Platform and... Exchange List?

Chaotic emotions galloped like wild horses. The lingering excitement and exhaustion after the violent adrenaline surge churned through him together, and only his final breath of resolve kept young Du Qifeng from collapsing on the spot like everyone else.

Honestly, adrenaline was an incredibly miraculous thing.

Some people could take twelve knife wounds while facing criminals and still refuse to fall, risking their lives to protect something important; some could race a bear they encountered in the wilderness during a cycling competition and break a world record; others could run flat out without stopping for hours, all for the sake of reaching safety...

Even an ordinary college student like Du Qifeng, who could barely be called physically capable, had erupted with strength under adrenaline's mad stimulation. He had blocked the door against the "diners" outside and held on for quite a while.

All that could be said was that when faced with desperation, the determination and strength humans unleashed when risking everything were far beyond the "actual scores" they showed during college fitness tests.

...But ultimately, the prerequisite for staying upright, fighting for one's life, or running for hours was—you absolutely could not stop midway!

Once you stopped, that breath of resolve would leak away. The mountain of accumulated fatigue and lactic acid would instantly overwhelm your body and seize control of your senses. At that point, you would be dizzy and disoriented, barely able to move a finger, much less get up and run again.

But this young man whom the others called "Little Du" still gritted his teeth and tried to stand—

Compared to his other companions, it was not merely because he had the clear advantage of a young body that had only recently turned twenty, still near the peak of human physical condition.

More importantly, as the college student among them with more experience reading web novels and a better understanding of things like the "Main God Space," he knew very well that now was probably not the time to rest.

He briefly looked around. What entered his sight was a dimly lit, boundless expanse, like the vast space beneath a starry sky after nightfall.

This place should be the "Main God Platform" mentioned in the prompt. No matter what, they had to quickly gather some information and understand their current situation.

There were so many people here. Judging by their relatively normal clothing, most should be newcomers like himself, but setting aside the possibility that some veterans might be among them, what if this place did not prohibit fighting either? What if people could just ambush one another?

With their limbs all weak and limp right now?

The thought had only just arisen when the cold voice sounded beside his ear—

"Please note: the Main God Platform is a public service area. All substantive direct combat is prohibited. Violators will bear the consequences."

Well, then at least their safety should be somewhat guaranteed...

He relaxed inwardly.

He struggled to his feet with a huff. That single movement nearly made Du Qifeng black out, his vision swimming and ears ringing as he almost failed to catch his breath. He had to stand where he was and recover slowly.

When he opened his eyes again, things had finally improved somewhat. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he began laboriously surveying his surroundings.

Upon the seemingly endless platform, a bustling crowd spread around them like swarms of worker ants, constantly walking, talking, observing, loudly arguing and discussing, while hushed whispers never ceased.

What met his eyes were faces filled with panic, excitement, curiosity, fear, helplessness, and even forced composure...

Some screamed themselves hoarse. Some shouted without regard for anyone else, psyching themselves up like lunatics. One man with an obvious leg injury, blood soaking through most of one pant leg, sat collapsed on the ground without moving, enduring the agonizing pain as he cursed the "acquaintances" around him in broken bursts. If they had not clearly been notified that fighting was forbidden here, they would probably have started brawling already...

Some covered their mouths and wept bitterly, yet their eyes revealed a glimmer of relief...

But in the eyes of even more people were obvious fear and anxiety, along with excitement and fervor that could not be concealed...

Mixed into this place as lively as a station waiting hall during the Spring Festival travel rush, their group was hardly conspicuous. Rather, as the foul stench clinging to them like salted fish drying in the sun spread out, most people nearby instinctively gave them a wider berth.

From time to time, striking flashes of white light flickered through the crowd. A few figures with startled, confused expressions would appear from the light, then quickly merge naturally into the noisy atmosphere of shouting voices, like mud oxen sinking into the sea.

Well, the ground was all smooth bluestone connected into one mirror-flat surface, extending beyond sight. On such a broad platform, those people "teleported" here by white light seemed to have been deliberately gathered within this relatively narrow area?

Hm?

He had not noticed before, but now that he sensed something odd, his gaze followed a fading white light and happened to land on a figure who had just appeared nearby. Du Qifeng barely managed a careful look before his expression changed.

