Luo Han drained the last of his drink, settled the bill, and left.
He went out to buy a set of all-black sportswear, a baseball cap, and a mask—all simple, unbranded items.
Though he knew these were useless against AI detection and certain supernatural tracking methods, they were basic precautions.
He didn’t plan on getting into a head-on confrontation yet.
After finishing his errands, Luo Han returned home.
His parents were already there, and the table was covered in dishes.
Seeing him return, his mother hurried over, her eyes shining.
“Xiao Han!
Was the registration smooth?
Did the Enforcers give you any trouble?”
“It went very well.” Luo Han smiled and set his backpack down.
“I passed the test.
The Zhou-rank evaluation was confirmed.”
His father clapped him hard on the shoulder with significant force.
“Good lad!
I knew you had it in you!
When your mother and I went in back then, we didn’t even manage to get a Huang-rank…”
“Alright, alright, why bring that up now?” His mother interrupted, pulling Luo Han toward the dining table.
“Come eat quickly; I made all your favorites.”
Luo Han felt a pang of emotion.
He suddenly thought of the mission items he had acquired—items that allowed others to re-enter a Collision World using a loadout.
He decided that once he became stronger and encountered a world that allowed for it, he would secure a couple of those items.
He wanted to help his parents earn some evaluations and restart their path as Entitled.
The meal was lively.
His parents asked many questions, and Luo Han chose what he could answer—the fantastical world-building, the races he encountered, and the wonders of magic.
Naturally, he glossed over the dangers of the Collision World and the gruesome details of combat with a few casual remarks.
His parents were worried, but their pride outweighed their fear.
After dinner, Luo Han announced he needed to go to the provincial capital’s AI Strategic Command Center.
“There’s a gear trade involving a Collision World item.
The seller is listing it at the provincial center.”
His parents exchanged a look.
His mother looked concerned.
“Do you have to go today?
It’s already afternoon…”
“The seller is leaving the city tomorrow,” Luo Han said.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take the high-speed rail.
It only takes about an hour.”
His father thought for a moment and nodded.
“Go then, but be safe.
Do you have enough money?”
“Enough.
I have the Entitled subsidy now, and the gear is being traded with Points anyway.”
At 2:00 PM, Luo Han took a taxi to the train station and boarded the high-speed train to the provincial capital.
The carriage wasn’t crowded.
He took a window seat, watching the night-like landscape blur past the window at high speed.
Two hours later, he stood in the lobby of the Provincial AI Strategic Command Center.
This place was far more magnificent than the city-level branch.
The entire interior was a massive dome structure with countless holographic screens floating in the air, displaying real-time data streams.
Distribution of Entitled populations, countdowns for Collision World openings, anomaly energy monitoring alarms…
The trading zone occupied three vast underground levels and was incredibly bustling.
Luo Han stepped off the escalator into a wide circular space lined with dozens of semi-open stalls.
Some people were selling weapons shimmering with otherworldly light, others were displaying bizarre plants in transparent containers, and some were inviting customers to test various potions.
The seller he was looking for was in the innermost corner of the circular area.
He was a man who looked to be in his early thirties, wearing a gray jacket and sitting on a folding chair with his eyes closed.
Only three items sat on the stall before him: a pair of silver earrings, a dull shortsword, and an irregular crystal.
Luo Han walked over, his gaze landing on the earrings.
“Whispering Fairy Earrings, Purple quality.” The seller seemed to know exactly what he was looking at without even opening his eyes.
He blurted out the price: “240 Points.
No haggling.”
Luo Han crouched down and picked up the earrings.
The silver frames were ice-cold, and the amethyst stones embedded at the ends shimmered with a subtle glow under the lights.
Upon closer inspection, the interior of the crystals seemed to contain microscopic patterns slowly rotating.
[Equipment: Whispering Fairy Earrings] [Quality: Purple] [Effect: Contains the sealed power of fairies.
Can detect the Strength, Agility, and Intelligence attributes of targets within sight (Effect is reduced against targets with high concealment).]
“I’ll take them.
I inquired with you online earlier,” Luo Han said.
Only then did the seller open his eyes.
They were devoid of emotion.
He scanned Luo Han for two seconds before extending his left wrist, which bore deep blue patterns.
“Trade.”
Luo Han also extended his hand, pressing their wrists together.
The moment the pale gold patterns touched the deep blue ones, Luo Han heard the notification of the point transfer.
[Points -240]
After completing the ownership transfer at the trading zone’s notary office, Luo Han put the earrings on immediately.
He felt a slight prick in his earlobes.
This was followed by a warm, flowing sensation, as if something invisible was spreading through his blood vessels before gently “anchoring” behind his ears.
The fairy power was activated.
He looked at the seller and focused his mind.
[Target: Strength 19, Agility 18, Intelligence 20 (Some attributes are blurred by equipment interference)]
Intelligence 20—significantly higher than his own 14.
Having finished the trade, the seller became a bit more talkative.
“At your age, a newbie?
First time trading in the real world?”
“First time at the provincial center,” Luo Han said candidly.
“No wonder.” The seller pulled a small tablet from his jacket, unlocked it, and handed it to Luo Han.
“Since you were so straightforward, I’ll give you a little bonus.
I have some Green quality items here.
Here’s the list; pick one.
Consider it a token of friendship.”
The tablet listed over a dozen items: Poisoned Dagger, Hardened Leather Armor, Basic Healing Potion, Mental Protection Amulet…
Luo Han slid his finger across the screen and stopped at a sword.
