Chapter 1: Chapter One King of Ten Thousand Nations

"Are you tired of the busy life on Earth? Do you want to go to an unpolluted planet? Do you want to own a piece of land on the beautiful Brenam Continent and build your own kingdom? Wan Wang will take you into a brand‑new dream world. Welcome to Wan Wang Company to start your new life. No gender restriction; requirements: 18 to 35 years old, self‑sufficient, preferably physically healthy. Registration address: Room C‑2185, contact: Qi Qing."

Li Bucai silently read the advertisement by the entrance of the Nianhua Building; today is April 1, April Fool's Day, even the Solar System hasn't broken out yet, when will they find another planet like Earth? Could it be that the company is now celebrating April Fool's too?

Out of curiosity, Li Bucai followed the ad to find Block C, 21st floor; stepping out of the elevator, a long line of people stretched all the way to the elevator doors.

"It seems Earth is truly dangerous." So many people are hurrying to leave Earth, Li Bucai blurted out.

"It's Brenam." At the tail of the line was a girl still in school uniform; hearing his voice, she turned her exceptionally delicate face and replied.

"You're also going to Mars? Are you 18 yet?" Not many college students wear uniforms; judging by her slightly childish face, she could at most be a sophomore.

The girl gave him a cold stare and reiterated, "It's Brenam, not Mars. Haven't you heard of 'King of Ten Thousand Nations'? I'm still three months shy of turning 18, but my father has already signed a contract with them, so even if you can't go, I definitely will."

"Your father? Your dad agrees you skip class and come here to cause trouble?" Li Bucai was a bit surprised, having never heard of any 'King of Ten Thousand Nations'.

The girl said proudly, "Of course. When I was in the first test, my older cousin went there but was eliminated and came back. Every participant receives a hefty bonus after returning, and I've heard it's a very interesting place. If it weren't for my father's effort, my mother would never let me come. Aren't you here to register?"

Li Bucai was speechless; it turned out to be a game. He thought this was an April Fool's event, and since he'd arrived in time, he had nothing better to do than join the fun.

"Third Middle School…" Li Bucai noticed the school badge on her chest and said, "Back when we were in school, you'd squeeze your brain trying to get in but couldn't, and your old man really let you go."

"My dad says a person doesn't need to be highly learned in this life; happiness is what matters, and it's important to be self‑reliant. He also said that if you can join this competition, the gains won't be less than any university, and it's a great chance to train self‑governance."

"Looks like your dad knows this competition well."

"Because he works here."

No wonder he was willing to give up such a good school; it seems the place is quite prestigious.

……

After waiting in line for about two hours, it was finally his turn.

In the reception room, the room's simple yet tasteful décor featured a desk and a few chairs for applicants, all very distinctive; behind the desk sat a beautiful woman, the receptionist Qi Qing. On each side of her were doors, presumably the people who hadn't emerged were in one of those rooms.

Li Bucai entered the door as instructed; it was a modest room filled with various medical devices. A middle‑aged woman in a white coat asked him to lie on the bed, scanned him with several instruments, then took a form, stamped it, handed it to him, and asked him to bring the form to the receptionist at the front.

Back in the reception room, the female receptionist examined the report and asked him to sit, "May I ask whether your family permits you to travel to another location for the competition? If you can fully adapt to the environment there, you may have to live there for a long time."

"I won't be back this life, nor will I be questioned." Li Bucai had been living alone for several years, since the day his parents divorced.

"Then congratulations, you have met our standards. Could you show your valid ID and bank account, please?"

"That's already approved?"

"Yes. You may not fully understand yet; 'King of Ten Thousand Nations' is actually a brand‑new concept game developed by our company, or you could think of it as an activity to forge management skills. We will take you to a brand‑new world—Brenam Continent. Though we call it a game, it is a real world; its survival conditions are as primitive as Earth tens of thousands of years ago. This test recruits ten thousand volunteers from over a hundred countries worldwide. Each volunteer will receive a ring; if you find the environment intolerable, simply turn the button on the ring and we will bring you back instantly. Because this is the testing phase, every participant will receive a generous bonus, and of course the ultimate winner will obtain an astronomical sum that most people could never earn in several lifetimes."

