Villain Simulator, Ch 4

A brilliant golden light instantly gathered on Lucas's fist as he struck directly towards the chest of the Hilichurl Berserker. Perhaps instinctively sensing the danger of this punch, the Hilichurl Berserker hurriedly put its giant axe in front of itself. However, Lucas's fist did not stop and smashed right into the axe's blade.

With a crisp "snap," a crack appeared on the giant axe in the Hilichurl Berserker's hand. The look in its eyes under the mask showed a trace of disbelief. Before it could react, the giant axe shattered into countless pieces.

Lucas's fist went straight through the axe and fiercely hit the Hilichurl Berserker's face, shattering its mask along with the impact. In almost an instant, the previously arrogant Hilichurl Berserker was lying on the ground, devoid of any sound.

Seeing the Hilichurl Berserker's body dissipate into black smoke, Lucas finally breathed a deep sigh of relief.

[Savior of the caravan, you have earned 200 Virtue Points]

As expected, the points not only came from defeating the Hilichurl Berserker but also from saving the passing caravan.

"Thank you, young hero, for saving us!" A middle-aged man with a small mustache patted the dirt off his clothes, took a step forward, and said, "If it weren't for you, we would have been in big trouble."

"It is only right to help when seeing injustice," Lucas nodded politely. "But if you knew the road was dangerous, why didn't you bring more guards?"

"You may not know," the caravan leader shook his head, "I've traveled this route hundreds of times, and usually, we only encounter some troublesome Hilichurls at most. I never expected to run into a Hilichurl Berserker this time... I've heard people say that there have been strange occurrences with the monsters near Liyue Harbor recently, but I didn't believe it until we encountered this."

"I see..." Lucas nodded thoughtfully.

"By the way, I'm Zhang Luo, a merchant from Liyue Harbor," Zhang Luo patted his chest and asked, "May I know the young hero's name?"

"Lucas Walker," he replied directly.

"Your name suits you," Zhang Luo took a money pouch from his coat and handed it to Lucas. "Here is a token of my gratitude, please accept it."

At that moment, a system prompt appeared before Lucas.

[1. Accept the reward]

[2. Politely decline]

Although Lucas wanted to accept the money, in typical RPG games, not accepting money usually leads to extra rewards.

"I appreciate the gesture, but money is not necessary. I didn't help you for the money," Lucas shook his head.

[You have earned 200 Virtue Points]

Sure enough, refusing the money earned him extra Virtue Points. Generally speaking, system points are usually more valuable than Mora.

Hearing this, Zhang Luo's face showed even more admiration. He asked, "Since that's the case, why are you here, young hero?"

"I'm from a distant place, seeking opportunities in Liyue Harbor," Lucas made up an excuse. "I didn't expect to run into you here."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Luo's eyes lit up. "In that case, why not let me introduce you to my employer? With your skills, you should be able to find a good job there."

"Your employer?" Lucas asked curiously.

"Yes," Zhang Luo replied with a proud smile, "My employer is well-known in Liyue Harbor, the esteemed Ke family. Our young lady is Keqing, one of the Liyue Qixing."

Such a coincidence? Lucas nodded, "Then I'll trouble you, Uncle Zhang, to introduce me."

At the moment, Lucas had no plans for his future in Teyvat. If he could find a job with the Keqing family, it wouldn't be a bad thing. After all, they were a prominent family and would at least provide food and accommodation.

Of course, this was partly because Lucas felt a bit guilty towards Keqing. Even just seeing her happy in reality would be a comfort to him.

"Great! That's wonderful!" Zhang Luo was overjoyed. "In that case, please travel with us. By carriage, we should reach Liyue Harbor by tomorrow."

"Then I gratefully accept your offer."

Lucas didn't refuse such a good opportunity. Zhang Luo, treating his "savior" with great respect, not only arranged a carriage for him but also provided a lavish meal.

Soon, it was late at night. As Lucas lay in the carriage Zhang Luo had prepared for him, the system's voice reappeared.

[System reminder: The cooldown time for the "Life Simulator" has ended. Would you like to start a new simulation?]

"Start."

It is worth mentioning that when the "Life Simulator" starts, time freezes. However, this time freeze applies to Lucas as well, so it's impossible to use the system to stop time and do "bad things."

[Receiving instructions, the "Life Simulator" is about to start]

[Please choose three talents from the following. After the simulation, one will be randomly retained as a permanent talent]

[Hot-Tempered (White): You get angry more easily than others]

[Skillful in Wordplay (Green): You are very good at using idioms]

[Humble Background (White): You will be born into a poor family]

[Brilliant Mind (Blue): You are very intelligent and good at learning]

[Respected by Others (Blue): You are more likely to gain others' respect]

[Mischievous Shiba Inu (Purple): Every time you do something a Mischievous Shiba Inu likes to do, your abilities will improve]

[Angry Shiba Inu (Blue): The enemy of the Mischievous Shiba Inu, you gain strength by not doing what the Mischievous Shiba Inu likes to do]

[Cat Lover (White): You have no resistance to cats]

[Violent Streak (White): You prefer to solve problems with violence]

[Sister Complex (White): You really like your sister]

(AN: Just in case you forgot the talent ranks are low to high from: white,green,blue,purple,gold)

Some inexplicable talents appeared again...

