Chapter 55: Everything is Ready
Chapter 55: Chapter 55: Everything is Ready
Time flew by.
A little over two months later (in the Otherworld).
During this period, Wang Xi had descended into the Fairy Tale World several times.
He hadn’t spent much time there in person, only about ten days in total. For the other two months, his projection was on auto-pilot, grinding away like an AFK game character.
With each descent, Wang Xi would adjust his course of action based on changes in the "Retirement Preview," methodically gathering evidence to prepare for Calvin’s downfall.
First, he led Pinocchio to the Magic Workshop and discovered the secret production of "Humanoid Dolls."
These Mechanical Dolls were nothing compared to Pinocchio.
The difference was like that between a ten-dollar bootleg figurine and a premium, hundred-dollar collectible.
They were worlds apart in both power and appearance.
Their forms were more like the mannequins in a modern department store—stiff and glossy all over, with rigid expressions and creepy, fixed smiles, as if they had all been cast from the same mold.
And they were all mindless idiots.
According to Kaos’s analysis, this type of Mechanical Doll was called the "δ Universal Type Puppet·Assistant," and qualified units were all at the Two-Star level.
This discovery astonished Wang Xi.
Every Mechanical Doll possessed Two-Star strength. That was a terrifying thought. Though they were clumsy, their tough bodies and brute, steel-like strength were enough to rival a Guard Captain like Bennett.
And as long as there were enough resources, these Mechanical Dolls could be mass-produced, eventually forming a massive army that would obey commands without question.
The thought alone was horrifying.
Fortunately, Pinocchio was with him. The boy could find the "backdoor" to these Mechanical Dolls with his eyes closed.
With his help, Wang Xi pried out the "Keys" hidden in the small of each Mechanical Doll’s back—small, button-shaped gears that were light purple in color.
Upon inspection, these gears were found to be crafted from Ethereal Crystals, with intricate, strange patterns inscribed within, resembling receivers or control hubs.
Pinocchio explained that as long as this "Key Gear" was removed, Calvin would no longer be able to control them.
So, Wang Xi didn’t hesitate to pry the gears out of the hundred-plus Mechanical Dolls produced in the Magic Workshop.
It was the first time Wang Xi had ever worked so hard prying something out.
Not only did he get his hands covered in machine oil, but the Mechanical Dolls didn’t react at all. It was terribly dull.
Fortunately, the gears could be exchanged for Energy, which was some consolation. A single one wasn’t worth much, only 10 points, but there were plenty of them. After tossing the whole lot into his mind to feed to Kaos, he had received over a thousand Energy in total.
As the saying goes, those who harm others for their own benefit will be struck by lightning.
But one had to analyze the specific situation. If the person being harmed was that bastard Calvin, Wang Xi figured it was a deed of immense merit, and he was happy to keep doing it.
Having secretly eliminated Calvin’s most relied-upon trump card, Wang Xi also set aside a single gear as evidence.
In his subsequent descents, he also ordered the Chubby Minister Ando, Coinage Officer Dick, and Pharmacist Marco to personally write confessions and testimonies.
Watching the three men cry their eyes out, sobbing uncontrollably, Wang Xi wore a benevolent and gratified expression, patting their heads in the name of the father.
Then he rewarded each of them with a piece of candy.
Good children deserve candy!
At this point, he basically had enough leverage to shake Calvin’s position. But to completely convince the Queen, Wang Xi made a special trip back to the Magic Forest to collect several other key pieces of evidence.
That was Wang Xi’s real ace in the hole.
He had already profiled Queen Xianna’s personality multiple times. He knew very well what kind of woman she was, and what methods he should use to turn her against Calvin.
’Sometimes, you can’t solve problems by reasoning with women. They’re more interested in seeing your attitude, sincerity, and determination...’
Wang Xi’s mental avatar put down the "Shrimp Head Bible" and picked up the "Sea King’s Gospel," a meaningful smile playing on his lips.
