### Chapter 5: Two-Pronged Approach (6)
“Everything I’ve said ties back to the Martial Arts Alliance,” Lin Nan declared.
As soon as she said this, not only did the remaining members of the Demon-Subduing Alliance perk up, but also the various leaders from the mountain stronghold, the Masked Man, and Liao Chen. Everyone was suddenly all ears.
Especially Fatty and his crew,
In all the years at the mountain stronghold, they had never heard the Great King say such things.
Just imagining that they were squatting on the head of a “Human Emperor” who had wiped out the Demon Emperor and slayed tens of thousands casually sent shivers down Fatty’s spine.
Oh, heavens, that Human Emperor wouldn’t blame us for doing our business right above him, would he?
After all, the soldiers of the stronghold didn’t farm or anything. Their food supply was all pilfered from the valley below, and they had absolutely no need for any kind of fertilizer. So, all the dirty stuff was casually tossed off the cliff—out of sight, out of mind.
While Fatty was fretting over his thoughts,
The members of the Demon-Subduing Alliance were particularly curious about what Lin Nan would say next.
Young Master Shi had been kidnapped and taken to the mountain stronghold, leading the Martial Arts Alliance to issue a bounty of a thousand taels of gold and a rare sword manual as a reward for Shi Yuan’s rescue. That had sent the martial artists flocking to the scene.
Looking at it from any angle, the stronghold was the origin of all this chaos.
If they hadn’t whimsically decided to kidnap Young Master Shi, how would the Martial Arts Alliance have mobilized its people with a bounty?
As for Shi Jinghai’s indifferent attitude towards Shi Yuan, that was understandable.
After all, Shi Yuan was a b*stard son, not skilled in martial arts, and compared to his two other sons, he really didn’t shine as brightly. It seemed only natural for Shi Jinghai to pay him less attention.
This demon sect enchantress took quite a roundabout route, first discussing the battle between humans and demons from five hundred years ago before steering the topic back to the Martial Arts Alliance.
They were eager to see what the woman could possibly come up with.
“This all began back in the day…” Lin Nan tilted her head back to gaze at the sky at a 45-degree angle, a hint of melancholy in her eyes.
With her LV7 Luck Value to back her up, she hoped the story she was about to spin would become a part of true history.
Amitabha…
Ever since she arrived in this small world, she had been as clueless as a deer in headlights, and Fatty and the others—mere NPCs—seemed equally hazy about the past of the small world.
This gave her the space and opportunity to weave her tale.
She just hoped her narrative wouldn’t conflict with the past. But with LV7 Luck in play, perhaps that risk would be significantly minimized.
“Once upon a time, a merchant team from the Western Region landed in Central Plains. While passing through Lehua Town, the Fire Cultists in the team detected a heavy presence of demon energy and abnormalities in the atmosphere. If not suppressed promptly, it would lead to serious trouble down the line.
So, ten or so Fire Cultists decided to stay behind, setting up a spiritual barrier to diligently combat the demon energy.
And that’s when the foundation of the Demon Sect began to take shape.”
…
“What? The Demon Sect was actually established to combat demon energy? This… this can’t be true!”
“Yeah, even if it’s true, why did you have to pick such a name that sounds so… unsettling?”
Lin Nan replied nonchalantly, “You should know, the term ‘Demon Sect’ wasn’t something we came up with on our own; it was forcibly slapped on us by the martial arts world of the Central Plains to exclude us. Over time, we grew used to it and began to refer to ourselves as the Demon Sect.
After all, as we expanded our power to strengthen our combat against demon energy, we ruffled a few feathers among various martial arts factions.
Consequently, our actions were demonized. People even thought our exorcism techniques aimed at dispelling demons were rituals invoking plague and disaster.
As time went on, the Demon Sect found itself unable to defend against unjust criticism and must silently bear the unfounded accusations.”
【Ding! Under the influence of LV7 Luck, the history you’ve constructed for the Demon Sect has been incorporated into world memory.
Your Luck Value increased by 200; you currently have 1390 Luck Points.】
Done!
By some fortunate accident, Lin Nan finally grasped the hidden rules of this small world.
Unlike the modern small world she experienced previously, this initial martial world wasn’t a steady existence; it was a temporary construct created by the System specifically for Lin Nan.
That Fatty, whom she hadn’t seen in ages, being an NPC here was a secret hint from the System.
Before Lin Nan began constructing the history of this initial martial world, it had existed as a chaos in the minds of each NPC,
They knew of its existence but lacked many details.
But that didn’t interfere with their logical thinking. It was like someone with amnesia: they might forget past experiences, but life goes on unaffected.
Besides, with a System in place, it wouldn’t allow any NPCs to exist who didn’t follow orders.
This opened up a chance for Lin Nan to fill in the gaps of history and reshape the inherent perceptions of the NPCs.
With the high-level Luck backing her, what she described could seamlessly integrate into the overall history of the initial martial world and resonate with the deep memories in people’s minds, making them immediately recognize the truth of this historical account.
Of course, Lin Nan’s moves weren’t out of randomness.
With both the Masked Man and Liao Chen present, she had to create an environment favorable to herself, boosting their favorability toward her while inching toward perfect clearance conditions.
After all, there was no requirement to reach maximum favorability in the conditions for a perfect clearance.
It was simply about gaining more Luck Points and elevating her Luck Level to its peak that led her to challenge the nearly SSS difficulty of Liao Chen and the Masked Man.
She was keen to see if, amidst such a complicated environment, she could simultaneously win both their favor.
For her, this was undoubtedly a fresh and exhilarating challenge.
【Ding! You have a new side quest: “Two-Pronged Approach”!】
【Sub-quest 1: Obtain 100% favorability from Evil Shiyuan (Masked Man).
Quest Reward: Fragment of a Treasure Map.】
【Sub-quest 2: Obtain 100% favorability from Diamond Shiyuan (Liao Chen).
Quest Reward: Fragment of a Treasure Map.】
Well, here it is.
The System, after all, knows exactly what’s in her head.
Almost instantly, it tossed out these two tempting side quests.
Previously, she had already collected two fragments of the treasure map; just two more, and she’d have a complete one. Every player has a bit of compulsion, and even if the treasure map is of no use to her, completing it is a victorious mental triumph.
Alright then, let’s see if she could deepen her favorability with both male leads simultaneously.
“The Demon Sect finding no acceptance in the Central Plains’ martial world was not an overnight phenomenon. In the process of mutual animosity, both sides also suffered casualties. Hatred can amplify infinitely, and thus, over time, the Demon Sect became a public enemy of the upright sects, and it was precisely the Demon Sect that prompted various factions of the martial world to ally, leading to its eventual demise.
Without the Demon Sect, the demon energy began to seep slowly into the human realm…”
Lin Nan paused, her expression growing increasingly serious, “The Martial Arts Alliance might have noticed this, which is why they didn’t wipe out me, the remaining filth of the demon race.”
