Bard?
Seeing the Adventurer Background for this round of Simulated Life, Green froze for a while before finally reacting.
“First it was Paladin, second time a Spellcaster, and now I end up as a Bard?”
Paladin is a melee class; Spellcaster, of course, is an extension of the magical arts. As for Bard…
“To put it nicely, it’s a hybrid class. Less charitably, it’s someone who knows a bit of everything but isn’t really specialized in anything.”
That’s the true plight of the Bard profession in reality.
If the job Green initially wanted to transfer to, Scholar, was at least a very useful support class—even if it wasn’t strong in direct combat—then Bard, in most people’s eyes, was nearly useless, a cumbersome burden.
Yet, for all its many drawbacks, there were just as many people choosing to become Bards as any of the popular professions. As for why…
“If you go ask any young person on the street who doesn’t have strong abilities but still dreams of being a professional adventurer what class they’d like to switch to, the standard answer is Bard.”
Yes, Bards have countless flaws, but the profession has a unique advantage—
It levels up quickly and has easy class requirements.
In fact, if you visit any Adventurer’s Guild branch, you’ll find the place packed with Bards who can’t get any job requests.
After all, when it comes to combat missions, Bards know a little swordplay, but to real Swordsmen, it’s barely worth mentioning.
For magic, rather than relying on a Bard’s unreliable spells, it’s better to pay extra and hire a Mage—who even comes with the additional supervision and guarantee of the Mage Council.
So in the end, the commissions Bards actually receive are almost always low-level or outright tedious tasks.
Like searching for lost pets, collecting materials, gathering information—menial chores of that sort.
“But still…”
Looking at the downright dreadful background template, there wasn’t a trace of worry on Green’s face.
“Maybe in the real world, my body’s still cursed by that soul affliction and I can’t fight at full strength, but here in Simulated Life…”
Green patted his chest, full of confidence as he said, “I’m a bona fide dual-legend class holder!”
Buzz—
No sooner had he finished speaking than the Adventurer’s Log continued to flash with light.
“Mission One: Compose an epic you have personally experienced. The more involved you are in the epic, the richer the reward.”
“Mission Two: Raise your Bard class level. The higher the level, the greater the reward.”
“Mission Three: Assist the Exiled Princess Teresa in claiming the Imperial Throne.”
“Imperial Throne?” At the mention of the Empire, Green’s first thought was that famed nation that had, in just over a decade, conquered several kingdoms in a row and now watched the Kingdom hungrily.
“But surely that’s just a coincidence?”
Green stroked his chin. “That Empress’s name is Angelica, which has nothing whatsoever to do with the name Teresa.”
“Besides, I’ve never heard that iron-blooded Empress was ever exiled…”
The personal history of the Empress—who now dominates the continent and exudes an aura of swallowing mountains and rivers—has long since been discussed to death.
Though a woman, she inherited the Empire’s noblest and most sacred lineage—True Dragon Blood. Gifted from birth, the Empress was always the late Emperor’s most beloved child.
To clear the path for his precious daughter, the Emperor didn’t hesitate to depose several princes who were ahead in the line of succession—even poisoning the most troublesome challengers.
“Maybe it’s some parallel world?”
Green’s eyes lit up. “In that case, maybe I can use the Empress’s life as inspiration for this mission—crafting an epic from firsthand experience? What could be more dramatic than an Exiled Princess making a comeback?”
As a transmigrator, Green knew well that “contrast” was a powerful draw.
From a beggar on the street to the world’s richest, from useless trash to the best under the heavens.
“Special Reward: In this simulation, the Adventurer has three chances to activate the Elect-type mode (God of Justice).”
“Phew…”
Seeing that “Special Reward,” Green felt as if he’d been doused in cold water. The excitement faded, replaced by a deep chill that reached the bone.
Elect-type mode?
Yes, that was certainly a good thing.
But…
“Why the sudden generosity?”
Green certainly wouldn’t say, “Of course, it’s because this is the last simulation before healing the soul curse, and it’ll be especially easy.” Quite the contrary, a reward like this could only mean one thing.
“This mission—helping the Exiled Princess to claim the throne—is far more dangerous than it appears.”
Green raised his eyebrows slightly and clicked his tongue, but there was not a hint of fear in his eyes.
“But I’ve got nothing to be afraid of.”
He’d already gone toe-to-toe with the abominations beyond the stars—what could possibly scare him now?
Well, at least in Simulated Life.
Shff—
Opening his eyes again, Green now found himself in a bustling, old tavern.
Clatter, clamor!
