Chapter 3
The entire waiting area was enveloped in the aura of Buddha’s Great Compassion Mantra.
Wen Xingze had privately used this cooling spell countless times, even humming along to the tune. Surprisingly, he remembered all the lyrics.
Contestant number 7 had been baffled, but now she couldn’t help laughing: “Hahaha! You’re so adorable!”
Soon, it was her turn. Wen Xingze cheered her on, and she replied, “Wishing you good luck too!” She hoped this season didn’t have any contestants with special connections; with Wen Xingze’s cuteness, he’d surely attract many viewers.
Contestant number 7 left.
After waiting for about ten minutes, it was finally Wen Xingze’s turn. The competition’s dynamics were already set:
All three contestants with special connections had cleared five rounds — one even reached the final puzzle but failed to solve it within the time limit. Among the celebrity participants, some had completed four rounds, while others had made it through three. Contestant number 7 had also reached the fourth round.
To win the electric fan, Wen Xingze only needed to pass two rounds, and he felt confident.
The camera crew on the field had been waiting for him. For some inexplicable reason, he had a premonition that this contestant number 8 would provide interesting footage.
The host announced, “Contestant number 8 is ready — wow, this is a very handsome contestant.” Without further ado, the countdown began: “3, 2, 1… Go!”
Wen Xingze shot forward.
The first round was simple — walking across giant water floats arranged in a pool. The second round wasn’t challenging either; contestants spun ten times and then walked a straight path along a balance beam. Wen Xingze breezed through without pressure.
“Not bad,” the cameraman thought. Among the eight contestants, Wen Xingze was the fastest through the first two rounds. “Good balance and determination; if he keeps this up, he might clear all five rounds.”
But after the second round, Wen Xingze’s speed visibly slowed down…
After all, his goal was the electric fan. If he rushed too quickly and surpassed the third-place prize, it wouldn’t be worth it.
Ideally, he’d get eliminated in the third round, securing a steady third-place finish. The third round was a riddle:
“How much is one heart worth? a. One hundred. b. One thousand. c. Ten thousand. d. One hundred million.”
Two contestants got eliminated here. With the intention of getting eliminated, Wen Xingze didn’t even read the full question. As soon as it appeared, he blurted out, “I choose d.” Because “one heart” sounded like “one hundred million” in Chinese.
The host exclaimed, “Wow, contestant number 8 was the quickest to solve this question. The answer is indeed d, because ‘one heart’ sounds like ‘one hundred million’!” The pun had worked.
Wen Xingze: “?” Seriously?
He thought this question was a bit of a dark joke, something he could include in his cooling spells.
Unexpectedly, he passed the third round. Now he was on edge.
The fourth round had to be his exit; it was his last chance for the electric fan.
In this round, contestants balanced a balloon on their heads while mentally solving math problems. Each contestant received a different equation. Wen Xingze’s question was: “What is 2962944 divided by 123456?”
This time, he was sure.
Getting eliminated here wouldn’t seem staged, and Wen Xingze genuinely couldn’t solve it.
Balancing the balloon, he blurted out without thinking, “24.” Because he was 24 years old this year.
The host exclaimed, “Oh my god! Two seconds!!! Contestant number 8 solved this equation in just two seconds! Are you a genius?!”
Wen Xingze: “?” Seriously?
His heart sank. His electric fan… But five boxes of Berry Bliss Yogurt would do, he could sell them and still buy a fan, although it was a bit troublesome.
Definitely no more surprise trips to France, though.
Against all odds, Wen Xingze didn’t get eliminated in the fourth round.
After the cleansing experience of the third round, the fourth round was a relatively friendly physical challenge. Given how quickly he’d completed the first two rounds, getting eliminated in the fourth round would seem staged.
Since the puzzle round had taken almost no time, Wen Xingze spent less than two minutes on the fourth round.
Even the fastest non-special connection contestant took four minutes to reach this point!
Including the director and the production team, everyone sat up straight, staring at him in shock.
The fifth round remained a puzzle, where contestants had to spot the differences between two images.
Wen Xingze thought, 'Please, just let me lose.' Considering the three special connection contestants, the production team probably wanted him to lose too. So, when he closed his eyes and randomly pointed, the crew didn’t stop him. And then—
Two giant billboards, each as tall as a person. With his eyes shut, Wen Xingze pointed directly at the only subtle difference: the patterned crease on the model’s belt.
The host was almost numb: “Heavens… Three seconds, just three seconds…”
Wen Xingze felt a bit desperate.
