The Nesser Handheld Game Console

Chang'an City, Duke of Jin Manor. Outside a room in the inner residence, numerous maidservants waited by the door. Suddenly, a cool, clear voice came from inside. "Wu Qiu, Shi Dong, come in. The two of you only."

The two maidservants closest to the room first gestured for the others to move away, then quickly entered and shut the door. When they saw the person inside, they could not help looking surprised. Suppressing their laughter, they said, "Miss, where did you get that wolf hat? It's so cute!"

The person in the room was none other than Black Wolf, who had appeared in Thieves' Den.

Black Wolf glanced at the two maidservants, then let out a howl and struck a pose as if she were about to pounce. "How dare you make fun of me! Believe it or not, I'll bite you!"

After a bout of laughter, the two maidservants removed Black Wolf's hood, coat, chainmail, inner armor, skirt armor, shoulder guards, and other protective equipment. Though they were already quite practiced, taking off the armor still took a great deal of effort, especially since some pieces contained Orichalcum Fine Gold. They were thin yet heavy, and merely removing them left both maidservants sweating.

Once the armor was removed, the sturdy-looking Black Wolf had become a tall young woman. She instructed Wu Qiu and Shi Dong to maintain the armor, then left the room and asked the guards outside, "Yu Fu, where is the Duke now?"

The guard commander replied, "He is receiving subordinate officials at Changqiu Study."

"Inform the Duke that I have an important matter to report."

"Yes."

Black Wolf soon arrived at the courtyard of Changqiu Study to wait. Before long, a middle-aged official came out. Black Wolf took the initiative to greet him. "Lord Yang, thank you for your hard work on state affairs."

"It is no hardship. If I did not labor for the kingdom, how could I live up to the Grand Chancellor's kindness in promoting me?" the middle-aged official hurriedly replied. "Please ask Miss Yuan to persuade the Grand Chancellor to take care of his health. I see him toiling day and night over state affairs, and I am deeply worried. Great Zhou cannot go even one day without the Grand Chancellor!"

"Yuan understands. Lord Yang truly is a loyal and devoted subject whom Father relies on."

After Black Wolf entered Changqiu Study and the guards outside closed the door, she immediately said to the middle-aged man behind the desk, "Father, Yang Xing is a treacherous man who appears loyal, crafty within and sly without. You must never entrust him with important matters."

The man before Black Wolf was none other than the master of Changqiu Study, Duke of Jin, Grand Marshal, Grand Commander, and Grand Chancellor of the Great Zhou Dynasty—Yaoshi Mo Ke. Yaoshi Mo Ke smiled. "Of course I know. Men like Yang Xing are doing everything they can to meddle in the secret realms controlled by the Yao Shi Family. But are we not also trying to seize the secret realms they control? Your father knows what he is doing. By the way, Yuan, did you come to see me about something?"

"Yes."

Black Wolf, Yaoshi Mo Ke's daughter Yaoshi Yuan, said, "I was summoned into Thieves' Den and accepted a theft mission. The target is Bingzi Jiaolin, kept under the protection of Anguo Temple."

"Thieves' Den?!"

Yaoshi Mo Ke shot to his feet and hurried over to Yaoshi Yuan.

"You weren't in danger, were you?"

"No. Just as the rumors said, Thieves' Den is merely a safe house for thieves. There are no secret-realm monsters inside." Yaoshi Yuan continued, "Moreover, Thieves' Den possesses teleportation abilities. I can now travel to and from Thieves' Den at any time... Father, if Thieves' Den can teleport me silently to Duke of Jin Manor, it can certainly teleport me anywhere in the world!"

"As long as we control Thieves' Den, our Great Zhou's forces can descend upon Liang Kingdom's Jiangnan and Qi Kingdom's City of Evernight. The whole world will be ours for the taking!"

Although his daughter was describing a magnificent vision, Yaoshi Mo Ke was not particularly excited. Instead, he asked, "I remember that Thieves' Den only summons experienced thieves. Why were you invited? Come to think of it, the great thief 'Night Wolf' appeared in Chang'an City last year. At the time, you volunteered to take the Night Wolf case into your jurisdiction as part of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Yet the number of noble citizens victimized has only increased, and quite a few people have already come to complain to me."

