If the answer to returning to the previous Track of Fate could be found in the Mist Sea, then…
The Obscurus Wintestorm Rime was the key material that Yang Zicang first thought of. If even Miss Haili Koni—the descendant of a highly influential noble family among the Blackscript Advisory—had no clue about it, then Yang Zicang was ready to go ask the distributors.
Based on past interactions, given favorable terms, the distributors wouldn’t necessarily withhold everything.
“Something like Obscurus Wintestorm Rime… I really haven’t heard of it. ” As the actual buyer of this villa, Haili Koni had been staying here recently—it was close to the lieutenant general’s office area.
She thought for a moment and said, “I’ll go ask my grandfather tomorrow. He used to be in touch with ordinary people from the Mist a lot, so he might know something relevant. “
“Then I’ll leave it to Sister Koni, ” Hua Mi said with a smile from across the table.
“Oh, right—could you do us one more favor? “
Xue Qi, who initially hadn’t wanted to trouble the woman in front of her too much, was forced by looking ragged and desperate these past two days to speak up:
“I was wondering… could we have access to some materials? Mainly research-related materials from our scientific community. “
Because this request was rather vague, Xue Qi didn’t dare to—and didn’t frankly confess—it might involve materials that broke beyond the technological limitations of their time.
But Haili Koni only gave a slight expression before slowly shaking her head: “I’m sorry, matters in this regard are related to social stability. Even I am not very clear about them, and I simply cannot access these technologies. “
“Ah… ” Hua Mi sighed, lowering her brows.
“All I know is that there seems to be a core list of technical management. The technical data on it and the personnel who have studied these technologies are key objects of supervision. “
So it’s locked down after all. Yang Zicang let out a muffled sigh.
It was still his luck to have met civilian researchers like Jean Kerry and Farmer, and he was grateful that their research wasn’t included in the official core list of technical management.
The next morning, just as the warm sun pierced through the gray clouds at the horizon, falling onto the heavy armored vehicles trying their way one after another at the intersection. Yang Zicang had already finished washing up, casually grabbed two pieces of bread, and walked out of the courtyard.
Haili Koni’s driver, after taking the girl to work, would also give him a ride to the military station on the outskirts of the city, from where he would head to Lu’an County in the north.
“Hey, wait up. “
Xue Qi, dragging a long coat in one hand and carrying a leather suitcase with a piece of bread clenching her teeth, rushed out of the house, sprinting down the stone steps. “I’m coming with you. “
Hailikoni smiled as she sat in the passenger seat, watching through the rearview mirror as the woman got into the back and tied her hair. Her gaze shifted to the other side, glancing briefly at Yang Zicang, who seemed to be observing the troops passing by outside, before she looked away. “Let’s go. “
The black arched-back sedan drove into the street.
A dozen or so hours later, Yang Zicang and Xue Qi—she wearing a flax-colored checkered shirt and a matching flax hat—had already jumped out of the car and stood in the sunset. In the distance lay a small village requisitioned by the military. Yellow sand billowed everywhere, the ground covered with the ruts of military vehicles, mingled with the smell of manure and the neighing of horses.
……
A fine drizzle fell into the dilapidated city of Silver White 17.
Li Mi, holding an umbrella and carrying a bag, accompanied by a close attendant, walked to the end of the long street. Ahead lay a small cemetery. A single tree, lush with green leaves, stood behind a row of small tombstones on an earthen mound, its soft branches gently swaying.
“Just stay here, ” Li Mi said, turning to the man beside him, then walked toward a tombstone a dozen meters away.
The man carrying the sword of sequence watched from a distance as Li Mi crouched before that tombstone, took out a stack of paper from his bag, along with two candles, and pulled out an old lighter. With a soft click, a flame appeared, and he set the papers alight.
“In the blink of an eye, almost another year has passed. ” Li Mi placed the paper before the tombstone, his gaze fixed on the three characters carved upon it— “Kuang Yuming. ” “This year, our city has seen many changes. First and foremost, everyone has become kinder. “
He set down the candles as well, then sidled over to sit on a small stone wedged under a large tree whose canopy kept the raindrops at bay.
