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?"
't think I'm that capable, I'm just trying my best to stay alive. I've been kind all my life, never did anything bad, yet worldly suffering spared me not one bit. The human world is a nice place, but I won't come back in my next life. A kind young man, who wanted to just get by singing, but through repeated deceits and betrayals, has gone down an irredeemable path.
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
iemie, male, Race: Moon. Hobby: Collecting anomalies. At first, he thought he possessed two systems: the Crimson Rainbow Moon and the Clear Cold Frost Moon. One day, he discovered that he himself could also become a system for others, holding the chessboard of fate. The Eighth Epoch, also known as the Eternal Moon Epoch. Humans, witches, elves, bloodline descendants, specters, demons, and spirits together compose a new history. Walking the path on behalf of the moon, before he knew it, Chen Miemie's footsteps were followed by all manner of strange and wondrous anomalies. As time passed, many titles circulated about him—The King in Yellow, Lord of Anomalies, Heart of the Eternal Moon, and more. "Me? I'm just a traveler who enjoys collecting interesting creatures," Chen Miemie said.
