance pa.s.ses would all be suspended until the error was corrected and a new pa.s.s was issued. Even his System was not of much use here.

Rik usually was quite mild but when his temper rose, he would explode in curses and snapped at anything and everything.

"Well, Rik, how are you gonna spend the night now?"

"The night? What are you-," Rik groaned, "@#!"

Two hours later, Rik sat exhausted on a park bench near the airport holding a can of juice which was given to him by a kind old lady who took pity on him. He suffered from severe jet lag and all the stress only amounted to add onto it.

Due to having his digital pa.s.ses suspended, he was unable to carry out any transactions. That included paying for anything, even purchasing from the vending machines. He couldn't book himself a hotel and he wasn't familiar with anyone in the country. Even the airport staff left him to his own devices.

"I guess it's the bench then," murmured Rik.

"Hehe, Host, not today, not today. It's not your day today. New mission! Spend the night in the arms of the statue of that woman over there. This is not a joke mission.♡ Teehee.

Reward: Free bookings for a hotel room.

Punishment: Going bald."

.....

Doll saw stars. His weakened self was unable to adapt. Before he could get a hold on his bearings, a flurry of punches rained over him.

"Murderer! You killed Perr!"

He did all he could to protect his head with his arms. No one stopped Finn.The kids merely watched silently as Doll was battered to the ground.

It was the Nuns who came to restrain Finn. Doll lay weakly on the ground gasping.

...

He was back in the infirmary. He only had a couple of cuts and a few purple bruises. The snow had stopped and sunlight trickled in through the gaps. He got up.

The corridors were empty again. Everyone had gone out for a short trip to a local fair. It had been five days since Perr's death. The Nuns wanted to lighten the heavy mood that had taken hold of the cheerless orphanage.

He left the infirmary. His footsteps fell softly as he traced his fingers on the walls. "Eeyore, are you listening to me?"

"Yes. I am most enthusiastically listening with my ears wide open," a gloomy voice said.

"Eeyore, what colour is this place?"

"Hmm. Grey perhaps? With a tiny bit of colourless heaviness. Quite nice."

"How can I talk to you right now? We are not in the Hundred Acre Woods," asked Doll suddenly as he glanced at the donkey who walked alongside him with slow, bored movements. "We are not in the Thousand Acre Woods either."

"It's probably your imagination. Don't think too much," said Eeyore.

"Alright."

There were two walking down the corridor but only the sound of two feet were heard.

....

The airport security were rather annoyed with the person in front of them. He looked quite suspicious. They weren't sure if they had to report him or not.

"Look here, I am not a drunk pervert! It was a system mission! Really! I could show you but I still haven't connected to the Net."

"Look, man. It's a matter of my hairline. I can't go bald before I even reach my forties....."

It had caused quite a commotion when they found him sleeping on the bosom of a huge statue of a naked mermaid.

"Host, we have good news. All doc.u.ments have pa.s.sed clearance. We are connected to the Net now."

The air smelled fresh. The trees swayed and the leaves danced with the gentle wind. Birds chirped and cats sang and dogs yipped. A few cars honked at a pedestrian that crossed at the wrong time and a baby cried for candy. A mother scolded her child and a youngster practiced dancing with his friends with music blaring. The traffic policeman's shrill whistle pierced eardrums and the woman haggled with a shopkeeper by the sidewalk.

"Ah! What a peaceful morning," sighed Rik. "It is the epitome of a pleasant day anyone could ever experience."

After was.h.i.+ng off the grime that had stuck to his body for two days and having a good rest, Rik was in high spirits. He elegantly took a sip of his tea and relaxed as he relished the feeling of being without worries.

That was until a system beeped.

"Host, your next mission will be to buy a temporary apartment in Riverendale. Rewards: Writing quality increase (Mid).

You will be bursting with much more inspiration when creating articles.

Punishment: Getting your left pinky cut off."

"Host, this is an extremely important step in this quest. System will try to find the best prices available that Host can afford."

The system spoke very seriously. There was no trace of its charming personality.

"Dearst Host, there will be an additional punishment of it is not completed within seven days."

Rik was frightened. The heaviest punishment ever suggested was balding. Infact, before he arrived in Tarkq, the punishments were only ever about his material possessions. This was the second time it became a punishment that involved his body.