Section Three: Long-Term Planning

Exercise in the space was much like working out in a regular gym. Wang Luo, gripping two lightweight dumbbells, was panting heavily. His body was fragile—this much had been made clear by the mere three points of strength he had received from the space.

Nevertheless, the weights provided by the space matched his current strength and still served their training purpose. Moreover, his stamina and energy replenished much faster here. So, after a brief rest, he stood again, dumbbells in hand.

Weightlifting, running, swimming, boxing... For just a hundred universal points, one could train here in this fully equipped gym for an hour. According to Yang Wentian, four hours of training would push one’s fundamental attributes—strength, agility, endurance—to their peak.

In contrast, intelligence and mental development were honed in the library, at five hundred universal points per hour, though with less effect; charm was fostered in the art room, at a staggering three thousand points per hour, its outcome varying greatly from person to person.

---

“I feel much stronger now,” Wang Luo said with a laugh after four hours, stepping out of the gym.

“I felt about the same after my first session,” replied Yang Wentian, who was sitting on the floor by the door. “How are your stats now?”

“Take a look.” Wang Luo displayed his attributes.

Wang Luo’s Personal Attributes (henceforth omitted from the main text, to be listed only in the appendix):

Strength: 6
Agility: 5
Endurance: 8
Intelligence: 11
Spirit: 3~20
Charisma: 5
Leadership: 3 (rare attribute, not directly shown)

“Pretty average for a normal person,” Yang Wentian commented after seeing them. “But your intelligence and spirit are quite high. Perhaps you ought to learn some special skills.”

“I can’t afford them,” Wang Luo replied, remembering the thousand-point cost of the Energy Orb skill book and the fifteen hundred-point Arcane Sphere. “Old Zhou should be finishing soon, right?”

“He went in half an hour after you, so he’ll need a bit longer.”

“Once his stats improve, he’ll feel more confident—he still has that dog to deal with, after all.”

Yang Wentian chuckled. “I wonder how he’ll handle it?”

---

“It doesn’t matter,” Wang Luo said, raising his arm. “Surely there’s a limit to how much we can improve with this kind of training. How high can the attributes go?”

“A bit over twenty points, I think,” Yang Wentian answered. “Beyond that, to further boost your stats, you’d need to exchange for a bloodline.”

“A bloodline...” Wang Luo frowned. “Is there any other way?”

“I’m not sure. I only heard about bloodlines from others. I’ve never managed to save up much—bloodlines cost at least several hundred thousand points, and even then, success isn’t guaranteed. But I have seen people whose attributes far exceed the norm.”

“How was it?”

“Incredibly strong,” Yang Wentian said after a moment’s thought. “Even with the stats system in scenarios, most people still act with caution. But once, in a naval battle between the British and the Spanish, there was a man in a red cloak wielding a massive blade. He single-handedly took out an entire ship of enemies.”

“A Spartan?”

“Heh, the cloak might have been from the Spartan scenario, but we were all stunned. He leaped from one ship to another, over dozens of meters, chopped down the enemy’s mast, and nearly slaughtered all the sailors who attacked him. At that level, he must have broken through the limits—otherwise, it’d be impossible.”

“Was he your teammate?”

“Being on the same side doesn’t make you teammates.” Yang Wentian’s expression grew dark. “We took another ship together after that, and one of my group argued with him over dividing the loot. He killed my companion with a single swing.”

Wang Luo was silent for a moment. “That’s brutal.”

“This damned space has always been brutal. I’ve survived only by struggling every step... but enough about that. As for you—ha! I’ve never seen anyone act like you.”

“I only did what I had to. They’re people, so I treat them as people. Is that so strange?”

“I’ve never seen anyone else do it,” Yang Wentian shook his head. “Maybe you’re right. Most treat them as monsters that drop loot, or quest-giving NPCs…”

A brief silence followed.

“He’s not in high spirits,” Wang Luo thought, watching Yang Wentian.

Is it because he spent his hard-earned points on us?

It was clear Yang Wentian hadn’t fared well in this space. Now, recalling the past, he must be feeling low; or perhaps, he was just a miser at heart—willing to spend on teammates when necessary, but feeling the sting afterward... No, stop, stop.

This habit is no good. There’s no need to guess at the thoughts of a downcast youth—or girl, for that matter. He’s my teammate, a comrade in arms. Even if I have doubts, he did what I needed him to in the last scenario. That’s all that matters.

So Wang Luo chose to ignore Yang Wentian’s gloom and got straight to the point.

“When does our next scenario begin?”

“In seventy-two hours. If we want, we can leave the space now and return to the real world. The system will pull us back twenty-four hours before the mission begins.”

---

“Is it possible to enter early?”

“Certain items make it possible,” Yang Wentian shrugged. “But those cost at least tens of thousands of points.”

“Can someone stay in the space without leaving?”

“Seems like you can stay as long as you leave once every three scenarios. But you…”

“What’s the largest team you’ve seen here?”

“I’ve seen groups of seventy or eighty people... maybe more... There’s no limit for the type of contract we signed. But formal teams, the kind with team skills, should have a cap.”

“Can teams form alliances?” Wang Luo gestured with his hand. “Are their pacts as flimsy as ours, or more binding? By the way, how many people are in our space?”

“Um...” Yang Wentian was taken aback. “I don’t know about team alliances. Someone said there are thirty or forty thousand people in the space.”

“Is the space singular or are there multiple? Is this one unified entity, or split into competing factions? The auction house was crowded earlier—did we really pass through so many others? No... I’m not asking you, it just crossed my mind. No need to answer.”

Yang Wentian spread his hands.

“We’ll figure it out as we go,” Wang Luo said, patting his shoulder, his eyes shining with the same light as in the last scenario. “Perhaps, once we grow stronger, we’ll find an opportunity to unite everyone here into a nation—or extend our power beyond, giving the powerful their rightful authority, out in the open, instead of skulking in the shadows like thieves.”

“The space forbids us from leaking information, though.”

“Who says we have to leak it? Why spell everything out directly to outsiders? Ah! Hints, assumptions, speculation—let others piece it together.”

“Look, people here have gained immense power. We should craft ideas suited for this environment, seek out the right people, and build a strong team. Then, acquire power and resources externally, establish a new order, and integrate resources from all worlds... That’s the proper way, isn’t it?”

“To act with integrity and openness—that’s what makes a true powerhouse. Why sneak around like a thief?”

“You always have a point... but right now, we have nothing…”

“We’ll have it,” Wang Luo replied, flashing a dazzling smile. “Everything will get better. In the scenarios, we face people; here in the space, those we compete and cooperate with are also just people.”

“Spreading rumors, like before, won’t help here,” Wang Luo mused, stroking his chin. “It worked before because we knew the plot in advance—knowledge three days ahead makes anyone rich. That advantage was enormous.”

“Here, to achieve anything, we need to make a real splash. Yes—first, understand the mindset of these contractors. Then, adapt as needed.”