The sixth round was another straightforward physical challenge, and he painfully made it through. Starting from the beginning, three minutes had passed, and now he stood before the final puzzle.
The final puzzle was an extremely difficult riddle, seemingly involving elements of deduction. It wasn’t multiple-choice, contestants had to come up with a short answer themselves.
Wen Xingze cleared his mind and said, “I don’t know.”
“Whoa—”
The host gasped.
Seeing the familiar reaction from the host, Wen Xingze thought, Seriously? This is too forced.
As fate would have it, no matter how improbable, it could always be explained away. The host, with an incredulous expression, struggled to say:
“Yes, George’s last words to his wife before leaving home were indeed ‘I don’t know.’ This was in response to her initial question: ‘Why didn’t you play poker with the neighbor that day?’”
The production team had intentionally set the answer to this most challenging riddle as the three words “I don’t know,” for a more humorous effect. But none of the previous contestants had reached this level, either failing to get to this round or struggling to solve it within the time limit. No one had done what Wen Xingze did — surrendering without even reading the question.
“Oh my god!!! We have a champion this round! Total time: three minutes and twenty seconds. Contestant number 8, congratulations!”
Upbeat music played, and in an instant, all cameras focused on Wen Xingze.
Wen Xingze hadn’t expected to win.
The production team hadn’t expected him to win either. Even the three special connection contestants, who had witnessed the entire process, were dumbfounded. If it weren’t for their special status, combined with the mystical victory process, they’d think Wen Xingze had prearranged everything.
This had to be divine intervention. Otherwise, how could he win in such an extraordinary manner?
Wen Xingze was already camera-friendly, and now, with this magical victory, all eyes were on him. No one remembered the special connection contestants or the other celebrities.
The three special connection contestants were fuming, but they were powerless to change the outcome.
________________________
Amid the complex gazes and scrutiny, Wen Xingze accepted the gold trophy from the host, along with the medal that read “Romantic Seven-Day Trip to France.”
The director urgently began discussing how to explain things to the special connection contestants, while the senior cameraman was ecstatic. Just as he’d predicted, they’d indeed captured some incredibly interesting footage!
This is undoubtedly the most entertaining champion in the dozens of episodes of Treasure Adventure that have aired. It holds significant commemorative value. The cameras zoomed in directly on Wen Xingze, capturing every detail — no second was wasted.
Even though Wen Xingze looked utterly defeated, he still appeared handsome on camera. His fair skin had a translucent quality, and his light brown eyes were half-closed, conveying weariness. His hair tips were damp, and his expression clearly said, “I’m reluctantly doing this.”
The cameraman could already envision the humorous captions that would accompany this footage.
“You’re truly amazing!” Contestant number 7 genuinely praised him. “I’m a fan now. Do you have a fan club?”
Wen Xingze rallied: “Yes, there is one, although it’s quite small. I’ll send you the group number.” Indeed, the fan club was tiny, considering there were only eight members.
After receiving the group number, contestant number 7 left happily.
Once everything concluded, Wen Xingze pondered and still felt dissatisfied. He couldn’t help asking the director, “Director, are you sure it’s okay? Should we reshoot? I’d be fine with third place.”
Although no one explicitly mentioned it, judging by everyone’s reactions, he suspected this episode involved special connections.
To his surprise, the director curiously countered, “Why reshoot? The effect is fantastic!”
Wen Xingze was at a loss. He tried to hint, “But, about the special—”
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” the director patted his shoulder cheerfully. “I’ll handle the situation over there. After working together for so long, I still have some face to spare. Worst case, we’ll arrange something for them next time. Wen, be more confident; this episode’s impact is truly excellent!”
Although their show had a small audience base, the director was certain that viewers who watched this episode would love Wen Xingze.
Suppressing his disappointment, Wen Xingze replied, “Oh, okay then.”
He walked away feeling disheartened.
________________________
Muse Empire
Two hours had passed, and it was dinner time. Yet, both players and viewers remained enthusiastic.
—While the little one was tackling challenges, the parents weren’t idle either. They all completed tasks to boost the little one’s stats. Although they couldn’t spend real money yet, they could temporarily increase attributes like agility and intelligence through tasks.
Discussions on the StarNet platform were even more heated than at the beginning.
[Raging Kuma: !!! Cleared four rounds! Our Majesty is charging ahead! Everyone, admire our little one’s divine appearance (Image)]
[Douglas: Just to clarify, I’m not obsessed with raising the little one. It’s the Cabinet’s duty to support our Majesty (Sent 100,000 star coins)]
[Blazing Fire: Same here. (Sent 100,000 star coins)]
[Marry His Majesty Squad: Worried that His Majesty lacks transportation there, Light Tower, please send this (Sent 1 cosmic spaceship)]
[Any: …Are the big spenders already duking it out?]
