The system politely bid farewell after displaying the long list of rewards and titles. Then Bai Liu's small TV went out with a pop. By that time, however, many viewers had already gathered in front of it, marveling and discussing excitedly.
"Newcomer? A pure newcomer? I'm completely shocked. The newcomers these days are too strong. The instance clearance rewards have been broadcasting for ten whole minutes…"
"That isn't even the most impressive part. Didn't you notice that he collected the entire monster book? Many great gods can't complete the monster book even when clearing the true ending!"
"I already purchased his video to watch it. I bet it's going to be amazing!"
"Me too! I'm really shocked. Such a long list of rewards and more than 10,000 charged points. How did he do it?"
"I'm more curious about where those 1,000 people stepping on him came from. Logically speaking, his clearance data is excellent. How could anyone possibly step on it?"
The purchase count of Bai Liu's Siren Town game video shot up rapidly, with hundreds of copies sold in an instant.
This was the reason everyone wanted to come to the core area. The audience here was generous, and their thinking was relatively rational. Bai Liu had already cleared the instance and appeared here. Some people were willing to spend dozens of points to buy the video just to see what type of monster—or what kind of potential newcomer—he was. Someone had once calculated that the number of charged points obtainable from a promotion position in the core area could reach the thousands.
Wang Shun reluctantly looked at Bai Liu's dark screen. "God Mu, when do you think Bai Liu will enter the game next? Do you think he'll choose single-player games? I kind of want to wait in front of his small TV."
"Why ask me? How would I know?" Mu Sicheng narrowed his eyes. "Bai Liu should've logged out in the newcomer area. You can go there and catch him to ask directly. Right now, his mental value hasn't recovered, so his mind probably isn't clear. If you take advantage of that to improve his impression of you, he might be willing to take you along to play games in the future."
"God Mu, you are really…" Wang Shun's expression was complicated. "So shameless…"
"Aren't you going?" Mu Sicheng didn't care about the accusation. He shrugged and smiled wickedly, though the image was ruined by the lollipop bulging one side of his cheek. "I'm very curious about his newcomer skill."
"The first player among a batch of newcomers to clear an instance will receive a newcomer skill. The system conceals this skill, and it's said to be linked to the player's true desires. I'd like to know what Bai Liu's desires are."
Wang Shun was indeed curious, but he also had doubts. "Under normal circumstances, everyone knows that this type of thing should be kept secret, right? Bai Liu shouldn't tell us."
"His mental value is only 0.1 right now. Do you think he's normal?" Mu Sicheng looked at Wang Shun innocently. "It would be a miracle if he isn't crazy when he comes out. I think he'll be unstable and definitely not sober. Why can't we just pretend to be system staff and trick it out of him?"
Wang Shun: "..."
God Mu, you're such a gangster.
Bai Liu came out covered in water. He was completely soaked, and his eyes were unfocused, as if covered by a layer of frosted glass. The world spun around him as he tried to stand. He had to hold onto the wall, gasping as he struggled to recover his strength. It felt like his blood sugar was low, so he squatted down—but the moment he did, his legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground. After sitting for a while, Bai Liu tried several times to stand but failed. In the end, he simply slumped against the wall.
"I'm really weak," Bai Liu sighed inwardly.
There was no one at the entrance of the newcomer area. After all, none of the other players had cleared the game except him. Bai Liu took advantage of the quiet to rest and organize the rewards and items he had obtained.
His guess had been correct: the rewards from collecting the monster book were indeed the "biggest." This type of "bigness" didn't mean that every item was extraordinary. For example, Stealth in the Sea and Statue's Shell were fairly ordinary items that increased panel attributes. As a game designer, Bai Liu found such items extremely commonplace.
Nevertheless, he considered them the greatest rewards because they couldn't be purchased with points in the game store.
Bai Liu had searched several times but couldn't find any items in the store corresponding to his rewards. This meant that the monster book items were non-marketable and classified as limited items. In other words, they couldn't be obtained through the game store. They could only be acquired by clearing the game or through transactions between players outside the system.
However, the monster book was obviously difficult to complete, which meant obtaining these items through gameplay alone was challenging. As a result, some players likely relied on the second method—private transactions between players. There were probably quite a few such people.
