The night was utterly still.
Lin Qingyue sat cross-legged on her bed, her posture as straight and tall as a pine tree—a mark of her Millelith training, etched into her very bones.
Her physical eyes saw nothing, but her consciousness was fully immersed in a starry expanse that belonged to her alone.
On the System interface, the faintly glowing icon for the [Newbie Welfare Pool (Limited)] pulsed with a fatal allure.
"1,462 points..."
She whispered the number, her fingertips tapping unconsciously on her knees as her heart hammered faster.
Painful memories of countless failed gacha pulls and soaring blood pressure from her past life surged back, mingling with her current craving for the unknown. The mixture fermented into a tremor that made her palms sweat.
She recalled the infuriating [Melody Beyond the Strings] and the temporarily sealed [Venti Trial Card], which she dared not use lightly.
"It's all or nothing! System, please, just give me a usable Character Card!" she muttered, her voice tinged with prayer.
Her gaze swept over the Black Tassel (Pink Skin Edition) in her System Space—her trusty companion that had served her well for days. Old friend, she thought silently, lend me some of your luck!
She focused her mind, solemnly tapping the [Ten-pull] button with her thoughts.
Vwoom—
There was no earth-shattering roar, only a faint hum echoing deep within her mind.
The next moment, light erupted from the center of the System interface!
Ten shooting stars shot out, trailing long fiery tails as they traced ten dazzling arcs across her vision!
White, White, Green, White...
A series of dim flashes flickered past, draining the color from her pupils.
[Ding! Obtained: Mora x5000! (White)]
[Ding! Obtained: Teyvat Fried Egg x3! (White)]
[Ding! Obtained: Sweet Madame x5! (Green)]
[Ding! Obtained: Credits x10000! (White)]
[Ding! Obtained: Mondstadt Hash Brown x2! (Blue)]
[Ding! Obtained: Hidden Blade x1! (Blue)]
[Ding! Obtained: Hidden Blade x1! (Blue)]
Seven flashes of light faded.
A pile of junk.
All familiar materials, food, and weapons she had no immediate use for.
Lin Qingyue's heart sank, and the familiar knot of pain tightened in her stomach.
This scene, this damned "blue sky and white clouds"—it threw her back to the horror of her past life, a time dominated by gacha games.
"Alright, a guaranteed purple weapon is fine too. It's better than nothing..."
She began to brace herself mentally, forcibly suppressing her unrealistic expectations.
Just as she was about to accept her fate and start calculating what she could do with these materials—
The eighth streak of light exploded!
It was a deep, brilliant purple!
Within the light, the silhouette of a grand, ancient-looking greatsword slowly materialized!
[Ding! Obtained: Favonius Greatsword x 1! (Purple)]
"A weapon! A purple weapon!"
Lin Qingyue's breath hitched, and the dim light in her eyes instantly reignited!
It wasn't the Character Card she desperately wanted, but a genuine purple-quality weapon was priceless!
She fought back the urge to immediately retrieve it, as the summoning animation was still playing.
"Thank goodness, the pity system really works!"
The ninth streak of light was the familiar blue—another two Mondstadt Hash Browns.
The final pull.
The pity had already been triggered, so this one was likely just fodder.
Lin Qingyue completely relaxed. With the Favonius Greatsword secured, this ten-pull was already a massive win. The public humiliation in the arena hadn't been for nothing after all.
However.
The very instant the tenth shooting star leaped from the gacha pool...
A pillar of light, more intense and dazzling than the previous purple, as if it had condensed the entire starry sea, erupted with a roar!
Her entire vision was completely devoured by the brilliant purple light!
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have obtained: Permanent Character Card - Noelle x 1! (Purple)]
A... a purple Character Card?!
Lin Qingyue's brain shut down for half a second.
Then, a tidal wave of ecstasy instantly overwhelmed her reason!
It wasn't a golden legend, but it was a permanent, genuine Character Card!
This far exceeded her wildest expectations!
"Noelle! It's Noelle!"
She nearly screamed, forcing herself to clench her fists so tightly her nails dug deep into her palms, using the pain to confirm she wasn't dreaming.
Within the light, the card slowly rotated.
The young girl, clad in silver-white and dark gray maid armor, stood quietly.
Her ash-blonde bob fell softly over her shoulders, her emerald eyes clear and resolute, her face bearing a gentle yet incredibly reliable smile.
[Noelle (Permanent)]
[Type: Character Card (4-Star)]
[Description: Upon use, transform into Noelle, the Trainee Knight of the Knights of Favonius, gaining all her combat skills and talents. During transformation, automatically equips corresponding attire (System-adapted version).]
[Bonus Life Skill: All-Purpose Housekeeping (Mastery)]
[Note: Leave it to me! You can leave anything to me! Whether it's cleaning the battlefield or cleaning a room.]
[Favonius Greatsword]
[Type: Greatsword]
[Description: The standard-issue greatsword of the Knights of Favonius. Requires considerable arm strength to wield. Only a true powerhouse can unleash its full potential.]
[Note: "Light... light as a feather?" (User experience from a certain maid knight who wishes to remain anonymous)]
The purple light faded, and the interface returned to normal.
Lin Qingyue remained seated cross-legged, but her heart hammered wildly in her chest.
She got it!
She really got a Character Card!
The hexagonal, flawless warrior she had jokingly called the "Humanoid Gundam" and the "True Geo Archon" in the game!
She could deal damage! She could tank! She could heal!
Activating her ultimate turned her into a battlefield meat grinder!
With this card, her weakness in breaking through defenses and struggling against defensive enemies would be completely eliminated!
She even began to imagine herself descending from the heavens during the Dungeon Competition, just as her sister Lin Xiyue was about to be overwhelmed...
However, just as the tidal wave of ecstasy surged, the memories of her past life as a streamer and the shame of her current life as a high school student joined forces to sound the highest-level alarm.
Wait!
Transform into Noelle?
Doesn't that mean... she'll have to wear that iconic, skirt-armor-fluttering maid knight armor?
And wield that Favonius Greatsword that's as big as a door panel?
That image...
The memory of transforming into Pela during the arena tournament—pushing up imaginary glasses and reciting her lines—was still enough to make her toes curl so hard they could carve a fantasy castle in her midnight nightmares.
And that was just the brief effect of Melody Beyond the Strings.
Using a Character Card, based on her experience with the Venti Trial Card, could even influence her speech patterns and behavior!
Did this mean that in the future, she'd have to shout "Leave it to me!" and "I'll be mindful of a maid's etiquette!" in public while hacking enemies into eighteen pieces with a greatsword?
"No—!"
Lin Qingyue let out a silent wail in her mind.
The blood that had rushed to her cheeks in ecstasy instantly drained away, leaving her face pale.
The taste of power was so sweet.
But the price of social death grew heavier each time.
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
"Calm down, Lin Qingyue. Analyze this rationally."
"Noelle's outfit... at least it's proper knight armor."
"Even if it's a maid version... it's still armor first and foremost!"
At this thought, her mind suddenly clicked.
That's right!
Knight armor on a battlefield is way more normal than a bard's white stockings and green hat, right?
And it's much more suitable for combat than Pela's administrative uniform!
The more she thought about it, the more sense it made. She even began to feel a sliver of relief.
"If I'd pulled some limited-edition island swimsuit character, that would have been true social death!"
"Compared to that, what's a maid knight?"
"It has high defense and tons of health! It cuts through iron like mud!"
"On the battlefield, who cares if your armor has lace frills? Any armor that can one-shot a monster is good armor!"
With this new perspective, Lin Qingyue suddenly found the shimmering purple Character Card much more appealing.