Romance Game: Embrace of the Inhuman

Apart from the fishing rod, Lin Qianxuan's other powers were gradually revealing themselves.

[Dragon Bloodline], [Endless Divine Sea], [Eyes of the Muddled Heaven], [Evolutionary Body], [Spiritual Enlightenment].

Lin Qianxuan's body faintly showed scale armor, power continually surged from within, the marks of destiny glinting in his eyes, as his body tried to adapt to the current environment, the golden spiritual light making him aware and knowledgeable of everything.

The power granted by the Dao Fruit of destiny seemed about to break through some kind of shackle.

Yet, at the crucial moment, the anomalies on Lin Qianxuan disappeared again.

"Is it a problem with this space-time?" Lin Qianxuan realized.

His degree of interference in this space-time was still too low; it was only thanks to leveraging Peiya as an observer that he had concrete information.

If he were in another place, he felt he might just have taken that step.

But even so, he wasn't discouraged.

He already understood the path ahead, so it was only a matter of time.

Today, Lin Qianxuan didn't spend time defeating monsters to level up. Though he walked normally, his speed was unreasonably fast, covering dozens of meters with a single step.

Along the way, numerous monsters couldn't even begin to pursue him.

In half a day, Lin Qianxuan traversed through several villages and had already arrived at the Royal City of the Terrance Kingdom.

At the city gate, two guards saw Lin Qianxuan approaching, and one stopped him.

"Your sword should be sheathed. Weapons must be stored properly, or you can't move freely in the Royal City," he said.

Lin Qianxuan nodded without saying much and directly sheathed his little sword.

"It's so stuffy~!" the little sword grumbled.

"What was that sound?" the guard asked in confusion.

"Perhaps you misheard," Lin Qianxuan said.

The guard might have been too naive, for he let it go and then said to Lin Qianxuan, "Judging by your looks, you're here to rescue the Princess, too? Frankly, with a weapon like that, it's impossible!"

Lin Qianxuan cast him a sidelong glance. Was he that obvious?

"Bro, what advice do you have then?" Lin Qianxuan asked.

"My uncle is the most famous blacksmith in the Royal City. You can buy the best swords from him," the guard said.

Lin Qianxuan suddenly understood it was a sales pitch.

Although he didn't intend to buy a sword, he still responded politely.

"I'll remember that, thank you for the advice, bro."

Then he stepped into the city.

The Royal City was much more prosperous compared to the countryside.

Lin Qianxuan saw all sorts of people.

There were performers, regular residents, merchants, even mages with their magic staffs, and clergy in church attire.

Their clothing was relatively more impressive.

It was like a stage play; everyone had strong individual features.

Identity and attire matched well.

Lin Qianxuan's clothes seemed a bit rustic by comparison.

According to fairy tale plots, when he went to accept a quest, he would be ridiculed, and the funds the Kingdom was supposed to provide would be reduced.

He didn't like the "playing the fool" storyline, so he turned to the clothing store.

After enchanting his wallet with a line of text, he shook out a pile of copper coins and exchanged them for the shop's finest set of clothes.

This outfit was more comfortable, and Lin Qianxuan even felt it added a bit of an attribute.

Probably something like "Charm +3."

Walking down the street, more people started to notice him.

With a little inquiry, he found the place where the Royal City posted tasks and bounties.

A large bulletin board.

Placed right in the center of the city.

The bounty task for rescuing the Princess was posted in the very middle.

As long as you tore it down, you were considered to have accepted the task. The official beside it would then take people into the Royal Palace to demonstrate their martial arts, and after passing, one could get a start-up fund and a mount from the Kingdom, officially beginning the mission to rescue the Princess.

It seemed that his mission as a Hero was guiding Lin Qianxuan. As he looked at that bounty task, a strong impulse to tear it down surged within him.

He didn't have thoughts of disobedience, so he stepped forward and tore it down.

"Someone has accepted the mission to rescue the Princess again!!"

Instantly, the surrounding onlookers were stirred.

"He doesn't look like much! Doesn't seem strong at all!"

"At least he's good-looking."

"It's no use; even the mighty Rote, praised by the Chief Knight of the Court for his martial arts, ultimately met his demise at the beastly dragon's mouth."

"A dragon isn't something humans can contend with!"

.....

Amidst the discussions, a middle-aged man in official attire, sporting a small mustache, approached Lin Qianxuan alongside an attendant.

"I am Marcus Allen, the mission officer of the Royal City. Warrior, you've accepted the task to rescue the Princess. May I know your name?" Marcus said.

"I'm called Xuan," Lin Qianxuan replied.

That was the name he used in the village.

Only one character, without a surname.

Heaven knows what role this fairy tale world had assigned to him.

It's like he's an NPC that suddenly spawned.

"Xuan? Just one character? That pronunciation, such an odd name!" Marcus muttered to himself, then continued seriously, "Next, you'll spar with my knights. If you win, you can enter the Royal Palace for an assessment. Please don't take it personally; mainly, too many people who don't recognize their own strength think they can gain fame through this, and the Kingdom doesn't want to see you perish at the mouth of the dragon in a moment of folly."

