### Chapter 9: Starting from Forced Sales to More Forced Sales
Night Lan had already decreased her presence and was wandering around the unfamiliar streets nearby, struggling to acclimate to this new environment.
From the attire on passersby, it seemed to be a very distant era. This sudden change felt quite jarring to Night Lan, but she didn’t feel uncomfortable.
Strictly speaking, she had similar experiences before.
The era described by the theater leader seemed to match more or less.
She was just getting used to it again.
This wasn’t particularly hard for Night Lan. At that moment, she was seriously pondering one thing.
Could she directly end the tragic beginning? If the Ballad Conductor was the mastermind behind the tragedy…
Then if she took him out early, wouldn’t it prevent the Gentleman and the Fraudster’s tragedy?
Like how Star Sheng and Shiyu Qianyi had dealt with their problems.
Night Lan didn’t need to find him—just make a wish and voila.
Why not give it a shot?
With this in mind, she sprang into action.
Night Lan found an empty corner and prepared to make a wish to the Wish Machine.
Even if it meant being exhausted after it would be fine. Just find a safe spot to nap.
“I wish the Ballad Conductor would d*e once.”
[Denied]
The Wish Machine refused her.
Apparently, it was impossible?
She could easily do so in the tales of Star Sheng and Shiyu Qianyi, but not here?
Maybe the Ballad Conductor is stronger during this time period?
“…”
Since brute force methods won’t work, she’d have to resort to finesse. Not the first time anyway.
Lianhua and Kong Yu Bai didn’t use wishes either when they handled their issues last time. Shouldn’t be a problem now, maybe.
Sighing deeply, she prepared to observe her surroundings further.
—
Meanwhile, in some hidden place, a strange figure sat on the balcony watching the world outside, grinning mysteriously.
If Night Lan were here, she’d recognize this person instantly.
It’s the Ballad Conductor!
“d*mn, my metrics inexplicably improved.”
Closing his eyes to sense things, he quickly figured it out.
“So, my power at some timeline unknowingly increased and then spread to all versions of me. Right?”
The Ballad Conductor roughly understood what was going on.
The boost in specs meant the capacity to create tragedies also got better.
Previously, he could easily crush ordinary folks; even post-boost, nothing changed significantly.
His plans remained untouched.
Everything was under his control.
If he managed this tragedy, he’d get huge satisfaction. Thinking about it was rather delightful.
Perhaps some might struggle desperately to alter the outcome.
But those efforts were futile.
Under the Ballad Conductor’s dominion, nobody could escape their predestined tragedy.
It just needed time to ripen; the longer it took, the sweeter it would be.
The Ballad Conductor wasn’t in a hurry; he’d savor every bite.
“Suffer away, resistance makes tragedy perfect. Only true despair after fruitless attempts can decorate it beautifully. I look forward to seeing how it all ends.”
A demonic grin spread across his face.
—
Switching back to Night Lan, she confirmed she wasn’t in Huaxia anymore—that much was clear—but now somewhere foreign and unfamiliar.
Not the Free Country either; perhaps some other territory.
Being in an unknown place, knowing the area was key.
At least maps could help.
Language wasn’t an issue thanks to the Wish Machine.
Night Lan wanted everything perfect: no Ballad Conductor hassle would be nice.
But since the Wish Princess left her here, she lacked much luck.
Wishes couldn’t be outlandish. Self-reliance was her only choice.
During this, she gathered intel.
[“No Scams”] was working well.
She traded everything possible for goods and info, always a forced transaction, often unfair.
[“No Scams”] worked like that too.
She benefited greatly while the merchants suffered heavy losses.
With Night Lan’s flexible moral compass, some guilt, but not much.
Merchants weren’t exactly screwed over either.
Night Lan wouldn’t exploit one forever; find a new target, rinse, and repeat.
Leave after a trade. Nobody caught her.
Word spread of a cheeky trader soon enough.
Afterward, she returned to her residence, sorting through her gains.
“Hmm, scratch previous comment. [‘Honest Trading’] is legit. Without any morals, probably even better. But I’m just a good little Loli, better leave well enough alone.”
She wasn’t a bloodsucking capitalist.
Just wanted supplies to survive.
She collected plenty.
Food, clothes, miscellaneous items—all relevant to this era.
Especially important—the map of the region and detailed map of the area. Easy navigation now.
Gained these via [“No Scams”] trades. Otherwise, she couldn’t afford them with money.
Still short.
Her future piggy bank meant nothing here.
“Oh… a few tips.”
Besides items, Night Lan traded for info on the region.
Only by absorbing real-time data could she integrate faster.
Didn’t focus much on complex events, concerned about vital things.
High society here valued etiquette as a trend.
Every young noble’s actions were rated as benchmarks to raise their social standing and enhance their clan’s reputation.
Many young nobles cared deeply about their reputation, craving fame. To feed pride, they promoted themselves through current etiquette.
However, mere actions weren’t enough; aura played a critical role.
Even actions unseen mattered most based on others’ impressions.
Most gentlemen exuded excellent manners inherently—something irreproducible.
Same went for ladies who were also paragons of decorum.
Among the young nobility, two names stood out.
One was a man named Hughes. Famous in his circle, recognized as a gentleman.
His gestures, speech, and demeanor made him a standard model for male gents. Adored by noble girls, always discussed at tea parties when mentioning this gentleman.
Hughes was famous among both high society and common folk. Seems purposeful promotion.
—
