Chapter Three: Creating a Character, Lin Mu

Actually, the helmet itself wasn’t anything special—no divine artifacts came with it, nor any game currency. It was simply that the AI brain, aiming to provide some convenience to select insiders from various countries, offered a small in-game item as a reward at the start—a pinpoint teleportation talisman. This item greatly benefited players with organized plans, since using a teleportation array in the game cost one gold coin per use, with some special arrays costing even more.

One gold coin equaled 100 silver coins, which in turn equaled 10,000 copper coins. New players only started with 500 copper coins granted by the system, and buying equipment and food required a substantial amount of currency. Survival itself was tough, let alone teleportation.

With this pinpoint teleport talisman, organized players could gather more easily, granting faction leaders a significant advantage.

Originally, players logging into Mythical World would randomly spawn in various cities.

But for Lin Mu, who had experienced extraordinary events, he could leverage his past life’s strategies to accumulate early advantages, giving him a chance to vie for dominance in the future.

Though Mythical World had not yet gained unparalleled influence, the number of helmet purchasers was staggering.

Lin Mu didn’t have money to buy a virtual game pod yet; he’d purchase one when he had spare cash.

After receiving the helmet, Lin Mu hurried back to his rented room.

Returning to his room, the game world hadn’t launched yet, so Lin Mu seized the time to recall and meticulously jot down every bit of his previous experience and strategies in his notebook.

At 8 a.m. on January 1, 2079—a day destined to be recorded in the annals of the new era—Mythical World officially launched.

Since it was New Year’s Day, many people were off work, and numerous helmet owners logged into the game, creating a minor peak in player numbers. It was said that six hundred million Chinese citizens entered the game that day.

The latest population statistics for the Chinese region in 2078 were around two billion!

Wearing the helmet, Lin Mu lay quietly on his bed.

The helmet’s design was quite reasonable; it wouldn’t cause numbness even if lying down for long periods. It featured functions like massage, showcasing its advanced technology.

When the clock struck eight, Lin Mu’s vision darkened, and he found himself in a grand scene. He recognized it as an introduction to historical background. Familiar with everything, he immediately skipped the tutorial—though it was quite helpful for new players.

Before him appeared a structure resembling the Temple of Heaven, shimmering with flowing light and countless radiant patterns. Suspended midair at its center was a celestial fairy, ethereal and aloof, utterly otherworldly.

“Beautiful… truly beautiful!” Even upon seeing her again, Lin Mu couldn’t help but praise silently.

Calming his thoughts slightly, he said, “Hello, I want to create a character!”

“Welcome to the Mythical Three Kingdoms World. Please name your character,” came a heavenly voice drifting from the clouds, intangible and melodious.

“Lin Mu,” he declared the name he had long prepared.

In Mythical Three Kingdoms, player names could be duplicated, but the courtesy name was unique. For example, the famed strategist Guo Jia’s name could be taken by others, but his courtesy name, Fengxiao, was exclusive.

“Binding character now, please wait... Origin soul binding successful... DNA binding successful! Now conducting body scan... please wait.”

“Body scan complete. Attributes confirmed!”

“Your account is bound to your brainwaves. This game account is unique. No need to log in each time; the system will auto-login via brainwave scan!”

“Please note: each person has only one account, corresponding to a unique character. Characters cannot be deleted!”

Name: Lin Mu
Profession: None (professions in-game include generals, strategists, etc.)
Title: None (titles grant various attribute bonuses, and multiple titles’ bonuses can stack)
Reputation: 0 (the higher your reputation, the more well-known you become, yielding special effects. Be cautious, as killing players or NPCs of your own faction reduces reputation.)
Faction: Commoner of Han Dynasty (faction affects reputation when killing others)
Merit: 0 (merit can be used to advance official rank and increase NPC favorability)
Level: 0 (0%)

[Basic Attributes]:
Strength: 8 (a general measure of physical fitness; main attribute for generals)
Intelligence: 8 (improves emotional intelligence and analytical ability; main attribute for scholars)
Leadership: 6 (reflects command ability; increases troop efficiency)
Politics: 5 (ability to manage governance)

[Derived Attributes]:
Combat Power: 800 + 10 (Strength * 100 + weapon/equipment bonuses; a somewhat limited measure of fighting ability. Other factors like divine strategy power during skill use also contribute; main attribute for generals)
Command Power: 600 (1 point Leadership raises command power by 100; indicates efficiency and quantity of troops under command; important for commanders)
Divine Strategy Power: 800 (Intelligence * 100; resource consumed to activate skills, varying by skill; main attribute for strategists)
Internal Affairs Efficiency: 5% (1 point Politics increases efficiency by 1%; represents governance capability and daily affairs management; main attribute for scholars. Scholars start at 100%)
Stamina: 100 (initial stamina; can be enhanced by items and treasures. Represents endurance and action points. Below 50 requires rest or food; below 20 reduces all attributes by 90%; at 0, unable to act, prolonged zero leads to death.)
Speed: 10 + 1 (10 base speed +1 from cloth shoes; indicates maximum travel speed, not combat movement speed)
Defense: +1 (from cloth armor; represents defensive capability)
Morale: 60 (starting morale; can be increased via skills, items, or battlefield conditions. Higher morale boosts combat performance and courage; low morale lowers combat stats or causes routs)
Talent: Not activated (talents unlock based on player experiences and cannot usually be changed once activated)
Skill: Beginner Gathering (0%)
Specialty: None
Equipment: Cloth Armor (+1 defense), Cloth Shoes (+1 speed), Wooden Spear (+10 combat power)
Wealth: 500 copper coins
Origin Attribute Points: 0 (4 points can be added per level)