The roar of voices pulled him straight into the Simulated Life. From the old, flickering oil lamps overhead, droplets of kerosene fell with a steady drip.
Barmaids in black and white aprons, arms full of wheat ale and faces bright with eager smiles, nimbly dodged spills and hurried back and forth through the noisy crowd.
Flushed faces shouted everywhere, hands clutching playing cards, but their sidelong glances kept stealing looks at the white thighs of passing barmaids.
Travelers cloaked and road-weary, about to dig into steaming sausage and thick soup, the hard life of the wanderer written all over them.
“So, Mr. Green.”
Behind the bar, a short, portly man with shrewd, slitted eyes and thick fingers heavy with golden rings interrupted the bard’s study of human nature.
“Are you satisfied with this payment?”
Payment?
Green, who was sorting through the memories emerging in his mind, snorted in response, “Weren’t you planning not to pay me anything for this commission?”
Ding…
Lightly stroking the harp in his hands, Green plucked a low note from the strings.
“Payment?” As if hearing a joke, the Drunkard Boss threw back his head, his hooked nose twitching, and his already fat face scrunched up even tighter.
“Green, come on, don’t kid around. We all know each other here. Who doesn’t know the real value of your so-called profession?”
The Drunkard Boss expertly spread open the ledger, yawned, and said, “You should count yourself lucky if I waive your room and board for the week.”
“If your stories weren’t at least a little interesting—ha! Do you really think this tavern would miss a single bard?”
Green simply smiled, neither agreeing nor refusing the commission.
“On that note, why don’t you listen to the story I’m about to tell?”
He looked at the lively crowd, full of unshakable confidence.
“I promise, the story I’m about to tell—no one here has ever heard before.”
The Drunkard Boss silently closed the ledger and shrugged indifferently. “Fine, I’ll be watching.”
Green strode onto the center stage, but didn’t start playing right away, instead quietly listening to the crowd’s chatter.
“Hey, did you hear? We’ve got a noble guest in town.”
“You mean that Princess, right? Tch, our Majesty is really ruthless, exiling the Seventh Princess just like that?”
“That’s odd. My old man always said His Majesty doted on the Seventh Princess the most. She looks just like the love of his life…”
“What’s so odd about it? In the face of the royal bloodline, personal feelings take a back seat. How could a low-ranked noble’s daughter ever deserve the crown of the True Dragon Blood? Besides, didn’t His Majesty make her something… Oh, Fortress Commander?”
“Tsk tsk, putting a girl not even sixteen in charge of a Fortress? Sounds like a joke to me.”
Hahaha!
The air around the tables was filled with cheerful laughter.
As expected.
Green nodded quietly to himself.
Looks like the main character of this Simulated Life is about to enter the stage?
True Dragon Blood. Exiled Princess…
Green already knew what story he was going to tell.
Bang.
Just then, the tavern doors were pushed open with force, and a stunning young woman with a numb expression walked straight to the corner, dragging a chair over without a word.
“Wow, where’d that beauty come from?” A burly man, half drunk, brightened up at the sight and made to approach her.
“Hey, are you crazy?” His more sober companion quickly held him back. “Look at her eyes—she’s nobility!”
Eyes?
The burly man rubbed his eyes and saw the beauty had violet eyes.
Hiss—Dragon blood?!
It was said that in the Empire’s rigid caste system, you could tell a person’s rank just by looking at their eyes.
And at the very top was the sacred bloodline of the True Dragon Blood—those with violet eyes.
Could it be that she was…
A shudder ran through everyone present. A sense of foreboding welled up in their hearts.
Even exiled, royalty was still royalty.
And besides, even if her Fortress Commander title was just for show, she was not someone mere commoners could provoke.
We’re done for!
“Hm?” The stunning young woman seemed completely unaware of the change in everyone’s expressions. Her flawless face showed nothing but deep fatigue and a cold, deathly indifference.
“Why aren’t you playing?” Those star-bright violet eyes stared straight at Green, who held the harp.
“What story are you performing today?”
It was as if she was asking the sweating Drunkard Boss, or perhaps speaking to herself. The Exiled Princess’s enchanting voice echoed through the large tavern.
Where the mood had once been lively, now not a sound could be heard.
No one dared to answer.
No one wanted to risk angering royalty, even with a seemingly casual question.
No one—except one person.
Ding ding～
A melodious tune rang out, brisk yet tinged with sorrow. The music soothed everyone’s tense nerves.
“This guest,” Green replied with a beaming smile, “today’s story is… ‘Caged Bird.’”