Gacha games can't save this bizarre world.

Even so, the dream world serves as a free testing ground, which greatly reduces unnecessary mistakes and waste; otherwise, it would be unbearable.

Wealth, companionship, law, and land—this is no joke.

Every bit of progress made by extraordinary individuals is earned through blood, sweat, and wealth.

During the holiday, Zhao Hao attended an antique appraisal salon and received a small reward, whether it was money or luck points.

It seemed that it was the end of the year and the Christmas holidays, and all the collectors were taking a break, so there was nothing of any worthwhile to see.

I could only make up for it with a big buffet. On the way back, I didn't forget to bring back a big lobster for Orange and put it in my pocket.

But the orange-haired woman was quite disgusted: "Why bother with this? There's hardly any meat on it. Couldn't you have brought back a big pork knuckle?"

Zhao Hao decided to pretend he didn't have this cat from now on.

After that, he attended another Silver Secrets/Sunday Gathering and exchanged some information and traded with some young apprentices led by those old guys.

The superhumans inside all had big faces, acting like classical nobles, and their every move was bound by strict rules.

Zhao Hao's alias, the psionic puppeteer Chanem Jiaonan, always had a long face and looked like he was very unhappy with them whenever he visited.

However, Zhao Hao is considered one of the few psionic mechanical talents one can find on the market, especially since his Enlightenment Technique is a different path from traditional alchemy. Therefore, he is quite sought after by those old alchemists.

Of course, the old guard, mindful of their status, wouldn't take the initiative to communicate. Instead, they would subtly hint to their apprentices and disciples to curry favor with Zhao Hao and exchange insights and information.

Zhao Hao also gained a lot of experience from them, including that of alchemists, doll makers, puppeteers, and other professions that have been around for hundreds or thousands of years.

Especially the utilization methods and properties of some materials. His lineage traces back to the master Ji Zihou, a master far superior to Zhao Hao's self-taught, unorthodox methods.

If I were to try out the properties of each material and find the optimal solution myself, not only would it take a lot of time, but I also couldn't afford the financial cost.

With the help of alchemists' data, his psionic puppet has now been upgraded to a 2.50 core intelligence, multi-layered transformation, and survival model.

There is a psionic puppet with an intelligent core that controls the entire system. Its intelligence is at the level of a six-year-old child, and it can complete some simple tasks on its own. Moreover, as long as the core is intact, the puppeteer is very resilient and can discard various damaged parts to simplify combat.

They fought from humanoid to skeletal, then to dismembered forms. It was terrifying to watch!

The problem is that manufacturing an intelligent core is too expensive.

After being activated by injecting pure spiritual gemstones with spiritual energy, the spiritual energy circuits are carefully sculpted and laid out using spiritual energy metals. Finally, to ensure the stability of the spiritual energy, a series of materials are consumed for reinforcement... If everything goes smoothly and nothing is wasted, a single core costs $8!

The design of this psionic circuit was actually based on the findings of the Occult Bureau, and it was designed for Zhao Hao by Winston. This thing is extremely specialized; the performance differences between different psionic circuits are enormous.

It's not possible to create another intelligent core in the short term, so let's use this one for experiments and testing.

December 24th is Christmas Eve.

As soon as Zhao Hao arrived, the Destiny Card System had already completed its daily check-in.

"Signing in on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1978."

"+8 Fate Points".

"Obtained item card: [Potential Solar Water]".

The card depicts a flat-bottomed, round-bellied bottle with a spout and a cork, containing a golden-orange liquid.

【High-Efficiency Solar Water】

Black Iron 3-Star Item Card

Drink: Instantly restores 10% of health and 10% of total psionic energy, and removes negative status effects.

Note: One bite and it feels warm and cozy.

I received a potion for signing in. Although it only restored one-tenth of my life force and spiritual energy, it was a life-saving medicine because it instantly restored my life force and also eliminated negative status effects.

It's just a sip, and it's gone in one go!

Zhao Hao carefully placed the Sun Water into his spatial ring, ensuring he could retrieve it at any time with lightning speed; its importance even surpassed that of the Magic Bottle.

On Christmas Eve, Zhao Hao avoided the two single guys, Fatty and Gou Quan, and went out to eat, take a walk, and watch a movie with Elena.

It feels good!

Sigh, the girl next door is getting another year older. Seventeen is really not young anymore!

The next day was Christmas, and Zhao Hao was invited by his neighbor, Mr. Adams, to celebrate the holiday together.

The original owner had spent several Christmases with the Adams family, so she wasn't unfamiliar with them.

But this time it was different. Alan Duke, the landlord's foolish son who later joined the paranormal group, invited Zhao Hao, Elena, and all the members of the paranormal group to his Christmas party.

He said his cousin and fiancée were coming and wanted to introduce Zhao Hao and his friends to them.

