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Chapter 4: The Glorious Transaction of Money
"Piece of cake."
Lin Qi raised an eyebrow smugly.
The combat system wasn’t difficult—simple, even. One key handled attacks, and exclamation marks above enemies indicated when to strike. There were also unavoidable moves that required dodging.
Overall, it was similar to Arkham Knight, but in terms of scale, it felt more like Dying Light.
After eating, he had the character take a walk to admire the city’s beauty. After all, he had to deliver results. Even if he praised the game, he couldn’t do so blindly.
... ...
Viya remembered reading some detective novels as a child. In those stories, murderers would meticulously clean their weapons after committing a crime, wash away the bloodstains, create alibis, or simply flee the scene.
But!
What kind of person could casually sit on the street eating after a massacre, as if nothing had happened? And then go for a leisurely post-meal stroll?
Viya didn’t know. She wasn’t even sure if the entity controlling her body was human.
Even under the blazing sun, a faint mist lingered over the streets of the city-state. Crowds of people bustled past one another.
Warm sunlight poured down from the rooftops, chasing away the drowsiness in pedestrians’ eyes and urging them to move. People dressed in various styles stepped over puddles left from the previous day, heading in different directions at the crossroads.
Viya walked aimlessly forward when suddenly, loud crying reached her ears. She turned her head.
A little girl with a green bow tied in her hair—about six or seven years old—was sobbing softly.
After staring for a few seconds, Viya looked away.
If this had been her when she first arrived in the city, she probably would have gone over to comfort the girl. But after helping an old woman on the street once and finding her wallet empty afterward, she had learned to respect others’ fates.
"There’s a side quest."
Lin Qi took a sip of freshly brewed hot coffee.
Feeling refreshed, he guided Viya toward the crying girl and patted her shoulder: "What happened?"
"... My balloon popped..." Nili sniffled, her voice trembling: "I accidentally hit the edge of the step..."
Nili’s voice grew quieter.
She looked up into the kind-hearted big sister’s eyes—beautiful eyes, like the clear waters of the seashore—but they were lifeless, utterly hollow.
Even young Nili understood that this was not a caring gaze.
Recalling her mother’s warnings, a thought flashed through Nili’s mind.
This is a bad person, a bad sister!
Terrified, Nili took a step back, her eyes darting around nervously: "Actually... it’s okay... just a balloon... I’m really not that sad."
Viya didn’t respond, just stared fixedly at Nili, making the girl shiver inside.
Five or six seconds passed.
Viya shifted her gaze, turned around, and said tonelessly: "Oh."
Am I safe now? Nili watched Viya’s figure disappear at the end of the street, sighed in relief, and patted her chest.
... ...
Lin Qi knew he was about to enter the most tedious part of any game—
Doing trivial side quests.
Things like delivering letters for neighbors or running errands for shopkeepers. These tasks were usually boring, offered meager rewards, and were often added by developers just to pad the game’s length.
This segment even had a nickname among players: Toilet unclogging.
As a business deal, Lin Qi couldn’t ignore these quests like regular players.
"The balloon popped... so all I need to do is buy the girl a new balloon." Lin Qi reviewed the new quest in his log.
He grimaced: "To buy a balloon, I need money. And money means..."
See? It all came back to that point.
If only he had looted more money from the hideout earlier.
Hearing the faint muttering in her ear, Viya had a sinking feeling. Based on past examples, she suspected someone else was about to have a bad day.
... ...
At the abandoned textile factory.
Orle leaned against the entrance, yawning out of boredom as he chatted with his companion: "It’s been almost two hours, and no one’s come out. Does the ritual really take this long?"
"Maybe they’re dead inside," Karl joked.
Bang, bang, bang—a series of heavy thuds echoed.
Orle glanced at Karl, who shrugged helplessly: "Fine, fine. You went last time, so it’s my turn this time."
"Probably just a broken axle or something."
Karl grumbled: "I hope it’s not the ‘goods’ escaping. That’d be trouble."
He headed toward the area stacked with crates.
Minutes passed.
"Why hasn’t he come back?"
Orle frowned, repeatedly calling Karl’s name as he cautiously approached the area.
Then,
He never returned.
The post stood empty, a cold wind brushing past as if no one had ever been there.
... ...
"Done."
Lin Qi rubbed his sore wrists. He looked at the map, confirming that everyone with health bars had been eliminated, and let out a long sigh.
This time, he had cleared all the enemies outside the hideout.
Whoever designed this dungeon was a genius—or a miser. Such a large place, yet there were no loot drops whatsoever. The few coins he found came from looting corpses. Ridiculous.
Back in the city, Viya held a newly purchased balloon from a vendor and scanned the crowd, spotting the little girl sitting on the steps.
"Here."
She walked over and handed the balloon to the girl.
The girl hesitantly accepted the balloon.
Feeling the slight tug of the string in her left hand, Nili realized she might have misjudged this "kind" older sister. A strange tightness settled in her chest, like she was coming down with something.
She stammered: "Th... thank you, Sister!"
To outsiders, this might have seemed like a heartwarming scene filled with genuine kindness between strangers, prompting smiles.
But Viya, knowing where the money for the balloon came from, couldn’t bring herself to smile.
[+5 Honor]
After completing the side quest, a notification in the bottom-right corner caught Lin Qi’s attention. He realized the game had a morality system.
At the bottom of the screen was a long bar, red on the left and white on the right. A simple character portrait indicated his current alignment.
Right now, the marker was at the far left of the honor bar, showing that his honor value was extremely low.
"So killing people reduces honor?" Lin Qi muttered. From what he remembered, such systems rarely provided tangible bonuses—just narrative consequences.
Good deeds are rewarded; evil deeds are punished—at least in this fictional world.
Lin Qi was a normal person. He disliked unnecessary tragedies. If he wanted to achieve full completion, he’d save that for a second playthrough.
Since the game was so open-ended… maybe he could try more things. Leaning on his hand, he suddenly had an idea.
"Sister?"
Nili watched in confusion as Viya walked over to the vendor, spoke briefly with the shopkeeper, and returned with another balloon.
"Here."
"Uh... okay..."
Nili blinked and accepted the balloon.
[+5 Honor]
The gray-and-white honor marker shifted slightly to the right.
"So this action can be repeated!"
Though it felt oddly like paying for digital merit points, it was undeniably convenient.
Glancing at the remaining money in his inventory, Lin Qi quickly made up his mind.
It was time to achieve honor freedom!
... ...
Two minutes later.
Nili stared at the dozen balloons in her hands, unsure whether to speak or stay silent.
She mechanically accepted balloon after balloon from the "kind" older sister, watching as the pile of balloons at the vendor dwindled with each trip.
Mom, what should I do... Nili’s little brain had given up thinking. She just repeated the motions: raising her hand, grabbing the string, passing it to her left hand.
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