Yaoshi Yuan snorted. "Those people are bloated from overeating and spend all day Seeking Pleasure. What's wrong with using their money to strengthen the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

"You, you..." Yaoshi Mo Ke shook his head. "If you accidentally revealed your identity, do you know what outsiders would say?"

"If they knew the great thief of Chang'an City was the Duke of Jin's daughter, they would surely put their treasures in the most conspicuous places." Yaoshi Yuan did not care. "Father, why are you winning over those useless people from the Yuwen Family and Helan Family? Yet you are pushing aside such royal generals as the Duke of Ancheng Commandery and Duke of Wei, sending them away to local posts?"

Yaoshi Mo Ke's brows rose sharply. "How could you presume to comment on matters of state? Who asked you to speak for Yaoshi Xian and Du Shuyu?"

"No one did. Over the past two years, the Embroidered Uniform Guard's eyes and ears have spread throughout Chang'an. Aside from finding out which nobles have money, I have also obtained a great deal of accurate intelligence." Yaoshi Yuan said, "Father, I have endured this without telling you, but the people you trust are all useless gluttons, while those with ability are treated as enemies. If this continues—"

"Shut up!"

Yaoshi Mo Ke roared, and Yaoshi Yuan immediately fell silent. After a moment, Yaoshi Mo Ke exhaled and said in a calmer tone, "The Yuwen Family and Helan Family are both pillar families of Great Zhou. They control the military power of the secret realms. If we do not unite them, the court will fall into chaos. Once the court is chaotic, the local regions will be chaotic as well. Do you know how many spies from Qi Kingdom and Liang Kingdom are waiting for us to expose a weakness? The greater situation comes first. You must not say such things again."

"Yuan understands."

"Continue telling me about Thieves' Den." Yaoshi Mo Ke did not want to fall out with his daughter either. "You have always planned before acting. Since you came to me, you must already have a strategy in mind, right?"

"Now that we have confirmed Thieves' Den exists, we naturally must seize it." Yaoshi Yuan said, "Thieves' Den summoned four thieves in total, and five days from now it will teleport us to Vermillion Bird Avenue. At that time, Father can have people ambush Anguo Temple and capture the other three. If you let only me complete the theft mission, I will become Thieves' Den's sole master."

"But to prevent Thieves' Den from continuing to summon thieves, you should find three experts and have them become great thieves of the martial world as quickly as possible. That way, no matter what happens, Thieves' Den will be a secret realm belonging to our Great Zhou."

Yaoshi Mo Ke sank into thought, unexpectedly not agreeing at once.

Yaoshi Yuan found this unbelievable. She believed Thieves' Den's first mission taking place in Chang'an was heaven's gift to Great Zhou. No matter how powerful the other three thieves were, once the Left Rear Guard Twelve Legions surrounded them, they would be unable to escape. Why hesitate over such an easily obtained opportunity?

"This is a matter of great importance. I need to think about it," Yaoshi Mo Ke said. "You may leave for now."

He paused, then added, "Pretend that you truly intend to steal Bingzi Jiaolin, and do not reveal any flaws. If danger arises, abandon Thieves' Den rather than take risks."

"Father, rest assured. I will never let anyone discover the truth." Yaoshi Yuan said seriously, "Thieves' Den will certainly become Great Zhou's new secret realm!"

City of Evernight, Duke of Lecheng County Manor. A figure wearing a white fox mask suddenly appeared in an empty room. Before she had even removed her clothing, an urgent voice came from outside. "Duke, Duke, are you back?"

"What is it?"

"His Majesty has summoned you to the palace. He has already urged you twice!"

White Fox was startled and hurriedly removed her mask and armor. By the time she went outside, she had become a graceful, exquisitely dressed female duke. The carriage had long been prepared. Before long, White Fox entered the imperial palace through a side gate in the palace wall. She could not ride inside and had to walk, while a eunuch wearing a black face veil silently led the way.

