The moment Lu Chen made a wish, his Primogems dropped to just 40.
On the wish screen, set against a blue sky and drifting clouds, a shooting star suddenly lit up and streaked down from above. Before it landed—before the result was revealed—it shone with a blinding white light.
At times like this, who knew how many people were praying for that light to turn gold.
They'd chant nonstop:
"Gold!"
"Gold!!"
"Give me gold!!!"
Some got so worked up they flailed around excitedly.
Others went further—burning incense, praying to gods, or even performing some inexplicable rituals.
In short, things got superstitious fast.
Lu Chen didn't do any of that. He had a time traveler's pride to uphold.
He just muttered quietly:
"Just let it be blue."
"No way it's gonna be gold."
Murphy's Law—if something can go wrong, no matter how unlikely, it definitely will!
So he set up a reverse flag, trying to jinx the outcome into something better.
(Wasn't this still superstition?)
As the shooting star fell, the light flared brightly—and the color was...
Purple.
Hmm... not bad.
Pulling a purple on a single wish was still rare. Lu Chen was pretty happy with that.
[Electro Treasure Compass: Use this compass to locate nearby treasure chests. When a Electro-element character is in your party, search efficiency triples.]
A treasure-hunting tool like this was definitely useful—and since he happened to have a Electro-element character with him, he could take Ei along for some treasure hunts.
What kind of loot might be hidden in this world's chests? Lu Chen was curious.
Primogems were great, but achievement rewards were too stingy. His eyes turned to challenge quests.
[Challenge Quest: Enroll Raiden Ei in Haizhou Academy and become a student there.]
The reward was 1,600 Primogems—plus 1.6 million in cash.
Lu Chen was tempted.
Haizhou Academy—his school. He decided to pay it a visit tomorrow.
...
The soft breeze of late April occasionally brushed Lu Chen's cheek, tickled by the tender green tips of willow branches.
Every time it happened, he glanced around this beautiful coastal city.
The school that "Lu Chen" attended sat right in the city's pricey center—a private academy with sky-high tuition and strict teachers. No one knew why "Lu Chen" had chosen to burn through the last of his parents' savings to study here.
Still, it did guarantee solid prospects after graduation.
Haizhou Academy was packed with talented students. Rumor had it the school's most successful alum, once the richest man in the country, was donating a massive swimming pool.
A noble school, maybe?
Following his memories, Lu Chen entered the campus. Students in their spring uniforms were either playfully jostling one another and laughing, or hugging stacks of thick textbooks, trying to squeeze in every bit of study time.
Two students horsing around bumped into him. The girl's uniform skirt fluttered, flashing a bit of springtime mischief.
This feeling of youth—Lu Chen hadn't experienced it in ages.
Maybe even in his previous life.
He found his classroom—Class 2, Year 1. The moment he stepped inside, he noticed the way everyone was looking at him.
Before he even sat down, the whole class was watching him.
Their stares held curiosity, amusement—
And mockery.
Lu Chen frowned slightly, but his face stayed calm as he pulled out his textbook. Just as he was about to place it on his desk, a big hand slapped down on his shoulder from behind.
"Lu Chen, I thought you weren't coming! You scared the hell out of me! I couldn't even get through to you on the phone!"
A bespectacled boy hooked his arm around Lu Chen's neck, his tone teasing, though his voice stayed low.
Lu Chen hadn't regained his strength, but his senses were still sharp. He nearly threw a punch on reflex.
Good thing he remembered this was school—no real threats here—so he held back and let the guy sling his arm around him like an old friend.
He turned his head and glanced over. Black-rimmed glasses, plain crew cut, and a face covered in acne like a volcanic eruption.
Zhou Yang—Lu Chen's only real friend here. A fellow otaku who shared his taste in anime waifus and generally kept to himself.
Slightly more outgoing than "Lu Chen," but both of them were background characters in class.
"My phone broke," Lu Chen said.
It had gone dark after Ei descended with that burst of electricity. He'd need a new one.
Might as well buy one for her too, to stay in touch.
"Oh, I see..." Zhou Yang thought Lu Chen felt a bit different today.
But he couldn't figure out what exactly, so he just continued where he left off, looking concerned.
"You okay? Yesterday, after you and... Zhao Xiaohan... you walked off like a zombie. I called and called, but you didn't even look back."
Lu Chen remembered—his disastrous public confession right after arriving here.
So that's what he was worried about.
Seeing Lu Chen still quiet, Zhou Yang assumed he was still upset, so he tried to comfort him.
"Bro, it's no big deal if your confession flopped. There are tons of great girls out there! We're gonna take over the world, become gods of a new era! No way a little thing like this can hold us back..."
As Zhou Yang rambled, some classmates kept sneaking glances. They had all seen Lu Chen's embarrassing moment yesterday and now watched the "main character" with thinly veiled amusement.
But Lu Chen, being an old soul, didn't feel a thing. It didn't even register emotionally.
If anything, he just sighed internally: Ah, youth.
Following some of the stares, Lu Chen looked toward the center row—Zhao Xiaohan's seat.
As if she had a sixth sense, she turned and looked at him. Her expression was cold and unreadable.
Zhou Yang noticed Lu Chen was still looking and sighed helplessly. "You really like her that much? Sigh... If it doesn't work, just try again. She's cute and smart, yeah, but maybe she's the type who falls for persistence..."
"Why are you overthinking it so much?" Lu Chen smacked Zhou Yang back into his seat with a copy of Five Three.
Behind him came a dramatic sigh of complaint: "You really don't appreciate kindness..."
Lu Chen couldn't help but laugh. Who would've thought the quiet "Lu Chen" had a friend like this?
As for Zhao Xiaohan...
Short, glossy black hair, an oval face—cute enough in her school uniform.
But really, she was just slightly above average. Compared to Ei? Not even close. To Lu Chen, the gap was like Halley's Comet versus the entire Centaurus Galaxy.
Besides, Lu Chen wasn't really here for class. He had a mission.
This was recon.
He needed to figure out how to get Lei Movie enrolled—but he barely knew the school beyond a few classrooms.
The morning passed in a flash. Lu Chen took a sick leave for the afternoon. He was heading to the mall to buy clothes for Ei.
As he was leaving, he felt a hostile gaze.
A boy with a flashy hairstyle that screamed "look at me" was staring at him, eyes cold and sharp.
Lu Chen remembered—during his confession yesterday, that guy had been staring him down too, face full of hostility.
Did he offend him?
Love rival?
Great. Now the full set of a high school romance drama was complete.
Lu Chen chuckled and shook his head. While thinking about how to shop for Ei's underwear, he walked out of Haizhou Academy.