Chapter Seventy-six: The World Card and Character Connection

Although this white Data World card didn’t hold much significance for Zhuan Xiaoyuan at the moment—after all, she had yet to create any character who fought with mechanical equipment. When it came to combat, only Huang Xiaoyan and the new character fit the bill. Huang Xiaoyan was a loose immortal, so her abilities belonged more to the realm of fantasy or magic. As for the new character, perhaps she might have a slight connection to machinery, but whether she truly qualified as a mechanical type was another question entirely.

Even if this card wasn’t particularly useful now, it might become invaluable in the future. This was, after all, only the first Guardian Deity Trial, and since it took place in the world of Machine Girls, the reward was a mechanical world card. If the second world was a fantasy realm, perhaps she’d receive a magic-type card next. Though the extent of the enhancement these cards provided was still uncertain, they would doubtless be of great help. With a mere Prayer-level transformation, she could already contend with God’s Descent-level foes; if boosted by a world card, her fighting strength might soar even higher.

“So, I’ve more or less understood the function of the world card. Now, what about this ‘character connection generation’? Judging by the name, it must relate to creating new characters—maybe it’s similar to targeted generation within a certain range?” Having grasped that the so-called white Data World Blessing was, in fact, this special world card, Zhuan Xiaoyuan turned her attention to the character connection generation ability she’d just gained from the third mission.

Of course, mere speculation wouldn’t yield answers; she needed to test it. Sensing that this power was likely connected to character creation, Zhuan Xiaoyuan summoned the newly acquired black blank card from the Nebula Vortex.

As soon as the blank character card touched her hand, Zhuan Xiaoyuan’s suspicions were confirmed. Instantly, information about the new character connection generation ability flooded her mind.

Character Connection Generation: Use an existing character card as a medium to create a new character card. The new card may be a random character from the medium’s source world, or a character of a similar type from a different world.

The first type—world generation—was easy enough to grasp. For instance, if she used the loose immortal girl Huang Xiaoyan as a medium for random world character generation, she’d have a high chance of summoning someone like the Demon Lord’s reincarnation Xisha, or Yan Jie, who exuded strong boss vibes. Of course, she might also get someone like Xiaofei or Wu Jie, and with an extremely slim chance, she might even generate Su Jiuer from “Monster List” or Wang Wu from “Once Upon a Time in Lingjian Mountain”—characters who had only appeared briefly, perhaps just for a single page.

The second type, on the other hand, would produce characters not from the same world, but from other worlds with similar abilities. For example, if she used Erina Nakiri as a medium for similar-type generation, she might summon someone like Abe from “Cooking Master Boy” or Machiko Ryo from “Gourmet Girl Graffiti.”

Completely understanding the nuances of this new ability, Zhuan Xiaoyuan couldn’t help but imagine using the third card as a medium to summon other characters from its source world. Still, it was just a passing thought—randomness was a double-edged sword. There were plenty of powerful and beautiful girls in that world, but with her luck, she might just end up with the comic relief trio. Hopefully, fate wouldn’t be so unkind.

“Well, you’re finally out, Xiaoyuan. You’re a bit slow this time. I was faster than you.” As the door to the quiet chamber opened, Wen Hui’s voice was the first thing Zhuan Xiaoyuan heard. Wen Hui stood with her arms crossed, leaning against the wall, watching Zhuan Xiaoyuan step out. Beside her, Hua Jing also offered a gentle smile.

“Ah, it’s been a while, Hui, Sister Jing.” Seeing Wen Hui again really did feel like it had been ages. Who knew how much time had passed in the real world, but inside the Guardian Deity Trial, Zhuan Xiaoyuan had spent a whole half-month.

“It truly has been a while—ten days, in fact.” Wen Hui’s expression carried a hint of satisfaction; it seemed her own Guardian Deity Trial had gone well.

“Ten days? Wasn’t it over half a month?” Zhuan Xiaoyuan tilted her head in confusion. She was certain she hadn’t misremembered—she’d spent a full half-month in the Machine Girls’ world.

“I explained before, didn’t I? Time flows differently in the Guardian Deity Trial than in the real world. To me, you were only gone for a few minutes. Xiaoyuan, Wen Hui came out just half a minute before you. She completed her trial earlier, so she spent less time inside.” Hua Jing spoke up to clear up the confusion.

“So you finished before me… Hui, was your task really that simple?” Zhuan Xiaoyuan was surprised that Wen Hui, who had the God’s Descent-level trial, finished before her, who was only at Prayer-level. Could the guardian deities really be playing favorites?

“Simple, my foot! The moment I entered, I was riddled with arrows! I still feel like I’m in pain all over.” Wen Hui’s frustration exploded at Zhuan Xiaoyuan’s suspicion.

Clearly, her trial hadn’t been easy at all. The thought of herself bristling with arrows made Zhuan Xiaoyuan shudder involuntarily.

“All right, let’s take this outside. We can talk more over there.” With a smile, Hua Jing gently interrupted the burgeoning argument, pointing toward the passageway.

A few minutes later, the three of them were back at the round table where they’d previously enjoyed tea and snacks. After taking their usual seats, Hua Jing began to prepare tea for everyone—not the slightly bitter leaf tea from before, but a pot of golden chrysanthemum tea. As the hot water steeped the blossoms, a delicate floral fragrance wafted up from the teacups.

“Come, let’s eat and chat. Oh, and these are cookies I made myself. They might not be as good as Xiaoyuan’s, but please try them anyway.” After pouring chrysanthemum tea for Zhuan Xiaoyuan, Wen Hui, and herself, Hua Jing brought out a plate of homemade cookies.

“I never expected you to be good at baking, Sister Jing. That’s a surprise—quite unlike someone else. Mmm, these are delicious.” Zhuan Xiaoyuan glanced at Hua Jing’s gentle smile in genuine amazement. She had always sensed a certain sisterly warmth from Hua Jing—perhaps she’d make a wonderful wife in peaceful times—but she hadn’t expected her to take up baking amid such troubled days. Truly, her feminine talents were impressive.

As she spoke, Zhuan Xiaoyuan shot a sideways look at Wen Hui. In comparison, Wen Hui might have the figure and looks, but her proud, competitive nature and inability to cook left her sorely outmatched.

Picking up a cookie and popping it into her mouth, Zhuan Xiaoyuan tasted a faint fruity sweetness—this one was strawberry-flavored, and it was truly delicious. She offered her praise without reservation.