“Secondly, more and more experts have emerged in our city. What’s more, we’ve found a method that can seemingly guarantee anyone a quadrilateral model. And all of this is thanks to that person—without his secret techniques, we might still be fumbling in the dark for years to come. Of course… “
He scooped up a handful of soil from beneath the stone tablet and let it scatter along its base, “…we must also thank you for your contributions. “
{Father-in-law, I detect someone approaching fast. }
Li Mi’s head tilted slightly.
{Confirmed. It’s one of the cars from headquarters. }
｛Understood. Thank you for the heads-up, Fang Tian.｝
A few minutes later, an Evil Nightmare sedan sped into view. A man scrambled out of the car—flustered, his face a mixture of panic and exhilaration—and dashed into the cemetery.
“Who goes there? What’s the matter? ” The guard accompanying Li Mi immediately blocked his path.
“I was dispatched by Director Chen. My name is Mi Di. ” He flashed his freshly obtained credentials. Spotting Li Mi waving him over from a distance, Mi Di exhaled a solemn, deep breath and walked stiffly, every step marked with discomfort. “Ah, Chairman Li… greetings. “
“What’s the urgent matter? “
Standing before this unrivaled powerhouse of the city, Mi Di’s nerves frayed as he nearly stuttered, “It’s… it’s our team… they… “
“Don’t be nervous, take it easy. “
Mi Di’s eyes glanced at the characters “Kuang Yuming ” on the tombstone, letting his attention scatter for a moment before he finally organized his words and blurted them out in one breath:
“Chairman, one of our teams discovered a bus full of Nightmare Beasts. “
……
Huang, having been beaten and forced to pay thirty years of his lifespan while rubbing his arm, limped away.
“What the hell is this piece of wood made of, so damn heavy, ” said the guy behind, unable to swing it anymore, tossing the wooden staff to the ground.
Huang Xu looked at his arm, beaten by that staff he’d carried for so long. Although the bruise was deep, maybe because it was thick enough, offset by the reduction of time, it didn’t hurt much.
But this skin…
It was back to his original age.
Still, Huang Xu was used to it. As long as he could find even one single beast, he could make up for the loss from this beating. Thinking of this, he became smug again.
In the distorted land with dancing light, the eternal twilight gloom brought the darkness swiftly.
A strong gust of wind carrying black mist swept over the mountain ridge. Soon after walking just a couple of miles, unable to bear the pain and exhaustion, Huang Xu found a hollow on a hillside, curled up, and fell asleep.
Suddenly, he heard a murmuring sound like a low, messy, driveling mutter.
Then Huang Xu saw thick, sticky black hair all over the sky and ground being blown about as they stroked the earth.
Two figures let out silent screams as they ran from the road behind. Huang Xu then curiously wondered, how did he know they were screaming silently?
Whoosh!
A woman with a graceful figure, her body covered in scales and feathers, with a pair of wings sprouting from her back and dark eye sockets, appeared suspended before him.
Huang Xu was momentarily frozen in shock.
“You… who are you… “
{I’m just passing through. Saw you’re quite interesting, casually tossing such a treasure to the enemy. }
“Treasure? What thing? “
The woman beckoned with her hand. From the distant darkness, something swiftly flew through whooshing, cutting through the sharp whistling of the air, and landed with a thud in her hand on its sharp, branch-like fingers.
The two approaching figures let out a “silent ” loud cry before turning and running off in the opposite direction. It was then Huang Xu realized they were the ones who had beaten him up earlier.
{You don’t seem to know what this is? }
“I… I don’t know. ” Huang Xu thought to himself; when building that cabin, he didn’t seem to have cut down any particularly special piece of wood.
{How amusing. After losing such a valuable item, your returning crew hasn’t even come looking for you. }
The woman traced the grain of her walking staff with her fingers, taking a careful moment to examine Huang Xu more intently.
{Ah, I see. You’ve been blessed by a saint. Well then, I’ll return this thing to you. Don’t lose it again next time. }
She tossed the exploring staff aside, and the wooden rod spun through the air before sticking into the ground right in front of Huang Xu with a crisp “thwack. “
She had just clapped her hands twice when suddenly she turned around in terror and exclaimed, “Who’s there! “
In the dim twilight, a metallic-faced figure, half-wrapped in long feathered wings, stood silently on the pitch-black horizon.
