“Becoming a Сrossing Рerson—that’s certainly possible. “

“So wouldn’t that mean she can see future events and qualify for our investment? “

“Many people see foresight as a blessing, but what use is it to only know a few minutes ahead of time? Plus, not everything is visible. As for investing in her lifespan, that’s technically not wrong. “

Caden hesitated, taking a sip of his beer, then said:

“Still, if she becomes a Сrossing Рerson, she’d at least be eligible to travel to the Next Era Land. I suppose that’s something good. But so what? To forever live in the crevices of fate, never able to blend in, constantly suffering from the misfortune born of rejection—that’s a kind of torment. “

Yang Zicang sighed. From what he’d seen, very few Сrossing Рersons had actually lived well.

Caden seemed to be waiting for an answer from the “hero. “

Yang Zicang’s brows were tightly knitted together.

“What’s wrong with you? “

“Please wait, ” Yang Zicang raised his hand, his entire face a mask of deep contemplation.

He felt something was off here.

If it was just a coincidence that he happened to run into something because he was staying here, well, that wasn’t impossible, but the probability of that… was absolutely lower than the chance that something had changed with the people or things that had been following him all along.

And something strange had happened tonight!

He suddenly looked up and glanced around him.

“Could it be Liana? ” Yang Zicang asked Cardin. “When an ordinary native becomes a Ferryman, are there any special occurrences? “

“Special? Hmm… not from an outsider’s perspective. If they don’t tell, no one would know. Oh, right, if it’s been a long time, relying on their ability to repeatedly choose favorable futures for themselves, some small, barely visible scales might grow on their necks. Other than that, there’s no difference. “

“I’m sorry, but I may need to go and check. I’ll have to take my leave now, Mr. Cardin. Thank you for the information. “

“Alright. Do you need me to keep an eye on this place for you? “

Yang Zicang turned his head and looked back at the room.

“No, I’ll take all my luggage. “

At this moment, he couldn’t afford to worry about that. As he walked toward the room, about to undo his clothes and pull out the silk scarf, he suddenly realized… maybe it was his use of the “Frost and Snow ” ability that had caused the young girl’s perception to be skewed.

If he then flew the carpet over the village again, heaven knows how many people might start to question the very nature of the world around them.

Especially here, these helpless souls suffering such harsh treatment would surely be filled with resentment upon witnessing the vast chasm between themselves and those flying in the sky.

Better forget it—no flying carpet, then.

But what do I do with all this luggage? Right now, I’m all alone.

-｛Distributor February. Di’an noted with rich experience, “I am nurturing the prelude to a brand-new brilliance. “｝

“What a hassle, ” he thought.

Yang Zicang heard the mental voice’s tone as he walked toward the room.

The distributor had probably caught on to his predicament.

What if he temporarily brought the luggage into the Aether space? Best-case scenario, it wouldn’t birth a ray of brilliant light.

Now was truly not the time to be worrying about Glory-light.

He grabbed hold of the luggage from the room where Ebiser and the butler had stayed. Among the piles was a large suitcase, presumably containing the item the middle-aged man had mentioned—the device that could lead them all to the next continent.

The moment his fingers brushed against its surface, Yang Zicang couldn’t help but activate “Musing Night. “

A wave that made his skin tingle spread outward and then instantly collapsed inward.

The specially-made leather trunk turned out to contain another crate wrapped in layers upon layers of cloth. And as for the innermost one—it felt through the wave like it was crafted using the most primitive methods.

Yang Zicang closed his eyes briefly, channeling a more intense concentration to communicate with the object through Musing Night. As information was exchanged, his perception grew clearer.

Larger grooves of wooden troughs were fiercely mortared into smaller ones, exuding an aura both ancient and decrepit.

As for what exactly was inside this sealed wooden crate, Silent Night failed to perceive any useful information.

“Need a hand? “

Cadden’s voice sounded from the doorway.

“Hmm… No, thanks. “

“You can’t possibly carry all that luggage by yourself, can you? How about I go check on that girl—if I recall, her name was Lian, or something like that. “

“I have a way to get them out of here. “

Cadden paused, “You… have a way? “

“Yeah, I’ve got it. ” Yang Zicang nodded.

-｛Distributor February. Di’an expects me to ignite a brand-new radiance.｝

-｛Distributor Loki. Tata Mingqi signals ‘Watch closely.’｝

Yang Zicang walked to the door, braced an arm against it, and shouted toward the end of the hallway, just a few steps away: “Boss! “

-｛Distributor Di’an exudes a sense of doubt, as if anticipating the thread of life’s journey.｝

“What is it, guest? ” the boss replied loudly from below.

“Find me some local workers immediately—I need to hire them for one night to move my luggage. Even if it’s less than a full night, I’ll pay for the full night. I want reliable, honest men. Thirty iron coins per person. “

“That high a price? Dear traveler, you needn’t pay so much; that could already hire five people. “

-｛Distributor Tata Mingqi signals ‘Eyes closed.’｝

“Do as I say. Please hurry—I’ll wait ten minutes at most. “

The boss, who had only just scurried up a few steps, promptly scrambled back down.

-｛Distributor February. Di’an gave me a thumbs-down.｝

Cadden at the door stared in astonishment at the man inside.