There was a guard post every five paces and a sentry every ten. Guards wearing Evil Spirit Masks stood like gravestones along the road. Though the sun blazed overhead and the palace complex stretched endlessly in resplendent splendor, the imperial palace seemed filled with a deep, sinister gloom. There was not even a trace of wind. It was as quiet as a graveyard, as if no living creature existed anywhere in the palace apart from White Fox and the eunuch leading her.

They passed along winding roads and climbed one long flight of stairs after another.

When White Fox reached the entrance to the main hall, the four Evil Spirit Warrior guards at the door swept their gazes over her. A bone-chilling malice spread throughout her body.

The Evil Spirit Warriors said nothing. When they moved, they were like steel molds filled with lead. Using only their palms, they pushed open the vermilion-gold doors of the hall, cast from gold. The windows inside were tightly shut, leaving the hall pitch-black. In broad daylight, it was lit only by candlelight. A sickeningly sweet stench rushed at White Fox as if fleeing for its life, nearly suffocating her. A huge ball of fire seemed to burn in the center of the hall, making it impossible to see clearly.

White Fox felt something was wrong after taking only one step inside. The carpet beneath her feet was strangely sticky. Looking closely, she realized it was not a carpet at all, but rotten flesh chopped into mince and spread across the floor. Patterns had even been woven from the textures between the pieces of flesh.

White Fox lowered her head and approached the center of the hall in tiny steps. The closer she came to the enormous ball of fire, the more clearly she could hear faint, seemingly nonexistent wails, and the more strongly she could smell the sickening fragrance, sweet as honey melting into a brain.

But she did not dare raise her head. When she reached the steps, she managed to keep her voice calm. "Your Majesty, Ru Shi has arrived."

"Raise your head."

White Fox looked up. Even though she had been mentally prepared, the sight before her still shook her to the core.

The beautiful woman on the Imperial Throne wore only a translucent gauze robe and lay there almost completely naked. Nine tails extended behind her. The enormous ball of fire White Fox had seen was formed by those burning tails.

But on closer inspection, they were not tails at all. The woman had grafted nine spinal columns onto her own body. Countless fingers had been attached to the spinal columns, twisting and drifting in the flames. At a glance, they looked like furry tails.

The flames seemed to have no heat. The fingers were completely unharmed within them, yet the wails White Fox heard came from those fingers, as if countless vengeful souls had been imprisoned inside them.

"Ru Shi," the woman asked, "this should be what the nine-tailed Demon Fox of ancient times looked like, shouldn't it? Do you think I am beautiful, or is the legendary nine-tailed Demon Fox beautiful?"

White Fox forcibly suppressed the tremors in her heart and nodded. "Your Majesty is beautiful."

"Then tell me, are you beautiful, or am I beautiful?"

"Your Majesty is beautiful."

"Lies!"

The woman stretched out a hand, and White Fox naturally flew before her, placing her chin in the woman's palm. The woman thrust two fingers into White Fox's mouth and seized her tongue. White Fox's entire body stiffened, leaving her almost unable to move.

City of Evernight was clearly a safe zone where combat was forbidden, one of the Three Main Cities of the Central Plains. In theory, no one in the safe zones of the Three Main Cities could actively harm another person. Yet this woman seemed able to bypass that law of heaven and earth, playing with other living beings in the palm of her hand.

"Xuan Jing clearly told me that the most beautiful person in Evernight Sky was you! Why did you lie to me? Are you going to betray me too?"

White Fox could not speak and could only stare at the woman in despair. The woman released her tongue, and White Fox gasped for air. After coughing twice, she hurriedly said, "Ru Shi did not lie! In Ru Shi's eyes, physical appearance is merely the most vulgar part of beauty. Strength and power are true beauty, unfading beauty, beauty that dominates the world! Therefore, the most beautiful person in Great Qi can only be Your Majesty! Before Your Majesty, I, Ying Ru Shi, am nothing more than a pile of bleached bones, not worth mentioning!"

The woman before Ying Ru Shi was none other than the ruler of Great Qi, Ying Le.

Ying Le still did not speak. She merely caressed Ying Ru Shi's face. No one knew what she had thought of, but a grim, pale smile gradually appeared on her face. Ying Ru Shi's heart trembled violently, and she hurriedly said, "I was just summoned by Thieves' Den!"