The woman’s gaze shifted instantly, and with a flap of her wings, she shot into the air, but that figure had already appeared right behind her.
“I didn’t mess with your people. “
“I’m just following the prelude to death. “
The woman was severely shaken and said through gritted teeth:
“And I even helped someone close to you! How dare you mark me for death! “
“He’s not my man, and I don’t want to kill you either. You were going to die anyway. “
“What! “
The woman reached out her clawed hand, about to gather energy to trigger the faint glow flashing upon it, when the gray crow floating mid-air said:
“Do me a favor, and I can rewrite this death crisis of yours. “
Below, Huang Xu stared in disbelief as the two figures sped away like a dream. He then turned his somewhat hazy gaze to the wooden staff standing upright in front of him and reached out to grab it.
｛You have discovered the “Staff That Walks Through the Gap. “｝
Huang Xu shuddered, as if a memory was trying to surface, but in the end, all that remained was the vague impression of a sweeping gale.
“A pathfinding staff… that can pass through gaps? What is this thing? “
He couldn’t recall at all why he had dug this thing out from under the rubble of the collapsed house.
Huang Xu looked up, a flicker of alertness in his eyes.
The two people in the distance saw the figure holding the wooden staff as he looked over, screamed “Ahh~ ” and ran off, shouting, “He’s with that devil! “
“Oh my god, hurry and tell everyone to get out of here—this mountain is no longer safe! “
Overhearing those cries, Huang Xu felt a surge of joy. He glanced at the hillside, which would take another two to three months to completely disappear. Could he possibly have this whole place to himself for that long?!
Holy shit, was this his lucky break starting now?
……
No sooner had Yang Zicang and his companion arrived at the 4th Border Defense Regiment of the Northern Frontier Division than they were led by the regiment’s Training Section Chief straight toward the research institute.
“See those houses over there? ” Major Yegor, the Training Section Chief, pointed at the wooden-roofed buildings a few miles away. “That’s a little store that sells stuff. They also have booze there, but it’s not very strong, and each person gets a limited supply. “
“Wow, you’re allowed to drink here? ” Xue Qi exclaimed, as if a whole new world had just opened up to her.
“So what? The folks in Waldestadt drink even harder than we do. Hahaha, just kidding. “
It didn’t take long for Yang Zicang to figure out that there was no need for him to handle any front-line combat missions here. After the convoy of supplies was sorted out at a nearby camp, it would split and head off in several directions. Here, he didn’t even dare to use his Silent Night, knowing there were bound to be some experts lurking nearby.
With these experts around, the ordinary home guard militiamen, when they had nothing to do, seemed quite at ease.
-｛Distributor April·Odyssey says “Letters. “｝
After arranging accommodation for the two, the research assistant, having received the news, eagerly came to invite Yang Zicang to join them.
As for the eager Xue Qi, she was completely stood up.
“Sorry, Ms. Xue Qi, ” the section chief said, coming out from the lodging house. “Your name really isn’t on the invitation list this time. “
“Oh, I— “
“If there’s nothing urgent, please don’t leave this training ground. Reporting your comings and goings would be quite a hassle. “
“Sigh… fine, fine. Just think of it as me switching places for confinement. Hmph~ “
The woman, dressed with great spirit, turned around and walked into the room resignedly.
…….
Alian Witt was a woman in her thirties, who looked very intelligent but also bore a somewhat stern expression on her face.
The lights in the two adjacent buildings had already dimmed, but this laboratory was still brightly lit. After a brief exchange to get familiar with each other, Alian Witt opened the envelope of documents that Yang Zicang had been asked to bring and took a look. A look of surprise appeared in her eyes.
“You are… that gentleman. Unbelievable. I never thought I’d meet you here. “
“Hmm, does this document also contain information about me? “
I wonder if this is the letter the distributor was referring to.
Even after trying to read the letter in the envelope through the Silent Night, but failing to do so, Yang Zicang showed a similarly surprised expression.
The woman was pricked by his feigned expression and gave a slight smile.
