"Ergouzi? Uncle, even if you didn't want to tell me your real name, you didn't have to pull out a name like that, right?"
The girl looked at Wang Xian with genuine defeat in her eyes, a look that said I can't believe I teamed with this man.
"It is Ergouzi. Look above my head," Wang Xian said with complete seriousness, casually turning the roasting snake meat with a stick.
Of course, in the digitized Bluestar, once someone told you their name, that name became what you saw floating above them. The name "Ergouzi" now hovered neatly in her UI display.
The girl narrowed her eyes. "You're trying to mess with me, huh? I already know how the name system works. Someone tells you their name, that's what you see. Doesn't mean it's true."
Wang Xian blinked. "You already know that?"
She nodded proudly. "Yup. I figured it out after I kept seeing 'Mom,' 'Dad,' and 'Uncle Zhang' floating above my family's heads. Asked around. Made sense after that."
Wang Xian gave her a thumbs up. "Smart."
To his surprise, she really was. Most people didn't notice the naming mechanic until someone spelled it out on the forums. They just accepted what they saw without questioning it.
The girl leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. "So, Uncle… are you going to tell me your real name now? Or are you gonna keep trying to scam me?"
Wang Xian paused, then smiled slyly.
"Alright, alright. You got me. My real nickname is... Brother Guang."
"…Brother Guang?" she repeated, raising a brow.
"My name is Wang Guang. My friends used to call me that."
She stared at him for a long second, then sighed. "Fine. I'll believe you."
"And you?" Wang Xian asked, deciding it was time to flip the question back.
"Cheng Yao," she replied without hesitation. "Nickname's Yaoyao. You can call me that too. All my friends do."
Cheng Yao.
Wang Xian froze.
The roasting stick slipped from his hand, the snake meat plopping directly into the fire.
"Ah—Uncle, what are you doing?!" she yelped, leaping forward to save the meat, brushing off the ash with a tragic whimper. "It was almost done! Why'd you throw it into the fire?!"
But Wang Xian didn't respond.
His mind was spinning.
Cheng Yao. Yaoyao.
The Flower God.
In his last life, she had become the most legendary support class in the Dragon Kingdom—the world's first support, top ten on the Hundred Flowers List, honorary president of the Fengwu Jiutian Guild.
There wasn't a single high-level player in the game who hadn't heard her name.
Wang Xian had never spoken to her, never teamed with her, but he remembered her name flashing across countless announcements in the previous timeline.
But she's supposed to be gentle, elegant…
He glanced at the girl now struggling to salvage their dinner from a pile of cinders.
…and this one's a walking ball of chaos.
"Uncle, why are you staring at me like that?" she asked, waving a hand in front of his face.
Wang Xian blinked. "Huh?"
"You spaced out. Just now, when I said my name."
Wang Xian hesitated. "It's… the same name as my ex. Threw me off for a second."
Her eyes sparkled mischievously. "Oldest pick-up line in the book, Uncle. You trying to flirt with me?"
Wang Xian: "…"
Flirt?!
She patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry. You may be old, but you've got potential. Keep working on your charm and maybe I'll consider you."
"…Just sit over there and don't talk to me," Wang Xian muttered, already regretting saving her from those snakes.
"But Uncle," she said in a wounded tone, "don't you want to court me properly first? I haven't even experienced the thrill of being pursued yet…"
Wang Xian picked up a stick and gently bopped her on the head.
"I'm not chasing anyone. Especially not weird little gremlins like you."
She rubbed her head, unfazed. "So violent. Classic tsundere behavior, Uncle."
Wang Xian silently turned his attention back to the fire. It was going to be a long journey with this girl.
Eventually, the snake meat finished cooking, and they shared a simple but satisfying meal. Afterward, Wang Xian reopened the party menu and re-invited Cheng Yao.
Team Invite Sent.Yaoyao has joined your party.
He gave her a quick glance. "Now that we're teaming, what's your talent?"
"God's Grace," she said cheerfully. "It boosts buffs and healing effects by 1000%. It's Myth-level. Is that good?"
Wang Xian choked.
Myth-level. 1000% boost.
He stared at her like she had casually announced she could shoot lasers from her eyes.
"Uncle? Is that bad?" she asked, noticing his expression.
"…No. That's very good. Very, very good," he said slowly. "But you need to promise me something."
"Sure!"
"Don't tell anyone else. Not about your talent. Not even your closest friends."
"Why not?"
"Because people will try to kill you."
Cheng Yao blinked. "…Even the Dragon Kingdom?"
"Yes," he said grimly. "Especially before you're strong enough to protect yourself."
Her smile wavered.
"…So I'm kind of a big deal, huh?"
"You're the big deal," Wang Xian muttered. "Congratulations, you're now a national resource."
Cheng Yao placed her hands on her hips and laughed. "I knew I was born for greatness!"
Wang Xian massaged his temples.
How… how did she survive last time?
Later, as they cleared another wave of goblins, Cheng Yao turned to him.
"What about you, Uncle? What's your talent?"
"[Learning]," he replied.
"What level? Myth? Epic? Legendary?"
"Ordinary."
Cheng Yao stopped walking. "Ordinary?"
"You heard me."
She squinted at him. "You're lying again, aren't you?"
"Nope."
"You're definitely lying."
"Why would I lie?"
"I dunno. Uncles are weird like that," she huffed.
Wang Xian's eye twitched. "I'm not an uncle."
"But Brother Guang doesn't sound as cute."
"That's not a valid reason."
"Sure it is!"
Before he could argue further, a thunderous chime echoed across the sky.
A glowing system message appeared above them all.
[World Announcement: Congratulations to player "Rod Fielding" of the Free Nation for reaching Level 10!]
[World Announcement: Congratulations...][World Announcement: Congratulations...]
Wang Xian looked up, a frown forming.
More system prompts followed, this time delivered silently into his ear.
"A player has reached level 10. Unlocking global features…"– Leaderboards– Arena– Guild System– Public Chat– Main Cities– Map Expansion
Here we go.
The real game had just begun.