The dark, walnut-grained wooden door stood quietly before him.
Edgar Jin Christie stared at the newly nailed thin iron sheet, which made the door look as if its eyes had been covered.
He wondered if he had the right room.
“Coming.” Inside the room, Yang Zicang, who had been lying face down on the bed picking up a pillow from the floor on the other side, heard the knocking at the door. He pushed himself up from the bed edge, flipped over, and dashed to the door, which he opened with a loud click.
Little Suansuan, swift in her movements, followed Yang Zicang’s figure and flew to the threshold of the entryway.
At the doorway, Kim Kleist, dressed in a short-sleeved red robe, glanced at the strangely flying little adorable creature. The faint smile that had been lingering on his face gradually turned solemn, with a hint of seriousness.
“I apologize, Mr. Buchen. I’ve always wanted to find an opportunity to share something with you alone. “
“Why have you started with ‘Mr.’ and all that? “
“Hehe. “
Yang Zicang poked his head out from inside the door frame, glanced at the quiet corridor outside, and then said to this young member of the Hellfire Sect, who was about the same height as himself:
“What do you want to talk to me about alone? Is it related to those metal vines on the ground? “
“Yes, it is. ” Kim Kleist nodded. “Sorry, Buchen. I’m afraid that someone might immediately spread this news, leading to unforeseen consequences, so I haven’t dared tell anyone. “
Sensing something, Yang Zicang stepped aside, pushing the already open door further against the wall to keep it wide open.
“Come on in first. “
“Mm. ” As Kim Kleist stepped into the room, another ball of light suddenly rushed over from the corridor, turning into a small figure as it entered.
Two small journalists, one black and one silver, surrounded by hazy balls of light, floated above the two of them, watching the young men whisper as they walked inside.
Yang Zicang pulled over a chair that had been casually tossed aside by the wall in the room.
“Please, have a seat. This room was previously occupied by someone else, so it’s a bit messy. “
“It doesn’t matter, Classmate Buchen. Ah, please allow me to continue calling you that. Ever since you left, everyone talks about you almost every day, along with the miraculous things that happened in the village back then. “
Kleest stood beside the chair and spoke with a politeness he had never shown before.
“I realize now that you’ve brought everyone over to Heivenzke. To be honest, my feelings were beyond words when I saw Milena and the others yesterday. “
“This is also a challenge for me. Fortunately, some friends here support this as well. “
“Yes, ” the man in the red robe said, his tone heavy with disappointment at that moment.
“But I’m worried that this kind of life will probably end very soon. Really, I don’t know if telling you this is a mistake. But among all the Fogfolk I know, Buchen, you‘re the only one I truly believe is helping us from the heart.“
Yang Zicang wanted to force a fake smile. Amid the faint, mumbled whispers of doubt from the two young reporters, he pondered for a moment and said,
“Go ahead. Tell me what’s made you so pessimistic.“
“It’s about the animals behaving abnormally.“
Kim Christ’s words confirmed for Yang Zicang that, during this midnight gathering of the Hellfire Sect elders, they likely hadn’t detected the real reason behind the abnormal animal migration.
Yang Zicang glanced at the young man before him.
So he already knew. Yes, this was a very clever young man—also a well-seasoned traveler who had journeyed through many countries and regions.
With Ulysses, a biologist specializing in birds and fish, traveling alongside him, Christ, drawing from his own experiences, had probably sensed the unsettling truth from those inexplicable bird migrations.
Inside his coat pocket, Yang Zicang’s hand brushed against the jagged edge of the key, thinking to himself. He wondered if the man before him could handle the impact this key would bring.
“Let’s hear it,” Yang Zicang said, choosing to wait a little longer.
“I’ve been worried about this for days now.“
Kim Christ shifted his weight, pacing as he spoke, his expression contemplative.
“Last night during our discussion, everyone sensed that lighting the campfire could communicate with the demon of the End buried underground, thus securing the safety of humanity. “
The two little elf reporters exchanged a glance, then lightly tapped their notebooks with the tips of their pens.
“Although many felt excitement at the prospect of overcoming the crisis, I believe this line of thinking is mistaken. “
“Mistaken, and why is that? “
“Because another scenario we thought could avert the end-time crisis is also incorrect. “
Klin Klester took out from behind his waist a small animal shinbone that he had carefully selected.
