New Mission

Beside the leftmost small hole, illusory black text intertwined. The hole seemed to carry the salty, damp scent of seawater. As he got closer, he could even hear the sound of ocean tides.

[Black Flag Flying]

[On Wa Island, some things are far more terrifying than pirates.]

[In the formless sea mist, greedy eyes gaze. Within the deep blue waters, ships inexplicably capsize. Even the lighthouse, burning with pale flames, holds only cold and deathly stillness.]

[You arrive at Wa Island. Your passenger ship is attacked by pirates, and you, held captive, attempt to escape while docked.]

[But who knows what awaits you on shore?]

"Wa Island? Pirates?"

Lu Ban felt a flicker of confusion at these words.

He had seen the name Wa Island in the product descriptions of the Silence Department Store, such as with [Air Friend]. From the current situation, it seemed to be a place name that didn't require explanation.

Lu Ban searched for the term on his phone but couldn't get any useful information.

"Am I going to sea for a mission? Is there enough time?"

He decided to check the second one.

The text interwoven next to the second small hole was a darker green, carrying the scent of soil and ore. The edges of the hole were jagged, as if gnawed by wild beasts.

[Silent Forest]

["Believe me, child, the Black Forest, which covers more than half of the Night Country, is absolutely not a place any normal person should go!"]

[This is a small town on the outskirts of the Black Forest, where the radiance of the Gray Tower cannot reach, and only the shadow of the Black Tower can envelop it.]

[The once-a-year blood moon arrives, and monsters behind the veil stir restlessly.]

[You come here, only to spend one safe night.]

"This is even more outrageous. What is the Night Country, and half of it is covered by forest? Gray Tower and Black Tower sound like things from a fantasy world."

Lu Ban had also encountered the terms Black Tower and Night Country before, such as with [Otherworldly Stealth Technique], which seemed to be a skill developed by an excellent thief from the Black Tower. It was said that [Never-Fading Light] could operate normally even at night in the Night Country.

He had originally thought these were just insignificant descriptions, but now it seemed there was some profound background behind each of them?

He looked at the last one.

[One Night Carnival]

[The Ruined Capital is the place of all hope, the place of all despair, the beginning of all stories, and the end of all stories.]

[There are many ways to reach the Ruined Capital, and a car is definitely the most uncomfortable one. It's not only long, narrow, and dirty, but it's also prone to trouble. I'm talking about trouble from non-humans.]

[Compared to these monsters, even the tommy guns of the Ruined Capital gangs will seem friendly.]

[Cheer up, at least when you see the sun the next day, you'll be full of anticipation, won't you?]

This small hole exuded a kind of neon flashing brilliance, a certain air of decadence, and a certain wild, evil scent, as if one could smell gunpowder from it.

"Ruined Capital..."

Lu Ban had seen this name on many items, including his [Bandit's Suona] and [Physics Holy Sword], as well as the [Uncontrolled Revolver] he had glimpsed earlier. From the descriptions, the Ruined Capital was probably a metropolis located in a wild land?

Originally, Lu Ban thought that the Silent Land would lead him to explore the strange and wonderful places of this world, but now it seemed that Wa Island, the Night Country, and the Ruined Capital were all a bit bizarre and out of place in this world.

Between the three small holes, a countdown was still echoing.

47:55:12

Lu Ban had two days to make a choice.

"...This is so difficult to choose."

Lu Ban had initially felt that [Black Flag Flying] was alright. Escaping from a pirate ship was at least a conflict with humans, and might be simpler. But on second thought, his swimming skills were so bad that he might not even be fished out if he fell into a river, let alone the sea.

The [Silent Forest], which sounded like it involved fighting monsters, wasn't suitable for an ordinary person like Lu Ban; he didn't consider it much.

For [One Night Carnival], he had slightly more information about the Ruined Capital. At least he knew it was a world with crowbars, revolvers, cars, and suonas, which sounded more normal.

But he still felt a bit apprehensive about choosing it just like that.

After much thought, Lu Ban's gaze shifted to the other side of the computer.

He opened the [Silence Department Store].

Because he had accumulated over five thousand Silence Points, his [Silence Department Store] had been upgraded.

In addition to [Common] and [Excellent] quality goods, he saw that the upgraded [Silence Department Store] also had [Fine] quality goods.

As for further upgrades, it would require accumulating over fifty thousand Silence Points, which Lu Ban didn't expect to achieve in the short term.

Although he couldn't afford those goods yet, Lu Ban, with the mindset of "since I've clicked on it, it's free anyway, might as well take a look," casually browsed a few items.

[Bloodstained Shroud]

[Fine]

[A shroud, can be used to wrap corpses.]

[The cloth is stained with the blood of an unknown existence and has strong resistance to pollution.]

[But perhaps this blood is the greatest pollution.]

"In certain areas of the Wasteland, corpses hold the same status as humans."

"Price: 5000 Silence Points"

"A Memory"

"Fine"

"It's just a memory and won't bring you anything."

"The great mages of the Night Country excel at crafting their memories into crystals."

"If you're lucky, you might pick up a crystal inscribed with treasure locations or magical principles. Of course, it could also be a memory from using the restroom or some painful experience."

"Would you like to try one?"

"Price: 6180 Silence Points"

"Signature Meat Buns"

"Fine"

"The signature buns from the Moonlit Tower in the Ruined Capital, made with unknown meat."

"Eliminates fatigue, satisfies hunger, and strengthens body and mind."

"Just one bite can give someone the ultimate experience."

"As for anything else, who cares!"

"Price: 7777 Silence Points"

"Are you kidding me? Seven thousand points for a bun?"

Lu Ban couldn't help but curse the merchant.

But according to the characteristics of the Silence Mall, items of Fine quality had significantly fewer side effects, and their descriptions usually informed the buyer of their purpose.

For example, the Bloodstained Shroud was likely meant to be wrapped around the body to resist the pollution from those great existences. However, using too much might lead to pollution from the blood itself. Based on Lu Ban's experience, this made perfect sense.

Then there was "A Memory." It seemed to be the memories of certain mages, possibly individuals with supernatural powers. Purchasing a memory might provide some information, essentially like opening a blind box.

As for the Signature Meat Buns, despite the outrageous price, they could at least eliminate fatigue and strengthen the body. Who knew, maybe they could even turn Lu Ban into a muscle-bound hunk!

The most crucial part was the almost nonexistent side effects. If they weren't so expensive, Lu Ban could eat them until they were sold out.

"Huh, speaking of which..."

Looking at the Fine quality goods he couldn't afford, Lu Ban suddenly thought of something he hadn't tried before.

He scrolled back and found the item.

"Since these three tasks are all unclear, why not give it a try?"

Lu Ban's mouse hovered over it.

"Madman's Knowledge"

"Excellent"

"Possesses the skull of someone who once acquired knowledge of deities."

"Can be used to gain knowledge from foreign realms."

"Contacting forbidden knowledge can satisfy an insatiable curiosity."

"However, it may also drive one insane."

"'I understand!'"

"Price: 100 Silence Points (First purchase discount daily: 50 Silence Points)"

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