"You gave him bread! Why can't you give me some!"

"You only lost some Gold Coins and clothes, but we lost our lives!"

"Kind person, you are a good man, good people will save us..."

Lv Shu was being jostled, feeling dizzy, and he should have drawn his sword. But then he saw a child with a head full of white hair... That child was wrapped in dirty newspaper, covered in burn scars, and was looking at him with hopeful eyes, making him feel desolate and dazed.

"Lv Shu" exists in any world.

Or rather, "children like Lv Shu."

At this moment, Yongchun, who had watched enough of the show, snapped his fingers.

A blinding light bloomed at his fingertips, illuminating the dark slum, causing the impoverished residents to retreat three steps in terror.

"A sorcerer... it's a sorcerer..." They retreated, trembling.

"It's the kind that can use magic... magic can kill with one move, even more efficiently than a stick..."

"Run, run, they kill without blinking, my aunt was killed by them..."

Soon, the alley became quiet. Although Yongchun had merely lit up his finger and done nothing else, he was already extremely intimidating. Presumably, these impoverished people had all witnessed the scene of sorcerers wantonly killing and thus were so afraid.

Lv Shu bit his lip, feeling an intense disillusionment—this wasn't a beautiful Otherworld, but rather one brutally cruel and outrageous. No matter which world, no matter how dazzling the legends of this world are, the plight of the people at the bottom never changes.

What does the great epic of the Brave and the Demon King have to do with ordinary people? Goblins will always be Goblins, and Paru will only be Paru.

"...Is there no Law here?" Lv Shu said in a low voice.

Upon hearing this, Eva laughed: "There is. Whether it's the Dawn Knights who believe in the Radiant Mother God Kritchens, or the Order Guardians dedicated to maintaining order. Whether it's Nalan Court that believes in the God of Covenant Nalandos, or the All Living Beings United that believes in the God of Trade Youli... but unfortunately, only races with human rights can talk about Law. Most people living in the slums don't even have a household registration. Even if they die, the local guards wouldn't go against the esteemed sorcerers, as they still need the benefits that the sorcerers bring."

Lv Shu clenched his fist.

"Alright, let's go," Yongchun consoled: "Yuqing, you'll soon grow accustomed to this; it's just the norm of society."

Lv Shu lifted his foot, but suddenly realized that someone hadn't left.

It was that white-haired little boy.

The little boy stood behind the garbage can, timidly looking at Lv Shu, a burn covering his right arm.

Lv Shu shouldn't have taken him.

But the little boy also had a pair of emerald green eyes, like the tender new leaves of spring faintly undulating in clear tea... too similar.

"Kind sir... may I follow you?" the white-haired little boy looked at Lv Shu.

"No," Lv Shu said.

"I'm of the Qing Zhu Clan, no lethal power, and very obedient. If you need to eat me, I can peel my skin slowly, and you can eat me for a long time," the white-haired little boy seemed to understand the survival laws of the slum well, immediately speaking of his edible value: "As long as you keep me, there will always be Qing Zhu to eat."

Such bloody value assessment is the norm of Rosasha—when a lower race recommends themselves to a high-class race for a job, they don't send "resumes and offers," but rather their own "edible value," for instance, how long they can be exploited before dying, how long they can be chewed before being completely consumed, whether they need rest on weekends to let their flesh regrow a little.

Yet it left Lv Shu with a sudden void in his heart.

...Qing Zhu Clan.

He suddenly turned around, staring intently at the boy's white hair, green eyes, and burn scars.

...

[Lv Shu stood in the dark space, facing rows after rows of racial introductions, full of hesitation.]

["Qing Zhu Clan..." Lv Shu's finger hovered over the Qing Zhu Clan.]

[Beside him, Kasadia wore a delighted smile, whispering in his ear: "The Qing Zhu Clan won't do, they're too weak, those bamboos are felled day after day by various major races, and have also suffered the flames of the Scarlet Flame Angel, they are almost extinct. If you become a Qing Zhu Clan, you can't help him."]

...

Two pairs of similar green eyes met, and Lv Shu felt a tremor-like emotion arising in his heart. He suddenly felt a strong sense of fear and shock, his spine tingling with goosebumps.

