Chapter 3 : Chapter 3
Chapter 3: Elaine
When I opened my eyes, the light was so piercing that I immediately squeezed them shut again.
Lin Qi woke up feeling as though every bone in his body was aching. He had not yet recovered from the fight with the two assassins when the memory dump from the system forced his brain to shut down, leaving him lying outside on the ground all night.
Lin Qi wiped his face. Was that sweat? Would he really break a sweat against opponents like those?
Wait, no. Those were tears. Was he actually crying because he felt empathy after viewing someone else’s memories?
The Price: Amplifies inner emotions.
He slapped himself hard twice to force his mind into gear before walking back inside.
He first made sure all the doors and windows were tightly shut, then stared at the two corpses in the living room and fell into deep thought.
These two bodies had been sitting in the living room all night, and the blood had already dried. What was he supposed to do now?
As anyone who has ever killed someone knows, dried blood is the absolute hardest thing to scrub away. Argh!
Just as Lin Qi was agonising over how to dispose of the two bodies, the doorbell suddenly rang.
This was bad!
"Who is it?" Lin Qi asked, using his body to block the door as he shouted to the person outside.
"Isaris? It is me. Your uncle came to visit you." A gentle male voice came from outside the door.
It was someone he had seen in Isaris’s memories.
No, he could not let him in. The corpses in the living room had not been dealt with yet.
CREAK—
The door opened.
The Price: Leads to irrational behavior.
"Uncle..." Lin Qi felt incredibly awkward. Why was his hand doing the exact opposite of what his brain intended?
"What do I do now? Should I just take him out too?" Dark thoughts began to flood Lin Qi’s mind.
"Isaris, what happened here?" Alden Roland asked in shock, pointing at the two corpses in the living room.
"Uh... I do not really know. They snuck in during the night. After I found them, I shot them with the gun my father left behind," Lin Qi answered honestly.
"I see... Was it a home invasion robbery? The public security in this area really is lacking. Do not worry, Isaris. Leave it to your uncle to handle. Pack your things today and come back to the Roland Manor to stay with me." Alden patted Lin Qi on the head to comfort him.
"??? He is not afraid after seeing dead bodies? Wait, this is not the peaceful world from my previous life. This is Epoch of the End, a place crawling with people who have superpowers."
Understanding this, Lin Qi quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
According to Isaris’s memories, this uncle had been very good to him since he was a child. He should be trustworthy, right?
As Lin Qi was thinking this, he saw Alden pull something out of his trouser pocket.
A phone???
Wait, hold on. My house is still using oil lamps, so where did you get a phone?
Noticing Lin Qi’s surprise, Alden gave a light chuckle and said, "This is a recent product from the Moer family called a communication device. You can use it to contact the police station directly. Do you like it? The Moer family gave me quite a few. Come back to the manor with me today, and I will give you one too."
"Uh... Uncle, I think I will pass. The people at the manor do not like me. I am quite happy living here on my own."
Lin Qi lowered his head, speaking in a forced, pitiful tone.
"Sigh..." Hearing this, Alden did not push further. He simply patted Lin Qi on the shoulder. "Then I will stay here with you tonight. You would not mind having your uncle over, would you?"
This was getting difficult for Lin Qi.
If Alden stayed here, how was Lin Qi supposed to complete the promotion ritual for the Romance Pathway?
Even though he was a biological uncle, he was Isaris’s uncle, not Lin Qi’s.
"Haha, I am just joking. As long as you are alright, that is what matters. You must stay safe. Someone will be over soon to handle the bodies. I will head out first."
Seeing that Lin Qi was hesitant, Alden did not say anything more. He merely took a bag of gold coins from his pocket, stuffed it into Lin Qi’s hand, and left.
"Phew... That was close." Relieved, Lin Qi walked back into his room, tucked the diagram of transcendent knowledge into his pocket, and tucked Judgement into the small of his back.
A short while later, two men in uniforms arrived at Lin Qi’s house.
What was this? A fat one and a thin one?
"I am Officer Danny of the Kissmark Town Court of Justice, and this is Neil. Was there an attempted robbery here?" the fat officer asked.
"Ah, yes..."
Before Lin Qi could say more, he was interrupted by the other officer, the lanky one named Neil.
"Mr. Alden already explained the situation to us. Do not be afraid."
With that, the two of them began to process the two corpses in the living room.
In less than twenty minutes, the entire living room had been restored to its original state.
Were the police officers of this world really this professional at disposing of bodies?
On second thought, it made sense. In a world with transcendent powers, what could ordinary people acting as police officers even do?
After seeing the two officers off, Lin Qi did not linger at home. He immediately hurried toward the city center.
"System, what are the remaining requirements to unlock the Romance Pathway?"
[Transcendent Knowledge: ** Pathway: Romance Pathway: Sequence 9 The Matchmaker]
[Unlock Conditions: Achieve the required emotional fluctuation ✓, obtain the hair of three different young women, and possess an item imbued with rich emotions ✓.]
Excellent. It seemed that after experiencing Isaris’s memories last night, the emotional fluctuation requirement had been met.
The current goal was simple.
Head to the most prosperous area of Kissmark Town, find three beautiful young women, and get their hair!
Kissmark Town, Honeyshine Street.
Just from the name, one could tell it was a romantic location.
