At this very moment, Bai Xiao wanted to apologize for his shallowness.
Who said this game looked crude? This game was incredible!
He was no longer in the palace. Instead, he was standing out on the street, with the chilly night wind brushing past him and lifting the silk of his pajamas, making him shiver.
For him, this feeling of freedom had been far too long in coming.
Still, he could more or less guess that this handheld console was something like a cheat ability. Which made sense—what kind of transmigrator didn't get a cheat?
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Bai Xiao sat down on a bench by the roadside. The game interface hovered right in front of him.
[Current Area: Lungmen]
[Mission Target: Ch'en]
In the center of the screen was a photo of a young woman. She had a handsome, sharp-featured face, like a sword freshly drawn from its sheath. Her long brows were cleanly defined, making her eyes seem even keener, carrying a sense of unquestionable resolve and a faint trace of impatience.
Even knowing nothing about her, Bai Xiao could instinctively tell one thing.
This woman probably had a very explosive temper.
She looked like someone extremely hard to get along with...
He continued reading. Beneath that were the mission details. They were not nearly as complicated as he had expected. Since this was probably the beginner stage, there seemed to be several different ways to clear it.
[B-Rank Clear: Earn Swire's or Lin Yuhsia's trust, then board a train bound for Victoria or the interior of Yan and leave Lungmen.]
[A-Rank Clear: Earn Hoshiguma's trust, then board a train bound for Higashi and leave Lungmen.]
[S-Rank Clear: Help Ch'en solve the Lungmen smuggling case.]
There were a lot of choices, but Bai Xiao did not make a decision recklessly. The most urgent issue was survival. He was flat broke and still dressed in pajamas, so he needed to find somewhere to stay first.
But just as he was about to close the panel and familiarize himself with his surroundings, a flashing red exclamation mark in the lower-right corner caught his eye.
[You may choose one collectible.]
[A Pair of Cipher Plates: Can be used for divination in an emergency. Disappears after use.]
[Jessica's IOU: Can be exchanged for 1,000,000 Lungmen dollars. Disappears after use.]
[Doctor's Copper Seal: Randomly grants you one Rhodes Island operator's Originium Art. It is guaranteed to be a powerful offensive Originium Art.]
[Please choose your collectible carefully. Once selected, it cannot be changed. After clearing the stage, it can be kept permanently.]
Holy crap, a three-way choice? There was actually something this good?
Bai Xiao immediately stopped thinking about anything else and hurried to study the three collectibles. This was obviously a starting bonus—if he didn't choose quickly enough, it might disappear.
Still, all three options looked useful.
The first option was a set of cipher plates that could be used for divination. He had no idea what cipher plates were, but divination meant predicting the future, which definitely didn't sound weak.
The limitation was that it could only be used once... which was normal. How could something that powerful be available without restriction?
The second option was much more straightforward: cash.
A large amount of money would let him get through the early stage efficiently, but later on it would probably lose its usefulness. And honestly, one million wasn't even that much—not nearly enough to launch some kind of overwhelming money offensive.
As for the third...
Bai Xiao didn't know what Rhodes Island was, and he didn't know what operators were, but he did know what Originium Arts were. After all, he had been in this world long enough to have heard plenty about them, and he had even seen others use them.
Even his beloved empress could use Originium Arts. Every time Bai Xiao tried to resist, a faint golden glow would appear around Vina's body, and then she would effortlessly subdue him and pin him to the bed for a thorough "lesson."
That monstrous strength of hers had to be Originium Arts.
After thinking it over again and again, he decided this choice was the most reliable.
The cipher plates could be used for divination, but once used, they were gone. At best, they could help him survive a single crisis. Money was the same. It didn't really do much for the mission itself.
Originium Arts were different. They could make him stronger.
That was the most useful thing of all.
And after completing the mission, he would even be able to keep that Originium Art permanently.
Compared to the one-use cipher plates and the one million that seemed ultimately pointless, Originium Arts were exactly what he wanted. Maybe, just maybe, he could even use them against his yandere wife.
