Although the teleportation portal to the outside world had already opened, Tiger Regiment Leader and Li Dong still had things to do. They would wait a while before heading out.
In the end, only Luo Taozhi remained standing before the Village Chief.
“Brave pioneer, are you sure you want to go to the outside world? It’s not like the village out there!”
The Village Chief stared at Luo Taozhi with a worried expression, as if he truly feared she might encounter danger outside.
But Luo Taozhi had never seen in the Village Chief’s eyes that glimmer of spiritual light she had seen in Yoshimura Umeko’s or Priestess Granny’s eyes.
“I’m sure.”
“Alright, brave pioneer. I hope you stay safe out there.”
After reciting his lines, the Village Chief took a step aside, revealing the courtyard that no player had ever entered.
The courtyard gate was now wide open. Inside, there was no trace of noise, only a serene and steady aura.
In the very center of the courtyard stood a reduced-scale complete magic array. Its patterns were identical to those seen in the dungeon, except the gaps had been filled, and the interior was brimming with spiritual energy.
The array was about the size of a round table. Pale gold patterns were carved into the bluestone slab, emitting a soft glow. The lines were symmetrical and proper, radiating a balanced and peaceful aura.
It was a teleportation array—the kind that connected a small world to the outside world.
Luo Taozhi recognized the array’s structure at a glance.
Its foundation was the same as the basic teleportation array she knew from her previous life, but the details were quite different. The arrangement of the runes was more refined and more thoroughly optimized, interspersed with several new runes she had never seen before.
Overall, it was clearly an advanced upgraded version.
“Come, brave pioneer. Step onto this slab, and you’ll reach the world outside the village.”
The Village Chief spoke slowly, pointing to the bluestone slab engraved with the teleportation array, signaling Luo Taozhi to stand there.
Luo Taozhi naturally understood. She stepped past the Village Chief and onto the bluestone slab.
The moment she steadied herself, the scene before her eyes changed.
[Global Announcement]
[Congratulations to player [Xiao Taozhi] for being the first player in this game to leave the Novice Village!!!]
[Congratulations! Player received: Achievement Point*1, Title [Pioneer]!]
The system’s global announcement rang out again, proclaiming Luo Taozhi’s ID to the world!
After the world announcement, Luo Taozhi also received her own personal announcement.
[Congratulations, player! You have entered the northern outskirts of the Longyuan Empire—[Return City]]
The moment she stepped out of the teleportation array, Luo Taozhi did not land directly in a bustling market. Instead, she found herself in a quiet, secluded courtyard.
The courtyard was paved with smooth bluestone slabs. In the corner stood two pots of lush green plants. Delicate vines climbed the walls. All around was silent, with only a gentle breeze passing through.
Directly in front of the courtyard stood a vermilion wooden door. The door panels were polished smooth, and the bronze door knockers were shiny and antique, but they were not open.
[VIP] Chapter 68: Return City
The teleportation array exceeded Luo Taozhi’s expectations.
Unlike what she had experienced in the other world, the teleportation speed here was very fast. The ones she had used before required at least ten seconds to activate, but this one completed the moment she formed the thought of teleporting.
Second was the experience. Unlike the previous ones that came with strong dizziness, this one had no discomfort at all.
Was it because of those unfamiliar runes?
Luo Taozhi suddenly felt a glimmer of anticipation for this world.
She hurried to the vermilion door, raised her hand, and lightly knocked on the knocker. Then she pushed the door open. In an instant, noise and excitement rushed toward her.
Outside the door was the main street of the ancient city. As far as the eye could see, rows of grayish-blue roof tiles overlapped like ink waves stretching endlessly. The red brick walls were solid and thick, the red and blue complementing each other with dignity and grace.
The bluestone road was polished smooth and shiny by the footsteps of passersby. Horse-drawn carriages moved in an orderly fashion. Shops lined the streets in close succession, with wine flags and cloth banners fluttering in the wind.
The bluestone beneath her feet was warm and polished. Pedestrians jostled past her: a woman carrying a bamboo basket brushed by, a warrior with a sword at his waist walked with steady steps, and a constable in black robes patrolled the street with a staff.
Sparks flew from the blacksmith shop, the ringing of hammers clear. In the teahouse, a storyteller slapped his gavel, and the hall erupted in waves of applause.
As she walked down the street, the aroma of rice mixed with a vendor’s cry reached Luo Taozhi’s ears.
“Come—everyone, take a look! Freshly baked Immortal Cakes! Big and delicious! Fragrant and tempting!” Following the cry, she saw a vendor lifting a steamer basket to reveal small, human-shaped white cakes.
“How much are these?”
Luo Taozhi walked up and pointed at the so-called Immortal Cake.
“With your beautiful face, and since this is my first sale of the day, I’ll charge you just two copper coins for one!”
The vendor looked at Luo Taozhi, who was strangely dressed, and was taken aback for a moment. Then he quickly averted his eyes and put on a fawning smile.
“Two copper coins?”
Luo Taozhi reached into the decorative pouch at her waist and withdrew two copper coins from the system. She handed them to the vendor.
“Alright! Here you go!”
The vendor promptly accepted the two copper coins and handed her a yellow paper package containing the so-called Immortal Cake. The material of the paper was unknown.
She brought it to her nose. A sweet rice fragrance entered her nostrils. When she took a bite, it was soft and sticky with an osmanthus scent. She hadn’t noticed the osmanthus earlier.
It was a bit novel, but delicious.
“Fairy, you’ve come to attend the Empress’s Grand Ceremony, right?”
While Luo Taozhi was eating, the vendor quickly glanced at her face twice. After being impressed, he tentatively asked.
“Yes.”
Luo Taozhi naturally knew how strange she looked here. It was obvious she wasn’t a local. Combined with the timing of her appearance, anyone would know why she was here.
“Do you know where the clothing shop is in the city?”
She didn’t want to keep attracting so much attention.
“Easy. Just go straight down this road. The shop with the most girls in front of it and the prettiest clothes is the most famous clothing shop in the city!”
“Okay, thanks.”
She took another copper coin from the system and tossed it to the vendor. Then she walked in the direction he had indicated.
Along the way, the festive atmosphere of Return City deeply impressed Luo Taozhi.
After teleporting, the sudden sight of red bricks and gray tiles, the ancient architecture, made her feel for a moment that she had returned to the other world.
That she had become the Saintess of that Sacred Land again, fallen asleep during a trip, and had a beautiful dream of returning to modern society.
Fortunately, the vendor’s “two copper coins” brought her back to reality.
She opened the system panel and checked her attributes and inventory. Seeing the numbers “3 gold, 5 silver, 15 copper” put her at ease.
Otherwise, she might not have been able to afford even the food in her hand.
At the same time, she noticed a new prompt on the system interface.
This string of text appeared abruptly in the notification bar. Although it wasn’t announced by voice, it was written in bold red letters, making sure the player wouldn’t miss it.
[Note: Since the player has left the Novice Village and officially entered the [Xushi] world, please pay attention to the following points.]
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