Fate Trading System – Chapter 278

Plan A

Divine Vestige 4

Although Lang Xuanxuan’s skills weren’t learned manually—because that was simply too tiring, and unless someone was particularly interested, loved learning, or was bored to tears, almost no one learned skills manually.

But Su Xin had a control panel¹; she wasn’t afraid at all. She could still use all her skills, and her technical skill level here should be considered upper-middle tier. After all, she had been playing since the closed beta², the first non-staff tester.

She also had a lot of things. Her older brother had superb equipment and had given her many good items.

This was a desert instance³. Inside, there was a relatively high-level boss. Defeating it would yield many good items. Sha Ying must have been trying to take it down, but it seemed he hadn’t succeeded.

This instance was the treasure that the NPC who had spoken to her earlier had mentioned.

Su Xin wasn’t interested in this treasure. Right now, she just wanted to hurry to the Elf Forest.

The means of transportation here, aside from convenient magic scrolls, were magical beasts⁴ or carriages.

However, there were no magic scrolls that went directly to the Elf Forest, because that was the territory of a different race.

Mounts, unless they provided attribute bonuses or were particularly rare, were something most people wouldn’t bother acquiring. Beast Tamers⁵ weren’t common, and if you could just click around on the map to travel, why go through the trouble of getting something else? This was what most people thought.

Lang Xuanxuan, however, did have a mount: a Winged Tiger. It was very cool.

Sha Ying also had a mount, but it was currently in his backpack and couldn’t follow him.

“I’m going to the Elf Forest. If you’re coming with me, you can’t be without transportation. Let’s go to a Trading Merchant now and buy you a magical beast for transport.”

“Why do you want to go there?”

This continent had gone through several centuries, each dominated by a single race. The rise and fall, the succession of races, eventually led to the current situation.

Humans were generally relatively weak, but there were powerful individuals among them. With the Church as the main human power, other races were distributed in various parts of the continent, each having their own territories. They were mutually exclusive and did not allow outsiders to enter.

“Those not of my race must have different hearts.”⁶ This principle was common among both humans and other races.

Elves resided in the Elf Forest in the southern part of the continent. The environment there was beautiful, like a dreamland. Elves could almost be called darlings of nature, embodiments of beauty, something humans constantly pursued. There had been incidents of elves perishing at the hands of humans, leading to elves not being particularly fond of humans. Their racial traits included pride and aloofness; they had slender bodies and were skilled in archery.

Generally, unless necessary, no one wanted to go there. When the elf-related instances first opened, many people flocked to them but suffered miserably. Even the NPCs wouldn’t give you a pleasant look.

“I’ll tell you the reason later. Right, once we get there, you’ll naturally understand. This is a game world, inherently defying common sense. If you want to travel with me, then you just need to remember one thing: never ask me why. You only need to choose to agree or disagree.”

The young woman appeared delicate, her beautiful neck so slender it seemed it would break with a pinch, yet her aura was so imposing, her tone so certain.

Su Xin hated it when people asked her “why,” especially when those “people” were not well-acquainted. When she needed to explain her actions or judgments, she would certainly explain. But in unnecessary or inconvenient situations, she wished those people would just do as told.

“Okay.”

Sha Ying nodded.

There was something magical in this world called aura⁷.

Some people spoke with a commanding tone and inspired conviction, while others speaking the same way would make people feel they were being bossy and arrogant.

“Do you have any gold coins on you?”

All of Sha Ying’s gold coins were in his backpack, inaccessible for use right now.

Although Sha Ying wasn’t some money-making maniac, he had some savings at least. Not being able to use them now, it was incredibly frustrating.

“Yes.”

Lang Xuanxuan liked to hoard things. One could never have too much of something like money.

Su Xin’s mount could easily carry two people, but Su Xin would never share a mount with Sha Ying.

After purchasing the best transport beast from the Trading Merchant, Su Xin bought some food, and the two headed towards their destination.

When Sha Ying saw that Su Xin could use her backpack, his expression changed. He deeply sensed the aura of a protagonist⁸.

Su Xin and Sha Ying hadn’t expected that the first trouble they encountered on the road wouldn’t be magical beasts, but their own kind—though it wasn’t a major problem.

Timeline rewinds to just a moment ago.

Su Xin and Sha Ying had been walking for a day and planned to rest. They happened to encounter a mercenary squad. The squad had five people: one NPC, three Lost Ones, and one player.

That player’s ID was 【Sheng Yan】⁹, and he was the captain of this squad.