[Broad-bladed Straight Sword (Green)] [Quality: Green] [Effect: Durability +1, slight increase in slashing power] [Remark: An entry-level weapon suitable for novice combat classes.
At least it won’t break in the middle of a fight.]
“This one,” Luo Han pointed at the sword.
“I happen to need something handy.”
The seller took the sword out of a coded case behind the stall and handed it to Luo Han.
The blade was thick and wide, the length moderate, and the hilt wrapped in non-slip material.
Luo Han took it and gave it a few swings.
The weight was right, and the balance was good.
Although it was only Green quality, it was much better than training weapons.
“Paying 240 Points for Purple gear…
sounds like you had quite a haul from your first world,” the seller said suddenly in a flat tone.
“But since I like your style, I’ll give you another tip.
The mana fluctuations on you are a bit conspicuous.
You’re concealing them well enough, but to an expert, you’re like a candle flickering in the dark.”
Luo Han’s heart tightened.
The seller pointed to a folded black cloak on his stall.
“Shadow Walker Cloak, Purple quality.
I’ll give it to you cheap: 210 Points.
It effectively masks your presence and lowers your visibility.
It’s not true invisibility, but it’s excellent for a newcomer.”
Luo Han looked at the cloak.
The fabric seemed ordinary, but close inspection revealed extremely fine silver patterns flowing slowly on the inside.
“Fine, I’ll take it.” After careful thought, Luo Han searched the app’s trading area and confirmed the price was fair.
Another transaction.
Their wrists pressed together, and the points were transferred.
[Points -210]
Luo Han donned the cloak immediately.
In that instant, he felt the surrounding light dim slightly.
The sound of his breathing and heartbeat became faint.
“The effect is indeed good,” the seller nodded.
“Well then, a pleasure doing business.
Contact me if you need anything else; I’m usually around the Provincial Strategic Command Center.”
He handed Luo Han an electronic business card.
An ID was projected on a light screen, followed by a string of encrypted contact info.
Luo Han accepted it, turned, and left, buying a few more small items at other stalls.
Finally, Luo Han walked out of the AI Strategic Command Center as the sun began to set.
He stood on the steps, draped in the black cloak, wearing the fairy earrings, with the newly bought broadsword hanging at his hip.
He had spent a lot of points, but two pieces of Purple gear were now in his possession.
Most importantly, he had this detection ability.
He turned to look at several Entitled entering and exiting the center, focusing his mind.
[Target A: Strength 7, Agility 9, Intelligence 3] [Target B: Strength 4, Agility 8, Intelligence 18] [Target C: Strength 25, Agility 18, Intelligence 10]
The numbers surfaced clearly in his mind.
The Whispering Fairy Earrings used a telepathic link to transmit the data directly to his consciousness.
Luo Han smiled—a genuine smile, carrying both relief and anticipation.
Aura, the previous owner of the Magic of Obedience, had already taught him through her own experience.
Luo Han pulled his cloak tighter, his figure blending into the crowds on the street.
If your eyesight isn’t good enough, don’t use the Magic of Obedience blindly.
But now, he had that “eyesight.” As for that “Lawful Good” system alignment…
“Being with Frieren did indeed give the Collision World the wrong impression.” A sudden gust of wind caught his cloak.
Luo Han headed toward the hover-train station.
“But I never thought of myself as someone who follows the rules.”
As Luo Han boarded the return train, he watched the neon lights of the distant city flicker.
He knew that night was falling.
The Blood Duel Club.
It would be an excellent starting point.
***
11:00 PM, outside the side entrance of an abandoned textile factory warehouse in the west of the city.
Two men in black vests stood guard on either side of the corrugated iron door.
One leaned against the wall smoking, while the other was looking down at his phone, scrolling through short videos.
The harsh, recorded laughter from his phone was jarringly loud in the silent industrial zone.
Luo Han stepped out from the shadows.
The Shadow Walker Cloak made his presence thin in the dim light.
The smoking man noticed the movement first.
He looked up alertly, reaching for a dagger tucked into his waistband.
“Who’s there?”
“I’m looking for someone.” Luo Han’s voice was calm.
He stopped five meters away from them.
“Looking for who?
This place isn’t open to those without an invite.” The man with the phone put it away and stood up straight.
The two of them flanked Luo Han, vaguely forming a pincer movement.
Luo Han focused his mind.
A warmth emanated from the fairy earring on his left ear.
[Target Zhao Li: Strength 14, Agility 12, Intelligence 8] [Target Wang Dong: Strength 11, Agility 15, Intelligence 7]
Their intelligence wasn’t high.
“Don’t worry, I mean no harm.”
As he spoke, he raised his right hand, palm facing the smoking man.
The power of the Magic of Obedience extended like invisible threads.
The smoking man’s body jerked.
His eyes went hollow instantly, and the cigarette dropped from his hand.
The invisible Scales of Obedience weighed their souls, but the process lasted only two seconds.
He shook his head, and his eyes cleared.
His expression toward Luo Han shifted from vigilance to confusion, then to a strange, fanatical zeal.
“Master,” he stammered.
“What are your orders?”
The man beside him felt his hair stand on end.
He turned to open the door and call for backup, but Luo Han had already accounted for this, having targeted the more agile one first.
“Hold him,” Luo Han commanded as he cast the spell again.
Magic of Obedience.
The other man was pinned just as he turned to open the door.
He was about to scream when he froze, then turned around and knelt.
He too gave up all resistance, standing up to say: “Master, what are your orders?”