Tang Dynasty: Starting with Dimo, he was targeted by Li Shimin.

Chapter 1 The Strange Shop

Pedestrians come and go in front of the door in a sparse manner, and even stray cats... are unwilling to linger in front of the door for even a moment.

At the entrance of the market,

"Hey, I heard a merchant from the Western Regions recently came here, bringing a kind of wine called grape wine. It's so delicious! Want to try some?"

A burly, muscular man with a full beard was shouting loudly.

"Grape wine? Too bad! I've already had that!"

"Yesterday, the top courtesan of Huajian Garden gifted me a jar of these!"

The dark-faced man beside him boasted smugly.

He paused for a moment, a mocking look on his face.

He continued, "Cheng Banfu, you don't have anyone to take you home, do you?"

The burly man heard his words

His face darkened instantly, and he hurriedly shouted,

"How could no one have given it to me, Old Cheng!"

"I already had some! But today..."

The two men were none other than Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Jingde, the two most valiant generals under the current Emperor Li Shimin.

These two are known for their love of bickering.

But they are also good brothers who have been through life and death together.

Unlike other people's communication methods,

Perhaps arguing, bickering, or even fighting are ways for them to strengthen their relationship.

This year was the third year of the Zhenguan era, a year also marked by natural disasters, with a severe drought.

The common people didn't have much surplus grain, let alone enough to brew wine.

As a result, the price of wine in Chang'an also rose sharply.

The fact that these two men still have money to spend on wine and food every day can only mean that these two military officers are much wealthier than others.

While the two were still arguing,

The whispers of passersby caught their attention.

"Hey kid, what are you talking about?" Cheng Yaojin asked, walking up to one of the young men with some curiosity.

The young man looked up upon hearing the commotion and saw the two men dressed in fine clothes.

Unlike ordinary people, he dared not be negligent, cupped his hands in greeting, and answered.

"My lords, you are unaware of what I've just heard, but a few months ago a rather peculiar shop opened at the end of the West Market."

Upon hearing the young man's words, Cheng Yaojin became interested and continued to ask questions at a leisurely pace.

"Oh? A strange shop? How so?"

"Sir, this shop has been open for three months and hasn't sold a single item."

"The shop was completely empty; I had no idea what they sold."

"Besides, the shop owner is elusive, rarely seen, and often not even in the shop."

"And..." the young man lowered his voice.

"The shopkeeper next door said that one night he got up to relieve himself,"

"I saw a golden light emerge from the shop, accompanied by a sound that was... like a cat's meow, but not quite."

"He was so scared that he ran back into the house without even pulling up his pants."

"And occasionally, when I pass by that shop during the day, I can smell a strange fragrance."

"It's not exactly sweet, and it doesn't smell like herbs either, but it just instantly invigorates you."

The young man dared not hide the truth and said so.

"How dare you! There are such lazy merchants in Chang'an? Engaging in such shady dealings? Let me teach them a lesson!"

Upon hearing the young man's words, Cheng Yaojin, who was already hot-tempered, could hardly bear to hear such a thing.

Having said that, he took the lead and walked into the depths of the West Market.

Yuchi Jingde followed closely behind.

This place in Chang'an, where land is incredibly valuable, is a place that countless merchants have long dreamed of doing business in.

But this shop is doing the opposite – occupying the space without using it?

Owning the best location but not selling anything, and being so lazy...

It emitted light and noise at night, disturbing the neighbors.

Although it wasn't serious enough to warrant arrest,

But Cheng Yaojin was no ordinary man; he couldn't tolerate even the slightest injustice.

That's why he was so angry when he heard about it.

A short while later,

The two quickly found the shop.

There's no way around it, this store is just too easy to find!

Compared to the other bustling shops nearby,

The word "disastrous" is an understatement to describe this shop!

The area in front of the shop was really deserted!

"This must be the shop they're talking about, right?" Cheng Yaojin stood at the door and observed for a while.

Just as the young man had said,

From a distance, the entire interior of the store is clearly visible.

In short, it was spotless! There wasn't a single item in the store! Not even a single person!

"Magic Wonders Shop?" Yuchi Gong looked at the signboard above the shop with some doubt.

The material of the plaque was quite strange—it resembled neither wood nor stone.

The surface has a faint pearlescent sheen, and the lettering looks as if it were burned on.

Several small star patterns were engraved on the edges, which shimmered faintly in the sunlight.

Even with all his knowledge and experience, he couldn't figure out what kind of meaning this plaque was.

"Why don't we go in and take a look?"

Cheng Yaojin didn't even glance at the plaque, because he knew he wouldn't understand it even if he did.

He said a few words and walked straight in.

When Cheng Yaojin arrived at the shop, he wanted to call out to the shopkeeper loudly.

