Chapter 563 - 553: Sound Source Pollution 5

With a plan in mind, Moira Lynch left the mall and headed to the place she had arranged to meet yesterday’s cake vendor.

When Moira Lynch arrived at her destination, the other party hadn’t shown up yet. Moira didn’t rush them; instead, she took out the wrist-screen she had just bought.

She could handle a photon-computer like a pro, so this little wrist-screen was child’s play.

So, in just a few moments, Moira figured out how to use the wrist-screen.

Once she understood its functions, she began researching the history of this planet and the country she was currently in.

After a bit of reading, Moira discovered that this planet was called Trion. The entire planet’s developmental history was quite similar to Caelus’s, and even their histories shared many parallels.

Perhaps the only difference was that this planet didn’t have hundreds of countries—only three.

The three countries were locked in a stalemate, giving off the distinct impression of a world divided into three powers.

From what Moira had gathered, the primary method of communication for the people living here was sound.

This wasn’t sound produced by vocal cords in the mouth, but sound emitted by the two antennae on their foreheads.

For the people of this planet, it didn’t matter if you were mute; you could still perceive the world through your antennae.

Their antennae were like a second life to them. Losing them was like a Caelan losing their eyes—their world would be plunged into darkness.

Moira then searched for "noise sickness" and found that the earliest reported case was from two months ago.

A person had suddenly gone mad, screaming that it was too noisy, before cutting off their own antennae with a dagger and then piercing their own eardrums with chopsticks.

His family, thinking he had lost his mind, sent him to a psychiatric hospital.

It was from that point on that the illness known as noise sickness truly entered the public consciousness.

Moira continuously searched for all kinds of information, trying to understand this world as quickly as possible so she could make the most accurate judgments when danger arose.

At this moment, Moira deeply missed Patience. If Patience were here, he would have already placed all the necessary information in front of her without needing to be asked.

Just then, Moira had a thought. With so many cakes being delivered soon, shouldn’t she rent a vehicle? She couldn’t just stuff everything into her Space Button right in front of the vendor.

If she actually did that, it would probably make his jaw drop. After all, this planet didn’t have technology like the Space Button.

Fortunately, there was a vehicle rental agency nearby.

Moira went inside, planning to rent a small van with a refrigerated compartment.

A few minutes later, Moira walked out of the rental agency with a helpless expression. She had forgotten she didn’t have a driver’s license.

Besides, the agency required registration information, and as an outsider, how could she possibly have any?

And so, under the clerk’s scrutinizing gaze, Moira decisively beat a hasty retreat.

Unable to rent a vehicle, Moira could only rent a nearby warehouse and simply contact the cake vendor to deliver there.

After Moira gave a brief explanation, the vendor said he understood.

And so, Moira hurried over to the warehouse. By the time she arrived, a white van was already parked out front.

A lovingly painted picture of a cake adorned the side of the van, and it looked delicious.

As she got closer to the van, she could also smell its sweet aroma.

After she got back last night, she had tasted every flavor of cake. To describe it in one word: delicious!

Out of more than a dozen different flavors, not a single one was a disappointment.

Moira went to the warehouse door, entered the password to open it, and then moved the cakes inside with the vendor. Finally, she paid the remaining balance and watched them leave.

Throughout the entire process, the vendor was very quiet, lacking his enthusiasm from the day before.

Moreover, Moira noticed that the vendor and his two companions looked unwell. They had dark circles under their eyes and seemed poorly rested.

Seeing this, Moira tentatively asked if she could order more cakes, but he refused, explaining that they had all started suffering from noise sickness yesterday.

Having just learned about them, Moira knew that the people of this planet were extremely sensitive to sound and also had very high standards for sleep quality. The slightest noise could cause them insomnia.

Normally, when night came and they wanted to sleep, their antennae would help them block out ambient sounds.

It was similar to how a drowsy person might not clearly hear what others are saying.

But noise sickness was like disabling the antennae’s blocking ability, and it even amplified their hearing, making already loud sounds even louder.

After seeing them off, Moira went back into the warehouse and put all the cakes into her Space Button.

The previously somewhat empty space instantly became much more crowded after loading in all the cakes.

Fortunately, the food Moira had bought before was all ready-to-eat and wouldn’t get crushed.

Aside from a few pitifully scarce daily necessities, the entire space was now almost completely filled with food.

’I miscalculated. I should’ve brought nutrient liquid.’

’That stuff tastes awful, but just one bottle is enough to go a whole day without food or water.’

’Next time there’s a game, I’ll definitely bring nutrient liquid.’

’Whether I drink it or not is another matter, but at least with nutrient liquid, I won’t starve to death.’

’I was lucky this time; the game is set in a city where I can buy most supplies. But what if the next game sends me to an uninhabited wasteland?’

’If that happens, I’ll probably have to resort to eating dirt to survive.’

After leaving the warehouse, Moira first went to a supermarket and bought toiletries and a large-capacity backpack.

Just as she was about to head to the counter to pay, she saw an employee walk by, pushing a cart full of earplugs.

The earplug packaging looked pretty old; it was even covered in a thick layer of dust.

The earplugs instantly caught Moira’s attention.

Although the people here used their antennae to perceive sound, just as she’d seen on the streets, they usually kept them retracted.

With this in mind, Moira walked over and saw the employee about to stick on a price tag.

Twenty yuan a pair.

Compared to the headphones that easily cost tens of thousands, this price was an absolute bargain.

However, these earplugs were clearly an old model that had been sitting in a warehouse for a long time. Selling them for twenty was a bit of a rip-off.

Moira decisively bought a hundred pairs.

Headphones were currently in short supply. While earplugs weren’t as effective, they were better than nothing.

’Just watch,’ she thought. ’The price of these earplugs is bound to go up.’

Just as Moira had predicted, right after she left, a crowd of people suddenly appeared from out of nowhere and started fighting over the earplugs.

It was a good thing Moira had acted fast; otherwise, it was uncertain whether she would have been able to grab any before they did.