In other words, Bai Liu realized he could fetch an astonishing price if he chose to sell these items. Even so, he wouldn't sell them—not now, at least, when he needed to improve his basic attributes. He wouldn't part with his monster book items so easily.
The item Bai Liu valued most was naturally the Mermaid Amulet, which functioned as an escape item.
As for the Siren King's Reverse Scale, the system had directly stated that its effect was unknown. The Siren's Fishbone offered a vague explanation that it could tear through space and time, but Bai Liu would have to explore its specific function himself. These two items weren't rated by the system; instead, they were marked as "unclear." When Bai Liu clicked on the supplementary explanation, it bluntly informed him that the system was unable to evaluate them.
"The system can't evaluate it?" Bai Liu sighed. "This system really doesn't work."
What Bai Liu didn't know was that these two items came from a god-level NPC—an existence that was originally a string of bug data beyond the system's calculations. It was understandably difficult for the system to assess objects derived from such anomalous data.
Bai Liu continued reviewing his rewards until he reached the end and discovered a very intriguing "personal skill reward" marked as "unlocked." Curious, he clicked on the word "unlocked" twice. The interface slowly faded, and a new page appeared.
[Please close your eyes and imagine what you want.]
Bai Liu closed his eyes, clasped his hands together, and muttered piously three times, "Money, money, money."
[The player may now open their eyes to receive the skill.]
Bai Liu opened his eyes and saw a worn-out leather wallet floating in front of him. It looked like it had been used for over ten years. The edges were frayed and white, the leather was cracked, and the braided stitching inside was exposed. It was the same wallet he had been reluctant to throw away despite using it for so long.
This was his new skill?
[Player Bai Liu's skill item: Empty Old Wallet (It seems to have been used for a long time, yet the owner is still reluctant to discard it. This clearly shows how stingy the owner is with money.)]
[Player Bai Liu's skill identity: Poor Wanderer(Unemployed, penniless, and your rent is about to expire. It seems you have no choice but to wander the streets.)]
Bai Liu: "..."
Was this skill meant to attack other people's poverty (such as his own)?
[System: Of course not.]
[Player Bai Liu's skill: You can use anything in your possession to trade with others. As long as the other party promises to give you something, you can place it in your wallet.]
[The other party's skills, points, items, life, and even their soul and beliefs can all be converted into coins and stored in your wallet, becoming tools at your disposal. You are the devil's trader, a seemingly destitute tramp. However, anyone who trades with you can sell everything they own.]
[You may have nothing now, but you will possess everything in the future. Your desire for money is endless. Sooner or later, you will own the wealthiest wallet in the world—even if it is filled with the souls of the helpless.]
[Skill Usage: Transaction. Once both parties agree to a transaction, it cannot be revoked. Items obtained from a person cannot be sold back to that same person. If one party dies during the transaction, the soul of the party who failed to fulfill their obligations will be detained in the wallet.]
"Wow." Bai Liu was intrigued. "This skill sounds rather inhumane."
[System: Do you dislike this skill?]
"No." Bai Liu smiled. "On the contrary, I like it very much. It suits me. May I ask—if the other party doesn't know I have this skill, is the transaction still valid?"
[System: If a coin relationship is established between both parties and a coin enters the item wallet at least once, the transaction is valid.]
"A coin relationship?" Bai Liu stroked his chin. "For example?"
[System: For example, if you want someone's item, you can use a coin from your wallet to purchase it. It doesn't matter whether he knows you possess this skill or whether he genuinely intends to agree. The moment he accepts your coin, the transaction is established, and the item becomes yours.]
"Even if I jokingly offer to buy an expensive item for 1 point, it will be established as long as the other party agrees?" Bai Liu's smile widened.
[System: Yes.]
"Tsk, this skill is truly shameless," Bai Liu commented sincerely. "Still, I can't wait to try it."
[System: Your current points balance is 15,781. Would you like to fully transfer it into your wallet?]
Bai Liu nodded. "Put it in."
-----------------
After organizing his items, Bai Liu checked his panel attributes. Almost all of them were red and pitiful because he had overexerted himself in the game.
