Starting with One Piece, a Multiverse Simulation

In other words, the other party may not be a native of this world, but a chosen one who has traveled through time.

Chapter 336 The handsome second male lead has appeared?

In a world of swords and magic, a transmigrator from another world is usually the undisputed protagonist.

Just like the talented dog in the Zero no Tsukaima world, or Rudeus in the Musou world.

Clearly, Wood believed that the black-haired boy in front of him must be the protagonist of this world, so it was quite normal for him to scrutinize him carefully.

The black-haired, black-eyed boy was named Natsuki Subaru, and just as Wood had suspected, he was indeed a boy from another world.

He was clearly buying things at the convenience store, but when he walked out of the store, he found himself in another world without even realizing it.

After realizing that he had traveled to another world, Natsuki Subaru did not panic or scream like an ordinary person. Instead, after calming down, he was overjoyed.

As an otaku, Natsuki Subaru has played many RPG games and read many novels and comics. For him, being able to travel to another world is not necessarily a bad thing.

Whether it's a novel or a game, the protagonist who can travel through time is undoubtedly a chosen one selected by the gods, becoming a hero and having beautiful women on both sides are all basic operations.

Besides, he was nobody in his original world. Now that he's started living in another world, with his extensive gaming experience and modern knowledge, how could he possibly not thrive?

Unlike most isekai (otherworld) transmigrators, Natsuki Subaru considers himself a clear-headed individual. He truly sees himself as the protagonist after arriving in this world and treats everything here as a game.

As if to verify his conjecture, he had only been in this world for a short time when he encountered a beautiful silver-haired girl and triggered a mission event.

Natsuki Subaru, who was familiar with various games, knew very well that since the beautiful girl and the mission had appeared together, he could gain favorability by helping the girl complete the mission and officially begin his journey to another world.

Upon learning that Emilia's belongings had been stolen, Subaru Natsuki vowed to help.

However, just as he was about to take action, Natsuki Subaru discovered that the triggered event was not as simple as he had imagined.

Emilia appears to be a slender girl, but she runs as fast as the wind and seems to have exceptional stamina.

Natsuki Takashi's pride and joy, his 60-pound arm strength, seemed to have no chance to be displayed here.

What made things even worse for Natsuki Subaru was that he seemed to have triggered a common branching plot in the game, namely the blond handsome guy in front of him.

Isn't that a common trope in games and novels? Handsome but often just a clueless second male lead.

The purpose of creating such a character is to compete for female characters. In the end, they usually become stepping stones for the protagonist, indirectly increasing the protagonist's affinity with the female characters.

Clearly, at this moment, Natsuki Subaru was treating Wood in front of him as a good-for-nothing second male lead.

The reason they felt a bit hostile towards him was not only because they thought Wood would compete with him for Emilia, but also because Wood was just too handsome!

A person who is good-looking can certainly be more popular, but only if they are of the opposite sex.

For example, Natsuki Subaru really dislikes handsome men, especially those who might become his rivals in love. Naturally, he has even less affection for them.

"There's nothing we can do. The other party has a special 'blessing,' and we probably can't catch up with them now."

We can only try other methods to see if we can find them.

Felt..., the girl with the withered golden hair from before, possesses the protection of the wind. Emilia and the others were already getting further and further away from her, and now, because of Wood's delay, they have lost all trace of her.

"Don't worry, Emilia, I will definitely find a way to help you get your things back."

Although Natsuki Subaru hasn't yet discovered any cheat codes, and the people in this world seem to be even more illogical than those in his own world, Natsuki Subaru is still that confident.

If you ask why, it's because he knows he's the protagonist, and if you're the protagonist, you'll definitely find a way.

If you're not strong enough in combat, you can just use your brain to get through it. Based on his years of experience playing various RPG games, in this situation, you usually have to find an NPC to help you.

"Uncle, may I ask you something?" Natsuki Subaru, who felt he had figured out the key to breaking the deadlock, looked at the uncle selling fruit at a nearby stall and asked.

As a vendor who has been setting up a stall here for many years, and considering that the uncle had just seen the blonde girl's appearance, Natsuki Subaru believed that the uncle most likely knew her.

"Hey, you strangely dressed young man, what kind of fruit are you looking to buy? I guarantee our fruit is the best deal on this street," the fruit stall owner greeted Natsuki Ang with a smile as he asked.

"No, I didn't intend to buy fruit. I just wanted to ask if the uncle knows the girl who bumped into this guy earlier?"

Upon hearing that Natsuki Subaru only wanted to ask questions and didn't intend to make a purchase, the previously extremely enthusiastic uncle's smiling face immediately fell, and he said, "If you're not going to buy anything, then get out of the way and don't interfere with my business."

Seeing the drastically different attitude of the middle-aged man, Natsuki Subaru looked embarrassed, though he could only pat his pocket and pull out a crumpled banknote.

"As expected, no matter which world you're in, humans are quite pragmatic creatures." He handed over his living expenses for about a week to the other person.

Natsuki Subaru had thought he could get enough information in return, but who knew that after the other party took the yen from Natsuki Subaru's hand, he threw it back with a look of disgust and said: "Who are you trying to fool with a piece of paper? If you have nothing to do, get out of the way."

"The few of you blocking this place are making everyone else afraid to come and buy things."

Seeing that his nearly week's living expenses were nothing more than a piece of waste paper in the other person's eyes, Natsuki Subaru finally realized that this was another world, and the money in his world was useless.

