A Tiny Wish

"Mm, let's leave it at that for now. If they really don't fit, we can replace them later!"

Now brimming with confidence, Ning Zheng planned to officially start recruiting.

After all, Sword Forging Manor had stood empty for several days. Everything was waiting to be rebuilt, ready to welcome new friends as guests.

He had not planned to live in Sword Forging Manor himself.

Living in Spirit Manor at the foot of the mountain was quite nice now. Everyone here was a genius in their own right, and the adorable Fellow Villagers were also a source of income.

Very soon, Xiao Ai put together a rudimentary official website, and people began leaving comments.

Road Rage Oni: One hundred percent fully virtual simulation? Are you kidding me? And this so-called game host—is it recruiting Dog Planners inside the game?

Handsome Second Generation: I think this is pretty interesting. Letting some players be planners and some be players, managing themselves—I'm interested.

Clear Skies: It must be some special kind of gameplay. I'm in. I'm best at managing these stinking leeks who spout nothing but nonsense!

There were not many comments. After an entire day, there were only a few hundred. It seemed the game was not attracting much attention.

"We really connected!"

Looking at friends from his hometown, Ning Zheng felt a sense of warmth. Those familiar square characters suddenly gave him, a slave in another world, the feeling of returning home.

His forging talent had been mediocre after coming to this world. The Demon People targeted him all day long; even the other slaves bullied him.

Even after fleeing to the foot of the mountain, he had spent every day trembling with fear, without a single living person around him.

Over the past twenty years, although he had cultivated a patient and steady temperament, his mind had been pushed to the brink of collapse. He had nearly gone mad!

Now, everything was different.

After connecting to his hometown, seeing those once-familiar words made his eyes sting with tears. This was not profound homesickness, but the joy of escaping slavery and welcoming a new life.

"Xiao Ai."

I'm here.

"Thank you."

He was not someone given to sentimentality. Over the years, he had been deeply grateful for this "fate" that gave him the courage to fight desperately against the monsters in this cruel and terrifying world.

Xiao Ai: You're welcome. Please work hard. Life kissed me with pain, yet I answered it with song.

Xiao Ai looked rather dazed. In truth, it was indeed a little dazed.

Xiao Ai: Based on comparative active-user data for games, the probability of this game dying suddenly is as high as 99%.

According to Little Ai assistant's analysis, a game like this, with barely any publicity, would be lucky to get a few thousand users. Like most games, it would die a spectacular death.

Games were fiercely competitive these days, after all.

"My requirements aren't high anyway."

"I only need a hundred people right now."

Ning Zheng found it somewhat inexplicable. Why did he need so many people?

Everything was waiting to be rebuilt. Getting around a hundred friends to come here as guests was just right.

Any more than that, and he could not support or manage them yet.

Xiao Ai offered a suggestion: Master, I recommend one hundred slots for the first test. Wraith Form spectators can be set at nine hundred, for a total of one thousand.

Xiao Ai said that this niche game's core appeal was social management.

There was no combat system, but it had a unique "Observer System" that allowed players to switch to a blacksmith's perspective.

It was mainly a harmonious little circle for sword-forging enthusiasts, where everyone could observe a blacksmith forging a sword and learn from the experience.

Ning Zheng had not wanted to make things so complicated.

But Xiao Ai said tourists would be queued up and Logging In. That way, one hundred people could rotate shifts twenty-four hours a day and keep the slots full, so Ning Zheng accepted it.

Yet another issue was weighing on his mind.

He had been lonely for too long. It was true that he was hospitable, and in his understanding, it was probably like running an Inn—welcoming sightseers who came to briefly play blacksmiths and chat.

But a Luck Merchant ultimately had to conduct business!

He provided the game; they provided Luck Value.

It was normal to be a little unlucky in exchange for playing a game, right?

And Little Ai assistant had said that being unlucky in the game would not affect their real lives or harm them, so he was at ease.

Still, how much Luck Value should he harvest was a question.

An ordinary person normally had around ten points of Luck Value per day.

Below five points meant terrible misfortune!

They might even be Severely Injured, die, fall into a cesspit, get their eyeballs pierced by wooden splinters, suffer qi deviation and lose strength—misfortunes would come crashing down one after another. It would be like being possessed by the God of Plague and pursued by the Grim Reaper.

Once they came in, they would probably die very quickly.

At seven to six points, they would only be a little unlucky. Usually, it would just mean bird droppings falling on their heads.

Ning Zheng felt the adorable little blacksmiths might not be able to accept that.

Bird droppings were the most common sign of bad luck, and also the most harmless and safest.

The reason they appeared so frequently was simple. There were many Crows overhead in this mountain region. If you were unlucky, getting hit by bird droppings was perfectly normal.

This was a local specialty.

Anyone who had not lived in this region would never know how awful that flock of Crows was.

They were extremely clever, deliberately locking onto you before making their aerial drops, all while crying out in smug provocation.

The creatures standing at the top of the Food Chain here were not the resentful souls living in Spirit Manor, but the Crows that shat on those wronged souls' heads every day.

Ning Zheng maintained fifteen points of luck, higher than that of ordinary people, for no other reason than to avoid being ambushed by those damned Crows!

The suffering he had endured before gaining luck's protection was too painful to look back on.

