Chapter 57: VIP Treatment in the New World
Su Xiao had just closed the Honor Store when spatial fluctuations appeared. His stay limit in Reincarnation Paradise had expired, and he was about to return to the Real World.
...
Thud, thud.
Two sounds of bodies hitting the floor came as Su Xiao and Bubu Wang appeared on the second floor of the accessory shop.
The relatively safe environment of the Real World relaxed Su Xiao considerably. After taking a cold shower, he went downstairs, opened the shop doors, and let some fresh air into the first-floor store.
Routine shopkeeping with no customers. Su Xiao began assembling a sniper rifle behind the counter. This was purely a hobby. As for gun-related issues, after Su Xiao had helped the Scavengers resolve a problem earlier, they had given him free rein in this regard.
In truth, from the Scavengers' perspective, the firearms at Su Xiao's place weren't the real danger. The truly dangerous thing was Su Xiao himself—his combat prowess couldn't be compared to a few guns.
Jingle~
The shop door was pushed open, and a young girl around seventeen or eighteen walked into the accessory store. She wore a light-colored dress and tea-colored sunglasses. Judging by her attire, this girl came from a well-off family.
Su Xiao, behind the counter, glanced at the newcomer, his brow furrowing.
The girl seemed a bit nervous. She casually browsed the store and picked out a metal pendant. She had some taste, recognizing that the items in the shop were all high-priced, so she chose a relatively "cheap" pendant.
"Boss, how much is this..."
The girl froze in front of the counter because she saw the heavy sniper rifle inside, nearly one and a half meters long.
*Will I be silenced? I was too impulsive. Will I get locked in a dark room, hehehe, and end up in some twisted story?* Various thoughts flashed through the girl's mind.
"500,000."
Su Xiao pressed his thumb against the locking ring inside the gun chamber. A spring popped out—the previous loading issue had been due to insufficient spring tension.
"So expensive..."
The girl muttered under her breath.
"Don't buy, and I'll kill you."
"Eep~"
The girl instinctively stepped back, panicking. She knew this man would actually kill someone—she had witnessed it herself.
"Can... can I swipe a card?"
The girl gently handed over a bank card. Su Xiao swiped 500,000 and tossed the card back to her. The girl's face showed obvious pain—this was her saved New Year's money.
"Bubu, see her out."
Su Xiao inserted the re-pressed spring into the gun chamber. This time, the loading was noticeably smoother. He recognized this girl, or rather, he had "kidnapped" her once before.
During a battle with a Contractor in the Real World, this girl had been a witness, later saved by the Scavengers.
Picking up the phone beside him, Su Xiao recalled for a moment and dialed a number from memory. Soon, the call connected.
"Your granddaughter is with me."
As soon as Su Xiao spoke, silence fell on the other end. Then, a slightly aged voice came through.
"What nonsense are you talking? Come pick her up. I didn't kidnap her—she came on her own. Yeah, as soon as possible."
Su Xiao put down the phone.
"Master, you really do remember me."
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Bubu Wang, who was drinking yogurt through a straw, let out a dry cough. Su Xiao rubbed his forehead. This girl was Li Murui, the granddaughter of a retired military big shot—a girl with a wild imagination.
"I'm not your master."
"Yes, you are. I even kowtowed, you know. One day as a teacher, a lifetime as a father!"
Li Murui took off her sunglasses. Her features were delicate—"pretty" wasn't quite the right word; she was a girl who looked very clean.
"..."
Su Xiao was momentarily speechless. Clearly, tying this girl up and teaching her a lesson seemed useless.
"I'm not your master, nor your father. So go back where you came from."
Su Xiao was a bit overwhelmed, while Bubu Wang sipped his yogurt and watched the show, a mischievous grin on his dog face.
"Master, are you testing me?"
"..."
Even someone as strong as Su Xiao couldn't understand this girl's train of thought. Or rather, it was her craving for mystery. Mystery was interesting, but it required risking one's life. With this girl's personality, she'd be dead in her first trial world. Reincarnation Paradise was a paradise for the strong, the mad, the warriors, and the desperate. Ordinary people could become strong, mad, or warriors too—but only if they had a heart unafraid of death and a spirit of exploration. Talent wasn't the most important thing; willpower was.
Su Xiao stopped paying attention to the girl. About ten minutes later, a black SUV screeched to a halt in front of the shop. Several burly men rushed in.
"Don't touch me, Uncle Fan. I'm sorry, just give me a few more minutes. I'm about to succeed."
