The Mother Goddess Flower Seed of the Dream Realm

The raven's feathers were pitch-black with a touch of white at the neck, its beak curved and sharp. As if sensing Yang Qizhou's gaze, it tilted its head and blinked; it was actually alive.

Is this the Doom-Bringing Raven?

Yang Qizhou was no fool; he immediately associated it with the destiny blessings in World of Weirdness.

Things from the game had appeared in reality.

Yang Qizhou felt as if he were dreaming.

"Brother Qizhou, what are you doing? Open the door already. Stop doing your right-hand stretching exercises and let me in; I have too many snacks to hold."

The childish voice from outside the door rang out once more.

A black line appeared on Yang Qizhou's forehead. What kind of nonsense had this little bean sprout picked up?

The Doom-Bringing Raven on the back of his hand was too conspicuous; it seemed he would have to wear gloves whenever he went out from now on.

Just as he thought this, Yang Qizhou suddenly noticed the Doom-Bringing Raven had vanished. It hadn't disappeared, but rather hidden itself, as if it had heard its master's inner thoughts.

Yang Qizhou was now filled with a thousand questions: What was the origin of the mysterious World of Weirdness? Were there other players besides himself? Did the Ancient Earth truly exist?

Yet, facing the clamor outside, he had to suppress his questions for the moment and open the door.

Outside stood a little girl of about seven, wearing her hair in twin tails with chubby, rosy cheeks. She was clutching a large bag of snacks, her big eyes blinking as she complained while walking inside.

"Brother Qizhou, you're too slow. Couldn't you have just paused your right-hand stretching exercises?"

The girl was Ding Xiaolan, the landlord's daughter. Because she was young and small, Yang Qizhou had taken to calling her "little bean sprout." Knowing that Yang Qizhou was struggling alone in the capital, the mother and daughter were always very caring, often inviting him over whenever they made dumplings or cooked a good meal.

Perhaps because Yang Qizhou carried a bit of a rogue's air in his mannerisms, he got along quite well with Ding Xiaolan.

"Who did you learn all this nonsense from?" Yang Qizhou put on a stern face; this little girl was becoming increasingly uninhibited.

Ding Xiaolan tilted her head. "A lot of adults say that when a man locks his door, he's most likely doing right-hand stretching exercises because it makes them feel happy."

Whoever said that, go die a hundred times over.

"Never mind that. Look, Brother Qizhou, I brought so many snacks! Of course, these aren't all for you. You can only pick three—no, two—no, one... yes, just one. I'm being very generous."

"You're usually so stingy with your snacks. What made you decide to share with me today?"

"Well, I heard from Mom that you lost your job and are very sad, so I came to comfort you."

A warmth surged in Yang Qizhou's heart. If not for the care of Ding Xiaolan and her mother, he might not have been able to survive in the capital.

Then, he would choose one.

Yang Qizhou suddenly felt an inexplicable sensation—it was the Doom-Bringing Raven watching him, which gave him a bold idea.

"I'll choose the cucumber-flavored potato chips."

"Eh? That's strange. Brother Qizhou, you're acting weird. In the past, you would have snatched all my chips. Are you really the original Brother Qizhou? You haven't been possessed, have you?"

Yang Qizhou's face darkened. "Was I really that villainous when snatching snacks from a little kid like you?"

Ding Xiaolan nodded earnestly.

"Yes, you were."

Fine, when he used to tease the little bean sprout, he had indeed engaged in such wicked behavior.

After Ding Xiaolan delivered the snacks and offered her earnest comfort, the room finally quieted down once a beautiful woman arrived to pick her up.

The Doom-Bringing Raven reappeared on the back of his hand. Yang Qizhou restrained his rogue-like smile and looked serious. He stared at the cucumber-flavored chips in his hand, thought for a moment, and placed them inside his wardrobe.

"If my guess is correct, something major is about to happen."

"Doom-Bringing Raven."

"I want to choose the chips again."

Yang Qizhou suddenly felt a scorching heat on the back of his hand. The scene before his eyes turned illusory and distorted—disordered, irregular, and indescribable. The world seemed to be melting in searing heat.

The chubby little girl appeared before him again, wearing her twin tails, her big eyes blinking as she reluctantly opened the bag to reveal the snacks inside. It was Ding Xiaolan, who should have already left.

"Brother Qizhou, look, I brought so many snacks! Of course, these aren't all for you. You can only pick three—no, two—no, one... yes, just one. I'm being very generous."

The familiar scene, the familiar words—it was as if time had rewound and yesterday had returned. Although Yang Qizhou had been mentally prepared, when the power of the "Doom-Bringing Raven" activated and made it all reality, his face still showed shock.

"Brother Qizhou, your expression is so scary! Are you trying to snatch all my snacks? No, absolutely not! This time, I'm going to resist to the end."

Ding Xiaolan acted like a puppy, firmly guarding her snacks.

Yang Qizhou suppressed his inner shock. "Just picking one is enough. Brother Qizhou won't snatch your snacks."

"That's fine, then. Pick."

This time, Yang Qizhou chose the wasabi-flavored chips. After chatting for a few moments, the beautiful woman arrived to pick up Ding Xiaolan, just as before. It was as if two timelines had overlapped, and fate had developed an error, leaving him in a daze.

After Ding Xiaolan left, Yang Qizhou opened the wardrobe; the cucumber-flavored chips from the previous timeline were still there.

Placing the wasabi-flavored chips next to the cucumber ones, Yang Qizhou returned to the sofa and immediately picked up his phone to continue the game. If he didn't realize by now that World of Weirdness wasn't just a simple game, he would be a complete idiot.

A sense of urgency rose in Yang Qizhou's heart. He knew that the Ancient Earth contained not only the Doom-Bringing Raven but also ancient rulers of the past, twisted gods, and unspeakable horrors. Since even the Doom-Bringing Raven had appeared, would these strange, unspeakable existences also descend into reality?

Or perhaps they already had, and he simply didn't know it yet.

The pale text continued to scroll.

"You discovered an inscription at the base of the strange statue; still arrogant, you leaned in to examine it."

"You did not recognize the script and felt quite dejected, but the power of fate took effect once more, and you were able to read the words."

"This is the sacrificial ground of the Moonlight Ancient God. This ancient deity existed as far back as the previous epoch and possessed immense divine power, shielding the hundred races of the forest through the cataclysm of the epochal transition. Whenever the moonlight poured down, the followers of the Moonlight Ancient God would gather at this sacrificial ground to offer their pious prayers."

"You felt it was very strange; if the Moonlight Ancient God was a powerful divinity of the Ancient Earth capable of protecting the hundred races of the forest through the transition of epochs, why would this sacrificial ground be so desolate? You surmised that this ancient deity might have fallen."

"The greedy nature of an explorer flared up; unwilling to leave empty-handed, you began to search around the holy statue of the Moonlight Ancient God."

"You found the 'Mother Goddess Flower Seed of the Dream Realm'."

"Do you wish to pick it up?"

"Yes/No."

Having made a discovery, Yang Qizhou immediately chose to confirm.

"You picked up the 'Mother Goddess Flower Seed of the Dream Realm', and the holy statue of the Moonlight Ancient God suddenly collapsed, crushing you into a pulp."

"You have died."