But as soon as I stepped across the threshold, my nose was immediately catching a faint fragrance—

It was exactly the taste the young man had described as "not quite sweet, like herbs but not quite herbs."

It's like the sweet scent of a ripe fruit, mixed with a hint of... magic?

Then, his gaze was immediately drawn to something nearby.

Upon closer inspection, I was even more startled!

"Hey, look at this...this is a painting?"

Cheng Yaojin stared wide-eyed at the painting on the wall and exclaimed in surprise.

Several paintings hung on the wall, but they were quite different from ordinary ink paintings.

The colors are so vibrant and the lines so delicate, it's as if the objects in the painting are about to burst off the paper at any moment!

"It should... be considered a painting, but why is it so realistic?"

Upon hearing the sound, Yuchi Gong approached and was also startled by the painting on the wall.

"What...what is this drawing? But it's covered in flames, and there's even a flame burning at the tip of its tail? How strange!"

Its round eyes are lively and spirited, its tail is held high, and an inextinguishable flame burns at the end.

Below the painting are two words: "Spark".

The painting next to it depicts a small, bright green kitten.

Completely different from the previous one, it exuded the vitality of plants and trees.

The painting bears the inscription "Meow Meow".

"Is this... made of water?"

The creatures in the third painting are even more peculiar.

Its entire body is a deep blue, as if formed from solidified turquoise water, and its rounded shape resembles an enlarged droplet of water.

A transparent film of water, like a fluffy water cap, surrounds its head, and its large eyes are as pure as a deep pool.

He painted the inscription: "Water Blue".

The two then looked at each painting on the wall one by one, and could only vaguely guess what each painting was, and they all looked extremely strange!

Some looked like stones with legs and armor, some looked like ducks but wore gentleman's vests and carried twigs, and some looked like mushrooms but had smiling faces and were surrounded by purple smoke...

But without exception, they are all extremely realistic!

When their gazes fell downwards, what they saw there truly terrified them, causing them to recoil and step back.

It was a huge glass display case!

But this glass... no, this thing is a hundred times more transparent than glass!

Yuchi Gong reached out and gently touched it; it was cool and smooth, and he could see his own reflection in it.

"What is this...? It's definitely not glass!"

The display cases were filled with all sorts of strange and unusual things.

Without exception, they were all things that neither of them had ever seen before!

On the top shelf was a row of round balls, some as big as a fist, others as small as walnuts.

The colors vary—the most common one is red and white, with a smooth, jade-like surface and a delicate round button in the center;

There were a few others nearby that shimmered with a faint silver light, and they looked much more valuable.

And inside, there was a single one—pure gold, with an exquisite crown pattern engraved on its surface.

Next to each ball stood a small wooden sign with writing in characters that neither of them could understand.

"Gulu Ball", "Light-Catching Ball", "King Gulu Ball".

In the middle layer were several small, transparent bottles containing powders of various colors.

Some were as white as snow, some glowed with a faint blue light, and one bottle seemed to contain liquid starlight.

The bottles were labeled with "Magic Dust", "Light Spirit Shards", and "Leader's Bloodline Shards".

The bottom layer contained a few fruits.

Some are brownish-round and exude a sweet fragrance, while others are emerald green and glistening with dewdrops.

There is also a very special one—the size of a fist, with flame-like crimson patterns flowing across its surface, and you can almost feel a warmth through the glass.

Each fruit was covered with a piece of paper—"Cocoa Fruit," "Magic Fruit," and "Elf Fruit Spark."

"Who on earth is so arrogant as to casually place such a valuable item here?" Yuchi Gong exclaimed in shock, his mouth agape.

As the richest man in Chang'an, he followed Li Shimin in the successful Xuanwu Gate Incident.

Li Shimin then bestowed upon him a large amount of rewards all at once.

Therefore, he was extremely familiar with this glass.

But this was the first time he had ever seen such a huge and transparent piece of "glass" before, and he had never even heard of it!

Not to mention those spheres, powders, and fruits that I've never seen before!

"This shop is really strange!" Yuchi Gong was increasingly alarmed as he looked around.

This shop is full of amazing things.

This made the two even more curious about the identity of the shop owner.

Just then, Cheng Yaojin suddenly noticed something in the corner of the display case—

A small wooden stick, about a foot long.

A pale blue crystal is embedded at the end, with faint starlight flowing inside.

Cheng Yaojin curiously reached out to take it, his fingertips barely touching the stick—

"Sizzle—"

A tiny golden star sprang from the tip of the crystal and struck Cheng Yaojin's hand!

"Ouch!"

Cheng Yaojin recoiled in fright, and the little star spun around in the air.

With a soft "poof," it shattered into countless golden powders, which drifted and scattered across the ground.

