Chapter 4: The Useless Demoness (1)
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“Uh…”
Head’s a bit achy.
In a daze, Lin Nan’s vision gradually transformed from darkness to light,
She rubbed her temples while adjusting to the scenery slowly appearing before her eyes.
【Low Martial World (Low Difficulty)】
【You have inherited the A-Level skill “White Flame” from the last Small World.】
【Cold Value System unlocked; you can exchange Cold Value for exclusive skills in this world.
Complete tasks at an S rank or above to choose one exclusive skill to bring out of this world.】
The system notifications zipped across her retina.
After assessing her surroundings for a moment, Lin Nan realized she was inside a somewhat shabby wooden cabin.
Beneath her was a soft mattress, in front of her was a willow wood screen carved with floral patterns. Beyond that screen was a dressing table cluttered with colorful cosmetics, and a slanted copper mirror stood unevenly on it.
Lin Nan glanced around, confirming there were no immediate dangers, and then curiously leaned towards the copper mirror to check her current appearance.
Wait, shouldn’t she test what martial skills she still had in this Low Martial World first? Why did looking in the mirror draw her in so irresistibly…
Ah well, might as well take a look…
Martial skills can be tested later; there’s no rush. If it’s yours, it’ll come to you. If it’s not, no use forcing it.
However, the rough-faced reflection that stared back at her made Lin Nan furrow her brow slightly.
Strange, it wasn’t a possession this time…
It was her original face, Frost North Snow? Cold Moon Witch?
Or perhaps a mix of the two? Either way, being able to revert to her true form in this new Small World isn’t all bad.
As she scrutinized the other version of herself in the copper mirror, an unexpected loud “bang bang” knocked at the door.
Lin Nan quickly ducked to the side and drew the sword hanging on the wall.
Just arrived, and aside from a simple announcement, the system hadn’t told her anything about her identity or given any task details.
It seemed like she would have to explore everything on her own.
Despite being a Low Martial World, Lin Nan distinctly sensed she couldn’t use any skills related to the Cold Moon Witch.
Her skills bar showed only two pitiful icons: Moon-Chasing Skill (lv1) and Qinglu Sword Art (lv2).
Great, in this new Small World, she was reduced to being a complete novice, the kind that can’t fight for beans.
Who could she possibly fight with this level?
“Bang bang!”
The knocking grew louder.
Lin Nan stayed silent; if the person outside was hostile, she wouldn’t mind waiting for the perfect moment to stab them in the back.
Even though she’d previously looked down on sneak attacks, desperate times called for desperate measures.
“Great King, Great King! It’s terrible! That kid tried to off himself!”
Lin Nan paused—Great King?
Wait, was that really directed at her?
Lin Nan decided to take a gamble and tidied her outfit.
She had just seen in the copper mirror that she was dressed in ancient short attire, her ponytail perked up behind her head, looking quite sharp and spirited.
Taking a deep breath, Lin Nan opened the door.
“Great King, you’re finally awake! I was worried you might have drunk too much and wouldn’t wake up, so I tried a bit harder!”
Lin Nan was taken aback. “Fatty?”
Fatty looked like a butcher at the moment, all rough and bulky, with thick, black hair sprouting on his exposed chest.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he urged, “Great King, you need to hurry and take a look!”
“Uh… alright, lead the way.”
Though she had no idea why Fatty was here after such a long separation, he clearly existed now as an NPC and likely hadn’t realized his past identity.
What she needed to do now was get familiar with her surroundings ASAP.
Following Fatty briskly forward, Lin Nan cast her eyes around.
Just as she thought, since Fatty called her Great King, she was probably situated in a mountain stronghold—the wooden buildings around were mostly shabby, merely serving to block the wind and rain. In contrast, her wooden cabin was by far the best-built place in this stronghold.
Yet there was a festive atmosphere in the shabby stronghold.
Tattered houses were strung with ropes, and over a dozen bright red lanterns swung gently in the breeze.
The muddy ground was scattered with remnants of firecrackers, papers left over from last night’s celebration.
What the heck happened here?
And who was that kid Fatty mentioned?
It seemed the entire stronghold had drunk quite a bit last night; snores from inside the houses echoed continuously without pause.
Puzzled, Lin Nan had no choice but to follow Fatty onward.
After rounding a few houses, a small hut nestled against the rocky edge came into sight.
Outside the hut stood several anxious-looking people, and when they saw Fatty bringing Lin Nan, they rushed over.
“Great King, that kid jumped into the water and we managed to save him.”
“Yeah, he gulped down a ton of water! Almost had a fatal party!”
“This kid’s such a pain; I say we should just cut him down, quick and clean.”
“You idiot! That kid’s the Great King’s… husband. How can we just butcher him like that?”
Amid the chatter, Lin Nan finally grasped the situation.
So she snagged a guy to be her cheap husband?
Seriously, how desperate was she?
“Let him go, let him go!”
Lin Nan made a swift decision, “A squeezed fruit isn’t sweet; we should respect free love.”
As soon as she said this, the nearby crowd stared at her like she’d grown two heads.
Fatty awkwardly chuckled, “Uh, how about you take a look at the kid’s situation first before deciding?”
Lin Nan thought it over.
As the leader of this mountain stronghold, she needed to send some warmth, and this guy was willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of marital freedom—now that’s a real man.
When she met him, she’d kindly persuade him to leave, ensuring that she didn’t have a new life on her hands to deal with right after crossing into this Small World.
She was too kind-hearted for her own good.
Fatty pushed the door open, and Lin Nan stepped inside.
An oil lamp flickered in the corner, casting a dim glow over the otherwise dark interior.
The boy lay curled up in the bedding, facing away from her.
On the chair in front of him hung a drenched outfit, clearly just taken off.
“Hey, kid, the Great King is here to see you personally!”
The boy remained totally still.
Fatty was about to step forward in a huff, but Lin Nan stopped him.
“We’ve had our differences in the past, almost costing you your life. So here’s the thing: If you don’t want to stay here, you can leave whenever you wish.”
Lin Nan said slowly.
The moment the boy heard this, he immediately froze.
He turned to look at Lin Nan with wide eyes, “Are you being serious?”
Lin Nan was about to affirm but caught sight of the boy’s shining cheeks under the oil lamp, and the words “I really am” caught in her throat.
“Ha, just kidding! Did you really believe that?”
“Bwahahahaha!”
The eavesdropping crowd outside burst into laughter.
“I knew the Great King couldn’t have changed; she’s just messing with the kid!”
“The Great King’s starting to have more of a sense of humor!”
Tears suddenly welled up in the boy’s eyes, and he began to sob.
