"Class Task Completion Reward ①: Spirit Cat Cub. The Spirit Cat is a special spirit beast from a certain fantasy world. It normally appears in the form of a cat, but once in combat, it transforms into a Thunder White Tiger. Highly intelligent and capable of understanding human speech, it still retains typical feline personality traits. Gentle by nature and extremely loyal, it is a rare and valuable companion beast."
She didn't know which world this spirit cat came from, but she did know that this kind of pet-like spirit beast was absolutely well-suited for her. Moreover, she loved cats. Even if this were the only reward, she would still do everything she could to help her class win the study tour qualification—and that wasn't even the only prize.
"Class Task Completion Reward ②: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, including the English version. The Harry Potter series, written by J.K. Rowling, is a globally popular fantasy novel franchise. It has generated over ten billion USD in economic value, making it one of the most profitable literary works in history."
This series was a treasure in itself. It had appeared in "Main Quest ①: The Debut of the Literary Girl," but at that time, she felt it wasn't suitable for her, so she didn't choose it.
Two days ago, she had seen it again in the literature exchange catalog, ranked among the top in the literary category. One book required 50,000 Culture Points, and the whole series cost 350,000—making it one of the most expensive series available.
Given the speed at which she earned Culture Points, she estimated it would be impossible to afford it in her lifetime—unless she devoted a portion of her efforts toward cultural and artistic works.
Otherwise, relying solely on task rewards for Culture Points meant she had no idea how long it would take to acquire it.
She hadn't expected the system to offer this series as a reward. Even if it was just the first volume, it was worth 50,000 Culture Points! And based on the description, it would provide her with both Chinese and English versions in full detail.
But that wasn't the most important part. What truly mattered was the series' invisible, long-term benefits. The system had clearly stated that it was a novel series capable of generating economic miracles. If she could make good use of it, it could lay a strong foundation for her future development.
That thrill of acquiring valuable items was instantly surpassed by something even more astonishing the moment she saw the last reward. Her beautiful eyes widened in shock, mixed with unconcealed joy.
"Class Task Completion Reward ③: Hogwarts Acceptance Letter. Congratulations! You have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please arrive before the start of the new school year upon receiving your acceptance letter."
Attached was an image of a letter. She took a closer look and read:
Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry:
Albus Dumbledore
(Chief Warlock of the International Confederation of Wizards, President of the Wizards' Council, First Class Order of Merlin)
Dear Miss Chu Lian:
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
(An enclosed list of required books and equipment is included)
Term begins on September 1st.
We await your owl by no later than July 31st.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
It was identical to Harry Potter's original acceptance letter, with only her name swapped in. But... did Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry actually exist in this world?
"Yawn... Of course something like that doesn't exist in the current world. Even the Harry Potter series hasn't appeared here, so how could a fictional world like that be real?"
"This is actually just a special kind of Dungeon Entry Ticket. Only with this type of ticket can you enter the corresponding world. So in the future, even if you unlock a dungeon and have the coordinates of many worlds, if you don't have the entry ticket for a specific one, you'll just be stuck watching from the sidelines," Ayase's lazy voice echoed in her mind, accompanied by a yawn.
"Coordinates are the positions of each Dungeon World within the infinite spacetime. A Dungeon Entry Ticket marks you with the corresponding world's signature."
"Once marked, even if you completely alter the world's predetermined history, it won't affect the world itself. Of course, it's not impossible to enter without an Entry Ticket—you can still force your way in as an intruder. But that's extremely dangerous..."
"Oh? How dangerous?" Chu Lian asked curiously. Knowing Ayase's personality, such a warning wouldn't come lightly. It was the first time she'd heard her say something like this, so she wanted to know just how bad it could be.
"Each Entry Ticket, if it specifies a time, will drop you into that specific period. If there's no time limit, then the entry time is flexible." Ayase first explained some characteristics of Dungeon Entry Tickets before continuing, her tone growing heavier:
"Forcibly entering means becoming something like an invasive virus-like data entity."
"Entering in this way requires opening the World Gate, which causes permanent damage and disruption to that world. As a result, the world's consciousness will instinctively begin to reject the intruder."
"Even if you're absurdly lucky, your luck in that world will drop by at least three tiers. Using Fate's stats as a reference, EX would drop to B, B to E."
"The more damage you do to the world, the stronger its resistance becomes. Eventually, you could become the enemy of everything in that world—mountains, rivers, humans, animals..."
"Under such conditions, not even a god could survive. There are ways to reduce the backlash, of course, but that's not something you need to know at your current level..." With that, Ayase fell silent, leaving Chu Lian to ponder the implications alone.
"So... dungeons aren't exactly safe, huh? I guess I should delay my visit to Hogwarts for a while. With my current abilities, going now would be too difficult..." She had just thought that when someone called her from outside.
Startled, she brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, smiled politely at someone walking by, then turned her attention toward the person who had called her.
It was Cai Ya.
Chu Lian paused briefly, then gave a playful smile. "What can I do for you, Cai Ya?"
Cai Ya had been watching Chu Lian ever since the discussion portion of class had started. She'd noticed Chu Lian seemed dazed and had tried several times to call her over, but held herself back—until now, just before class ended. Finally, she couldn't resist and walked over to wake her.
"Let's have a competition," Cai Ya said, hands on hips and her face brimming with confident pride. She leaned forward, looking straight into Chu Lian's eyes. "Let's see who can rank higher in the individual talent contest. The loser must grant the winner one request. Chu Lian, do you dare?"
A flicker of amusement flashed through Chu Lian's eyes. Did this little girl really think she was easy to bully? She had just suffered a small setback earlier and now wanted to reclaim her pride. If Chu Lian didn't firmly suppress her now, she'd be a constant nuisance later.
Rather than answer immediately, Chu Lian turned slightly to glance around the classroom. Her classmates had already noticed the renewed confrontation between the two, and while they busied themselves with other tasks, many were secretly peeking their way. Chu Lian's gaze swept over them, making them withdraw a bit.
Seeing Cai Ya frown slightly and draw even closer, her pink cheeks tinged with irritation, Chu Lian watched those cherry lips reflected in her eyes. A sudden impulse stirred in her chest.
"I'll agree... but first, you have to—"
Before she finished, she suddenly leaned forward and softly brushed her lips against Cai Ya's.
The movement was so swift that few people noticed, but it left Cai Ya utterly stunned.
"You... you... you...!" she stammered, one hand covering her lips, the other pointing at Chu Lian, her face as red as an apple—adorably so.
As for Chu Lian, she herself looked just as surprised, sitting there dumbfounded.
Not to mention the others who witnessed it—they were left frozen in shock. The scene was just too... captivating.