Unlike the prompts from the Eye of Destiny, these buttons were real, interactive objects that appeared within the scene, not directly in his eyes.
Interesting.
Shi Ming tapped "Agree."
A sandbox-like battlefield was set up. Twenty-five tin soldiers were the defenders. Another twenty-five blue tin soldiers airdropped onto the sandbox as the attackers, and the two teams began to fight.
The game was played for five rounds.
Four losses out of five.
Shi Ming discovered that in every round, the losing side would have one tin soldier scrapped—in other words, killed. But because there was a tin soldier with a broken leg on his side, their battles inevitably ended in defeat. Their only victory had come in the first round, when the soldiers’ morale was high, barely overcoming their disadvantage in strength.
"Commander, we’re losing so badly! Let’s not play anymore!"
"Alright. We’ll play again next time."
That night.
The Queen, dressed in velvet, came to her precious son’s bedchamber once again.
"Oh, four of them are broken!"
"A great commander cannot lose his army. If your army is wiped out, the commander cannot survive either. Child, let me see... It’s this broken soldier who’s dragging you down. An army can’t have such a weak link. You can make a wish and have a craftsman reforge him into a beautiful maiden."
"Adding a beautiful maiden will surely be a great boost to the army’s morale."
Two buttons appeared before Shi Ming.
Make a Wish. Do Not Wish.
He shook his head.
’Are you kidding me? A beautiful maiden in the army?’
’It’s not like she’d have magic immunity!’
"Child, your army only has 21 tin soldiers left, while the enemy still has 24. In just five days, all your soldiers will be killed in battle. And what do you think happens to a commander who has lost all his soldiers?"
Shi Ming shook his head firmly.
The Queen left the bedchamber, disappointed. She muttered to herself as she walked, ’My child is not a good commander.’
She was so lost in her melancholy that she didn’t notice a bug from the carpet crawl up her magnificent velvet robe and disappear inside.
「The next day.」
"How was your leg injured?"
"In the war before last, Commander."
"So you’re a veteran?"
"Yes, Commander."
Shi Ming smiled.
"Would you be willing to become the field commander, lead my army, and achieve our next victory?"
"Your wish is my command, Commander."
Time in the bedchamber passed very quickly.
A month went by in the blink of an eye. Under the new field commander’s leadership, Shi Ming’s army cut through the blue tin soldiers, the orange tin soldiers, the purple tin soldiers... without a single loss.
During this time, the beautiful Queen never visited again.
「Until one day.」
"Child, look what I’ve brought you!"
"A real crown!"
"Stop indulging in these war games. All you have to do is wish to wear it, and you can effortlessly become the King of this country! You’ll win all the games without lifting a finger! Those damnable tin soldiers are not what you should be obsessed with right now!"
The Queen coaxed him persuasively.
Two buttons appeared before Shi Ming once again.
One was dazzling and brilliant, the other a dull, drab gray.
[Wish to become the King, abandon the tin soldiers, and obtain the crown, glory, wealth, and power.]
[Do Not Wish.]
Shi Ming clicked the second button.
A flicker of annoyance showed in the Queen’s eyes.
"You’ve rejected my wishes one after another. You disappoint me so."
The Queen’s emotions fluctuated.
The parasite seized this as an opening, finding the flaw it was looking for.
Shi Ming didn’t rush to attack. He began to gather the tin soldiers from the sandbox, his voice perfectly calm:
"You’re the one who has disappointed me! And so has your game! I thought you’d at least whip out a AAA masterpiece like *Genshin Impact*, but the truth is, you have zero talent for storytelling or game design. Your wishes have no appeal whatsoever. Even the designers of the 10th Anniversary Edition of *Legends of the Three Kingdoms* are ten thousand times more competent than you."
The Queen was stunned:
"What are you talking about? Aren’t you my dearest Little Stone? You’re still lucid?!"
Shi Ming put away the last tin soldier,
and closed the lid of the box.
"Power, wealth, women... The allure of such things can’t compare to the thrill of a good fight. Besides, your Spiritual Power isn’t strong enough to make me buy into the role."
"The game is over, little bug."
"Let’s have a real fight!"