Life Game In Other World
Chapter 397: Whispers in a Dream (Please Subscribe, Bookmark, and Vote for Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 397: Chapter 397: Whispers in a Dream (Please Subscribe, Bookmark, and Vote for Monthly Tickets)

[Promotion Ceremony: In a relatively closed area, to clandestinely lead an event to a pre-designed conclusion that differs from the powerful external forces’ expectations]

[At the time of the Super Memory promotion, there is only one opportunity for the ceremony]

He Ao gazed at the ceremonial formula before him and fell into brief contemplation.

It was the last sentence of the formula that first caught his attention, "Super Memory has only one chance for the ceremony."

Under usual circumstances, the ceremony was held first, followed by the consumption of Secret Medicine during the ceremony. If the ceremony failed, then taking the Secret Medicine wouldn’t result in promotion either.

However, Super Memory allowed one to ingest the materials containing the next level Talent Sequences ahead of time, gaining a fraction of the power of the next level’s Talent Sequences before attempting the promotion.

It seemed that this was the weakness of such ability, He Ao had only one chance for the ceremony; he had to complete the ceremony in one go without the possibility of trial and error.

At first glance, this might seem disadvantageous, but in fact, the opposite was true; this "weakness" was barely a drawback.

Considering the two D-level to C-level ceremonies that He Ao had experienced so far, the transition from D to C was especially dangerous with a high likelihood of death in case of failure, leaving no chance for subsequent attempts.

In theory, one could afford to make mistakes, but this was merely theoretical; in reality, a mistake often meant death or severe injury.

So, in truth, all ceremonies essentially only had one opportunity.

In this sole opportunity, while everyone else had to use D-level power to complete a C-level ceremony, He Ao could already employ a portion of C-level strength to do so.

His advantage far outweighed the disadvantage.

He Ao shifted his gaze to the specifics of the promotion ceremony, his brows slightly furrowing.

This promotion ceremony was actually more complex than the "Hunter" and "warrior" ceremonies he’d seen before.

It was a non-combative ceremony.

The ceremony first required a relatively closed space, and then for the conductor of the ceremony to act from behind the scenes, guiding an event toward an outcome different from what the powerful external forces had expected, toward the conclusion preset by the conductor.

This ceremony was somewhat abstract...

After contemplating for a moment, He Ao’s eyes moved to the first line of the formula, the original name of this Talent Sequence: "Chess Master."

The name of a Talent Sequence was closely related to its abilities. This "Chess Master" was similar to the previously encountered "Arsonist"; it wasn’t a specific occupational name but rather an abstract summary of a person who engaged in a certain activity.

He Ao’s gaze returned to the content of the ceremony.

A relatively closed space, in a sense, was akin to a chessboard.

The behind-the-scenes mastermind—where did the difference between the spotlight and the shadow lie? One attracted all the attention under the spotlight, while the other, hidden from the light, controlled everything on the stage.

This mastermind was just like the Chess Master in a game, controlling every piece on the board.

The powerful external force—could it be understood as another player arranging the pieces?

Every chess game required an opponent; this arranger would be the one He Ao had to compete against.

This arranger set up a scenario and determined its outcome.

And what He Ao had to do was to step into the scenario arranged by this opponent and change the course of the game, leading it to the conclusion he had set.

To win this chess game.

To play the game with Heaven and Earth as the board and all beings as the pieces.

He Ao began to comprehend the meaning of "Chess Master," which somewhat resembled the antagonist in a major story.

The only pity was that his prowess had not yet reached the scale of manipulating Heaven and Earth.

However, the stronger the opponent in the contest, the more perfect the ceremony should be.

He Ao withdrew his gaze, memorizing the ceremony.

The requirements for this ceremony were somewhat stringent; it was uncertain when he would encounter a suitable environment.

Well... he now held an official position as deputy director of the Overseas Department at the Research Institute. Utilizing the resources of the Research Institute to conduct some investigation should be feasible.

