The story of the black silk female knight

"Not only that, but receiving the guaranteed minimum also proves that you, Ms. Valencia, have become a member... I will issue you a membership certificate later and explain the upgraded services you can enjoy as a member."

"Membership?"

Valensa raised an eyebrow:

"I've never heard of this before. Is it only possible to become a member after receiving a guaranteed minimum payment? Is it some kind of test here?"

"You could think of it that way."

The shop owner did not deny it:

"There are countless transmigrators in the endless void and countless worlds, and you, Miss Valensa, are certainly not the only customer of the [Dimensional Hardware Store]. But not all customers can get the big guaranteed prize like you, because not every transmigrator's journey to another world is smooth sailing."

"I see... Well, whatever."

Valensa quickly shrugged:

"Anyway, I'm not very interested in fighting for power and profit. I just want to be free and comfortable... Compared to so-called membership benefits, I'm more interested in the guaranteed minimum income right now."

"Don't worry, you won't be disappointed."

The shop owner smiled and said:

"Our shop has been operating in the endless void for tens of thousands of years. We guarantee honesty and integrity, and every golden legendary item will greatly improve our customers' lives and combat experience."

"I hope so..."

As Valensa spoke, she finally couldn't resist reaching out her delicate white hand and tearing open the first blind box.

The box only lit up with a blue light when it was opened, and a card lay quietly inside.

"Another enhancement card..."

Valensa wasn't too surprised. She skillfully took out the card and placed it together with the other dozen or so enhancement cards in her magic pouch at her waist.

"This thing is definitely a treasure in the early stages, as it can directly improve physical fitness, but... am I really no longer able to strengthen it?"

As she spoke, she blinked and looked at the shop owner with a longing expression.

"I'm sorry, Miss Valensa."

Unfortunately, the shop owner is just a machine and won't be fooled by the cute girl's antics.

"Your current physical attributes have been enhanced to their maximum limit. You will not be able to continue using enhancement cards until you obtain new internal energy or further activate your body's potential."

However, you can store these enhancement cards for now. Later, when you activate new physical potential, you can use them all at once to dramatically increase your strength.

"...Of course I understand that principle, but it's not that easy."

Valensa gave a wry smile:

"It's strange, really. People from the Baldr family are born with the power of light, so why can't I feel any power of light at all? I also have absolutely no magical talent... Sigh."

She muttered to herself, somewhat frustrated, yet even more eager for a guaranteed minimum return.

The next three blind boxes were quickly torn open, and unsurprisingly, there were no surprises; they were all blue and white quality items that Valensa was very familiar with.

One of the blue-quality multi-functional makeup boxes was somewhat useful, but the other two could only be sold at a loss to recoup some of the money.

Finally, only one blind box remained.

Valensa swallowed hard again before carefully tearing open the blind box.

Wow, it really is a golden glow! So dazzling! I love it!

The dazzling and mesmerizing light finally calmed Valensa's nerves. Without further hesitation, she opened the blind box completely in one go.

The golden light was still dazzling, but there were no divine weapons or secret manuals in the box, only a transparent piece of paper that looked like a cheap sticker, with a golden rune on it.

"this is……?"

Valensa held the sticker in her hand and looked at the shop owner.

"Congratulations, Miss Valensa, you are very lucky."

The shop owner smiled and said:

"This is a divine rune, which allows you to wield divine power as a mortal. As for the specific type of your divine rune... well, it's the Third Law of Mechanics, from a great goddess named Alice Newton."

Chapter 5 Stickers and Leg Rings

"...The divine right of mechanics? The Third Law? Alice Newton? A goddess???"

The statement just now contained so much information and so many points to criticize that Valensa was speechless for a moment.

Fortunately, she herself was a transmigrator and had already witnessed the wonders of the [Dimensional Hardware Store], knowing that there were many similar human worlds in the endless void, and that this Newton and that Newton were most likely identical.

In ancient Chinese legends, cultivators could ascend to heaven in broad daylight after attaining enlightenment. So, it seems quite normal for a great scientist to become a goddess by comprehending the truth, right?

Valensa managed to piece together a logic she could understand, then shook her head to stop thinking about it and focused all her attention on the glittering golden rune:

"Divine runes... what exactly are they? How do you use them?"

"Divine runes... Simply put, they are a way for gods to bestow power."

The shop owner's large, square-shaped head blinked a few times as he explained:

"As a transmigrator, you must have seen those holy marks in many anime and manga works, right? They are special marks that gods bestow on believers, allowing them to use their own power."

Divine runes are essentially similar to stigmata, except that they can be used without faith... If stigmata are the exclusive weapons of devout believers, then divine runes are universal weapons.

As for how to use it, it's very simple... You can probably tell that this thing looks a lot like a sticker, right? Actually, it's used just like a sticker; you just find a part of your body you like and stick it on.

After that, you will suddenly gain divine powers, just like learning a new skill in a game.

This ability is generally closely related to your own strength. As you become stronger, the intensity of your divine power, the number of times it can be activated consecutively, and its cooldown time will also change.

"Can you gain a new, evolving skill by sticking it to your body?"

Valensa immediately understood and enthusiastically held up the stickers all over her body.

