Unlimited Black Card

[Host! I'm begging you! You really can't just kill whoever has skills! This is the human world, with its own rules! You'll get yourself into big trouble if you do this!]

The system's electronic voice, tinged with sobs, kept pleading incessantly in Shi Mo's mind the entire way.

Shi Mo strolled along the bustling street, his heterochromatic eyes casually scanning the hurried crowds, the endless stream of vehicles, and the shop signs flashing with various colors.

He mostly ignored the system's pleas, until he became somewhat annoyed by the noise, at which point he responded faintly in his mind: "Trouble? Like that 'policeman' from earlier? They seem... weak."

[That's not a matter of being weak or not! They are the maintainers of order! If you kill someone, they will investigate and use all sorts of means! Our power is currently sealed, so although we are not afraid of them, we will be entangled, which will waste a lot of time and affect your enjoyment of the 'game'!] The system quickly came up with the idea of ​​"game fun".

Shi Mo paused slightly in his steps.

"Fun?" he repeated, seemingly slightly swayed by the statement.

He recalled the thief's skills; the process of looting did bring a slight sense of novelty, but the subsequent noise from the system and the so-called "police" threat were rather disappointing.

"Hmm...that makes sense. Endless pursuit can definitely dampen one's interest in observation."

The system was practically bursting with joy: 【Yes, yes, yes! It's wonderful that you think that way, host! We can acquire skills in a more… uh, ‘gentle’ way! For example… once we enter a dungeon? In a dungeon, life or death is irrelevant; you can plunder however you want!】

"In the dungeon..." Shi Mo remained noncommittal, but his gaze was drawn to an old man on the street who was holding a thick grass target covered with strings of bright red fruits.

The glistening red sugar shell reflected an alluring luster in the sunlight, somewhat similar to, yet entirely different from, certain solidified blood or energy crystals in his memory, exuding a pure, sweet aroma.

"What is that?" He asked the system directly in his mind, temporarily putting the "plunder" plan on hold.

[Huh? Which one?] The system followed his "gaze" and looked over. [Oh! That's candied hawthorn! A kind of human snack, made by skewering hawthorn or similar fruits and coating them with solidified sugar syrup; it's sweet and sour.]

"Snacks?" Shi Mo walked in that direction. The old man selling candied hawthorns paused for a moment when he approached, especially noticing his unusual hair and eye color, before breaking into a warm smile: "Young man, want a skewer of candied hawthorns? They're sweet and crispy, and delicious!"

Shi Mo did not respond immediately, but looked carefully at the bunches of bright red fruits, a pure curiosity flashing in his eyes that were like molten gold and a sea of ​​blood.

He stretched out his finger, as if wanting to touch the shiny sugar coating.

"Hey, be careful, don't knock off the sugar coating," the old man quickly reminded him, but his tone was still kind.

Shi Mo withdrew his hand and looked at the old man: "I want one."

"Alright! Thirteen pieces!" The old man skillfully took out the largest piece and handed it over.

Shi Mo took the candied hawthorn, its texture cool and hard to the touch. He looked at it for a moment, then turned to leave.

"Hey! Young man! The money! You haven't paid yet!" the old man called out hurriedly.

"Money?" Shi Mo stopped and turned around, his face showing genuine confusion. In his understanding, if he wanted something, he would simply take it, either through barter or... more directly, by plunder. "What is that?"

The old man was taken aback by his question. His smile froze, and he looked both angry and bewildered: "What money? The money for the candied hawthorns! Thirteen yuan! RMB! Young man, are you kidding me?"

[Oh no!] The system screamed in Shi Mo's mind, [Host! I forgot! In the human world, acquiring most goods and services requires a medium of exchange called 'currency'! That's 'money'! The thief you just killed... uh, disposed of might have had cash on him, but we didn't take it! You're penniless now!]

"Currency? Medium of exchange?" Shi Mo looked at the bright red candied hawthorn in his hand, then at the old man with a dissatisfied expression, a hint of displeasure flashing in his heterochromatic pupils.

He didn't want to return the string of interesting-looking items, but the system's warning about "trouble" still echoed in his ears. It certainly didn't seem worth it to attract the so-called "police" for such a small thing.

A faint, almost imperceptible killing intent gathered in his eyes. Perhaps... it would be simpler to make this noisy "source of trouble" disappear?

[Host! No! Please don't! Killing someone to cover it up for thirteen yuan is not worth it!] The system sensed the danger and was so frightened that its code almost cracked. [I'll think of something! I'll think of something! Please wait! System Shop... Newbie Benefits... Got it!]

A faint spatial fluctuation, perceptible only to Shi Mo, appeared beside him. The next second, a card, entirely black with dark gold lines inlaid along its edges and cool, smooth to the touch, appeared out of thin air between the fingers of his free hand.