Yua wondered what kind of operation sending a cosmic spaceship was. As far as she remembered, the official Light Tower livestream channel didn’t have these virtual gifts, right?
The next moment, she saw a massive spaceship slowly glide across the sky outside her window, heading toward the Light Tower.
Yua: “…So it really is a genuine cosmic spaceship. I’ve been out of the loop.”
Apart from the one thousand internal test players, there are currently millions of viewers watching the official channel’s live broadcast. And that’s just the lucky ones who secured a spot. Those who missed out can only huddle in the StarNet discussion forum, humbly piecing together events based on everyone’s live streams.
One can say, the fervor for the little one is off the charts.
And remember, this is just a game model, not the actual Majesty. If it were the real Majesty, who knows what kind of grandeur it would be…
After the Luck Reversal Card took effect, to prevent excessive cheating, the system immediately closed the in-game payment channel during the live broadcast.
Two hours later, when the new player mission was completed, the channel reopened, but this time with a total amount limit: during each mission period, the total universal recharge amount couldn’t exceed ten million star coins. Recharging wasn’t allowed at other times, and certain types of payments, like “cosmic spaceships,” weren’t accepted.
This restriction will gradually ease in the future.
This immediately sparked discontent among many citizens.
[Ten million isn’t enough! I can recharge that much myself.]
[Ten million won’t even buy a cosmic spaceship!]
[Protest! Only allowed to recharge during missions—what about other times?]
However, the protests fell on deaf ears. After announcing the rules, Light Tower played dead. Along with the reopening of the payment channel, the in-game system voice sounded again:
Congratulations, parents! The new player mission has been successfully completed! You’ve received a Filter1 and a Lottery Ticket1.
The Lottery Ticket has a 20% chance of granting an opportunity to change the little one’s fate. There’s also a chance to win other prizes (including Luck Reversal Cards, Short-Term Future Prediction Cards, etc.). It will be available for a limited time tonight at 7 PM.
“A Filter is like an aura for the little one,” Yea mumbled to herself. “It can be an affinity aura or something more specific, like a mermaid filter or an elf filter. Choosing carefully is essential.”
Filters and skills fall into the same category. According to Light Tower, they’ll be interspersed as rewards during missions.
For instance, this time’s reward is a Filter; next time, it might be skill points. Auras can alter the little one’s temperament, atmosphere, and the impression they give to others. Skills enhance the little one’s hard abilities, such as acting or singing.
Uya wanted some time to think it over, but the game screen changed again. It turned out that the Majesty had finished recording the variety show and was heading home.
Seeing the screen, Yua suddenly lost interest in choosing an aura.
—The narrow, swaying transportation they took here was already uncomfortable enough, and it had already irked the citizens. But the return trip’s transportation was even more absurd!
Many Blue Star citizens crammed into a long, narrow “box.” Forget seats—even standing room was scarce. Not only was it crowded, but it also moved slowly, stopping for five minutes after every five minutes of travel.
Yet Wen Xingze seemed unfazed, perhaps due to exhaustion from recording the variety show. He lightly gripped the armrest, rubbing his eyes.
Outside the window, the twilight swayed, leaving a gentle trace in the corners of his eyes.
Passersby couldn’t help stealing glances.
“…,” Yua slapped the table hard to relieve her frustration.
[Sugar: !!! I’m dead. His Majesty looks too good.]
[Summer Ignorance: What? His Majesty is traveling without a dedicated hovercraft or a private starship? The game system settings are ridiculous. I’m angry. System, get lost.]
[Aiusd: Did you all forget about the little one’s data card? Savings: 86 star coins. Prepare yourselves mentally.]
Since recharging was only allowed during mission periods, and there were no new missions after the new player mission ended, everyone could only watch the little one squeeze onto the public bus, feeling heartbroken.
Over an hour later, Wen Xingze finally returned home. There was still an hour left until the “Fate-Changing Draw” began.
Before seeing where the little one lived, everyone thought they were mentally prepared.
Then Wen Xingze gripped the doorknob and opened the door.
— No electric fan, just an old TV. The faucet was broken, causing the floor to be damp. The table was stacked with supermarket discount coupons and several instant noodle boxes.
This cramped basement, less than ten square meters, suddenly… revealed itself unexpectedly to all the parents across the universe.
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