"Roy, run faster!!"
Moria clung to Roy's fully transformed beast form, shouting at the top of his lungs.
"Ahh, stop rushing me." Roy's middle head turned back and roared.
At that moment, one man and one dog—
Were sprinting at full speed through Tenpan City's stairways and alleyways.
Behind them, terrified screams from the residents filled the air.
But Moria had no mind to care about any of that.
His eyes were locked on the distant sky, where a tiny speck was rapidly falling.
"Damn it, what the hell happened to Lin Nuo?"
Ten minutes earlier, he and Glen had run into a group of gang members heading for the dueling arena as reinforcements.
After a fierce battle,
He and Roy had successfully entered the dueling arena.
What they saw was Lin Nuo soaring into the sky with Ivankov, Kuma, and Ginny.
They had immediately turned and chased after them.
But less than five minutes into the pursuit, the situation in the sky changed.
That tiny speck, which had been flying steadily, suddenly began to wobble before plummeting straight down!
"Faster! Go even faster, Roy!!"
It was not Lin Nuo he was worried about. That guy was tough as nails.
The problem was the three people Lin Nuo had taken with him.
"I'm already going at full speed—"
All three of Roy's heads stretched forward, six eyes fixed on the falling figure growing larger and larger.
Midair.
"Lin Nuo! Lin Nuo, what's wrong with you?!"
Ivankov slapped Lin Nuo's face hard, but he showed no reaction.
"I don't feel like throwing up anymore, and I'm not dizzy either. Wake up already, Lin Nuo—"
Ginny shook his arm desperately.
Beside them, Kuma lowered his head and glanced below.
At this speed, they would be smashed into pulp in ten seconds at most.
"Lin Nuo said he wanted to go to the docks, right?"
Ivankov and Ginny looked at him at the same time.
"Get closer," Kuma said. "Hold on to Lin Nuo. Hold on to each other."
There was no time to hesitate. Ivankov immediately grabbed Kuma's arm, while Ginny wrapped her arms around him from behind. Together, they also held onto Lin Nuo.
Kuma took a deep breath, raised his right hand's pink paw pad, and pushed forward.
"Compression: Ejection!"
The air compressed.
Four bubbles appeared and shot diagonally toward the dock district at tremendous speed.
Two seconds later.
Four dull impacts sounded.
The bubbles landed one after another, gently spitting out the people inside.
Ivankov was the first to scramble up, throwing himself to Lin Nuo's side.
He pressed an ear to his chest, checked his breathing, then pried open his eyelids for a look.
"His breathing and heartbeat are both fine, and he has no obvious injuries. Why won't he wake up?"
Lin Nuo looked like he was... asleep.
The deepest kind.
A sleep completely unresponsive to the outside world.
"Hey..."
"Open your eyes..."
The voice seemed to come from somewhere far away, hazy and indistinct.
Lin Nuo felt his consciousness sinking.
Tired... so tired... I want to rest...
This feeling... did Imu ambush me again...?
No... wasn't I with Kuma and the others...?
We flew out of the dueling arena... and then...
"Pia!"
Lin Nuo abruptly opened his eyes and jolted upright.
He gasped for air as his eyes rapidly focused, then froze.
Before him was pure white.
He was floating in a boundless white space.
"The System Space!?"
Lin Nuo blurted it out, delight bursting across his face.
The last time he had entered this space was at God Valley, when Imu had ambushed him and left him on the brink of death.
Ever since then, this lousy system had acted like it was dead.
And now, he had actually entered it again!
"Congratulations."
A voice rang out.
Lin Nuo turned toward it and smiled.
Floating before him was a ship. Its bow had the iconic lion-head design, complete with a deck, masts, and sails.
The Thousand Sunny.
More precisely, it was the last thing he had imagined before leaving the System Space last time.
"System bro!"
Lin Nuo grinned and walked over, reaching out to touch the hull.
It felt so real, no different from the real thing.
"I didn't expect your appearance to still be the result of the last thing I imagined when I left."
Lin Nuo's eyes darted around.
The Thousand Sunny before him began to transform.
In just two seconds, the ship turned into a ravishingly curvy, breathtakingly beautiful black-haired woman in a qipao.
Pirate Empress Boa Hancock.
And it was an extremely faithful rendition, with every detail perfected.
System: "..."
"Hey, I—"
"Wait, I know," Lin Nuo cut in first.
"I'm guessing your next sentence is."
"I called you here for your third choice, not to play dress-up."
The system, wearing Hancock's appearance, fell silent for three seconds.
Then it revealed an expression that mixed helplessness with contempt.
"Childish."
"No, do you know how long it takes for me to see you even once, System bro?"
Lin Nuo began to complain.
"Other people's systems practically follow their transmigrators around twenty-four hours a day, answering questions, keeping them company, and handing out benefits."
"And you? You act like you're rushing to get off work. You summon me, hand out a reward, then kick me out with one foot."
"You were the same at God Valley last time!"
The more he spoke, the more worked up he became. "Do you know, during this time, I..."
Splash!
Before he could finish, a translucent data panel smacked Lin Nuo directly in the face!
The blow sent Lin Nuo reeling backward. He barely steadied himself before focusing on it.
It was the familiar progress bar interface.
There was now a lot more on it: portraits of Alice, Teach, Ivankov, Kuma, Ginny, and a variety of other people.
Bands of light extended from the portraits, filling the progress bar below all the way to the third stage.
[Based on multidimensional data evaluations of the host's behavioral trajectory, interpersonal relationships, event participation, worldline disturbance value, and other factors since the God Valley incident]
[The system's basic functional modules have been activated]
[Specific functions will be gradually revealed after the host returns to reality]
[This is the system's acknowledgment of the host's progress]
Lin Nuo's eyes lit up.
"So that means I can finally communicate with you normally?!"
The system did not answer directly. Instead, it waved a hand.
The progress bar interface shrank into a corner.
In its place appeared a line of text.
[Begin your third choice]
Lin Nuo's heart skipped a beat.
Here it came.
His first choice had been at the very beginning of his transmigration.
The system had given him seven options and asked him to choose his race. He had chosen the Lunarians.
His second choice had come when he was on the verge of death at God Valley.
There had only been three options left, and he had chosen the Voice of All Things.
That ability had later guided him to Alice, Teach, and the others...
So this time...
How many options would there be?
Lin Nuo held his breath.
In an instant.
A screen of light that nearly filled his entire field of vision unfolded before him!!
[Third Choice: Treasures]
Lin Nuo's eyes swept over it quickly, and then he was dumbfounded...
[Complete Set of Sky Island Dials (including fourteen basic types such as Wind Dials, Heat Dials, Impact Dials, Tone Dials, Lamp Dials, and three rare variants)]
[Germa 66 Technology Blueprints (basic clone soldier model + combat suit design principles)]
[Black Blade: Yoru (priceless treasure)]
[Seven-Star Sword (cursed holy sword)]
[Ancient Weapon: Pluton Blueprints]
[Poneglyph Rubbing Stone (one random red Poneglyph or one of four ordinary Poneglyphs)]
[Bubble Coral ×100 (Fish-Man Island specialty, capable of creating large bubbles)]
[Memory Seahorse (living creature, capable of storing and transplanting memories)]
[Rare Beast Island Golden Horn (legendary item)]
[Millennium Dragon Bone (fossil)]
[Adam Tree Seedling (can be cultivated in a suitable environment)]
[Eve Tree Seed (same as above)]
[Legendary Island Turtle Egg (the holder may be regarded as a friendly unit by island turtle groups)]
[...]
[...]
[...]
The list continued to stretch downward without end...
Before you continue