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Chapter 8 – Qin, Eyes and Ears
That night, inside an old inn on the outskirts of a small town called Riverside, Lu Yuan lay sprawled across his bed. His eyes were half-closed, yet his mind was busy directing one of his newly created avatars.
"From now on, you're Qin," he murmured with a faint smile. "Your gaze is far too calm to go nameless."
The avatar—appearing as a pale young man with messy black hair—studied his reflection in the inn's cracked window. The face was identical to Lu Yuan's, but the aura it exuded was softer, calmer, carrying a hint of mystery.
"I am Qin…" the avatar whispered, as if testing how the name felt on his tongue.
[System Note: Avatar designated as Qin. Consciousness link stable.]
Lu Yuan chuckled inwardly. A simple name, but good enough. I'm not about to waste energy coming up with elaborate names for each avatar. Imagine if I end up with ten or twenty… I'd need to publish a dictionary just to keep track.
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Riverside
Riverside wasn't a large city, but its position along the river made it strategic. After the meteor shower, the place had changed drastically. The river that once seemed ordinary now shimmered faintly each night, as though dark energy flowed through its waters.
People from all directions had begun to gather. Some came to trade, others to study, and many simply to seek shelter. The streets buzzed with merchants' cries, the hammering of blacksmiths, and hushed whispers about the "new energy" that could make men stronger.
Qin moved slowly through the crowd, sharp eyes taking in every detail. He was never in a rush; Lu Yuan's consciousness was well-practiced in watching first and acting later.
"Hmm. Compared to that barter camp, this place is far more organized. Factions already stake their claims. If I'm careless, I'll get dragged into petty politics."
[System Suggestion: gather baseline intelligence. Priorities—alternative cultivation paths, energy-market activity, nearby monster presence.]
"Yes, yes, I know. Spare me the nagging, Manas," Qin muttered softly, as if speaking to himself.
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A Tavern's Whisper
Qin entered a smoky, crowded tavern. He took a seat in the corner and ordered a bowl of meat soup—though what beast the meat came from was anyone's guess. Its sharp, iron-like smell stung his nose, but with the first bite he felt faint dark energy seep into the avatar's body.
"Interesting. So monster flesh really can accelerate evolution. Not efficient, but decent enough for common folk."
Before long, two men at the neighboring table started talking loudly. Qin sharpened his ears.
"Did you hear about that lunatic? The one trying to copy magic from old novels?"
"You're serious? Magic? That's fairy tale nonsense."
"That's what I thought. But I saw it with my own eyes. He drew strange symbols on the ground and bam!—a flame burst out! Not big, sure, but no way it was an accident."
The first man leaned in, whispering. "He calls it… a spell."
Qin nearly choked on his soup. "Oho? Now this is interesting."
[Warning: early indications of a new cultivation path detected.]
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The Mad Experiment
The following night, Qin followed a trail of rumors to an abandoned warehouse on the town's edge. Inside, a small crowd had gathered around a gaunt, hollow-eyed man. His clothes were ragged, but his gaze burned with fanatical intensity.
"Long ago, humans dreamed of magic and immortality!" the man shouted. "They called it fantasy. But look around—the skies have changed, dark energy fills the air, meteors awaken spiritual force! If we can shape it through patterns and symbols, then magic is no dream—it is real!"
Cheers erupted from the crowd—some thrilled, others uncertain.
The man crouched, chalk in hand, and drew a complex design across the floor. At its center, he set a shard of faintly glowing green stone. Qin recognized it instantly.
"Spiritual stone… so they've already uncovered them here too?"
Closing his eyes, the man muttered incantations while channeling dark energy into the symbols. Light shimmered across the chalk, and then—
FWOOSH!
A flame the size of a fist burst into existence, hovering in midair.
The crowd gasped. Some cried out in awe, others stumbled back in fear.
Qin's eyes narrowed. "Not a parlor trick. He's really transforming dark energy into fire… though it's clearly unstable."
And indeed, moments later—
BOOM!
The flame exploded. Black smoke choked the room, sending people into coughing fits.
The gaunt man hacked violently, yet laughed between coughs. "Hahaha! Do you see?! This is only the beginning! I will forge a path of magic for mankind!"
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Qin Watches
Qin neither cheered nor recoiled. Silent, he remained in the shadows, memorizing every detail. All the data was stored, then relayed back to Lu Yuan's true body.
"Lu Yuan, I think I've just found a madman with frightening potential. If this path takes root, the world will only grow more chaotic."
Back in the inn, Lu Yuan's true body chuckled lazily. "Heh. Interesting. If magic really takes form, maybe I'll craft an avatar dedicated to studying it. But not yet. Let that fanatic serve as the guinea pig for now."
Qin stifled a smile, lowered his gaze, and slipped away into the night—unnoticed by anyone.
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Factions in the Making
Yet Qin knew such experiments wouldn't remain secret for long. Riverside was already fracturing into factions:
The Merchant Faction, eager to monopolize resources.
The Local Militia, remnants of soldiers clinging to order.
The Researchers, zealots obsessed with the new energies.
And the gaunt fanatic clearly belonged to the researchers.
"Heh. The factions are forming. It's only a matter of time before they start tearing each other apart for control of this city." Qin's lips curved in a faint smile as he vanished into the night's shadows.
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End of Chapter
When Qin returned to the inn, he paused before the window once more, staring at his reflection. "I am Qin, avatar of Lu Yuan. Eyes and ears in this city."
But deep inside, Lu Yuan only sighed. "Just don't stir up too much trouble before I'm ready. One talking stone gorilla is already more than enough to give me a headache."
[System Note: New cultivation path detected—probable "Magic." Status: unstable.]
Outside the window, the moon loomed larger than usual, casting its pale glow across a sky filled with alien stars. The world continued to shift and evolve… and Lu Yuan could only watch, preparing himself through his avatars.