Meanwhile, in America's instance,
A horse stood before America's contestant, Duncan, quietly grazing with its head lowered and gently swishing its tail.
He looked incredulously at the horse stuffing fresh grass into its mouth, then back at the rules.
"A train? This doesn't even count as a vehicle! It's just a horse! It doesn't have wheels! It doesn't even have a saddle!"
[Horse carriage: low-tier vehicle. Can be upgraded by consuming resources.]
"A horse carriage? A carriage? There's only a horse! Sun of Beach!"
Fortunately, Duncan could see the upgrade options through the panel and learn that, with further upgrades, it would indeed become the train mentioned at the start.
Much the same scene was playing out in the other countries' instances.
Japan's contestant had summoned a handcart, India's contestant had summoned a bumper car, and the Sun-Setting Empire's contestant had summoned a pinwheel that could only be held in his hand, squeaking as it spun in the wind.
Across the globe, aside from Himeko, very few people had summoned proper vehicles.
When people from other countries saw that Huaxia's contestant was actually the only one to summon something that fit the theme, they flew into a rage, denouncing the unfairness of the national fortune instance.
[Why did everyone else summon junk, while only the contestant from Huaxia summoned a proper train?]
[That steam train obviously belongs to our Sun-Setting Empire! We demand a swap! Give the pinwheel to Huaxia!]
[We have to upgrade ours to turn them into trains, so why does she get to start with one? This isn't fair!]
[The world was never fair to begin with. Let's get used to it.]
[This must be a Huaxia conspiracy! That eastern power is trying to dominate the world!]
The people of Huaxia compared the contestants. Although their own contestant looked delicate and frail, she had started with a proper-looking train and didn't have to struggle through upgrades.
Some contestants from other countries looked big and burly, yet could only ride shared bikes. Who knew how long it would take them to get proper trains that ran on tracks? The comparison instantly left Huaxia's people feeling thoroughly refreshed.
[Haha, go ahead and get all worked up.]
[Where's this dick everyone's talking about?]
[Please, don't make me see any more bizarre stuff. What has happened to the internet?]
[But everyone else's can be upgraded. Our contestant's level seems fixed from the start. Does that mean her ceiling is locked?]
[Who cares what happens later? Feeling good now is still feeling good!]
[She's so pretty.]
Meanwhile, three figures gradually appeared in the National Fortune Livestream Room. They were commentators and advisers appointed by the National Destiny Battlefield to assist the contestant.
"Ooh? We're really in? Awesome, awesome! Hello? Can you hear me, folks?" The moment the figures appeared, one of them eagerly greeted the audience.
[Who wants to watch you? Get out of the way. I want to see the redheaded lady.]
After taking a moment to adjust, the other two also understood the responsibilities they bore. Once they understood the situation, they began introducing themselves.
The rather composed-looking middle-aged man spoke slowly. "I'm Zhang San, a commentator for the National Fortune Livestream Room."
As he finished, the woman beside him said, "I'm Wang Wu."
"I'm WarGreymon. Hit that follow button, folks. If you've got money, show some financial support. If you don't, borrow some and show some financial support," the last person said.
"?"
Zhang San and Wang Wu both turned to look at WarGreymon. Even under their strange looks, WarGreymon felt no pressure whatsoever.
"What? Nothing here says we have to use our real names. Or do you two think your names sound all that real?"
"At least ours are ordinary human names."
"Mine isn't exactly obscure either!"
WarGreymon retorted as he pulled up Himeko's personal information and displayed it for everyone.
"Besides, our contestant's name is pretty weird too."
[Huaxia contestant: Himeko, navigator of the Astral Express Vehicle operated: Astral Express (cannot be upgraded) Guardian deity: not yet drawn Traveling companions: none Skills: none]
"That's obviously not her real name. Loosen up. Being so serious won't change anything."
WarGreymon sat in his swivel chair and spread his hands.
The three commentators'
[National stress decreased by 1%. Current stress: 59%. Rewards obtained by contestant Himeko within the instance receive an additional 1% boost.]
WarGreymon clicked his tongue almost imperceptibly.
Wasn't it just a situation that might leave most people with ruined families and lives, and the population struggling to survive? How had everyone already turned into pressure cookers?
The three exchanged glances and decided to keep finding ways to help the public relax first. At the very least, they couldn't let people descend into chaos from excessive stress before anything had even happened.
"It looks like Miss Himeko is very familiar with this... Astral Express. Is that because she learned everything about it after summoning it?" Wang Wu changed the subject, shifting the discussion to Himeko on the screen.
"Exactly. And as a train that can't be upgraded, the Astral Express seems to have special abilities too. It's easy to see that its interior space is completely different from how it looks on the outside."
[Does anyone have Himeko's contact info? I have something very important to tell her.]
[If I can't marry someone like her, I'm not dying!]
[Here come the undead, never dying, living forever.]
[With the Astral Express, it feels like we've already won.]
[Hurry up and summon your guardian deity! With a train this powerful, I can't even imagine how strong the guardian deity will be.]
[Japan's contestant summoned a five-star nine-tailed fox. Almost nothing at the upcoming stops will be able to threaten him now.]
[Don't they have to board their train before they can summon a guardian deity? He doesn't even have a train!]
[Who says he doesn't? Isn't he pushing a little cart?]
[Hurry it up.]
Unlike Himeko, the contestants who had summoned their vehicles didn't have such large carriages to explore, so they immediately began summoning their guardian deities.
Soon, every contestant except Himeko had summoned their guardian deity.
Aside from Japan's nine-tailed fox, none of the other contestants had awakened a five-star guardian deity.
Most were one-star or two-star. To put it bluntly, most of their guardian deities were on the level of stray dogs by the roadside.
There were some better ones too. South Korea, for example, had summoned a four-star dagger that greatly enhanced physical abilities when held.
[Weapons count as guardian deities too? It's not even alive!]
[What's the big deal? In a place where pinwheels count as vehicles, there's nothing strange about that.]
[It's not as good as the Japanese contestant's nine-tailed fox, but at least it's four-star. I wonder what that Himeko from Huaxia will summon.]
[With such a luxurious train, how bad could her guardian deity possibly be?]
[Who knows? Maybe she used up all her luck on the train and her guardian deity will be a pile of crap by the roadside.]
Before you continue