Murong Xiaotian spoke, ignoring Yang Song in his thoughts, and brought the holographic helmet to his head. His vision instantly went black, and he could see nothing. Following this, the system's voice sounded beside him: "Welcome to the journey of Destiny. Once connected, you will become a member of Destiny. You have chosen Destiny, and Destiny has chosen you. Once confirmed, no one can replace, exchange, or steal your status. Do you confirm your choice?"

"Confirm," Murong Xiaotian replied.

"Fingerprint verification locked, connection complete..."

"Iris verification... connection locked and complete."

"DNA verification... connection locked and complete."

...

"Congratulations, your account has been confirmed. The game will start in a few minutes. Please wait patiently."

"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, the game begins."

With a flash of white light, Murong Xiaotian's eyes brightened. He found himself standing on an endless grassland. The blue sky, white clouds, distant mountain ranges, and herds of cattle and sheep composed a breathtaking natural vista.

A gentle breeze danced across the green grass; red flowers and green willows sang a vibrant song.

"Hello, I am Qin Yin, the Destiny Smart Core. Please select your game nickname." A beautiful angel appeared before Murong Xiaotian, her exquisite voice cutting through his absorption.

The instant Murong Xiaotian’s gaze met the Smart Core’s, the pain hidden deep in his heart surged through his entire body.

Yashi? The Smart Core Qin Yin resembled Yashi so closely. Past emotions dragged Murong Xiaotian back fourteen years, to the moment he first met Yashi...

"Beat him to death..."

"Hit him!"

"Such a young age and already learning to steal."

"Teach this little thief a lesson."

A group of people surrounded the fourteen-year-old Murong Xiaotian, beating him relentlessly.

Murong Xiaotian curled up on the ground, tightly covering his head with his hands, biting his teeth fiercely, enduring the relentless assault without uttering a sound.

"Stop hitting him..." A timid voice roused the angry crowd.

"Forget it, don't hit him anymore, we don't want to cause a death," an older man said to the group. "Everyone go back. The boy looks quite pitiful; let him off this time."

The crowd slowly dispersed. Murong Xiaotian struggled to pull himself up from the ground. Though young, a desolate sense of world-weariness already shadowed his eyes.

"You're bleeding from your head," the timid voice, belonging to a timid girl, timidly offered Murong Xiaotian a snow-white handkerchief. "Wipe it. Why—why did you steal something?"

Murong Xiaotian coldly pushed the girl's hand away and turned to leave with difficulty. After taking two steps, he abruptly turned back, looking sad, helpless, yet unwilling, and shouted loudly to the girl, "I am a thief, but who is born wanting to be a thief?"

"Player Nickname: I Am A Thief. This name is unique and has been confirmed. Please select your profession." The Smart Core Qin Yin's voice was elegant and melodious.

"What? What? Wait a moment, what did you say my nickname was?" Murong Xiaotian snapped out of his reverie, startled.

"I Am A Thief," the Smart Core winked playfully.

A dark line creased Murong Xiaotian's forehead. He hurriedly pleaded, "Beautiful angel, this doesn't count. Can you please change my nickname?"

The Smart Core Qin Yin shook her head. "I am very sorry. Destiny is unlike any game before it. Once data is confirmed, there is absolutely no way to change it."

Murong Xiaotian was filled with regret, but there was nothing he could do. "It's all my fault for being so careless."

"Please select your profession."

"Warrior," Murong Xiaotian replied helplessly.

"Your profession is confirmed. Based on your registration number, your birthplace will be Novice Village 110."

"Oh, heavens, are you playing a trick on me?" Murong Xiaotian cried out mournfully, utterly depressed. "Beautiful, lovely, gorgeous, graceful, kind Angel MM, I beg you, let me change my birthplace!" Murong Xiaotian shouted while repeatedly bowing and gesturing in supplication.

The Smart Core Qin Yin was amused by Murong Xiaotian’s antics. "You are such a strange person. What difference does it make where you are born? All novice villages are the same."

Murong Xiaotian covered his face in a gesture of pain. "110 is where the police are stationed. You made my nickname sound like a thief—aren't you setting me up for embarrassment in public?"

"Hee hee, hee hee," the Smart Core Qin Yin laughed heartily, yet still shook her head. "I sympathize with you, but I cannot alter confirmed data. Tell you what, since you were so distraught upon seeing me that you mistyped your nickname, I can tell you some information about Destiny within the permissible limits. You can ask me anything you want to know."

"I—I want a Divine Artifact," Murong Xiaotian’s voice trembled slightly. "Beautiful MM, tell me how to get a Divine Artifact. Give me a Divine Artifact, and I won't mind if you call me I Am A Thief, or even born a thief."

"Certainly," the beautiful angel flapped her wings, appearing like a fleeting fairy who had descended to the mundane world, ethereal and utterly refined.