His player consciousness hadn’t been devoured yet, but he seemed completely unpanicked and unconfused, roasting meat while talking to the person next to him.

Su Xin initially had no intention of interacting with this person. He gave her a bad feeling, and a few glances made her decide not to cross paths with him.

Until a conflict arose within that squad.

The gist of it was that Sheng Yan wanted to go somewhere, but another team member disagreed and raised objections.

“In my team, I don’t need people who disobey my orders.”

Sheng Yan prepared to strike one of the Lost Ones. That person seemed terrified and didn’t even fight back.

Lost Ones were different from players. After losing their memories, they didn’t need a control panel; they could still unleash their skills because they believed they had learned and possessed them inherently.

Su Xin, however, couldn’t just stand by and watch this time. She intervened, blocking Sheng Yan’s attack.

Lang Xuanxuan was inherently a Water-type Mage. Su Xin used a Water Wall to separate that person.

“Your Excellency¹⁰, what is the meaning of this?”

Sheng Yan had noticed the veiled mage over there from the moment she sat down.

Sheng Yan was certain she was a mage. Although she wore only a white robe and no mage insignia, she gave off the feeling of a powerful person. Despite her face being hidden, she must be a very beautiful girl.

The coldness revealed in those eyes told him she wasn’t an easy person to get along with.

“Just saving someone.”

“It’s easy for me to kill him. Don’t tell me you can follow us around forever?”

Sheng Yan walked over, saying this with a smile on his face.

Su Xin adjusted her chat mode. She couldn’t be sure if this person knew the real situation, or if Sheng Yan knew his team members were Lost Ones.

But even if they were NPCs, his willingness to kill at will was displeasing.

Sheng Yan truly intended to be ruthless, not just put on a show.

“Are you a player?”

“What player?”

Sheng Yan frowned, looking at Su Xin with a puzzled expression.

Su Xin looked at the blue name above his head and twitched her lips.

This person… there’s something fishy about him¹¹.

Sha Ying, on the other hand, adhered to the principle of not speaking if he didn’t have to. He was clumsy with words, not good at communicating, and couldn’t handle subtleties. Since the girl beside him was so capable, he just had to watch the show and wait for the outcome.

The fact that Su Xin could use her backpack and had asked about his identity right from the start made Sha Ying certain that Su Xin could likely see others’ identities.

So, it meant this person before them was lying. But why was he lying?

Su Xin suddenly thought of a problem.

When the game became reality, many people trapped here, unable to leave, would feel distressed, desperate, and uneasy. But some people might actually be happy about it.

These people might be game experts who were mediocre or lived unsettled lives in reality but found a sense of self-worth in the game. Given this difference, they might choose to live in the game rather than return to reality.

With a better way of life available, why would they choose to return to a place that made them miserable?

There were also some who might have physical illnesses but could live like normal people or even stronger here. Why would they abandon a healthy body and this life that brought them joy, only to return to reality and face their broken bodies?

Or perhaps, there was another group: people with antisocial personalities, twisted characters. This continent had laws, but it also had magic and class divisions that transcended norms. Standing high above and deciding someone’s life or death was just too easy.

Not everyone wanted to return to reality, to see their friends and family. Not everyone hoped for their country to be stable and the world to be at peace.

A game would never allow its players to have a bad experience.

Therefore, when entering the game, physical data could be adjusted. Apart from appearance changes to fit the local customs¹², imperfections could be eliminated, and one could undergo minor cosmetic enhancements.

Here, apart from NPCs or players with unique tastes, almost everyone was beautiful.

Female players possessed beautiful… at least, faces more beautiful than in reality, and enchanting figures. Male players could become strong and tall.

Of course, a player’s power level wasn’t determined by their appearance.

Su Xin realized that if these people knew her purpose, they would undoubtedly try every means to stop her, not assist her.

What was more troublesome was how she would deal with these people.

She was a player; she could truly kill those people.

If those people endangered her interests and prevented her from achieving her goals, she would definitely cut them down without hesitation.

Those who, for their own selfishness and interests, could abandon the real world, let the outside fall into chaos, and even block the path of those in the game who desperately wanted to leave but couldn’t—there was no point in letting them live, was there?

Su Xin’s fingers twitched. Of course, she wouldn’t strike first unless others attacked her. It was a human life, after all. But if her suspicions were correct, then she absolutely wouldn’t be merciful.

“No need to act with me. I can tell. Do you know these people are players? Even if they were all NPCs, you can’t just kill people wantonly, can you?”