Ying Le froze, then immediately sat upright, her expression turning solemn.

"The secret realm Thieves' Den, which can teleport people anywhere in the world? No wonder you suddenly disappeared from Evernight Sky... What did you encounter inside?"

Watching Ying Le listen attentively, Ying Ru Shi fell into a daze. She seemed to see once more that wise and mighty empress who valued worthy people... But the nine burning, wailing tails behind Ying Le, her nearly naked body, and the sweet, cloying scent of blood in the air quickly dragged Ying Ru Shi back to reality.

Ying Ru Shi briefly described Thieves' Den and its theft target, then analyzed the situation. "I can roughly guess the origins of the other three thieves. Black Wolf used the accent of our Great Qi, but the grammar of some idioms is from Zhou Kingdom, so she is clearly from Zhou Kingdom. Red Snake's accent and grammar are both southern, so she is probably from Liang Kingdom. I cannot identify Yellow Dog's accent, and he barely speaks, but judging from his movements, he is rather timid. He probably has little practical combat ability."

Ying Le interrupted her. "The only bandit group in Great Qi is Fox Demon. Are you connected to Fox Demon?"

Ying Ru Shi knelt on the flesh carpet and pleaded guilty. "At first, it was because several great clans refused to obey me when I was a county magistrate, so I wanted to use bandits to eliminate them. Later, I discovered that I could gather powerful people who were dissatisfied with the imperial court. Rather than let them harm an entire region, I could manage them and have them handle dirty work, so I established Fox Demon. I was probably summoned by Thieves' Den because I am Fox Demon's leader."

"Fox Demon has been growing increasingly powerful lately, and I am no longer capable of handling it alone. I humbly ask Your Majesty to send someone to take over."

Just then, a neat marching sound rang out beyond the hall. Ying Ru Shi looked back and saw a squad of Evil Spirit Warriors entering in formation. When they drew near, her face instantly turned deathly pale. Each Evil Spirit Warrior had three or four human heads tied around his waist.

Moreover, those heads belonged to the experts and leaders of Fox Demon under her command.

The Evil Spirit Warriors untied the heads and placed them on the ground, piling them into a capital mound called Fox Demon. Then they silently withdrew from the hall.

"You can focus on plotting for Thieves' Den now." Ying Le flicked a finger, and a ball of flame reduced the Fox Demon capital mound to ashes, as easily as brushing away a speck of dust. "How could a royal county duke of our Ying Family become entangled with such filthy wild ghosts?"

"Ru Shi understands." Ying Ru Shi pressed her head against the carpet. Sweat beaded on her forehead and flowed into the writhing flesh beneath her.

Although Fox Demon's stronghold was not far from Evernight Sky, this speed was still terrifying. The only possibility was that when Ying Le discovered she was not in Evernight Sky, she had immediately sent people to slaughter Fox Demon.

There had been no suspicion, no interrogation, and no preliminary procedures at all. They had simply killed them.

"I have never heard of anyone mastering Thieves' Den. I will not place any demands on you. You only need to ensure that no one else masters Thieves' Den. However, I am very interested in Bingzi Jiaolin."

"Ru Shi will certainly present Bingzi Jiaolin to Your Majesty!"

Jiangnan City, Shang Family, Zhiyuan Residence.

Zhiyuan Residence was the study of Shang Qia, the third son of the Liang Kingdom chancellor and a military commander. Naturally, no one usually dared barge in, but at this moment Shang Qia could only put down his work to receive the uninvited guest before him.

"Who upset you this time?"

"Look at you. I haven't even said anything, and you already look like that." Shang Xin Lei sat down and covered her face as she wept. "I know I'm not as interesting as the other girls. In the end, you really don't have me in your heart, Brother."

Shang Qia was completely helpless against his sister. Their father had only one daughter and spoiled her beyond measure. She was already lawless in the manor, and after changing class to messenger, she became even more uncontrollable. He let out a long breath and took out his token. "Take it. Do whatever you want. Remember to return it after you're done."

