Chapter 120: Activation, Entrance to the Rainbow Bridge

With the lead werewolf dispatched, the two remaining frenzied creatures posed no real threat to Ou Xiaolu. Belldan effortlessly skewered one with a single thrust of her spear, carrying herself with the true poise of a Valkyrie.

As for the final werewolf, it met its end at the hands of Ah Luo. Once Ou Xiaolu stepped aside, Ah Luo didn't hesitate, unleashing a blast of the Lung-Pulse Golden Fiend Wind Sand. Under the onslaught of this black gale, the werewolf’s physique couldn't hold out for more than a few minutes; in the blink of an eye, it was reduced to a pile of white bones, scattered by the wind.

Looking at the werewolf carcass dangling from Belldan’s spear, Ou Xiaolu sighed. "I had intended to hang a row of werewolf corpses in front of the valley, but I went a bit too heavy-handed. Out of four, this is the only one left."

"Do you still intend to hang it outside your valley?"

"No need," Ou Xiaolu said, shaking his head. "This one is clearly inferior to the one I took down earlier. Hanging it out there would just be a laughingstock."

As he spoke, he sheathed his longsword behind his back. In the fleeting moment he tucked the blade away, Belldan caught a glimpse of what seemed to be several sharks prowling behind him.

"Your swordsmanship seems to have changed."

"Indeed. I’ve integrated some new elements, though the fusion isn't quite seamless yet. I’ll likely be incorporating even more as I go."

"Excellent. You have carved out a path of your own. If you had only possessed your previous abilities, I truly would not have dared to entrust Emilia to you."

"Oh, speaking of which, since everyone is here, let me clarify the situation. Belldan needs to find the Bifrost. She has already provided us with the coordinates. I can open the gate, but I cannot escort her inside, so Ah Luo, this will depend on you."

Ah Luo pondered this seriously. "How long will it take?"

"It is a miniature world. As long as you do not step onto the Bifrost itself, the world state will remain static."

Ah Luo understood the implications of a miniature world perfectly. Large worlds were problematic because they involved complex timelines, making exploration a tedious affair, but miniature worlds were manageable.

"I have no objections."

"Then listen closely, Belldan. Once I open the gate, you will receive an invitation from Ah Luo. You will have only one chance, so do not hesitate."

Belldan nodded firmly, and Ou Xiaolu turned his attention to Ah Luo. Once he confirmed Ah Luo was prepared, he opened the world interface and activated the [World: Bifrost Entrance] coordinate provided by Belldan. He then accessed his avatar interface, moving the avatar representing Ah Luo to the newly opened world.

The moment Ah Luo’s card appeared, it glanced at Belldan and said, "Shall we?"

Hearing Ah Luo’s choice of words, Ou Xiaolu felt a sudden dizzy spell. *You’re a tiger, for heaven's sake! Why are you using an obscure Chinese idiom about 'ascending to heaven with one's chickens and dogs' on a foreigner? You might be having fun, but do you honestly think she understands?*

Before Ou Xiaolu could even finish his internal complaint, Belldan actually replied, "Let us."

The next moment, Ou Xiaolu watched as Ah Luo led Belldan and vanished from sight.

Checking the [World: Bifrost Entrance] interface, he saw that Ah Luo and Belldan had already entered. The world appeared as an endless void, and it was no longer Ah Luo leading the way, but Belldan, who seemed intimately familiar with the path.

Having arrived, Belldan had reverted to her true Valkyrie form. Beyond her round shield and spear, she was now clad in armor that appeared to be crafted from bronze and leather—though the style seemed less Nordic and more reminiscent of Roman design.

Ou Xiaolu had no interest in questioning the origins of this Valkyrie. He glanced at Ah Luo; the tiger seemed quite excited, peering around the void as if it would have darted off to investigate curiosities had this been solid ground.

Seeing that things were under control, Ou Xiaolu turned his attention to the other two worlds. Because those two miniature worlds were occupied by three characters each, the exploration, which should have taken only three hours, was still ongoing. Initially, Ou Xiaolu had checked in every hour, but eventually, he had ignored them, leaving the characters to act at their own discretion.

With some free time now, he took a quick look at their progress.

[World: Chamber of Secrets] was progressing at a moderate pace. With the combined efforts of the two Genin and the thief, they had secured the keys to the red and green doors and defeated five monsters spawned by wrong choices. The thief was currently hunting for the yellow key, and once found, they would clear the level. They were performing well enough that they didn't require much intervention.

As for [World: Island Prison], the situation surprised Ou Xiaolu. The merchant character was demonstrating genuine professional acumen. He had kept track of the needs of every prisoner he encountered and was using his small inventory as capital to trade and barter within the cell blocks, turning a tidy profit.

Most impressively, the merchant was keeping a ledger. As Ou Xiaolu reviewed the accounts, he couldn't help but be impressed by the merchant's professionalism. When he first entered the miniature world, the merchant had been equipped with six random white-tier items—an automatic, randomized assignment beyond Ou Xiaolu's influence.

Yet, after a few hours of walking, questioning, and trading, those six white items had all been upgraded to blue-tier, supplemented by an additional five green and eleven white items.

The yield stunned Ou Xiaolu. Upon closer inspection, he discovered another interesting mechanic: players could levy taxes on the profits generated by their merchant characters. Whether to leave them with just their starting capital or take only a small cut was entirely up to the player.

This discovery prompted Ou Xiaolu to consider cultivating more merchants, allowing them to grow their operations until he had a fleet of high-level traders hoarding dozens of blue-tier items. This would provide him with a stable source of blue gear—even if he couldn't use all of it himself, his characters and avatars certainly could.

At the thought, Ou Xiaolu’s heart soared with joy. He was so pleased that he didn't examine the ledger in detail, failing to notice that some of the items in the merchant's inventory were actually loot dropped by the prisoners he had eliminated along the way.