Semis was caught.
This man was being pinned down by the crowd and forcibly brought before Ba****ss’ communications device. “Hey, easy, easy! “
Casper Brido looked at the man who’d just emerged from a room that could connect to the Magical Inn, a hint of surprise on his face.
“Did you catch him? ” Zhao Anlong’s distorted voice crackled through the loudspeaker on the device.
“We got him. “
The crowd was in an uproar.
“Who the hell is this guy! “
“Your Chairman promised me a farm, ” Darsus muttered stubbornly. “I’ve already settled it with him. He’ll give me a million, perfectly perfect… “
“Per… perfectly what? “
“Silver Coins, ” Darsus quickly corrected himself. His bluster faded, and he glanced at the unfamiliar man who was carefully sizing him up. Colonel Brownlion thought for a couple of seconds, then gestured for the people around to let go. “Sir, I’ll front this million Silver Coins for Chairman Yang. “
“Ah? ” Darsus stared at the man in shock.
“Provided that the matter is true, ” the Colonel continued. “So, right now, you have a choice: either I arrange the funds for you to pay that million Silver Coins later, or I convert that debt into my protection for you here and now. “
“Protection? ” Darsus murmured the word unconsciously.
“Mr… on, Protection? ” Zhao Anlong’s voice came through the Inter-Directional Transceiver Set**｝ with a hint of surprise.
Sitting on his little stool, Casper Brido watched the whole scene unfold like a spectator enjoying the show.
As the surrounding crowd craned their necks to watch, Saimis glanced nervously left and right before fixing his gaze on the man in front, whose face appeared relatively upright.
“Y-you, are you serious? “
The man opposite silently stared at Saimis’s face, showing no inclination to explain further. After a mere pause of one breath, Saimis grabbed the hand gripping his arm and spoke to the Colonel:
“Good brother, one thousand Silver Coins for a single pledge… We—us Grainwood People, well… “
His finger trembled as he raised it, his face beaming with joy, then he nodded fiercely yet slowly, and said in a tearful voice, “Since we’ve run into such a rare piece of luck, we’ve got to—give it a shot! “
……
At the counter, Yang Zicang gritted his teeth and slammed his fist onto the table.
“So, Mr. Buchen, ” the lobby manager behind the counter said with a smile, “shall I proceed with switching the occupant of Room 302 now? “
“Yes. “
“Alright then. Twenty-four hours from now, in hotel time, the private room-swap agreement between the occupants will become void. As the President of the Hotel Accommodation Unified Management Committee, you are obligated to inform the committee members and, ideally, the other parties to the verbal agreement that the rooms must be swapped back within twenty-four hours. This will free up the accommodations for the new guest. “
Thoroughly furious, Yang Zicang let out a scoff.
“I’ll think about it. “
He glanced at the small sign for room 303 on the wall, its message simple: He had no choice but to move and start a new life in a different environment. Yet, the arranged work was truly annoying, both trivial and nagging. When, oh when, would he be able to begin his next new life?
Then his gaze shifted to 304.
—This is the wisdom of learning. But what could one actually achieve, even after learning it?
Yang Zicang knitted his brows slightly in thought: which room should he assign to the Grand President?
He took another glance at 304, then shifted his gaze to read the line on 307: “Could this be a midlife crisis? “
“Please arrange for Mr. Frederick to stay in room 307. “
“No problem, sir. “
Yang Zicang turned sideways, his eyes falling on the Visualizer on the counter,’which had grown quite refined, carrying a certain heavy sense of art.’ “When do we get to activate it? Could we witness it together? “
“You are most welcome. We very much enjoy sharing this rare moment with our guests. “
“Do we still need anything else? “
Yang Zicang looked around left and right, then turned back and said, “Like a phonograph, for instance. “
Manager Mus chuckled, “In this hotel, it’s best to maintain quiet for the majority of the time. “
“Alright. ” Feeling he had already wasted a fair bit of time, Yang Zicang nodded and said, “I still have matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave for now. Mmm, the activation of this TV set… “
“We will inform you, sir. “
“Hehe. ” Yang Zicang smiled, raised his hand in a wave, and started jogging back. As he stepped forward in his black leather shoes, he suddenly changed direction and ran toward the staircase leading down to the basement bar. Before he had even fully descended, he could already hear the sound of music and the murmur of Mortav’s voice.
