Ye Chuan pondered for a moment.
As expected, the young mistress's way of making money was faster.
But the problem was that the options didn't include—
"Forget it, this is how text-based adventures are—lacking a bit of interactivity." Since the adventure had already begun, Ye Chuan couldn't be bothered to fuss over it. Among the available choices, he spotted one about selecting a destination.
【Adventurers' Guild】
Might as well head there and take a look.
"I'm at the Golden Core realm, which should be around fourth-tier strength. That shouldn't be too weak on the Aiser Continent, right?" Ye Chuan wasn't entirely sure.
Since the two continents were on a similar level, and he could sense Lilith's strength as well.
【You enter the Adventurers' Guild. The layout resembles a tavern, with people not only drinking but even eating meals… Most of them are burly, and there are also robed figures reading documents.】
【"Welcome to the Yisu Adventurers' Guild. Are you here to accept a quest or seek assistance from adventurers?" A bespectacled girl greets you warmly.】
【You choose…】
【1. Learn more】
【2. Accept a quest for rewards】
【3. Leave】
Better learn more first.
【You choose to learn more. Seeing you're a newcomer, the bespectacled girl explains the general workings of the Adventurers' Guild.】
【The Adventurers' Guild operates independently of the major empires and is not under their jurisdiction. Anyone can register as an adventurer.】
【Those in need post quests at the guild, and adventurers complete them for rewards, with the guild taking a fixed commission.】
【Adventurer ranks are: Black Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond.】
【The bespectacled girl smiles at you. "Would you like me to repeat that?"】
【You decline out of politeness and proceed to register as an adventurer out of curiosity.】
【Obtained: Black Iron Guild Certification x1】
【"To match quests to your skill level, you can undergo a strength assessment~" The bespectacled girl, the guild's receptionist, takes out a crystal ball. You choose…】
【1. Undergo assessment】
【2. Refuse】
【3. Confuse her with an Iron Mountain Shoulder Strike on the spot】
【Out of caution, you skip the assessment and instead perform an Iron Mountain Shoulder Strike as a distraction. Though puzzled, she assumes it's a dance from your homeland and doesn't press further.】
【You’ve become a Black Iron adventurer. You choose…】
【You opt to accept a quest. Due to your low rank, you’re limited to menial tasks like cleaning sewers, hauling bricks, or gathering herbs—simple jobs with meager pay.】
"Seriously? I'm a Golden Core expert, and this is all I get?" Ye Chuan couldn't help but feel something was off.
Very off.
He skimmed the remaining options—mostly just accepting or abandoning quests.
"So I’m stuck doing grunt work?" The limitations of the text-based adventure annoyed him. Starting from scratch wasn’t appealing.
Whatever. Let’s just dive in.
Time to switch modes.
【You switch to adventure mode. Current mode: Text】
【Switching—】
……
When his eyes opened again, the scent of roasted meat filled his nostrils.
Ye Chuan exhaled slowly as his awareness sharpened. Instinctively, he glanced around—
The space was furnished with oak wood, the pale-red floor tiles adorned with vintage patterns. The damp musk of moss mingled with the charred aroma of meat.
A massive crystal chandelier hung at the center of the hall, its eerie blue stones flickering within the lampshade, casting fragmented light over the bustling crowd below.
Faded bounty posters covered one wall, their edges curled from countless fingers. Some of the wanted portraits bore dried bloodstains.
"Is something wrong?" A voice snapped him back to attention.
His gaze focused ahead, where the bespectacled girl from the text adventure now stood before him in the flesh—elongated, elf-like ears peeking through her hair. She wore gold-rimmed glasses and a tailored blue-and-white uniform, a vibrant feather pinned to her square cap.
"An elf?" Ye Chuan eyed her ears curiously.
"Sir, I’m only a half-elf. Please don’t stare at someone’s ears like that."
"Oh, sorry." He averted his gaze, noticing the guild was filled with all sorts of peculiar humanoid creatures.
Nearby, a tiger-headed warrior in battle gear slammed his chipped axe onto the floor, the impact rattling the glass of a snake-faced man across from him.
A group of green-skinned humanoids huddled in a corner, counting loot, while ordinary-looking humans chatted over drinks. The scene was bizarre yet harmonious.
"So this is the Aiser Continent," Ye Chuan murmured before catching himself. "Right, miss, if I wanted to collect rewards—"
"Y-you just called me what?" The half-elf receptionist seemed flustered.
"Collect rewards…?" He frowned. Had he said something wrong?
"Before that!"
"Oh, right—miss?"
"You called me beautiful?" She cupped her cheeks, incredulous. "I’m just an ugly half-elf… Even if you say that, I won’t do anything special for you…"
"Ugly?" Ye Chuan studied her. She looked perfectly fine to him—great figure, pretty face.
"No, no, you really are beautiful," he clarified. Why did she react like Lilith, getting all worked up over a compliment?
"Eek!" The receptionist crouched, hiding her face, her pointed ears flushing red.
Ye Chuan: "?"
What?
"Cultural difference? Are compliments taboo here?" As he puzzled over it, a voice cut in from behind.
"What’s going on here? Are you messing with our Miss Eisien?"
Ye Chuan turned to find a girl standing behind him—shoulder-length hair, petite frame barely reaching 1.6 meters, clad in form-fitting leather armor with a dagger at her side.
"Messing with her? I didn’t say anything offensive, did I?"
"'Beautiful' is reserved for one’s wife. Don’t tell me you didn’t know that?" The girl crossed her arms, tilting her head with a look that screamed,
【Where the hell did you crawl out from?】
Beautiful is only for wives?
"……" Definitely a cultural gap.
"I’m from a very distant place. Where I’m from, it’s normal to call lovely girls 'beautiful,'" Ye Chuan explained.
"……" The girl scrutinized him like a predator sizing up prey, making Ye Chuan feel like he was being stalked by a leopard.
Her aura didn’t feel weak at all.
"Where are you from?"
"China."
"Huh?"
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
