On the bustling street, the crowd was gradually growing larger.
Facing the many more campfires lining both sides of the street, many who had been utterly perplexed just two or three hours ago now showed expressions of natural understanding or a collective look of sudden enlightenment amid the growing discussions.
“So, did our Mr. Admiral obtain some top-secret intel on how to counter the apocalypse from the Fogfolk last night? “
A middle-aged man in his forties, wearing a dull red thin jacket, slightly round-eyed with some weary circles beneath them but an overall spirited appearance, strode forward with his hands in his pockets, his footsteps crushing past wind- and crowd-scattered garbage on the street.
“Wow, did you hear? Apocalypse vines appeared outside the city this morning. Guess what happened next? “
This figure moved on, and from behind came the voice of another person beside him: “That’s nothing. Don’t you know, Waldestadt had news of shelling on the vines last night… “
“…No way… “
“…That’s… the Chairman of the World Ark… “
Hong Haocheng, stopping by a campfire, turned his face—marked with wrinkles near the bridge of his nose—to glance at the newly kindled fire beside him.
As the plank, which seemed to have been pried from some damp, dirty wooden barrel, began to emit a roar and crackle after being lit by the flaming reused carbon pellets for aged fuel, the several people, not exactly young anymore, who were gathered around it let out a loud cheer of joy. Some hooked their arms over their companions’ shoulders, swaying their bodies back and forth as they yelled in approval; others lightly jumped up from the ground, spreading their arms as they leaped.
Hong Haocheng’s pupils sank low beneath his eyelids, and he continued walking forward.
Two figures, panting heavily, ran past his shoulders.
He then saw several soldiers, standing apart in front of small groups of citizens, conducting interviews and note-taking, much like the municipal security bureau would when carrying out an investigation.
He frowned slightly, moved a little closer, and then heard some voices amid the smoky haze.
“So, the story of the Liuli Cup, to you, is just another standard classic play, right?“
“I… um, that’s what I thought until today.” The somewhat stout, honest-looking man assured him, “I will seriously look into the story when I get back. Ah, I promise I’ll read it carefully, sir.“
The Army soldier, noncommittal, wrote down this comment as well in the notebook in his hand. Beside this fat man across from him, another person was eagerly waiting, as if hoping expectantly to be the next to be questioned— and his hopes were not disappointed. This soldier soon turned the question to him.
Behind these soldiers, some energy lines gradually lit up, visible only to the middle-aged man in the dark red coat.
Not long ago, several lines had converged at a single point.
Hong Haocheng, who had been silently recording this terrain map, quickened his pace forward toward the corner, heading for the covered cart that blocked part of the street.
A playful child ran past, chased by his pockmarked neighbor kids from the block. When he dashed across the intersection and ducked under the mule cart, ready to escape to the other side, he let out a “Huh? ” and turned his head left and right, then scratched his head while looking out at the wide avenue.
He remembered there was an uncle who had just walked past here a moment ago.
……
Thames’s heart thumped loudly as his entire back pressed against the door.
He felt his whole body heat up uncontrollably from the rapid secretion of adrenaline. Turning his head slightly, he glanced over at the peephole on the door.
The light from the wall lamp shining in from outside was suddenly blocked for a moment.
Only after lifting his arm—wrapped in a bedsheet and holding it up to wipe the sweat from his face—did he dare peer slightly through the peephole at the shadow of the eye approaching outside.
“Hello there, agile sir. Are you all right? “
Amid the buzzing sound ringing from outside, Thames wiped the cold sweat again that kept seeping from his face. Gritting his teeth, he let out some meaningless syllable from his throat, but in the end, he couldn’t come up with any words to say.
The figure outside the door, dressed in a luxurious coat and possessing an extraordinary aura, had his hands clasped behind his back gripping the head of a cane, leaning to press his ear against the door. This sent a shudder through those inside the room, as startling as a cat suddenly having its fur stroked backward.
“Y-you, what is it you want?! “
“Huh? “
President Frederick Bergman outside immediately straightened up, a strange expression clouding his eyes as he sank into thought, lightly stroking one upturned curl of his mustache with his finger.
“Ah. As expected of Fogfolk, always ready to uncover new possibilities for a mission. “
He murmured and nodded softly to himself, then turned to face the door marked with the brass number 408, twirling his cane in contemplation as he said with deep feeling:
“As for me, if it’s possible, I would like to ask all of you here at this inn, to help me build a new home on the next land—a home that belongs to our Waldestadt. “
“Huh? ” A voice of confusion came from inside the room.
Frederick cleared his throat lightly and continued:
“Before coming to the inn, I heard from your Vice President Wage of the World Ark that President Buchen’s next plan might be to deal with the long-standing threat of doom facing this world, and… “
He suddenly fell silent.
With a slight twitch of his ear, he caught the sound of a steady, deliberate footstep coming to a halt at the staircase entrance.
Frederick Bergmann turned to look but saw no one on the staircase. Yet a long-honed instinct, trained from prolonged stays in dangerous positions, made him sense a hint of peril.