[Here you go! Host! This is an unlimited black card! A symbol of the highest level of wealth in the human world! Theoretically, it can be used to spend any amount! Quickly take it to that candied hawthorn seller!] The system's electronic voice was filled with relief and urgency at the prospect of surviving a disaster.

Shi Mo held the suddenly appearing card in his hand; it felt like a strange combination of metal and plastic. He looked at the card, then at the candied hawthorn, and finally at the suspicious and wary old man, handing him the black card: "Is this enough?"

The old man stared wide-eyed at the uniquely designed, obviously expensive black card. His anger instantly gave way to astonishment and disbelief: "This...this is...a black card? Young man, are you...are you kidding me? My business is so small, how can I afford to use something like this? I don't even have a POS machine!"

"No?" Shi Mo frowned slightly, even more puzzled by the rules of the "currency." The system clearly stated that it was "unlimited," so why couldn't it be used to exchange for this small bunch of red fruits?

[It's my fault, Host! He needs cash! Or mobile payment! This card can only be used in large shopping malls and upscale restaurants!] The system quickly explained, [How about... we return the candied hawthorn to him first? I'll get you some cash or link your mobile payment to it later...]

"No." Shi Mo refused decisively. He tightened his grip on the candied hawthorn, showing no intention of returning it.

He looked at the old man, his heterochromatic eyes holding no hint of pleading or negotiation, only a calm, unwavering insistence: "I need this. Tell me, how can I get it?"

The old man felt uneasy under the young man's gaze; those eyes were truly eerie. He sensed that the young man wasn't joking or looking for trouble, but rather... genuinely ignorant of these common sense facts?

Judging from his demeanor and that black card, maybe he's some runaway rich kid? The kind with a bit of a screw loose?

He sighed, waved his hand, and resigned himself to his bad luck: "Never mind, it's just a string of candied hawthorns, take it, take it! Go away!" He just wanted to get rid of this strange-looking young man as soon as possible.

"A gift?" Shi Mo caught the word and nodded. "In that case, the contract is established. I accept your 'gift'." He seemed to have completed a formal transaction, his expression calm, even carrying a hint of charity, as if accepting the candied hawthorn was giving the other party a great favor.

The old man: "..." He opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing, only shaking his head helplessly. He turned and pushed his cart in the other direction, muttering, "Strange person, really strange person..."

Shi Mo ignored the departing old man and looked down at the candied hawthorn in his hand. He tentatively stuck out his tongue and gently licked the bright red sugar coating.

A pure, sharp sweetness explodes on the taste buds instantly, followed by the slightly sour taste of the fruit inside after biting through the sugar shell, creating a wonderful sense of layering.

"The taste... is acceptable," he commented, a barely perceptible hint of curiosity flashing in his heterochromatic eyes.

He leisurely savored the unexpected "gift," the sweet and sour taste spreading in his mouth, as he continued his stroll along the street.

The system's electronic voice finally breathed a sigh of relief and began cautiously introducing him to the other things he saw along the way—a bakery wafting with delicious aromas, an arcade flashing with neon lights, shop windows displaying all kinds of clothing…

Shi Mo mostly just listened quietly, occasionally asking a question or two about things that particularly interested him.

He no longer focused on immediately finding targets with skills to "plunder," but instead, like a dry sponge, began to absorb bits and pieces of information about the surface rules of this "human world."

"Currency...law...police...transactions..." He chewed on these unfamiliar words, and the light of interest in the depths of his molten gold and blood-red eyes did not go out. On the contrary, it became even more profound because of this completely different experience of "rules".

"System," he suddenly spoke in his mind, interrupting the system's explanation of the "bus" operating principle, "when does the copy begin?"

"Uh, this is irregular. When the Rules of the Strange Tales randomly selects participants, if you meet the criteria, you will be included. It might be soon, or it might take a few days," the system quickly replied.

[In the meantime, we can familiarize ourselves with the environment. For example, could I use this black card to get you some of this world's 'currency,' and then you could change into clothes that fit modern aesthetics? Your current outfit... while cool, is a bit too conspicuous.]

Shi Mo looked down at the long robe he was wearing, which seemed to be woven from shadows and starlight (which, in human vision, might resemble a long black trench coat with an extremely avant-garde design), and then at the diverse outfits of the pedestrians around him. He nodded.

"Sure," he agreed. "Perhaps by immersing ourselves in it, we can observe more 'interesting' samples."

The system breathed a sigh of relief again, feeling that guiding this big shot to adapt to human society was a long and arduous task, but at least... the start was relatively smooth (if you ignore the corpse in the alley).

It quickly began searching for the most upscale shopping malls in the vicinity and planning the optimal route, while simultaneously considering how to "reasonably" explain the origin of this unlimited black card in order to avoid attracting the attention of the financial regulatory agency in this dimension...

Shi Mo licked the last bit of sugar residue off the candied hawthorn and casually tossed the bare wooden skewer into a roadside trash can (this was an action the system had just taught him in an emergency).