Sure enough it was a game with a hefty bonus, Li Bucai said skeptically, "Since every test participant gets a bonus, why do you still issue a portion of a deposit first?"

"Because it's a world beyond Earth, it naturally draws many eyes, including many sponsors. As testers, you are also part of the company, so we ought to pay you the corresponding remuneration."

……

The female receptionist transferred a six‑digit sum to his account as promised, signed the contract, and, as she pointed out, led him through another door into a spacious room.

The room was lavishly decorated; in the center stood a five‑colorful gate, with a female attendant beside it. The attendant gave him a ruby‑set ring, saying that if he found the environment hard to adapt to, turning the gemstone would return him here.

After he put the ring on, she asked him to walk through the colorful gate.

Passing through the gate, Li Bucai felt himself floating in a mass of chaotic colorful gas; his body seemed no longer bound by gravity. After a long while, his body drifted downwards with the gas; when a ray of sunlight pierced the gas and struck his face, the gas slowly dispersed, gathering beneath his feet and forming a brilliant rainbow cloud that carried him in the air, with a blue‑green planet below.

As the altitude gradually lowered, Li Bucai floated above rolling mountains, winding rivers, lush jungles, and endless flat grasslands—all like a postcard.

The rainbow cloud lingered briefly, then sped toward the red sun; faintly a tiny black dot appeared in the sun's disc, growing closer until it became a massive floating island, its mountains and waters distinct, with a huge castle at its center.

After circling the floating island once, the cloud brought him to the castle's entrance. The castle was entirely built of crystal, flashing white light under the sun, more translucent than ice sculpture, each crystal brick reflecting different images like a kaleidoscope; outside the castle lay enchanting mountains and rivers, waterfalls and clear streams, villages whose houses were all hewn from white jade, and occasional white cranes soaring overhead, giving a feeling of a fairyland.

At that moment, a beautiful girl in white stepped out of the castle and, in a charming voice, said, "Hello, welcome to Sky City. Receptionist Town Ji is honored to serve you. Please follow me."

Li Bucai followed her into the massive crystal building; upon entering, a long corridor stretched ahead. After walking ten‑plus minutes, a huge circular hall appeared, where several oddly dressed youths—about twenty years old—wandered about; judging by their attire they were native residents of the castle. In the center stood a circular lift; a few testers who arrived earlier were riding it up to the second floor.

"Are these all virtual?" Since all the handsome men and beautiful women were of the same age, with none older, Li Bucai asked.

"No, they are real; they are the subjects of the Sky Lord Claude, who is a benevolent Emperor. Because he cannot sustain the massive population, he cooperated with Wan Wang Company, hoping that with your arrival he can help his subjects solve livelihood problems. In the future, they will become your subjects as well, and can be purchased with cross coins."

Li Bucai thought to himself, "Now I'm rich; once I get that coin, I'll definitely buy three thousand beauties to keep by my side, and satisfy my Emperor cravings."

Skipping past the lift, Town Ji led him to the floating‑island bank.

"To thank you for coming, His Majesty Claude has prepared 100 gold coins for each of you, stored here, so each of you has an account you can withdraw at any time, but first you must use these gold coins to purchase a piece of land on the continent. As for what you do with the land afterward, that's entirely up to you. The currency here is base‑100, meaning one gold coin can be exchanged for 100 silver coins or 10,000 copper coins."

"Can land be bought arbitrarily? What's its approximate value?"

"There are three continents; because this is a global event, the Chinese region is on Brenam Continent and has been divided by Wan Wang Company into several hundred territories. For fairness, a lottery determines who gets good land; each piece costs 99 gold coins."

"So I own a piece of land here for just one gold coin? What can one gold coin buy?"

"Yes, if you wish, you can use it to buy five horses; or a dozen servants, for example."

Li Bucai's eyes lit up: "So that means I'll get a dozen beauties right away?"

As they spoke, the two of them arrived at the bank counter.

Town Ji said to the white‑bearded old man behind the counter, "Hello Mr. Banam, this is the 9,999th Li Bucai, he is here to collect his funds."

"Esteemed guest, welcome to Brenam Floating‑Island Bank. We are delighted to serve you; the doors here will always be open to you, and we hope to see you often." The old man took a pouch from behind the counter, counted out 100 gold coins, placed them in the pouch, and handed it to him.