University was still a month away from starting, but as the top science student in Zhejiang Province, Lixiang did not go out to play. Instead, he stayed at home to thoroughly review the high school curriculum of the past three years, and right now, the book in his hands was about multivariable calculus, a subject he wouldn't even study until university.
"So that's how it works. It's not actually that difficult." Looking at the symbols and formulas in the book, Lixiang felt no boredom at all; on the contrary, he felt the joy of meeting an old friend.
Out in the living room, Lixiang's parents sat on the sofa, facing a gaming capsule that had just been delivered.
"Old Li, you're not actually encouraging Xiaoxiang to play video games, are you?" Li's Mother glanced suspiciously at her husband.
Li's Father was a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Culture, and Li's Mother was the principal of an early stage middle school. Both were intellectuals. They already had a daughter studying at Qingda University—the top institution of higher learning in China—and this son was even more impressive, having just taken top honors in the science track for Zhejiang Province.
The couple had truly gained plenty of prestige in front of their colleagues and neighbors.
As Li's Father sat there wearing glasses, looking scholarly and refined, he still gave off a faint aura of authority, along with that touch of unbending integrity typical of literati.
"Society's development today is diversified; just being good at studying is definitely not enough. I hope Xiaoxiang can be like other kids, go out more, interact with more people, and experience more things. But since Xiaoxiang doesn't want to go out on his own right now, we as adults can't force him. This new game claims to be a second world, and I happened to get an allocation for one. I'm lending this game to Xiaoxiang so he can go in and explore, and also train himself in social interactions."
Li's Mother sighed inwardly. Perhaps she had reined him in too tightly in the past; this son of hers had too introverted a personality. His studies were fine, but he was far too much of a bookworm.
What pained Li's Mother the most was when Lixiang had once returned from an outing with classmates looking utterly dejected, and she finally found out that a girl had called her son a bookworm with zero personality.
"Fine. I've heard a bit about this game called New Era. They say it's just like the real world—maybe inside the game, Xiaoxiang's personality can become a bit stronger!"
The two of them still had great faith in their son's self-control. For so many years, seeing their son's talent for learning unlocked, they believed he would be equally outstanding anywhere else.
......
"What? You want me to play this game?" Lixiang looked at his father's somewhat serious expression and smiled. "All right, I'll take a look after I solve this problem."
Li's Father said, "This New Era is quite good. Old Sun's daughter and Director Wu's boy are both playing. Most importantly, our Ministry of Culture specifically tested this game; it genuinely benefits the human body. Playing it can improve physical condition and even treat certain ailments!"
"Don't stay up too late studying. By the way, the public beta for this game starts at eight o'clock tonight. Your mother and I might occasionally log in and check it out ourselves."
After Li's Father went out, Lixiang looked at the object resembling a giant eggshell and reached out to touch it. Although he was a homebody, he wasn't a fool. How could he not have heard of a game like New Era? An advanced stage nutrient capsule like this wasn't something you could buy just with money; it was probably sent by someone because of his father's position.
He picked up the manual lying nearby, read it carefully, and only then connected the power, opened the hatch, and lay inside.
Whoosh! The scenery inside shifted abruptly, and Lixiang found himself standing in the middle of a colossal city, even feeling a cool breeze brush past.
Taking in the surrounding sights, even Lixiang—who rarely went out—was instantly captivated: magnificent, majestic architecture, ancient and unadorned statues......
"Welcome to New Era. Please name your character."
"Heartless Parting!"
"Would you like to modify your facial appearance?"
"No!"
......
"Please select your class!"
At this step, Lixiang hesitated slightly. Looking at the mighty warriors, the stealthy and eerie rogues, the handsome archers...... with all these distinct character avatars, Lixiang truly didn't know which one to choose.
Warriors were in the most danger and had to charge at the front; rogues had too little defense. Which class was good? Lixiang had no special preference for any of these; he simply felt that playing a game meant safety was paramount, just like in real world.
Right, the healer class was respected and valued in both reality and games, and most importantly, it was safe.
Select Priest!
A beam of white light shone down on Lixiang, and when he opened his eyes again, he was already standing inside a massive cathedral.
Looking at the excited and thrilled players all around him, Lixiang checked his own outfit and felt a twinge of regret.
His starter gear looked as ugly and awkward as funeral robes, giving the distinct impression of wearing a skirt. Looking around, nine out of ten players here were girls.
Priests lacked powerful offensive capabilities, serving strictly as babysitters within a team. Most people who chose such support classes were either girls or dedicated logistics personnel from large guilds and gaming studios.
"Forget it, let's get familiar with the surroundings first." Lixiang immediately began leisurely admiring the Western-style cathedral just like a tourist. Amidst his sightseeing, he also spotted a few so-called NPCs completely surrounded by layers upon layers of squeezed players.
A crowd of girls packed tightly together was truly a spectacular sight. Lixiang gestured a few times, hesitated for a moment, and ultimately decided against it. Even though this was just a game, it still wouldn't look good for a grown man to squeeze his way in and be misunderstood.
Therefore, Lixiang simply waited quietly off to the side and checked his starting attributes:
"Player Name: Heartless Parting."
"Strength: 10 points."
"Agility: 10 points."
"Intelligence: 10 points."
"Stamina: 10 points."
"Knowledge: 0 points."
They were all ten points, so it seemed everyone started the same. Strength increased attack power, agility increased hit rate and speed, intelligence increased magic and spirit, and physical stats increased health and endurance. But what did knowledge increase? And why was mine zero instead of ten upon creation?
Lifting his head to look at the NPCs who were tightly surrounded, Lixiang turned around and decided to head outside.
There were even more players on the streets, turning the tranquil town upside down. Every single visible NPC along the way was swarmed and surrounded by players over and over again. Walking even as far as the city gates, a vast expanse of players was already waiting out there.
A full three hours later, Lixiang finally finished walking through the entirety of Sun City.
If a Priest wanted to learn skills, they had to return to the cathedral. Every class had its own guild hall; Lixiang went inside but was promptly chased right back out by the guards.
The people in the cathedral hadn't decreased at all; if anything, there were even more. Following the corridor, Lixiang walked toward the backyard of the cathedral, which was a courtyard containing nothing but a stone table and a stone chair.
Sitting at the stone table while watching the female players running about, he felt his mood was still quite good. Suddenly, an idea struck him. He had read in books that cathedrals were the product of politics and religion, ranking even higher than imperial authority in certain countries. A cathedral of this scale definitely had a library.
The moment books crossed his mind, Lixiang's eyes lit up, and he immediately started searching the cathedral bit by bit alongside the other players. While everyone else was hunting for NPCs, he was hunting for the cathedral's archives.
Sure enough, on the third floor of the cathedral—right in the innermost corner—there actually was a small library. This library wasn't normally open to the public; it was the private library of the local bishop, Draenei.
However, the sheer volume of newcomers today, coupled with their savage habit of smashing into literally every single room they encountered, had given him a terrible fright. The door to this small library was made of rare sandalwood that he had spent a fortune hauling from the Elven Forest, capable of keeping the indoor rooms free of mosquitoes and protecting the books from mold and rot.
Once the door was pushed open, the interior was laid bare at a glance: only bookshelves, with not a soul inside. This surely wouldn't attract anyone's attention, right?
So, after Lixiang stepped inside, the room was completely empty. Looking at the two fully stocked bookshelves, Lixiang instantly felt like a pauper laying eyes upon a pile of gold.
Lixiang first selected two books concerning the history of this New Era. Such background material had been briefly mentioned when he first entered the game, but since historical texts like these were available, he certainly couldn't miss them.