The men carefully pulled the girl into the car.
"Master, I'll be back."
With the girl's shouts, the black SUV drove away. Su Xiao was certain she wouldn't return. Her grandfather wouldn't allow her to enter this city again. No matter what, that old man wouldn't let his precious granddaughter step into the "lair of the beast" again.
"What a bizarre way of thinking."
Su Xiao picked up the sniper rifle from the counter and pulled the bolt. The homemade sniper rifle was complete.
Peaceful and tranquil real life passed quickly. When Su Xiao had adjusted his state to its peak, a notification from Reincarnation Paradise appeared.
[A new derivative world is about to open. The Hunter will return to Reincarnation Paradise. Ensure no witnesses are present.]
[Transmitting... Transmission complete.]
In his Exclusive Room, Su Xiao sat up. He would enter a new derivative world in one hour, but this time, he didn't plan to enter a derivative world. Instead, he would enter an unknown world.
He had prepared 1,000 grams of "Consciousness Conduction Crystal." The Blade Awakening had no changes. Recovery items were complete, emergency supplies were sufficient, and he still had 17,500 Paradise Coins left for special situations.
Su Xiao took a ring from his storage space.
[Witch Ring]
Origin: Dark Castle · Eighth Laboratory
Quality: Purple
Type: World Key
Effect: Can enter an unknown regional world.
Rating: 106 points
Introduction: Withered blood, withered leaves. The power of the witch will dominate all things.
Price: 27,000 Paradise Coins
...
If Su Xiao used the [Witch Ring] to enter that unknown world, there would be no main quest, no treasure chests in that world, and even if there were gains, they couldn't be brought into Reincarnation Paradise. Worse, he wouldn't receive world settlement rewards.
With such a troublesome world key, Su Xiao naturally wouldn't use it directly. He had another plan.
Su Xiao took out the [Space-Time Coin] from his storage space. The [Space-Time Coin] had already been used once. From the cracks on its surface, it could probably be used three or four more times.
The reason entering that unknown world offered few rewards was that the [Witch Ring] contained no Space-Time Power. Fortunately, the [Space-Time Coin] contained a large amount of Space-Time Power.
Su Xiao didn't know if his plan would succeed, but it was worth trying. If it did, he could enter a world with richer rewards than a derivative world.
When Su Xiao used the [Space-Time Coin] to enter the Shia World, that world's rewards were already higher than a derivative world. This time, Su Xiao planned to channel all the Space-Time Power from the [Space-Time Coin] into the [Witch Ring], using both simultaneously.
With a crisp crack, the [Witch Ring] and [Space-Time Coin] shattered simultaneously in Su Xiao's hand.
[Notification: The Hunter is about to enter an unknown world. This world has no treasure chest rewards, no world settlement, and no notarization mechanism.]
[Detected a large amount of Space-Time Power. Re-evaluating...]
[Space-Time Power activated. Coordinates locating...]
[Location successful. The world the Hunter is about to enter is 'Dark Crow Star.']
[Coordinates generating...]
[Due to sufficient Space-Time Power, Paradise coordinates have been generated. The Hunter can activate the main quest on Dark Crow Star (the main quest will be determined based on the Hunter's situation, optional).]
[The Hunter can obtain treasure chests on Dark Crow Star. Since the Space-Time Power is provided personally by the Hunter, treasure chest rewards are increased by 50% (chest quality unchanged, opening rewards increased).]
[Resources obtained by the Hunter through normal means will be notarized by Reincarnation Paradise.]
[When the Hunter completes the main quest, world settlement can be conducted, granting True Attribute Points.]
[Notification: Since this world is unexplored, the Hunter cannot obtain World Source in this world. Instead, Exploration Source will be obtained. Exploration Source is calculated as a percentage, with acquisition methods very similar to World Source. This is the source of world settlement rewards.]
[The Hunter can trigger a large number of side quests in this world, with a certain chance of triggering hidden quests.]
[The Hunter will enter 'Dark Crow Star' in 5 minutes and 26 seconds. Please prepare.]
...
Seeing the notifications from Reincarnation Paradise, Su Xiao felt exhilarated. This time, he was entering the world at his own expense!
From the notifications, the Space-Time Power he provided clearly exceeded what was needed to enter 'Dark Crow Star.' That was why he enjoyed such "VIP treatment"—main quest, item notarization, world settlement, all complete, plus an additional 50% boost to treasure chest rewards.