Greatly relieved, Yang Zicang turned and ran up the stairs.
Meanwhile, those who had already inquired about what Semith was doing felt a mixture of tension and shock. Several of them rushed towards the room but were stopped by those inside. Finally, two were chosen to enter Room 303 to inform Yang Zicang.
Crossing the soft carpet of the hall, the person inside Room 303 on the upper floor opened the unlocked door with a puzzled look.
Stepping onto the wooden banister stairs, Yang Zicang walked toward Room 202, the guest room leading to the Scroll Sea.
The two young men in front of Room 303 glanced at Room 302, whose door was also ajar. They pushed the door of 303 open and peered into the dim interior.
“Let’s go downstairs first, ” one of them said. The other nodded. They quickly walked toward the staircase, picking up speed as they went.
Creak! The door was twisted open and pushed fully.
With a thud-thud-thud, the footsteps of the two men sequentially landed on the carpet of the second-floor corridor.
Yang Zicang’s figure stepped inside.
The two men in the hallway glanced left and right. “Chairman Yang, ” one called out. Receiving no response, they quickly continued towards the front desk on the first floor.
“Manager Mousse, ” the two approached and called out. “Do you know where Chairman Yang Buchen is? “
“He just went out through Room 202. “
“Oh? ” They looked up at the small sign on the wall of Room 202. With only the words “tottering toddler ” on it, it was the sign with the fewest characters among all the room tags.
“After all, that’s the room. We’d better wait.” The two turned around, leaned against the counter, and let out a sigh. Then their eyes fell on the Visualizer beside the counter.
……
Yang Zicang, having arrived at sea, had just stepped onto the deck and felt the sea breeze lift his hair when he spotted a familiar small figure turning around from the side of the ship’s rail to look at him.
It was actually the little Distributor.
“What are you doing here?“
Somewhat puzzled, Yang Zicang shoved his hands in his pockets and walked over.
“Lucius wanted to borrow your room as a shortcut to get here,” Tā Tǎ Ming Qi said, leaning against the ship’s rail. “I was forced to act as a guarantor. Hmm, you don’t mind, do you? He’s going to sell this Radiance to me, consider it as a replacement for your share of the goods.“
“Hah.” At the sound of that name, Yang Zicang’s skin instinctively tensed. He swayed his coat from side to side with his hands in the pockets, then turned back to look at the old-fashioned sailboat and said:
“Oh, so it’s the esteemed Sir’s secretary.“
“Heh heh, not exactly a secretary. Just treat him like an errand boy, that’ll do.“
“Mm, alright,” Yang Zicang said with a shrug of his shoulders. “Well… I’m here to dismantle the stone chamber here. Do you think I should move the station away too?“
“Asking for my opinion, huh?“
The young, boy-like Distributor looked down at the medium-sized ship beneath their feet.
“This ship…” He lifted his head and laughed, “Are you planning to just abandon it at sea?“
“At least it should be able to gestate a glimmer of radiance. “
Having rested poorly for the past two days and feeling a bit drowsy, Yang Zicang turned around and said, “If you’re free, come over and give me a hand. Let’s tear this down in no time and then move out. I feel it might be dangerous staying here. “
“Heh. Well, well, you’re the first one to put me to work. “
“That just shows how little you’ve experienced. “
“One of these days, come be a guest back in my hometown, and then you’ll know whether I’ve seen much or not. It’ll scare you to death. “
The two of them chatted as they walked toward the stone room built within the ship’s cabin.
“My necklace is broken, ” Yang Zicang said as he walked.