She tried it on her forehead first, then immediately shook her head in disapproval, saying it was too ugly.

Placing it in the chest area... that's not quite right either, it's too developed, there's not enough space.

Next, she looked at her flat stomach. This time it seemed fine, but Valensa felt it would be strange to put her hand on it there, so she didn't proceed.

Finally, she stretched out a leg encased in black stockings and looked at it for a moment before making a decision.

But before actually taking action, she asked one more question:

"Is it really okay to just stick it to your body? What if someone tears it off and steals it?"

"It's currently unclaimed and could be stolen. You could also sell it."

The shop owner replied:

"But once you've used it, it will be bound to your soul. Unless the thief's strength surpasses that of the Goddess of Power herself, there's no way to take it from you."

"I see... Then I'm relieved. There's no need to hide it anymore... Those super strong individuals whose strength has already surpassed that of a goddess probably wouldn't even look at these mere divine runes, right?"

Valensa chuckled softly, then, without further ado, slapped the divine rune onto her leg.

"Mmm~~".

She felt a heat and a tingling sensation in her leg, and the divine rune sticker turned into golden light, slowly seeping into her skin like liquid, leaving only a beautiful golden mark.

At the same time, a stream of information appeared in Valensa's mind, letting her know about the relevant information regarding her new ability.

The divine right, the third law: forces act in unison.

Once activated, it can cause the enemy to suffer the exact same attack. The cooldown time is one natural day.

"Is this ability... a damage reflection shield that only lasts once a day?"

Valensa had a rough idea of ​​how effective her new skill would be, but she would have to test it out later to find out the specifics.

She looked again at the leg where the divine runes were, and then, as if guided by instinct, she made the divine runes appear on the surface of the black stockings, making them look like decorative patterns.

"Hmm~~".

Valensa was quite satisfied with the form of the divine rune, and she even couldn't help but make a few sword-wielding poses.

A short skirt and black stockings with gold patterns... If I were to tie my hair in pigtails and dye it purple, I could cosplay as that famous offal chef... oh wait, I mean Lord Yuheng Star, right?

"It seems you have already grasped the basics of using divine runes. Congratulations."

Valensa was happily posing when a mechanical arm suddenly appeared in front of her; the shop owner had taken out another small box.

“…What is this?”

Valensa took the small box but didn't open it immediately; she simply raised an eyebrow.

"This is your membership certificate."

The shop owner replied:

"It doesn't have a fixed shape; what it looks like depends entirely on your perspective... We suggest that when you open the box, you imagine it as something easy to wear."

Once you've put it on, I'll explain the new features you'll unlock as a member.

"Is it designed for easy wearing...?"

Valensa hesitated for a moment.

She is not only a female knight who needs to fight, but also a noble lady who needs to socialize.

Wearing your membership certificate as a necklace, earrings, or other jewelry, and wearing the same style for a long time, could easily lead to ridicule.

Therefore, it is best to choose an accessory that does not need to be seen by outsiders.

"Then let's get leg rings."

Valensa made her decision and opened the box without hesitation.

This time, there was no dazzling golden light. The moment the box was opened, the membership certificate that the shop owner had mentioned had already turned into a silver leg ring lying in the center of the box.

Valensa picked up the leg ring and first held it up on her right leg, which had no divine runes, before putting it on. It was the perfect size and fit her perfectly.

"This is……?"

At the same time, Valensa found that there were suddenly many more things in front of her, a data interface that looked a bit like an AR game.

"This is your membership certificate, and it also serves as our service terminal."

The shop owner explained in a timely manner:

"See that number in the bottom right corner? It should be 0. That shows your remaining blind box draws. And see the small map in the top left corner? That's the navigation function, which will guide you to the nearest store entrance."

"The nearest entrance?"

Valensa couldn't help but chime in:

Do you have many more entrances here?

"Of course."

The shop owner chuckled softly in an electronic voice:

"There can't possibly be just one entrance to this store... Theoretically, in any human settlement with a total population of over 500, there should be a way to enter this store."

However, this method is usually quite covert, and even for a transmigrator like yourself who has the qualifications to enter, some luck is often still required to get in.

Chapter 6 A New Way to Become Stronger

"You mean... there must be an entrance in the capital as well, right?"

After receiving an affirmative reply from the shop owner, Valensa couldn't help but click her tongue.

If only she had known this earlier, she would have spent more time in the capital when she was a child... Back then, she was a countess with plenty of pocket money, and it would have been easy for her to spend money to get several guaranteed high-tier items.

Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs" in life, and Valensa could only indulge in a fleeting fantasy before setting it aside.

She soon had a new problem:

"I understand the navigation function that shows the most recent entry, but what's with the function that records the remaining number of draws? I'm going to bring my coins to the store to draw anyway, so what's the point of this function?"

Or has your service finally been upgraded, allowing me to draw resources anytime, anywhere through this terminal, just like those system owners in novels?

“This… I’m sorry, Miss Valensa.”

The shop owner's blocky monitor head flickered with a rather regretful expression:

"We're just a slightly special hardware store, not the kind of system you find in novels. We don't have that kind of 'anytime, anywhere' service function. No matter how many gold coins or draws you've accumulated, you have to come to our store in person to draw."