286: Chapter 287 The Begging Girl

Lin Muyang walked unhurriedly through the wide and bustling streets of Stanro City with Alice and Gui Wanwan. Although their appearance drew many side-glances due to the stunning beauty of the two young women, in such a massive floating city with a population of over twenty million, what kind of eccentric people hadn't been seen before? People would take a few extra looks or whisper a word of admiration before going about their own business.

As they walked, Lin Muyang's perception, like invisible tentacles, quietly swept across the diverse crowd around them. He saw high-level Class Transferees who were arrogant and well-equipped, often followed by summoned creatures with strong Auras—majestic knights, silent and loyal Rock Golems, and even strange-looking humanoid creatures from other planes. They followed quietly behind their masters, some floating, some walking, forming a unique sight on the city streets.

But more common were the ordinary people, rushing about with weary or numb expressions. They might have completed the class transfer ceremony and had a name written in their class column, but their level remained pitifully stuck at "1," year after year. Their clothing was ordinary, even shabby, and no decent energy fluctuations could be sensed from them, making them worlds apart from true Class Transferees. In Atlantis, a world where resources must be highly concentrated and competition is extremely brutal, those with mediocre talent seemed to have their useless fate sealed from the moment of awakening.

For the entire civilization of Atlantis, their value of existence was perhaps reduced to the most basic function: reproduction. Society pinned its faint hopes on probability, expecting that the union of these ordinary people might occasionally produce offspring with higher talent, adding a glimmer of a possibility to fight against monsters and guard the Sky Barrier. Although research had long shown that the union of high-talent individuals was indeed more likely to produce high-talent offspring, the probability of miracles emerging from the gene pool of ordinary people was ultimately too low.

However, this was reality. To safely go to the perilous surface to gain experience and level up, one needed the escort of top-tier powerhouses, which required consuming precious human resources. Therefore, only those assessed as worth the investment, with B-rank talent or higher, were qualified to embark on the path of advancement. As for the others, they either accepted their fate and engaged in the most menial, repetitive labor, or, like that group of grave robbers earlier, took risks, sneaking into the surface privately to gamble on an uncertain future on the edge of life and death. The successful ones among the latter were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns, with most becoming fodder for monsters or bleached bones in the wilderness.

"This world is truly too harsh on ordinary people without talent." Gui Wanwan gently tucked a strand of black hair that had been brushed across her forehead by the breeze behind her ear. Her cold, clear eyes swept over a few low-level laborers who were struggling to carry magic materials, a hint of an imperceptible sigh in her voice. She came from the Ghost Race, where rules were strict, yet she had never seen a social structure that displayed survival of the fittest so nakedly and broadly.

"The environment shapes the rules." Lin Muyang's gaze swept calmly over the street scene, his voice steady. "Monsters occupy the land, forcing humanity into the sky. Limited living space and resources force the entire society to adopt the most efficient and cruelest screening mechanism, concentrating all nutrients to feed the saplings most likely to grow into towering trees. If it weren't for me on Blue Star, it might have walked a similar path hundreds of years later."

There was little emotion in his words; it was more like stating an observed objective fact. However, as he passed another street corner, his footsteps paused almost imperceptibly.

It was a beggar kneeling by the side of the street, ignored by everyone. In Stanro City, such figures were not rare; they had encountered several before, and Lin Muyang had only glanced at them casually before walking on. But this figure, curled up in the shadow of a building, seemed somewhat different.

She wore a washed-out, patched, yet unusually large coarse cloth robe that wrapped her entire body tightly, with even her hands tucked into the sleeves. A mess of dry, knotted hair hung down, covering most of her face. She kept her head bowed deeply, with a chipped bowl in front of her containing a few scattered magic crystal coins of the smallest denomination. Most passersby hurried around her, occasionally casting a look of disgust or indifference, but no one stopped.

