Chapter 683 - 438: Authority 2

He recalled his last mission. His two teammates of convenience hadn’t died, so by common sense, they should have also received a number upon their return.

From this, it seemed the only logical explanation was that the thousand-plus readers here were all Bronze Readers.

As for the ordinary, formal readers, they weren’t in this place.

Only this reason could explain away all his questions.

At this thought,

he raised his head.

High above him,

there was another black area.

However, compared to the area he was currently in, this one above his head was slightly smaller.

It resembled a pyramid structure.

A thought struck Hu Qi. In all likelihood, that was where the readers with higher authority were located.

And the formal readers were below him.

Currently, the known reader authorities within the Reincarnation Bookstore could be divided into four types.

They were: formal readers, Bronze, silver, and Gold.

As for why there were no Intern Readers...

It was because Intern Readers either completed their mission and became formal readers...

...or they died directly in the mission world, making it impossible for them to ever reach the Reincarnation Bookstore.

Among these, a formal reader referred to an Intern Reader who had completed their trial mission.

This type of reader was also the largest and most numerous group in the Reincarnation Bookstore.

They were required to enter a novel world to perform a mission once every month.

Bronze Reader: Their authority was far higher than that of ordinary readers, allowing them to learn information about the novel world they needed to enter a few days in advance.

As for silver, not only could they obtain information about the novel world in advance, but they also enjoyed certain discounts when exchanging for items.

As for Gold, they not only possessed the above benefits...

...but also had the right to refuse to enter novel worlds they didn’t want to go to, and could even, to a certain extent, be immune to mission penalties.

Of course, he didn’t know any more detailed information.

But one thing was certain: the higher one’s authority, the greater the benefits for the reader.

With this in mind,

Hu Qi’s gaze couldn’t help but drift forward.

At this moment,

a massive, cyan book was suspended in mid-air above the central clearing of this Bronze Level First Layer.

Below it, people were now standing around, having trickled in one by one.

Strangely, however, all their faces were shrouded in a layer of mist, making their true appearances impossible to discern.

This was also one of the rules of the Reincarnation Bookstore.

Unless a reader was willing, other readers within the Reincarnation Bookstore could not see their specific appearance.

This served as a form of privacy protection for the readers.

Furthermore, killing each other was forbidden here.

Seeing Hu Qi emerge from behind door [1051], he naturally attracted the attention of these people.

He could clearly feel several furtive gazes fall upon him, sizing him up.

"My friend, might I get to know you?"

A sweet female voice suddenly sounded beside Hu Qi.

He looked up.

It was the figure closest to him, who was now walking his way.

Her black miniskirt swayed gently with her movements. Below the hem was a pair of fair, long, and toned thighs.

She carried two crossed blades on her back.

Her face was shrouded in a layer of mist, making it impossible to see clearly; all that was visible were two neat black ponytails draped over her shoulders.

Judging solely from her slender figure and sweet voice, she had to be a young woman.

Of course, the world was a vast and strange place, and all sorts of Disguise techniques were endless, let alone in a unique space like the Reincarnation Bookstore.

Whether the person before him was even human was another question entirely.

Looking at Hu Qi,

the person extended her right hand.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is—"

"No need."

Before she could finish,

Hu Qi waved his hand dismissively, cutting her off.

Then, he strode right past her.

He headed for the space beneath the giant cyan book in the very center.

Left standing in place,

the woman in the black skirt, her hand still extended in mid-air, froze.

Then, she slowly retracted her outstretched arm.

"Well, I never thought I’d see the day our Sister Blade gets shot down!"

Just then,

another, somewhat mocking voice spoke up.

From the side, a person approached.

This person was abnormally tall, his nearly two-meter-tall frame encased in heavy mechanical armor.

Only his right arm retained some human Features, but its skin was covered in dark red circuit-like patterns, resembling a bizarre fusion of flesh and machine.

He let out a soft chuckle.

"A shame. If we were in a novel world, I’d definitely help you teach this guy a lesson, Sister Blade."

"Hmph!"

In response,

the woman in the black skirt just snorted coldly, her gaze fixed on Hu Qi’s back.

Her voice deepened as she shook her head.

"I originally thought he was someone we could win over, but who knew he’d be so ungrateful!

Does he really think getting Bronze Authority means he can look down on everyone? With a temperament like that, I’m afraid he’ll die in a novel world sooner or later!"

...

Hu Qi’s expression was calm. He paid no mind to the two behind him, nor to the stares from all around.

’If the rules here didn’t forbid fighting, I would’ve already swatted those two bad-mouthing chatterboxes dead on the spot.’

He looked up at the cyan book above.

Light flowed across its surface, and Hu Qi could clearly sense the dense aura of rules emanating from it.

It was as if this thing was the physical embodiment of the Power of Rules.

Recalling the information in his mind,

he spoke softly.

"Book Spirit! Bring up my personal information!"

The moment the words left his mouth,

a beam of light shot out from the cyan book and landed on Hu Qi.