"I understand," Lin Qianxuan nodded and said.

Marcus stepped back, and a knight by his side walked out, drew his knight's sword, and then bowed to Lin Qianxuan.

Lin Qianxuan also drew his sword from its scabbard and slightly returned the salute.

Clang~!

Clang, clang, clang~!

In a series of moves, Lin Qianxuan neutralized his opponent's strikes and pointed the tip of his sword at his throat.

The opponent was very strong, reaching the elite level, but in terms of techniques, he was lacking.

If Lin Qianxuan hadn't wanted to observe his opponent's sword techniques, he could have defeated him in a single move.

"I concede."

They sheathed their swords and exchanged salutes, after which the knight stepped back.

Marcus clapped his hands, then approached Lin Qianxuan amid the discussions of the crowd and said, "Warrior, you are outstanding. However, to represent the Kingdom in rescuing the Princess, you need to gain the acknowledgment of the Chief Knight of the Court at the Royal Palace."

"I understand," Lin Qianxuan nodded and said.

"Please follow me."

Marcus then led Lin Qianxuan into a carriage, and the two of them set off for the Royal Palace.

The process was astonishingly fast.

There was no time for Lin Qianxuan to freshen up, nor was there any investigation into his background, let alone any lesson on etiquette.

This made Lin Qianxuan increasingly understand the situation of this world.

Although it appeared to become a real world, the logic wasn't fully realized.

It resembled a large stage play.

Or perhaps a game.

Every character was like an NPC, playing a fixed role, following a predetermined script.

Many of the details weren't well filled in.

It just barely managed to run.

But even so, it was quite impressive.

After all, the logic and loopholes of fairy tales are truly unimaginable; if patches were to be applied, they would be endless.

Inside the Royal Palace, Lin Qianxuan was arranged to wait in a holding room.

After a while, someone arrived to take Lin Qianxuan to undergo the examination.

Lin Qianxuan followed him, making his way to a place inside the Royal Palace that resembled a plaza.

There were a few scattered guards around, and ahead, there stood a tall, golden-haired man with his back to Lin Qianxuan, wearing a golden armor without a helmet and holding a large double-handed sword.

Hearing Lin Qianxuan's footsteps, he turned slightly, revealing a face full of stories and an aura that was unmistakably that of a top-level expert detector.

"Allow me to introduce myself, Chief Knight of the Kingdom, Paul Millsap," Paul introduced himself and then asked, "Do you want to change swords?"

He had evidently noticed Lin Qianxuan's sword, which was filled with rust.

"My name is Xuan, no need to change the sword."

Lin Qianxuan shook his head and then unsheathed his sword.

"Since you insist, then prepare yourself! Take this!"

Before the word "attack" had thoroughly left his mouth, Lin Qianxuan felt the cold glint of the opponent's blade.

The power was strong, at an excellent peak, possibly reaching the palace level.

Palace level, already a Celestial Rank!

A Celestial Rank expert has the destructive power to easily demolish a building, and if going all out, it wouldn't take much effort to destroy a city.

Lin Qianxuan's sword gleamed continuously, and his clothes also emitted light, constantly providing reinforcement.

At the same time, his eyes flickered with the marks of fate, predicting the outcomes.

Slightly sidestepping, the sword lightly touched the weakest point of his opponent's move, and just as the opponent was about to react, Lin Qianxuan again switched moves, taking the initiative, giving no chance for direct confrontation.

"Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang~!"

The blades clashed rapidly, and the two figures constantly changed positions.

In the sprawling plaza, an ordinary person could only vaguely see two figures engaging.

Paul was greatly surprised because Lin Qianxuan predicted all his attacks.

Not a single strike truly reached its mark.

Suddenly, Paul shifted his technique, and an irresistible force surged from his sword, sending Lin Qianxuan back dozens of meters.

Barely able to stabilize himself, Lin Qianxuan looked slightly astonished.

That move was beyond his expectations.

The marks of fate didn't foresee it.

And the force it unleashed was beyond Lin Qianxuan's understanding.

So, is it one of those fairy tale special enhancement skills?

Many skills in fairy tales defy logic.

Someone might practice for decades to acquire a skill that lets them hit things with a pebble.

And they actually master the ability to hit anything with a pebble.

"A very fine talent, your skills have earned my recognition. You are qualified to represent the Kingdom in rescuing the Princess," Paul said.

"Thank you," Lin Qianxuan returned the salute.

"Remember, the Evil Dragon is not something humans can confront directly. You need to use your wisdom to rescue the Princess," Paul advised, "Before you, seventeen heroes have perished at the jaws of the Evil Dragon. I hope you can be a bit wiser."

It seems that, because this Chief Knight has more presence in the story, his character is more complete compared to other NPCs.

"I will remember your advice," Lin Qianxuan said.

Paul nodded and said, "Go, see the quartermaster to receive supplies, and embark on your quest to rescue the Princess. If you succeed and return, the Kingdom will spare no effort in rewarding you!"