Inside a dimly lit tent, illuminated by flickering candlelight.
Lin Henry tossed the bronze die in his hand.
A line of intelligence appeared before his eyes.
[On Dragon's Nest Mountain, there is a prismatic Spirit Dew Flower that can win the favor of Senior Alchemist Lady Liliana (+2 points)]
[William Henry, the eldest son of the family, has long harbored jealousy towards you. He is plotting to eliminate you and become the primary heir (+3 points)]
[The knight in your team, Antonio, has been bribed by William. He has conspired with local bandits to attack the camp tonight and kill you (+4 points)]
"Heh, William wants to kill me? That's quite the elaborate plan! But if it were that easy, then what was the point of me transmigrating?" Lin Henry sneered coldly.
That's right — he was one of the many transmigrators from Blue Star. In his past life, he had been hit by a truck while crossing the street after working late into the night. With his last breath, he had just enough time to delete his browser history before dying. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a fantastical world of dragons, knights, magic, and orcs.
He had become the sixth grandson of Duke Henry of the Lionheart Kingdom — a natural-born "Number Six." Born into nobility, he was raised with a silver spoon in his mouth, living in absolute luxury. But in such a large family, competition was intense. Thanks to the advantage of being a transmigrator, Lin Henry quickly stood out among his peers and gained the favor of his grandfather, the Duke.
All outstanding male members of the Henry family were appointed by the kingdom as frontier lords upon turning eighteen. They were sent to the kingdom's borders to expand territory and build their own legacy — a golden opportunity for career advancement and even a potential claim to the family's inheritance. Both Lin Henry and William Henry received the royal decree to begin their expedition in the Wildlands, starting from nothing to build their own power.
The Wildlands were a harsh and dangerous borderland, rife with bandits, orc tribes, and dragons. Many pioneer lords had perished before even reaching their assigned lands. Due to the rules of the trial, Lin Henry could only bring a trusted old butler and a squad of knight guards. The journey had been fraught with peril.
But fortunately, as a transmigrator, Lin Henry had his own cheat — a golden finger. On his eighteenth birthday, the bronze die appeared out of nowhere. Its name was: The Die of Fate!
It was made of something resembling bronze, with six rust-covered, mottled faces — clearly ancient. Its power was also related to fate — more specifically, the ability to peek into fate and foresee intelligence. Lin Henry could roll the die once per day. The number that faced upward determined how many pieces of intelligence he received. Each clue was centered on Lin Henry himself, ranging widely in scope and varying in value, from 1 point to 6 points.
In addition to this basic function, Lin Henry had also deduced a kind of "pity system." Every time he rolled the die, the value of the intelligence would be added to an internal "Fate Score." When the score reached 10 points, it would trigger a minor guaranteed roll, ensuring that the next throw would produce a clue worth at least 5 points. If the score reached 100 points, it would be entirely consumed to trigger a major guaranteed roll — a whisper from the Goddess of Fate herself, offering guidance worth far more than 6 points.
Over the past few days of travel, Lin Henry had already triggered one minor guaranteed roll, which yielded great benefits. And in just a few more days, his Fate Score would reach 100, allowing him to trigger the major guarantee and receive the divine whisper.
"I'm already making a killing with the minor ones. Once I hit the major roll, I'm going to soar," Lin Henry said expectantly.
His attention returned to the present. The three clues he had just received were extremely valuable.
"A senior alchemist is always a rare asset, no matter where you are. I must make a trip to Dragon's Nest Mountain and get that spirit herb. But first, I have tonight's mess to clean up," Lin Henry said, shifting the topic.
Though William Henry was technically his elder brother, the two were half-brothers with nothing but hostility between them. Antonio was Lin Henry's head knight — a Bronze-grade 9-star warrior. Aside from the old butler Ryan, who hid his true strength, Antonio was the strongest in the party on the surface. Lin hadn't expected William to bribe Antonio to assassinate him. As they say, the most dangerous enemies are the ones closest to you. The plan was meticulous and had a decent chance of success.
"But too bad — I've got cheats!" With the help of the Die of Fate, Lin Henry already knew the entire plot between William and Antonio. Now, it was his turn to set the board.
…
Night fell. The party made camp in a canyon. Through the rolled-up flap of the tent, Lin Henry saw ten knights sitting around a bonfire. They were roasting meat and exclaiming:
"Smells amazing. This brocade-haired boar is delicious!"
"Of course it is. Even noble lords rarely get to taste something like this!"
"Our lord is impressive — he got the urge to hunt and just happened to catch such a rare beast!"
"Hahaha, maybe our lord really can foresee the future!"
At the mention of "foresee the future," Antonio, who was happily munching, suddenly stiffened. His eyes flickered with guilt — like a thief caught in the act.
Old butler Ryan entered the tent and presented the most tender, juicy plate of roast meat to Lin Henry.
"My lord, please enjoy."
"Mm." Lin Henry nodded, then gestured for Ryan to come closer. Ryan had served him since childhood. A Silver-grade 3-star warrior, he was loyal and trustworthy — the only one Lin Henry could truly rely on.
After a whispered conversation, Ryan left the tent with an unchanged expression, as if nothing had happened. But deep in his eyes, a cold killing intent flashed briefly when he looked toward Antonio.
Midnight.
Lin Henry, Ryan, and the others appeared to be fast asleep. The rest of the knights were snoring loudly. Antonio, who was on night watch by the bonfire, quietly left the camp and met up with the bandits who had been lying in wait nearby — also bribed by William.
Their leader was a scar-faced man with Bronze-grade 7-star strength. He carried a chipped broadsword and radiated killing intent. His subordinates were a mixed bunch, ranging from Bronze to Black Iron level.
Seeing Antonio approach, the scarred man and his gang grinned viciously.
"After this job, we'll be rich and living the good life, heh heh heh!"
Though uneasy, Antonio was tempted by William's promised rewards. He warned the bandits:
"When you raid the camp, distract old butler Ryan and the knight squad. I'll rush into the tent and kill Lin Henry. Got it?"
The scar-faced man waved impatiently.
"Yeah, yeah, enough talk. Let's get on with it! I can't wait to get paid and start living large, heh heh heh!"
"Live large? Too bad — that chance is gone for good!"
Suddenly — a voice rang out with mocking laughter.
Lin Henry, Ryan, and the other nine Bronze-grade knights appeared, surrounding Antonio and the bandit crew completely!
"We're surrounded?!" the scarred man froze.
Antonio's face was full of disbelief.
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible!"
"When did I get exposed?"