“Ah, last time I was about to tell you some news, but you got it from that ‘Ancient Gold’ intel supply. Anyway, Ido have a blueprint for a special accessory here—why don’t you try gathering some materials and make it… “
As he spoke, Tartamingy gripped a rock wall, bent his fingers into it, and with a rumbling sound, one slate panel responded by collapsing into his palm while the adjacent long stone slab toppled over with a thud.
“Think of it as my compensation. “
Yang Zicang, struggling with all his might to brace the heavy stone slab, turned his head to look at the boy who was effortlessly holding onto the thick stone block with one hand.
……
Just a little.
Walking through the endless, twisted corridor he could not see the end of, Lucius scanned the dim, heavy air of a small branch far in the distance.
In his line of sight stood a faint, pale golden small house placed near a broken rampart of ancient walls, surrounded by tides of dark air.
“The Quiet Chamber. “
After muttering to himself, Lucius continued walking forward. However, after a few steps, he calmed his mood, stood still, turned his head, and looked back at the small room in the distance.
He slowly closed his eyes, feeling for a moment. Finding that he could not settle into stillness, he smiled. Turning his head back, Lucius’s figure shimmered with dense purple arcs of lightning, and with a push of his foot, he vanished from where he stood.
On the slightly noisy reef, Karl and Kim Tae-cheol, among others, were helping a few researchers from the Tafkji Electric to unload and sort a net of freshly caught fish onto a small boat.
Suddenly, Karl seemed to sense something and stood up in confusion. He turned to look at half an ancient ship looming in and out of view within the mist not far away.
“What’s wrong? ” someone from the Four Aspects Group approached and asked.
“Nothing. I just felt like the mist flickered or something. “
“Ha. Let’s go check it out. “
“No need, ” Karl said. “If there really is a problem, higher-ups will let us know. “
As they were talking, Lucius’s figure suddenly appeared behind Karl. Zhang Zhiquan and the others, who were assisting the Tafkji Electric crew nearby, abruptly stood up and stared at the man who had appeared out of nowhere.
Standing on the uneven black rock with a few craters, Karl felt the gaze of the person in front of him focusing on a point just past his own side. Startled, he turned his head.
“You! “
“Hello, I’m Lucius, the postman. “
Having already fastened his hat, he pulled out an envelope with a faint smile. “I need to have this delivered to the Prime Minister’s office on the Unsinkable Karl. May I ask if you can take me inside? “
Karl looked very surprised.
“How could you… “
Lucius tucked the envelope back into his pocket.
“Back in April, the chairman of the Weiting Travel Merchant Association, who was trapped by the royal court’s force field barrier in Qijun City, was taken away by the holder of the business card titled ‘Trajectory Master.’ “
Several gasps of astonishment rang out around them.
Karl had heard about this incident, and he immediately began to vaguely grasp part of the process.
“So, regarding what happened in Qijun City, some countries, after careful investigation, more or less identified the new guests who had checked into the hotel at that time. Subsequently, through their investigation of the personnel at Hurst Company and the members with high Circle Count and Confluence Circuits of the World Ark team, and by cross-referencing historical records, they have already found some clues. “
“This… ” Karl and Kim Tae-cheol glanced nervously at each other.
“It’s not your fault. ” Lucius said with a smile.
“The existence of Luca’s team has not been a secret for a long time. Besides, ” he turned to look at the half-ship behind him, “the Unsinkable Karl is hardly a secret to me either. So, I really am very sorry. “
He pointed a finger at his own head.
“Sometimes, taking a shortcut can’t be helped. “
“Thank you. “
Karl casually grabbed a rag he had pulled from beside him, wiped his hands, glanced at the silent Kim Tae-cheol who was staring at him, and said to Lucius: “It seems the Holy Ring Council really does know everything. “
“Ah, yes. They do know. But it doesn’t have much to do with them. “
“Let me take you in first.“
Kim Tae-cheol eyed this unusually imposing postman from the fog-tenants’ rented land. Passing by him, he walked towards the ship. Lucius turned and followed behind him.