After comparing left and right in surprise, he suddenly realized a fact—

Everyone present seemed to have a veil-like mist covering their faces. He could clearly see the subjective expressions on others' faces, yet the harder he tried to examine the details and distinguish their true features, the more obscure and incomprehensible the vaguely visible faces within the mist became.

Only the few "acquaintances" still beside him, companions whose true appearances he had already seen, did not have that layer of mist covering their faces. Their brows, eyes, noses, and mouths remained distinct.

Realizing that this was probably some sort of hidden "identity concealment mechanism," and seeing that apart from the crowds there seemed to be nothing special around them, the college student did not continue rashly observing others in search of possible "veterans."

Instead, like many others present, he quietly directed his attention first toward the most eye-catching thing in his field of vision.

—Above the platform, within what appeared to be empty space, was a halo that silently restrained almost all sense of presence, yet one that no one could truly "overlook."

But only when one's gaze truly fell upon it could one understand that indescribable, even contradictory sensation of strangeness.

It clearly appeared to be only dozens or perhaps a hundred meters above the ground. Yet once he noticed its existence, a single glance gave rise to an abnormal throb seemingly born from the depths of instinct, vaguely reminding the bewildered college student—compared to the vast starry river overhead that seemed boundless beyond measure, the place illuminated by that sphere of light was somewhere "higher"!

—It was a "height" that could not be measured, yet felt incomparably real!

He could not see it clearly or explain it. There was only a bewildered sensation, like a speck of dust suddenly lifting a veil and facing the infinite scale of the universe. A fleeting glimpse alone naturally inspired fear, yet also moved him beyond restraint.

A point of bright light lingered amid the darkness, reflecting the endless river of stars within itself, like a vast celestial wilderness beneath the night curtain—mysterious and distant.

Nearly every thought vanished. The intense soreness and exhaustion in his body were thrown completely to the back of his mind, and all the clamor and distractions around him went unheard...

As if possessed, Du Qifeng simply stared at that point of light with an almost greedy gaze, forgetful of everything else, driven by instinct. It was as though he wished to carve that wondrous sight deeply into his mind, into every memory, even every cell of his body!

It felt as though some reaction originating from the essence of life had, in that fleeting instant, crazily surpassed all thought. It screamed desperately to remind and urge him that this was a sight he absolutely could not miss, that not even the smallest detail could be overlooked...

He stood there as if petrified for a long time, until a large sweaty hand slowly rested on his shoulder. When he did not react, it simply gave him a firm pat.

"Little Du, what's wrong?... Why aren't you moving? Are you all right?"

It was He Qiu.

"Oh, Brother He. I'm fine, I'm fine."

The lingering impressions in his mind were abruptly interrupted. He answered reflexively, then finally came back to himself as if waking from a dream and recognized the man before him.

Du Qifeng shook his head hard, suddenly feeling a little muddled.

—Eh, what had I just been doing... Why did it feel like I had forgotten something? Was it... something important?

Confusion welled up, but before he could think deeply, several snippets of conversation from others happened to catch his attention amid the surrounding uproar.

"My god... What is this?"

"...Quick! Activate your ID first! There's an exchange menu inside! And..."

"?!?"

He Qiu had clearly heard them as well. He shook his head at the college student with a wry smile. "I was wondering why you weren't checking this thing. Your eyes weren't even moving—you were just standing here spacing out. You sure you're okay?"

He casually swiped at a spot in the air before him, and Du Qifeng immediately understood that he meant the information screen.

"Hurry up and take a look. There's a lot to see in there!"

Holy shit! Right! I'd been so busy spacing out that I hadn't even checked the information on the screen! Why did I have to act stupid and zone out at a time like this?!

Regret flooded his heart. He could only give He Qiu an awkward grin that showed all his white teeth. Not daring to waste any more time, Du Qifeng hurriedly opened the illusory screen before him—

Sure enough!

Aside from the previous mission information, a huge amount of new information had appeared on the screen at some unknown time.

Things enough to make one's heart surge and leave one unable to contain oneself!

[Detected that you are a temporary visitor who has cleared the Newcomer Trial. Would you like to activate your personal Main God ID?]

[Please note: after activating your ID, your visitor status will automatically convert to an official Main God Game user. You will receive the relevant services and be subject to the restrictions provided by the Main God. If you choose not to activate your ID, your visitor status will be erased and your consciousness returned to your original body, with no additional effects.]

The moment he opened this so-called personal interface, two glaring prompts jumped out impatiently.

Activate a Main God ID? What did that mean? He could choose for himself?

