"Blade and Sword Demon Sealing?"
Mu Ye blinked. "I've heard of the game Blade and Sword Demon Sealing Record. Could it be a remastered fusion? But why haven't I heard anything about that? And what are these follow-up features?"
This game was strange in all sorts of ways.
There was no power supply, so how had it started? And without a controller or keyboard, how was he supposed to play?
But then he remembered that he'd crossed over because of this lousy game. If he thought of it as a game system, well, that made sense!
At that moment, a strange image appeared in the upper-right corner of the interface.
It showed the scene from the opening cinematic. With a thought from Mu Ye, the image stretched out, becoming a bleak, dim, and ancient scene that covered the bronze gate.
Lines of text slowly appeared across the screen:
[At the end of the dynasty, demons descended upon the world. Society fell into chaos, and order crumbled.]
[In this chaotic world, you can play a Wandering Ranger roaming the four corners of the land, or become a gallant thief wandering the streets... A Peddler, a street vendor hawking his wares, a Brothel Patron, a rich young master, a Street Beggar... High or low, everyone has their own talents.]
[Slay demons and monsters to make a name for yourself, roam the land to show your loyalty, or scrape by in the streets and live carefree... Your Game Life is yours to define.]
Mu Ye rubbed his chin and thought it over. Beneath the text, a number of character templates appeared.
Only...
"They're all blacked out and locked. How am I supposed to choose?"
Mu Ye kept looking and found that unlocking a profession required Paradise Coins.
He guessed it was the game's built-in currency system.
Though the characters were locked, he could still see some of their special abilities.
For example, the Ranger talent: Justice and Righteousness, starting reputation +, favorability +.
Gallant Thief: Wall-Walking, Lightness Skill +, unlock Pick Lock and theft abilities.
Peddler: Starts with a variety of items.
Brothel Patron: Cloud and Rain, Bedchamber Arts +.
The Paradise Coins required to unlock each profession varied according to its abilities.
For example, the Ranger could be unlocked for just 50 Paradise Coins, while the Gallant Thief required 100.
Professions like Peddler only needed 30.
Brothel Patron and rich young master were more demanding, requiring 150.
"Why does this Brothel Patron cost 150 Paradise Coins?"
Mu Ye couldn't help grumbling. "It's just Bedchamber Arts +, for crying out loud. Once I get some Paradise Coins, I have to try this character out and see what he's really worth!"
"Wait!"
Mu Ye looked at the very last option.
Street Beggar (Hidden).
"You've got to be kidding me. This lousy beggar is hidden too?"
Mu Ye shook his head. The game's design didn't make sense.
How could a mere beggar character be hidden?
Based on Mu Ye's gaming experience, there was only one possibility: the beggar's abilities might be the strongest, or he might have some powerful special trait. But for now, Mu Ye couldn't choose him.
[Tutorial Stage: Only 'Novice Demon Sealer' available.]
Demon Sealers were Jianghu wanderers who made it their duty to seal demons and slay monsters. They possessed the special abilities 'Mind Eye +' and 'Demon Subduing Body.'
Mind Eye: Allows you to detect demons and monsters in disguise, as well as sense the flow of unusual auras around you.
Demon Subduing Body: Demon Sealers have a special power sealed within their bodies, which can be activated when fighting demons and monsters.
Mu Ye pondered this. Wasn't that just the scouting ability commonly found in games?
After he selected the character, the image drew closer. A man dressed in black, wearing a broad-brimmed hat, stood poised on the city wall, a long saber at his waist and a greatsword strapped to his back.
It looked somewhat like the opening cinematic.
This was probably the game's official character.
"He looks pretty cool." Mu Ye studied him for a moment, growing more and more satisfied.
As expected of a tutorial stage. The point was to help him get immersed.
Never mind the other characters. At least the Demon Sealer, the main character, looked cool enough to make him want to give the game a try.
"Selection successful. Please enter your character's name."
"Mu Xinghe."
"Tutorial Stage: The Widow of Taiping City unlocked. Mission grades unlocked. Entering the game..."
After the selection was complete, the Demon Sealer on the city wall suddenly leaped down. Space seemed to tear and stretch around him. Anyone prone to motion sickness might have found it uncomfortable to watch, but thankfully, it only lasted two or three seconds before the scene settled.
Square blue-gray flagstones, ancient wooden buildings, and the mellow morning light reflected in gutters after the rain. People came and went through the streets. Hawkers' cries mingled with the footsteps of passersby, and the bustle brought the vivid scent of life in an ancient city rushing toward him.
With a thought, the Demon Sealer began strolling down the street.
He'd try it out for a while.
"At this level, you can't really call it a realistic experience, can you?"
"It's no better than those AR Glasses..."
Mu Ye controlled the character as he walked over to a bun stall at the roadside.
