Chapter 2: Opportunist
The Xianzhou Luofu was a colossal ship that— like the other Xianzhou Alliance Ships— fared the stellar seas with might.
Each of these ships was headed by an Arbiter-General, and under Divine Mandate, they endlessly Hunted the Abominations of Abundance.
Currently, at the Jade Gate— where all travelers who wish to enter the Luofu must enter— William patiently waited in a line.
Soon, however, it didn't take long for his turn. He moved forward and was met with a man behind a glass window.
Similar to him, the man also had elongated ears.
"Name, origin, and reason for travel." The man behind the glass window uttered with a blank face.
"Name: William Ceres; Origin: IPC; Reason for travel: Transfer from another Division," William spoke with a calm tone as his eyes observed the man behind the window.
The man behind the window nodded his head as he found William's information which had already been submitted prior. "Alright, it's verified. Hm?"
The man then paused as he looked at the information in the paper. He looked back and forth between the paper and William. "Did you dye your hair?"
"Something like that, yes." William didn't deny it and answered honestly. "If you want my other identifications, I can give you some of my cards."
"There's no need," However, the man only shook his head in refusal. "But next time, be sure to submit your new look for something like this, alright?"
"I was sure you IPC people were already quite aware of this." The man clicked his tongue in inconvenience.
"Alright, I apologize." William lightly nodded his head and admitted his fault.
"Hm." Humming in approval, the man then slid a paper to William, and the latter took it.
"Welcome to the Xianzhou Luofu," The man behind the glass window spoke with courtesy. "Please, continue onward."
"Thank you," Not forgetting his manners, William thanked the man before moving onwards.
As William left, the man behind the glass pane window couldn't help but look at him— more specifically, his ears. "..."
Oblivious to this, William proceeded along the customs smoothly without any hindrances.
---
"Wow," Finally passed through the customs, William stood still on a platform and looked in the distance.
In front of him, various flying vehicles that resemble boats were flying around. Around him, various people from different races came and went.
Looking at this scene, William breathed softly before releasing a deep breath. 'Nothing really beats seeing things personally.'
Previously, he could only witness such a view from behind a screen. But now, he was living inside it and witnessing it in real-time. 'It feels so unreal...'
Looking out in a certain direction, where the shadow of what seemed like a tree was present, William hummed.
'The Ambrosial Arbor... In the near future, it would awaken and cause chaos in the Luofu.' He thought as he observed the withered tree with interest.
He knew full well who would awaken one of the Plagumarks of the Xianzhou Alliance— and how catastrophic its awakening would be.
Yes, he knew it full well. However...
'I don't really have any reason to do so.' He thought blankly. 'More than anything, watching it all play out would be more beneficial for a lot of people— including me.'
'Moreover, who would even believe a demoted IPC member— who says that the Plaguemark would once more be awakened?' He scoffed at this thought. 'I have a feeling that I'd only get deported right off the bat. No thanks.'
'And...' William's thoughts then wandered over to the piece of brass-colored paper he had earlier. 'Arbiter...'
William was quite aware of what that page meant. Through reasons unknown and only known by the brass-colored book, he had become a Sequence 9 Arbiter of the Justiciar Pathway.
This Pathway heavily focuses on "Law" and "Order", and metes out punishment to those who disobey them.
Now that William was an Arbiter, he knew full well how to work with this newfound power.
Acting.
One crucial method for strengthening your pathway power was for you to act on its name. In other words, since he became an Arbiter, he now needs to settle disputes and bring forth authority over disorder.
'If my theory is right, and this Pathway is the same in my mind...'
'Then perhaps if I acted and perfected my Sequence, that brass-colored book would advance me to the next Sequence...'
The initial scattered information was becoming more and more coherent and structured in William's mind. He connected some dots and came to a conclusion,
'If so... If I continue climbing up the sequences...' A thought then formed in his mind as his faint bronze eyes glistened with an enigmatic intent. 'Then can I reach the level of...'