His hand involuntarily clutched the brass key to the Divine Hotel, a key he had obtained at the cost of his entire past.
The faint sound of breathing lingered around his nostrils.
Suddenly, the door cracked open. In that instant, Frederick grabbed the doorframe with both hands, lightly kicked off with his feet, and shouldered his way forward, crashing through the doorway. As Themis watched in terror, his lips trembling and practically splitting apart, Frederick swiftly spun around, slammed his elbow against the door, and pushed it shut with a loudthud.
He then turned solemnly to the thin, dry man standing one step away, who had closed his mouth and was staring intently at him. The President was momentarily confused.
Among this group, this man’s bearing and attire stood out as the strangest.
“You… you really are that Mr. President from the newspaper?“
The President pressed his eye to the peephole to look outside and said:
“Vice President Wager personally invited me in. Chairman Yang Buchen is leading all the members of the Talos World Ark to welcome me at the Divine Hotel. How could any of that be false?“
He suddenly raised a finger to his lips in surprise, signaling the man next door to stay quiet.
Understanding immediately, Schmidmess hurriedly moved his luggage, pressing his head close behind the Grand President as if glued to his back, peering out into the corridor.
A figure slowly stepped a few paces across the soft carpet from the staircase, cautiously advancing as if to confirm whether the previous person had entered room 408.
Having finally managed to get a closer look, Schmidmess suddenly straightened up in shock.
It was the dark brown-haired man who had entered room 405 not two minutes ago. He had come back up from the stairs.
Click.
Although the door didn’t need locking from inside—since no other guest could open it without the occupant’s active permission or activation—Schmidmess still immediately locked it.
Somewhat flustered, he grabbed the Grand President by the arm from the doorway and pulled him into the room.
“Mr. President! ” Schmidmess glanced anxiously at the door, “The look on your face just now scared me to death—I thought you were also… ” He turned his eyes away from Frederick Bergmann’s gaze, then looked back with utmost sincerity and said gravely, “I thought you had also accidentally ended up here and were being chased by bad guys! “
A faint glimmer flashed in the Grand President’s eyes as he was pulled and seated on the edge of the bed. “Oh? ” His beard twitched.
“Sir, could it be… ” He suddenly turned his head, speaking in disbelief, “Are you a guest who entered here alone? “
“I… ” Sermis felt somewhat embarrassed under the Grand President’s watchful gaze as he followed the movement. He placed the sheet on the bed and chuckled, “Well, it’s a long story. But… “
He also sat on the edge of the bed, patted the packed, patterned quilt bundle between them, and said solemnly:
“But, Mr. President, there seems to be something off about the man outside. I saw him sneak into room 405 earlier when others had left. “
“Sneaking in? ” The Grand President’s eyes shifted thoughtfully.
Sermis stood up, snapped a military salute, and looked at the ornately dressed middle-aged man deep in thought, saying, “Respected Mr. President. Now, I’d like to request one thing: allow me to investigate the suspicious character upstairs, hiding outside. “
“Oh? ” Sensing a hint of danger, the Grand President abruptly rose, grasped Sermis’s saluting hand with both of his, and asked, “And what do you plan to do, sir? “
“We swap room keys. Then, ” Sermis whispered, “I take a peep at him from behind to see what he’s really up to. If there’s a problem, ” his other hand clenched into a firm grip, “I’ll go find President Yang Buchen immediately! “
“Excellent! ” The Grand President agreed without hesitation. “Great, great, great! Let’s do it exactly as you planned. “
Sermis promptly tossed his own key onto the bed. “You can try it. “
“I trust you. “
The Grand President smiled, picked up Sermis’s key, and appraised it before handing his own key to the man before him.
A flicker of joy crossed Sermis’s face as he received the key.
“Thank you, Mr. President! ” Seemus said, overjoyed, clutching the key tightly. “Farewell! “
“Oh, and one more thing! ” Frederick Bergman glanced toward the door, leaned in closer, and whispered:
“There are suspicious individuals outside. I suspect one of them could be a traitor or a spy from the World Ark team. But the great scientist, Mr. Mortav, is still on the first floor. There’s only one protector there. If that person catches him off guard, he could be in danger. So, it would be best if you don’t investigate for now—hurry over and bring him back to my room to be hidden. “
“Take him back to your room… “
Seemus glanced hesitantly at the brass key marked “302 ” in his hand, his face barely concealing a look of bewilderment and doubt.
……
“The theme of Room 301 is about ‘freedom and confusion.’ ” The man standing in front of the counter, his white sweat-soaked undershirt open at the chest, propped his head on his hand and gazed at the room numbers on the wall.
Behind the counter, Mirror Muse, who was busily focused on the door, glanced sideways at the 301 room number that Zheng Xintian was studying. She offered a faint smile, then turned back and continued organizing a stack of slightly yellowed and brittle Fee & Travel Vouchers in her hands.
