Chapter 686 - 439: Manager (2)

The scene in the Silver Area was completely different from the Bronze Area.

The Bronze District had been bustling, with over a thousand readers gathered there.

But here, silvery-white portals stood in their place. Their number was less than half of what was in the Bronze District, with only just over three hundred remaining.

Excluding the readers who were on missions or in their private spaces, several dozen people still lingered in the central plaza.

Some were exchanging for items, while others gathered in twos and threes, talking in low voices.

Just like in the Bronze District below, their faces were also shrouded in a hazy white mist, making it impossible to see their true appearances.

Just then, a piercing white light shot up from below, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.

"Hm? A newly promoted Silver Level Reader?"

Someone looked up, their tone tinged with surprise.

"That’s not right..."

Another person, seeming to have noticed something, abruptly trailed off.

"Why isn’t he stopping?!"

"Wait... He’s—"

Before the astonished eyes of the crowd, the white light enveloping Hu Qi broke through the boundary of the Silver Area.

It didn’t pause for even a moment, continuing its ascent!

In an instant, all conversation in the plaza came to a dead halt.

"...Th-This... A direct promotion to Golden Authority?!"

The once-casual atmosphere instantly froze. Everyone stood stunned, as if they had just witnessed something that defied all logic, and remained speechless for a long time.

Hu Qi paid no mind to the thoughts of the other readers.

He let the white light carry him ever upward.

During this process, with a thought, he summoned the Crimson panel.

His gaze fell upon the Modification Point column at the very bottom.

[Modification Points: 154360 (12%)]

At this moment, the value in the Modification Points row was rapidly decreasing.

A moment later, the surrounding light dissipated.

He found himself standing on a platform.

The Modification Points had become:

[Modification Points: 103987 (12%)]

"DING! Reader authority has been changed: Silver Level Reader."

"DING! Reader authority has been changed: Golden Level Reader."

Just then, two consecutive notification sounds announced the changes to his reader identity and authority.

’Increasing my authority by two tiers actually cost over fifty thousand Modification Points...’

Hu Qi’s expression remained impassive.

Instead, his gaze swept around as he began to survey his surroundings.

In comparison, it was quite similar to the Bronze Area. The only differences were that the portals here were all golden, and the books floating above the plaza had also turned to gold.

Furthermore, the number of readers here was extremely small.

There were only twenty-one.

Including him, there were now a total of twenty-two.

He was so certain of this because a golden door labeled "22," representing him, was gradually materializing in the distance.

Unlike below, there was no one on the platform here.

Evidently, these readers were either carrying out missions in the novel worlds or resting in their private spaces.

As for this situation, Hu Qi was quite happy with the peace and quiet.

He brought up his personal information again.

Its content was no different from before.

Suddenly, his gaze landed on a particular line.

[Authority: Golden △]

Hu Qi stared at the Triangular Rune that followed.

A look of astonishment appeared on his face.

’It can be raised even further?’

Hu Qi was rather surprised.

He had originally thought that being a reader with Golden Authority was the limit.

He never expected it could be raised higher.

The information provided by the Reincarnation Bookstore had no mention of this.

This must be some kind of hidden rule.

Presumably, even if promotion was possible, the requirements would be extremely demanding.

The very fact that even with his current status as a Golden Level Reader, he had received no information about any authority beyond the Golden Level, was a testament to this.

The higher the level of authority, the greater the reader’s autonomy.

This couldn’t help but spark a certain speculation in Hu Qi’s mind.

Looking at his remaining Modification Points, he didn’t hesitate.

’Crimson, modify and raise my authority!’

BUZZ!

Unlike before, the instant the thought formed in Hu Qi’s mind, the entire Reincarnation Bookstore emitted a faint tremor.

All the readers who had not yet entered a novel world for a mission—whether they were in the plaza or in seclusion, cultivating in their private spaces—all of them sensed it.

One by one, they all wore expressions of shock and uncertainty.

Fortunately, the tremor lasted only for an instant before subsiding.

As for what had happened, the ordinary readers within the Reincarnation Bookstore, including the Golden Level Readers, had no idea what was going on.

Only the old-timers who had survived for an extremely long time knew that this was not the first time such a tremor had occurred.

It had happened before.

Of course, they didn’t understand why it happened either.

...

「At the same time.」

High above, in a Star Sea unreachable by ordinary readers, three Floating Islands hovered quietly.

From left to right:

The first island enjoyed eternal spring. Amidst waterfalls and flowing streams, one could faintly glimpse jade-like palaces with intricately carved beams and painted rafters.

Rare flowers and exotic herbs covered the ground, and the figures of Spirit Monsters could occasionally be seen darting through them.

Pure-white immortal cranes soared high overhead, their clear, melodious cries ringing out.

It was the very picture of a celestial paradise.

The second island radiated a dense demonic aura. Beneath a blood-red setting sun stood countless forests of white bone.

In these bone forests, the trees’ roots pointed toward the sky, while their branches and leaves cascaded down like waterfalls.

Gravity here was in a state of complete chaos.

The third island was shrouded in a grayish-white mist, its true appearance hidden from all.

One could vaguely make out clusters of jet-black Gothic buildings, their spires pointing toward the starry sky.

These three islands were like three small worlds unto themselves, each possessing its own set of rules.

The instant the tremor arrived, two terrifying auras suddenly burst forth from the first and second islands.

The next second, a green and a black stream of Flowing Light shot out from the two islands, materializing into two figures above the Star Sea.

The former was a man in green robes, with a heroic and handsome face.