...If, if he hadn't chosen the Blood Clan at that time, but had chosen the Qing Zhu Clan.

Would this white-haired green-eyed boy be possessed and controlled by him? This boy looked like... a vessel specially prepared for his possession—white hair, green eyes, burn scars, Qing Zhu Clan, scavenging for survival.

And he was misled by the Fun Demon, causing his heart's choice to deviate, choosing the Blood Clan, which led to the white-haired boy still living well in the slum.

"Are you...the young master of the Qing Zhu Clan?" Lv Shu's voice was hoarse.

The white-haired boy's pupils dilated, and though he didn't answer, the surprise in his eyes told Lv Shu—he indeed was the young master of the Qing Zhu Clan.

Once, the Qing Zhu Clan suffered the flames of the Scarlet Flame Angel, and the young master of the Qing Zhu Clan barely escaped, ending up in the slums, scavenging for survival.

—How fitting a background story, how fitting an identity, how fitting the hair and eye color.

It's almost as if... this world had long prepared the most suitable identities for them, cultivating these people who resembled them, waiting for them to arrive and take over these unfortunate people's lives, to enjoy a splendid and free adventure.

"Players" are favored by the world.

As soon as they arrive, a magnificent story will commence, a grand and touching epic shall soon play out, the grand narrative trumpeting in sonorous tones.

And those waiting to be replaced, are not.

The stories of their lives only include money, involution, poverty, filth, distress, and eternal monotony. Aside from waiting for the protagonists to write a grand and brilliant story, they have no new plots. Even in textual records, plots related to them are only referred to as "crowds," "people," "everyone," such poverty-stricken, broad terms. Once the grand narrative ends, their lives won't change either.

The excitement belongs to the "Players," the ordinary people have nothing.

And in such silence,

in the timid gaze of the white-haired boy,

the "Players" who are favored, and those similar individuals who share the same positional identity as the white-haired boy—

He reached out his hand to the boy.

The large hand was broad and smooth, without burns or the corrosion scars from years of picking up garbage.

It was like a... fully healed and complete being. The life named Lv Shu had already become whole.

He began to want to try to change something, to do something... just like, back then, when Officer Uncle Zhao extended a helping hand to him.

He had already been rescued by a "good man."

He wanted to become a new "good man," to become a new "Uncle Zhao."

"Let's go." Lv Shu looked at the boy:

"Come with me, whether it's for revenge or something else."

"I'll take you to... write a more exciting story."

"Xiao Lv."

...

Under the azure sky, a large blue-purple jellyfish drifted through the sky, carrying Su Ming'an and a girl with pink hair.

They were on their way to the pink-haired girl's home, which she claimed was the safest place to stay peacefully until midnight, when [Game Day] would begin.

Su Ming'an felt relatively at ease with the pink-haired girl; she was one of the few people who didn't show any signs of coveting him.

"Pudding, I want to ask you about what you just said." Su Ming'an gazed at her serene face: "You said you were the original heroine of Luowasha, and your plot was taken over by a villain. Does that mean Luowasha is a book?"

Pudding shook her head: "It's just a metaphor, the protagonist means the [Protagonist] of Luowasha, the one who will have the greatest influence and be the most brilliant."

Su Ming'an understood. It was equivalent to Acto of the Ruined World, Xiber of Qiongdi, Su Rin of Pulaya, they were all key figures of the world.

"However, the story of Luowasha feels more like a game than a novel. You could call it 'The Ring of Rosasha,'" Pudding said.

"...Let's stick with Luowasha." Su Ming'an said with a cold sweat, the name sounded a bit familiar. He then asked: "So you know what will happen in the future, that's why you believe you're the heroine?"

"Yes, I have the talent of foresight, I know what will happen in the future." Pudding said: "I am the heroine of the future plot, will play a massive role, successfully complete the grand salvation mission of Luowasha — but a scheming villain named 'Hui Bai' somehow also knew the future plot, so he took over my scenes and got close to you. Originally, those scenes of taking you on a cat car, divining with cards, watching the World Tree... should all be done by me."

"You mean, you're the heroine, and I'm the protagonist?" Su Ming'an said.

Pudding glanced at him, her eyes were extremely clear, yet they reflected nothing, like a mirror covered with a thin film. Looking into such eyes, Su Ming'an suddenly felt... her words might not be reliable.

