Chapter 3: Chapter 3:Alibaba and the Forty Thieves
In the wilderness, a gentle breeze stirred the leaves, and small animals darted through the jungle.
Suddenly, a fierce wind roared through the area, scaring the creatures into frenzied leaps.
Moments later, a dark and ominous black hole formed, its void-like appearance seemingly capable of devouring everything around it.
After a while, click, click… clear footsteps came from it, and soon a figure walked out. He was more than 1.8 meters tall, wearing a wide robe, but it could not hide the strong and powerful body under the robe.Beneath the robe, faint glimpses of tactical gear hinted at a more modern origin.
Rock had carefully chosen his attire. The world of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves was set in ancient times, so modern tactical clothing would have been too conspicuous. Instead, he donned a robe that, while not perfectly aligned with the era, was inconspicuous enough to avoid arousing suspicion from the "locals."
Looking around, Rock took a deep breath and said with a slight smile, "The air here is much fresher than in the modern world."
As he spoke, a translucent light curtain materialized before him, displaying new information:
[Current world: Alibaba and the Forty Thieves
Alienation degree: None
World strategy degree: 0%
Strategy mission:
①: Kill forty thieves. Each kill will earn you 2% of the strategy progress. Currently killed (0/40)
②: Become friends with Alibaba and get 10% of the strategy progress
③: Kill Alibaba to get 10% of the strategy progress
④: Kill Cassim to get 10 strategy progress.
(PS: When the strategy progress reaches 100%, you can get the sovereignty of this world.)]
Rock stroked his chin. The four tasks, the total progress has exceeded 100%, which means that you don't need to complete all the tasks, you can freely choose tasks according to your mood, which is quite humane.
In addition, 100% of the world sovereignty can be obtained? Is it to become the master of this world? Or to become a king?
The meanings of the two are completely different. The latter is to become a ruler, while the former is to become a kind of existence similar to the dimensional demons, with absolute control over the entire world.
Shaking his head, Rock decided there was no point in overthinking. He would understand it when the time came.
"For now, let's find Ali Baba."
Though Rock had the tools and skills to face the Forty Thieves head-on, it would involve significant risk. There were forty thieves, not just forty chickens.
In comparison, there is actually a simpler way.
Find Alibaba, the protagonist, and let Alibaba and the forty thieves face off.
Wouldn't it be nice to reap the benefits with minimal effort?
It is not difficult to find Alibaba, because Alibaba is a"celebrity".The two brothers, the poor Alibaba and the wealthy Cassim, have always been a topic of discussion.
Not long after, Rock changed into a tattered robe, came to the outside of Alibaba's residence, and sat down casually.
After a short wait, the door creaked open, and Ali Baba emerged. Though his clothes were not ragged, they were clearly old and worn.
"Kind sir," Rock called out, feigning humility, "could you spare some food for a poor traveler?"
Alibaba frowned. His life was already extremely poor, and he was reluctant to give food to others.
However, he subconsciously looked in the direction of the voice and was stunned for a moment.
The man who asked him for food, although wearing extremely shabby clothes,looked very handsome and heroic,especially his eyes.Although he was not well educated, but he felt vaguely that it was not the eyes of an ordinary person, and was completely different from those of the real poor people like them.
In an instant, the ancient stories emerged in his mind, the tests of ancient sages, the temptations of devils, and so on.
Alibaba was not lacking in cleverness.After a moment's hesitation,he retreated into his house and returned with a piece of coarse grain cake, that his family was reluctant to eat. Plastering a forced smile on his face, he extended the food to Rock
"Here, please eat. I happen to have some surplus food at home."
Rock took the food, took a small bite, and frowned. The taste was indeed a bit unpalatable.
However, his frown made Alibaba breathe heavily.
This kind of food cake was already a very delicious food for someone like him, but this person seemed to be unable to accept it. It was very likely that he was really an important person, or even a noble who ate meat every day.
Opportunity, this is my opportunity!
Rock chewed the food cake bite by bite. It took him several minutes to finish a piece of cake that was not even as big as a palm.
After eating the cake, Rock looked at Alibaba.
"Good Samaritan, your kindness should be rewarded"
"I can give you two rewards now, you can choose one."
Alibaba's face suddenly showed excitement, as expected, this is my chance!
"Please, tell me!"
"The first option," Rock began, "is a skill I can teach you. With it, you can gradually improve your life and become a wealthy commoner."
Alibaba was delighted at first, but soon frowned. Getting a skill and becoming a wealthy civilian was certainly a joyous thing, but it was not enough. This was very different from what he had imagined. This person seemed a little too stingy.
Seeing his hesitation, Rock continued, "If that does not satisfy you, then hear my second offer. Legend speaks of a group of villains known as the Forty Thieves,they had a huge amount of treasure like a mountain, hidden in a secret location. The entrance to this treasure can only be opened with a magical password."
The more Alibaba listened, the brighter his eyes became, the rich treasure like a mountain, how much treasure it was, it was beyond his imagination
"Please tell me the password."
Rock smiled and shook his head:"That, you must discover for yourself."
"Go to the forest, there are the answers you want."Said Rock as he stood up and slowly left.
Behind him, Alibaba's eyes kept changing. Soon, he gritted his teeth, turned around, rode his donkey, and rushed towards the forest.
At this time, on a big tree, Rock held a telescope, overlooking Alibaba's location, with a smile on his lips.
"Ali Baba, the so-called 'good man' of the story," he muttered. "But how good is he really?"
In the tale, Ali Baba discovers the thieves' lair but doesn't flee; instead, he dares to investigate further
Moreover, there is another interesting thing. After Alibaba became rich, the first thing he did was to let his wife take luxurious jewelry to his brother's house who had always been doing better than him.Then, he was interrogated by his brother Cassim, and Cassim also knew the secret of the treasure. In the end, he was killed by the robbers because he forgot the password to open the door.
So, the question is: why did he send his wife to his brother's house in the first place? As the younger brother, how could he not be aware of his brother's character?
Furthermore, there are indeed two passwords: "Open Sesame" and "Close Sesame," differing by just one word. How could he simply forget it? Could it be that Ali Baba only told his brother only one of the passwords on purpose?
When you think about it carefully, many things seem rather suspicious.