That afternoon, Hu Liena wandered onto the pedestrian street west of the academy.
Sunlight beat down on the bluestone paving, and the air was thick with the smell of grilling skewers and the clang of hammers from the blacksmith's shop.
Hu Liena threaded through the crowd. Her rose-gold short hair shimmered in the sunlight, the waves curled into its ends resting on her shoulders and bouncing with every step.
She had changed into casual clothes today.
Her tight white crop top hugged her full chest, cinched tightly at the waist and accentuating the exaggerated curve between her waist and hips.
Below, she wore a pale purple pleated miniskirt that ended just past mid-thigh, revealing a long stretch of smooth, bare legs.
Black strappy sandals were on her feet. Her toenails were painted pale pink, and her sandals made a soft pattering sound against the stone.
Hu Liena had come out today to buy a few pieces of underwear and pick out some new hair accessories. The spring on the bow-shaped hair clip she'd bought last week had snapped, so it wouldn't stay in her hair anymore.
First, she went to the clothing shop at the end of the street. She picked out two silk bellybands and a pair of panties, then had the shopkeeper pack them into a cloth bag. After that, she stopped by the accessories stall next door, rummaged around for a while, and settled on an amber butterfly hair clip and a pair of tasseled earrings.
"That'll be six Silver Soul Coins," the stall owner said.
Hu Liena paid, stuffed the purchases into her cloth bag, and headed back along the pedestrian street.
When she reached the middle of the street, she slowed down.
She'd been to the shops on this street more than twenty times. She could describe every blacksmith's shop, herb store, little restaurant, and clothing shop with her eyes closed. But today, she suddenly noticed a storefront squeezed between two shops.
Five crooked characters were written across its signboard.
[~Happy Claw Machine~]
The two smiling faces drawn beside them were just as crooked, like a child's doodles.
Hu Liena vaguely remembered passing by here before, but she'd never paid it any attention. The storefront was small, maybe twenty square meters, and there wasn't even a shop assistant at the entrance.
She stepped up to the glass door and peered inside.
Six square cabinets stood within, their edges ringed with flashing lights in red, green, yellow, and blue.
Through the glass, she could see that the cabinets were stuffed with all sorts of little plush toys, furry and brightly colored.
There was also a young man in the shop, wearing a formal robe. He stood by a small mirror in the corner, looking himself over from side to side and smoothing down his collar with one hand.
"Mm, not bad. The clothes in Douluo Continent are pretty good."
At those words, Hu Liena's heart gave a little jolt. He made it sound as though he'd only just arrived in Douluo Continent.
This man spoke strangely.
But Hu Liena didn't think much of it. Her attention had already been drawn to the colorful plush toys. There was a little pink rabbit, a yellow duck, and an orange-red little fox. They looked pretty well-made, and probably felt nice to the touch.
Hu Liena walked in.
The shop looked even smaller from the inside. The six machines took up most of the space, leaving room for only a counter and two old wooden chairs. The air held a faint dusty smell, mixed with the slight warmth of the lights on the machines.
"Shopkeeper, are these claw machines?"
Qin Chuan turned around and saw a captivating woman.
Her rose-gold short hair curled slightly, the ends resting on her shoulders and chest, framing her delicate, heart-shaped face.
Her pair of peach-blossom eyes seemed to smile naturally, their outer corners tilted upward. Even when she wore no expression, she looked as though she were trying to seduce someone.
Her nose was straight, and her lips were thin, coated with a light shade of lipstick. As she spoke, the corners of her mouth curved up slightly.
Her tight white crop top clung to her, pushing out two full curves. Her waist narrowed, her hips flared, and her pale purple pleated miniskirt stopped at mid-thigh, revealing a long stretch of smooth, bare legs, straight and slender. Black straps wrapped around her ankles, making her feet look narrow and fair.
Qin Chuan silently sized her up.
Those features—it had to be Hu Liena. No mistake.
Qin Chuan kept his expression composed and smiled. "That's right. Would you like to give it a try? The plush toys here are all quite nice. I've heard they can even bring good luck."
"Oh?" Hu Liena tilted her head and glanced over the six machines. "This Soul Tool is rather unusual. The toys look pretty cute. They can bring good luck, too?"
She walked over to one of the machines and bent to look inside. An orange-red little fox lay atop the pile of toys, with two round black eyes and a big, fluffy tail curled behind it.
"How do you play?"
Qin Chuan pointed to the fist-sized Crystal Ball on the counter. "Put your hand on the Crystal Ball, and it'll tell you how to play."
"Oh, I'll give it a try."
Hu Liena walked over to the counter, reached out with her right hand, and pressed her palm against the Crystal Ball.
The Crystal Ball lit up and grew slightly warm. A gentle heat traveled up from her palm.
The next moment, a voice poured straight into her mind.
[Congratulations, system registration successful! Welcome to the God-Tier Claw Machine!] [Basic Information: Hu Liena, 19 years old, Level 79 Soul Saint.] [Membership Level: Ordinary Member (current experience: 0/10)] [Note: Helping the Shopkeeper with chores or earning his favor will both increase your experience. The highest membership level is Supreme Member.] [How to Play: Use the joystick to control the claw's direction. Line it up with the plush toy you like and press the button. Success or failure is entirely up to luck.] [Special Note One: The Ordinary Zone costs 1 Gold Soul Coin for 3 attempts. The High-Tier Zone costs 100 points of Soul Power experience for 1 attempt and requires Bronze Member status. Ordinary Members may play up to 3 times per day. Each increase in membership level adds 1 Game Coin and 1 attempt.] [Special Note Two: The toys contain precious prizes—Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings, Thousand-Year Soul Bones, Innate Full Soul Power, a 100x Soul Power absorption buff, increases in Soul Power Level... Everything you could want is here. Please play in moderation and don't get carried away.] [Special Note Three: The prizes may be passed down from woman to woman, but not from woman to man. Please keep this strictly confidential.] [Confidentiality Agreement: I hereby promise not to reveal any of the above information to any man. This includes, but is not limited to, direct or indirect disclosure in any form. Violators will forfeit all rewards, and their Soul Power will be reduced to Level 1.]
Hu Liena's hand was still pressed against the Crystal Ball. She froze for two seconds.
She slowly drew her hand back, curling and uncurling her fingers.
A Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring? A Thousand-Year Soul Bone? Innate Full Soul Power?
A little shop on the street? An ordinary-looking man?
Hu Liena sneered inwardly.
Hmph. As if anyone would believe that.
But the Crystal Ball's ability to transmit a voice directly into her mind was no simple trick. It had accurately read her level and age, which meant it possessed some degree of sentience. An ordinary con artist couldn't pull off something like that.
And then there was the confidentiality agreement: Soul Power reduced to Level 1.
Hu Liena wasn't some sheltered little girl who'd never seen the world. She'd traveled far and wide with Bo Saixi and encountered all sorts of strange things. But that only made her less likely to believe in such a windfall from the heavens.
Still.
Hu Liena glanced at the Crystal Ball on the counter, then at the man behind it, who was watching her with a smiling face.
There was nothing to lose by trying. It was just one Gold Soul Coin. Even if this was a scam, she'd only lose a single coin. But if it was real...
If it was real, this shop was terrifying.
Hu Liena made up her mind.
I'll give it a try. If I find out it's a scam, I'll tear this little shop apart today.