This was a little different from what he had expected.

But after hesitating for only a few breaths, Du Qifeng made his decision and decisively chose activation.

Come on, what did not involve risks? Even if many details differed from some of the "settings" he remembered, this place was obviously something like the Main God Space, complete with supernatural elements! He had finally made it to the last step—anyone who gave up now would be an idiot, right?!?

[New user ID 0104961, congratulations on activating your Main God ID. From this moment onward, you have officially joined the Main God Game!]

[Main God exchange services have been activated.]

[Please note: except under special circumstances, Main God users may only use exchange functions within the Main God Platform.]

[Please note: you are currently a Level 1 Main God user. Each day, you possess a total of one hour of real-world time during which you may enter the Main God Platform in a purely mental state and use the relevant platform services. Those who have not left the platform when their time is exhausted will be forcibly removed and returned to the real world. Based on the current ratio between real-world time and perceived time on the Main God Platform of 1:4, you may remain on the Main God Platform for up to four hours of perceived time each day.]

[As an official user, each time you clear a mission world and return to the Main God Platform, your condition will undergo one standard refresh.]

[Personal information panel activated.]

[You have an unviewed Newcomer Trial clearance evaluation. Please process it promptly.]

[Details of services and restrictions for official Main God users. (Viewable)]

Just as expected...

In the brief span of a blink, huge amounts of dazzling information cascaded down the screen. Some overly complicated common knowledge was even conveyed by being directly "projected" into his mind.

Du Qifeng's pupils suddenly contracted as he spotted one relatively inconspicuous word first—[Exchange]!

Without the slightest hesitation, his attention instantly focused entirely on it!

"Oho..."

The next moment, despite having mentally prepared himself somewhat, the young college student still let out an incredulous gasp!

—Within the endless list quietly emerging from the interface were countless, ocean-like "names"!

[Primordial Lifeform Nibiru...]

[Light: Voice of the Stars...]

[Wordless Heavenly Tome...]

[Dreamer-Type Brain Amplifier...]

[Blood of Gaia...]

[Imperial Dragon Ascension Blade...]

[Neutron Star Battle Body...]

[Seed of Spiral Power...]

[Lich Reincarnation Codex...]

Science, martial power, mysticism, immortal cultivation, superpowers...

Under his nearly stunned gaze, the ever-extending list seemed to have no end. Every second, tens of thousands of new entries, all-encompassing text descriptions, and static and moving images refreshed at a dizzying speed...

Du Qifeng froze completely, his expression turning blank and dazed, as though he were about to start drooling.

Only then did he realize just how difficult it had been for He Qiu to notice him and take the initiative to remind him during such a "busy moment."

It was unimaginable. Even as a young man who had spent years surfing the internet, Du Qifeng had at best only shallow impressions of most of these items, which clearly came from various films, anime, novels, games, and other works. He had never even heard of many of them and had no idea of their origins.

But even if he could not fully confirm the precise meaning behind them, could he possibly fail to understand their immense "value"?

Take this item whose detailed description Du Qifeng had just opened—

[Name: Golden Saint Cloth: Sagittarius]

[Type: Armament/Protective Gear]

[Quality: Eighth Rank]

[Description: Originates from a certain "Saint Seiya" derivative worldview. Made primarily from orichalcum, gamanium, and stardust silver through the hands of alchemists. It contains a minuscule amount of Athena's divine power and fragments of will from its past users.]

[Exchange Requirement: 7,500,000 Universal Points, three Perfect-Grade Exchange Cards.]

[Additional Notice: The user must possess "Cosmo" or a related higher-order energy system.]

Looking at the hovering rectangular chest projection on the display screen, its full form still unopened, faint starlight already scattered across it in the distance, its exterior engraved with dazzling reliefs of a centaur charging forth and firing an arrow at the heavens, its entirety flowing with a pure golden luster, Du Qifeng's eyes nearly popped out of his head!

Though it was only an illusory shadow that concealed its true form, with the object inside not even "awakened," facing this Saint Cloth chest quietly standing before him—ancient in design, with obvious signs of wear in its finer details—still allowed one to vaguely sense the vast majesty hidden within it, like a sun slumbering in silence!

In fact, if he had not vaguely sensed a certain fact—that when the entry details were expanded, another invisible and intangible mysterious influence descended with them, quietly restricting the indirect "influence" this projection had upon those viewing the exchange—Du Qifeng had no doubt that he would have dropped to his knees on the spot!

