Chapter 135: Scar City

Seeing the system mission, I was taken aback for a moment, completely stunned.

While I was still dazed, a map suddenly appeared in my hand. It was an intel map leading to Scar City, a city under Bacador, the kingdom where Seraphina lived. Scar City was about a hundred miles away from here.

Within Scar City was an underground auction known as the Jinx Auction, an illegal auction house.

I’d need some connections to get in.

Letting out a sigh, I stored the map in my system space and headed to the room I shared with Seraphina.

Then, I called out to Zero.

Almost instantly, a small humanoid figure, about two feet tall, appeared before my eyes and began flying excitedly around the room.

{Hehe! It feels good to be outside after such a long time!}

As I focused my gaze on Zero’s new form, I was completely stunned.

"What the hell? Why do you look like me?"

{Hehe, have you forgotten that I was specifically tailored for you? I’m basically a version of you, Master. Besides, I can now stay outside your sea of consciousness for a long time. You’re the only one who can see me.}

Without saying a word, I lunged forward and tried to grab Zero by the throat. As expected, however, my hand passed straight through him, making me click my tongue in annoyance.

{Do you hate me that much, Master?}

Yeah, I hate your voice—wait, why does your voice sound more natural now?

I was surprised all over again.

{Because the system has upgraded. You find my old mechanical voice annoying, right?}

Kind of. It made me even more annoyed. I can tolerate you much better with this voice.

{Anyway, you’ve been having a lot of fun lately, Master. That woman... Seraphina, she’s the best waifu! Not only does she spoil you with money, but she also dotes on you. I’m Team Seraphina! As for that woman, Aleena... Hmph, she’s a cheapskate.}

Wow. Just wow, Zero. It seems you’ve forgotten that Aleena was the one who helped us. Besides, if she were as rich as Seraphina, she’d spoil me rotten, too.

{Hmph! Seraphina would have found you regardless of whether you were still a slave. As for spoiling you rotten, Aleena has nothing on Seraphina. Aleena is so calculating and always looking for ways to save money. My second favorite is Lasawani! That woman is a hopeless idiot. She’s so blindly in love with you that she’d rip out her own heart if you asked her to.}

So, you’re ranking them based on how much they spend on me? How biased.

Anyway, I’m curious about what the system meant when it said Seraphina and I would rekindle our love.

{Oh... about that, I can give you a clue. Seraphina’s heart is currently in turmoil. She’s wondering whether she’s being too forceful with you, and that uncertainty is holding her back. However, obtaining the Ice Jade Necklace would help solidify her resolve. Remember, this is just a clue.}

That makes sense. If that’s the case, I’ll accept the mission. I like this mission, too, because it doesn’t seem to have a deadline or any penalties.

{...}

What?

{Actually, there is a deadline and a penalty. The deadline is tomorrow. If you fail the mission, Seraphina won’t be able to advance her rank because she’ll have missed this opportunity. You’ll also be disgraced by the Evil Twins. Considering the many obstacles you’ll face in the future, you need to get that necklace.}

Sigh... It seems Lasawani wasn’t joking after all, and those videos of people getting wrecked are real.

{Also, I got the token pass for you. Hehe!}

A brown wooden token with several characters carved into it suddenly appeared in my hand.

Wow, how did you get this?

{Well... Ahem, I just snatched it from someone else. It’s not like I can conjure things out of thin air.}

So, all the rewards and items sold or given out by the system are taken from somewhere?

{Yes. Some are conjured, some are taken or stolen, and others are unearthed or created by another user as part of a task. There’s no such thing as a free lunch. Everything has its own process. Higher-level systems can even conjure items from other dimensions.}

The higher the level of a system, the greater its potential, right?

{Yes and no. Systems aren’t cheats in this world. They’re more like guides. However, there are exceptions, just like you.}

But I still haven’t seen what makes you so special.

{You’re being impatient, Master. Everyone has a different path in life. Perhaps there are others like you with crazy cheats, but what’s there to be proud of? Being handed power like candy isn’t necessarily a good thing. Besides, have you ever heard of the Tower Bureau?}

The Tower Bureau? I think I’ve heard of them before. What are they?

{Ahem—Master, I have to go! Good luck with your mission!}

Before I could say another word, Zero suddenly disappeared.

This system keeps acting weird.

Without dwelling on it any further, I got up and headed to the teleportation room. After searching for the coordinates of the teleportation station in Scar City, I used the teleportation array to get there. ℴ

Once I arrived at the Scar City station, I walked out and took a short bus ride into the city itself.

I was surprised by how rough the place was. Scar City was a backward city teeming with outlaws.

"Hey, bro! I’ve got some special stuff that’ll turn your little brother into a big brother! It only costs a few coins. A handsome man like you could definitely use it! Hey, bro! Are you even listening?!"

A skinny, bald man shouted as he jogged after me in frustration.

He was one of those scammers who tried to force fake products on unsuspecting passersby. Funnily enough, plenty of suckers actually fell for his cheap tricks.

This guy, however, looked genuinely pissed that I’d ignored him. He probably hadn’t made a single sale all day.

Before finally giving up, he cursed at me and turned to the fat man walking behind me. When I glanced back, I saw the fatty accepting the item from him.

What a sucker...

Shaking my head, I continued toward the area where the Jinx Auction was located.

Just before entering, I bought an appearance-altering mask for two silver coins.