The system’s words opened up a whole new world of showing off for Eric Carter. If he could have the status of a top-tier celebrity combined with that of a world-class poet, he’d absolutely outshine all the pretty-boy idols, and a lot of netizens’ dislike for traffic stars would probably fade away.

Going further, there were hardly any rivals for him in the entertainment industry. From a cultural influence perspective, poets naturally outrank singers and actors.

“Bro, as expected of you, you’ve got great taste. No wonder you chose me as your host.” Eric Carter praised the system.

[Even if you praise me, it won’t increase your chances of drawing a special grand prize.] the system replied.

Eric Carter immediately answered, “Am I that kind of person?”

[Sorry, the system’s judgment says yes.] the system replied politely.

“Very good, system bro, once again you’ve proven you’re a great judge of character.” Eric Carter ended the conversation with the system and continued plotting about this new world.

Poetry, especially after the millennium, had been in decline globally. Both the world before and after his transmigration were about the same in this regard. Earth was more familiar, so he used it as an example. Eric Carter didn’t have a literary bone in his body and didn’t pay attention to the poetry scene. The only modern poem he knew in the internet age was:

“In fact, sleeping with you and being slept with by you is about the same,

It’s nothing more than the force of two bodies colliding, nothing more than the flower that force makes bloom,

Nothing more than the spring this flower imagines, making us mistakenly think life has opened up again.”

The poem is called “Traveling Across Half of China to Sleep with You,” and the reason Eric Carter knew it so well was the poet’s bold confession to Li Jian.

He didn’t know if it was the times that lacked good readers, or if the times simply couldn’t produce poets. The rest of the poem actually had a lot of depth: “Across half of China, everything is happening: volcanoes erupting, rivers drying up

Some uncared-for political prisoners and refugees

Elks and red-crowned cranes always at gunpoint...”

However, only the opening excerpt went viral online. Eric Carter was well aware of the poetry desert, but even in this environment, Tagore, Frost, Whitman, Gu Cheng, Hai Zi, Shi Zhi, and so on—if he could draw a few more famous poets from after the nineteenth century, wouldn’t he become a world-renowned poet?

“Just thinking about it makes me happy, but now’s not the time to daydream.” Eric Carter pulled himself together, luckily not letting his daydreams bring tears to his eyes.

“Being a poet is a flowery path, but I still wish I had Vitas’s talent, so I could dominate the second round of the show.”

“After all, the ceiling of dolphin notes is called Vitas.” Eric Carter kept the [World Poet] path as his Plan B.

Eric Carter muttered, “System, you have to bless me to draw the special grand prize.”

[Pray when you need something, pray when you don’t—truly worthy of being my host.] the system said.

Come to think of it, he only remembered the system when it was time for the lottery. Eric Carter immediately said, “Mainly, I know you’re usually busy, system, and it’s not convenient to bother you for nothing. If you bless me with a special grand prize this time, I’ll chat with you for five bucks’ worth even when I’ve got nothing going on.”

The system stayed silent. Eric Carter started the lottery. He had a one-in-six chance with the blind box. He opened it and got—“Stray Birds.”

Praying when you need something is useless after all. For the third time, he brushed past the grand prize. Eric Carter quickly claimed his reward; at least he’d taken a solid step toward becoming a world-class poet.

Whoosh—

After a dazzling light effect, Eric Carter received his reward. It wasn’t a physical poetry collection, but memories directly integrated into his mind, along with some insights. Eric Carter skimmed through them. Many people see things from different perspectives—that’s talent.

Ordinary people see a bustling street and sigh about the crowds or about loneliness, but Tagore would say: The road may be crowded, but it is lonely, because it is unloved.

It took about half an hour to absorb all the memories. Eric Carter sighed, “Good thing it’s Stray Birds and not ‘Fruit-Gathering.’”

The latter was one of Tagore’s later works, focusing more on India’s lower classes—completely out of place.

Stray Birds, on the other hand, is made up of short poems, just a sentence or two each. Before his transmigration, it was the top choice for artsy youth’s QQ signatures. You might not know Tagore, but you’ve definitely seen his little poems.

“If you shed tears when you miss the sun, you also miss the stars,” “The world kissed me with pain, asking me to sing in return,” “Let life be beautiful like summer flowers and death like autumn leaves”—and so on.

It was useless for the next competition, with no short-term power boost, so after thinking it over, Eric Carter went for a second blind box draw. Normally, he liked to save up money for a rainy day, but the urgency of the competition and his own lack of strength meant he couldn’t save up any personality coins at all.

The second prize pool was as follows:

【Voice of Despair】

【Curio: Immortal Throat Lozenges】

【“Plain Face” Gift Pack】

【“Light Years Away” Gift Pack】

【“Practicing Love” Gift Pack】

【Special Grand Prize: Beethoven’s Compositional Talent】

The curio item was probably something that could counteract the effects of smoking. Eric Carter suddenly thought, if he drew this curio and found a way to replicate it, even if it only had fifty percent of the effect, could he monopolize the market?

He chose a blind box, opened it, and a white light flashed—Voice of Despair.