However, should he encounter high-level affairs of this nature, Yang De might seek him out before he had the chance to take the initiative to search.

After all, C-level Talents were not numerous in the main world.

As He Ao’s attention shifted away, rows of new text emerged on the pages of the book in his hand.

[Subsequent C-level Talent Sequences for Magicians]

[Talent Sequence 72: Secret Mage]

Main Ingredient...

...

[Talent Sequence 73: Trickster]

Main Ingredient...

······

[Talent Sequences 74: Instrumentalist Magician]

Main ingredient······

······

[Talent Sequences 72: Magic Warrior]

Main ingredient······

······

A D-level Magician corresponds to four different C-level Talent Sequences?

He Ao swept his gaze over these ritual formulas and briefly activated Super Memory, committing them all to memory.

The question he had just asked was about the ritual formulas for the C-level Talent Sequences corresponding to his.

Within He Ao at this moment were Talent Sequences that consisted of more than just Super Memory; he also had the D-level Magician.

Therefore, the book page also displayed the subsequent Talent Sequences for the Magician, which was part of the question’s content.

However, unlike Super Memory, which was clearly a high-ranking Talent Sequence, although he didn’t know why there was a need to repeat the advancement, the pathways for the Talent Sequences were fixed.

Whereas the Magician was a lower-ranking Talent Sequence, and it was still possible to make further choices during the transition from D-level to C-level.

At present, He Ao had only taken a cursory look and hadn’t decided which C-level Talent Sequence to advance with. Since the main world’s array of Talent Sequences and Transcendent materials were also not abundant, he needed a detailed understanding before he could decide.

As He Ao memorized these formulas, the text on the book page gradually dimmed, returning once again to the appearance of a blank page.

He Ao hadn’t yet thought of other questions. Key items like this were better saved to tackle key challenges when they arose.

So, he tossed the now-blank page back into the Pirate Treasure Box.

It was at this moment that he saw new text appear in his field of vision.

[Due to your player privileges upgrade, the system will undergo an update, which is expected to take 160 hours.]

[After the update, you will have access to a brand new task mode and a new task evaluation system.]

[During the update, your personal attribute panel and task countdown will still be available for normal use.]

[Wish you a pleasant life.]

Soon after, this text gradually faded, and a new countdown appeared in the bottom right corner of He Ao’s vision.

160:29:15

This timeframe exceeded the system’s estimated update time, which should mean it was the countdown to the next task.

Almost seven days.

This time, it seemed the interval had been lengthened.

He Ao exhaled and prepared to go downstairs. He picked up his phone and checked the time; it was seven-thirty in the morning.

He had an early class at nine o’clock today. The time now was enough for him to take a shower, grab something to eat, then head to class.

Regardless, he had to continue with his studies. His grandfather’s biggest wish had been to see him attend college.

In this time interval, it was just right for him to check how things were going with Alano.

Logically, in the seven hours since his departure, which was merely overnight sleep, nothing should have happened.

----

Alano Sea, aboard a pirate ship.

The gaunt man opened his eyes.

He took a glance around and found himself lying in the pirate ship’s cabin where a simple bed had been laid out. He stepped out of the cabin and onto the deck.

As dawn was just breaking in Xidu, Alano was bathed in the glow of the setting sun.

He Ao took out his satellite phone; nobody had called him, and it seemed that the pirates stationed on the ship did not have anything urgent to report.

It appeared that indeed a mundane seven hours had passed without any events occurring.

Although He Ao, who had experienced so much in the Copy World, now felt a sense of disconnection upon seeing his current surroundings.

He looked at the satellite phone and selected a number, ready to make a call, when he hesitated for a moment.

At that instance, he faintly heard some unclear and chaotic whispers.

These whispers were not unfamiliar to him; after every C-level promotion, he would hear such vague and faint murmuring.

But that was in the Copy