Medwiser vaulted out of the residential house and cut through a connected field alley, re-entering the old winding city streets. He went straight to an oil-splashed noodle shop and ordered a bowl of noodles.

Inside, two locals eating and chatting at a table turned their heads as they saw this well-preserved man in his fifties walk in.

The noodle shop owner chuckled.

“Medwiser, eating at this hour? You couldn’t have been watching the award ceremony, could you? You can’t have come back this quickly. “

The man rubbed his belly, “Ha! I’ve got no such leisure. Living away from home, you save wherever you can. Lunch or breakfast, it’s all the same to me. “

Another customer came in for a meal. The owner said, “Ah, you three want to drink, right? Go eat in the back room. Let this table outside for the other guests. “

“Alright, alright, we’ll go inside. ” The Steffen man said in a local’s tone, “Pal, if you don’t mind, let’s have a drink together. “

The three men of varying heights walked into the back of the noodle shop under the slightly squinting gazes of the other customers. The further they walked, the straighter their backs became and the faster their pace.

……

In a banquet hall like a ballroom, the Royal Ceremony Speaker, glass in hand, made his rounds toasts and then arrived before Yao Xiaoqin, whose eyes were now bright and teeth fair. His eyes lit up.

“Dear miss, thank you for your efforts made in the shadows for our people. “

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. “

“May I invite you for a dance? Well, not right now. “

Yao Xiaoqin, who was just about to agree, looked at him with slight confusion. The man chuckled, “I’m talking about the evening banquet. So, we should have an opportunity to go pick out a ball gown this afternoon, don’t you think? “

……

The three sharp figures slipped through the room, heading straight for the tall cornfield by the back row of adjoining restrooms.

“Follow me. ” “Medwiser, ” who had returned to Yang Zicang’s original voice, spoke an identifying phrase. After that, he and the two men behind him maneuvered through the field. After walking for nearly three minutes, he led them further and further away. The one slightly younger man following behind furrowed his brow and asked, “Why aren’t we there yet? “

“Medwiser ” turned his head, “Can’t you see it? “

The man nodded.

Bai Yuxian, the “Hundred Crown, ” looked at this face. “Shouldn’t we be heading to the inn now? It should be in that house over there, right? “

They had already investigated that residential house twice. This man, who bore Medwiser’s identity each time, had appeared directly nearby, and for the Steffen people keeping a constant watch here, that spoke volumes.

The young man who had confirmed his identity with Yang Zicang’s voice said to the Crossing Person, “Do you know what I plan to do now? “

The Crossing Person, who had instantly glimpsed a blurry image of the next few minutes, briefly flashed a rare look of surprise on his face.

“How did you manage that? “

Bai Yuxian stared at the subordinate who had just asked the question beside him.

“It’s nothing. I just convinced myself over and over that I was taking you to Fei Lu Hotel, so you couldn’t see my future. “

Bai Yuxian immediately sensed what was going on. He gave a faint smile and said, “So now, what are we going to do? “

Yang Zicang nodded to the two of them. “I’d like to ask you both for a favor, and it’s also for the hotel’s sake. “

“What is it? “

“Help me wrest control of more rooms from the other faction that’s currently running the hotel. “

A glint of anticipation lit up their eyes.

Medwiser’s voice took on a noticeably heavier tone:

“I placed an ‘Ether Beacon’ business card at the target’s location. You have one too, don’t you? “

In truth, Yang Zicang was half-hoping they would say “no, ” because that would at least prove that Ether Beacons weren’t exactly a common commodity.

However, the person before him—who could command the “Blood Shell” unit, had the authority to easily access intelligence on the “Divine Hotel,” and could even apply for the “Saint’s Memoir Pages” for mission transactions—clearly wouldn’t be ignorant of the information related to the “Ether Channel.” Therefore, it was entirely possible that the “Ether Beacon” data in his possession was even richer than YangZicang’s own.

Bai Yuxian pulled out an ordinary-looking business card, on which something was written in “Grainwood Script.“

“If you mean this, then of course I have one. Do you want one? I can give you one of my own cards.“

YangZicang raised an eyebrow. He glanced around, then reached his hand into the inner pocket of his close-fitting coat. In his mind, he rapidly sketched the pattern of the “Memory Magic Tattoo,” while simultaneously beginning to recall the wave tattoo for “Hat Trick.“

As the final segment of this second-level magic tattoo surfaced in his memory, the Steffen person across from him felt the young man’s aura abruptly turn chaotic, and his spirit seemed to grow disturbed for a single breath.

Just as he found this strange, the next second, the Grainwood person—wearing a human-skin mask—twisted his left wrist and miraculously produced a black hat.

Sensing that the blood vessels in his head were about to burst, Yang Zicang quickly let out a sigh. His gaze steadied once more as he looked down at the deep-brimmed hat in his hands.

“Just give it to me. As for my card, I’ll hold off on distributing it for now.“

Even if he did give it, the other party definitely wouldn’t keep it on them.

