The first thing Chen Li did after getting his hands on The Guide to Forging Curios was to shake it vigorously.
The book had moved abruptly in those final moments, and Chen Li was certain it was no coincidence.
But no matter how hard he shook it, Chen Li found no trace of the "Miracle."
Though he was reluctant to give up, Chen Li had no choice but to let it go for now.
His top priority was to thoroughly understand this Guide to Forging Curios. This was the foundation of his future, after all.
Flipping to the first page, Chen Li saw a familiar personal profile.
Name: Chen Li
Title: World Destroyer (Inactive, can be enabled)
(No titles currently obtained. Automatically inheriting the Miracle System's title.)
Race: Human
Profession: Curio Forger
Level: Lv1 (0/100) (Unlock more functions after reaching Lv10)
(Forging Curios consumes Miracle Power and grants experience. Leveling up increases physical attributes, mental resilience, resistance to various elements, resistance to foreign energies, and the learning speed of skills below your current level.)
Profession Trait Slots: 1 (Gain one additional slot per level up)
Profession Trait: None (To be generated after summarizing your forging experiences.)
Profession Skills: None
Profession Characteristics: Engaging in any forging activity provides a slight all-around enhancement to physical attributes and has a chance to grant the forged item a random special property. The higher the profession level, the higher the probability.
Life Skills: Forging Lv6 (368/600), Combat Lv3 (112/300), Melee Weapons Lv3 (156/300), First Aid Lv2 (68/200), Wilderness Survival Lv4 (321/400), Driving Lv2 (50/200), Shooting Lv3 (39/300), Lockpicking Lv2 (199/200)... (Max level 10)
Number of Curios: 0
Balance: 0
(The amount of Miracle Power often represents a Curio Forger's combat and survival capabilities. Please be mindful of collecting more Miracle Power.)
"Unlock more functions after reaching Lv10? That sounds a bit familiar…" Thinking back to how the pixie first appeared, Chen Li had a rough idea of what to expect.
What Chen Li wanted to do most right now was to bring that pixie back, shove this book in her face, and then ruthlessly enslave and exploit her! Make her help him grind levels!
She should take responsibility for the thing she created!
As for the ridiculous title, Chen Li decisively chose to ignore and not enable it.
"A new profession… Curio Forger." Chen Li was very satisfied with this.
Because the Transmigrator profession was finally gone!
The Curio Forger profession was the product of combining the Miracle System with his Forger sub-profession.
Its primary function was just as Chen Li had done moments ago: stack different items together and use Miracle Power to reintegrate them, creating an Item of Wonder!
It was less a Curio Forger and more a Miracle Forger.
Chen Li liked forging, and Chen Li liked miracles!
This was a perfect combination!
However, after a quick look at the first page, Chen Li flipped to the second… and knew he had celebrated too soon!
"The damn transmigration is still chasing me!"
Although the Transmigrator profession was gone from the guide, Chen Li's Transmigrator talent hadn't disappeared; it had even been strengthened. For example, the [Encounter] function on the second page was related to being a "Transmigrator."
[Miracle] itself was the most desired and indispensable forging material for a Curio Forger.
When Chen Li was lacking [Miracle], he could trigger an [Encounter], which would take him to a world where he could reap a large amount of miracles and forging materials.
In other words, a legendary "Bonus Round."
Bad news (Good news): [Encounter] is a paid service.
Good news (Bad news): The first one is free.
Because he had created the miracle of [Forging the Miracle System into the Guide to Forging Curios], Chen Li could see many buffs in the guide. The first free Encounter was one of them.
"Wait, aren't I lacking Miracle Power right now?" Chen Li froze for a moment, then hurriedly looked at the mirror in the living room.
In the mirror's reflection, Chen Li saw a countdown timer appear above his head.
This was the sign that an [Encounter] was beginning.
00:30
"I have 30 minutes to prepare?"
00:29
"Damn it! It's 30 seconds!"
The first thing Chen Li did was stuff the silver box he got from the shield-wielding student into his pocket. Then he grabbed the [Knight's Broken Sword] and dashed towards the storage room next to the living room.
There was no time to go to the basement; he wouldn't have enough time to unseal anything.
Just before the countdown hit zero, Chen Li threw open the storage room door and grabbed the extra-large travel bag he had prepared long ago.
The countdown reached zero. Chen Li, along with the huge travel bag he was touching, vanished instantly.
---o---
"Phew, that scared me. I almost thought this Guide to Forging Curios wanted to send me to my death too." In a space overflowing with strange, radiant light, Chen Li floated in the air, looking at the guide in his hand.
From the guide's introduction, Chen Li learned that he was currently undergoing a transformation and purification by the Power of Miracle.
Although as a novice, Chen Li had no Miracle Power to begin with, triggering the first Encounter had successfully earned him a Miracle Card—[Transmigration].
This Miracle Card had no effect; it was merely a certificate for triggering a [Miracle] and obtaining Miracle Power.
This was what fulfilled the Miracle Power requirement to construct this purification space.
After a brief overview, Chen Li felt at ease about his current situation.
Because the [Encounter] had its own safety measures—if he suffered a fatal injury, Chen Li could sacrifice one Miracle Card to return to the time and place just before the Encounter was triggered, with his current state restored.
And triggering the first Encounter would always grant one blank Miracle Card.
This effect was also valid even when Chen Li was not in an [Encounter] world.
Since this was his first transmigration, the Miracle Power had a lot of things to transform and purify. For instance, it had to ensure that the bacteria and viruses Chen Li carried wouldn't cause a devastating plague in the destination world. So, taking advantage of this time, Chen Li familiarized himself with the guide and his current situation.
He now had two types of currency. One was Miracle Power, and the other was the Power of Spacetime and Fate. The latter came from his own inherent power.
Because the shapes of the two currencies closely resembled those from a game he had played, for convenience, Chen Li named the former "Crystals" and the latter "Star Stones."
For Chen Li, a Curio Forger, the two currencies were complementary.
For example, 10 Miracle Crystals plus 100 Star Stones could construct one blank Miracle Card. Triggering an [Encounter] cost the same price.
Suddenly, Chen Li understood the principle behind using a Miracle Card as a revive card.
The Miracle Crystals were responsible for triggering the miracle, and the Star Stones were responsible for reversing time and space.
It made perfect sense!
At the same time, if he wanted to voluntarily return from an Encounter world, he only needed to spend 10 Star Stones and wait for 3 seconds.
Beyond that, there was a [Backpack] for storing miscellaneous items and forging materials, a [Curio Vault] for storing Curios, a [Starry Sea Treasure] where he could draw for items using Star Stones, a [Forging Table] for forging Curios, and a [Synthesis Table] for crafting ordinary items he had already successfully made.
There was also a [Journey Log] to record "commemorative moments" after completing a miracle, which could then be used in Curio forging, and a constant passive ability, [Basic Language], that ensured Chen Li could communicate normally with otherworldly beings…
…
[Purification complete. Commencing deployment!]
[Time: Honkai Impact 3rd's Previous Era, on the eve of the Flame-Chasers' newcomer, Elysia, launching her討伐 against the Herrscher of the Void.]
[Location: Near the Herrscher of the Void.]
[Please prepare for battle.]
"Huh? I have to fight the Herrscher of the Void? For real?" Chen Li stared blankly at the notification in The Guide to Forging Curios.
---o---