The damp breeze dispersed the dense white fog, revealing a bluestone path reminiscent of Jiangnan’s water towns.

Tall and short buildings could be vaguely discerned at the path’s end. The ground felt excessively soft and moist beneath her feet, likely from a recent rain, and the potent earthy scent in the air persistently assailed Ding Yi’s senses.

Whether it was the cool, damp wind brushing against her skin or the distinct, strong smell of earth lingering in her nostrils, all her genuine senses screamed that this was no illusion.

Today was Ding Yi’s birthday.

She recalled that she should be alone in a cake shop at this very moment, celebrating.

Insert candles, light them, play the “Happy Birthday” song on her phone, make a wish, and blow them out.

Blow out the candles.

She remembered the exact instant she extinguished the flames, a thick fog had billowed in from all directions, instantly engulfing her. Within the dense mist, she vaguely heard a dispassionate electronic female voice: “Welcome to the New World.”

Then, she was standing here. Utterly alone, and two tattoo-like spiral star chains now wound from her wrists to her elbows on her exposed arms.

Ding Yi rubbed at them, her skin reddening, but the hollow stars remained stubbornly in place, as if they had grown directly from her flesh.

“Excuse me.” A male voice, devoid of any emotional inflection, suddenly cut through the silence.

The moment Ding Yi stepped aside, a tall man brushed past her.

Ding Yi’s heart, already on edge from the sudden appearance of another person, didn’t relax in the slightest. Instead, it began to pound fiercely.

This is a human… right?

Never had she encountered a ghost dressed so formally… and uttering “excuse me.”

Everything before her was an enigma. Despite being a staunch materialist, the current situation stretched beyond her comprehension. Whether the person in front of her was human or ghost, she had to approach him and ask.

“Hey, handsome, do you know where this is?”

“Handsome?”

“Hey, handsome!”

Ding Yi hurried after him, her voice rising instinctively, fearing he wouldn’t hear her. “Handsome! Hey, you up ahead!”

Seeing that the person in front showed no intention of acknowledging her, Ding Yi quickened her pace, taking two strides forward and reaching out to firmly grasp his hand.

But in an instant, Ding Yi’s hand was forcefully shrugged off.

“Do you need something?”

The man halted and turned his head, revealing a face with a sharp, aggressive aura. His skin was a cold white, his features fox-like, with strikingly deep eyebrows and eyes. Combined with his tall, sturdy build and the impeccably tailored suit, Ding Yi’s first thought was that the suit thug from her drawings had somehow stepped out of the screen.

Ding Yi inquired, “Handsome, do you know where this place is? I—”

“Newbie?” Qin Yuan interrupted her, his eyelids lowering as he glanced at her arm. A flicker of something finally touched his indifferent tone. “Too bad. In that case, I hope you don’t die too quickly.”

The nonsensical words caused Ding Yi to frown. “What do you mean by that?”

A rare newbie exhibiting such stable emotions, but the circumstances and timing of this encounter were unfavorable. With this thought, Qin Yuan’s interest in conversation waned. He lifted his leg and continued walking forward. “Shut up and follow me.”

Ding Yi stood there for a moment, a flicker of hesitation crossing her face, before deciding to follow.

She had deliberately grasped the man’s hand moments ago, and the warm, soft touch confirmed his human nature. Since he was human, he would have basic needs. Even if he was unwilling to speak much, staying close to him should ensure her fundamental survival.

Just in case, Ding Yi trailed Qin Yuan at a cautious distance, not too close and not too far, addressing him while simultaneously observing her surroundings.

The sky was heavy, the light dim, and beyond the buildings at the path’s end, both sides dissolved into blurred shadows of trees. Glancing back hastily, she saw that the white fog had already swallowed the path she had traversed, leaving her with no option but to move forward.

Fortunately, the path wasn’t long, and the closer she came, the clearer the tall and short buildings became.

Upon fully seeing her destination, Ding Yi realized she had arrived at a place resembling an ancient town in Jiangnan. The surrounding buildings, streets, and shops mirrored the tourist attractions she had previously visited.

Finally, Ding Yi followed Qin Yuan as he navigated through two alleys, arriving at a two-story inn.

The moment they stepped inside, the people scattered throughout the hall immediately turned their gazes toward them.

Curiosity, scrutiny, fear, melancholy – but predominantly, indifference and numbness.

Upon entering, Qin Yuan, with a clear sense of purpose, occupied the master’s chair situated in the central position. Ignoring all the assessing gazes, he relaxed, crossed his legs, and rested his chin on the back of his hand, closing his eyes to rest.

Ding Yi remained standing at the entrance, her gaze sweeping over everyone in the hall. Meeting the eyes of the boy closest to her, the other party’s expression suddenly brightened. “Wow! Sister, you’re amazing! What wish did you make to warrant so many stars? Sister Qing, that’s more than yours, right?”

The radiant and beautiful woman who was currently comforting a little girl lifted her head and glanced at Ding Yi’s arm upon hearing these words. “Indeed, it is.”

Wish, stars.

Ding Yi keenly latched onto these keywords and immediately interjected. “I don’t know what’s going on. One moment, I was blowing out birthday candles, and the next, I was standing on that path. Do you know what’s happening?”

“I don’t know much either. I’ve only been through three instance worlds,” the boy with a crew cut and a youthful face said, raising his arm to display the star chains there.

“This place is called the New World, and some people refer to it as the Star World. Simply put, everyone who comes here has made a wish. The grander the wish, the harder it is to fulfill, and the more stars it requires. As long as we can survive the instances and accumulate enough stars, the wish we made before can become a reality.” As he spoke the last sentence, his tone lifted involuntarily, as if trying to encourage himself.

Wish?

Ding Yi strained to recall any wish she might have made that would justify being dragged into such a bizarre place, but no matter how hard she tried, she could only conjure the image of the thick fog swirling around her after she blew out the candles.

The boy, oblivious to Ding Yi’s confusion, continued his enthusiastic explanation.

“There are three levels of instances in the New World,” the boy explained, pointing to the yellow and green stars on his arm. “Red A, Yellow B, Green C. A-level instances are the most challenging and have the highest mortality rate, but the number of stars you can obtain is also the greatest – a total of ten. C-level instances are the least difficult, and the mortality rate is manageable, but comparatively, the number of stars you receive is also the lowest – a total of four.”

The boy seemed to finally notice Ding Yi’s bewildered expression and quickly offered reassurance. “But don’t worry, sister. Generally, a newbie’s first instance will be C-level, and only the truly unlucky end up in B-level. Ours is a C-level instance, so you don’t need to fret too much.”

Ding Yi nodded, offering a grateful smile. “Thank you. My name is Ding Yi. What about you?”

“Yan Ming. You can just call me Xiao Ming.” After introducing himself, Yan Ming gestured to the two girls standing behind him. “This is Jiang Xianqing. I cleared my second instance with Sister Qing. And this is Feng Baiqiu; this is her second instance.”

Just as their brief introductions concluded, a middle-aged man with glasses and a bald head stumbled in, appearing somewhat deranged.

Ding Yi noticed the yellow stars covering his hand. So, he was the unlucky one Yan Ming had mentioned.

[All wishers are present.] An electronic female voice suddenly echoed through the hall.

[Welcome everyone to the A-level instance: Oiled Paper Umbrella.]

Yan Ming: …!

Ding Yi: …?