In the end, the hunched black Shadow could only clench his teeth and agree.
"Fine, I accept!"
"Heh-heh, that's the spirit! From now on… let's have a pleasant partnership!"
Lin Bei's grin bloomed; he turned to the small wooden table lit by a faint candle, stretched an arm toward the Shadow, and offered a handshake.
The Shadow hesitated for a moment, then extended a withered palm and clasped Lin Bei's hand.
The touch was cold and bony, not much different from cracked tree bark.
Still, it was solid flesh.
"Didn't you say you were only a projection?"
Lin Bei regarded the hunched figure wrapped in pitch-black, half-smiling as he teased.
"Alas, I am indeed just a projection—but who said a projection can't be tangible?"
The hunched Shadow sighed. "Misleading you earlier was only to set you at ease; I truly bear you no ill will."
"On the contrary, ever since you opened the Braves Shop, my identity has been irrevocably bound to your status as a Survivor—this is a rule set by the Celestial Gods, immutable by anyone."
Lin Bei nodded at the words, offering no comment.
He studied the hunched Shadow and introduced himself: "Let's get reacquainted—I'm Bei Ming, and you?"
"My name is… ahem, Stinky Treasure."
"What? What did you say your name was?"
Lin Bei was stunned, certain he'd misheard.
"Ahem, actually, in human terms… the closest translation really is 'Stinky Treasure.'"
The Shadow sounded helpless. "We demons are bound by rule—our names accompany us from birth for life."
"Of course, a demon can have countless aliases; if you can't get used to 'Stinky Treasure,' feel free to give me another. It doesn't really matter."
Lin Bei stood open-mouthed, needing a while to recover.
"In my mind, big demon lords always have mighty, domineering names, right?"
"Like the Cosmic Dinosaur Hyper-Zetton, or the Root-Destroying Angel Zogu, the Evil God Gatanothor—stuff like that."
"So why does your style feel… a bit off?"
"Sigh, I told you those are just aliases."
"The demon realm is brutally harsh; to help children survive, parents usually give lowly names like Gou Sheng or Er Mao."
"That's just local demon custom—something outsiders rarely know."
"And demons normally don't tell others about it."
"Only because I see you as a partner did I bare my heart—once you leave, don't breathe a word of this to anyone!"
The hunched black Shadow—Stinky Treasure—spoke with utter resignation.
"Uh… all right, I swear I won't tell."
Lin Bei nodded, yet out of caution still withheld his real name.
With demons appearing, who knew whether some cursed scroll could hex you just by knowing your name?
If he got hit by that, it would be too late for regrets!
Better safe than sorry—he kept that card hidden.
"I get it; in this world, being careful is actually wise."
Seeing Lin Bei's calm look, Stinky Treasure read his mind and voiced no resentment, only approval.
All his life he had lived by one word—caution!
Finding his future partner to be a kindred spirit, he felt instantly relieved.
"This round is in the bag! Haha!"
Stinky Treasure secretly rejoiced, already envisioning his triumphant return once fully awakened.
"By the way, you said the Calamity Seasons cycle? Tell me the details—what kinds are there and in what order?"
Lin Bei dropped the name issue and raised the question he'd long held inside.
"Oh, that… honestly, I'm not sure how many types there are."
"But every cycle, Survivors face ten Calamity Seasons. Their exact order is unknown, yet the first four are always Hot Season, Ice and Snow Season, Storm Season, and Volcanic Season."
"Hot Season and Ice and Snow Season are relatively simple—just temperature extremes."
"Storm Season and Volcanic Season are tougher; besides temperature, they bring corresponding disasters, making them harder to handle."
"Hmm… according to the statistics, the average death rate for past Survivors during Storm Season was as high as 75%, and during Volcanic Season it reached 87%."
"As for the first two Calamity Seasons, the death toll usually doesn't exceed fifty percent."
Stinky Treasure patiently explained: "Starting from the fifth Calamity Season, it's all random and no longer fixed."
"However, the order of the seasons stays the same across different cycles. If a Survivor starts a second playthrough, the disasters will repeat in the exact same sequence."
"The danger level won't increase in subsequent cycles; multi-cycles exist only to let slower-developing Survivors gather enough resources before moving on to the next challenge."
"Generally, the earlier you enter the next stage, the greater the rewards."
Lin Bei listened, fascinated. Seeing how well Stinky Treasure knew these details, curiosity got the better of him and he asked, "You're an NPC—can you really tell me everything? Won't the GM punish you?"
"How many times do I have to say it! I'm not an NPC! Not an NPC! I, like you, once…"
"Go on, say it! What happened to you once?"
"I can't. Some things are off-limits by the rules. Otherwise…"
"Otherwise what?"
"Otherwise I'll be sanctioned by the GM you mentioned. Happy now?"
"Ha, so you admit it—still claiming you're not an NPC?"
"I… ugh, forget it. Think what you want."
"It's just a label—why so serious?"
Lin Bei smirked. "All right, you said if I don't use your real name I could give you a nickname. I've decided: NPC. Any complaints?"
"I… damn."
The Shadow—Stinky Treasure, a.k.a. NPC—was finally rendered speechless by Lin Bei. He could only curse under his breath and concede defeat.
With a wave of his hand he produced a tablet and tossed it to Lin Bei. "Enough chatter. Here's the current Braves Shop inventory—everything half-off. Pick what you need."
"Hey, you still haven't told me the specifics of the other Calamity Seasons! Giving me only their names is pretty cheap, don't you think?"
"And what about this 'second-stage challenge' you mentioned? At least give me a hint."
Lin Bei's face darkened, his tone dissatisfied.
"I've said what I can; what I can't, I won't."
Stinky Treasure shrugged, the picture of pig-headed indifference. "Want more intel? Level up the Braves Shop. Higher level means higher clearance for me, and then I can tell you more."
"Right now if I say one extra word my real body suffers serious sanction. You saw how just a few casual sentences hurt me—do you know how painful that is?"
"So… it's not unwillingness; the cost is just too high."
With that, the Shadow slowly faded until the room was empty.
From thin air came an exaggeratedly weak sigh: "Alas, I'm too frail. Handle things yourself. Good-bye."
"Damn, all that for a few retorts? And I wasn't wrong—you're basically an NPC."
"Forget it. Looks like I won't squeeze anything useful out of him today."
"I'll check what good stuff the Braves Shop has for sale, then take a look at the basement entrance to see what's up."
"Still, I didn't walk away empty-handed; at least I now know the names of the first four Calamity Seasons. I can plan ahead so I won't be caught off guard when they hit."
Lin Bei exhaled.
He was fairly satisfied with the gains from this exchange.
As for next time… he'd bring some perks to make the guy answer far more useful questions.
He raised the tablet and scanned the screen.
The shop interface displayed ten items.
Their quality ranged from common to excellent.
But the prices… were rather intriguing.
"These prices… feel off."
"Half-off and it's still this?"
"Are you kidding me?"
Lin Bei frowned, eyes full of suspicion.
Braves Shop—living up to its name.
Any Survivor who spends here deserves to be called a true brave (read: sucker)!