Chapter 113
At first glance, she offered a reasonable explanation.
In reality, this speculation and the act of asking Shi Lei to lend a hand cannot form a logical chain of cause and effect.
"Hahaha, this has nothing to do with you lending your hand, right? Actually, I don't know how it works either, but touching the Mudrock makes her recover quickly. Sigh, I feel like I've inexplicably become a portable power bank."
Texas herself verified this, and the wound did not heal after touching it. This indicates that such a healing method only works on Mudrock.
Perhaps it's because they are both skilled at manipulating rocks and have excellent compatibility in Originium Arts?
Seeing that Texas didn't respond and was instead focused on driving, Shi Lei slightly turned his head to look at her:
"Do you want to verify later?"
"You're injured, can I help you?" "Haha, don't worry. As long as I'm here, I won't let you get hurt. Even if you're injured, I'll do everything I can to heal you."
"Who asked you to save them?"
Texas a soft snort, but the corners of her mouth involuntarily turned up sharply. However, she quickly recovered, straightening her face and returning to normal, even feigning anger as she said:
"You're cursing me to get hurt, aren't you?"
"Hahaha, no, no, I wouldn't dare."
The two chatted and laughed as they drove back to the Upper City. By the time they arrived at the company, it was almost 3 p. m.
After finishing the rest of the book, Shi Lei spent the rest of his time playing on his phone. He waited until 5 PM to clock out.
"Yay!"
Exusiai was the first to get up and extend an invitation to a party:
"Same routine tonight: first we'll go eat barbecue and drink beer, then we'll go to Zhongli to play mahjong. Tomorrow's the weekend, we can play all night!"
Upon hearing this, Texas immediately rejected the proposal:
"No, Shi Lei and I have to go to the Mudrock's Squad's stronghold tomorrow. We can't stay up tonight; we need to meet up around nine o'clock tomorrow morning."
"Oh no, how could this happen..."
Exusiai was deeply disappointed and tried to negotiate:
"How about we play until midnight?"
This time, it was Shi Lei who rejected her proposal:
"Forget it, Exusiai. I'm a bit tired today and want to rest early. If you really want to play, we can reschedule for tomorrow, Saturday, tonight. We'll see Croissant comes then, and if she's busy, we'll ask Lin Yuxia instead."
When he mentioned himself, Croissant shook his head:
"Weekends are when the customer traffic is at its peak, so I have to go out and set up my stall. There's also a night market in the evening. Don't count me in when you guys play mahjong, just invite Miss to join you."
After the four of them swiped their cards, they took the elevator downstairs.
Shi Lei had other plans for later, so he didn't go to the barbecue with everyone. He had several cases of Texas bought in Texas stored in his warehouse. Even if he was penniless, he wouldn't have to worry about starving to death.
After parting ways with his colleagues, he headed towards the warehouse. Following the navigation on his phone's map, he found a local eyewear store in Lungmen.
Today's experience of 'recharging' the Mudrock made Shi Lei decide to improve his cultivation level. Regardless of whether this cultivation level is useful or not, it's always good to accumulate some first.
Currently, the bugs in the Immortal Body Mode mostly involve changes to a single body part, without any individual changes to internal organs. In comparison, the Golden Dragon Eyes are the change that has the least impact on the original appearance.
Changing directly is definitely not appropriate. At least find some serendipitous encounter as an excuse, or try using colored contact lenses.
Terra's technology tree has some areas that are a bit off-track. Shi Lei didn't know if colored contact lenses existed in this world, so he went to an eyewear store to check.
"Hello, welcome."
The waitress stepped forward and asked warmly:
"Sir, what kind of glasses would you like to get? We offer free eye exams."
Shi Lei looked around and saw that the glass cabinet was full of those framed glasses, so he asked:
Do you have colored contact lenses here?
The waitress was taken aback, looking somewhat surprised. She quickly waved and called the manager over.
Shi Lei didn't know if colored contact lenses were also called colored contact lenses in the Terra World, so he tried to describe them:
"I want to buy a pair of tinted contact lenses that can change the color of the wearer's pupils."
The store manager smiled and replied:
"I'm sorry, sir. We don't sell those kinds of contact lenses; we only have clear ones."
Do you know where I can buy them?
"If you really want to buy them, I suggest you check out Victoria. Colored clear glasses aren't popular in Yan. Everyone prefers the natural color of their pupils, so we only stock clear ones."
Well, it seems the plan to use colored contact lenses to conceal the Golden Dragon Eyes is completely blocked. Besides, colored contact lenses aren't foolproof; they generally can't cover the central pupil. Using that as a decoy would be easily exposed.