"Emilia, do you have any money on you?" Natsuki Subaru turned to the silver-haired girl behind him and asked.

"I came out to do shopping with Rem, and I didn't bring any money with me."

"Damn it, they don't have enough start-up capital to offer compensation in exchange for intelligence?"

So in this situation, should I complete other tasks first to earn some start-up capital before starting the next part of this task?

Emilia couldn't understand most of Natsuki Subaru's mutterings, but she knew that Subaru was probably out of options, so she took the initiative to comfort him: "It's okay, Subaru, thank you for being willing to help me."

But now I need to find that person as soon as possible.

What Emilia had stolen was a dragon emblem, representing her status as one of the candidates for the Dragon-Protected Kingdom.

If the badge were lost, it would be no different from losing the right to be a candidate, so she had no intention of wasting time here.

"Uncle, give me a pound of apples. And while you're at it, do you have any places around here like slums or black markets?"

Just as Emilia and Subaru Natsuki turned to leave, Wood, who had been standing silently behind them, suddenly spoke up and flicked a silver coin in front of the fruit stall owner.

The highest unit of currency in the Kingdom of Dragons is the Gold Dragon Coin, followed by the Silver Dragon Coin and ordinary copper coins. The exchange rate for gold, silver, and copper is 100 to 1.

A pound of apples is worth at most a few copper coins, while the silver dragon coins Wood offered were more than enough.

Don't ask Wood why he's rich. It's because he just touched his pocket and found these things in it.

It seems that the character he's simulating this time is quite wealthy, since there aren't many ordinary people who can carry around gold dragon coins.

It was rare to see someone so generous as to buy a pound of apples for a silver coin these days. The uncle shopkeeper immediately helped Wood pack a pound of apples with a smile and pointed Wood in the direction of the slums.

Even before leaving, he reminded Wood and his men that the slums were a mixed bag, full of thugs and hooligans, and that they should be careful.

"This uncle is really a snob. If you have money, why don't you just ask him if he knows who that girl was?"

Natsuki Subaru was quite frustrated that his hard-won opportunity to show himself in front of Emilia had been lost.

At the same time, he was also puzzled as to why Wood was asking about the girl's background and why he was inquiring about a place like the slums.

"It's a very simple principle. Regardless of whether that uncle knows the girl from earlier or not, even if he does, I don't think he would tell us much."

I noticed this when I first met the girl; her clothes were even more worn than those of the other people on the street.

Furthermore, if the things she steals have no intrinsic value and are of no use to her.

Therefore, it is highly likely that they were commissioned by someone or intended to sell it.

Hearing Wood's words, Emilia added, "What was stolen from me is important to me, but it probably isn't particularly valuable to others."

"Regardless of whether it is valuable or not, when something is useless to the thief, the first thing they will think of is selling it for money."

Because stolen goods are of dubious origin, they can usually only be sold on the black market, which is typically located in areas with poor security and disorder.

As one of the underground bosses in the pirate world, Wood is naturally quite familiar with the procedures of the underworld.

"I see. So that's why you asked that old man if there were any slums or black markets around here?"

"So you wanted to get to the black market early and wait for the thief to come to you? I didn't expect you to be so capable, buddy."

Parker clapped his hands together, instantly understanding Wood's intention, and praised him generously.

"Thank you so much for your help. If I can find my lost items this time, I will definitely repay you."

Without Wood's help, Emilia could probably find the slums eventually by using the micro-sprites in the air, but it would take a lot of time.

"Forget about repaying them, after all, it was because of me that you lost track of them."

Then I wish you a speedy recovery of your lost items. Excuse me for now.

After helping Emilia and her group determine the thief's general direction, Wood did not choose to continue working with them but instead took his leave.

Although it's obvious to anyone with eyes that Subaru Natsuki is the protagonist of the world, while Emilia and the others are the so-called main characters, they are clearly driving the world's plot forward.

But what does this have to do with Wood?

Wood was no ordinary time traveler; he didn't need to complete any messy tasks, he just needed to experience this life properly.

The world is so big, and you don't necessarily have to follow the protagonist to gain anything.

Of course, if you follow the protagonist, the opportunities will definitely be greater than if you explore on your own, but the risks will also be proportional to that.

In the Mushoku Tensei world, Wood had no choice because Rudy, the protagonist, was his older brother from the same parents, and Subaru Natsuki had no relation to him in this world, so he didn't need to take care of or help him at all.

Emilia and Parker weren't too surprised by Wood's departure. After all, they were just strangers who had met, and Wood was already being very kind by helping them so much. There was no reason for them to go on an adventure with him.

Natsuki Subaru, however, was somewhat stunned, because he had always regarded Wood as the second male lead's imagined rival, but he did not expect that the other party would leave so decisively.

To be honest, after Wood exchanged money for information and gained everyone's approval through rational reasoning, Natsuki Subaru felt a lot of pressure.

Because Wood was nothing like the clueless second male lead he had imagined. Not only was he handsome, but he was also smart. Compared to him, he didn't seem to have much of an advantage...

Fortunately, this quintessential "tall, rich, and handsome" character is now stepping down. Although Emilia stole his chance to boost her favorability, Subaru believes he will still have plenty of opportunities to prove himself in the future.

After saying goodbye to Subaru Natsuki and Emilia's group of main characters, Wood walked down the street, munching on an apple he had just bought, while pondering his upcoming itinerary.