Whenever he went out, he carried both an umbrella and a sword.

Long ago, Ning Zheng had wanted to wipe out those Crows and return clear, bright skies to these mountains.

In short, according to his current plan, he would draw two points from each person, leaving them with a steady eight points. There would barely be any side effects, and they could still live happily.

After all, the point of playing games was having fun.

He remembered how happy he had been playing arcade King of Fighters with his childhood friends. Naturally, he hoped they could be just as happy.

Within his abilities, he was willing to create mutual benefit and bring everyone the joy of enjoying games.

His only regret was that if this "Travel Inn" operated so conscientiously, when in the Year of the Monkey would it ever recoup its costs?

Sigh.

Of the three options, this was probably the safest—and the least profitable.

The next morning.

Ning Zheng finished breakfast early, spent some time with his younger sister, then headed up the mountain to launch the server, filled with anticipation and curiosity for the day's work.

Today was the day the Mountain Villa recruited people, and also the first time he would preside over sword forging after taking charge himself. He felt both anticipation and unease.

He did not understand how to recruit ordinary villagers, nor could he recruit any. As for these special blacksmiths, he could only slowly figure things out.

"Brother, may the journey to the Mountain Villa go smoothly."

As usual, Ning Jiaojiao handed Ning Zheng his package and sword, seeing him off gently at the door.

Ning Zheng nodded. "Mm. Today is special. The Mountain Villa is recruiting, so I might return late. If I'm delayed, eat first."

He paused. "Our lives will get better and better."

Ning Jiaojiao's eyes lit up, filled with dreamlike longing. "Really? Find someone to jump into the well as fish bait for me—I want to fish too! I don't want to be fished!"

Ning Zheng froze for a moment. He had not expected her resentment to run so deep. Laughing, he said, "Then the two of us can sit at the well together, drink tea, hold fishing rods, and enjoy fishing. We won't have to endure hunger anymore, either."

The weather was not very good today.

Dark Black Clouds pressed down upon the sky. A cold wind swept through the trees beneath the mountain, and the dim surroundings gave people a heart-pounding sense of dread.

On the first day of business, he would naturally recruit stewards and blacksmiths first.

He used a mask to disguise himself as a white-haired old man, playing the previous Old Steward who was preparing to retire.

It was not suitable for him to appear personally as the manor lord.

First, his young appearance would not inspire trust.

Second, his Cultivation Level was too low and would easily expose him. It was better to remain unseen and preserve an aura of mystery and power.

Third, one must never lack the heart to guard against others.

As Ning Zheng walked along the mountain path, he recalled how the Old Steward had received, settled, and taught the newly arrived blacksmiths, making a few improvements.

He truly could not put on that harsh, abusive expression. A gentle approach was also excellent.

Although he had endured darkness, deductions, and exploitation in this world all his life—

he still believed that if he treated others sincerely, they would treat him sincerely in return.

The game was pitch-black.

"Please enter a name, two to four characters."

"Jiu Cai Rong."

The moment he finished entering the three characters, everything before his eyes suddenly went dark.

Crack!

At eight in the morning, a bolt of thunder tore through the sky, illuminating the entire world once more.

"I'm in? As expected of a tiny workshop, this is way too bare-bones! Where's character customization? Where are the microtransactions? Races? Genders?"

Jiu Cai Rong grumbled, then a look of shock suddenly appeared on his face.

He immediately felt the wind whistling around him, brushing gently against his face.

He stood in a forest, able to smell the fresh scent of soil in the air.

The dampness of morning mist soaking into his skin, the buzzing of flies by his ears, the fragrant scent of fruit trees, and the strange, gloomy, oppressive, terrifying aura seeping from the distant mountains.

"My god! This scenery—"

He raised his head and looked at the vast, open sky, his eyes filled with unbelievable shock.

Howling winds.

Dark clouds.

It felt as though he were wandering through a magnificent fairy-tale world!

Plop.

A lump of bird droppings suddenly fell onto his head.

"What the hell is this?"

He touched his head, sniffed his hand, seemingly not yet realizing what it was, then instinctively licked his finger.

"Why does this have a taste?" He pursed his lips in thought, frowned, and fell into contemplation again. At last, his expression gradually twisted in agony.

Holy shit!

Awesome!!!

Tears welled up in his eyes from sheer emotion. He bent over, viciously jammed his fingers down his throat, and began vomiting mouthful after mouthful.

Caw~~ caw~!

The Crows flew overhead, crying out as though mocking him.

"Damn it, this wild monster is so begging for a beating. It's got the exact vibe of monkeys at some tourist attraction!"

The moment he entered the grassy clearing, Jiu Cai Rong was educated by the local specialty. Silently remembering this grudge, he took in every part of nature around him.

He felt the spasms and convulsions in his stomach, the violent urge to vomit. Every nerve seemed to burst with marvelous chemical reactions, making him feel more and more that he was truly alive in this magical world.

This was incredible!

The wind against his body felt even better than drinking an ice-cold soda that chilled him to the core.

How could it possibly be this real?!

"Let me try something else." Suddenly realizing something, he clamped his big white teeth onto the bark of a nearby tree, tore off a bite, and savored the bitter taste that turned sweet on his tongue.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck! You can really eat things in this game? How did they do this?!"