If the Holy Lord had taken a small portion from his treasure for Valmont, the Demon Shendu would have been his, and all the subsequent troubles would have been avoided.
That was why Bai Qi gave Valmont the gems even though he hadn't brought back the talisman. It was to boost Valmont's confidence, to implant the idea in his mind that talismans equaled money, making Valmont more motivated to search for other talismans.
However, Bai Qi felt that one gem wouldn't be enough, so after Lasu reported his failure, he produced another gem. But it couldn't be given for no reason, lest Valmont think he was easily fooled and that he would only get money without doing any work. This was why Bai Qi told Valmont to look for the mask.
Following the Talisman Arc and the Demon Arc was the Mask Arc, representing the masks of the Ten Generals. Each mask represented a type of Shadowkhan legion.
As tools, the Shadowkhan ninjas were undeniably useful. They were loyal, never tired, and would even resurrect in the Shadowkhan Kingdom after death.
The mask Bai Qi wanted Valmont to find was the mask of General Tso, corresponding to the Ogre section of the Shadowkhan.
Although the Mask Arc had not yet begun, Bai Qi wanted to try his luck. If he got lucky and found it, wouldn't he get a Shadowkhan legion for free? Wasn't getting something for free great?
Even if Valmont was a complete idiot, with his current appearance, he could only rely on this piece of trash. In that case, wasn't he even worse than trash?
After a series of shrewd calculations, Bai Qi arrived at a horrifying answer.
Forget it, forget it. Trash was trash.
Bai Qi began to examine his own body, his memories, his residual magic. Indeed, under Pei Luo's seal, his magic was reduced to less than a tenth of its original power, and his memories were only half of what the Holy Lord originally possessed. He was as useless as could be.
"Wait, what is this?"
As Bai Qi was examining his body, he discovered a small wooden box inside him. When he reached out to touch it, the box suddenly opened, and several lines of text appeared before Bai Qi.
"Transmigrator has arrived."
"Dimension Salvation System has finished loading."
"Wishing the transmigrator a pleasant journey."
As expected, as a transmigrator, he at least had a system cheat. But why did he, a villain, have a salvation system? It seemed completely unrelated to him.
Just as Bai Qi was wondering, the system provided an answer.
This world was originally formed by the intertwining of righteous energy and dark energy. Righteous energy and dark energy were mutually antagonistic, yet interdependent and inseparable. Righteous energy represented immortal gods, and dark energy represented demons. The millennia-long conflict between immortal gods and demons was the struggle between righteous energy and dark energy.
Sometimes, when righteous energy prevailed, the immortal gods would defeat the demons, seal them, and drive them back to hell. Other times, when dark energy prevailed, the demons would defeat the immortal gods and establish their demon dynasties on the surface. But no matter what, gods or demons, they could never be destroyed, for they represented the good and evil, the yin and yang of the world. The world grew through this constant alternation. Sudan Novels
But then one day, a Saint named Pei Luo defeated the Fire Demon, but he did not drive it back to hell. The Saint, weary of endless battles, chose the most extreme approach. He sealed the demon into a stone statue, and the demon's power transformed into twelve talismans scattered across the world.
This way, the demon would remain on the surface, and no more powerful demons would succeed it, allowing righteous energy to remain dominant.
Thus, the war between gods and demons seemed to have ended, but was this what the world wanted?
If the world were likened to a person, righteous energy would be daytime. If righteous energy remained dominant for too long, it would be as if daytime never ended, and the dark energy representing night would never arrive. The world would enter a state of stagnation, and over time, it would fall into a sub-optimal state and continuously weaken. This was manifested in the fact that in ancient times there were various kinds of magic, but in modern times, mages were rare. This was a sign of the world's decline.
If this situation were not improved, the ultimate outcome would be the destruction of the world.
Therefore, Bai Qi was transmigrated into this world, representing the Holy Lord, representing the demons, and carrying the banner of the dark energy's counterattack.
Uh... How should Bai Qi put it? It was quite sudden. The wicked demons had become the world's saviors, while the protagonists, who seemed to be saving the world, were actually the ones destroying it.
Of course, it was too early to talk about this now. Bai Qi's current situation was not enough for him to carry this banner.
Righteous energy's prolonged dominance had kept dark energy in a slump. If we were to rate it on a scale of ten, righteous energy would occupy nine, and dark energy only a tiny bit. Coupled with the theory of yin and yang intertwined, even if Bai Qi wanted to launch a counterattack against righteous energy now, the protagonist's family, representing righteous energy, would jump out to stop him. With the added power of ninety percent righteous energy, Bai Qi's fate would only be failure.
Therefore, Bai Qi did not rush headlong into battle with the protagonists. If one looked at the Holy Lord and the great demons in the original plot, their failures were the result of rushing headlong into action.
Thus, Bai Qi had to be cautious, accumulating strength in secret, and increasing the bargaining chips on the side of dark energy. Even if it wasn't a fifty-fifty balance, it had to be at least a forty-sixty split before he could have a chance of winning.
Of course, as a system, it wouldn't be right to not have some underhanded tactics. Bai Qi's system, however weak, was still a system.
Open panel.
[Bai Qi]
Identity: Fire Demon (Sealed)
Race: Dragon
Lottery Chances: 3
That's right, Bai Qi's system was a lottery system. Completing the main quests and side quests issued by the system would earn lottery chances. As a beginner's gift package, Bai Qi received three lottery chances.
Draw! Draw! Draw!
Bai Qi decisively used his three lottery chances.
[Talisman Tracker]
[Alternate King Cobra Watch]
[Rem Figure]
Good heavens, Bai Qi, you're really something. The system was really stingy. The Talisman Tracker was originally something in the Holy Lord's possession. Now, with a slight modification, the system gave it to Bai Qi through a lottery. What kind of move was this? Reverse freebie?
And the Rem figure, he wasn't an otaku, what good would a figure do him? He didn't even have the Rat Talisman in his possession.
After this round, except for the Alternate King Cobra Watch, which had some use, the rest were freebies.
Unfortunately, the system did not support returns, so Bai Qi could only grit his teeth and accept it. He then opened the main quest.
Main Quest 1: Collect the Twelve Talismans
Description: As a dignified Fire Demon, Demon Sorcerer, Emperor of Asia, and one of the Eight Great Demons, how could he tolerate his power being coveted by others? Find the talismans scattered across the world and complete his revival at the chime of the New Year's bell. Note that you only have one year. If you miss it, you'll have to wait another nine hundred years.
Reward: 3 Lottery Chances
More lottery chances. Bai Qi was getting tired of this scam lottery system. However, collecting the talismans to revive was indeed his current primary goal. As for the lottery, it could be considered an added bonus.