"Reward?"
Lucian froze in surprise and asked, "I don't even know you, and you're offering me money for no reason?"
"Don't worry, it's just a small favor!"
The black-robed man gave a slight smile, worried Lucian might leave. He quickly explained, "Just keep an eye on that genius female lord. If you notice anything related to rivers, let us know! That's all!"
"One piece of information—whether true or false—gets you 10,000 Void Crystals. If it's genuine, we owe you a huge favor and an additional reward of 1 million Void Crystals!"
Information?
A female lord?
Rivers?
Lucian furrowed his brows, staring at the man.
Did this black-robed individual have some vile scheme?
"Come on! You must've heard of the Rosemary Flower Foundation. If you find anything, you can reach us through the All-World Forum!"
The man hastily left after saying this, not leaving a contact but disappearing in a flurry as though fleeing.
The next moment, spatial ripples appeared, and Teacher Julian emerged from a portal, cursing, "Damn that coward! Running so fast!"
"Teacher Julian!" Lucian greeted.
Julian nodded but looked grim.
Lucian hesitated for a moment before asking, "Teacher, who was that man?"
"Just some spy! Recently, the Galaxy Corps retreated to the outer edges of Earth after the birth of another extraordinary legendary lord. The uproar has everyone talking!"
"Apparently, it's a female lord, and the phenomenon involves rivers and galaxies. Now everyone's on the hunt!"
"Silver Moon Middle School's quite well-known, so all sorts of people have come looking!" Julian seemed exasperated as he vented, "Honestly, our run-down place producing a legendary lord? That'd be something!"
"Legendary lords don't exist in reality. They're just myths!"
With that, Julian shook his head and left.
Lucian felt odd, as though his own home had been dismissed as insignificant.
He was a legendary lord!
But Lucian kept quiet—keeping a low profile and quietly amassing wealth was the way to go.
A legendary lord can trigger worldly phenomena...
Didn't I witness something similar before?
He realized he hadn't paid much attention back then, not imagining he'd one day become one.
"Well, with my 113 illusions of legend, why didn't anything manifest?"
Could the void not acknowledge me due to bias?
Grumbling internally, Lucian reached the activity area. He dismissed further thoughts about the genius female lord. It wasn't his business, after all.
Still, he was mildly annoyed.
What was wrong with 113 legendary illusions? Why was he ignored?
It felt unfair.
Lost in thought, Lucian arrived at a resplendent grand hall—the Silvermoon Middle School Auditorium.
This was the usual venue for large-scale events.
The hall, designed with tiered seating, could hold tens of thousands of people.
Of course, this event didn't have that many participants.
When Lucian entered, the space appeared sparse, with small groups scattered here and there.
He casually found a seat.
Not far away, Louis noticed him.
"Lucian! Over here!" Alex waved.
Lucian nodded and sat down.
Alex was surrounded by a few people, presumably his partners for this event. They nodded politely at Lucian, maintaining a friendly atmosphere.
Lucian returned the smile.
"Hey, don't be shy!" a slightly overweight youth said. He fiddled with his fingers while giving Lucian a skeptical look.
Alex chuckled, shaking his head. "Lucian isn't really into simulated battles. He's just here to participate casually."
"Oh?"
The group looked curious, and the overweight youth couldn't help but ask, "Do you even know what the rewards are for this event?"
"Not really," Lucian replied casually.
The overweight youth looked impatient and rattled off, "Every participant gets 1,000 Void Crystals.
The top 100 receive 10,000 Void Crystals.
The top 50 can select a green transfer certificate.
The top 30 can choose a rare green hero summon token.
The top 20 earn a special building blueprint, [Frost Arrow Tower].
The top 10...
First place gets the territory building, [Hall of Heroes]!"
He sighed deeply. "If I could win first place, I'd have the courage to explore freely!"
"Earlier today, I descended into the void and stumbled across a mining zone swarming with dark monsters. If I had the Hall of Heroes, I wouldn't care about troop losses. Gains would outweigh the costs!"
"But without the Hall, I lost dozens of militiamen, and my pikemen captain—a hero—barely survived. I had to retreat in a panic!"
He seemed frustrated.
Someone nearby scoffed, "Stop bragging! I ended up on a battlefield between undead and zerglings. That was way worse!"
"I swear, two worlds colliding right in front of me—I slipped out so fast, not even a hair was harmed!"
"Haha, at least you're lucky. I was stuck in a void swamp, killing small fry for barely any rewards!"
The group burst into chatter, sharing their experiences.
While some looked forward to the simulation match, others lamented their void expeditions.
Even the top 100 prize—a mere 10,000 Void Crystals—was a massive boon for most of them, given their modest backgrounds.
One girl proudly shared her luck. She had discovered a fragment of an abandoned immortal cultivation world, where all life had vanished.
She explored effortlessly, gaining a territorial building and rare medicinal herb seeds.
Another boy recounted sheer terror: stumbling into a battlefield between undead and zerglings had almost killed him.
Their banter eventually circled back to Lucian.
"What about you, Lucian?" Louis asked.
"Me? Decent luck—just some small fry to handle and even took down a mini-boss!" Lucian replied casually. "Found a ruin and collected some civilization essence."
Half-truths, half-lies.
His peers respected his discretion and didn't pry further.
Alex sighed enviously. "You're on par with my sister! That kind of fortune is rare!"
"If you keep this up, you might stumble into destiny itself!"
The others laughed and bantered, glancing at Lucian with a mix of admiration and jealousy.
Lucian smiled faintly, letting the conversation flow around him.