"Really?" Murong Xiaotian’s eyes shone, bright as the Morning Star in the darkness before dawn.

"From a Level 95 Super BOSS. Go and take it."

"You're just messing with me!" Murong Xiaotian's heart plummeted like a kite whose string had snapped. He simply sank to the ground, sighing in frustration. "Flowers are not flowers, mist is not mist; going is, staying is—a dilemma of both leaving and staying."

"I didn't realize you were quite talented."

"Talented? What talent? The talent for a coffin," Murong Xiaotian glared. "MM, are you praising me or insulting me? I didn't even finish middle school; I’m purely illiterate and a hooligan."

"Illiterate I cannot see, but hooligan, perhaps a bit," the Smart Core Qin Yin chuckled like a silver bell. "Hurry up and ask what other questions you have. If not..."

"Fine," Murong Xiaotian interrupted Qin Yin, climbing up from the ground. "I will ask you two questions, very seriously, very seriously, extremely seriously. I hope you won't play games with me this time."

"Go ahead."

"First, what is the use of Prestige? How is it increased? Second, how are Titles obtained? What benefits come with promotion?"

"Purchasing land and shops in the major cities of Destiny requires a certain amount of Prestige points. There are many ways to gain Prestige, such as discovering unknown maps, being the first to defeat a BOSS, and completing various hidden professions or hidden quests. Obtaining a Title is determined by the number of Heroes a player brings along. The more Heroes a player brings, the higher their Title will be. Titles offer two main benefits to players: First, the higher a player's Title, the cheaper the prices for items purchased from NPC shops in major cities; second, the higher the Title of the Guild Master, the more NPC soldiers they can purchase during a Guild War."

Qin Yin finished speaking, playfully winking at Murong Xiaotian. "Actually, both questions you asked can be looked up on the official Destiny website."

"Ugh," Murong Xiaotian felt so helpless he genuinely wanted to kick himself twice, if he could manage it.

"Your nickname and profession have been confirmed. Would you like to adjust your in-game appearance?"

"Reduce it by 10 out of 100 points," Murong Xiaotian replied after thinking.

"Appearance adjustment complete. Do you wish to enter the game now?"

"No need. I still have to go and confess my game nickname to the People's Government," Murong Xiaotian said with a dejected look, mocking himself.

"Very well. When you log in again, you will enter the game directly. Have a pleasant journey in Destiny."

As the Smart Core Qin Yin finished speaking, Murong Xiaotian's vision went black, and he exited the game.

Volume One: Vastness, Chapter Five: The Little Girl Asking for Money Mobile E-book · Feiku Net Update Time: 2009-4-23 17:44:34 Chapter Word Count: 2347

Murong Xiaotian took off the holographic helmet, looking around the work hall, feeling as if he had returned from another world. The lifelike scenes and environments of Destiny stirred a strange feeling within him. Was Destiny real life? Or was life merely an illusory game? Murong Xiaotian sighed inwardly.

Everyone in the hall had already removed their helmets. In front of every row of workstations, staff from Niantian Collective were busily and orderly registering players' game nicknames and birthplaces.

"Brother, it's too real; it’s just like traversing into another time and space!" Seeing Murong Xiaotian remove his helmet, Yang Song shouted loudly, excitement sparkling in his eyes.

Murong Xiaotian nodded silently; his mood was far from good at this moment.

"9561."

"Unique Sovereign, Novice Village 56."

"9562."

"Gentle Sunlight Like Water, Novice Village 217."

As the staff registered and the players responded, getting closer to his turn, Murong Xiaotian’s heart grew more anxious. Damn nickname, damn Novice Village 110, Murong Xiaotian cursed inwardly.

"9566."

"People's Policeman, Novice Village 110," Yang Song stood up and answered loudly, looking around proudly.

"Boom!" Murong Xiaotian felt a dizzy spell, a dark line crawling across his forehead, plunging him into complete despair. Damn Yang Song, why couldn't he pick any other nickname except People's Policeman, and why did he have to be in Novice Village 110 like me?

"9567."

"I Am A Thief, Novice Village 110," Murong Xiaotian replied softly, utterly resigned.

"Hahahaha!" Laughter erupted throughout the hall; even the staff couldn't help but laugh.

"Thief Brother, where else could you have been born, but to come to our People's Policeman's Novice Village 110," Yang Song clutched his stomach, laughing so hard he fell onto the sofa.

"Don't call me Thief Brother!" Murong Xiaotian roared at Yang Song. "You can call me Tianzai, Xiaotian, or Brother Tian. Call me Thief Brother again, and I'll beat you until your teeth are all over the floor."