“No matter how long from now the chat takes place… “
The man softly read the words on the doorplate:
“Among all the topics that other alumni would choose to discuss in their time, they always end up revolving around things like ‘confusion.’ Unfortunately… it’s a feeling I’ve hardly had a chance to experience. I really wonder what choices they were making for their lives back then. “
Having nearly finished reading silently, he let out a chuckle. “Your boss is quite tsundere. “
Manager Mus lifted the corners of his mouth into a slight arc, tilted his head slowly to one side, then straightened it back, which served as his response.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps came from behind. The man turned around and saw a person wrapped in a blanket walking to the corner of the stairwell. He said in a deep voice:
“Hey, one of your people has a problem—that guy with the brownish hair down to his shoulders. He dared to secretly follow the Grand President. I think you’d better go see what’s happening outside 405. “
“What? “
The man behind the counter froze with a stunned look in his eyes for a moment. Then, with a push of his foot, he dashed over with swift agility. The man wrapped in a blanket at the stairwell turned around and nimbly ran back upstairs with a clatter.
Bang!
A twisted shadow burst from the man’s body. Like a runaway train, he charged at high speed to the corner, where he came to an abrupt halt. “Stop! ” He looked at the running figure a few steps up, then charged again and grabbed the blanket with his hand just as it billowed gently and settled with a soft rustle, falling into the hands of a man whose leg was braced on the hard wooden stairs.
……
Cheng Yunze walked silently through the streets where the cold wind began to gradually warm up a bit.
Following him respectfully, from behind, was the unfamiliar Demon-Blood Warrior belonging to this world’s nation.
Each of them possessed strength considerably greater than the formidable individuals he had gathered over time within the city. Perhaps in a real fight, he was the only one in this team capable of single-handedly overcoming their combined assault.
Pondering these thoughts, Cheng Yunze halted. He turned around, drooping his eyelids and remaining silent for a moment as he contemplated.
The two soldiers of the Ground Force, puzzled by his intentions, stopped as well. “Sir, may we ask… “
“Nothing. I just wanted to ask, how long is your lifespan? “
“We… “
The two exchanged a glance. One of them looked toward a few distant figures skirting around a nearby alley and said:
“If one is not a true demonic blood vessel but has transformed the body by borrowing certain peculiar demonic blood tainted objects, then the lifespan is not absolute. It might decrease, or it might increase. However, the length of one’s life doesn’t hinder us from rarely viewing stage plays. “
Then they fell silent.
“Ha, thank you. ” Cheng Yunze, with his well-proportioned physique, let out a faint smile.
……
The frantic Little Ma Chao, accompanied by Li Aimin who felt as if he had endured a rollercoaster ride at high altitude, departed from the dim place where the man known as “Silver Chaser ” resided.
Having gathered a hefty stack of intelligence and sequence-etched module fragments, the moment they burst out of a dreamlike misty passageway resembling a deep, mysterious tunnel, Li Aimin, whose steps were unsteady, felt the train suddenly accelerate. Outside the window, an indescribable, dreamlike mist once again stretched and streaked, veering off toward a distant direction.
“Where are you heading again?! “
{I need to find a friend named Li Mi, the one with the big trumpet. }
“A big horn? And who is that? “
Just as Li Mi was steadying himself, he felt the train’s speed nearly double. With a collective cheer from the entire car, it hurtled with a sudden “whool ” into the distant nothingness.
On the wide concrete plaza in front of the joint office building of the Monster-Hunter Group and the Park Silver-Grey and Park Bronze clans, which was embedded into the mountainside.
Some people in similar short-sleeved uniforms, idly standing there, suddenly felt a massive transverse wind.
With a booming crash, a dull-colored, slightly yellowed train slammed onto the ground from the void with a resounding clang, screeching to a halt, leaving sharp, long scars.
Inside the transparent glass, the youth who single-handedly stabilized the red-and-white factions of the entire city stood up from his chair and walked to the hallway to look outside. Spotting something, his expression shifted, and he swiftly moved sideways, dashing to the staircase and thundering down the steps.
……
Out on the boundless sea.
On a dim, cold, and half-sunk large ship, a shadow silently and ethereally emerged from the void.
ShwasH!
In a flash of fine, purple lightning, a man in a silver-grey formal suit appeared on the ancient deck.
He slowly turned his gaze to the figure of the man whose ethereal will-body had taken shape across from him.
“I am a postman from the Mist Tenants. I want to borrow the path of the essence field—my purpose is to deliver a letter for her. ” As he spoke, a faint glow briefly flickered within Lucius.
The figure across from him was clearly not expecting this.
{So now that broken organization is going by ‘Tenants’ or something? }
“Something like that. “
{Ah, well… fine, I’ll believe you for now. }
The translucent figure swung an arm, and a misty energy quickly enveloped Lucius, whose form had turned into a crystal-like dark red skeleton of deep crimson. In a single step, he crossed the barrier between two worlds.
Leave a Reply