The previous game interface was on a screen, but now, it hovered in front of Li Ang.
He reached out but couldn't touch it, and wherever he looked, these panels would display; they wouldn't pass through objects or be obstructed by other things, indicating they were directly displayed in his mind rather than floating in the air.
A decade may pass in the blink of an eye for some people, but for Li Ang, who had experienced a long adventure, it was indeed lengthy.
He had completely lost touch with how to operate a game interface.
With a mix of apprehension and anticipation, he cautiously swiped through these panels, and after a while, he finally grasped the basic operation methods.
The entire world seemed annotated; as soon as his gaze landed on something, various information would emerge.
Like the common herb beside him.
[Calming Flower]
[A blossom nurtured by the Earth]
[Tier: 1]
[Spirituality: Calms the heart, alleviates pain, assists in healing]
[Purpose: Herb, Alchemy, Casting Materials]
Also, there was a dark blue stone on the riverbank.
[Water Mist Stone]
[A gemstone formed by condensing Essence of Water]
[Tier: 1]
[Spirituality: Preserves Water Element]
[Purpose: Equipment Creation [Can Be Smelted], Alchemy, Casting Materials]
Can a Water Mist Stone be smelted? Won't the Water Element escape?
The information provided by the panel included things he already knew and some he hadn't even thought of, which previously required him to experiment to obtain.
As Li Ang wished to check other panels of the system, footsteps resounded on the road outside the house.
He looked outside, and a slender figure bounced towards the cottage.
Normally, no one would come to the forest area where he lived.
He looked intently at the visitor and found it was a girl.
She appeared to be fifteen or sixteen years old, not very tall, but she had a sleek, balanced figure. Her chestnut, slightly curly shoulder-length hair bounced briskly with her stride, exuding vigor.
Perhaps due to frequently facing the warm sun of the Flos Sky Realm, her skin, instead of showing its naturally delicate snowy texture, exhibited a healthy blush, adding a trace of profound allure to her exquisite features.
Her dress looked worn out from washing, with various edges slightly deformed, but instead, it accentuated her elongated neck, taut shoulders, and slender yet strong arms and legs.
She is...
Li Ang noticed that she wasn't an ordinary countryside girl, not just because of her striking beauty but also due to her protective gear.
Her right shoulder to her arm was covered with light armor convenient for movement, its metal had a muted matte, appearing of superior quality.
And the round knee under the dress hem, along with a segment of snow-white calf, was tucked into deep brown leather boots. The alteration of the dress, these boots seemed worn a long time, but the surface stains weren't damage signs—just due to infrequent cleaning.
The young lady also had a sword sheath hanging at her waist, the curvature of the sword hilt and hand guard seemed carefully crafted.
Could there be such a person on this island?
Satus Island is typically rural, covering about four thousand hectares, without rare resources so it only has one village set in flat terrain, self-sufficient.
Li Ang's cottage is built on the island's other side amidst the mountain forest; at first, since he just crossed over and lacked physical strength, he couldn't travel far, so survived in the wilderness, until much later discovering the village on the opposite side of the island.
He had little communication with the islanders, knowing their lives were monotonous with no exploring desire, it was tough departing Satus Island.
Could there have been some change on the island during the ten years I was away?
As Li Ang was puzzled, the girl arrived at the front of the house and confronted him.
"Ah!" She gasped first, her voice crisp, the end tone was soft.
"Who!"
The girl frowned, perhaps in discontent or merely startled.
Just then, a panel appeared before Li Ang, displaying the girl's information.
[Name: Zoe]
[Race: Unknown]
[Profession: Swordsman, Tier 2.]
[Summoned Beast: ?]
[Energy Source: ?]
[Equipment: Sootsteel Bracers, Tier 3. Desert Beast Leather Boots, Tier 3. Wind Breath Sword [Treasure Artifact], Tier 3.]
[Secret Technique: Professional Secret Technique - Gale Slash]
[Skills: Swordsman [Strong Physique, Morale Boost]]
A Tier 2 swordsman? Tier 3 equipment? Treasure Artifacts?
Li Ang was truly surprised now.
In this world, the strength of all individuals is limited by world rules, capped at Tier 10.
This isn't a world where Qi Refining and Refining True Essence are internal, where power returned unto oneself could move mountains and fill seas.
High Tier professionals master "skills," which are deep applications of magic power.
To achieve powerful destruction, besides strong professional skills, alignment with Summoned Beast, Energy Source, and Equipment is like the barrel theory.
Every three tiers is a realm with qualitative changes, within the realm, only quantitative improvements occur.
Tiers 1—3 belong to the Mortal Realm.
If common citizens forge weapons poorly, they won't even possess a tier.
The general militia and soldiers can only use Tier 1 equipment with faint magic power, very sturdy, capable of destroying things without magic protection.
The majority of adventurers among cloud seas wield Tier 2 equipment, simply superior to Tier 1 performance, possibly won't wear out for many years.
Only seasoned veterans who achieve certain accomplishments use Tier 3, as the highest tier of the Mortal Realm; its material hardness has reached the peak, going further the equipment will have peculiar functions.
Some adventurers even enter the Tier 4 Transcendent Realm, capable of using energy devices, still using Tier 3 equipment.
The young girl in front is overly young, and on such an island devoid of foundation, she wears Tier 3 equipment.
That would be okay, but more outrageous is the Treasure Artifacts weapon...
"Why are you in my house?" the girl asked.
Coming back to his senses, Li Ang looked behind then at the girl before him.
"Your house?"
"Yes, this is my secret base."
The girl walked up front, hands on hips, looking up at the unfamiliar Li Ang, her eyes mixed with curiosity.
"This is my home."
Li Ang stroked the wooden walls with a chuckle; the timber for the house, the dry grass and soil filling the gaps, were all pieced together by him bit by bit.
"Your home? What are you talking about, the house was deserted before I arrived. Ah, unless..."
The girl wasn't pleased initially but while speaking, seemed to realize something.
"The house always has an owner, the owner has now returned," Li Ang said.
No wonder he felt weird about the house; it wasn't strange the forest cottage was dust-free because of the dampness here, but it also wasn't moldy or covered in moss. Inside, some things felt uncommon compared to before.
Turns out someone had lived here, this girl before him.
He scrutinized her, but she unwittingly stepped back.
"My name is Li Ang."
Li Ang introduced himself.
The house was his, so he would reclaim it, but given it was well-kept, from this he felt grateful to her, thus projecting a friendly demeanor.
However, the girl pursed her lips, didn't say much, and retreated while turning, quickly running away.