After obtaining the name cards, the group hurriedly covered the damaged statue.

Upon returning to the inn, Yang Zicang nearly ran headlong into a mouse at the doorstep, apologized and ushered it down the stairs, only to be hit by a wave of deep fatigue and exhaustion.

He didn’t have time to look over the two name cards in his hand before collapsing onto the soft, generous bed in room 407.

“Now this is what a proper place for a normal person feels like. “

He couldn’t help but recall the ramshackle wooden cabin with its drafty walls and bed of withered grass from the Place of Lost Frequencies.

On the nightstand, the ether beacon name cards belonging to Li Aimin and Kim Tae-cheol lay quietly.

—Savior · Li Sheng

—Accountant · Kim Cheol

His deep, steady breaths gradually grew long and relaxed.

……

On the boat, Karl packed the more than twenty Ability Spheres left by Yang Zicang into a wooden box he had just finished making. These were all meant for controlling the Ether Beacon Compass.

“Hey hey, I’m asking you two, are you really not going to make business cards right now? “

Ruan Wenxiong shook his head firmly. “I don’t have any standout Traits worth choosing yet. Making a business card blindly now would be too irresponsible for the future. As for you, Karl… “

Ruan Wenxiong patted Karl, who was squatting, on the back: “I see you have several decent Traits. Why aren’t you making one? “

“I only want the ‘Immortal,’ ” Karl said as he closed the lid of the wooden box. “Chairman Yang said he’d consider teaching me. “

Li Aimin let out an “Oh? ” and said, “Teach you what? How to court death? “

“Save the chatter and go to sleep. Manager, please put the compass in the Quiet Chamber for me. “

Kim Tae-cheol nodded. The ethereal fire enhanced by temporal order diffused on his left palm, gently levitating the compass. He pinched a business card with his right hand and held it upright, as if declaring his presence to the surrounding space.

The few of them naturally read a single thought from the silhouette before them: Accountant.

Around Kim Tae-cheol, the “Accountant, ” twisted energy of blurring colors immediately enveloped him. With a flash of the man-sized orb, Kim Tae-cheol vanished from the Ether-Gathering Space.

……

In the quiet chamber, ripples shimmered faintly, coalescing into a vertical sphere. Once the ripples dissipated, Kim Tae-cheol, holding his name card, had already appeared there.

He glanced first at the Wordle-shu Sword on the weapon rack, lying silently in place, then turned his head toward the name card bag hung on the wall. Three freshly made name cards were tucked inside—left there by Yang Zicang just two hours ago.

Simply by inserting an Ether name card into this cloth bag of fifty small flat pockets, one planted an Anchor Point within the chamber, allowing direct entry from the Etheric Essential Consciousness Field.

Moreover, anyone who possessed their own name card could, in any non-Sub-Ether-space location within this world, open a Sub-Ether passage by using Mana Crystals or other energy-infused items, precisely pinpointing arrival beside the name card’s owner.

Kim Tae-cheol gently placed the compass beneath the small table bearing the painting of High Mountains Flowing Water. After softly pressing his palms together, he retrieved his name card and, focusing in his mind’s eye on the location of his comrades in the cabin, was instantly enveloped in energy with a blur—and vanished.

……

Having slept through the night until the next morning, Yang Zicang washed up and opened the door, eyes still bleary.

As soon as the door creaked open, he immediately saw the neighboring door’s crack also widen. A head briefly poked out, peered around, then immediately retreated, the door slamming shut.

Yang Zicang jerked awake. “Wager!“

He rushed over and pounded two heavy fists on door 406. A buzzing echo came from inside, “Stop knocking, I’m not opening the door for you. “

“What’s the matter, got rich now, saved up enough Glory to come bid for these rooms yourself? “

“Ha, that’s a great idea. Why didn’t I think of that? “

“Alright, I’m a floor dorm manager now too, not gonna stoop to your level. Open the door, we haven’t formally met yet, have we? Come on, if you’re a man, let’s have a civil conversation. “

“You wouldn’t be planning to kill me outright, would you? I’d advise against entertaining that thought. If you kill me, I’ve already decided who to leave the keys of these remaining rooms to, and you definitely can’t afford to mess with them. “

“Oh, is that so? Then let’s discuss how we settle this. You should know, I’m someone with Glow. “

Silence.

Yang Zicang thought he was pondering inside, but after nearly half a minute of silence with no response, he flew into a rage and started pounding on the door again.

