Plundering the Dao of the Immortal Journey - Chapter 189: Fate Lantern

Warning This fiction contains:

Graphic Violence Profanity Sensitive Content

Summary – Level 1:

Delve is an isekai litrpg that follows an average guy who just happened to wake up in a forest one day. He wasn’t summoned to defeat the demon lord or to save the world or anything like that, at least as far as he can tell. The only creature there to greet him was a regular old squirrel.

Soon enough, he meets other people, only to discover that he can’t speak the language, and that not everybody immediately trusts random pajama-wearing strangers they met in the middle of the wilderness. Things generally go downhill from there, at least until the blue boxes start appearing.

Delve is a story about finding your way in a new, strange, and dangerous world. It’s about avoiding death, figuring out what the heck is going on, and trying to make some friends along the way. It’s not about getting home, so much as finding a new one.

Did I mention that there will be math?

Summary – Level 2:

Okay, but what are you in for, really?

Well, this story is supposed to be realistic, or at least, as realistic as a fantasy litrpg can be. The main character doesn’t instantly become an all-powerful god and murder-hobo his way across the universe. Delve is, at its heart, a progression fantasy, but that progression is meant to feel earned. The numbers in this story actually mean something. Everything is calculated, and if you find a rounding error, I expect you to tell me about it. That said, if math isn’t your cup of tea, there is plenty more that the story has to offer. Characters are meant to feel real, and progression isn’t only about personal power; it’s also about allies, connections, and above all, knowledge. Figuring out how the system works is a significant theme.

...

What, you want more details? Okay, fine, but this is going to get a bit spoiler-y. Are you sure?

Yes!

Really sure? I mean, this summary is practically half as long as the first chap–

Now!

Okay, okay!

The main character becomes a magic user, but he takes a route that is not very popular in adventurer culture, namely that of a support. There is a full magic system with various spells, skills, and abilities, but our MC decides that aura magic is the way to go, and that the only stat worth investing in is mana regeneration. Most people at the Adventurer’s Guild think that this makes him a bit of a dumbass, but he’s playing the long game. We’ll see how that works out for him, won’t we?

Because of his build, the MC levels up fast, at least compared to normal people. There are no cheats, though, and he is limited in other ways. There are some clear and pretty obvious downsides to his build. That’s what makes it fun, no?

Morals? Our MC has them. Again, we’ll see how that works out for him. Realism, remember? Would you be okay with killing someone and looting their body? I sure hope not.

POV? The focus is on the main character, but there will be occasional varying perspectives from people around him, or involved in the events related to the main plot. It isn’t going to jump all over the place.

Tech is standard medieval stasis. No smartphones, but the MC does have a technical background. Computers and their programming might be involved. There might even be a bit of uplifting down the road, who knows? Anyway, it isn’t the focus. He isn’t going to invent the gun in chapter 1 and change the face of warfare.

Romance is not a major focus. Friendships are more the name of the game, though there will be some characters in romantic relationships.

There is exploration, though not as much of the geographical nature as you might expect. It is more about exploration of the system and the culture.

The pace is slow and detailed, sometimes verging on slice-of-life. The action is meant to be realistic and grounded in the numbers, and it is intended to have meaning beyond simply punching things until they stop moving.

The general tone of the story is grey, and some parts can get quite dark. People die. Sometimes, people with names, but not anywhere near GoT level. There is plenty of light, too, though, to balance the darkness. The world is dangerous, but overcoming that danger is why we’re all here, isn’t it?

Anyway, if you’ve made it this far through the summary, you clearly like words. I hope you enjoy the story!

Once upon a time-travel leap, Mu Caiwei, the gold-medal bodyguard, turned into a poor peasant girl, Mu Caiwei, who starved to death.With nothing to their name, and an empty rice vat, facing a skinny, malnourished mother and a bunch of hungry younger siblings, Mu Caiwei rolled up her sleeves and shouted, “Sister's going to get rich!”Although she had followed a proud and aloof path in her past life, times were now different.At the small stall, Mu Caiwei donned an apron, zealously crying out, “Fried skewers, fried skewers, all kinds of fried skewers…”In the fabric store, Mu Caiwei expertly worked the abacus, “This Q version of damask should be sold for fifty taels of silver a piece…”……Soon, the people of the Great Jin Nation knew that the richest person in the Great Jin was not only a stunning, young girl, but also a generous and philanthropic individual!Mu Caiwei couldn't dream that she received a miracle — a magical space, by simply carrying out a few random acts of charity!She also received an extremely “embarrassing” — predestined marriage!In a nutshell: The stunning transition from poverty-stricken peasant girl to Empress!I'm not good with summaries, so please move on to the main text.

“If I don’t die… I swear I will act on all my evil thoughts..”

Not exactly everyone’s typical thought when they’re about to die. What will a cowardly young man do when reincarnated with the evil powers to redefine his destiny? Can the natural kindness of human nature triumph over evil? Will he become the cold-blooded demon king of legend, or will he forge his own path and rain down another kind of terror?

All she ever desired was a better life, to be recognized and accepted. Was she wrong to ask for that?What was the point of working hard when she couldn’t even see the results or the happiness, she wanted couldn’t even be grasped by her pinky finger?Even until the day she died and left her world as a lonely spirit, she had no idea what she had done wrong or what had gone wrong.A glimmer of hope returned when she found herself in a nameless body in a completely other universe. She understood what had occurred to her because she was from the modern world.She was hoping for a startling golden finger or a celestial ability as a transmigrated person, but the heavens abandoned her yet again. She was not only a waste, but she was bound to a sad and cruel life.She accepted her fate because she couldn't resist the gods for the second time, and her cowardice cost her everything. A ray of hope flashed on her just as she feared she was about to leave this second realm as a lonely ghost.Accepting to live the remainder of her life as a regular person, she faced difficulty after obstacle until her world was broken for the third time.After two decades of being homeless and living by the rules of the day, the gods finally showed mercy and bestowed upon her the golden finger she had been dying for.Alayna, bound by a hypermarket system (supermarket), will begin her journey with one objective in mind: “TO BRING JOY TO THE WORLD.”As for how? Let us join her as she transforms from a frail middle-aged woman to a strong, cheerful, and confident woman who will spread her wings and open hypermarkets all over the world.