"Is anyone here? Is the shopkeeper here?!" Cheng Yaojin shook his fingers, which were numb from the electric shock, and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Yes, yes, is there anything you like?" The voice came from behind a marble counter that was more than a meter tall.

The two people craned their necks to look at the sound.

A young man in white was lying on a recliner, his eyes slightly closed, resting.

As the recliner gently rocked,

The fan in the man's hand swayed slowly in sync with the rhythm of the recliner.

And nestled in his arms was a golden...living creature.

The little creature was about a foot tall, and its entire body radiated a warm, soft golden light.

A pair of bright, large eyes were half-open and half-closed, and the pointed ears twitched slightly.

It seemed to have a pair of tiny wings of light hidden behind it, opening and closing with each breath.

It sensed the presence of a stranger and slightly raised its head.

He glanced at Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Gong.

She let out a small yawn—"Mmm..."

Then she buried her head back in the young man's arms.

It's different from the paintings on the wall.

No matter how realistic a painting on the wall may be, it is still just a painting.

But this one—is alive.

Moreover, it emitted a layer of golden light.

It has the same sheen as the little star pattern on the shop sign.

He appeared particularly relaxed and carefree.

……

Just moments ago, while the two were looking around the store...

Lin Luo had actually been observing from behind the counter with her eyes half-open the whole time.

He wasn't surprised that someone would come.

Rather, he was more at ease after three months without anyone coming.

(´ཀ`」∠) Salted fish should look like salted fish.

After the two people's attention was drawn to the paintings and display cases on the wall,

Lin Luo quietly raised his left hand and swiped it across the semi-transparent panel that only he could see.

[System Notification: Today's sign-in reward has been issued. You have received: 5 Cocoa Fruits, 2 Magic Dust.]

[Sleeping Owl Sanctuary Fruit Slots: 1/20. Currently Activated Clans: None.]

Daily lottery chances: 1 (unused).

It's cocoa again.

Lin Luo sighed inwardly and habitually opened the encyclopedia panel.

Dimo's page was lit up, with a small icon flashing next to it—that was the short video function that came with the encyclopedia.

The system calls it "Universal Science Popularization".

It's supposed to be for "people who own the encyclopedia," but in this godforsaken place, the only person who owns the encyclopedia is himself.

However, the system tasks clearly state that recording a short educational video about an elf every two chapters... no, every so often, will earn you extra sign-in rewards.

For the sake of that small reward, Lin Luo forced himself to cheer up and started recording the information in the encyclopedia.

He lowered his voice, trying his best not to let the two loud voices outside hear him:

"...Episode 1, Dimo."

"Light attribute, the last Light-type Elf King in the Kingdom of Locke."

"Many players casually toss Dimo into their inventory after obtaining him in Chapter 4 of the main storyline—but that's a real shame."

He glanced down at Dimo, who was fast asleep in his arms, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"Dimo's identity is far more special than you think. According to the records of the Kingdom of Locke, it was once King Arthur's favorite and is currently the only known Light-type Elf King with royal blood. Its base stat total is 450, with excellent speed and attack growth. Its core skill, Radiant Impact, unlocks at level 10."

"The evolution path is: Dimo → Holy Light Dimo → Royal Holy Light Dimo → Awakened Dimo. Holy Light Dimo requires level 50 and the Boss Bloodline Elixir to trigger its evolution, instantly boosting its base stats to 700 and its magic attack to over 150, officially entering the T0 tier."

"Trait 'Best Partner' - For each skill learned from a different type, Attack and Defense increase by 5%. When dealing type-advantage damage, Attack, Defense, and Speed are permanently increased by 20%, and 2 Energy are restored. Simply put, the more you fight, the stronger you become."

"Training Recommendations: Timid or Modest nature is recommended for a magic attack build. Prioritize HP, Attack, and Speed in your talent tree. Early game, a moveset of Radiant Blast and Protect is sufficient."

At this point, Lin Luo paused, then lowered his voice and added:

"...Of course, all of the above suggestions assume you are in the Kingdom of Locke, have an alchemy platform, and have dungeons where you can farm boss bloodline fragments."

"Instead of being like me, unable to even gather enough magic dust in the third year of the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty."

Next episode preview – In-depth analysis of the starter Pokémon: Spark, Aquamarine, and Meowth – which one to choose for early game?

He clicked save, and a line of small text popped up on the encyclopedia panel:

[The science video has been recorded. Reward: 2 cocoa beans.]

It's cocoa again.

Lin Luo rolled her eyes and turned off the panel.

Dimo in his arms twitched its ears, seemingly sensing its owner's frustration.

It rubbed its head against Lin Luo's palm.

"Hmm?"

"It's nothing," Lin Luo rubbed its head, "it's just that I think this system is pretty stingy."

Just then, that loud voice outside rang out again—

"Is anyone there? Is the shopkeeper in?"