Lin Muyang's gaze landed on her, and his mind stirred, silently triggering the passive effect of his God-Tier insight. A line of information that only he could see appeared above the girl's head:

【Class: Barrier Master】

【Talent: E-rank - Weak Resonance (Increases the effect of self-cast auxiliary magic barriers by 0.45%)】

【Level: 1】

【Status: Weak, Malnourished, Mild Despair】

Barrier Master! This class name caused Lin Muyang's eyes to flicker slightly. In the statistics of Class Transferees on Blue Star, the Barrier Master was an extremely rare support class, with a very low awakening probability. Any Barrier Master, even with mediocre talent, would be held in high regard on Blue Star because whether it was city defense, secret realm exploration, or the protection of important places, none could do without barriers. However, this girl before him...

E-rank Talent. Weak Resonance, the effect is increasing the effect of self-cast auxiliary magic barriers by 0.45%.

This bonus magnitude was shockingly low, almost negligible. No wonder she had fallen to this state. In Atlantis, a world that prioritized practical benefits, such a useless talent, coupled with the high requirements of the Barrier Master class itself for skill mastery and resources to set up barriers, meant she probably couldn't even get the most basic jobs, like casting primary protective barriers for shops. A 0.45% bonus? She probably couldn't even earn back the cost of the magic crystals consumed to maintain the barrier.

"Auxiliary magic barriers..." Thoughts raced through Lin Muyang's mind. He immediately thought of his storage space, where he happened to have a mythic grade barrier skill book he had seen in the T0-level National Treasury of Xia Country, 【Sky Barrier】. Its effect was to set up a powerful barrier in a designated area, increasing the all-attributes of all friendly units within the range by 50% and providing high damage reduction. This was undoubtedly a powerful team support skill.

"If I use tears of the angel to upgrade this E-rank Talent to Demigod Level, or even higher, what would the effect be?" A bold idea sprouted in Lin Muyang's heart. Talent upgrades brought more than just numerical changes; they often caused qualitative changes, unlocking more powerful traits. How terrifying would the amplification effect of a Demigod Level talent specialized in auxiliary magic barriers be? Hundreds of percent? Or would it come with even stronger special effects?

You have to know, for Lin Muyang, the benefit of increasing all-attributes was far greater than a simple attack bonus. Many of his God-Tier Aura effects were directly linked to his own attributes. For instance, the success rate of 【Absolute Command】 was related to the difference in mental attributes, and the base value of the 【Attribute Enhancement】 Aura was also related to his own attributes... If he could have a powerful barrier to further amplify his attributes, his overall strength and control ability would be significantly enhanced.

"Besides, the production channels for tears of the angel are increasing, and Jialiya's talent has just finished upgrading. Resource reserves are gradually becoming abundant, and supporting and training one person is not a difficult task." Lin Muyang weighed the options quickly. "Even if her talent upgrades and the results are not as expected, or her growth is limited, it is just one more mouth to feed. The Eternal Garden is not short of those resources."

His gaze landed on the curled-up girl again. His God-Tier insight allowed him to penetrate the dirty exterior and the oversized robe, vaguely seeing the delicate facial contours and well-proportioned skeletal frame beneath. This at least indicated that she was not truly ugly or disabled; she was just obscured by the luster of a life of suffering. Of course, appearance was not the main factor in his decision, but if she was pleasant to look at, that was naturally better.

"Alice." Lin Muyang stopped and whispered to the silver-haired girl beside him, "Go, bring that girl. We'll find a quiet inn to settle down first and let her wash up and tidy herself."

"Hmm?" Alice blinked her large, light blue eyes, looking somewhat surprised at the dirty beggar girl, then at Lin Muyang. But out of absolute trust, she didn't ask any questions and just nodded obediently. "Okay, Master."

Although she had lived in an underground castle since childhood, isolated from the world, she was not ignorant of worldly affairs. The inheritance of the Vampire Progenitor allowed her to know how to read the situation and understand many human behaviors. She moved with light steps, walked to the curled-up girl, and bent down slightly.

The girl seemed to sense someone approaching; her body trembled almost imperceptibly, and she buried her head even lower, almost touching the cold ground.

"You..." Alice began, her voice crisp and melodious, carrying a natural affinity. She used the Atlantis common language, "Are you willing to come with us? We can give you food, a safe place to stay, and clean, hot water."

The girl's body stiffened abruptly, and she slowly, very hesitantly, raised her head. Beneath the dirty, knotted hair, a face was revealed that, although covered in grime, still showed a beautiful foundation.