The cobblestone pavement had been worn into a soft luster over many years. On both sides of the street, aged half-timbered houses crowded together, leaning at odd angles. Most of the second-floor balconies were planted with vegetables.
The enticing aroma of fresh bread wafted from a bakery, while a horseshoe hung over the entrance of the blacksmith shop next door.
The bakery owner was shouting at the blacksmith to keep the noise down. The blacksmith did not say a word; instead, he increased the speed of his hammering...
Several children chased each other down the street, leaving a trail of crisp laughter that startled a group of pigeons nearby.
Street vendors were working hard to hawk their wares, and the pedestrians all wore happy smiles.
It felt like another world entirely.
Having transmigrated here, Lin Qi felt a sense of disconnect from this world. It was not a physical barrier, but a mental one.
After all, this place was no different from the game. The existence of the system interface occasionally made Lin Qi feel as though he was still playing that fully immersive online game.
However, the vibrant life on this street gave Lin Qi a different feeling.
Yes, he was already here. This was a life where he could not respawn. He could no longer treat everything here as cold, digital data.
Lin Qi bought a cinnamon roll and a freshly baked roasted apple from the roadside bakery.
He relaxed completely, eating as he strolled down the street looking for beautiful young women.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the street.
"Damn it, they are so close." Elaine was currently evading the pursuit of the Black Syndicate, a local gang in Kissmark Town.
She knew these thugs had been paid by certain families to capture her at all costs. She remembered that nightmarish evening when everyone from the Morning Star Family had been killed. She was the only survivor.
Revenge! She had to have her revenge!
As she thought this, the girl successfully managed to change her outfit while on the run!
Her long dress was replaced by shorts and a T-shirt. She wore a pair of sunglasses and a sun hat.
The fleeing noble girl had transformed into an ordinary girl often seen on these streets.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Elaine noticed a young man on the sidewalk.
It was impossible not to notice him; a Charm stat of 9 was simply that eye-catching.
He was currently talking to a girl on the street. He held a skewer of roasted apples in his left hand and was running his right hand through the girl’s shoulder-length hair, a playful smile on his face.
GRUMBLE—
The protest from her stomach caused the girl’s face to flush red.
Her flight up to this point had completely drained her wallet. Her family had been wiped out, their industries seized, and their manor burned to the ground. The girl only had the pocket money she had saved over the years.
Although there were shops selling food on this street, she did not have the courage to go in and ask for any.
She scanned the surrounding crowd. Most people were dressed in commoner’s clothing; only that eye-catching man seemed to be wearing decent clothes.
A wealthy noble... probably wouldn't mind losing a single roasted apple, right?
"I am sorry, sir. I will treat you to a massive feast once I have money."
Lin Qi was a bit dazed. He had almost completed the requirement for the hair of three girls, with only the girl in front of him left.
He was using his right hand to feel the texture of the girl’s hair to see if it reached the "fine hair" level when he suddenly felt his left hand become lighter.
His roasted apple had been snatched!!!
When he turned his head in surprise, he only caught the scent of sunlight.
The sunlight hit the girl’s profile, creating a warm glow. One of her hands was pressing down on her sun hat while the other held the stolen roasted apple. Her fair legs were full of vitality, and her silver hair was disheveled by the wind, though she did not seem to care at all...
Wait! That hair texture is perfect!
"Wait, do not run!" Realizing what happened, Lin Qi gave chase.
"What do I do? What do I do? He is actually chasing me. Damn it, I really must have been lightheaded from hunger. He is not going to catch me and beat me up, is he?"
"Is she insane? Why is she still running? You can have the apple, just give me a strand of hair, beautiful! I will even treat you to dinner, I just need one hair!"
And so, the two of them, fueled by various misunderstandings, began a track-and-field race.
However, mid-chase, Lin Qi realized something was wrong. Why was it so noisy behind him?
He turned his head to look, only to see a massive swarm of men in black suits following behind.
"She is right up there, I definitely did not see it wrong!"
"Keep chasing, brothers! The boss will give a huge reward if we catch her!"
"For God's sake, what is going on? Could it be that these guys are with the assassins from yesterday?"
Lin Qi was terrified. He willed his legs to move faster. If he got caught, he was going to suffer.
"Oh no, I have been spotted. Run! This Black Syndicate is like the mucus from a cold—they just keep popping up!" Elaine initiated a second burst of speed.
And just like that, the misunderstanding deepened.
Just as Lin Qi was running past the entrance of an alleyway, a hand suddenly reached out from within, yanked him inside, and quickly covered his mouth.
"Shhh—" The owner of the hand was the girl who had snatched his roasted apple.
Lin Qi reacted quickly, pinning the girl against the wall. He covered her mouth with his hand while tilting his head to see if the men in black had passed by.
"Shhh—"
Elaine was bewildered, her mind filled with questions.
"Sorry for dragging you into this. Consider the roasted apple as an apology." Seeing that the pursuers were gone, Lin Qi relaxed and spoke to the girl in front of him.
Elaine: "??? Weren't those people chasing me?"
"Wait, are you a wanted criminal?" Elaine asked, voicing her thoughts.
"No, I am not." Lin Qi felt the question was coming out of nowhere.
"It seems you are in some trouble as well. Anyway, thank you for the roasted apple. My name is Elaine. What is yours?"
Elaine looked at the young man, who had suddenly gone blank, and reached out her hand.