“Got the guts to bid but not the guts to open the door, huh! Open up! “

The door opened within an orange-yellow aura of expanding time. Wagner inside suddenly noticed that the young man standing outside also radiated a thick yellow gleam like his own.

“Hello, honored to meet you. “

Wagner clasped his fists in salute.

Yang Zicang, who had already extended his hand, froze for a moment. “Greetings, Mr. Wagner. ” Fingertips twitching, he pulled out his business card like gripping a cigarette.

“And this is? ” Wager asked, eyeing the oddly antiquated, hard-straw-paper business card with curiosity.

On it were inscribed the words: “Yang Buchen, Trajectory Master. “

“We’re all adults here. We can’t just throw away all sense of responsibility and act like reckless beasts just because we’ve been transported to another world. This is a small token of respect from me to you, Mr. President—a social ritual that helps maintain our human pride, wouldn’t you agree? “

Convinced, Wager accepted the card.

Yang Zicang flicked the other two business cards in his hand briefly, then pocketed them as he said:

“People with status in our association have all had these made. Of course, if Mr. Wager would like to join our Lighthouse Travel Group’s Unified Hotel Check-in Management Association, I wouldn’t mind printing ‘General Manager’ right below your name on a card. What do you think? “

Could that so-called ‘Accountant,’ Kim Cheol or whatever, actually be Kim Tae-cheol?

Wager was tempted to throw the card right back in his face, but thought better of it—that would be terribly ungentlemanly. He couldn’t afford to lose face in front of this young man either.

“That kind of thing will never happen. “

He snorted and said sternly:

“Chairman Yang. On the contrary, how about you join my Winting Travel Group’s Unified Hotel Check-in Management Association? I wouldn’t mind adding ‘Vice President’ beneath your name. What do you say? “

“Then how wouldyouever get into the Presidential Suite? “

“You—! Well, fine, now we’ve met. Let’s leave it at that. Anyway, I have all the time in the world. If you plan on camping me out at Feilü Hotel, I’ll just do what I always do: not synchronize my room with the real world this month. Problem solved. “

With that, Wager took a step back and was about to close the door.

“President Wager, you’re overthinking things. I wouldn’t waste my time on such matters. Farewell—next time I visit, I hope to receive your business card; please keep it safe. “

With that, Yang Zicang turned and walked downstairs.

“Damn it. ” Wager slammed the door shut heavily.

Behind the now-closed door, Wager, standing beside the vertical-striped floral wallpaper, glanced at the business card in his hand.

“Trajectory Master… ” That bastard actually gave himself a nickname?

This thing actually had a nice, minimalist design.

He casually tossed it onto the entryway cabinet, but then, with caution, picked it back up, pinching it and giving it a shake.

Nothing unusual.

……

Phew~

Yang Zicang swiftly descended the stairs, his heart pounding with nervous anticipation: would the other party bring the business card into the real world?

The odds were probably no more than 50%, but if he did—

Then the Farewell Inn would be mine!

-｛Distributor Loki Tata Mingqi expressed: “Departing. “｝

-｛Distributor Valkyrie desires to subscribe to the radiance of glory I am birthing.｝

Such confidence in his wording; could this move of mine truly trigger subsequent conditions?

-｛Distributor February Di’an is filled with anticipation.｝

-｛Distributor February Di’an attempts to pre-order the prelude of my radiance and raises the price by 500%.｝

Five hundred percent!

Yes, this is the crucial turning point!

The key to seizing control of the Farewell Inn!

The moment his boot-clad foot touched the carpeted hallway on the second floor, any trace of nervousness on Yang Zicang’s face was completely masked. Suddenly, a door opened.

Hearing the sound, Yang Zicang let out an inwardly unexpecting smile. I already know the traits of the Feilü Inn well enough, he thought, but then his body stiffened… Just now, did I think of… traits?

Looking up, he saw Hua Mi staring at him from behind the door, startled. “President! ” she exclaimed, waving her wrist happily as she ran over.

“I thought you wouldn’t come. “

“It’s way too dangerous out there. Ran into some bastard who’s been staking out my door every day, so I came back to the inn. Not going out anymore, hmph. “

“Not going out? “

“I’ll just do research, President. Anyway, once you head on to the next era, doesn’t that mean I’ll be coming along too? I can help you out with odd jobs and maybe even catch a bit of that glory. “

Just as she finished speaking, another door creaked open, and He Yishu stepped out of room 207, carrying a suitcase. “Hey, President—oh, and Miss Hua Mi. What a coincidence. “