[Player Name: Bai Liu]
[Health: 20 (A 120 kg man could kill you just by sitting on you, but you are slowly recovering.)]
[Physical Strength: 7 (You cannot stand steadily. Automatically recovering.)]
[Agility: 7 (Your muscles are stiff and sore all over. Automatically recovering.)]
[Attack Power: 1 (Your full-strength punch is like a two-month-old kitten patting with its paws. Automatically recovering.)]
[Intelligence: 45 (Original value: 89. Halved due to low mental value. The original value will be restored once your mental value recovers.)]
[Luck: 0 (You have been astonishingly unlucky all your life. If there is someone in the game destined to encounter a god-level NPC, it must be you.)]
[Skill: Empty Old Wallet]
[Identity: Poor Wanderer]
[Mental Value: 3 (Logically speaking, you should have descended into complete madness and become a monster. Shockingly, you can still maintain your sanity. On second thought, perhaps you are already a monster with sanity. Whether you are mad or not, maintaining calmness is your way of surviving as a monster. What a terrifying player! This value is automatically recovering.)]
Bai Liu seemed not to notice the lengthy comment labeling him a monster. He calmly asked, "How long will it take for these values to recover?"
[System: At your current recovery rate, you will fully recover within three to five days after leaving the game.]
Bai Liu wasn't someone who liked to procrastinate. "Then leave the—"
Before he could finish the word game, he saw two men approaching the entrance.
Mu Sicheng and Wang Shun saw Bai Liu sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall by the exit. They were both speechless and slightly amused. It looked as if he had lost consciousness and collapsed in that position. The drop in mental value must have affected him severely.
However, when they approached, Bai Liu lifted his head and looked at them. The first words he spoke made their expressions change.
"Are you here to spy on my personal skills?"
A smile appeared on Mu Sicheng's face. He crouched down, resting his hands on his knees as he looked at Bai Liu with interest. "How can you be so sure? What if we're here to kill you or rob you? After all, you should be quite rich now, with plenty of items."
Wang Shun wanted to say that killing wasn't allowed in the system hall, but when he saw Bai Liu's thoughtful expression, he realized Bai Liu had just exited the game and didn't know that yet.
"You shouldn't be able to kill people in this hall," Bai Liu concluded after a few seconds of thought.
Wang Shun was startled. "How do you know?"
Mu Sicheng's eyes gleamed with interest. He was certain Bai Liu hadn't known beforehand that killing was prohibited here. When Mu Sicheng mentioned killing, Bai Liu had instinctively drawn his legs back—a natural defensive reaction. Yet only seconds later, he reached the correct conclusion.
"The reason?" Mu Sicheng raised an eyebrow.
"If players could be robbed or killed after logging out, many people would be waiting here," Bai Liu replied with a shrug. "I've been out for ten minutes. Apart from you two, I haven't seen anyone else. If killing were allowed, there would definitely be people lining up to rob me. Since no one is here, killing must be forbidden. There's also a high probability that robbery is prohibited."
From a game designer's perspective, allowing players to be killed at the exit would severely disrupt balance. It would be like permitting players to camp and kill others at respawn points in large online games—an awful gameplay experience. If players could be robbed or killed immediately after logging out, the game would quickly lose its player base.
Mu Sicheng whistled, his eyes filled with appreciation. "Bingo. You guessed correctly."
Wang Shun's expression grew complicated. Mu Sicheng had planned to bluff Bai Liu into revealing his skill. Now it seemed they couldn't even deceive him. Combined, their IQs had essentially said goodbye to the idea of tricking Bai Liu.
"I'm really curious about your current mental value," Mu Sicheng said, studying Bai Liu's clear eyes and calm expression. "You don't look like someone whose mental value was 0.1 just a moment ago. Did you buy mental bleach to restore it?"
Bai Liu's composure resembled that of someone with a normal mental value. Aside from purchasing mental bleach, Mu Sicheng couldn't think of any reasonable explanation.
"My current mental value is only 3," Bai Liu replied calmly. "It's still recovering."
Mu Sicheng: "..."
Wang Shun: "..."
