NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 89: Chapter 89
Lip poured a glass of warm water for Ethel and brought it to her mouth.
"Drink slowly, don't rush."
"Um."
When Ethel heard Lip's gentle words, she smiled sweetly and began to drink the water slowly.
After Ethel finished the water, she drank another large glass, gulping it down.
Lip returned to the bed and hugged Ethel.
"Ethel, do you mind if I have so many women?"
"I don't mind."
"Well..."
"Lip, do you wonder why?"
Lip nodded.
"First of all, I think love is about freedom. It's about what you want and what I want, not about how you mess with me. Loving Lip is my own choice," Ethel patiently explained. "Besides, the three sisters are great people, and I'm happy to be part of the family!"
"So that's how you feel!"
"Lip, thank you for your constant respect and care. I can deeply feel your love, and when I'm with you, I just feel natural."
"Hehe," Lip smiled and scratched his head.
"In fact, the first time I met you, I was really attracted to you."
"Ah?"
"From the start, I was drawn to your handsomeness and intelligence. As we spent more time together, I realized you're also very gentlemanly and humorous, and I fell more and more in love with you!"
Ethel spoke softly, finally drifting off to sleep on Lip's chest.
It seemed the girl was really tired.
Lip gently picked her up and placed her head on his chest, then covered her with a blanket.
Suddenly, Lip remembered the classic words about relationships from before his time travel:
"It starts with appearance, respects talent, fits the character, continues with kindness, and ends with character."
The fate in this world is so wonderful!
I am so lucky!
Just as Lip was feeling lucky, something triggered in his mind:
[Ding ding ding~]
In an instant, the familiar system prompt sounded in Lip's mind.
Lip reacted instantly: He must have completed the first stage of the task again, and the system reward had arrived.
A gentle female voice followed:
[Dear host, congratulations on your successful "land reclamation" again. You've earned the following rewards:
"Outstanding" "Refreshing" and A legendary draw.]
["Outstanding"]: The level of the fetus you are carrying is not lower than red top grade, and there's a 50% chance of maintaining the same level as the mother.
["Refreshing"]: The host can recover 50% of consumed physical strength immediately after reclaiming the land, and can eliminate 50% of negative emotions through a kiss at any time. Family's positive and optimistic mental attributes +20%.]
"Why does being the first to excel feel like a coin flip?" Lip complained in his mind. "The second one, 'Refreshing,' seems more reliable."
[Dear host, would you like to conduct the legendary lottery now?]
"Yes," Lip confirmed in his mind.
[Congratulations on winning the golden legendary special item—"Family Income Booster."]
["Family Income Booster"]: Increases positive income received by all family members by an additional 20%.
Lip was stunned: The system was overpowered!
Don't underestimate this—it's a huge, powerful buff!
Lip immediately opened the "Super Family Genealogy Interface":
[Gallagher (South Chicago)]
[Family Level: 1 (better than nothing)]
[Patriarch: Philip Gallagher]
[Direct line—wives: 4 (Karen Jackson, Mandy Milkovich, Jessica Wang, Ethel); children: 4 (Karen's child, Mandy's twins, Jessica's son).]
[Collateral—Brothers and sisters: 5 (Fiona, Ian, Debbie, Carl, and Liam).]
"There are now 14 people in total. According to the living expenses allocated by Mandy as a good wife and mother, each person receives $5,000 per month, totaling $70,000. With a 20% gain, it should be $84,000," Lip thought, smiling. "This is a decent middle-class income!"
It seemed March had not yet received the family living allowance.
Lip opened Mandy's attribute interface and saw the "Good Wife and Mother" ability with an exclamation mark.
Lip clicked on it with his mind. The voice spoke again:
[Dear host, would you like to receive this month's "Good Wife and Mother" reward now?]
"Yes!"
[Congratulations on receiving $84,000 in living expenses. The living expenses have been deposited into your space bracelet.]
Lip quickly recovered from his joy when he noticed a small triangle icon next to Ethel's name.
"Does the golden legend Ethel have hidden attributes?" Lip wondered.
To verify his guess, Lip clicked on the small triangle next to her name.
A new interface appeared:
[Name: Ethel]
[Level: Golden Legend!!!]
[Constitution: 10]
[Spirit: 10]
[Strength: 10]
[Wisdom: 10]
[Luck: 10]
[Special Attributes: "Odd and Otherworldly"]
["Odd and Otherworldly"]: There is an 80% chance that family members you interact with will fully awaken their talents in advance.
"Awaken their talents in advance, completely!"
Lip read the words carefully. They may not seem like much alone, but together they were very shocking.
This special attribute of Ethel provides the Gallagher family with a shortcut to success and talent.
If many of the previous rewards surprised and delighted Lip, this one shocked him to his core.
Before his time travel, Lip had watched the Gallagher children on the show and felt they were representative of many ordinary people in the world. They had dazzling talents, and with a little space to grow, they could shine like stars.
But the environment was suffocating and rotten, and it made them spiral into madness, forcing them to crawl around the dirty bottom forever.
It was tragic.
Especially represented by Lip in the original show.
Were they inferior to others from birth? No. But a group of so-called "superiors" had held them back and refused to give up their power, even though those "superiors" were just a bunch of losers.
But now things were different. Lip felt that once the Gallagher family grew, some people would panic.
The so-called "responsible and upright" people, who had always held others back and taught them how to live, would be terrified when facing a group of people who were even worse than them.
"It seems I need to reorganize my long-term plans," Lip thought as he looked at the moon and the dark night outside the window, smiling quietly.