When Jiang Yanyan regained consciousness, she found herself in a completely unfamiliar place. It was an old-fashioned setting, with carved beams and painted rafters.
Plain ink-wash scrolls hung on the walls, while a celadon brush washer and a wolf-hair brush sat on the writing desk. Every detail exuded a simple, antique charm.
She steadied herself. Unsure of the situation, she didn’t dare make a sound and could only call out inwardly, “Eighteen? Eighteen? Where am I?”
As soon as the words left her mind, a hazy white cloud drifted over from the corner of the room. About the size of a palm, it floated lightly before her, looking soft and fluffy.
[Host.] The familiar mechanical voice rang out. [This is the system space.]
Jiang Yanyan took a few steps around the cloud, surveying the entire space. It wasn’t very large; she could see everything at a glance. There were only three connected rooms.
The room she was in contained bookshelves and a writing desk, with stitched-bound books arranged on the shelves. It was a study.
The door to the room on the left stood open, revealing a canopy bed and a dressing table inside. It was a bedroom.
The door to the room on the right was closed. Its lintel was plain and unadorned, and the room appeared slightly wider than the other two.
“Eighteen, what is this room for?” Jiang Yanyan asked, raising a hand to point at the room on the right.
[Host, this is the storage room, which is also the system space.] The cloud drifted to her side and followed slowly as she walked. [All the rewards you obtain from signing in will be temporarily stored in the storage room. It has an independent storage space, so the items kept inside will neither deteriorate nor expire.]
Jiang Yanyan walked over and pushed open the door. To her surprise, the storage room was enormous, as though she had stepped into an entirely different space.
Inside, numerous wooden shelves were arranged in neat rows, with all sorts of things placed on them.
There were also quite a few boxes on the floor, stacked one atop another. They contained the ordinary items she had received from signing in. Since she received one reward every day, quite a collection had accumulated here.
As for the valuable items, Jiang Yanyan had stored them all in the Yunhua Space. She felt more at ease keeping those things herself.
She turned and walked back into the study, leaning against the pearwood desk as she looked at the system. “Not bad. I didn’t expect you to have such good taste, Eighteen.”
[Thank you for the compliment, Host.] The cloud circled around Jiang Yanyan once, its hazy white edges swaying lightly, almost like the way a person smiled. [The previous small world has ended. I will now issue your settlement rewards.]
The mechanical voice paused before a clear announcement followed:
[Congratulations, Host, on completing the survival mission in the previous small world. You have received a basic reward of 100 points. Congratulations on accumulating good karma in the previous small world; you have additionally received 10 merit points. The rewards have been automatically deposited into your system account and may be viewed at any time.]
Jiang Yanyan raised an eyebrow and lightly tapped the air. A translucent system panel appeared before her, displaying the words:
Points: 100
Merit: 10
“Are 100 points considered a lot or a little in the world-hopping system?” she asked.
[The system you are bound to is a sign-in system. Its only core mission is for you to survive in each small world. There are no additional main or side missions, so the rewards are primarily basic points.]
The cloud floated beside the panel and explained honestly, [Other mission systems offer a minimum of 1,000 points for completing a basic mission. However, those systems come with mission evaluations, and failing to complete a mission results in corresponding penalties. If the host has enough points, only points will be deducted. If the points fall into the negative, the host will be unbound from the system and sent back into reincarnation.]
Jiang Yanyan gave an understanding “Oh” and waved away the panel. She didn’t feel dissatisfied. “Then 100 points are fine. I never wanted to complete missions in the first place. As long as I can live peacefully, that’s enough.”
After a brief pause, her gaze fell on the merit points in her system account. She asked again, “What are these merit points about? I didn’t intentionally do anything charitable in the previous world.”
[The merit points came from the Zhang Corporation’s charitable activities in the previous world.] The cloud answered. [As the person who actually controlled the Zhang Corporation, the host donated a portion of the group’s profits every year to support impoverished students and improve basic infrastructure in remote areas. All of this good karma is attributed to the host.]
[The reason you received 10 merit points this time is that many of the impoverished students you sponsored went on to achieve success and became key figures in fields such as scientific research and medicine, contributing to the development of humanity. That is why you were awarded merit points.]
“Only ten merit points? That’s barely anything.”
[Only ten? Host, do you know how difficult merit is to obtain?]
The cloud’s mechanical voice rose a little, carrying a hint of disbelief. [Merit is extremely hard to come by in this world. Every single point is precious. One merit point can be exchanged for 1,000 points. Your 10 merit points are therefore equivalent to 10,000 points—one hundred times your basic reward. You should be satisfied with receiving 10 merit points!]
Jiang Yanyan froze for a moment. She hadn’t expected merit points to be worth so much. Rubbing her chin, she thought of another question.
“What if I save someone out of kindness, but that person turns out to be a criminal and a thoroughly evil person? What if they refuse to repent and continue doing evil? Will I lose merit points?”
[What are you thinking, Host?] The cloud drifted gently. [If you save an evildoer, at most you will bear some minor responsibility for failing to judge their character. The primary responsibility still lies with the evildoer. You will not be held accountable for much, and your merit will not be depleted by much.]
The cloud paused before adding, [So you shouldn’t avoid doing good out of fear of making a mistake. After all, merit points are far more useful than ordinary points. They can not only be exchanged for points but can also nourish the soul and assist in cultivating the Soul Refining Art. They will be a scarce resource during your future journeys through different small worlds.]
Jiang Yanyan nodded, having finally understood the rules governing points and merit. She glanced once more at the level displayed on the system panel and asked, “Do these points have any use beyond just sitting there? Surely I can’t keep them forever.”
“Points can be used to unlock the system shop and purchase items from it. Of course, merit points may also be used.”
“Then I’ll save them for now.” Jiang Yanyan waved her hand.
She currently had only 100 points, while unlocking the shop required 188. “I’ll wait until I have enough points.”
[Understood, Host.] The cloud acknowledged this before continuing, [The system also provides an additional service. It can extract emotional attachments, leaving behind only the skills you learned in each small world.]
[Each extraction costs only 5 points. After extraction, the host will no longer be affected by excess emotions and will be able to handle various matters more calmly. Would the host like to proceed with an extraction?]
Jiang Yanyan shot it a glance, her tone carrying a touch of helplessness. “I only get 100 points after completing a small world, and you want me to spend 5 of them extracting emotions?
“Forget it. It’s not as though these emotions have to be removed.”
[All right, then.] The cloud did not try to persuade her and obediently agreed, though its tone held a trace of disappointment.
[Host, would you like to enter the next small world now, or rest in the system space for a while? Time is frozen within the system space, so no matter how long you rest here, no time will pass in the outside world.]
Jiang Yanyan stood up and brushed off her skirt. Without the slightest hesitation, she said, “There’s no need to rest. Send me directly into the next small world.”