Su Xin frowned, her expression showing displeasure.

“What are you talking about? I really don’t understand.”

Sheng Yan stared at those jade-green eyes, a determined look in his heart.

It seems she’s a female player. Just two of them. Can’t our group handle them?

Several people surrounded them. The person Su Xin had protected earlier hesitated and stood to the side, not approaching.

Sha Ying couldn’t just be a spectator¹³ anymore. He took out his weapon and stood guard by Su Xin’s side.

“Your Excellency, didn’t your family tell you? When a beautiful girl goes out to play, she should bring more people with her. Also, don’t wander off to overly remote places.”

There used to be a protection mechanism between players, which could prevent some indiscriminate killing of innocents or harm.

But now, this mechanism seemed to have completely failed.

Sheng Yan’s lips curved. He had wanted to try this for a long time. As for Sha Ying, he didn’t even register him.

Su Xin looked at the control panel in front of her, her attitude somewhat nonchalant. Since this person was so clueless, she might as well teach him a lesson directly.

The battle ended in an instant. Sha Ying hadn’t even had a chance to make a move.

Water Condenses into Ice.

“Amazing!”

Sha Ying found that the person in front of him was frozen in the blink of an eye. He clapped his hands.

But things weren’t that simple. Sheng Yan was also a mage. The ice around him melted into water, but he didn’t immediately charge towards them. Instead, he retreated backward and grabbed the Lost One who hadn’t approached.

“A Grand Mage, no less! I misjudged.”

“So what if you’re holding him? I can still kill you.”

“Doesn’t matter. I can randomly respawn anyway, can’t I?”

Sheng Yan said so, but his heart was pounding.

Although he didn’t know what had happened, resurrection was impossible. The players he had killed before, their bodies hadn’t disappeared from where they fell.

He knew in his heart which people in his team were players; after all, he had known them before.

Suddenly one day, he found his control panel had disappeared. He couldn’t log out, couldn’t call for help. Communicating with those around him, he discovered everyone was in the same situation.

Many people started to complain. Nearby players gathered together to discuss countermeasures.

But slowly, some people seemed to forget they were players. Everyone was shocked, but no matter how they tried to explain, those individuals just wouldn’t believe it.

Later, many more forgot, and only a small number still remembered they were players.

They began to feel bleak and desperate. Not only could they not get out, but they were also forgetting their past, forgetting their former real lives.

Those who lost their memories all went their separate ways. He wanted to stay and see the final outcome.

In the end, he was the only one left.

By that time, he could no longer see IDs above people’s heads, and NPC indicators had also disappeared.

It seemed to have become reality.

Players who lost their control panels and couldn’t unleash their skills would regain them upon losing their memories. Sheng Yan, having learned his skills manually, wasn’t worried about this aspect.

Sheng Yan had made his way through, killing players, and had also been killed by NPCs.

Players would die. NPCs would revive. He would also revive after being killed by an NPC.

So he deduced that players who were killed truly died. He didn’t know if they returned to reality or simply perished, and Sheng Yan didn’t dare to test it himself.

He had learned his skills manually and was deeply satisfied with his own power, thus he acted tyrannically wherever he went.

“Is that so?”

Beneath her veil, Su Xin’s expression was a half-smile.

“If you dare to make a move, I’ll kill him.”

Sheng Yan hadn’t expected this slender, seemingly harmless girl to be a Grand Mage. It was a huge miscalculation. If he had known, he would have left at the beginning. Even admitting his identity would have been better than this current situation.

“Then kill him. He’ll revive anyway.”

Su Xin shrugged indifferently. Sha Ying said nothing. He knew the situation. A star hung high—he was still a good citizen, wasn’t he?

Sheng Yan was in a dilemma. If he wanted the hostage to be effective, he would have to expose himself.

But he couldn’t escape now either.

“Alright. You should be clear about the consequences. That’s impossible! Do you still think I can just attack him as I please? Then why did you save him just now?”

Sheng Yan held the Lost One hostage to buy time, while his mouth began to chant a spell.

Wants to go head-to-head?

But a dagger silently appeared at Sheng Yan’s neck, causing Sheng Yan’s movements to freeze and his chanting to stop.

“Didn’t your family tell you not to casually bully a girl?”

The voice was soft, yet deadly.

The hand holding the dagger was pale and slender, yet possessed a meticulously sculpted beauty.

Su Xin’s eyes lit up. Her favorite character in this game!

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