Chapter 3: The Knight of Faces, Ou Xiaolu

Amid the incessant chatter of the Black driver, Ou Xiaolu’s [Pawn: Lower Ninja] was embarking on his own adventure.

These characters were not Ou Xiaolu himself; they were merely projections created by the rules and a sliver of his spirit. Ou Xiaolu didn’t need to micromanage these projections—controlling them was as instinctive as speaking while walking. Only when they reached a crossroads did he need to focus and make a choice.

The Lower Ninja now faced such a situation. He had been sent into a miniature world, [World: Sunken Ship], though this sunken ship was not quite as Ou Xiaolu had imagined.

In his mind, a sunken ship was always a multi-masted wooden sailing vessel, soaked for years in seawater, the deck rotten through, and perhaps hiding monstrous creatures like giant octopuses or sharks below.

But when he laid eyes on the wreck before him, Ou Xiaolu realized his imagination had been far too limited. Before him was clearly a submarine lodged in an underwater cavern, probably trapped there by a cave-in triggered by an earthquake or a storm.

When the Lower Ninja entered [World: Sunken Ship], he made a circuit of the submarine’s exterior. From the details he observed, not all the crew had perished inside; some had managed to escape by some means. Because of this, the submarine’s seals had been compromised, seawater had flooded in, and most of the compartments were already submerged.

The Lower Ninja found himself in a compartment near the submarine’s stern. This area was relatively high up, and since the internal seals weren’t entirely broken, there wasn’t as much water here.

Cautiously, the Lower Ninja observed his surroundings, drawing his kunai and remaining on guard—a spiritual nudge from Ou Xiaolu, who refused to believe a world like this would be free of danger.

The novice guide noticed Ou Xiaolu’s actions but did not interfere or offer unsolicited advice.

As a result, the Lower Ninja’s search progressed slowly. After more than half an hour, he had only managed to explore the rear compartments.

More troubling was that he had found nothing of note—though Ou Xiaolu, peering through the Lower Ninja’s eyes, discovered that all the markings were in German.

This submarine was likely built for transporting cargo; the living quarters were even more cramped, and the crew complement was small—only six in total.

This realization made Ou Xiaolu anxious, and he was about to urge the Lower Ninja to speed up when the novice guide interjected.

“Be patient. This is a miniature world. Typically, you won’t encounter enemies, and an initial search takes about three hours. In a small world, it can take a whole day, and if a mission is involved, three to five days isn’t uncommon. If you can’t wait even this long, you’re going to have a rough time ahead.”

Hearing this, Ou Xiaolu calmed down and asked, “What can I do while I wait?”

“Read a book, enjoy the scenery, play a game. If you don’t want to waste time, you can practice techniques you’ve brought back from other worlds. It won’t affect your character much, but it’ll pass the time. Ah, didn’t I say you need patience? Look now—”

Under the guide’s direction, Ou Xiaolu saw the Lower Ninja open a compartment next to the crew quarters. It was the one nearest the exit and the largest in the submarine.

The moment he stepped inside, both the Lower Ninja and Ou Xiaolu, watching through his eyes, were stunned.

The hold was filled with gold bars the size of a palm. Even in the absence of light underwater, the dazzling gold nearly blinded them.

“If only I could take all of this with me,” Ou Xiaolu couldn’t help but mutter.

“It’s useless. You’ll find, eventually, that gold is no different from paving stones. What I want you to see isn’t the gold, but that.” The novice guide pointed to a corner of the gold pile, where a treasure chest glowed with blue light.

“See that? You’re in luck—a blue glow means there’s guaranteed to be a blue card inside.”

Ou Xiaolu no longer believed in his luck. Muttering, “Is it going to be four whites and one blue again?” he directed the Lower Ninja to open the chest.

No sooner had he spoken than his vision was flooded with light: three blue rays, one purple, and one orange, dazzling him completely.

[Underwater Breathing, Skill Card, Blue: Equip to breathe underwater. Duration corresponds to combat ability.]

[Fate Coin, Item Card, Blue: Absorbs the luck of those nearby, bringing fortune to you and misfortune to others.]

[Note: All items are single-use unless otherwise specified.]

[Deadly Revolver, Equipment Card, Blue: Contains five bullets, effective against evil spirits and demons.]

[Secret Diary, Map Card, Purple: Records the location where a destroyed faction’s treasure was hidden at the last moment. By analyzing the diary, one can locate one to three corresponding miniature worlds.]

[House of Gold, Blueprint, Orange: Build your own House of Gold. Precious metals stored within will automatically increase by 1% per week.]

As soon as Ou Xiaolu claimed these cards, the gold in the compartment melted into a mass of black sludge, covering the entire room.

But that was the Lower Ninja’s problem. Ou Xiaolu, meanwhile, was still grinning foolishly.

“See? There’s nothing wrong with my luck! I’m truly a King of Luck, a Knight of Fortune. By the way, what’s the use of this House of Gold? Where can I build it?”

“It’s meant for high-ranking characters to live in. Usually, protagonist-level characters have strict requirements for their dwellings. Dwarf Kings, Golden Dukes, Arch-Dragons of Malevolence—these all demand a House of Gold. Your blueprint is orange, so you can house up to three protagonist-level characters or one Child of the World. My advice is to save the blueprint for a Child of the World; that would bring you enormous benefits.”

Grinning from ear to ear, Ou Xiaolu nodded vigorously. He had already seen the construction requirements for the House of Gold.

Leaving aside the one hundred space fragments and the need for a fully controlled miniature world—both daunting enough—the requirement of thirty tons of gold alone was enough to make Ou Xiaolu feel helpless.

He carefully tucked the cards away in his special card pack, intending to check on the Lower Ninja’s progress, when he suddenly realized that the taxi had left Xinxiang and was now speeding down a nearly deserted highway.