“Yu… ” Yang Zicang looked at the name card in his hand, which had completely ceased to respond.

The grief in his heart was quickly dissolved by the sword in his hand; he could even sense a trace of regret within his emotions—a pity that he couldn’t truly experience this sorrow that had barely begun to be felt.

The oscillations emitted by the Gaze-dispelling Sword seemed to act as a “spiritual cornerstone ” capable of influencing the fabric of the Aether.

“The departed are gone. “

Yang Zicang calmed down. The real Yu Qingqu herself had long ceased to exist in this world, and moreover, she had never even known a person like him at all.

As for the name card in his hand… The young man recalled what it had said earlier: “a consciousness that took so long to be born. ” This indicated that the people who made these Ether Beacons had never intended to create things that could speak by themselves.

“So then, if enough time passes, would you be able to reawaken a new consciousness? “

Yang Zicang lifted his head and looked around the now much quieter Quiet Chamber.

The hanging painting before him was a traditional Chinese landscape scroll: towering mountains and flowing waters, with an airy thatched cottage beside a waterfall, a zither sitting at its side, yet no one else but him there.

｛You touched “Ether Pattern · Mountain-and-Water-Scroll “｝

Subtle zither notes sounded, seeming to be a melody he had occasionally heard on TV in his childhood, a tune rarely listened to in his adult years.

“Is this piece called ‘High Mountains and Flowing Waters’? “

Yang Zicang withdrew his hand and looked to the right at a piece of white silk cloth with many small flat pockets, which seemed specially designed for storing name cards.

｛I touched the “Ether Anchor · Name Card Pouch “｝

The young man’s eyes widened as he stared at his weapon; although they returned no information, they were surely no ordinary items.

“All starting with ‘Ether’… what could they be? “

But there was no time to study them now. Another subtle crease flashed across the space.

{President, how are things over there? Do you need me to come down and cover the canvas? }

Though telepathic communication was possible, he couldn’t see the situation on her end. Yang Zicang strangely felt a touch of privacy for the first time.

He let out a breath, sensing the ceaseless bombardment outside.

“No need. I’ve already got what the former crew used to break through the illusion. When I bring them out, you need to be ready to return to the inn with me at any moment. “

{Return to the inn? Why? }

“There’s an extremely powerful monster over here. If you get hit, it could instantly shatter your Mental Sea. “

Saying this, Yang Zicang suddenly recalled that the cracks on the ship had appeared after the canvas was lifted and after Karl touched the statue. If he covered it again, or if Karl gained control of the statue, perhaps they could freely enter and exit this Sub-Ether Space from the ship.

{That terrifying? Ah, President, you’re still talking to me so casually — are you alright? }

“I’m fine. We’ll see when the time comes; maybe covering the canvas will keep these things out of our ship. “

As he spoke, he looked around this small room.

It seemed that here, his mind was sharper, and some things he had overlooked were easily recalled. In that instant, he thought of the rooms in the inn. Could this ‘Quiet Chamber’ one day become a room like that?

He raised his hand, intending to insert the dormant Name Card beacon into his pocket, but he hesitated. Better to wait until he had figured out exactly what this pocket was before using it.

The vibrations from outside the Quiet Chamber came through.

｛I, the Great Quadrilateral, begin communication with the “Ether Foundation·Gaze-dispelling Sword “.｝

As he closed his eyes and recollected, the entire area of the ship began to unfold in his mind.

｛The Gaze-dispelling Sword grants the “Initiate Disciple, I ” wartime access to the “Fine Thought Force Field Ether Channel. “｝

“Need coordinates? ” Yang Zicang opened his eyes. He could faintly sense the faint emotion distributor Tata Mingqi was struggling to suppress within his mind.

Yet, he could not sense the location of the other three.

Just as he frowned at the remaining two items in the Quiet Chamber, wondering if they could help him find the key, the “Double-Face Golden Skull ” on his chest transmitted two ripples of crossed mental thoughts.

• ｛Distributor Loki·Tata Mingqi has given up suppressing his thoughts.｝
• ｛Distributor Loki·Tata Mingqi expresses “Love. “｝

Yang Zicang looked at his own heart.

He suddenly understood what Tata Mingqi meant.

…….

Kim Tae-cheol was walking along a narrow, slightly swaying corridor within the ship’s cabin.

Behind him were three children trembling with fear.

“Big brother, you’re so kind. You’re the only one who can protect us and get us to the lifeboat. “

“Mm! ” Kim Tae-cheol nodded firmly. Half-bent, he pricked up his ears, listening to the sounds of fighting coming from above.

His two companions, who had been rescued by the sailors, were up there fighting alongside them against pirates who had launched a sneak attack under the cover of night.

Suddenly, he heard an unusual noise behind him. It seemed like some pirates had given chase.

“So soon? Damn it. ” Clutching his curved blade, he turned to look at the three kids at his side, saying calmly, “Huddle behind me later. “

A slightly older boy clung tightly to his clothes, his voice trembling with tears: “Uncle… can we escape? “

“I swear we will! “

Just as Kim Tae-cheol replied, a voice rang out from behind him.

“You up there! Come out and surrender! Or there will be a bloodbath! “

“Run! ” Like a mother hen shielding her chicks, Kim Tae-cheol practically herded the small figures along — shoving, tugging, and pulling — urging them into a sprint.