Besides, who could possibly resist a power that was basically magic?
Once he made up his mind, Bai Xiao didn't hesitate. He directly selected the third option.
The selection instantly turned into a spinning roulette wheel, with many unfamiliar names flashing past on it.
At last, the pointer stopped on a brilliant field of gold.
[Glory Yet Unshone (Stage One)]
He had no idea what that meant...
But it sounded incredibly powerful.
Almost at the same instant, it felt as if a warm current surged into his body, like dry land finally being nourished by rain. His somewhat weakened body was rapidly being strengthened, but along with that came a fierce wave of hunger, as though he had not eaten in days.
Bai Xiao had originally wanted to try out this Originium Art, but the intense emptiness in his stomach left him so weak he could barely stand.
At the same time, the selection interface gradually faded away, leaving behind only a few lines of text:
[The time flow ratio between the player's world and other worlds is 24:1.]
[The game has officially begun. Good luck.]
Officially begun?
Bai Xiao took a deep breath, pressed a hand to his stomach, and began looking around.
He seemed to be in a rather run-down district. There were almost no pedestrians on the road, and the dim streetlights flickered on and off, giving the whole place a badly neglected feel.
Unable to tell which way to go, he could only move slowly toward wherever there was light.
After walking for some time, an enticing smell of food drifted through the air. His spirits lifted immediately. Following the scent, he quickened his pace and soon spotted a small food stall glowing faintly at the edge of the street.
The stall owner was a young man with an indifferent expression and the same dead-fish eyes as a light-novel protagonist. Business didn't seem to be going very well.
"Authentic Dong-style Scale Meatballs. Want a bowl?"
Looking at the milky broth bubbling in the pot and the plump meatballs bobbing within it, Bai Xiao's stomach clenched, and saliva flooded his mouth. Even so, he forced himself to look away.
"Thanks, but... no."
The stall owner glanced at him, seeming to see right through his embarrassment. Without a word, he scooped the last few scale meatballs from the pot into a paper bowl and set it on the bench beside him.
"It's for you. Last serving anyway. I was just about to pack up and head home."
Bai Xiao was so touched he could hardly describe it. He had never expected to run into someone this kind.
"Thank you so much! I'll definitely repay you!"
"It's just one bowl of scale meatballs. What's there to repay?" The vendor had already started cleaning up his stall. He cast a glance at Bai Xiao, who was holding the paper bowl, and added casually, "Once you're done eating, leave quickly. This area isn't safe. Something's going to happen soon."
Bai Xiao looked up at him, but the vendor had already ridden away on his three-wheeled cart.
Something was going to happen soon?
Bai Xiao wasn't afraid of trouble at all.
What he feared was nothing happening.
Starting out dirt-poor like this, he would have loved for something to happen—anything that might let him build up some capital for survival.
Still, that was a matter for later.
At a time like this—
He should eat first.
-------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (400 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (254 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (140 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (158 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (400 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (140 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (172 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(80 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (200 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (200 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (120 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (96 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (140 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (160 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (Ending)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (70 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (80 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (140 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (165 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (70 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (100 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (100 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (80 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (80 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (40 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (40 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (180 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (120 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (150 Chapter)
A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (160 Chapter)
Naruto : My Uchiha Girlfriend is Too Tsundere (130 Chapter)
Type-Moon: Reincarnated in a Lostbelt, I Became the Alien God (90 Chapter)
The Way These Horse Girls Look at Me Is Terrifying! (160 Chapter)
Naruto: Tsunade's Deskmate (130 Chapter)
I Just Want to Live a Normal (50 Chapter).