Sure enough, I need to find a way to create some unexpected encounters.
Upon learning that they didn't have colored contact lenses, Shi Lei didn't leave. Since he was already there, he might as well pick out a few pairs of sunglasses. After all, he'd have to wear these often when switching to Dragon Eyes later.
Do you have any recommendations for sunglasses?
"Yes, sir, this way please."
Shi Lei ultimately chose two pairs of expensive brand-name sunglasses and sent the bill to Penguin Logistics. There was no need to ask Texas for such a large expense.
I got home after shopping, and it was exactly six o'clock.
Normally at this time, he would be eating meat and drinking heavily with his colleagues. Today, he just boiled water, ate a cup of instant noodles, and locked the warehouse shutter door early. Afterward, he lay on the bed, playing on his phone.
And so, at midnight the next day, I received the system notification in my mind right on time.
[Bite!]
[The "Penniless" Roleplay Value for April 3rd have been calculated. Current Roleplay Value: 501/500]
[Can be promoted to: Archon Realm!]
Before Shi Lei could even feel happy, he suddenly heard a piercing alarm from the system.
172 Risks and Opportunities
[Your current Roleplay Value has exceeded the limit. You may decide when to advance to the Archon Realm. Roleplay Value will not accumulate if you do not advance; any excess value will be automatically forfeited.]
[Warn!]
Please read the following carefully!
Upon hearing the system's piercing alarm sound for the first time, Shi Lei realized the seriousness of the problem. He dared not delay and got out of bed...
He got up. He put down his phone, sat up straight, and checked the information appearing on the 3D projection screen:
Upon advancing to the Archon Realm, a powerful energy surge will be released, triggering extraordinary phenomena in the heavens and earth.
The energy fluctuations are invisible and formless, affecting an area approximately one-twentieth the size of the entire Terra. Only those at the low-level Immortal Realm can perceive their presence. The stronger the perceiver, the more pronounced the effect; the possibility of extraterrestrial beings sensing them cannot be ruled out. The area affected by this celestial phenomenon is roughly the size of a prefecture-level city.
[WARNING! Promotions come with both unknown risks and opportunities; careful consideration is advised when choosing a promotion location.]
If one advances to the Archon Realm, their strength will increase significantly. Furthermore, the rules for acquiring Roleplay Value will change as follows:
1) Roleplay Value obtained from daily activities, such as "penniless", are halved, with a daily cap of 2 points. The maximum daily cap remains unchanged at 10 points.
2) Normal role-playing can only yield a small amount, or no Roleplay Value at all.
3) Unlock governance paths. As your Personal Faction and influence increase, you will gain stage-specific Roleplay Value. Click here to expand for details →
4) If you already have subordinates, you will gain 1 point of Roleplay Value per day. If you have any creatures of the Immortal Realm under your command, each creature will gain 0.2 points of Roleplay Value per day, up to a maximum of 1 point.
[After advancing to the Archon Realm, advancing to the Seven Archons Realm requires 1000 Roleplay Value. Choosing to advance will release energy fluctuations affecting the entire Terra.]
Shi Lei read the system notification several times and began to analyze it word by word.
The release of energy fluctuations is barely acceptable, perhaps due to an infusion of energy from the sky.
The system mentions that upgrading to the Archon Realm will unlock the path to governing a kingdom. This is equivalent to the level of the Rex Lapis's rule over Liyue for thousands of years in Genshin Impact.
Back then, the Rex Lapis could easily defeat the demons of the Northern Mountains with his fists and kick Oser of the South China Sea with his feet. Compared to his current Immortal Realm, the difference in strength is enormous.
Overall, the system has reduced the Roleplay Value that can be obtained from daily life after advancing to the Archon Realm, and has begun to intentionally guide him towards cultivating Personal Faction.
The problem is, Shi Lei currently has no plans to develop his Personal Faction. He just wants to live a comfortable, retirement-like life, eating and sleeping soundly every day. Aside from the Sarkaz squad that includes Mudrock, he has no other subordinates. The Penguin Logistics Messenger are merely colleagues.
Governing a country without wise ministers and capable officials is too exhausting.
The description provided by Shi Lei's research revealed some information that was not expressed in writing.
Since the system deliberately emphasizes that even a low-level Immortal Realm can sense energy fluctuations, it proves that there are also high-level Immortal Realm and even Archon Realm on the Terra. Even if I don't go looking for them, they will come looking for me.
The Archon Realm and the Immortal Realm are two completely different levels. Even if the Salt Demon God is weak, he is still far beyond the reach of ordinary people. The Immortal Realm includes powerful immortals like Xiao and Bosacius, as well as lesser immortals like Tongque; their strength levels are quite diverse.
