Chapter 43: So That's How It's Achieved? (Patreon)

【A cold smile appears on your face. These two are not weak; in fact, they're quite a bit stronger than ordinary Cloud Knights.】

【But that's all they are.】

【You extend your hands, effortlessly catching both their fists. Then, to their utter disbelief, you toss them around like ragdolls, slamming them left and right.】

【By the time Guinaifen enters, you are sprawled on the sofa in a commanding pose, while her oldest and second-oldest brothers are on the floor, whining like dying dogs.】

【Seeing that the guest of honor has arrived, you sneer.】

【“I arranged your older brother's job. I pay his salary. Your entire family is living off of me. And now you dare to raise a hand against me?”】

【“Even a dog knows to wag its tail at the master who feeds it. It seems you're worse than dogs.”】

【Guinaifen's oldest brother forces himself to sit up, pointing at Victor with a furious expression. “You're the one who threatened her!”】

【“Threatened? If that's the case, you can go back with these two.” Victor's smile is full of mockery as he waves dismissively at Guinaifen.】

【Guinaifen's two brothers endure the pain and scramble up from the floor. They grab Guinaifen's hand, ready to leave.】

【But to their surprise, after tugging for some time, Guinaifen remains rooted to the spot, not moving an inch.】

【“Fourth Sister?” The oldest and second-oldest brothers look at Guinaifen, bewildered.】

【Guinaifen's expression is serious. “Brothers, this was all my own choice. I chose to become his woman. So... you should go back.”】

【“Fourth Sister, you!? Do you have any idea what you're saying?” Her two brothers stare at her in disbelief.】

【Guinaifen meets their gaze with a clear conscience.】

【“You're leaving with us today, and that's final!” the oldest brother insists forcefully. He reaches to grab Guinaifen's hand but is shaken off.】

【The oldest brother is about to try again, but the second-oldest brother stops him.】

【“Are you serious?” the second-oldest brother asks, his face grim.】

【Guinaifen nods with utmost seriousness.】

【As if resigning himself to fate, the second-oldest brother's shoulders slump slightly. With a dejected look, he grabs the oldest brother and starts to walk out.】

【“What are you doing!? Why are you leaving her here alone!?” the oldest brother demands, struggling against him.】

【“Stop making a fool of yourself!” the second-oldest brother suddenly glares fiercely at him.】

【Overwhelmed by his intensity, the oldest brother stops resisting.】

【“This is Fourth Sister's own choice,” the second-oldest brother says in a low voice.】

【Then, the second-oldest brother drags the now-compliant oldest brother out.】

【After they leave through the main door, the second-oldest brother suddenly clenches his fists and starts punching the solid wall with all his might. He doesn't use Imaginary energy to protect himself, and his fists are soon dripping with blood.】

【“You...” The oldest brother places a hand on the second-oldest's shoulder, his expression complicated.】

【The second-oldest brother's shoulders tremble. “It's not her fault! It's because we're useless! As her brothers, we're nothing but a burden to her! Damn it!!”】

【Although the Xianzhou Alliance had taken their family in, their past as interstellar pirates, their status as outworlders, and their criminal records had all but cut off any chance of them finding good jobs.】

【Never mind the two brothers wallowing in self-pity outside. Inside the room, you study the Guinaifen before you with a playful expression, as if seeing her for the first time.】

【“Well, this is a surprise. I really thought you'd obediently go back with them~”】

【Guinaifen flashes a radiant smile. She smiles faintly and kneels submissively before Victor, her actions speaking louder than words...】

Alright, Guinaifen's choice hadn't actually been outside of Victor's expectations.

Don't be fooled by Guinaifen's absurd acrobatics performances; that's just a result of the insane rat race in the live-streaming industry. She herself isn't absurd at all—in fact, she's quite cunning.

Not long after Sushang arrived on the Xianzhou, Guinaifen became best friends with her. Sushang is genuinely naive, but Guinaifen is not.

To boost her traffic, Guinaifen tricked Sushang into performing 'smashing a boulder on the chest' with her, with Sushang being the one getting smashed.

Later, she leveraged this connection to join the mission to capture the Heliobi in the Fyxestroll Garden, causing her account's follower count to skyrocket.

There's nothing wrong with being cunning, though. After all, Guinaifen isn't a bad person at heart—she's kind, passionate, and hardworking. She just uses her cunning to seize opportunities.

Her life before coming to the Xianzhou was full of ups and downs, going from a noble princess to a refugee forced to beg. Without a bit of cunning, she would have been captured and turned into a living weapon long ago.

If anything, it's more surprising that she went through all that without turning to the dark side and becoming corrupt.

Now, she was simply making the wisest choice for her siblings.

【Simulation complete. Evaluating...】

【Evaluation complete. Rating obtained: C!】

【Completion criteria met. Trait acquired: 'Immense Wealth (Blue)'.】

Seeing that he had only gotten a C-rank evaluation and a Blue 'Immense Wealth,' Victor suddenly felt a pang of regret.

The Gold 'Twelve Knights of the Round Table' he had chosen at the start had, in hindsight, only served as icing on the cake. It hadn't been very useful until the final stages of the simulation and was even less impactful than 'Immense Wealth'.

He could have passed the simulation even without choosing 'Twelve Knights of the Round Table'.

It seems he'll have to be more careful when choosing traits in the future. For some low-difficulty scenarios he was confident about, picking a starting bonus might actually lower the final reward.

He could have done much better in this simulation.

For example, after confirming the difficulty, he could have found a way to kill himself and restart, then choose his traits again.

After committing this lesson to heart, Victor looked at his reward for this run: 'Immense Wealth (Blue)'.

He was a little curious how the system would fulfill this trait. It wasn't a talent for business that would let him earn money himself, nor was it a boost to his financial luck; it seemed more like an item or part of a character background.

Just as Victor equipped the trait, a message suddenly popped up on his Jade Abacus. It roughly stated that a distant relative he had never even heard of had left him a huge inheritance, and he needed to go to the Ground-Balance Commission to handle the paperwork.

A very strange expression immediately appeared on Victor's face.

He had, after all, been transmigrated into the world of Star Rail in his physical body. The system had handled all the identity issues. He was essentially an undocumented person in this world, so where would a rich relative come from?

It seemed the almighty system was working its magic again.

While Victor was contemplating the gains from this simulation, at that very same moment, Guinaifen suddenly awoke from her sleep and shot upright.

Her hair was disheveled, her face was covered in sweat, and her clothes were soaked through.

Guinaifen subconsciously wrapped her arms around herself. The dream she just had was far too real, especially those memories that made her blush with shame.

Even now, she could still feel as if an invisible pair of hands were brushing across her skin, bringing with them a faint, scorching heat...