“Confirmed!” Lin Mu was quite satisfied with these attributes, as they were generated based on his physical condition. His body was still in good shape, and his attributes matched those from his previous life.

“Because your helmet has an additional reward signal, you are granted a pinpoint teleportation talisman. It has been placed in your backpack space; please confirm!”

“Since you have a pinpoint teleportation talisman, you may choose your spawn location!”

You can select your birthplace from the following thirteen provinces: Sili, Youzhou, Qingzhou, Yuzhou, Yanzhou, Xuzhou, Bingzhou, Liangzhou, Jingzhou, Yangzhou, Yizhou, Jizhou, Jiaozhou.

“Yangzhou,” Lin Mu said firmly, having already made up his mind.

After Lin Mu spoke, a virtual map appeared before him, detailing mountains and lakes with precise markings.

“Please pinpoint your location!”

“Yangzhou, Kuaiji Commandery, Dongye County, Yinglong Peak. This is it,” Lin Mu confirmed repeatedly, pointing to a spot on the map.

“Birthplace confirmed. Enter game?”

“Yes!”

“Divine Land, late Eastern Han Dynasty, January 1, 180 AD. You have descended upon Yinglong Valley, Yinglong Peak, under Dongye County, Kuaiji Commandery, Yangzhou!”

A flash of white light swept past, and Lin Mu found himself standing on a sharp cliff that formed a right angle. This was a towering peak within Dongye County of Kuaiji Commandery, and Lin Mu’s choice was deliberate—it was the lair of the Yinglong, a divine beast of level 100.

In his past life, many fierce battles had taken place here, as the stronger the boss, the better the loot dropped. He vividly recalled the last bloody battle he had participated in—those scenes of bloodshed and chaos were still fresh in his mind.

His recent memories stirred excitement. Before his rebirth, he had long coveted the treasures atop this peak. Yet recalling the brutal scenes tempered his greed.

With a slight sigh, Lin Mu quickly surveyed his surroundings.

He cautiously scanned the area. It was 8 a.m., the time when Yinglong usually ventured out to hunt or absorb the essence of sun and moon. Lin Mu didn’t mind; as long as the beast wasn’t in its lair, he was safe. Many players from his past life had discovered this detail after countless trials and tribulations.

Seeing the lair empty, he suppressed his excitement and hurried toward the center, where a massive nest made of twigs and leaves sprawled across half the mountain. One corner was littered with bones, unmistakably the gruesome feeding spot.

Filled with anticipation, Lin Mu ran for nearly ten minutes before reaching the nest’s core. The air seemed misty, as if a fairyland. The lair of a divine beast was naturally a place of spiritual energy, extraordinary indeed.

Lin Mu didn’t need to be overly cautious; there were no other fierce beasts on Yinglong Peak—only the Yinglong itself ruled the mountain.

However, ascending the mountain was easier than descending. Lin Mu had been teleported here by the system; to descend naturally would take two days, revealing the peak’s immense height and ruggedness.

Fortunately, no other beasts roamed the mountain; otherwise, with his frail body, Lin Mu wouldn’t last a breath.

At the nest’s center lay piles of various items—equipment, rare materials, treasures—radiating dazzling light and fragrant aromas. Anyone who seized these riches would become wealthy overnight.

Suppressing his greed, Lin Mu reminded himself of his true goal. These mundane goods were insignificant; he only had 500 copper coins, hardly a match for such treasures.

Among the piled items hovered a glowing token, shimmering with multicolored light—the heart of the city, the legendary city-building order that he and his comrades had fought so hard to conquer in his past life.

It was a treasure coveted by countless players!

But whether it was truly a divine-grade city-building order required verification.

The city heart, also known as the village founding order, allowed players early on to establish territories. When a territory upgraded to a city, the order transformed into the city heart, a crucial item. If an enemy breached the city and shattered the city heart, the city would fall.

If this was a divine-grade city heart, it could found an initial village with divine-grade attributes. In his past life, many players’ initial villages were founded with yellow or black-grade city hearts, granting only basic attribute bonuses. Lin Mu did not know the attributes of a divine-grade city heart, but he knew that players possessing one stood at the pinnacle of the world.

City hearts were classified as yellow, black, earth, and heaven grades—these were common knowledge among players. The divine-grade city heart was a legend he had heard from native NPCs, its truth unknown.

Legend held that the divine capital Luoyang had been established using a divine-grade founding order.