First of all, the inherent talent [Try Again] is definitely a must-have, as it's a life-saving talent, not something to joke about. As for other talents...

Although a purple talent appeared, this [Mischievous Shiba Inu] feels very suspicious no matter how you look at it. Anyway, let's choose it and try it out.

The biggest advantage of the [Life Simulator] is that it has nothing to do with reality, and you can let yourself go completely, right?

"I choose [Mischievous Shiba Inu] and [Brilliant Mind], and add the inherent talent [Try Again]."

[Talent selection complete, generating character template]

[Life simulation about to begin]

[0 years old: You were born in a scholarly family in Liyue Harbor. Your father is a highly respected teacher.]

This time... it feels pretty good.

If my father is a teacher, he might teach me to be a very righteous person, right?

[1 year old: During your first birthday, you grabbed a book, making your father very happy as he believes you have the makings of a scholar.]

I say, isn't this birthday grab a recurring option in every life simulation? For example, through the items grabbed, you can roughly predict the career path in this simulation. If I'm not wrong, this time I might follow in my father's footsteps and become a teacher? Such a reliable profession surely wouldn't lead to a villain's path, right?

[2 years old: You showed greater intelligence than other children. Your father started teaching you to read and recognize characters early (Talent [Brilliant Mind] activated).]

[3 years old: You can already write more than a thousand characters.]

[4 years old: You can recite "Three Character Classic" and "Thousand Character Classic" by heart.]

[5 years old: You became known as a prodigy in Liyue Harbor. Even Ningguang, the Tianquan, came to test you and recognized your intelligence.]

[6 years old: You often get close to the maids at home and find that after each interaction, you feel very comfortable and your mind becomes clearer (Talent [Mischievous Shiba Inu] activated).]

Stop! He's only six years old!

[7 years old: Your father found out about your interactions with the maids. You thought he would be angry, but he didn't mind, thinking a talented person should be a bit more playful.]

Hey! What happened to the highly respected teacher in Liyue Harbor? This is too unreliable, right?

[8 years old: You find that you prefer older women compared to girls your age.]

Something's not right... I didn't choose the [Sister Complex] talent, did I? System, come out and explain!

[In each life simulation, your preferences may change due to various factors, it's not my fault.]

So, in this simulation, the character is naturally inclined to like older women?

[9 years old: To provide education to more children, your father, with Ningguang's investment, established a school called "Tianquan Academy" and became its principal.]

Goodness... Even in different timelines, Tianquan Academy still exists? However, this time, I shouldn't become a school bully, right?

[10 years old: Xiangling, the daughter of Chef Mao from Wanmin Restaurant, confessed to you, but you rejected her.]

[11 years old: You saw a silver-haired beauty on the street and couldn't forget her. For three days, you couldn't eat well. You searched the streets where you saw her, but found nothing.]

Wow, at eleven years old, I'm already developing into a hopeless romantic?

[12 years old: Although your father is the principal of Tianquan Academy, you took the entrance exam like any other student and scored the highest marks.]

[13 years old: You excelled in both character and academics, quickly becoming a model student.]

[14 years old: After a round of elections, you became the student council president. While organizing a parent-teacher meeting, you unexpectedly discovered that the silver-haired woman from three years ago was actually the "aunt" of a student named Chongyun. Her name is Shenhe.]

Shenhe? In the game lore, Shenhe is indeed Chongyun's aunt. But if I remember correctly, Shenhe should be training under Cloud Retainer. How could she attend a parent-teacher meeting as Chongyun's guardian?

Sensing my confusion, the system replied:

[In each life simulation, even without the host's intervention, the worldview might change.]

So, in this timeline, Shenhe stayed with Chongyun for some reason?

[You developed an unprecedented infatuation with Shenhe. A voice in your head told you that you must have her, no matter the cost. At this moment, you decided...]

[1. Plan meticulously to win Shenhe step by step.]

[2. Give up on this seemingly impossible relationship.]

Hey, hey! This development is too strange! Let's not even discuss Shenhe's age and status difference with me. Planning to pursue a classmate's guardian at fourteen is too much!

No, no! "I choose the second option!"

[Are you sure?]

"What else? Trying to woo a classmate's guardian is too outrageous!"

[You couldn't overcome societal prejudices and gave up on pursuing Shenhe. However, your constant longing for her took a toll on your health, leading to your eventual death from a lovesickness-induced illness.]

[Achievement unlocked: Hopeless Romantic]

[Reward: C-level blind box x1]

Thank you very much! Dying like this? Could it get any more absurd?

[Host deceased. Would you like to activate the talent "Try Again" to challenge life once more?]

"Yes..." Helplessly, might as well give it another shot. I want to see how the story unfolds with the other option!

[You developed an unprecedented infatuation with Shenhe. A voice in your head told you that you must have her, no matter the cost. At this moment, you decided...]

[1. Plan meticulously to win Shenhe step by step.]

[2. Give up on this seemingly impossible relationship.]

"I choose... the first one."

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