A line of information appeared over the steamer:
[Meat Bun: Restores a small amount of stamina.]
"Classic..."
Mu Ye continued forward. Before he'd taken two steps, a box popped up in the upper-right corner.
[Please use Mind Eye.]
Mind Eye?
The game interface didn't have many other features. There was only an eye-shaped icon in the lower-right corner, which had to be the Mind Eye ability.
Once he used it, the colorful scene instantly turned black and white.
Only a trail of pink qi remained, curling like smoke and darting all over the street. He couldn't tell where it had gone.
[Demonic aura detected. Locate the demon and capture it.]
That was kind of interesting. Mu Ye didn't go looking right away. Instead, he wandered all over the city.
It was a town called Taiping City. Not too big, but not too small, either.
It had all the essentials.
[Yuelai Inn: Rest and gather information.]
[Zuixiang Pavilion: Restore your mood.]
[Divine Fist Martial Hall: Learn secret martial arts.]
[Blacksmith Shop: ...]
After a quick look around, Mu Ye found just about every facility he could think of.
Unfortunately, the doors of many homes were tightly shut. It seemed he couldn't wander in and rummage through cupboards for junk like he could in a game...
Some places were off limits, too. Take the Divine Fist Martial Hall, for example. Whenever he tried to enter, the disciples outside stopped him.
"Who are you? What do you want with our martial hall?"
[1. Enough talk. I'm here to challenge the whole martial hall.]
[2. My martial arts are weak. I've come to study under a master.]
[3. Steal (ability locked)]
[4. I'm a Demon Sealer. There's a demon in your martial hall. Open the door and let me in, at once.]
[5. Brother, you dropped a bag of coins.]
[...]
Mu Ye had wanted to take a look inside the martial hall. After considering it carefully, he chose the fourth option, based on his character's identity.
The disciple's face changed dramatically. He immediately called over several others, and they surrounded him.
"Stop spreading lies! How could there be a demon in the Divine Fist Martial Hall? You're the one who looks like a demon!"
He launched straight into an attack. The disciples' fists and feet cut through the air, blow after blow crashing toward him, golden light flashing with each strike. Mu Ye had no idea what martial arts they were using.
Two fists couldn't stand against four hands. After taking down three martial hall disciples, the Demon Sealer crumpled to the ground, and the screen went dark.
A huge character appeared.
"Dead."
[Would you like to load a save?]
"..." Mu Ye.
Was this Demon Sealer's combat power really that low?
He couldn't even beat a few martial hall disciples?
"Damn it, I'm a dignified Cultivator at the Qi Refining First Layer!"
"If this character were really me... Well... I'd still lose, but I could at least run away, right?"
He said that, but Mu Ye thought the game was pretty interesting.
So he loaded a save and tried the other options.
The first choice started a fight right away, and he lost even faster.
The second required a letter of recommendation. Without one, they drove him away, but didn't attack.
The fifth choice was interesting. After picking up the coins, the disciple said, "I only dropped this few coins?" Then he chased Mu Ye away. But the game also showed that the martial hall's favorability had increased by 1. In other words, if he had enough money, he could get inside.
The fourth option should have worked, actually. He probably just didn't have enough reputation. He was a Demon Sealer, but without a reputation to back it up, they didn't believe him.
Since this was the tutorial stage, he figured he'd be better off following the prompts.
Mu Ye loaded a save and followed the instructions, using Mind Eye to trace the pink aura as it turned left and right through the streets. At last, he arrived at the entrance to a large courtyard.
He looked up at the signboard on the crossbeam. Two characters were carved into it.
[Shen Mansion]
"Looks like this is where the demon's hiding," Mu Ye mused.
[You have found the demon's location. Find a way into Shen Mansion and search for the demon in hiding.]
Mu Ye thought it over, took a look around, then controlled the character as he walked up to the entrance.
Two household servants and a steward stood at the gate.
"May I ask who you are?" the steward said.
[1. I'm a Demon Sealer. Your Shen Mansion is drenched in demonic aura. I've come to seal the demon and slay the monster.]
[2. Sir, I'm your long-lost son.]
[3. Steal (ability locked)]
[4. I'm here to deliver vegetables.]
[5. ...]
Mu Ye frowned as he looked over the options.
None of them seemed suitable.
The first was just like the option at the martial hall. They'd probably beat him out of there.
He didn't look anything like the people there, and his favorability was too low for the second option to fool them.
If he'd chosen the Peddler profession and had goods on him, perhaps he could pick the fourth option.
Mu Ye chose to leave, then walked around Shen Mansion to take a look. At the back courtyard, he found another option.
[Infiltrate (Lightness Skill insufficient)]
Mu Ye tried forcing his way in. The Demon Sealer leaped up, but landed with a very audible thump. The servants in Shen Mansion noticed at once, surrounded him, and beat him out with their staffs.
"..." Mu Ye.
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