Before long, the two figures appeared on the misty aft deck.
Kim Tae-cheol, holding Kim Tae-cheol’s business card, entered the stabilised ethereal psionic field. But upon reaching the Prime Minister’s office, he paused again, turning to look at Lucius with questioning eyes.
“Still don’t trust me?“
“Hard to.“
“True. If it were me, I would never take a stranger somewhere this important. But sometimes, the world just works in mysterious ways.“
Lucius smiled and said, “Precisely my strength far exceeds yours, so you reluctantly open the door for me.“
In an instant, Kim Tae-cheol felt an overwhelming, terrifying pressure, as if his entire being was crushed by the figure before him. Every microsecond threatened irreparable destruction. A crushing force invaded every inch of his flesh, overwhelming his thoughts with each second.
He felt as if death itself was bearing upon him.
“You!“
{I assure you, you don’t want to force me to open the Prime Minister’s office myself. }
Kim Tae-cheol’s pupils tremored with sheer shock as he staggered backwards.
“I…“
Then he noticed faint, tingling arcs of electricity crawling across his body, beginning to snap softly.
{Today is the final deadline for the end of the world. Please don’t waste my time. }
- Karl’s hard jaws clenched, but any counterattack of his own was meaningless against this aura. He turned, swiped his name card, and the magical runes on it lit up, splitting open a faint, hazy passage ahead, through which an image of the Prime Minister’s office was revealed.
- Lucius’s upright figure walked past Karl, stepping into the passage.
- Inside the Prime Minister’s office, behind a large, radiant, mist-wreathed desk sat a translucent female figure, elegantly dressed in court robes, with delicate features, immersed in reading ancient texts. She lifted her face and fixed her gaze upon him. “Miss Yu Qingqu. There’s a letter for you. “
{Who sent it? }
This figure revealed a look of confusion.
“It’s from Mr. Serafiel. Don’t worry if you don’t know him—he’s been sending out a lot of letters recently, and most of the recipients are strangers to him, too. “
The palace-robed woman smiled, closing the book she had manifest with ether energy and placing it on the table before her. By her hand, on a luminous name card wafting a hazy glow, were the six characters “Mu – Fengjue · Yu Qingqu. ” Yet the “Mu ” character appeared somewhat faded, and in the space before it, there were faint stains, as if some other word had been gradually eroded away by time, leaving only traces behind.
The envelope was set upon the table before Yu Qingqu.
She watched as the words on its surface rapidly turned a deep blue; most of the writing that had originally existed on the cover had now faded away, save for a line that read “—Prime Minister’s Office…Psychic Signature Name Card, Recipient: Yu Qingqu. “
Karl’s figure stumbled somewhat unsteadily into the room from the corridor.
Yu Qingqu looked up and gave him a gentle smile with her eyes, then shifted her gaze to Lucius before opening the envelope, prying the seal apart a crack with a bit more force than an ordinary person would use. The gesture seemed to reveal that she was inwardly holding her breath. Yet the result was favorable.
A rather distinctive name card lay within the envelope.
After looking at it for a moment, the woman retrieved some relevant information from the depths of long-ago memories.
{A Full Moon Angel name card? }
“Indeed. “
{This… is it really for me? }
- The woman curiously picked up the item and recited softly, “Nitas Lucius, ” the name upon it.
- “Actually, this is to be passed on from you to Chairman Yang Buchen. “
{Oh? } The woman turned her head curiously to look at the distinguished gentleman before her.
“Because you are one who awakened from the Annihilation. “
Lucius said:
“From some discussions among the members of the World Ark, I learned that Chairman Yang Buchen has a grand vision. He wants to resurrect certain individuals. In terms of Traits, it just so happens that I have several dozen little ones here who need their bodies to be reborn. “
On the chair across from him, the palace-dressed beauty holding the Moon Angel business card revealed a look of surprise, as if she had just learned of this.
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