'A Sequence 0?'
His mind reveled at this thought. One must know that Sequence 0 was synonymous with having immense power.
Such a thought scratches William's mind. With sharp bronze eyes, his gaze lingered upon the Luofu. 'If so... Then I'll gladly do so.'
'To reach... That great height, I'll make full use of the chaos of the Ambrosial Arbor... and advance properly.'
William was an opportunist— he knew that very well about himself. Be it in his past life or in this one, he will try his best to make use of something for his benefit.
Coupled with his identity as an IPC member, being an opportunistic selfish person wasn't uncommon among the ranks.
Finishing his internal monologue, William breathed a soft sigh before moving onwards.
Ding*
Just then, he felt a vibration from his pocket. He reached out his hand and took out a phone.
There, he saw a message. It was a message from his new boss.
The message was brief, but it contained some tasks he had to do. Under the guise of an IPC Business Consultant, he was assigned to a few locations in the Luofu.
'Well... Before becoming a god-like being, I'm still first and foremost a worker.' He thought as he slid his phone back into his pocket. 'It's decided then.'
With this thought, he walked over to a Starskiff— one of the flying vehicles that resembles boats.
There, he saw the driver. It was a man with fluffy ears and a brown fox tail. He looked young, but in reality, he was already a couple hundred years old. "Welcome, is this your first time in the Luofu?"
William recognized his race in an instant. It was the Foxian race— one of the three main races of the Xianzhou.
"Not quite," William didn't lie. After all, he had already seen the major locations in the Luofu through the game. "Can you take me to the Central Starskiff Haven?"
"Sure, hop on aboard!" The man nodded his head and opened the Starskiff for William to enter.
William walked over and sat down. Soon after, the Starskiff moved and started gliding in the skies.
---
The distance between the Jade Gate and the Central Starskiff Haven wasn't far, and it was generally the first place travelers go to when visiting the Luofu.
Arriving at the Starskiff Jetty where various Starskiffs came and went, the Starskiff William was inside of docked.
Paying the fee to the Starskiff, William stepped off and looked around for a moment before walking up the stairs.
After walking up a set of stairs, he entered the Earthrise Agora, a plaza where the Palace of Astrum is located.
When he arrived, he immediately saw the tall palace with bowlike eaves not far away.
"Hm." Seeing the palace, William thought for a moment before taking out his phone. He then opened the camera app and took a picture of the Palace of Astrum.
'That's a good shot.' He nodded his head in approval. Even when he reincarnated, his old habit persisted.
Sliding his phone back into his pocket, William started walking. As he walked, he witnessed various people come and go, and, from time to time, Cloud Knights holding their Halberds were seen stationed around the Palace.
However, the Palace of Astrum wasn't William's goal for the moment. His main goal right now is...
'I'm hungry.' He thought with a straight face as he navigated his way through the crowd of people.
Familiar with the map of the Luofu, William wanted to go to Starwatcher Avenue to eat.
With his familiarity, It didn't take long for him to reach there.
There, he saw the shops line up. Travelers who just arrived were present here, enjoying the local cuisine.
Wasting no time, William immediately went to find a store and bought some street food to alleviate his hunger. He bought some fried rice along with braised meat and finished it with a soda.
Now satisfied, William burped. Right now, he was holding a drink called Immortal's Delight— which is basically just boba tea. 'That was a great meal... I should come here again...'
Taking out his phone again, William was just about to take more pictures of the Luofu, when suddenly, he saw something from the corner of his eye.
"...hm?"
In the distance, William saw a young lady running away from two Cloud Knights who were perusing her.
She agilely evaded them, while also making sure not to disrupt anyone else on her path of escape.
Seeing such a scene, William's eyebrow couldn't help but rise. 'Is that...'
'Guinaifen?'
Presented with something so convenient for progressing, how can he just let it go?