“I dug this up near the Tapadour Heights in the north. ” He stared at the bone, which bore markings of exquisite fine lines:
“A local restaurant owner told me about that place. When I got there, I discovered it under a slope that had already experienced terrain changes, along with the ancient skeletal remains of about a hundred various small mammals. “
Yang Zicang looked very calm as he stared at the bone.
Klin Klester continued in a measured tone:
“All of them had clear marks that appeared to have been pierced by a metallic vine. And I know that for some of these creatures, their natural habitat should not have been nearby. “
“They migrated there? “
“Exactly. ” Klin Klester put the bone away, clutching it tightly in his hand, and spoke with some effort to control the tremor in his voice:
“The underground demons can alter the migration paths of living creatures, and such biological gathering points… I’ve seen no less than twenty of them in various places during my travels. “
Li Li Ya opened her small mouth in slight surprise, flew down, and hovered beside the two at shoulder height, carefully scrutinizing the bone tightly clenched in Crest’s lowered fist with a look of curiosity and confusion.
“All these gatherings were caused by the demons. “
Yang Zicang lightly opened his mouth and then closed it again, holding back the impulse to call everyone over to listen, knowing that this was the crucial moment when this person, who trusted him and endured until now to find the opportunity to reveal this key intelligence, had chosen to speak.
But… if this ancient gold could be born again for everyone’s sake.
The hesitation in his heart only lasted a moment before it subsided.
“Kim. “
“Hmm? ” This form of address made Crest feel a renewed sense of camaraderie.
Yang Zicang said to the young man, “Right now, I have a plan—I want to go down there and take a look. To see what exactly the doomsday demon is, the one that communicates through bonfires and the gatherings of life forms down below. But if I can’t make it back, you must gather everyone and tell them about this. “
“Not make it back? ” Kim Crest looked very nervous. “Yang, don’t take such a risk. “
“Indeed, this shouldn’t be taken as a risk. But if we don’t go take a look now, ” Yang Zicang thought of the future, “lest afterward there’s never another chance to uncover the truth about this land—perhaps this missed opportunity would leave us forever never knowing its real face. “
“Is that so? I guess that makes sense. This is supposedly the time of the rumored apocalypse. It seems to be today and tomorrow. “
“Don’t believe those stories. The era’s destiny for our world has been rewritten by us, ” Yang Zicang said with renewed vigor. “Before your eyes, at the hotel counter earlier, you saw it for yourself, didn’t you? “
“This… ” Although Jin Kleest didn’t fully grasp the deeper reasons, he could already sense an unusual, out-of-the-ordinary feeling arising from the atmosphere and the conversations. It was as if a vague, enveloping sense of expectation—something entirely unprecedented—surrounded him. Yet he could not find its source at all.
Still, he felt deeply worried about Yang Zicang’s determination to go and explore it on his own.
“But Buchen, it’s still too dangerous. I… ” He thought for a moment, then suddenly looked up solemnly and said, “Unless you let me go with you. “
“You! “
Yang Zicang was taken aback.
“Even a little dog can defeat an enemy’s conspiracy, can’t it! “
Kim·Kleist pressed his hand solemnly to his chest. “Although seeking the truth about the Doomsday Demon has only recently troubled me with anxious anticipation due to societal changes, I think this eagerness to inquire into what it truly is will indeed become a knot in my heart that I can never let go of for the rest of my life. “
“Seeking the truth… “
“Moreover, as a member of the Hellfire Sect, if I might be of some use in communicating with it, I believe my presence won’t cause much trouble. “
Yang Zicang pondered for a moment before saying, “It’s still impossible to determine what’s really down there right now. Anyway, I’ll think it over. “
Seeing the White Violet Hero in front of him lost in thought, Jin Kelaisite knew that his words were most likely just polite. He hesitated for a moment, then continued:
“If we go down together, should we tell anyone this news? Even though it might terrify the whole world about the ground beneath our feet if it leaks out. “
The two small light spheres flew down together, approaching the pointy-eared young man in a red robe who cast them a strange look after taking a few glances in their direction.
“Don’t worry, ” Yang Zicang said, “Some people already know about this. General Sir, for instance, is among them. “
“Someone knows? “
Jin Kelaisite was taken aback. “Good heavens! Buchen, so you yourself were already aware of this too! “
The young man’s face showed a hint of dazed frustration, making him appear both bewildered and helpless.