Suddenly, there was a violent lurch. His arm banged against something, numbing his whole body. “Hold on… the lifeboat’s at the end of the passage…probably. “

The pursuers were gaining. The kids hid behind him, clutching his clothes.

-｛Distributor February • Di’an is observing my actions.｝

-｛Distributor February • Qiluo is observing my actions.｝

-｛Distributor April • Five-Saw is observing my life story.｝

However, just as he was gathering his strength to battle the pirates, the corner of his eye inadvertently swept over the small hands tightly clutching the hem of his clothes behind him.

Kim Tae-cheol’s heart jolted; he looked down!

The young boy, who had been so frightened and pitiful just moments before, now wore an expression of greed utterly disproportionate to his age! The skin on the hands gripping his clothes was turning a withered, ashen gray.

“Uncle…” the boy’s voice was hoarse and eerie, yet he still spoke weakly, as if pitiful: “Your soul… it’s so warm… stay here… protect us forever, won’t you…“

Tae-cheol’s scalp tingled.

Was he protecting not a child? Wait, what about his fallen teammates…

In the moment of his hesitation, the entire ship jolted violently once more. This time, whether it was Kim Tae-cheol, the eerie children, or the pirates across from them, everyone looked up around themselves in astonishment.

“What’s happening?“

{Uncle, forget the pirates, hurry and come with us… }

Several small hands tugged at him.

-｛Distributor May Valkyrie is watching my life experience.｝

-｛Distributor Qiluo, February, is waiting for a new node to appear.｝

Kim Tae-cheol felt his arm ache from their grip.

“Get lost!” he roared, unleashing all his strength as the Chrono-Void Flame exploded outward, an attempt to blast away the claws grasping him!

But the force within him seemed to sink into a viscous entanglement.

These small figures firmly latched onto his arms, dragging Kim Tae-cheol—the one who was supposed to be the protector—toward the passageway across from them. Meanwhile, the pirates behind acted as guards, warily glancing around the cabin.

{Hurry, he’s about to wake up! }

Kim Tae-cheol felt his body growing weaker, as if some kind of force was draining away.

｛Yang Buchen wants to invest 0.001R Marque of full warrant order in me.｝

｛Yang Buchen wants to invest 0.001R Marque of full warrant order in me.｝

｛Yang Buchen wants to invest 0.001R Marque of full warrant order in me…!｝

A flood of messages cascaded across the screen like a torrent.

Kim Tae-cheol felt a searing pain, as though his very soul was being torn apart.

“Ugh! Ah!“

Suddenly, several thick and dense black-mist shadowy figures materialized around him, as if feasting on some unknown energy they were extracting from his body.

{Faster, the synchronization rate here is dropping with him! }

Boom! The whole ship lurched again.

{Two more, cut the act, get him over to our side first! }

“You!” Kim Tae-cheol swept his furious gaze across the “pirates” and “kids” around him, who had revealed their true forms!

{Whoa, stabilized a bit. }

{Rage on, haha, perfect! The angrier you get, the more we… huh? }

Vwoosh!

A thin, ghostly blue line instantly slashed open beside everyone; the next second, countless cracks shattered along the line’s length, and with a bang, the entire illusory passage collapsed into dust!

A violent, howling gale swept through.

{How can this be! }

The passage ripped apart, revealing the psychic image of the new ship.

All that remained on both sides were two broken walls of the illusion’s remnants, like shattered high barriers.

{Run… ah! }

A gigantic tapestry wrapped itself around two slower-moving black figures, rolling them up inside.

—｛Distributor Jeweled Enlightenment Fish, with his vast experience, flagged a new node of the Radiant Prelude for me—quickly.｝

Kim Tae-cheol, feeling as if the mental prison had shattered, staggered back two steps and looked up.

He saw the man who had displayed the “flashing miracle ” through the holy relic in the Mist Sea, now holding a weapon of ancient design, its edge emitting a gentle flow of power, standing tall right within the broken illusion.

The gigantic tapestry rolled into a sphere, floating silently behind him.

“Storekeeper Yang… you! “

“Welcome to the waking world, ” Yang Zicang declared, appearing instantly; his hand locked onto the man’s shoulder. “Let’s invest in Karl together—don’t stop now. “

—｛Distributor Nove-Di’an spoke eloquently, saying I am pregnant with a new node for the Radiant Prelude.｝

Kim Tae-cheol paused briefly, then realized the meaning behind the torrential barrage of investment messages he had felt before.

｛I wish to invest 1R Vollwert Order in Carl Jaden Miller.｝

｛It seems he is fast asleep.｝

｛I still choose to continue investing 1R Marque of Full Warrant Order into Carl Jaden Miller.｝

Yang Zicang, gripping his shoulder, began to diffuse the Night of Silently Chanting/Silence-Pondering Night.

The entire mental world of the etheric space was exchanging information with itself. This was an extremely difficult piece of information to understand; therefore, even without Yang Zicang making the effort to suppress its range, it could barely extend any distance. Let alone finding the silent rooms connected by distant tethers.

The good news was that those contaminated beacons beside the silent rooms showed no sign of activity either.

｛I began to repeatedly attempt to invest 1R Marque of Full Warrant Order into Carl Jaden Miller.｝

In that short span of time, Kim Tae-cheol made numerous attempts to invest for Carl.

｛I still repeatedly attempt to invest 1R Marque of Full Warrant Order into Carl Jaden Miller.｝

｛This seems to be my… the Mysterious Triangle must-do for tonight.｝