Alan Duke is a really rich man. Although it wasn't said exactly how rich he is, judging from Zhao Hao's demeanor, he has no concept of money, is not interested in money at all, and has never touched money!

They might be from a family that has been billionaires for generations.

But it's also pitiful!

He's so rich and not a bad person, yet he can't make any truly loyal friends. Only Zhao Hao and his group are exceptions; the rest are just after his money.

Although Alan doesn't seem very bright, he is actually quite intelligent and has a natural ability to discern other people's attitudes.

So even though it was their first meeting, he insisted on coming along to join in the fun. He rarely saw such a pure attitude, untainted by money or self-interest.

It's clear that being too rich isn't good either; you end up with no friends.

So if I had to choose between being rich and being happy, I would choose being rich!

……

The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is check-in.

Christmas Eve is considered a holiday, so there's no reason why Christmas Day shouldn't be.

"Signing in, Christmas Day, December 25, 1978."

"+9 Fate Points".

"Obtained item card: [Eternal Will Sandwich Cookie]".

Zhao Hao looked at the small cookie in his hand, unsure of what to say.

[Sustainable Will Sandwich Cookies]

Black Iron 3-Star Item Card

Consume: Restores 20% of lost health and total lost psionic energy over 5 minutes, and also increases total psionic energy by a small amount.

Note: Strawberry flavored, oh my gosh~

The card is a good card, and the cookie is a good cookie.

If you eat this when you're out of ammo and food, it can restore 20% of your health and spiritual energy within five minutes. If you then drink the Sun Water to instantly recover, drink the Magic Bottle, and use the Iron Tree Arcane Staff, you'll be almost completely restored and resurrected on the spot, right?

That would be perfect for another round!

The problem is that this is a consumable item; it's gone after one use. Zhao Hao is reluctant to eat it!

This must be incredibly painful for a squirrel party member.

Their talent is "cookie delivery," and they deliver a "Perpetual Will" sandwich cookie every 3 minutes, for a total of four.

and many more……

Just as Zhao Hao was feeling down, he suddenly thought of something.

Yes, with so many recovery methods, could I...?

Zhao Hao pondered for a moment, then placed the [Magic Bottle] in the main position and the [Potential Solar Water] + [Perpetual Will Sandwich Cookie] in the material position... The fusion success rate was 78.3%.

Zhao Hao then posted another [Black Iron Enhancement Card], 98.3%, that's good!

Fusion!

[Sustainable Sun Bottle]

Black Iron 5-Star Item Card

Drink: Instantly restores 20% of health and 20% of total psionic energy, and removes negative status effects. Over the next 5 minutes, it continuously restores 10% of health and psionic energy and increases resistance to negative status effects.

Usage frequency: 3 times/week.

Note: Bottled mini sunflowers, delicious and healthy~

One 4-star card and two 3-star cards were traded for a 5-star Black Iron card! The effect is much stronger now!

I've struck gold! My second 5-star Black Iron item card!

Zhao Hao examined the magic bottle in his hand. It was about ten centimeters in size and looked like a fountain pen bottle, but it had intricate shapes on its edges and corners, as well as subtle, almost invisible patterns on its surface. The liquid inside was a brilliant gold color and felt warm to the touch.

Zhao Hao thought for a moment, then opened the magic bottle and took a sip. A warm current instantly spread from his stomach throughout his body, making him feel refreshed and invigorated. All his fatigue, anxiety, and excitement vanished. It tasted pretty good, orange juice flavored!

Looking at the sun bottle again, the golden liquid inside had decreased by a third.

This thing will be fully refilled at midnight on weekends.

That means you can drink it three times a week, and it doesn't matter when you drink it, as long as it's three times.

Zhao Hao was in a great mood because of the good news during the holiday.

He looked down and asked, "Wangcai? Wangcai! Am I going to be lucky this year?"

Upon hearing the sound, Wangcai emerged from the shadows, sat on the ground, pricked up its ears, tilted its head, and looked at Zhao Hao without uttering a sound.

"Holy shit!" Zhao Hao kicked him.

"Woof woof woof~" Wangcai howled and slipped into the shadows under the coffee table.

------------

Chapter 159 The Real Christmas Gift

A few days in advance, Zhao Hao had prepared small gifts for the Adams family, as well as Gou Quan, Fatty, Sylvia, Winston, Nanaya Saki and their friends, and Colt, She-Ra, and Marilena, who were already going bald.

When I arrived at Mr. Adams’s house in the morning, a small Christmas tree in the middle of the living room was brightly lit and decorated.

Several stockings were hanging on the fireplace, the largest of which belonged to little Hughman. It seemed he was going to take all of Santa's backpacks.

Zhao Hao presented the prepared gifts one by one and received four gifts in return.

What was given to Mr. Adams was a set of ancient coins from the Song Dynasty.

Although it's not worth much money, it's quite a struggle for Amei to collect this set.