Chapter 211

Chapter 211: Chapter 208: "Yes, He’s Too Hypocritical"Do you like this one?"

The bookstore owner, with a buzz cut and wearing a red and blue wool sweater, poked his head out, flashing a bright white smile.

Su Ming’an had originally planned to leave.

Unexpectedly, as he turned, he suddenly noticed a familiar figure on the cover of a book displayed on the outside shelf of the bookstore next to him.

He walked closer, took a careful look, and it was actually himself.

The bold letters on it shone brightly, reading "Complete Analysis of Top Player Information."

And the book cover, just like a fashion magazine, portrayed himself with a thick painting technique, looking just like a real photo, accompanied by a few lines of colorful small text:

"Shocking! Secrets of the Top Players You Must Know!"

"All about the New World Theory—Adventurers’ Guild Welcomes You!"

"Top-secret Analysis of Yamada Machiichi, About ’Her’ on Zhai Xing..."

"Who is Really Behind Iris, Find Out Now!"

He flipped through it roughly; it was all seemingly credible news from the world forums, compiled into versions people were most likely to believe, printed, and sold for profit.

He had just opened the page about himself when the garlic-roll-chewing owner poked his head out again, speaking in a foreign language that somehow carried a hint of Northeastern Chinese accent when translated.

"Wow, looking at Su Ming’an, huh? If you like him, I have a lot more..."

The owner then retracted his head and brought out a large stack of books.

When that stack was placed in front of him, he scanned it briefly.

"Lighthouse Theory Compilation," "Official Top Secret! Guesses and Character Analysis of the Number One Player," "Number One Player’s Photobook"...

He didn’t look at anything else, immediately flipping open the "Lighthouse Theory Compilation."

The compilation didn’t show the author’s name; each page, skewed and crooked, had "Lighthouse Theory" written in large letters. The content combined his original words with other analyses. He read attentively for a while before discerning from between the lines the repeated words ’deception’ filling the pages.

"’In a large, unordered group, there inevitably needs to be leadership from the Lighthouse, eradicating all rebellious voices, leaving only those suited for Pursuing Light. Select the useful, discard the useless, so everyone understands the authority of the leader. This is what a real, decisive Number One Player needs to do...’" Su Ming’an read a passage aloud and slammed the book shut with a "snap": "What a bunch of nonsense."

"Hey, that’s not right to say," said the store owner, chewing garlic, his mouth full of soy sauce, squinting his eyes in a lecturer’s manner:

"This book is jointly written by the ’World Lighthouse Re

"Yeah, those are screenshots from live streams, man. Some people choose good angles and the screenshots look like they were taken in a photo studio." The shop owner smacked his lips, "Especially that girl from Yu Country... Truly beautiful, like a goddess from a myth in Xi Country, a shame she hasn’t been seen recently..."

He leaned in and whispered quietly, "If you’re not interested in these, I have some other juicy stuff... Whatever your special interest is, whoever the player you’re interested in, I have relevant material..."

Su Ming’an decided to just pay with Points and bolt after grabbing that copy of "Lighthouse Theory Compilation."

Since the value of 1 Point is too high, in the Main God Space, people could make transactions using smaller amounts of Points, a thick book cost only 0.02 Points.

The excessively low cost of goods, coupled with abundant resources, allowed people to live quite comfortably here.

Su Ming’an bought this book with a critical mindset, nothing more.

He walked along the road, opening the book.

The title page was a standing lighthouse, against a deep blue sky with a somewhat darkened sea below, and amidst a slightly gloomy tint, the lighthouse at the top was lit up, illuminating its surroundings brightly.

He stretched out his finger, touching the lighthouse design on the title page.

Snowflakes fell on the pages of the book, quickly melted into water.

He shook off the water droplets from the page, turned to the second page, and saw a few lines marked very boldly:

"Some people are forever suited to the dazzling spotlight, while for others, a candle, a green lamp, are already enough."

"In extremely harsh environments, people’s hearts are always united."

"—Beneath the lighthouse, above the sea, he is the guide in the night."

"And the Light Pursuers watching for dawn, will eventually glimpse the daylight through this."

The human self-rescue meeting was declared over.

All the discussions from the speakers were fully recorded and would be further organized.

This organization would take about one to two days.

Before the Sixth World began, the United Group would publish the organized content on the World Forum.

The meeting, which resembled a marketplace in its discussions, ultimately could not settle on a unified outcome; instead, the audience had their fun, seeing many high-ranking players who previously did not livestream, or some previously unknown yet deeply impactful players.

Su Ming’an had long understood that this meeting in fact had no substantial meaning.

It seemed they were collecting everyone’s opinions, advocating for democracy and freedom, but the final result would not be unified.

Because there was no law here, no system, it was not possible to force anyone to act according to their summarized contract.