Bai Yuxian hesitated for a moment before handing over his card.

“Medwiser ” placed it inside the hat cylinder, then took out a rolled-up piece of cloth and a faintly glowing Mana Crystal.

“You… mm, I see. You plan to use the magic pattern to activate the business card. It seems you haven’t fully mastered all five elemental secret techniques yet, right? “

Yang Zicang instinctively touched his face. While his expression had slightly shifted, the artificial skin hadn’t loosened. That kind of mishap wouldn’t actually occur, but he couldn’t help worrying about it from time to time.

“You talk about five elemental secret techniques? “

He thought of his own “Blazing Sword Art, ” “Explosive Wind Fist, ” and other secret techniques.

That’s right—elemental secret techniques. He said, “You mean… using elemental secret techniques can trigger the Ether Name Card? Hmm… won’t that damage it? “

Bai Yuxian shook his head. “It seems you don’t know much about the knowledge of the Ether Realm either. Let me put it this way—you probably want me to go with you to that person to secure the remaining control of the inn. Honestly, in sudden incidents like this with zero intelligence foundation, I’d usually avoid them if possible. But when it comes to ‘Divinity,’ you can never have complete preparation. “

“Thank you. Was there anything else you wanted to say? “

“I can give you some intelligence on this matter, but in return, I hope we can collaborate in the future. You know, while I don’t need Luminance or Flush, this friend of mine… “

He looked toward the man beside him. “We can call you Mingtao now, right? “

Hearing this “name, ” the man nodded somewhat nostalgically. This meant drawing a line from his former identity.

“Ming Tao needs Radiance and Flash to invest in his ‘future sight.’ I hope you can treat him like the Fogfolk and give him opportunities to participate in the future as well. “

“That’s fine. But if we rely on his abilities for help, we might not be able to generate Radiance. He can barely contribute using only the capabilities of an ordinary person. “

“Ming Tao knows his limits. Then, let me share this piece of information with you first. “

Bai Yuxian pinched his name card. In the next moment, although the composed, middle-aged man seemed to do nothing at all, the aura around him shifted instantly at his very presence. With just a glance, Yang Zicang naturally saw “Hundred Crowns ” standing before him.

“Hundred Crowns ” was this human, and this human avatar was… “Hundred Crowns? “

“Hun… ” Yang Zicang’s gaze fell on his fingers, where a faint, hazy glimmer was barely visible.

“This is the ‘Primordial Force’ provided by the ‘Element Field.’ What you said earlier about using elemental secret arts to trigger the ‘Ether Beacon’—it’s not wrong per se, but at least you can’t do it right now. “

“The activation of an elemental secret art is like striking a match. The manifestation of the art is the flame, while the chromium-potassium and calamus powders inside the match head are what fuel the burn—that is the true elemental force. If you only see the phantom of the flame, even a candle’s weak fire possesses a faint wisp of fire elemental power. “

“Hundred Crowns ” Bai Yuxian’s “Ether Beacon ” name card did not open any passage. This wasn’t inside the Hallowed Field of the Origin; in the real world, close attention required the two of them to at least close their eyes to accomplish such a feat.

Yang Zicang understood something.

“The Elemental Field… let me think… using five different ‘Five-Phase Elemental Techniques’ to resonate with the Elemental Field within the Aetheric Realm… only then can one communicate…“

“By resonanting with the response of the ‘Five-Phase Elemental Field,’ the Elemental Power you obtain will be the purest origin Elemental Power.“

At this point, Bai Yuxian shifted to a slightly lighter tone and said with a smile:

“Of course, you don’t need to be disheartened. It’s very difficult for ordinary people to master five different types of Elemental Techniques. So, there’s another way to activate the ‘Ether Beacon’—and that is by birthing the ‘Stellar Yuan’.“

Yang Zicang’s anticipation froze on his face.

“That really is… quite a nice backup method.“

“I have both.” Bai Yuxian smiled. “Alright, no need to fiddle with your magic runes. Let me help you activate the Beacon. Once inside the Sub-Ether Space, remember to stay still and wait for me. Touch your finger to mine—this will temporarily leave an elemental imprint. Depending on the gap in our strength, it can last anywhere from a few microseconds to several days.“

Bai Yuxian extended a finger, and on the tip flickered a faint, translucent elemental flame. It looked like wind-blown cold air, yet carried a trace of fire’s warmth, with specks of golden dust floating within it like stars.

Mingtao, being sharp, immediately closed his eyes.

Yang Zicang reached out to touch that finger with his own. The sensation was gentle and mild, yet it stirred a faint tremor deep in both his body and mind.

｛I feel pleasant.｝

Bai Yuxian’s eyelids sank deep. Yang Zicang quickly pressed his finger to the prepared business card.

At the moment of contact, the “Ether Beacon Business Card ” instantly erupted with an ethereal information field, countless complex lines visible only to the mind’s eye, wrapping around it in intricate swirls.

With a single thought from Yang Zicang, the entire world transformed into a color akin to fluorescent ink.