Of course, the person Victor encountered near the card table was none other than Qingque, who was skilled at slacking off and playing Celestial Jade, and had the nickname 'Slacker Qingque'.
Unfortunately, this so-called acquaintance was a one-way street: he knew her, but she didn't know him.
Out of curiosity for the in-game character, Victor moved closer for a look.
The player who lost the round glumly took out their Jade Abacus.
"Qingque, your luck is way too good today."
Qingque proudly lifted her head, hands on her hips.
"Of course! I did a divination for myself before coming out today. The hexagram showed that I'm having 'a stroke of immense luck'!"
Another player teased:
"Qingque, using divination arts for this... aren't you afraid Master Diviner Fu will give you trouble?"
Qingque waved her hand dismissively, unconcerned.
"The Master Diviner is swamped with work every day. How could she have the spare time to come watch us play Celestial Jade?"
Seeing the player who lost the round start to pack up their personal belongings, Qingque quickly stopped him.
"Why are you getting ready to leave so early today?"
The player spread his hands with a frustrated look.
"I've lost all the money I brought today to you. If I don't leave now, I'll lose my underwear to you next."
"Uh... alright, then. See you tomorrow."
Being as smart as she was, Qingque naturally understood the principle of not draining the pond to catch all the fish.
And so, the player left in a hurry, as if fleeing a disaster.
"It's still early. Shall we continue?"
Qingque looked at the other two players.
"I've got soup simmering at home. Let's continue another day, another day."
"My great-aunt's second brother-in-law's wife's uncle's wife just had a baby. I have to rush over to the Alchemy Commission to check on them."
Seeing that Qingque was on a hot streak today, the other two players quickly waved the white flag, making up random excuses to flee the scene.
"Hey! Don't you all leave!"
The game dissolved on the spot, leaving a frustrated Qingque alone at the table.
Just then, Qingque noticed Victor watching from the side, and her eyes lit up.
"Hey, little bro, want to play a round of Celestial Jade?"
Victor quickly waved his hands, refusing without hesitation.
"Sorry, I don't like playing cards."
Before he transmigrated, Victor had personally witnessed a relative lose their entire fortune and family to gambling. Since then, he had kept his distance from it.
Seeing Victor's firm stance, Qingque didn't press the matter and ran off to find other players. After all, this area was full of bored Xianzhou natives; if you won't play and he won't play, someone else will.
Victor had only come over out of curiosity for Qingque. Seeing her so engrossed in gambling, he suddenly found it rather dull.
Watching others play cards was less interesting than going home to continue his simulations.
Victor turned and left.
Back at his residence, Victor immediately found a comfortable position to lie down in and opened the simulation interface.
Because the intermediate difficulty of Jingliu's script was too high and he was stuck, Victor could only start a brand new script.
The familiar gacha-like animation played, and a card landed in Victor's hand.
A cyan dress, a smile brimming with youthful vitality, one hand holding a Celestial Jade tile high in the air...
Victor raised an eyebrow, a strange smile appearing on his face.
"Well, what a coincidence~"
That's right, the second associated character Victor drew was none other than Qingque, whom he had just met!
Compared to Jingliu's legendary resume, Qingque's was much simpler.
To put it simply, she was just an 'ordinary' diviner from the Xianzhou Luofu's Divination Commission who loved to slack off.
Of course, that was just the opinion of most uninformed people.
In reality, she was extremely talented in the art of divination and highly valued by Fu Xuan, the head of the Divination Commission. If nothing unexpected happened, Qingque was Fu Xuan's hand-picked successor for the title of Master Diviner.
However, just as Jing Yuan liked to make grand promises to Fu Xuan in the name of 'training', Fu Xuan also frequently dumped heavy responsibilities onto Qingque.
"[Choose this script for simulation? (Script Difficulty: Beginner)]"
Victor no longer hesitated and directly chose 'Yes'.
Just like last time, the system displayed an interface.
"[Please select two initial Traits. After the script simulation ends, you may keep one for free as a permanent Trait.]"
The slight difference was that Victor now already had one Trait and was no longer a blank slate.
Soon, the system presented several options.
"[God of Gamblers (Gold): Your gambling skills have reached a state of perfection. Whether it's poker, mahjong, dice, or any other gambling tool, they are like toys in your hands. At the gambling table, you are an invincible god! (Comes with exclusive God of Gamblers BGM)] (This Trait is a bonus for the beginner difficulty and cannot be selected for retention upon completion)"
"[Natural Born Villain (Green): When you commit evil acts, your success rate is slightly increased.]"
"[Loves Drinking (White): You enjoy drinking very much and have a high tolerance for alcohol. Can be paired with 'Drunken' series Traits to slightly enhance their effects.]"
"[Handsome Visage (White): You have a handsome appearance, making it easier to gain others' favor.]"
"[Focused (White): You maintain a high level of concentration in everything you do.]"
The mandatory Gold 'God of Gamblers' went without saying, so Victor focused his attention on the other Traits.
When he saw the second Trait, he was instantly dumbfounded.
This system was dead set on corrupting him.
Victor quickly looked at the third Trait.
The first part of the third Trait was relatively normal, but the latter part was a bit strange.
Victor then clicked on the detailed description to understand that the so-called 'Drunken' series Traits were things like Drunken Fist, Drunken Spear, and Drunken Sword, all belonging to a martial arts style.
Although it looked interesting, martial arts styles were only effective in the early stages and could only be used to bully ordinary people.
In the world of Honkai: Star Rail, Paths are fundamental; all other methods are minor tricks.
Understanding this point, Victor immediately dismissed this Trait in his mind.
Victor then looked at the fourth Trait.
It had to be said, every world was one where looks mattered. An outstanding appearance was a huge bonus.
However, Victor himself was already very handsome, and since this was just a White Trait, its effect wouldn't be significant. So, this Trait was also ruled out.
Victor looked at the last Trait.
After reading the description, Victor hesitated.
If 'Natural Born Villain' hadn't been an option, he would have chosen 'Focused' without hesitation.
But thinking about this damn system's tendencies... Victor hesitated again and again, but ultimately chose 'Natural Born Villain'.
As for the other Trait, despite his aversion to gambling, Victor still chose 'God of Gamblers (Gold)' without a second thought.
Based on the previous two scripts with Jingliu, Victor could basically conclude that this Gold Trait was custom-made for the beginner script. It was a perfect fit for the scenario, and its purpose was to significantly reduce the simulation's difficulty.
In the early stages, he was flat broke. To pass the script smoothly, this custom Trait was practically a must-pick.
After making his selections, Victor couldn't help but complain to himself.
This damn system is really putting me through the wringer...
Since it's come to this, I suppose I have no choice but to reluctantly become a villain.
As he was complaining, the simulation began.
______
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