’If a man is the sun, then a woman is more like the moon. She shines brightly because of your light and heat, and her phases wax and wane depending on your distance... She is both a beautiful and emotional elf, and a devil who will stop at nothing when driven by intense emotion.’
Calvin.
You don’t understand Mechanical Dolls.
And you understand women even less.
...
...
While two and a half months passed in the Fairy Tale Otherworld, twelve days had gone by in the Main World.
June 14th, the day before the Professional Warrior assessment.
「Valley City, Melting Furnace District.」
On the sixth floor of the hospital, a clean patient room was brightly lit by the brilliant morning sun.
Wang Xi had already changed out of his striped hospital gown and into an oversized black short-sleeved shirt and capri pants. He was sitting casually on the edge of the bed, basking in the sunlight.
Today was the day he was being discharged.
In reality, his injuries had been more or less healed for several days. His swift recovery was not only due to the advanced medical technology of the current era, but also thanks to his own efforts.
The two-plus months his projection spent grinding in the Otherworld weren’t for nothing!
The experience bars for the two auxiliary One-star White Cards, "Lock Picking Mastery" and "Drinking and Eating Giant," had both reached 80/100.
As for his combat-oriented Cards—
「Water Arrow (Skill Card/White One Star): 50/100」
「Water Blade (Skill Card/Green One Star): 60/200」
「Tidal Blade (Skill Card/Deep Green One Star): 55/300」
「Bloody Knight (Skill Card/Deep Green One Star): 100/300」
Among them, "Blueberry-flavored Sugar Coating" had successfully undergone a Star Promotion to become a White Two Stars Card, entering an un-upgradable "Ultimate" state.
What surprised Wang Xi was that it had presented him with a choice of three branching enhancements!
「Option 1 · Mud Sugar Pill: Allows the Sugar Coating to be condensed into a sugar pill and fired, granting a ranged attack capability.」
「Option 2 · Gelatinous Sugar Mocha: Allows the surface of the Sugar Coating to be gelatinized, granting strong adhesive properties.」
「Option 3 · Bang Bang Candy: Allows the Sugar Coating to be further hardened, granting stronger defensive properties.」
In the end, Wang Xi spent ten seconds complaining about the names and one second choosing the third enhancement, "Bang Bang Candy."
The first two were just functional extensions. For him, their cost-effectiveness was far worse than simply strengthening the Sugar Coating itself.
A defensive card should act like a defensive card. It’s better to be pragmatic. It’s like how a technician should focus on improving their skills, not on getting better at spinning tall tales.
No matter how moving the story is, it’s all just fluff. Only when the technique hits the spot will people be willing to pay.
After Wang Xi confirmed the evolution path, the Ultimate Sugar Coating underwent a magical change.
Not only did a golden border of patterns appear on the front of the Card, but a bright blue, candy-shaped Seal also materialized in Wang Xi’s mind.
Through Kaos’s interpretation, he learned that this Seal symbolized that he had fully tapped the potential of "Blueberry-flavored Sugar Coating."
Even if he were to give this Card to someone else, they would only receive its ordinary form, not the Supreme Card.
Besides "Blueberry-flavored Sugar Coating," another Universal Card had also completed its Star Promotion and reached the "Ultimate" state.
That was the "Randall Body Refining Technique"!
This White Three Stars Technique Card was the main reason Wang Xi could be discharged from the hospital early. After the Star Promotion, his Physique was further enhanced, now comparable to that of the Demon Hunter, Colin.
Similarly, the Body Refining Technique presented three branching enhancements.
「Option 1 · Unyielding: The body’s resistance to blows is enhanced, allowing one to remain conscious even after sustaining continuous damage.」
「Option 2 · Fierce Battle: The more severe the injuries sustained by the body, the stronger one’s combat ability becomes, but it will result in a prolonged state of weakness afterward.」
「Option 3 · Unyielding Journey: The body’s endurance is enhanced, and the stamina recovery rate is increased.」
Wang Xi chose the third option without hesitation.
