"I hope the next main quest rewards me with some System Currency. I am just a little short of having enough to buy the Tiger Talisman, but I still cannot scrape together the rest."
Caelus looked at the Tiger Talisman in the shop, then checked his System Currency. Throughout the entire mission on Terra, he had completed only one main quest, and the reward had merely been the unlocking of the Path of Destruction. He had not earned a single unit of System Currency.
"On Terra, I basically only completed the main quest. I did not trigger any hidden quests or side quests. Their conditions are far too random."
["Of course. After all, the criteria for triggering those two types of quests are quite unpredictable. Originally, the logic should have been straightforward. As a beginner, completing more quests would naturally help you grow quickly. However, you developed far too fast, surpassing the System's beginner parameters from the very beginning. This caused the quest module to malfunction when calculating hidden and side objectives, making the criteria extremely vague."]
"In other words, it is a bug. Are you not going to fix it?"
["Sigh, although it is a bug, it can still be exploited. By taking advantage of this vague framework, I can make minor adjustments to the main quests. Better yet, this method does not deduct points or trigger any of the underlying code. It is the perfect excuse! Besides, fixing it would be an enormous hassle. As long as the program runs, there is no need to worry about how it looks. If it works, that is good enough."]
At that moment, Caelus could not help feeling that the System resembled a programmer aboard Herta Space Station, processing data, writing code, and fixing bugs on the side.
["Ahem! I will think of a way to give you more quests in the next world. However, the next world will be your home universe. You may be facing a difficult battle ahead, one that could genuinely affect the entire cosmos."]
"Is that so? It seems the Astral Express is about to reach its next destination. So, which planet am I heading to next?"
["That would be the most famous entertainment paradise in the galaxy, the Planet of Festivities, Penacony. A world of beautiful dreams, and even the birthplace of the galaxy-famous cartoon character, Clockie Pops."]
"It is called Clockie."
["Hmph~ In any case, that is your next destination. As for your inability to dream, the System will adjust that for you. It is only a minor issue. Do you want to continue using the identity you purchased for the Xianzhou, or should I prepare a new one? You will have to pay if you want a new identity, though."]
"I remember hearing on the Xianzhou that Penacony would soon be hosting the Charmony Festival. The Astral Express's next stop is also there, so there will probably be a great many visitors. The rooms will likely be fully booked. Without an invitation, an ordinary identity may not be enough to get in."
["If you use your Xianzhou identity, you can simply ask them for an invitation. The Luofu is very busy right now anyway, so the invitation sent to them will probably go unused. You can use that invitation to travel to Penacony."]
"The Xianzhou? Forget it. They are probably very busy right now, so I would rather not trouble them. After all, General Jing Yuan would probably get a headache just from seeing me."
Caelus recalled how Jing Yuan had broken out in a cold sweat, his usual smile nearly cracking, after Caelus revealed how many Paths he possessed. He knew that, as a dangerous existence, he should not disturb the General unless absolutely necessary. Otherwise, the man's already strained state of mind might bring him closer to becoming mara-struck.
Not to mention that Caelus had now added Destruction to the list. Forget Jing Yuan, even those lunatics who followed Destruction would probably sigh and remark that someone even more deranged had appeared.
"Prepare a new identity."
Caelus spent 490 System Currency to purchase a new identity, then waited for the System's transfer countdown to finish.
"System, is it possible for other System holders to enter my home universe?"
["I doubt many people would want to. Beneath that seemingly beautiful, anime-like exterior lies a chaotic world comparable to the Warhammer universe."
"You never know whether you will die the next second in an attack by lunatics of Destruction, or whether Nihility will simply happen to pass by your planet. You might encounter an invasion by remnants of the Swarm or the Denizens of Abundance. You could die because of some experiment conducted by an unknown genius, or because someone decided to trigger a planet-destroying incident. There is even the possibility of a Stellaron suddenly descending and causing a massive disaster."
"In this universe, if your strength has not reached Tier 3, you are insignificant. You need to reach Tier 4 to protect yourself, Tier 5 to challenge an Emanator, and Tier 6 to move freely as long as you do not provoke an Aeon. At Tier 7, you could even contend with an Aeon."
"But the problem is that the gods of that world are far too involved with mortals. You never know when you might suddenly offend some deity and trigger a series of inexplicable events. And if you truly want to accomplish something major, Equilibrium, who has merged with its Path, is always watching. In a universe where everyone is plotting something enormous, who knows when something might suddenly knock you into oblivion?"]
"...Hearing you describe it that way, my universe does not sound like a very pleasant place to visit."
["If Equilibrium were not maintaining the balance of the universe, and Erudition were not pruning world lines to prevent excessively absurd or terrifying timelines from emerging, your universe would have descended into complete chaos long ago. It might even be more disorderly than Warhammer."
"Oh, right, we should also thank the Builders. They have been constructing walls at the edge of the universe to keep out the things beyond it. Besides Voracity, many other bizarre entities exist out there. If those things were allowed inside, the universe would become even more chaotic."]
Listening to the System's explanation, Caelus suddenly felt that his universe was not a beautiful place at all, even though people there could acquire immense power simply by walking along the philosophical concepts embodied by the Paths.
Correspondingly, this convenient way of gaining power had produced countless extraordinary talents across every field. One could never know what sort of earth-shattering "grand event" those people might devise.
For all he knew, some ruthless figure might already be hiding in a corner of the universe, secretly preparing a plan to destroy the entire cosmos once the time was right.
"But what could happen in Penacony that would affect the entire cosmos? Is it not the Planet of Festivities, an entertainment paradise? How could such a great danger suddenly emerge there?"
["Same rule as always. I cannot give spoilers. Go and find out for yourself."]
Accompanied by the sound of a train arriving at a station, which the System had added to the announcement, Caelus nodded, rose from the sofa, and straightened his clothes.
Caelus did not know whether the System was trying to create a greater sense of ceremony this time, but instead of simply losing consciousness and arriving at his destination, he walked to the carriage door and slowly pulled it open. Brilliant golden light poured through the doorway, and he stepped into it, disappearing from sight.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)