Chapter 1: Super Internet Cafe System

The grand Jin Dynasty, the majestic Jiuhua!

This Jiuhua referred to Jiuhua City, a towering metropolis within the Jin Dynasty that united martial might, culture, and commerce into a single entity, serving as the core hub for the entire southern region of the empire.

The bright sun hung high in the sky, and outside the city gates, line after line of packhorses dragged heavy baggage carts, which were filled to the brim with goods arriving from various regions.

Crossing past the thick city walls, one could see shops standing in dense numbers throughout the city, with pedestrians on the walkways flowing like clouds and their clothes weaving together like fabric.

In the shade of the green willows by the roadside, two or three martial artists sat beneath the trees to rest.

On the broad avenue where four carriages could drive abreast, feather-trimmed carriages with grand canopies and dragon-horses galloped past, carrying cultivators who had achieved success in their cultivation.

From time to time, dark curtains were lifted slightly, revealing glimpses of countenances that possessed a transcendent, immortal air.

Martial artists gathered here like clouds, and cultivators could be found everywhere; the passing pedestrians bustled with great noise and excitement, presenting a grand spectacle that was rare to see even within the entire Jin Dynasty.

Not to mention, the great day for the opening of Lingyun Academy was just around the corner, and countless martial artists who had drawn here by its reputation made the entire city appear exceptionally prosperous and bustling!

Yet at this time, in a corner of the eastern district, there sat a small shop where the shop owner had moved a wooden bench to sit at the entrance, holding a cattail leaf fan to fan himself with the hot air, his eyes filled with anxious anticipation...

Although the city was prosperous, a shop located at the edge of the city, hidden away in such a remote spot, could truly not be considered a good location; however, this was the sole property left to Fang Qi by his long-deceased father after Fang Qi traveled to this world.

The miscellaneous items previously sold in this shop, such as golden sore ointments and ordinary weapons, had already been mostly cleared out, leaving behind only some things that nobody wanted.

Originally, Fang Qi had already been contemplating whether or not to transfer this storefront to someone else.

But now, he had already abandoned that idea.

Because...

Look at the signboard above his head: Origin Network Club!

The name was quite overbearing, but... this was an internet cafe!

Opening an internet cafe in an alternate world?

This matter had to be told starting from the morning of the day before yesterday.

...

Time returned to the morning of the day before yesterday.

"Another boring day..." Fang Qi stretched his body, scratched his bird-nest-like hair, and climbed up from the bed.

Right at this moment, he seemed to faintly hear some strange sounds.

He did not know where these sounds originated from, as they seemed to come right from within his own mind?!

He could not help but be startled: "An auditory hallucination?!"

He summoned his spirit and listened closely, whereupon he heard:

"System activation successful. Would you like to open it?"

"System?!" Fang Qi was overjoyed in his heart; this was truly receiving a pillow just when he was getting drowsy. No matter what system it was, he would open it first before anything else!

"Beep! System opened successfully!"

"Yes!"

Fang Qi clenched his fist tightly with immense excitement. It looked like he had finally joined the ranks of those with cheats!

He just did not know what his system was used for.

"Prestige-earning and face-slapping system?"

"Super alchemy system?"

"Or perhaps a super martial artist system...?"

Thinking of traversing the world in the future, beating up anyone he found displeasing, shaking his torso to make heroes from all paths come to pledge allegiance, and causing young beauties and grand wives to all have hearts in their eyes, a burst of excitement rose in his heart!

Right at this moment, another voice resounded within his mind.

"Super Internet Cafe System initiated successfully!"

"Ah!?"

The air suddenly fell into a mysterious silence.

Fang Qi was completely stunned for a full half-minute.

Only then did he speak up in a somewhat bewildered manner: "What system did you say you are?"

"Super Internet Cafe System," the electronically synthesized voice within his mind replied.

"!!??!!"

"What did you say!?" Fang Qi suspected that he had heard incorrectly, so he hastily asked once more.

"Super Internet Cafe System," the reply from the other side was neither angry nor rushed.

"..." Fang Qi was completely dumbfounded. If you gave him a weapon shop system or a medicinal pill shop system, it would still make sense, but an internet cafe?

Why the hell would I open an internet cafe in an alternate world?

And does an alternate world even have the internet?

Perhaps it does... if a local area network counts.

"What a scam of a system!" Fang Qi could not help but curse secretly in his heart.

"Please do not insult the system," right at this moment, the electronically synthesized voice within his mind resounded again. "Considering that the host is a first-time offender, this time will only serve as a warning. If you insult the system again in the future, there will be punishment."

