The starting town wasn't large. After crossing the central square and following the signs, he soon caught sight of the guild hall. More and more adventurers came into view along the way. Long Yixiang had no interest in the long queues; he was looking for a specific type of person—those who, in a place like this, weren't waiting in line yet lingered without leaving. At this moment, they were of great significance to him.
Though he couldn't be too obvious, Long Yixiang was patient. While avoiding the somewhat crowded areas, he discreetly scanned his surroundings.
Someone tapped him on the shoulder.
"Hey kid, need papers?" A middle-aged man in a cloth vest asked in a low voice, offering him a look laden with meaning.
Long Yixiang tilted his head as a signal. The man understood and followed him to a quiet corner where they could speak freely.
"Tell me about it," Long Yixiang said.
"One thousand gold. Works anywhere below the main city, undetectable! Good for taking missions up to C-rank," the man replied with a straightforward smile.
"Reliable?"
"Don't worry! I've been in this business for years. I'm the only one in this city, and I've never had any issues. You can rest assured."
"Give me a discount."
"Honestly, it's already the lowest price in the industry. Fair and square for all."
"Deal."
Long Yixiang paid the gold coins and received his proof from the man—an adventurer identity card. He then turned and left the guild, heading in the direction of the weapon shop.
...
Long Yixiang woke up to find himself in an unfamiliar place, unsure of how he got there.
Where am I? That was his first thought.
As he became more alert, he realized he was sleeping on the ground. Was I sleepwalking?
No, I was just fighting someone... Fighting? Where? On the street, I think. There were few people around... someone had a knife... He... he stabbed at me.
It was a thug. The one with the knife was a bad guy. He was trying to do something bad... Right, I stepped in to stop him, and then...
He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head, a wave of dizziness. He shook his head vigorously.
Feeling slightly clearer, he looked around. He wondered if he was still dreaming, because this space was so surreal, dreamlike to the point it felt like a place that shouldn't exist in the world.
Did I pass out from losing too much blood? Is this a dream?
He stood up and wandered around aimlessly. At first, mist swirled around, giving an unreal feeling. Gradually, the hazy fog receded, revealing several massive pillars whose tops soared into the clouds. He was standing on ground that seemed paved with white jade; the "jade" seemed sentient, faintly glowing with a warm, gentle light.
So comfortable... He felt as if every cell in his body had been cleansed. If this is a dream, I'd rather not wake up...
But if I don't wake up, I'll probably die...
"Is anyone there?" he called out into the space.
An ethereal echo drifted through the area. It was clearly an open space with no walls, yet there was an echo... How strange.
I'll just sit and wait. As he thought this, a stone stool appeared beneath him. He sat down naturally, and a warm energy flowed into his body. He couldn't help but take a deep breath, and as he exhaled, it felt as if he were releasing all the negative emotions accumulated over more than a decade... incredibly soothing...
"You're here."
A voice came from nowhere, or perhaps from all around. It was unfamiliar; he was sure he didn't know the owner, but it sounded pleasant.
When he regained his focus, the person was already in front of him. He was stunned because her appearance was... too beautiful. Her features were flawless, she wore a simple white dress, her demeanor was noble, pristine—she was literally a goddess.
"Long Yixiang, hello," she said with a smile. Long Yixiang instantly felt healed.
"Sorry, where is this...?" Long Yixiang asked tentatively.
"The Celestial Realm. You're dead," the goddess replied succinctly.
Long Yixiang pinched his own thigh.
"You're not dreaming. You died from blood loss due to a knife wound. You saved someone from a thug, but no one came to save you," the goddess's voice was flat, devoid of any emotion.
"Right... that seems about right," Long Yixiang recalled somewhat. "That person was being extorted by the thug, I stepped in to stop it... that person ran away, and then the thug got angry and stabbed me..."
"Correct. You took the stab meant for the original victim, but he didn't come back to save you," the goddess said.
"You're quite blunt," Long Yixiang sighed lightly. "Maybe doing good deeds isn't worth it..."
"So, have I gone to heaven? Who are you? A goddess?" After his lament, Long Yixiang began to focus on the present.
"In your terms, yes."
"Wow! Really! So, are you called Lishta or Aqua?" Long Yixiang was quite excited to see the afterlife.
"Neither. Now I'll give you two options," the goddess extended two fingers. "First, reincarnate normally in your original world,but of course, without your previous memories. You'd become a stranger, starting over from an embryo."
"Second, accept my commission, be reincarnated in another world. After completing the commission, I can send you back to your original world and let you choose any life you want. Naturally, you'll retain all your memories." The goddess wiggled her two fingers, smiling at him.
"The second one," Long Yixiang said resolutely.
"OK! You'll be reincarnated in a world of swords and magic. Your mission is: Defeat the Demon King!" The goddess instantly switched personas. One moment she was like a cool, elegant lady, the next she became a lively, cheerful girl next door.
"Pretty cliché mission..."
"Darling~ The mission might be cliché, but it's not easy~ I've sent many people over before~ But they all lost contact later, went missing~" The goddess spread her hands, looking helpless.
"Lost contact? What does that mean?" Long Yixiang caught the key point and quickly became alert.
"Take a guess~"
The goddess playfully stuck out her tongue. Combined with her looks, it could charm countless otaku, but to Long Yixiang at this moment, it wasn't cute but rather creepy. Then again, it made sense.
For her, she just needed to send transmigrators to that world one by one. Whether they succeeded or failed afterward didn't matter to her. If they failed, so be it; she lost nothing. If by some fluke one succeeded, it was a win.
No loss for failure, potential gain for success. As for probability, even the smallest chance could be offset by larger numbers—just stack the odds with quantity.
"That Demon King... is he strong?" Long Yixiang felt somewhat lacking in confidence as he asked.
"It's not a matter of whether he's strong or not. He's the kind, the rare..."
"Stop! I've heard enough, I'm gonna be sick. Can't you say something fresh?" Long Yixiang refused.
"I'm a goddess; I don't do such things. You can develop fresh ideas yourself," the goddess said. "But, darling~ your question involves mission details~ You'll need to explore that yourself~ Do you have confidence?"
"No, but do I have any other choice?" Long Yixiang sighed.
"Darling~ Nope~" The goddess spoke as if teasing a fool.
"Then let's hurry up..." Long Yixiang didn't want to be toyed with any longer. This so-called goddess, probably too lonely from staying in this deserted place for years, seizes anyone she can to mess with. Long Yixiang was even afraid she might get too excited and keep him from reincarnating. Anyway, it's death either way. Might as well fight.
"Don't give up just yet~ Our Celestial Reincarnation Bureau is a conscientious organization. We do offer newcomer benefits for particularly useless transmigrators. It's like this..."