"The first deal has been successfully completed."
As the long night gradually retreated and dawn crept over the horizon, Lu Nian finalized his very first transaction. His inaugural guest—Ryoma Takeuchi—had made a new choice for his life and stepped onto a completely different destiny.
Ryoma had given up the painting skills he had cultivated for over a decade, along with the youthful dream he once clung to so stubbornly. In exchange, he received practical knowledge and abilities that would guarantee him food, shelter, and stability for the rest of his life.
A fair deal.
"Level-2 painting skills are worth two Origin Points," Lu Nian murmured, examining the cards in his hand. "And the dream of one's youth… five points."
For the Pure White Space, this amount of primordial power was insignificant—little more than a drop of water in a vast ocean. Yet Lu Nian's smile was impossible to suppress.
Because this proved one thing.
His idea worked.
From the moment he realized that the Pure White Space had been forced into a premature state due to his own integration, Lu Nian had been searching for a way to ensure its continued growth. By combining the world's innate essence with his own reasoning and intuition, he finally discovered a path forward—one that could continuously provide the nutrients required for a world to mature.
The unit of value Ryoma had seen earlier—Origin—was the core system Lu Nian had personally established.
Origin.
Short for Original Power—the force of the root, the beginning of all things and the destination of all endings. It was both one and everything, a unique existence that could only be produced by a world itself.
Although the current Pure White Space was still at the level of a "fertilized egg," unable to nurture its own civilization or race, the foundational authorities that belonged to a world had already begun to awaken. More importantly, the Pure White Space possessed abilities that were uniquely its own.
Lu Nian could conduct transactions at the conceptual level.
Abilities, emotions, memories, knowledge, skills—甚至 existence itself, including self-awareness and identity—everything had an intrinsic value. As long as the customer was willing, anything could be traded.
And everything obtained through these transactions would be converted into Origin, feeding the growth of the Pure White Space.
Having verified the feasibility of this system, Lu Nian felt a surge of satisfaction. This method—born from his own thinking—was elegant, efficient, and terrifyingly effective.
Perfect.
However, his joy lasted only a few seconds.
When he thought about the sheer amount of Origin required for the Pure White Space to truly grow, a familiar headache returned. Worse still, there was an immediate and practical problem—
He had nothing left to sell.
At present, Lu Nian could only be described with one word: poor.
To test his hypothesis, he had already used up nearly all the skills and knowledge he possessed from his previous life. Until he acquired new "goods," there was nothing left he could offer to potential customers.
"Life is really hard," he sighed.
Watching the sun rise fully into the sky, Lu Nian looked up and let out a long breath. Then he patted his cheeks lightly, forcing himself to refocus.
Complaining wouldn't help. He still needed to work—after all, this was essentially earning "milk powder money" for himself. As the Pure White Space continued to grow, the required resources would only increase. Only when it matured enough to give birth to its own lifeforms could it become self-sustaining.
As for promoting the world to an even higher level in the future…
Lu Nian decisively stopped thinking about it. The pressure was enough to crush him already.
"Alright," he muttered. "First things first—let's understand this world."
Leaving the park, Lu Nian blended effortlessly into the nearby streets. He quietly observed the buildings, traffic, and passersby. Judging from what he'd seen so far, this world's technological level seemed roughly comparable to that of his previous life.
Still, he remained cautious.
Different worlds developed along different paths. A civilization that looked ordinary on the surface might suddenly pull out something absurd—giant humanoid weapons, biomechanical monsters, or technology straight out of science fiction.
After wandering for several hours, Lu Nian relied shamelessly on his good looks to ask directions from a few enthusiastic girls and finally located a library. Once inside, he headed straight for the history section.
If he wanted to understand a new world, history was the best starting point.
By afternoon, Lu Nian had finished reading all the historical records in the library. He didn't stop there—he also thoroughly studied the languages and geography of the entire world.
"Based on what's recorded," he concluded, "this is a technology-dominated world without overt supernatural powers… but there are too many suspicious points."
From the upper floor, Lu Nian gazed down at the people below. Most spoke Chinese, while a portion used the Sakura language. According to historical records, this region—Cherry Blossom Province—had always been part of China. The Sakura language functioned more like a regional dialect, much like Cantonese had in his previous life.
Beyond that, there were countless inconsistencies buried within the records.
Lu Nian chose not to investigate further. He was a store manager, not a detective. Right now, his priority was much simpler.
He needed goods.
"It's decided," he said quietly. "I'll set up the store first. Then I'll start stocking inventory."
Recalling the map he had memorized, Lu Nian activated his ability. His body gradually turned illusory, fading from physical existence. Several girls who had been secretly glancing his way rubbed their eyes in disbelief, unsure whether they'd imagined his disappearance.
In this state, Lu Nian resembled a soul—capable of flight and passing through solid matter. Unless he wished otherwise, ordinary people were incapable of perceiving him at all.
A true ghost.
He suspected this ability was a lingering effect from the period when he had existed purely as a soul before merging with the Pure White Space.
When starlight began to scatter across the night sky once more, Lu Nian stopped above a stretch of ocean. Below him lay a cluster of uninhabited islands—silent, remote, and untouched.
This was his destination.
The Pure White Space was still little more than emptiness. Although he could have opened the door connecting different worlds immediately after anchoring himself, Lu Nian deliberately chose to wait.
For this moment.
"Time to work," he said, eyes gleaming faintly. "Tonight, I'll gather the materials, build the store overnight, and make sure I finally have a place to receive guests."
_____________________
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