“Alright, our… esteemed sir. “
Scanning the glances of several researchers around, her tone turned conspicuously formal:
“Follow me. The research has hit a critical bottleneck—no matter what we do, we can’t progress. That’s why we contacted the General Resource Coordination Bureau for help. But I never imagined they’d send such a prominent figure directly here. “
Following her toward an iron door, Yang Zicang asked skeptically, “How am I a prominent figure? “
“How are you not? “
The woman stopped before the iron door and signaled to the officer by the iron gate to help twist open the tightly sealed shutter.
After the two entered, the woman turned back and said, “After all, you’re the one who stood up in the face of that cannon shell and lived to tell the tale. “
Yang Zicang was stunned for a moment before letting out a self-deprecating laugh.
-｛Distributor Tata Mingchi expresses “Haha“.｝
She clearly hadn’t taken his so-called “hero” status to heart. Meanwhile, stuck in the routine referrals from Lina and some Grand Duchy citizens, he had unconsciously begun to believe in a glimmer that he had actually accomplished some grand feat.
“That upfront is the core.“
The woman pointed at a crystal-like formation atop the platform, enclosed within a glass cover.
Yang Zicang walked over and scrutinized it carefully. Compared to the already shriveled and discolored shell, this crystal appeared far more pure and refined, as if imbued with a rich, unknown power.
“Mr. Buchen, do you still recall the specific details of facing that Blood Shell back then? “
She had already signaled a researcher in a hazmat suit to begin recording.
Hearing Elian’s words, the assistant waiting in the lab looked rather startled. As Cecilia continued recording, one could sense her astonishment even through the thick hazmat suit.
“As for the energy at the time… ” Yang Zicang recounted his general impressions and also described the appearance of the Blood Shell’s remains.
This was actually someone who had faced a direct attack from the Blood Shell and survived!
The researcher recording the text thought he must have misheard.
Cecilia suddenly felt a sense of admiration for those figures in the General Resource Coordination Bureau. It seemed that Major General Ross was the one dispatched as an external aid this time; she had heard Aunt Elian mumbling about it as early as the day before.
She couldn’t help but turn her head to look at Yang Zicang, who was staring intently at the crystal, and was then startled by his face. She gently stuck out her tongue, turned back, and this time recorded much more diligently.
“I’m very grateful for this first-hand information. It’s truly invaluable. “
-｛Distributor Tato Minki expresses “astonishment.“｝
-｛Distributor Loki·Tata Mingqi, with his vast experience, indicates that the glorious prelude I am now nurturing has given birth to a new node.｝
-｛Distributor April·Odyssey declares with strong conviction: “Correspondence.“｝
“Correspondence?” Yang Zicang frowned, pondered, then temporarily set the phrase aside.
He contemplated the crystal’s purplish-red appearance. “Where is the research currently stuck? And what can I do to help?“
Upon reaching this topic, the woman also appeared troubled.
“Our study of it has so far only scratched the surface. Because the ordinary instruments are utterly unable to take measurements of its interior. Now we’ve finally managed to obtain something that could possibly analyze the situation inside the crystal, but we lack the corresponding tools to control that object.“
This was the regret of not having a complete set of scientific instruments. One could imagine that anything capable of entering the Blood Shell for measurement must be no ordinary piece of tech. Where on earth would we find such a matching apparatus?
“What is this object? Could I take a look?“
Yang Zicang had little confidence in his Five Elements Force Field in this situation, as it merely probed the distribution of the Five Elements.
“It’s an extremely fine ‘needle’, which also is water.“
At this point, a surprisingly quick but perceptive Sàixī’ěr rose, and on the shelf, opened the lid of an iron case made of a special alloy.
“This liquid within is composed of a mass of densely packed needles. Be careful not to touch it directly with your hands. If it enters your body, it’ll be the end.“
Yang Zicang sensed the presence of aura energy from the bloodline within it.
“This… this is…?“
“It’s a type of blood. To put it in your Fogfolk terms, ” Aili’an said after a moment of thought, “it should be called the Bloodline of ‘Cangyu Huiguang’. “
Cangyu again.
Before Yang Zicang could speak, Aili’an continued, “As for the corresponding Source of the Holy Spirit, it should be the resonating ‘Alchemy Brand’. So this is the only way the Bloodline Circuit can be safely stored here in its material form. “
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