"You guessed wrong, Brother. I didn't come to ask you to handle something. I came to bring you wonderful news." Shang Xin Lei did not take the token and instead said smugly, "I just came back from Thieves' Den."

"Oh... Hmm?"

Shang Qia froze before finally reacting. "You were summoned by Thieves' Den? I remember Thieves' Den is a four-person secret realm. Did you reveal your identity? Wait, how were you summoned into Thieves' Den?"

"What? Third Brother, you didn't know that I'm Feathered Serpent?" Shang Xin Lei picked up a pastry and ate it, stuffing her cheeks full. "I asked you several times to help me dispose of stolen goods. I thought you knew already."

Shang Qia sprang to his feet. "You're the phantom thief Feathered Serpent!?"

"You didn't even know I was Feathered Serpent? Brother, you really don't care about me at all." Shang Xin Lei sighed. "With that attitude, you might as well ignore me completely."

"You, I... Honestly..." Shang Qia rubbed his temples and sat down. "I thought you were just stealing for fun. You usually only pilfered small things... I'll inform Father right now that you're Feathered Serpent. As for Thieves' Den, don't get involved—"

"Why?" Shang Xin Lei's eyes widened. "This is the legendary secret realm! Not only did it move me from Jiangnan City into Thieves' Den, five days from now it can send me to Chang'an to steal Bingzi Jiaolin. I've wanted to visit Chang'an for ages!"

"Go to Chang'an and steal Bingzi Jiaolin!?"

Shang Qia was so frightened that he nearly fell from his chair. "You haven't even reached your second class change, yet you dare go alone to Chang'an? You are not going anywhere. Wait until Father comes back—"

"Father will definitely let me go."

Shang Xin Lei suddenly calmed down. "Thieves' Den is both a national weapon and a priceless family treasure. If there is any chance to seize it, Father could never let it go. He certainly dotes on me, but he values the family more."

"I know my cultivation is nothing special in the Shang Family, but if I can master Thieves' Den, perhaps I can... control my own future."

Looking at his serious and mature little sister, Shang Qia was speechless for a moment. After a pause, he asked, "So you became Feathered Serpent and started stealing in order to be summoned by Thieves' Den?"

Shang Xin Lei blinked, shook her head, and turned to leave the room.

"No. It's simply because I like it."

This sister of his really never stayed out of trouble.

Shang Qia felt a headache coming on. After thinking it over, he decided to discuss it with their father when he returned. However, the moment he sat down, he immediately realized something was wrong.

"Where is my new purple-bristled brush?"

Inside Thieves' Den, Yan Qing, who had nowhere else to go, was inspecting his temporary new home.

There was a bed, a water heater, a washroom, and a bathroom. Aside from the lack of windows, it was basically no different from a hotel suite. In the center of the room was a circular teleportation array. When Yan Qing stepped onto it, a Teleportation Gate appeared before him, with a forest path visible on the other side.

Yan Qing naturally was not foolish enough to wander into an unknown place. For now, his personal room in Thieves' Den was his most reliable safe house. But ten minutes later, Yan Qing changed his mind—there was no food in Thieves' Den.

It was not only the room. He ventured into the hall and searched around, but he still did not find any food!

There was running water, and bathing was no problem, but without food, unless Yan Qing planned to starve to death, staying in the safe house was no different from waiting helplessly for death.

However, although Yan Qing had found no food, he had not come away empty-handed.

On the bedside table, he discovered a handheld console with an LCD screen. It had been casually placed there, looking like a Game Console its owner might pick up and play before going to sleep. In fact, Yan Qing suspected that it was the very same console he had owned in his original world. Not only was its appearance identical, even the tempered-glass screen protector that had been applied slightly crookedly was exactly the same!

Yan Qing pressed the power button. As he held his breath and waited, the screen slowly lit up three seconds later:

"Welcome to the Nesser Handheld Game Console."

There was no prompt to connect to Wi-Fi and no request for an update. Yet the account had logged in automatically, and the system went straight to the main interface. The game library was empty. All the games Yan Qing had bought before were gone, leaving only one free-to-play online game:

"Messenger."