On “Rewards”

“Why are you only coming now? I feel like I was about to be killed with an axe.” Carefully laying Bai Luoxia down on the grass, Sui Ming said to the crow helplessly.

“Uh… well… you see…”

She couldn’t possibly say she was just watching the show, could she?

“Oh, forget it, no need to explain. I know you’re up to no good again.” Saying this, Sui Ming slowly picked up Bai Luoxia and started on the way back.

“Hey, hey! I wasn’t up to no good! You have to believe me! Your sister here is always looking out for you!”

For the shameless crow, Sui Ming had long mastered a special counter-technique: turning a deaf ear to everything, just agreeing with whatever it said, and simply not listening.

After handing Bai Luoxia over to Heikale, that scoundrel who’d tricked him, Sui Ming returned to the inn with the crow.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Sui Ming sensed changes in his body, seemingly surprised.

“I keep feeling like my heartbeat is becoming more powerful. Why?”

A strong, vigorous sensation had been throbbing at the location of his heart ever since he woke up. He didn’t know if something was wrong, or if it was simply from being teased too much by Bai Luoxia.

“Let me see—” The crow tore open Sui Ming’s clothes with a wing, revealing his muscles, which weren’t overly bulky but possessed a beautiful, defined aesthetic.

Then…

“Bah! What the hell are you doing?!”

The crow’s wing reached into Sui Ming’s body and began fiddling with something inside.

“Don’t rush, isn’t this how surgeons do operations? Why are you panicking?”

“They have sterile environments! I think you’re trying to get me killed by bacterial infection!”

“No real difference~” Saying this, the crow’s brow furrowed (though how a crow could furrow its brow was anyone’s guess, but it did) as it looked at Sui Ming.

“Uh… how should I put this…”

“Don’t beat around the bush. Do I have cancer, or is this a final burst of energy before death?”

“Well… you see, your heart isn’t original anymore.”

“Oh… that’s all? I thought…”

“What? What did you say!?”

“Just what I said literally, your heart has been replaced.”

“Now, your heart is a magical aggregate. It can’t even be called an organ; it’s simply a life support device.”

“Will that have any impact?”

“I don’t know. I’m not skilled in this field. For this kind of thing, you should probably ask your little girlfriend. Maybe she knows something.” The crow spread its wings.

“Hiss—this is tricky now.”

“What’s there to be afraid of? At most, you sacrifice some charm. It’s not a big problem.”

“Today… I want to eat crow soup! Get over here!”

“Nyah, nyah, nyah—who’s listening to you!”

The next morning, Sui Ming rushed to the palace without delay.

He had learned from Lar and Lecter that today was also the day the results of the selection trials would be announced. Although there had been a minor issue midway, it had only occurred after the contestants had finished competing, so it was harmless.

As for Sui Ming’s Barrett rifle, he didn’t know who had picked it up. He now hated himself for not clinging to it for dear life back then.

“Wuwuwu… my big sniper…”

“Everyone, please be quiet.” Bai Yunqing’s voice was clear and majestic.

After the authority of Order once again recognized its master, even the previously aged Bai Yunqing had returned to her youthful appearance. Standing before the contestants now was a truly beautiful woman with flowing white hair.

“This time, I first extend my most sincere thanks to all the contestants. Without you, the Mirror Realm would likely have collapsed this time.”

“All of you are heroes of Mingxi City!”

For a moment, the crowd gathered at the foot of the steps cheered excitedly, their enthusiasm uncontainable.

“And among you, there are four heroes who made the greatest contribution, even slaying an Abyssal Apostle!”

And so, at Bai Yunqing’s command, Sui Ming and the others slowly ascended the steps.

“Oh, you’re actually still alive, rare indeed.” Lecter chuckled.

“You weren’t killed by that Lizardman? What a pity.” Sui Ming retorted.

In fact, both Lar and Bai Luoxia remained tight-lipped about the disheveled state the two of them were in during that battle.

“As a reward for all of you, you may go to the Imperial Treasury and pick anything you like, without any restrictions.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty—”

“Sui Ming, you won’t need to.” Anna said blandly from the side.

“Huh? What? Why?”

A long, black object was tossed from Anna’s hand.

“Here, the Principal asked me to give this to you. Consider it your reward.”

Feeling the familiar sheen, Sui Ming was incredibly moved.

He would definitely thank that principal properly when he saw him next.

“Next, the announcement of those who have advanced!”

Ultimately, among the more than three hundred candidates, only about fifty advanced, roughly a one-sixth promotion rate. This was extremely exaggerated no matter where you looked.

One had to remember that the usual promotion rate for selection trials was only around ten percent, but this time there were a full fifty people; this was already a historic moment.

After the crowd gradually dispersed, Sui Ming slowly said: “Uh… esteemed Emperor Bai Yunqing, about my heart…”

“You can drop the formalities. And… just call me Bai Yunqing. ‘Your Majesty’ and such… I don’t deserve it.”

“Ah… alright then… so…”

“Do you remember the scene where you directly dug out your own heart in the Memory Space?”

“The Memory Space is not the Mirror Realm. It’s a concretization of your soul, meaning any damage you sustain in the Memory Space will directly feedback to your physical body.”

“And when you came out, your heart was a big hole. I don’t know what you did to sustain such a severe injury.”

“Uh… well… that is… I was done in by the Hanged Man.”

“You have guts.” Bai Yunqing commented.

‘Bah… if I had known it would feedback to reality, who would still tear out their heart?’

‘Forget it, it’s a pretty good outcome that I could even walk out of there.’

“Oh right, there’s one more reward I haven’t mentioned.”

“As the reward for first place, the ownership of [Resurrection of All Things] goes to…”

Sui Ming! Sui Ming! Sui Ming!

“Bai Luoxia!”

For a moment, even Bai Luoxia herself was stunned, and so was Sui Ming.

“Wait a moment! Your Excellency Bai Yunqing, by all accounts, wasn’t I the one with the highest points? How is this…?”

“But in the end, your vital signs were gone, so you naturally lost the qualification to compete.” Anna replied indifferently.

“If you want it so badly, go discuss it with her.” Anna pointed to Bai Luoxia, who was smiling at the side.

‘I’m afraid if I go discuss it, I might not come back alive.’

“Then… Mr. Sui Ming… shall we talk?” A small hand slowly climbed onto his shoulder. Sui Ming stiffly turned his head, and reflected in his eyes was a girl as beautiful as a celestial fairy.

‘Someone save me!!!’

“You’re on your own.” Bai Yunqing shook her head, but clearly, she was also enjoying the show.