"Newcomer, want to learn about the Paradise? Only 100 Paradise Points."
Chu Danqing had just stepped out of his room with Da Bao when, upon arriving at Apostle Plaza, a warm voice reached his ears.
"Don't have that much. Ten points." Chu Danqing immediately slashed off a digit.
He had fought tooth and nail for an A-grade evaluation and only received five thousand Paradise Points. She wanted one-fiftieth of his evaluation right off the bat—Chu Danqing felt that was a loss.
"That shouldn't be possible. Even if you coasted through, you should still have—" The speaker was a plump middle-aged woman. Before she could finish, she spotted Da Bao following beside Chu Danqing.
Then she understood. It was not that Chu Danqing did not have the points; he was haggling.
To obtain such an outstanding summon during the Reserve Apostle trial, one's evaluation had to start at C-grade at the very least.
"At ten points, I can't even cover the wholesale price." She muttered, then said, "Consider it making a friend. Thirty points."
"Fine, but tell me first—how could you tell I'm a newcomer?" Chu Danqing asked.
He knew how to trade Paradise Points. He could do so using his Apostle authority.
"This is the default area where Reserve Apostles first enter Apostle Plaza. Most people who appear here have just completed their first trial."
As she spoke, she initiated a trade with Chu Danqing. The trade item was something called a Type-I Information Data Chip.
He could directly view its attribute panel through the trade interface, and it was notarized by Dimension Paradise.
"So that's how it is." Chu Danqing nodded and confirmed the trade.
The chip was a consumable. After using it, Chu Danqing would receive a data package containing all kinds of summaries and experience related to the Paradise.
This was definitely not information a Reserve Apostle should have access to. Dimension Paradise must have tacitly permitted and supported it, or else it could not have spread on such a large scale.
There was a great deal of content, but Chu Danqing quickly finished receiving it.
As for the middle-aged woman, she continued soliciting other Reserve Apostles who had just come out.
"Before becoming a formal Apostle, the highest evaluation is only A-grade? Then what was Fallen Blossom Maiden? Did my hand itch for trouble?" Chu Danqing felt that this might not be entirely accurate.
As for choosing to contract the White Dragon Fish in an attempt to reach an S-grade evaluation?
Chu Danqing simply could not pass the attribute assessment of the Contract Scroll.
Da Bao had been contractable only because willingness and high favorability had allowed the attribute assessment to be skipped.
If he had chosen the White Dragon Fish or Fallen Blossom Maiden, he would probably have been eaten the moment they met, without even getting the chance to use the Contract Scroll.
Even if he got lucky and the forced contract succeeded, the loyalty formed from low favorability would immediately backlash against him.
If such a choice truly existed, it would not have started by trying to eat him.
According to the statistics, Dimension Apostles generally hovered around D- to C-grade evaluations. They could not reach any higher, while anyone who had not completely slacked off could not possibly receive the low evaluations of E or F.
In addition, Chu Danqing also found out why his two Basic Skills, Summoning Basics and Basic Summoning Art, were so valuable.
These two skills were the foundation of the system. Improving them could grant one comprehensive systemic knowledge.
Once a Basic Skill reached LV10, it could advance into a Mastery Skill, gaining more inherited knowledge and skill effects.
They were equivalent to a vast, complete knowledge base, as well as powerful skills.
However, they also had a drawback: they were extremely difficult to improve. One either needed special resources and a hefty amount of Paradise Points.
Or one could head to a Training Room in the Paradise and improve through spending one's evaluation plus Paradise Points. How much one could improve depended entirely on oneself.
The information clearly stated the price: an A-grade evaluation plus 5,000 Paradise Coins could buy ten days of training time, including corresponding guidance.
Of course, it was not only Basic Skills that could be improved this way. Other skills could as well. Whether it was worth it depended on the individual, since they could be improved with Paradise Points in a skill pod.
Next, when strengthening attributes in an attribute pod, it was recommended to activate pain suppression. Leaving it off would make the enhancement somewhat more effective, but also incomparably painful.
Chu Danqing read through the contents bit by bit. Quite a few parts would come in handy and could indeed keep him from stumbling into pitfalls.
What interested him most was that, besides Dimension Paradise, there were four other factions.
They were Fantasy Metropolis, Nightmare Realm, War Dominion, and Death Kingdom.
Just as Chu Danqing had originally thought, Dimension Paradise did not erase people at the slightest disagreement, nor did it forcibly execute them for failing missions.
Most punishments merely deducted Paradise Points.
Even if the total dropped below zero, it only meant that the Paradise Points earned in later trials would be confiscated to repay the debt. Equipment, skills, and the like on one's person would not be reclaimed as payment.
If someone was truly mud that could not be plastered onto a wall and still had not died, they could only be turned into a Life Apostle and made to continue shining and generating heat.
The harshest mission punishment was actually the deduction of attributes.
But the other four factions were different. Their missions were more intense, and their punishments were harsher. They started by deducting attributes by percentage.
Mission punishments were often erasure or forced execution.
Thus, in terms of combat quality, Dimension Paradise ranked at the bottom.
Because the pressure was lower, its atmosphere was also far better than that of the other four factions.
Chu Danqing was still a Reserve-grade Apostle and could not come into contact with those four factions. He had to become a formal first-rank Dimension Apostle before he qualified to encounter them.
A Reserve Apostle was simply an intern who had just started the job.
Speaking of first-rank Dimension Apostles, becoming one was simple: once any one of the Five-Dimensional Attributes reached 10 points, it would trigger a rank breakthrough trial.
Furthermore, rank breakthrough trials came in different grades. Breaking through with all five attributes versus breaking through with one attribute made a difference.
"Let's go to the Training Room. I urgently need someone to point me through the fog." Chu Danqing did not choose to use his Attribute Points first, nor did he exchange the equipment on him for usable resources.
For him, the urgent matter was to lay a solid foundation. Besides, nothing would disappear while it was on him.
To go from someone living in a peaceful modern city to a qualified Apostle of the Summoning System, having someone to guide him was best.
For example, the order in which he should raise his attributes later, or what resources he should exchange unnecessary equipment for to make up for his shortcomings.
Wouldn't having a qualified instructor provide him with a plan be far better than blindly fumbling about on his own?
Chu Danqing knew where it was, so before long, he arrived at the Training Room with Da Bao. Along the way, he also bought a long-lasting recorder, paper, pens, and other items, spending ten Paradise Points.
A Life Apostle received Chu Danqing and guided him while explaining things.
The content did not differ much from the information Chu Danqing had purchased, indirectly confirming its authenticity.
Available tiers
A-grade Training Room: Please select the skill you wish to improve.
"The evaluation and Paradise Points from the reward are exactly enough for one training session. The Paradise encourages growth through this method."
The evaluation from settlement was the greatest value. Paradise Points and Attribute Points were merely adding flowers to brocade.
Chu Danqing selected Summoning Basics and Basic Summoning Art, then discovered that Da Bao's option appeared afterward. He casually selected it as well.
Training duration this session: 10 days. Reserve Apostle's remaining rest period has not been exceeded. Beginning generation of A-grade Basic Skill instructor.
Generation complete. A-grade Basic Skill instructor: Holy Child of Azure Cloud Holy Land (Projection).
"Wait, isn't the age of this Holy Child projection a little off???" Chu Danqing's expression became strangely complicated when he saw the Holy Child of Azure Cloud Holy Land.
Before you continue