My Years in the Folklore World

Chapter 1 The World of Folk Customs

Chapter 1 The World of Folk Customs
In April, the weather in the north has gradually become warmer.

Taiping Lane in the south of the city.

There was nothing to do this morning, but Jiang Xinghuo was not idle either. He was chatting with someone on WeChat in the store. The other party was a well-known fan painting inheritor.

During his free time at university, Jiang Xinghuo opened this small folk shop with a few classmates as a way to make money besides studying.

It's not big, but the house is an old house left by the family in the early years. There is not much capital except water and electricity, and most of the things sold are handicrafts, such as rabbit dolls, tiger-head shoes, cloth tigers, tumblers, and some clay figurines and puppets.

After graduating from college, several partners went their separate ways, leaving him alone to run the store.

After two years, he had managed to make the shop successful, and as it was located on a commercial street, his monthly income was considerable.

A few days ago, through a friend's introduction, he met a fan painting inheritor and thought about adding some new things to his store.

Maybe because both parties had a more Buddhist mentality, the chat was very relaxed, without any materialistic wrangling, and they quickly agreed on the relevant matters and ended the chat.

But before he put his phone down, WeChat rang twice in a row. He clicked on it and saw that it was a message from a game studio, with a link address and a string of mixed symbols and digital codes attached below.

[Folk Customs World: You have obtained the internal test qualification of "Folk Customs World". Please download the game within 24 hours and enter the activation code to log in. If you do not log in for more than 24 hours, you will permanently lose the game qualification. ]

During the New Year holidays, Jiang Xinghuo had nothing to do and was browsing the gaming platform. He happened to see this game and casually applied for an internal test qualification. He didn't take it seriously at first, but he actually got it.

Jiang Xinghuo thought he was lucky, as there were no customers at the moment, so he simply clicked on the address, downloaded and installed the game, then entered the activation code and started the game.

Lines of text appeared on the mobile phone screen. There was no exquisite picture as imagined, and there was not even background music. It was just black text on a white background, using the simplest and most ordinary way to advance the game process.

“It’s actually a word game?”

Jiang Xinghuo was a little surprised. He had played many text games like this before, but there was nothing new in them. They were just the same old plots with great limitations. He didn't know how this game would be.

He tapped the screen of his phone and the game text began to advance.

"You wake up in ruins."

"The fallen leaves in the distance bring you news from your hometown. In the smoke of dawn, you remember the past you once forgot."

"Long ago, this world was ruled by the ancient Lord of the Mundane World."

"Your ancestors were unwilling to be oppressed by them and wanted to overthrow that old era. Unfortunately, they failed in the end. Their souls and blood were tainted by the blasphemous power and they were exiled from this world."

"Many years later, the ancient king fell at dawn. The glory of the old era came to an end quietly. The corrupt order was silently shattered, and the earth fell apart."

"Even the golden law that maintains the order of the world and brings happiness and blessings to all living beings was broken in the turmoil."

"Now, you have returned to this land with the expectations and hopes of your ancestors."

"Here, there are countless secrets waiting for you to explore. You will inherit the will of your ancestors, recast the broken laws, and become the pioneer of a new era."

"But this world is full of crises. You need to move forward with caution. Every decision you make may affect your future destiny in some way."

"If you are fully prepared, then walk out of here and return to the world that truly belongs to you."

"Click "Start" to continue the game."

As the text progresses, a vast worldview gradually unfolds. Although it is just a simple word game, it creates a world of gods and ghosts full of turmoil and conflict through a few fragmented text messages.

The player plays the role of a former exile who has now returned to this world with the goal of recasting the broken laws, exploring the secrets behind the world, and opening up a new era.

"start."

Jiang Xinghuo clicked the screen and the game continued.

"In the torrent of the secular world, you officially set foot on the land of your hometown."

"The vast world opens before your eyes, the blood in your body begins to boil, and ambition swells wildly in your chest."

"You remembered the instructions of your ancestors before they left." "We carry a forbidden curse and are exiles rejected by this world. Only through the relics left by our ancestors can we return to this world."

"Randomly grabbing relics..."

"Relic retrieval completed."

“You have obtained the Tathagatagarbha.”

"Tathagatagarbha (epic relic), an eyeball left behind by the Buddha after his nirvana. After fusing with one's own organs, one can obtain the Buddha's Eye, which has the ability to analyze the origin of all things and enhance one's own fortune."

"Do you want to use the Tathagatagarbha?"

"Please note that each relic will grant the host a unique talent. It will not automatically fall out of the body unless the holder dies. Otherwise, it cannot be obtained by others. Please choose carefully."

Two options, yes and no.

What is this? A newbie gift pack?

Jiang Xinghuo had played a lot of games, so he quickly understood what this so-called relic meant and chose to use it directly.

"You have merged with the Tathagatagarbha."

The game text changed, but not long after, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his right eye, as if it was melted by strong acid. It was unbearable and lasted for about ten minutes before the pain gradually disappeared.

Jiang Xinghuo opened his eyes and looked in the mirror, only to see that a pupil had grown in the center of the iris of his right eye, like a shrunken roulette wheel, embedded outside the original pupil.

what's the situation?
Jiang Xinghuo was a little surprised.

But before he could figure out what was going on, he saw his irises flashing slightly, and when he looked in the mirror again, lines of text had already appeared in his pupils.

"A plain modern mirror."

"A young man with decent physical fitness."

Ok?
Jiang Xinghuo turned his head in surprise and looked at the shelf next to him.

"A copper coin template from the Qing Dynasty."

"A well-made clay figurine."

“A complete set of shadow play props.”

"A pair of hand-sewn tiger-head shoes."

"..."

Jiang Xinghuo followed it as if he had entered a museum. Everything he saw was labeled with various labels, with general information written on it.

Hallucination?

No, that's not right...

This is not a phenomenon that can be explained by hallucination.