She was too out of sync. Appearing out of nowhere, saying these inexplicable things.

"Yes, you'll be the protagonist wherever you are," Pudding said.

"Overpraise..." Su Ming'an said instinctively.

"I'm not praising you," Pudding said flatly: "Whoever the World Tree favors, to become the [Protagonist] of Luowasha, is truly unfortunate."

"In the decades of my life, I've deeply experienced the torment and pain of being a [Protagonist]."

"Can you imagine?"

"—Everything revolves around you, no matter where you hide, the spotlight is always on you. Those world affairs will always involve you, demanding you to resolve them."

"—Any faction will target you for various reasons, whether it's gratitude, hatred, desire, or greed. If you're not careful, they'll strip you to the bone, waging wars around you, causing many deaths."

"—Everyone will always orbit around you. Whether wanting to be your true friend or to become your mortal enemy... everyone's attention is on you, and your attitude determines their stance. Whether being favored by the World Tree, becoming the [Supporting Male Character] or [Supporting Female Character] of the protagonist group, or being despised by you, becoming the [Cannon Fodder], [Malicious Antagonist], [Why-aren't-you-dead-yet brainless villain], or [Villain that might be redeemed]."

"—To get close to you, the [Protagonist], some will humbly act as the [Righteous Faction], seeking more chances to appear. Some, unable to gain your trust, will have to do the opposite, deliberately acting against you as the [Villain], to gain scenes by opposing you — as long as they can appear in the [Protagonist]'s sight, to become Luowasha's key plot figure, they'll spare no cost for scene-stealing."

"And you, to deal with the world's crisis, either struggle with all your might only to end up empty-handed, or lose your partners and relatives, crying over their corpses — because that's the kind of tense, emotional, and conflict-rich story the World Tree likes!"

"Such a [Protagonist]... do you want to be one?"

Pudding's words left Su Ming'an silent.

Some humbly become the righteous faction, some crazily become the villains, all just to stay by the [Protagonist]'s side, becoming key plot points, they'll spare nothing for scene-stealing.

Su Liujin and Pudding are the [Protagonists] of Luowasha, people favored by the World Tree.

"Fortunately, only I and Hui Bai know the plot and know who the [Protagonist] is," Pudding said: "Yesterday, Hui Bai, this malicious antagonist, hijacked the plots between you and me, he almost replaced my [Protagonist] position."

"So you were the Red Tower Princess," Su Ming'an realized.

Su Liujin was caught in the Red Tower to replace a Red Tower Princess for [Game Day]. But before Pudding could communicate with Su Ming'an, Hui Bai got ahead. When Su Ming'an woke up, Hui Bai immediately took him out for fun, if it hadn't been for Su Ming'an being caught by the Bone Dragon later and separating from Hui Bai, Pudding's part would have been completely replaced.

Yet, Su Ming'an still held onto his thoughts — he didn't believe Hui Bai was a "malicious antagonist," Hui Bai didn't seem like a bad person.

For Pudding's words, he trusted only about thirty percent. She was definitely more than just the Red Tower Princess, she might even be the World Tree in human form, trying to deceive him. Otherwise, how could she be the [Heroine]?

"By the way," Pudding suddenly remembered: "Someone over at my place claims to be 'Su Rin,' seems to be looking for you. Is that your friend? Righteous faction or villain?"

"...Righteous faction." Su Ming'an was a bit uncomfortable with Pudding's way of speaking, she seemed to truly see Luowasha as a game.

"Is he the [Righteous Helper of the Protagonist], the [Hot-blooded Fighter in the Party], the [Mature and Steady Big Brother], or the [Comic Relief of the Team], or the [Cute Mascot of the Party], or maybe the [Occasionally-Giving-Tips Cold Second Lead]..." Pudding listed.

"...None of those. I think people shouldn't be judged in such a way." Su Ming'an said: "They are independent and shouldn't be defined in life by my position."

Pudding blinked and said nothing.

To her, the sorrows and joys of billions of beings, the vast and yet to be enacted plot, seemed just like a game or a book that's already been written.

Her eyes still reflected nothing.

...As if she had already seen the HE (Happily Ever After) ending of "The Ring of Rosasha."

...

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