Chapter 400: City of Sin
Although he wasn't entirely sure, there shouldn't be any mistake.
After several simulations, Zhou Ning had more or less figured out the mechanics of this function.
So far, across four simulation traversals, the chance of soul-transmigration and replacing a certain character was 100%. The chosen target also seemed to be someone from that world who had a high compatibility with him.
For instance, when Zhou Ning was a mafia boss, he transmigrated into a Roman who was also a mafia boss. When he was a financial genius, he transmigrated into a wealthy man—the head of the Demon Slayer Corps, Kagaya Ubuyashiki.
However, since the financially gifted Zhou Ning lacked combat power, it was only natural that, after transmigrating into a template with similar weakness, his aggressive strategies led to his death.
That logic seemed sound.
The real challenge was how to strike the balance between moderation and aggression—that was the core of this gameplay.
After clicking "Delete" in the box and painfully "burying" his first sacrificed template, Zhou Ning once again selected the template cultivation mode to begin training a new one.
Naturally, he chose the "Excellent" attribute again for creation.
[Randomly generating template.]
[Initial template confirmed as purple.]
[Matching…]
[Match successful.]
[You are an ancient swordsman skilled in the art of the blade. You can kill a man within ten steps and leave no trace across a thousand miles. When no one in the northern plains can stand against you, loneliness sets in. At that moment, you receive the chance to transmigrate. What kind of waves will you stir in your new world? Let's wait and see.]
This was the first initial template he had encountered that wasn't set in a modern world. In the card slot appeared a figure of himself dressed in a white swordsman robe, hand resting on his sword hilt—looking impressively dignified.
[Randomly selecting transmigration location.]
[Randomizing…]
[Randomization complete. You have landed in the world of Fate/stay night!]
…The power levels there seemed a bit mismatched.
Considering the immense power scale and relatively low safety level, Zhou Ning spent 50 traversal coins this time to choose the "Moderate" difficulty, hoping for a good harvest and not to disappoint himself.
After completing the template cultivation, Zhou Ning opened the Traversal Simulator again to perform a new round of traversal in order to gain a new specialty.
The new map was titled "City of Sin."
The traversal cost was only 160 traversal coins. Based on his guess, it might refer to the comic Sin City, or possibly even Gotham.
As usual, Zhou Ning chose the second option to view the templates first—he was, after all, still a rich man.
A blinding light burst forth, and three cards appeared before Zhou Ning, spreading out one by one, radiating brilliant orange and purple glows. This time, to his surprise, there were two orange templates!
The first card depicted himself wearing a trench coat and sunglasses, exuding a strong and confident aura.
Personality: Resolute, righteous, stubborn.
Talents: Bullet Time (Orange), Savior (Orange)
Skills: Basic Firearms Mastery (Expert), Basic Combat (Advanced), Super Evasion (Expert), Hacking (Grandmaster), Flight (Advanced)
Title: Savior Zhou Ning
Traversal Price: 350 traversal coins
Clearly, this was the protagonist Neo from The Matrix. His strength was decent—nothing extraordinary—but he was cheap, so Zhou Ning immediately bought him.
After purchasing, the Justice Faction finally scraped together a five-member synergy bonus.
Oceanographer + Aquaman + Spider-Man + Strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer + Savior
Though the Justice Faction was still at a disadvantage, their titles sounded increasingly impressive.
Inspiring Heroic Combination (5):
HP +700
Strength +6
Agility +4
Stamina +5
Synergy Effect: When using a hero template for traversal, mission completion rate and personal strength increase at a faster pace.
The second card was comparatively ordinary—and something Zhou Ning wasn't likely to buy anyway.
The image showed himself as a giant in a blue bodysuit and blue-white mask. The buildings at his feet looked like toy boxes in comparison.
Personality: Honest, kind, believer in light
Talents: Friend of Humanity (Gray), Monster Nemesis (Purple), Timer (Gray), Ultraman (Orange), Rebirth (Green), Hero (Orange)
Skills: Knight Ray (Grandmaster), Heat Load Flash (Master), Heat Load Beam (Master)
Title: Knightly Aura Zhou Ning
Price: A staggering 10,000 traversal coins!
Seeing that price, Zhou Ning could only sigh. "If believing in light costs that much, maybe I don't believe in it that much after all."
The third card was also orange.
The image depicted himself with golden hair, wearing a black suit and white shirt, dressed elegantly. Behind him, countless swords rained down from the sky as he gazed forward with a cold expression.
Personality: Arrogant, self-centered, cruel, cold-blooded, yet magnanimous.
Talents: Golden Rule (Orange), Leadership (Purple), Divinity (Purple), Gate of Babylon (Orange)
Skills: Treasury of the King (Master), Ea—Sword of Rupture (Grandmaster) (others omitted)
Price: 25,000 traversal coins—far beyond Zhou Ning's current budget.
Like the second one, it was powerful but clearly out of reach.
Zhou Ning fell into thought. Though he wasn't sure what exactly the City of Sin world entailed, to earn a new specialty, he would need to complete the mission. That meant he should choose a stronger template to ensure success.
Among his available options, the time-stopping Evil Savior·Zhou Ning and illusion-controlling Kyōka Suigetsu·Zhou Ning were his best bets.
But before transmigrating, as usual, he checked the first option—just in case there was a red-tier talent again.
[You have chosen Transmigration Mode 1]
[Please select three out of the following ten talents as your matching criteria.]
[1. Naaru (Orange): Your race during transmigration will be fixed as a Naaru—a mysterious, divine being that wields both Holy Light and Shadow.]
[2. Master of Romance (Blue): You're loved by all; in this world, you will have extraordinary charm with women.]
[3. Dragon Among Men and Women (Green): You are born with dual genders.]
[4. Lucky Star (Blue): Your luck greatly exceeds normal people's; world-based luck bonus +15%.]
[5. Not My Thing (Gray): Your academic career in this world will be less than smooth.]
[6. Skilled Artisan (Purple): You will carry one initial skill at Expert level upon transmigration.]
[7. Left-Handed (Green): You favor your left hand; accuracy greatly increases when using it.]
[8. Born Villain (Purple): You are inherently evil. Evil factions have a much higher starting favorability toward you, and it is easier for you to gain reputation within them. Increases mission completion rate.]
[9. Intimidation Master (Purple): You have exceptional talent in extortion and intimidation.]
[10. Seven of Me (Purple): You possess seven mysterious alternate personalities simultaneously.]
Honestly, this round's ten options were all pretty good—one orange, four purples. However, in his impression, the Naaru was basically a glowing, white geometric entity—hardly even human. If he rolled that one, it'd be a disaster. As for the other purple talents, they weren't quite enough to make him abandon the template traversal route.
After brief hesitation, Zhou Ning still chose to enter the simulation as Evil Savior Zhou Ning.
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