For a moment, both of them stared at him in stunned silence. Then Wang Shun stepped forward and asked in disbelief, "How much did you just say your mental value is?"
"3 points," Bai Liu repeated naturally. "What's wrong?"
"Three points…" Wang Shun struggled to get the words out. He looked at Bai Liu as if he were some unnatural creature that shouldn't exist. "Bai Liu, do you even understand what a mental value of 3 means? You should be experiencing severe overlapping hallucinations right now. Your consciousness and body should feel like they're being tortured…"
"My mental value has never dropped below 60. When it fell to 60, I was already so uncomfortable I could barely speak. Players whose mental value drops to 20 are basically insane when they exit the game. But yours is 3, and you're still like this…"
Wang Shun gestured helplessly at Bai Liu from head to toe, his expression indescribable. He didn't even know how to evaluate him.
Bai Liu, however, seemed interested. Leaning lazily against the wall, he asked, "What's wrong with me? I think I'm quite normal."
Yes—he was normal. But with a mental value of 3, that very normality was an extreme abnormality. No one could remain composed at that level.
"How are you still answering our questions? You should be completely disoriented! Your intelligence should be halved!" Wang Shun stammered.
"It is halved," Bai Liu agreed calmly. "My mind is a bit muddled. My intelligence dropped from 89 to 45. But… that doesn't stop me from thinking. An intelligence of 45 is still enough to answer your questions. They aren't very difficult."
Wang Shun was speechless.
In truth, Bai Liu's consciousness was indeed distorted. There was a persistent inner urge whispering to him, tempting him, pushing him toward something darker—almost as if it wanted to turn him into a monster. But Bai Liu had grown used to such impulses ever since he became unemployed.
There had always been a voice in his head telling him, Go beat up your boss, or Go beat up that young master Mu Ke, and so on. With his high IQ, Bai Liu could probably do it without getting caught.
But he had long disciplined himself with the law. He even kept a thick book of legal codes at home, nearly memorized. His bottom line was simple: I must not violate the recognized rules of the group. He was a member of the "human group," and he couldn't break the laws established by it.
He had grown accustomed to restraining his abnormal desire for money. Compared to that, this level of mental torment wasn't particularly painful.
By the way, what was mental bleach?
Bai Liu narrowed his eyes slightly, recalling the term Mu Sicheng had mentioned. It sounded like some sort of "blue potion" that restored a player's status.
He didn't directly ask Wang Shun. After all, the two of them had already tried to trick him once. Instead, Bai Liu turned his gaze thoughtfully toward Mu Sicheng. This one seemed more playful… and more likely to reveal something.
Wang Shun suddenly asked, "Bai Liu, how did you guess that we came to ask about your personal skill?"
"Since you didn't come to kill me, then you either want cooperation—or you're curious and want to probe for information," Bai Liu replied evenly. "As a newcomer, I don't have much valuable information. My attributes and item rewards are visible. The only thing concealed is my personal skill."
He raised his eyes and looked directly at both of them.
"So I guessed that you came to ask about it. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't tell you. Yet you still came. I assume it's because my mental value is abnormally low, and you think I'm delirious—more likely to talk, right?"
Wang Shun could only sigh. Bai Liu had guessed perfectly. They had indeed intended to exploit that loophole.
Mu Sicheng stared at Bai Liu closely. "Now I'm seriously doubting that mental value of yours. Looks like I won't be getting information about your personal skills today."
"Not necessarily," Bai Liu said slowly, a faint smile appearing as he glanced at Mu Sicheng. "How about we make a deal? I'll show you my skill, and you help restore my mental value with mental bleach."
"…Are you serious?" Mu Sicheng looked at him suspiciously. "Don't try to trick me. I have items that can judge whether someone is telling the truth."
Bai Liu smiled. "Feel free to use them."
"Why should I cleanse your mental value for free?" Mu Sicheng's expression shifted, turning sly. "Mental bleach isn't cheap. I can just wait until your next game. You'll definitely use your skill then, right?"
Bai Liu calmly took a point out of the wallet hidden in his pocket. The point transformed into a silver coin, pinched lightly between his fingers.
"It's not for free," Bai Liu said mildly. "I'll give you one point."