After speaking, Murong Xiaotian ignored the astonished looks in the hall and, seemingly trying to escape his embarrassment, violently grabbed the helmet and quickly placed it on his head. "Ah, I’d better get into the game quickly before I embarrass myself further outside," Xiaotian thought gloomily.

A flash of white light flickered before his eyes, and Murong Xiaotian entered Novice Village 110. The village was already crowded, bustling and vibrant, appearing somewhat disorderly, with players continuously emerging from the spawn point.

All players wore identical, attribute-less cloth robes and cloth shoes. They looked energetic, bustling about, running everywhere.

"Let me check my status first," Murong Xiaotian muttered to himself, smoothing the still-uneasy expression on his face, and pulled up his status panel.

Name: I Am A Thief Level: 0 Class: Warrior Strength: 5 Agility: 5 Intellect: 5 Constitution: 5 Attack Power: 50 Speed: 50 Magic Points: 50 Health: 50 Comprehension: 0 Luck: 0 Charm: 1 Prestige: 0 Skills: None Heroes: 0 Max Heroes: 1 Title: Inferior Soldier

"System Grandfather, can't you ever make a mistake? Give me some Luck, Charm, Skills, or something?" Murong Xiaotian shook his head, realizing it was impossible. He then opened his inventory. In the twenty-four slots, there was only a wooden sword and one gold coin.

"Destiny's headquarters is too stingy, only giving one coin," Murong Xiaotian grumbled in dissatisfaction.

Gold coins in Destiny could be exchanged with real-world RMB. 1 Purple Gold Coin = 100 Gold Coins = 10,000 Silver Coins = 1,000,000 Copper Coins = 100 RMB. Of course, to maintain game balance, the exchange function would only be unlocked after two months.

"Where should I go first? I might as well follow the crowd!" Murong Xiaotian looked around and saw most people heading outside the village, so he followed them toward the exit.

Passing a street, crossing an alley, he saw the guards at the village entrance and the scene outside where players were fiercely hacking at Bouncing Rabbits with their wooden swords. Whenever a Bouncing Rabbit appeared, seven or eight wooden swords would instantly fall upon it. "Heavens, how cruel, how exaggerated. I deeply sympathize with the Bouncing Rabbit family," Murong Xiaotian shook his head and chuckled strangely.

"Big brother, I’m hungry. Give me a gold coin, please. I haven’t eaten anything all day." Standing by the corner of the alley was a little girl, about eight or nine years old, wearing patched, rough cloth clothes that were very worn. On her thin, sallow face, a pair of begging eyes looked fearfully at Murong Xiaotian.

Murong Xiaotian jolted at the sound and turned to look. Those pleading eyes rooted his feet to the spot.

Why did even in the game there existed the same pity and sorrow as in reality? Was Destiny showing people revelations about life? The emotions frozen in Murong Xiaotian’s heart for years instantly welled up from the core of his being, and the pain and sorrow hidden deepest within twisted his entire face...

The street, a cold, gray street, was empty. Only the thirteen-year-old Murong Xiaotian remained, his heavy footsteps echoing against the pavement, his youthful face etched with a desolation and world-weariness that a boy his age should not possess.

His mother died during childbirth when his younger brother, Xiaofeng, was born. His father had struggled, working himself to the bone to raise three children. Their already precarious and impoverished home collapsed completely three months ago due to his father’s death from illness. In just three short months, Murong Xiaotian had tasted the fickleness of human nature and the indifference of society.

Thinking of the words spoken by that fat man at his father's former workplace just now, Murong Xiaotian’s self-respect felt shredded into countless pieces by a hundred blades, becoming fragmented.

"We are an enterprise, not a charity organization. Don't bother us again in the future."

The wind could not dry the tears at the corners of his eyes; the brilliant starry sky shimmered with eternal loneliness.

Murong Xiaotian dragged his heavy steps and pushed open the door to his home.

"Brother, I'm hungry." Nine-year-old Murong Xiaoyi looked up with pleading eyes; six-year-old Murong Xiaofeng sat on the ground, covered in dirt, crying. All of this caused Murong Xiaotian excruciating pain...

Standing before you, even the wind quietly weeps; can you give me a piece of the sky, so I can change my destiny?

After a long while, Murong Xiaotian pulled his thoughts back from the recollection. His eyes held only a moonlight-like gentleness. He quickly took out the only gold coin from his inventory and handed it to the little girl with deep affection, saying with immense resolve, "Little sister, take this gold coin. From today onward, brother will give you one gold coin every day." Murong Xiaotian placed the coin in the girl's hand and turned away, gently wiping away the hidden tears at the corner of his eye.

Murong Xiaotian checked his watch; there were ten minutes left before Destiny would run. He should hurry and look at the reference materials first.

The top part of the material was all information he had seen in recruitment ads, so he skipped it directly, starting from the content below.

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