“Yes, I found out before midnight. “
Yang Zicang pulled out the Key stamped with the numbers 408.
“From dawn till now, the reason so many people have been trying to enter this hotel is precisely because of this. “
Speaking as he did, Yang Zicang—wearing his Soldier Army—style uniform coat—touched the back of Jin Kelaisite’s dim-eyed hand with the room key.
The young man suddenly froze completely in place.
Countless terrifying and enormous pieces of information instantly surfaced from the depths of his mind, surging forth relentlessly.
In the conference room of the Special Command Headquarters Office Building…
Yang Buchen—along with General Ross—who were both present at that same meeting!
The farmer recounted some of his experiences and identity as a goatherd, as well as the fishmonger the elder mentioned, which had been popular in some southeastern countries since ancient times.
And… the inference he had just made.
— “The destinations of the great biological migrations always converge at certain places… That’s what I’ve gathered from experience… “
This sentence, which he himself had never uttered, surfaced in this newfound memory!
He stared blankly at the young man before him, then turned his head in shock, looking around this ordinary hotel room.
“This is…? “
“This is the Divine Hotel. “
“Good heavens?! “
Yang Zicang said softly, “You should understand why so many people outside have been mobilized over an ordinary room. “
“I! ” For several seconds, Kim Kleist stumbled backward, his body swaying.
“Today… today should have already been… “
It was at this moment that Kim Kleist truly believed the apocalypse was imminent.
“The billions of people gathered in our world are in great danger. “
He muttered almost inaudibly.
“More dangerous than I imagined… “
In his mind arose a memory from the meeting about what Yang Zicang had described—the gathered animals whose lives were taken by vines, even if death had not occurred. Even though he knew outside was all fine and sunny, the dense gloom of death that blanketed the entire world instantly consumed his whole world.
Feeling the terrifying lingering presence of doom, Kim Christ rested one hand against the wall. “So, what about the people gathering in various places… “
“We should race against time and find a way down there to see if there’s even a glimmer of hope, ” Yang Zicang sighed regretfully. “What a shame, really. “
“The migrating animals that gathered here… they all died too, ” Kim Christ pondered with a hint of pain and hesitation. “So, what do we do with so many gathered people? “
Yang Zicang, holding the key, hesitated and thought for a moment upon hearing this.
This matter… it seems…
“Wait. “
Yang Zicang, who had been subconsciously fiddling with the room key in his hand, gradually looked towards Kim Christ, who was watching him with a puzzled expression.
“You said that the animals migrating and gathering here died… “
Just like the ｛dry pond｝ where the small nearby creatures attacked by the apocalyptic Doom Vines outside the city had gathered last night, as he had foretold.
“But people are not being led here by geomagnetic migration. “
Yang Zicang, who spoke these words in shock, stood frozen in place alongside Kim Christ.
Then, a sudden wave of ecstatic tingles surged through Kim Christ’s entire body.
“Exactly! So the communication signals for convergence… no wonder they worked! No wonder on the way here, one gentleman said that today’s flight formation of Blackwen Consulting was also a mission to save the world. “
The two junior reporters looked at him, and Kim Christ raised his hands, filled with excitement.
“Is this constantly sending a signal to the iron vines underground, telling them that our civilization still exists?!“
Yang Zicang gave a faint smile.
“Perhaps,” he said, “whether it’s altering the body to avoid attacks from the iron vines, gathering people together, or… the peaceful coexistence of other life on a massive scale worldwide—I suppose they all must represent some kind of safety signal.“
Having thought this far, Yang Zicang took a couple of steps.
If that were the case… Yang Zicang’s initial assessment of the danger level for this underground expedition shifted slightly—from extremely perilous to somewhat less so.
But it was still fraught with uncertainty.
Because they were still facing that colossal monstrosity. Even if it followed certain special rules, if it conducted a focused attack on those heading down, he feared they might never make it back up.
“But… why does something like this even exist?“
From beside him came a muttered, somewhat neurotic voice.
Yang Zicang stopped walking, turned, and said with a hint of puzzlement:
“Stop thinking about it. Let’s go discover the real reason ourselves. Keep guessing randomly, and I’m afraid you might go down a wrong path and end up in danger.“
Kim Christ immediately pulled himself together with a firm nod, then wiped his face with his palm and took a deep breath.
