“You’re back too? Just you alone? ” Yang Zicang asked.

“Mm~ Tomorrow’s the end of the month, so I came back, ” He Yishu replied, returning Yang Zicang’s belongings and then pulling out a picture frame.

“Well, how about it? Isn’t the restoration of this painting’s spirit impressive? We’ve been doing this sort of thing a lot lately. Now, the entire~ elite art world of Heiwen Zike’s capital is almost universally aware of this masterpiece! So, Xue Qi’s been keeping busy. “

Yang Zicang took a look and nearly lost control of himself on the spot.

“As for me, I have to hurry back to Heiwen Zike. “

“Amazing, amazing~ ” Hua Mi cheered admiringly, “You’re still uncovering its Radiance, aren’t you? “

“We’re approaching it as the standard for nurturing brilliance. To that end, we even emulated the rise-to-fame experience of legendary works and devised a strategy to make this possibly the world’s most valuable piece of art! “

“Strategy? “

-｛Distributor Loki·Tata Mingqi says, “Beg for an introduction. “｝

He Yishu looked up and counted silently for a moment, then said, “In just these two weeks, we must have sent out three or four thousand copies. “

“What kind of strategy is that! “

“Heh heh, the next step is to ask several of the most renowned old artists to make copies of it, then buy them at high prices and donate them to Heiwen Zike International University of Technology for their collection. “

“You guys… ” Hua Mi looked at He Yishu as if observing a mythical creature.

“The plan after that is to have someone steal it from the university… “

“Oh dear?! “

“Mm, we’ll keep the rest confidential. “

As they were speaking, another door opened and a man in a white suit appeared, exclaiming “Oh dear, dear~ ” as he emerged.

……

Yang Zicang ultimately chose to synchronize the room at the Feilü Inn to the civilian house he had rented. He had already sent word to Bai Yuxian, saying that within this month, he would take these two Steffen individuals into the Feilü Inn.

A leader of an imperial intelligence group with the bloodline of the Triple Moon Realm, and a Crossing Person — characters like these would absolutely prove useful in the upcoming “Life Experience Bidding ” for the other rooms at the Feilü Inn.

It was just uncertain whether their stories would count.

Amid the faint morning mist and light snow, a cold and rigid barbed-wire-and-wooden-fence barrier stretched across the entrance of a gray stone street. Several soldiers, their armbands marked with the crest of the Grand Duchy’s Soldiers, stood at strict attention along both sides of the road, bundled in thick cotton overcoats.

Behind this street lay the Fog People’s Rent Zone.

Yang Zicang crossed over the fence and walked into the center of the street, where a tall building stood.

｛This is the home base for people like us in this world.｝

｛Only here can we feel a trace of authentic reality.｝

Yang Zicang glanced down at his chest; he had begun to form some guesses about why the model sometimes read his inner thoughts and sometimes did not. Perhaps, when he was in a state of realization akin to a “new juncture, ” its reactions were especially pronounced.

“We are I, ” Yang Zicang said, and then stepped inside the gate of the desolate building, engraved with the words: “White Violet City, Fog People’s Rent Zone, Herzenshofch Fortress Grand Duchy. “

Seeing someone approach the railing, the young man in a black Zhongshan suit guarding the gate from the small side room of the wall hole raised his hand to his temple. “Hello, I haven’t seen you before. Are you here to register? “

The person was wearing a grayish-blue hat. Yang Zicang nodded and said lightly with a smile,

“Can you possibly know everyone who comes here? “

“Ha, exactly. Otherwise, how could I sit in such an idle post? This isn’t a position just anyone can enjoy. “

Seeing this half-joking remark, Yang Zicang revealed his Fog Citizen ID.

“From Pillow Harbor? ” The other glanced at it and immediately picked up a ledger to register.

“I have a question. ” Yang Zicang watched him write and spoke.

“Ask. “

“There are many Fogfolk coming and going here, each with their own affairs to handle. If they happen to cross paths, won’t that turn them into enemies? After all, moving around in the same place makes it easy to run into each other and recognize one another. “

The man who had finished writing in the ledger chuckled, looked up, and handed over his pen and the book.

“This is exactly what I was going to explain to you. Sign it first. Use whatever name, as long as it’s written by you. “

Yang Zicang gave it a glance—it was only a simple registration—so he wrote down “Yang Buchen. ” After putting down the pen, Yang Zicang lifted his head and gazed into the other’s bright, piercing eyes.

“How can this problem be avoided? “

“Simple. By swearing an oath. “

“Pledge? ” Yang Zicang was slightly taken aback. Seeing the other man smile approvingly and present a large black leather-bound book with both hands, he understood in his heart. He couldn’t help but glance at the building again, then skillfully took the thick tome.

Flipping through it, he saw it was filled with dense text—all the languages of the entire Earth were collected there. The Mutao Language was, in fact, the sparsest, occupying less than half a page.

