Chapter Nineteen: Underlying Currents

The Law of Reflection—now that’s a pretty cool name. And it can even help me digest the Fruit of Feasting. Chen Qi couldn’t help but react with an intrigued expression.

Nocturnal Wanderer: “Looking forward.jpg”

Luo Qing began to explain: “To put it simply, the reflection is another term for your game character. From the moment you joined this game, your real self became connected to your character, like a person and their shadow.”

It was true. Chen Qi nodded. Ever since he entered the game, whenever his character was injured, he could feel a faint twinge of pain himself.

Luo Qing continued: “So, from the moment you became a Worldwalker, you and your game character began to influence each other. As time passes, the abilities your character gains will gradually manifest in your real body, although it takes time. For example, right now, your physical strength isn’t on par with your character’s, but soon enough, your inspiration, agility, and strength will catch up. Of course, some powerful items that directly boost physical strength can affect both sides almost instantly, like the Fruit of Feasting you obtained. There are also certain possession-type equipment that can alter the body directly, which means both you and your character benefit. They’re quite rare and serve as excellent weapons—if you’re lucky enough to come across one, you’ll know.”

Chen Qi paused, twirling the knife in his hand, staring at the icy-cold Shadow Dagger.

The other side was right! Possession-type equipment was indeed practical—not only for fighting, but also for digging, or even as a bottle opener.

So the real self and the game character influence each other. Chen Qi made a mental note of this.

Luo Qing went on: “But this influence has its limits. If you’re injured in reality, your game character won’t be affected, and vice versa. The main manifestation of the Law of Reflection is in skill acquisition. Whether it’s learning rituals or other skills, progress in reality and in-game mutually reinforce each other. For instance, digesting the Fruit of Feasting requires intense fighting or physical training. You can use your character’s rest time to work out in real life, speeding up the digestion process.”

Chen Qi thought it over. In summary, the so-called Law of Reflection could be boiled down to one sentence: learning skills in real life also accelerates your character’s skill acquisition in the game.

This meant that if a player focused solely on the New Sun game and neglected skill practice during their character’s downtime, over time, their development speed would fall behind others.

A pretty useful tip. Chen Qi considered this and typed:

Nocturnal Wanderer: “So, I should go out now, find someone to spar with, or find a place to train, to digest the Fruit of Feasting?”

Luo Qing: “Yes, as long as your game character is resting. By the way, a small tip: killing enemies does grant experience, but ‘enemies’ only include creatures within Neo-City and other New Sun players. If you go to the zoo and kill lions or elephants, it won’t give you any experience—many have tried. And enemies that are too weak don’t give experience either.”

So players were killing animals for experience points—no wonder several zoos had announced closures or suspensions recently; perhaps the moral decline among Worldwalkers was to blame...

Enemies too weak don’t give experience. Chen Qi propped his chin, pondering—so he couldn’t just take the Shadow Dagger and farm a bunch of low-level mobs for experience.

At last, Luo Qing added:

“The value of knowledge is hard to quantify. What I’ve shared isn’t exactly rare, but if you ever figure out how to satisfy the Gluttonous Bloom, I’ll take note. If you need anything else, I’ll help if I can.”

Chen Qi mused that, based on previous texts, the Gluttonous Bloom was quite unique—his method might not be applicable to them all.

Nocturnal Wanderer: “Thanks, Vice Group Leader, I understand.”

Chen Qi ended the chat, omitted some details, and relayed the gist of the tip to his contact.

So he could digest the Bloodblade Feasting Fruit through real-life exercise? He stretched, and from his drawer, pulled out a long-unused gym membership card.

It was a six-month card Jiang Zan had bought on a whim and later gave him due to work commitments.

Chen Qi himself, for various reasons, hadn’t managed to go more than a few times.

Working out... The number of times he’d thought of exercising far outweighed the number of times he had actually done so.

Coincidentally, there seemed to be a boxing club next to that gym.

It was time to head outside. Chen Qi picked up his umbrella, power bank, and phone, and left the room.

Outside, the sky was darkening. A black crow hurried past overhead, surveying the neighborhood below.

...

On the seventh floor of the Grand Library in Magic City, Luo Qing gazed through the glass at the oppressive sky.

After finishing her message, she set down her phone, took out a notebook, and recorded the information she’d just acquired.

“Spicy blood stew is a delicious offering—even the Gluttonous Bloom’s appetite can be satisfied by it. This particular Gluttonous Bloom must be very special.”

After making her note, Luo Qing glanced at the Morning Star bracelet on her wrist, her mind full of thoughts, before looking down at the busy crowds below.

As the game progressed, Worldwalker organizations were springing up across the globe.

The New Sun Game mutual aid group was a chaotic mix, attracting all kinds of people from various organizations.

As expected, though the chat group appeared quiet, many organizations had already begun moving for the sake of these two rare-talented newcomers!

But thanks to the rules she’d set, no one could discuss such matters in the group—hence the silence.

None of this concerned her; she cared nothing for their struggles. She was merely a merciless courier of knowledge.

Still, perhaps this fast-developing newcomer could bring her more valuable information...

...

Afternoon.

The sky was as if painted with a heavy layer of ink, only a few rays of light managing to escape.

“What a fine day—a storm is coming!”

A tall figure, wrapped in black from head to toe, emerged from the subway station, opened a gigantic black umbrella, and shrouded himself in shadow.

After confirming his location, the umbrella-bearer made a call:

“Crow Scarecrow, I’m here. So, should I go find that adorable little Messenger first, or the Night Watcher? But really, are two newcomers worth my attention? You could just pay a few idle strongmen to kidnap them—wouldn’t that be enough?”

The voice on the other end was raspy, tinged with anger and urgency: “These are two players with rare talents! One’s a professional Calamity Messenger. All the other organizations are looking for them. And one of them has a significant background in reality, while the other is even more impressive—he killed a Calamity right at the start!”

“A newcomer killed a Calamity? Are you joking?” The umbrella-bearer sneered. “You can’t trust everything you read online, Crow Scarecrow. Next you’ll tell me someone shattered the Eight Wastes with a single blow and rebooted the universe. You can’t just believe whatever you hear.”

The voice on the phone grew even more hoarse: “The information is likely true, though it was probably a weak Calamity. Umbrella-bearer, I never joke. I’m just warning you—these two aren’t ordinary. That’s why you’re handling this. Be careful—don’t get yourself hurt. And the Daywalkers have noticed them too, so you need to move fast. Oh, and be gentle with those two—after all, they’re rare talents, their growth will be rapid, and someday they might end up protecting you!”

Protect me? The umbrella-bearer tilted his head and chuckled: “You know, Crow Scarecrow, I’d love to have a high-talent slave like you. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to train them well while they’re still green.”

“You—”

The umbrella-bearer promptly hung up. A beast-like cold glint appeared in his eyes as he muttered to himself:

“So, do I go after the Messenger with the powerful family, or the Night Watcher who killed a Calamity?”