Even so, observing the faint radiance flowing across the projected chest wall at such close range, he could still feel the intense throbbing in his chest, as if his heartbeat were involuntarily resonating with it, along with the extreme desire that came with it!

—Damn it! This was obviously the real thing!!!

Who could refuse a genuine Golden Saint Cloth that became one with its wearer, could fight at will, automatically emerge from its chest and equip itself onto the body, and looked cool as hell?!?

If he had not known that the thing before him was merely an illusory projection, the college student, whose jealousy was nearly flaring up, would have practically thrown himself at it!

But... I really can't afford it!

He merely glanced subconsciously at the "balance" displayed as zero on his personal panel. Within seconds, he was nearly unable to stop himself from tearing at his hair, the despair on his face impossible to conceal.

No, why am I so broke? Why am I... Oh, wait! Why is it zero?

Under the immense mental shock, Du Qifeng's thoughts had become even more sluggish. He suddenly came to his senses and hurriedly opened the unviewed "Newcomer Trial Clearance Evaluation"!

[...Main Mission One: Survive for twelve hours. (Completed)]

[Main Mission Two: Reach an exploration score of five. (Not completed)—Upon leaving the mission world, your total exploration score was one. This exploration score has been converted into an evaluation bonus.]

[No side missions triggered. No additional score.]

[Your mission performance evaluation: Standard Grade.]

[—Based on the overall mission rating, your final mission rewards are: 130 Universal Points (value after Newcomer Trial bonus), one Standard-Grade Exchange Card.]

Sure enough, just after reading the evaluation, Du Qifeng heard the cold, mechanical voice that had begun to feel faintly familiar ring beside his ear—

"User ID 0104961, your Newcomer Trial settlement rewards have been issued."

[User ID 0104961: Du Qifeng]

[Universal Points: 130]

[Exchange Cards: One Standard-Grade Exchange Card]

Well, no matter what, he at least had 130 Universal Points now...

But it was only 130 points, along with one so-called Standard-Grade Exchange Card...

Looking at the balance at the bottom of the screen, which was no longer empty, then subconsciously glancing again at the terrifying price of that Golden Saint Cloth, Du Qifeng should have been happy that his "payment had arrived." Instead, he only felt a bitterness like he had bitten into a lemon.

And if he really calculated it, those 130 points were the amount after the Newcomer Trial's additional 400% reward multiplier. In other words, if not for the Newcomer Trial, he would normally have received only 130÷(1+400%)=26 points!

Was that reasonable? Was that fair? Had the Main God secretly skimmed their commissions to line its own pockets?!?

...Of course, thoughts were thoughts. He could only grumble like that internally.

Even though he was merely a college student who had not yet left the ivory tower, Du Qifeng was not some inexperienced fool. He had once encountered a shady employment agency during an internship and learned his lesson after being sent to work in a factory. If he actually started jumping around and cursing the heavens now, then he would truly be the madman.

Sure enough, some people nearby had clearly begun to stir.

As Du Qifeng watched some people look around and whisper among themselves, he happened to notice a middle-aged man wearing a tie. Aside from one shoulder of his shirt being slashed apart by something sharp and stained with specks of blood, he was otherwise still fairly well dressed in a suit. The man quietly wandered out of the densest part of the crowd and approached their group, whose surroundings were relatively sparse due to that "stench."

Realizing that the man was approaching them unusually, Du Qifeng quietly became alert.

The man stopped nearby, kept some distance from those around him, and straightened the Windsor knot at his neck. Only then did he lower his voice and speak toward the empty air before him, as though an invisible person stood there.

The sharp-eyed and sharp-eared college student still appeared to be browsing his personal screen, but his head tilted slightly to one side, and his ears unconsciously perked up.

"...if you can hear what I am saying, I sincerely hope you can consider my suggestion... Considering that newcomers like us currently do not possess much savings, especially when... And, esteemed Mr. Main God, if some of your assets simply remain in your possession, they cannot generate greater benefits, so from..."

...Holy shit! What the hell did I just hear?!?

The college student's eyes widened even further. To outsiders, it looked as though he had seen something shocking on the screen before him!

From the scattered fragments he had caught, if Du Qifeng had understood correctly, then without even knowing whether veterans might exist, what this rather composed man was saying right now—

He was probably trying to ask the Main God... whether it offered "loans"?