The reason was simple: most Universal Cards consumed stamina. The more stamina he had and the faster it recovered, the stronger he would be.
In his mind, next to the blue, candy-shaped Seal, a new Seal appeared: a small figure running with a weight on its back.
"Mr. Wang."
Just then, the door to the room opened, and the familiar young nurse walked in with a clipboard and pen.
"Your discharge papers are all in order. ’Cupid Housekeeping’ has already settled all your treatment and hospitalization fees. Please sign here."
Wang Xi snapped out of his thoughts, stood up, and took the pen and paper.
SCRITCH SCRITCH SCRITCH.
He signed his name with a flourish and looked up with a smile.
"Miss, thank you for taking care of me all this time. Let me treat you to dinner after your shift, my treat."
"No, thanks." The nurse took back the pen and paper, shot him a glare, and deliberately added, "I have a boyfriend."
With that, she turned and walked away.
"It’s fine if you have a boyfriend!"
Wang Xi shouted after her.
"We can be girlfriends! We’ll go shopping after dinner, check out the latest styles at ’Charming Lady,’ maybe get our nails done..."
The nurse’s steps grew frantic.
CLICK CLACK CLACK, she ran off into the distance.
Wang Xi withdrew his gaze and turned to pack his things. He opened an exquisite wooden box and glanced inside. In it was an Iron Cross Medal, inscribed with the words "Heroic Citizen."
Two officers from the Security Bureau had delivered it a few days ago. They had also expressed regards on behalf of Inspector Yu Zizi and informed him that he had been recommended to the Hero Association for the "Professional Warrior assessment," reminding him to attend on time.
In addition, the prize money from the Security Bureau, which had been delayed for over a week, had finally arrived. The Credit Points balance in Wang Xi’s personal account now stood at "148,200."
Wang Xi left the hospital room and swaggered out of the hospital, under the dodging gazes of a crowd of nurses.
Once his figure had completely disappeared,
the group of young nurses breathed a collective sigh of relief. They exchanged glances, all silently praying that this "shrimp head" guy would live a long, healthy, and painless life... and never, ever come back.
...
...
Wang Xi took the railcar home.
He hadn’t been back in over half a month. Everything was the same, just with an added layer of inconspicuous dust.
"A craftsman must first sharpen his tools to do his work well."
Wang Xi lay on the sofa and let out a long sigh.
"Time to buy an Equipment Card for tomorrow’s assessment."
While preparing for the exam, he had already found out online that the "combat portion" of the Professional Warrior assessment usually required a weapon-type Equipment Card.
Wang Xi had no intention of being stingy when it came to such an important matter.
He picked up his phone, opened the "Flying Hat" online shopping platform, and carefully sifted through the options. He finally settled on an original Universal Card from a Maze, the "Executioner’s Beheading Sword," sold by a card shop under the Shanshan Conglomerate.
According to the description, it came from the Card Pool of the Spade ♤3 Maze, "Cinderella," and was listed for 80,000 Credit Points.
Wang Xi didn’t hesitate. He gritted his teeth and placed the order.
The balance in his account shrank to "68,200."
Just after lunch, a courier delivered the package. But this time, it wasn’t Miss Ning Meng, but a young guy with a buzz cut.
After signing for it, Wang Xi eagerly tore open the package.
It was another wooden box. Inside, the card was protected by black foam and a plastic sleeve.
「Executioner’s Beheading Sword (Equipment Card)」
「Quality: White Two Stars (Not upgradable)」
「An executioner’s heirloom Beheading Sword. The shadow of the guillotine seems to flow along the spine of the blade—be it for a dignitary, a wealthy merchant, a bandit, or a scapegoat.」
「Upon use, you will wield it. This sword is sharp and resilient, and extremely effective for Beheading.」
Well, well, well, the head-chopper’s signature weapon is mine...