Genshin Impact: A Hundred Confessions? It's Just a System Task (70 Chapter)
OnePiece : Starting as a Veteran of the Roger Pirates (60 Chapter)
Uma Musume : I Have Special Horse Taming Techniques (190 Chapter)
Uma Musume : My other self is a Horse Girl (130 Chapter)
Jujutsu Kaisen : All Affection Stats Maxed Out (200 Chapter)
Satou Kazuma's Decision to Live by Swindling, Starting from Re:Zero (60 Chapter)
Bleach : Ichigo! Take Over the Soul Society (89 Chapter)
Crossover Anime: The Master of Plagiarism with a 'Love Obstacle (140 Chapter)
Arknights Succubus Nurturing System, But I'm a Quiet Office Worker (90 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: Using My Personas to Break the Hearts of Players (50 Chapter)
One Punch Man : i am King? (150 Chapter)
Genshin: My Stats Are Irresistible (70 Chapter)
Naruto: Master of Dream Fulfillment! (70 Chapter)
Why Are All My Chat Group Friends Spin-Off Characters? (123 Chapter)
Arknights : Batman System (30 Chapter)
Chat Group: Swapping Bodies with the Bad-Ending Herta from the Start (80 Chapter)
DanMachi: Why Did My Dungeon Turn Into a Soulslike Game? (110 Chapter)
Losing Money on Uma Musume...What Do You Mean You Actually Won? (120 Chapter)
I'm Gotou Hitori—Who Are You? (40 Chapter)
Were You Ever Even a Uma Musume? Stop Making Things Up! (780Chapter)
Moon Project: A Full-Time Love Adventure for the Lobotomy Corporation (75 Chapter)
The Leisurely Days of the Hyuga Main House (65 Chapter)
Arknights : A Draco Surviving in a Matriarchal Terra (165 Chapter)
Arknights: What if My Luck Is Too Good? (115 Chapter)
Honkai: The Romance System Only Shows Up After I Marry Mei (55 Chapter)
Arknights: Who Are You Calling Repressed, X?! (125 Chapter)
The Chat Group Only Arrived After I'd Cleared the Game (102 Chapter)
Gojo Satoru Flat-Out Refuses to Admit He's a Supporting Character (40 Chapter)
Chat Group Isn't Supposed to Be Like This! (30 Chapter)
If You're Moriarty…then Who Am I? (120 Chapter)
Uma Musume: Since I "Can't See," They Take Turns Stealing My Underwear (50 Chapter)
Arknights: Why Are All My "Brothers" Girls? (54 Chapter)
Danmachi: Start Training Haki (59 Chapter)
Emiya Shirou's Rebirth (30 Chapter)
I Can Get Stronger Just by AFK'ing—So I Joined a Chat Group (50 Chapter)
Endfield: I Can Always Pull Out One Yuan (54Chapter)
Limbus Company : I Started a Company in Project Moon (50 Chapter)
Lobotomy: Do Cooks of Alley 23 Dream of Bloodfiend Knights? (50 Chapter)
DanMachi: Freya Familia's "One-Blade Shura" (60 Chapter)
DanMachi: Emiya, the Great Hero Becomes the Protagonist (76 Chapter)
TYPE-MOON: One Special Instance Every Week (40 Chapter)
From Danmachi: The Abundance Apothecary (63 Chapter)
Lord Shadow Descends on DanMachi (83 Chapter)
Fuse with Me, Exusiai! (41 Chapter)
Honkai: Star Rail — After I Die, I Forge Their Madness (50 Chapter)
DanMachi: The Last Zeus Familia (70 Chapter)
Endfield: Arknights Heroic Spirit Summoning (70 Chapter)
Toyokawa Family Finances (80 Chapter)
Starting From DanMachi to Become Stronger (75 Chapter)
DanMachi: My Familia Is Made Up Entirely of Heroines from Every World! (60 Chapter)
Arknights: My Intel Refreshes Daily (80 Chapter)
Digimon : I Never Meant to Do Evil, Even Though I Wasn't Chosen (40 Chapter)
Miss Holmes Could Never Be the Losing Heroine! (40 Chapter)
Takayama Gamu at Tracen Academy (40 Chapter)
Legendary Trainer Takes on MYGO (40 Chapter)
Arknights : Yandere Game: The Operators Have Come Knocking (58)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it