“You… plan to have those people carry the luggage and follow you running through the village? “

“What else? It’s not like I can just make it disappear. “

“Ah, well… ” Kaden wore a wry, almost helpless smile, “No need for all that trouble. Why not just entrust it to me? I’ll watch your luggage for you. I swear on the honor of the Fogfolk. “

Yang Zicang glanced at his human ears, “Then wouldn’t I be acting like a middleman? No need. Those men will be enough. “

“In that case, I’ll go get some rest first. “

Kaden smiled, took two steps back, waved his hand, turned, and strode away. He walked to the stairway.

The first hired mover had already jogged into the shop.

Kaden suddenly halted, turning back. His arched brows seemed to carry a natural hint of a smile:

“By the way, Brother Yang. If you’re heading to Hydrapower City too, why don’t we travel together tomorrow? Just yesterday, Lil’ Shirley was still chatting about how adorable that girl is. On the way, Shirley can also look after her. “

“Who needs help! ” A farmer, reeking of sweat and a faint medicinal smell, ran up the stairs. His eyes swept around like searchlights, locked immediately and sharply onto Yang Zicang. He bounded over in two strides, “Sir! Need a hand? Let me do it, let me do it. Oh my, so much stuff—we might need one more person. “

Yang Zicang politely nodded an apology to Kaden with a faint smile, “Let’s see what the boss arranges tomorrow. I’m just a bodyguard. “

The moment these words left his mouth, the excited farmer’s heart skipped a beat. He withdrew his hand, “If you’re just a bodyguard, does that price still count? “

Yang Zicang’s smile stiffened as he reached into his clothes and pulled out a few silver coins. The farmer’s breathing immediately grew heavier.

……

“Move aside, make way! “

Four porters charged forward like warriors carrying explosive ordnance, hoisting luggage and sprinting behind the young man through the filthy, sewage-filled, narrow alley.

“Move it, Dr. Valentin’s clinic is still a ways off! Come on, brothers, keep pushing! “

A pair of elderly women simmering medicinal herbs ahead turned their heads, glancing back at the dim firelight from their furnace. Their faces shifted, and they quickly pressed themselves against the wall, letting the men and rushing wind blur past.

“Take the first fork on the left! “

The farmer, wearing straw sandals and shouldering the largest chest, called out with a solemn expression.

“Be careful turning—there could be patients around! If you crash into them, you’ll be done for! “

“As if you need to tell us! “

Up against the walls, women and old men were simmering herbs, taking turns borrowing pots to cook, children with bandaged heads, and youths limping along.

Having spied these men barreling down the near-choked lane, everyone swiftly pressed themselves aside to clear the path and grumbled a string of complaints.

In the distance, Yang Zicang could just make out a two-story old brick-and-mortar building, a word board reading “Valentin’s Clinic ” nailed to the wooden shed room atop its roof.

“Gotta push faster, brothers. We’re almost there. “

Spurred on by the promise of thirty iron coins each, the porters behind him felt as though they had inexhaustible strength, driving their running steps even more vigorously.

……

Carden sat quietly on the chair inside the room.

Shirley put away her lively and innocent expression, picked up a cigarette, and just as she was about to light it, Carden snatched it from her hand.

“What, even now, I can’t have one? “

“The smell is already strong enough. Who do you think he is? Don’t leave any clues that could arouse suspicion. “

Shirley pursed her lips, spun around, and sat down on the chair, leaning back against its backrest.

“Then why did you give him information about that little girl? Are you afraid she’ll really become a Refugee? “

Carden threw the cigarette into the trash bin, sniffed his fingers to ensure there was no tobacco smell, then took off his coat and put on gloves. Moving swiftly, he collected medicine packets in the room, opened a leather suitcase, took out a stone canister, opened it, stuffed the herbs inside, and pressed them down:

“I only uttered a greeting and exchanged a few words with him, and he already started to doubt my identity. If I hadn’t diverted his attention, there might have been trouble later. “

“Trouble? Could it get any worse than it is now? He’s already fled with all those suitcases. “

“At least we know they’re there. And that guy is damn cautious. I already told him the girl might become a Fog Citizen, but he didn’t even hint at sending her to the Next Era Land. Dunno if he doesn’t know or just doesn’t wanna talk about it. “

The woman frowned, picked up a fan, and wafted the air with it.

“We’ve been waiting this long, and just when all the big shots have cleared out, we get stuck with… a character like that. What a headache. “

“Yeah. Of all the escorts we could’ve dealt with, it had to be him. “

Carden stood up, having sealed all the medicine into the stone cylinder.

“That’s it for tonight’s operation. Let’s call for reinforcements. ” He wiped the sweat from his brow, turned his head, and let out a breath. “Good thing we anticipated they might hire a bodyguard and made a backup plan. Speed it up. We need to plant these before he gets back. “

The woman nodded and walked over to the pile of luggage two steps away. She picked up a suitcase and opened it.

The lid of the suitcase was inlaid with metal threads forming magical circuit patterns, and inside lay a dark red mobile radio station. As her finger touched it, the radio naturally emitted a faint, intermittent crackling noise. It was a dead malevolent nightmare—also known as a “Modular Radio. “