Because its contents boiled down to just one sentence:

—I pledge not to disclose any information regarding fog-people or visitors witnessed within the Concession, nor to use this information as a basis for exchanged intelligence in various operations such as “Operation Ignition, ” and to safeguard its secrets.

This was the text printed on the first page in the Five Perm Scripts.

Yang Zicang, who had to flip through several pages before finding it at the very beginning, hadn’t expected that even in a different world, he could still enjoy the privileges of being a citizen of a Permanent Five nation.

He placed his hand upon it and murmured, “I swear, I acknowledge the binding nature of these rules upon me. “

“OKK, so you understand this stuff. As for the various service counters in there, remember—whatever you need to get done, just head left and you’ll find it. “

Yang Zicang turned back. “Is there a reason for that? “

“Left represents positivity and change—that’s pretty obvious. But the cafeteria is to the right. Lunch is just one copper coin each. If things don’t work out for you, you could always strut your stuff here as a helper. Oh, right—if there’s nothing special, work starts at eight in the morning. It’s only six now, so you’ll have to wait a bit. “

The young guard pulled a switch, and the crossbar blocking the doorway retracted from both sides.

……

“President, have you really thought this through—giving away some of the room keys to Fei Lu Inn? “

Wager leaned back on the sofa, a sense of melancholy clinging to him.

“Over this period, I’ve already noticed two people who seem to be staking out and confirming our identities. The spotlight is nowhere in sight; in the meantime, we’re constantly being hunted, and even obtaining glory radiance has become difficult. If this continues, we’re not far from the worst outcome. “

The others felt a shared heaviness; the president’s words weren’t wrong.

“But… if we give away the keys, it’s so hard to stomach. How about… “

Wager looked at Ian ahead of him. “How about what? “

Ian said, “If we only gift them to the most formidable and crucial people, making it impossible for the other side to fully control an entire floor, we can still command the overall situation. “

“You mean, first find a relatively powerful expert to hold down a key position on this floor? “

Beside them, a man who had been silent all along suddenly spoke, “Everyone, I’ve just thought of someone. I once read his future for him, so I have some understanding of that person. “

“Oh? Mr. Long Biya, what wisdom do you have to share? “

The others looked toward this native elder with a scarred face, showing considerable respect.

Long Biya smiled with quiet confidence. “Aren’t you looking for a strong individual to anchor one of the rooms? Have you all considered that Yang Buchen doesn’t actually have enough glory radiance to bid on the remaining nineteen rooms either? “

“So… ” Ian hesitated, “He should take the remaining nine rooms on the fourth floor first, instead of coming to disrupt our third floor. “

The Guild Leader also nodded. “That kid’s too clever by half. ” He took out Yang Zicang’s business card and tossed it onto the table with a snort. “He must have forked out good money to grill the lobby manager about it. When we met yesterday, he deliberately dropped hints, practically telling me to find my own people to bid on rooms. “

“He wants to trap us, ” Abbott grunted.

“Hmm… Since he knows that people from his own guild bidding will be an instant disqualification, he’s probably also figured out that if there are fewer than two administrators, vacant rooms will randomly attach to some empty rooms scattered across the world… “

After checking into Fei Lu Inn, the Weiting Travel Merchant Association, now with complete control over the third floor, had learned all sorts of the inn’s little secrets.

He believed Yang Buchen just wanted an excuse to talk to him yesterday, all to try and trick him, even though the odds were vanishingly slim.

But for any remotely competent “Fogfolk, ” leaving any minor vulnerability that could bring the building crashing down was simply unthinkable. Thus, he could “understand ” Yang Buchen’s behavior. That bastard was indeed a worthy rival, having managed to peel floors away from his grip before.

“Mr. Long Biya, do you have any candidate in mind—someone powerful enough to take one of the rooms on the fourth floor? “

“There is one. He’s incredibly strong—so strong, I can’t think of anyone else more suited for that room. “

“Which room? ” they asked in unison, leaning in eagerly.

“Of course, the one at the very end of the hallway… Room 410, symbolizing the end of all things. “

Wager and the others furrowed their brows with gravity.

“And that person’s statue purifies the Bloodline of Annihilation—how fitting the bidding condition of ‘ending’ is, isn’t it! Rest assured, too, that this person certainly doesn’t have enough Glory Light to stabilize Feilü Inn. When I divined his future early last year, he had just entered a new fate track. But here’s the clincher! “

“The clincher? ” Their hearts had already been lifted—this was indeed a suitable candidate.

The scarred-faced Long Biya leaned forward, lowering his voice as if afraid some outsider might overhear:

“The point is that this fellow’s temperament should be quite easy to influence. He might be willing to check into the inn with us. In fact, if we present ourselves earnestly enough, he could even choose to join our ranks! “

“Are you saying you know an expert who is both powerful and not exactly… bright? “

“Who is this person, dear Mr. Long Biya? Do tell us quickly. “

“You may have heard his name. “

The Dumin Long Biya straightened his back and laughed, “It’s last year’s rising star, the newcomer—the Fist of Annihilation, Zhao Anlong! “