Watching his movements, Yang Zicang, who had just finished speaking, frowned slightly in confusion and probed the model halo for the last thousand-person wish talisman within it.
It had indeed just been used.
……
While the two upstairs were conversing, the few who had run down to the hall to inspect the Tivi machine resting area also followed the great scientist Mortaf, engaging in a very enthusiastic and heartfelt inquiry born of reverence.
“Oh dear, oh dear, it’s all very amiable, haha. “
“Mr. Mortaf, I heard you stayed up all night. Do you need me to find a room for you to rest? “
“Ah, Taf, you pulled an all-nighter last night? “
The Grand President turned his head in surprise and said to Mortaf, “How about resting in my room? “
“Well… “
Mortaf glanced at this esteemed gentleman. “How would I dare, hehe. “
The Grand President immediately straightened his back, beaming with a smile and stroking his beard with his hand.
“Mr. President, it would be better for our great scientist to rest in another room. “
A man in a brown coat, afraid the President would actually persuade Mortaf to leave, said:
“We still have several rooms available to stay in here, Mr. Mortaf. “
This man said to Mortaf with a smile:
“Whichever room catches your fancy, I can ask Mr. Buchens for you. “
The Grand President recognized this enthusiastic young man; it was he who had helped obtain that sash to give to Mr. Buchens as a memento.
Upon hearing this, Mortaf, under the smiling gaze of Ms. Shirley, scanned the room number plates behind her.
His gaze first fell on room 408, where the Grand President had said he’d exchanged room keys with a Fogfolk.
—Meeting an important person he disliked, he never thought that at his age, he would still be so unable to help himself.
“Hmm…“
His gaze then moved to the other rooms, sweeping across them before he turned his head back to say:
“These kinds of things are just too troublesome. In a bit, when Mr. Buchen comes down, I’ll just go ask him where I can get some sleep. Heh heh.“
……
Inside a lush, verdant estate manor.
Through a tilted, wide-open wooden lattice glass window, a few people were busy inspecting a batch of single-tube telescopes one by one, confirming that their focal lengths had been manufactured according to strict custom specifications.
Among them, a woman with pale cheeks framed by cascading black hair, wearing a gray-white robe, finished examining the telescope—whose handle was wrapped in brown leather. She pulled it open to extend its length, her robe’s hem nearly sweeping the floor as she moved to the side of the window. Squinting one eye, she placed one end of the telescope against it and looked off toward the distant city’s interior.
At the distant horizon,
a small black dot that was previously invisible gradually came into focus as she adjusted the rotating outer ring of the lens, zooming in to reveal the shape of the airship.
“Miss Li. “
A middle-aged gentleman approached from behind and asked, “How’s this batch? I had them work overtime, rushing everything exactly according to the instructions of Agent Akiya. “
Liya, who seemed to be around seventeen or eighteen years old with an ordinary face but a solitary demeanor, turned around. Her expression blank, she looked at the man before her, who wore a hint of self-satisfaction, without showing any emotion.
“To have completed them in such a short time, I believe your Octagon Chamber of Commerce has also expended no small amount of effort. “
“It’s alright, it’s alright. “
The merchant gave a wry chuckle. “We’ve been busy with these exact trades lately, anyway. Ah, speaking of which, we have to thank the World Ark for that. Thanks to the airships, our operational budget has increased more than a hundredfold. It’s just a pity we didn’t get word in advance; many city markets are already impossible to expand into. “
Liya, who desperately wanted to tell him not to create momentum for the enemy again, knew this demand of hers was somewhat unreasonable.
But what do these people know anyway?
Thinking of the gentleman who had shocked the world by falling into the sea last night, grief and indignation swelled in Liya’s heart.
Liya deftly collapsed her telescope, handed it to the gentleman beside her, walked over to the stack of pre-cut information sheets a few steps away, picked them up, and turned her head as she spoke:
“Your hard work is invaluable. We will remember the diligence of President Dothan. “
Saying nothing else, she kept her head slightly bowed as she carried the thick stack of thumb-thick newspaper data sheets under her cloth robe, walking toward the handful of people in different attire who were inspecting the goods.
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