[Librarian's Monocle (Rare Prop): This monocle is one of the many carried by the numerous avatars of the Librarian. Despite being a mass-produced prop, it remains preciously valuable. After completing the chapter, return to the Library, and give the monocle to the Librarian's main body who will reward you generously.]
[Guardian Bookmark (One-Time Prop): Successful resistance against an invasion earns you this bookmark. You can give it to a book friend, allowing you to be invited into their chapter to jointly fend off any invasion when they're under attack.]
Lin Xun carefully examined the item descriptions.
The amount of information these two items convey is unquestionably vast.
Firstly, after completing a chapter, you will return to a place called "The Library". Meanwhile, the Guardian Bookmark indicates that it can be given to book friends.
A book friend should be similar to adding a friend within the game, meaning that this game has a social system. Thus, the Library that players return to after completing chapters could possibly be a gathering and socializing place for Apostle players.
"I wonder how many Apostles exist in real life."
[The bookshelves in the second-floor hall vanish with the old man in the black robe, leaving the hall completely empty except for a spiral staircase leading up to the third floor of the tower.]
[Would you like to proceed to the third floor of the tower?]
[You ascend the steps and arrive at the third floor of the tower.]
[In the hall, a heavily armored knight with a large sword in both hands stands tall. Behind his blood-red cape is a glittering golden chest. A Profane Blood Sun is engraved on the plate armor across his chest, clearly indicating that he is a core force of the Blood Sun Church – the Law Knight.]
[The Law Knight's crimson eyes gaze at you; you feel an immense pressure.]
[What should you do?]
[1. Mutter "He can't see me, he can't see me…" and retreat to the second floor of the tower.]
[2. Raise your dagger, strike with all your might and show him what cruelty is.]
[3. Praise the sun.]
Noticing the "immense pressure" stated in the text, Lin Xun turned cautious.
Rather than brazenly picking a direct confrontation, he cautiously did what he does best--praising the sun.
[You raise your hand to the ceiling, occasionally uttering admiration sounds...]
[But, it seems you can't see the Blood Sun inside the tower.]
[The Law Knight unsheathes his sword and charges at you...]
[You're dead!]
???
Lin Xun never expected that the usually dependable flattery function would fail this time and hit a snag.
The familiar red characters on the screen appeared again--death.
[You open your eyes to find yourself reborn as a Wandering Soul in a decrepit church...]
The bodies of the Nun and the Guardian Knight lie in the church and neither are dead. He can possess any of them without any cost.
But Lin Xun didn't continue the game and put down his phone.
He reckoned he would be mobbed by monsters even before he could reach the tower using the bodies of either the Knight or the Nun.
He would have to wait until his Spiritual Strength replenished at night, remake the Shell of the Blood Sun follower, and then confront the little Boss on the third floor of the tower.
With that thought, Lin Xun opened his word processor, embarking on his tortuous daily goal of 4000 words.
The sound of keyboard tapping echoed through the rented room...
Ding-a-ling~~ Ding-a-ling~~
Lin Xun paused and looked at the caller ID, it was "Lady Boss." He promptly answered the call.
"Hello, Lady Boss, what can I do for you?"
"You cheeky boy, who do you think you're talking to, call me Mom!" A middle-aged woman's voice came over the line.
"Okay, Mom, please tell me what's up quickly. I was writing, and you've interrupted my inspiration." Lin Xun put the phone on speaker and resumed typing at the keyboard.
"Mom just doesn't get it. How much money do you make writing that stuff? You should come back and work at the store. Surely, you'd make more money than staying up late and typing?"
Her voice prattled on through the phone.
"Stop, stop. Madam Boss, if you're going to say that, I'm out."
Thankfully, Lin Xun had not told his parents about his failed civil service exam. It would have only raised their hopes in vain.
His parents run a supermarket.
In the old days, the supermarket business was thriving, and his parents earned their fortune from a small supermarket.
However, in recent years, the supermarket industry has been on the decline. Several new supermarkets started by Lin Xun's parents suffered heavy losses and closed one after another. Any profit they made went straight to offsetting losses.
"Okay! You don't have to come back. Your aunt introduced a girl, go and meet her..."
"Hey boy, you better hear me out, if you dare to refuse then come home and look after the store."
Lin Xun's lips twitched. What was that old saying about tearing down the roof… Mom really knew how to be persuasive.
" ..."
"That girl is really something, don't you dare look down on her!"
"Your aunt showed me her picture, she's got a doll face and is very attractive. The young lady is petite, yet busty, and has a big butt, so she is sure to be fertile. She only falls a bit short compared to your mother in her youth...I'll send you her picture, she's so cute."
"Cute in the way a punch in the face would hurt?" Lin Xun couldn't help mocking.
"What are you babbling about? That young lady is a proper officer in the Public Security Bureau. If anyone ends up crying from a punch, it's likely to be you. Since no one at home can take care of you, it's good timing to find you a wife..."
"No way, women will only obstruct my amb-...career aspirations."
Before Lin Xun could finish, his mother hung up.
A short while later, a message arrived on his phone from his mother.
"Tomorrow at 1:30 pm, Shede Tea House."
"Lu Caiyi, female, 22 years old, 1.6 meters tall, undergraduate degree, currently working as a Public Security Officer in the west city, on the regular payroll, monthly salary 8000, has a car and a house, no siblings, parents are..."
His mom professionally scheduled the time and location, even gathering a myriad of data.
Only the photo that came at the end of the message kept loading and couldn't be opened.
"Looks like this girl must be quite plain. Mom has even started playing tricks."
Lin Xun gave it a glance and sent back a message: "Busy tomorrow. Let's reschedule another day."
And continued typing...
He had no intention of going on a blind date.
Rather than wasting time on a blind date, he preferred to write a few more words to earn his manuscript fee.
Although his civil service interview hadn't gone well, he still had to struggle for his life.
After a while, when his uninterrupted writing had produced two epic chapters of 2000 words each, Lin Xun nodded in satisfaction and hit the 'publish' button.
The night outside the window had already deepened, and it was almost time to play the game.
He hurriedly logged into "Book of Salvation".