If you truly want a comfortable retirement life, maintaining the Immortal Realm isn't secure enough. The safest approach is to find a place to advance to the Archon Realm. Then, slowly accumulate experience, Roleplay Value at 1000 points to avoid advancing to the Seven Archons Realm.
In this way, one could possess the strength of the Archon Realm and the upper limit of the Seven Archons Realm. Then, when faced with an attack from Great Beast from Terra mythology, one would have the ability to fight it off.
Since Shi Lei transmigrated to Lungmen, he has been reading for four or five months. Even if only ten of them are geography books, these hundred-plus books haven't been read in vain.
If he's looking for a place to advance his career, he'll first rule out the Yan. Even without the protection of Great Beast, this kingdom possesses strength comparable to them.
The Great Beast that were driven out of Yan during the 'Great Beast Hunt' a thousand years ago went to Ursus and Sami, so they must also be excluded.
The southwestern desert of Sargon, with its endless yellow sands, and the Iberia to the south, both likely harbor powerful creatures. It's best to avoid them if possible.
Laterano is also a place to avoid. It's Exusiai's homeland. Who knows what kind of archangels or similar creatures might be there? It's best to avoid it if possible.
With this in mind, Shi Lei went to the bookshelf and found a geography book with a map, looking for a suitable place for promotion.
According to the system's description that 'the energy wave's range covers approximately one-twentieth of the entire Terra,' many places are actually good choices.
Considering that there may be high-level Immortal Realm and Archon Realm on the Terra, it would be best to expand the scope of influence further to reduce the risks involved.
Using Shi Lei's screening method, only three locations remained that met the criteria after the screening was completed.
The first one from left to right is Bolívar, where there's a tourist resort called Dossoles. If you ascend from here, there are ice fields to the north and west, high mountains to the south, and Columbia to the east.
This is a newly independent nation that emerged a few decades ago, lacking the historical foundation of Great Beast. Its main focus is on technological development, which can be encompassed within it.
The second location is western Victoria. It borders the remote and underdeveloped Scherzag to the north and the volcanic Sistag to the south. To the west are towering mountains and forests, making it an ideal location for advancement.
Shi Lei has always paid close attention to current affairs. He remembers that after Theresia's death at the end of last year, King Theresis ascended the throne and led his troops across thousands of kilometers to attack Londinium, Mobile Cities of Victoria.
This promotion location was situated right in the heart of Victoria. During the war...
In such a situation, traveling through the area as a tourist would probably not be so easy.
The third location is northeastern Syracuse. To the north lies the boundless wilderness, to the east the depleted Kazdel, to the south Remupton, and to the west the eastern part of Sargon.
Remupton is a nation whose economy is primarily based on a developed mining industry, and there are no creatures it needs to fear. Sargon, on the other hand, used to have a Witch King who could detonate infected, similar to his Rock Spine.
Although this person was someone to be wary of, he has already fallen. His horns were cut off and he was paraded through the streets by the newly enthroned Twin Empresses' forces, so there shouldn't be any other powerful figures among them.
After Shi Lei's screening process, Victoria, the second option with too many uncertainties, was eliminated.
The only places where he could safely advance to the Archon Realm were Dossoles and Syracuse.
Shi Lei frowned as he stared at the map, lost in thought.
173 If you can talk, then talk more.
After repeated comparisons, Shi Lei could only conclude that Dossoles and Syracuse each had their own advantages and disadvantages.
The former is farther away, located at the westernmost edge of Terra. If one were to advance here, the surrounding area would be either an uninhabited ice plain or Columbia.
In comparison, Dossoles is the least likely of the three locations to be exposed. All he needs to do is ask his boss for leave, saying he wants to go on a trip; the Emperor shouldn't refuse.
The latter isn't far from Lungmen, about a thousand kilometers away, separated by Kazdel. As long as the energy fluctuations don't spread to Laterano, there are basically no other concerns. If I need to take Lappland home in the future, I'll stop by Syracuse on the way, so I don't even need to think of a reason.
The essential difference between these two promotion locations lies in whether Shi Lei perceives the creatures as either friend or foe.
If you feel you have more enemies than enemies, then you should go to Dossoles. Even if someone finds you there, they would never suspect that you are hiding thousands of kilometers away in Lungmen. If you feel you have more friends than enemies, Syracuse is a better choice.
But how can you explain such things before you actually meet the other person?
Shi Lei thought for a long time but couldn't decide on a location, so he simply turned off the lights and went to sleep. In his previous world, there was an old saying, "Haste makes waste." Since he couldn't figure it out in one day, he'd think about it for a few more days; he'd figure it out eventually.