"..." Fang Qi was completely speechless, but the punishment from the system still made him a bit wary, so he could only speak up and ask, "First tell me what you can do."

"This system has already issued the first mission. The host can go to the mission interface to view it."

"Mission interface?" With a thought from Fang Qi, he immediately shifted to the mission interface, and sure enough, he saw that there was a mission on the mission bar.

Novice Mission: Establish an internet cafe

Mission Reward: Four sets of facilities including computers, and one copy of the computer game "Resident Evil 1 Virtual Reality Remastered Edition"

Mission Unfinished: This system will seek another host

...

The situation was basically like this. Having obtained a system with great difficulty, he naturally could not waste it. Now, he had become an internet cafe owner—not only an internet cafe opened in an alternate world, but also an internet cafe opened by relying on the Super Internet Cafe System!

The day before yesterday, the internet cafe was being arranged and cleaned, and yesterday he had played games by himself for the entire day, which meant that the internet cafe was only officially opening today.

Peering into the internet cafe through the glass door, the layout inside was quite decent, featuring solid hardwood floors and snow-white walls covered in white ceramic tiles. In the center of the room, on four luxurious computer desks and chairs, various computer devices reflecting a dark metallic luster were arranged neatly, and one could even see things similar to the most advanced configuration of VR glasses from the world before he traveled here.

Under the explanation of the system, Fang Qi only then learned that this thing was called a virtual reality machine, which was the key to virtual reality games.

Although there were only four machines, the equipment was absolutely top-tier, and the environment was also quite good.

The alternate world clearly did not use electrical energy, but the computers inside were switched on, lacking sockets and requiring no power cords.

On the computer desktop, there were no other miscellaneous things, containing only a game icon of a pale-faced zombie turning its head back, which was precisely the icon for Resident Evil 1.

On the wall by the entrance hung a small blackboard that was half a person tall, upon which the prices for using the internet were clearly written, along with the rules of the internet cafe.

Originally, opening an internet cafe in an alternate world was nothing special; after all, it was a novel thing anyway, so someone would always come to try it out.

Yet it was precisely this small blackboard and its few lines of text that resulted in the entire internet cafe currently having no one inside except for Fang Qi:

1. Business hours are from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

2. Two spirit crystals per hour of play; five crystals to activate a Resident Evil 1 account; six hours maximum per person each day.

3. Play if you wish, or leave if you do not; disruptions or insults directed at the proprietor are strictly forbidden, upon pain of a lifetime ban.

4. Maintain proper conduct, or bear the consequences yourself.

Had it required mere coppers or even a few silver coins to pass an hour, Fang Qi believed some might have ventured to try it, but the price at his internet cafe stood at a staggering two spirit crystals an hour!

Nor did the madness end there; it was one thing to charge two crystals for an hour of play, but to experience Resident Evil, one had to part with another five crystals just to activate the account!

What did five spirit crystals amount to? Five thousand gold pieces!

Was this sheer lunacy?!

For a mere game, two thousand gold pieces an hour? Five thousand gold pieces for activation?

To make matters worse, the system had imposed a mission: fill every seat in the cafe within three days!

Faced with such merciless conditions, Fang Qi truly found himself at a loss for words; though the maxim "the system's handiwork is always a masterpiece" was by no means an empty boast, the grim reality remained that not a single soul was willing to even take the leap!

Fang Qi pushed open the heavy glass door, stepped inside, and settled before a computer desk: "Perhaps... I ought to play another round myself?"

Just as Fang Qi was weighing whether to indulge in another game, a stout lad of fifteen or sixteen, clad in an sapphire-blue silk robe, burst through the door in a furious hurry.

His attire was clearly custom-tailored, yet it still clung tightly to his ample frame; his stomach protruded so far that the buttons strained precariously, leaving any onlooker terrified that his sheer flesh might pop them loose at any moment.

In truth, however, the fat youth walked with an exceptionally light and nimble step, a far cry from those whose corpulence stemmed from a lack of exercise.

Stepping inside, the fat youth's eyes locked instantly onto Fang Qi: "I say, Qi, what sort of days are we living in that you still have the leisure to keep shop here? Besides, why didn't you tell me you'd changed the storefront? You should have at least let your older brother come and show some support!"

Fang Qi naturally recognized the fat youth as Wang Tai, the son of the proprietor of Huaxian Pavilion, a restaurant on the neighboring street, and one of the precious few friends the previous owner of this body had possessed.