Even if some conclusion was reached, it would only be a call to action, merely encouragement, and not an "obligation."

Because humans here were like solitary islands.

This conference mainly showcased the diverse viewpoints and positions, fully exposing the thoughts of the top-ranking players and thereby sparking a fervent public debate on these topics.

—— thereby establishing the authority of the United Group.

As an organization that integrated so many top-ranking players and appeared in everyone’s sight, it was quite eye-catching at this time.

It was like an official self-help organization genuinely aiming to lead humanity toward future directions.

The issues it raised were also popular among people, standing from the standpoint of humanity itself, regardless of their efficacy.

Ming’an received a message; Su Ming’an shifted his gaze and saw the crowd that had encircled him.

After the conference, there was a dinner and even a dance.

Beautiful young women in long dresses, dignified ladies with flower-adorned hats, and tall, handsome young men in suits, swiftly surrounded Ming who had just stood up from his chair, ready to leave.

"Your speech today was quite impressive, Number One Player," said a woman with golden curly hair, raising her glass.

"Regarding your modified concept of the Lighthouse, we appreciate it greatly and hope you will continue to implement it," added someone nearby.

"Exactly, Datong is the essence of the world. We all live in the same world, breathe the same air, and should have the idea of uniting and progressing together."

"Everyone is their own light source... Your concept is beautiful and desirable."

"I think after this conference, I will also choose to embark on an adventure because of your speech."

"You are undoubtedly the Lighthouse, in this environment, having such thoughts and willpower, you will surely win in the end..."

People agreed, bending the conversation from all angles, trying their best to praise the Lighthouse concept to gain his favor, with many seizing the chance to extend an invitation, wanting to have a private chat.

Ming, surrounded by opulently dressed people, seemed to adapt well.

"Thank you all for your words," Ming said with a smile, "However, there’s no such thing as whether a concept is great or not, I merely expressed my own ideas. After all, in such a world, we are all fellow travelers on the giant wheel called hope."

"—Number One Player," the man with a Daoist priest appearance, a sword in hand, came over and bowed with hands folded, his white robe fluttering, his tone serious:

"I am Wanderer, touched by your righteous concept, I sincerely invite you to visit the Ancient Martial Families."

Following his invitation, others, as though suddenly coming to their senses, quickly spoke up, as if afraid of losing the opportunity:

"Number One Player, the Human Alliance Watchers, have always admired your thoughts and concepts, and wish to have an in-depth exchange with you..."

"Yu Country’s Storm Group, can relieve you of all worries."

"This is Dragon Country’s Yangtze System, Number One Player, we can solve all the disturbances of your part-time occupations, providing everything you need..."

On the screen, the Number One Player, who was always in the spotlight wherever he went, looked dazzling.

Wherever the gaze is directed, it is the Lighthouse.

Ming achieved what Su Ming’an once aspired to become.

But seeing Ming like this, Su Ming’an felt him somewhat unfamiliar.

He looked down, stared at the collection of Lighthouse Theories, and read the clear line:

With a "snap," he closed the book and suddenly heard a system voice:

"Ding dong!"

"Announce."

Earlier, when free to act, Su Ming’an had instructed Ming to replace the Green Level shoes with Blue Level ones, and Lin Yin found a Gemstone Inscription Master to embed gemstones in the equipment, fulfilling two conditions for advancing to Third Rank.

And just now, after he had posted the forum message drafted by Noel, it quickly met the third condition—its popularity skyrocketed to one hundred million in no time.

Noel’s edited message was simple, just the phrase "We teamed up—", followed by that photo taken in the Ferris wheel, a pitch-black snapshot, with just a few specks of light on their faces, like a ghost movie still in progress.

However, once the post was up, its popularity surged instantly. Su Ming’an could probably guess that people’s reactions were almost like seeing a ghost.

He didn’t hide the fact that the person speaking at the conference wasn’t himself. Ming was Ming, he was him, and just because Ming and he looked exactly alike, he wouldn’t merge them into one.

If everyone liked that righteous and bright Number One Player, then let them like him as Ming.

Ming would do good deeds, reaping the glory and flowers as the Number One Player, while he would do what he needed to do.

He wouldn’t change his original intentions because of anyone’s thoughts or gaze, only slightly altering his path when others’ obstacles genuinely affected him.

The previous disguise had caused him pain. If Ming’s actions could please everyone, then it was better to let the more suitable Ming do it.

He lay on the bed, playing with a set of colorful blocks in his hand.

Squares, rectangles, triangles.

The conference continued in the adjacent broadcasting room, the screen emitting a faint white glow in the darkness.

He turned on the room light, looking at the tiny text on the blocks, automatically translating to a series of Chinese characters:

The text slowly transformed, turning blood-red, flowing like fresh blood before his eyes.