Amid the chaotic noise, one of the three men who ran over, a well-dressed Âu Châu man in a white shirt, said to Yang Zicang:

“Greetings, we are from the Weiting Travel Merchant Association. Would you like to accept our suggestion? “

Before Yang Zicang could speak, Captain Long Qiula scolded them coldly.

“Do you intend to verify the truth of his words by such a means? Do you not realize that if he is innocent, what all this means for you ‘Fogfolk’ right now?! “

｛I was surprised by the attitude of this captain.｝

The joy Yang Zicang had just felt was shattered along with the rebuke.

What does this mean?

Had he come to help only for something bad to happen?

The man from the Weiting Travel Merchant Association said, “Compared to this minor ordeal, we are more concerned with his ability to recruit new people. You can understand that, can’t you? “

The three men from the merchant association smiled flatteringly at the captain.

“Besides, if he is a fraud, we can convict him immediately. There’s no need to waste time. “

“I am no fraud. “

The supply station master in the high window said,

“Kid, though it’s hard to believe, if what you said is true, I think you should accept the captain’s advice and surrender. After the investigation, Captain Long Qiula will naturally restore justice for you. Don’t listen to the bad ideas of those three. “

“We truly can verify whether your testimony is true, ” said the Âu Châu man. “And of course, the person upstairs can confirm it even faster. “

Xue Qi’s eyes widened in surprise. Could the three men in front of her and the Supply Station chief up in the lighthouse confirm whether the man beside her was innocent? If so, why had he shown no intention of lending a hand? Not even the people before her or the crowd who had come here had thought about it from that angle.

High up in the lighthouse, the Supply Station chief—clad in the same navy-blue military coat with a lighthouse insignia on his sleeve—leaned half his body out of the window and let out a yawn.

“True or false, we’ll give you an answer—on the condition that you don’t lie. Otherwise, there’s a post on the fire stake with your name on it. “

But another voice immediately rang out from a window even higher than the Supply Station chief’s.

“We’re from the Weiting Travel Merchant Association, friend. This era’s land is beyond saving. If you’re lucky, by the time your investigation wraps up in two or three months, the last batch of ferries heading to the Next Era Land will have already departed. If you’re unlucky… well, who knows? War might just burn right up to your prison cell. “

Amid the buzzing murmurs, the voice continued calling out:

“So, if you insist on being in the right, accept our goodwill and make a deal with us. “

“What kind of deal? ” Yang Zicang looked up.

“Sigh, if that’s the case, ” the chap from the Supply Station, still flicking his coin, said, “making a deal with them would be worse than making one with us, the Mist Ocean Trading Company. “

Through the window higher up in the stone fortress, the man from the Weiting Travel Merchant Association shouted, “Us too—no, our goods are far more suited to you right now! “

“Hmph. ” The person in charge from the lower window tucked away the coin and, under the watchful eyes of the heads in the surrounding windows, leaned half his body out and shouted up to the top.

“Have you forgotten who the real master here is?! You bastards, get the hell out of here by tomorrow! “

“We’ll find our own way! “

“A bunch of bastards who’ve broken the rules—shut your mouths! “

Yang Zicang watched in astonishment as these people began to argue among themselves.

The captain in front raised his hand to stop his team members from moving any closer.

“Will you accept our investigation, or rely on the help of those bizarre powers? “

The Lighthouse Captain radiated a distorted, shadowy, illusory flame as he took two steps forward.

“I’ll warn you: if you choose them, then this spark of destiny, which has only just half-come into being, will be diluted away like water mixed in, leaving you with not a shred of ‘profit.’ “

“This… ” Yang Zicang frowned.

Xue Qi said, “What the devil is going on? Who are they? “

“They are all merchants. “

The Captain’s cold and mysterious gaze locked onto Yang Zicang.

“But they all share another identity—that of the distributors under the Lunar Sovereigns. “

The crowd from the lighthouse shouted:

“Make your choice！ The Maritime Bureau’s supply station, or that itinerant merchant ship? “

Xue Qi turned to look at the young man beside her.

Yang Zicang looked up and asked, as if seeking confirmation, “Is there really no other choice? “

“You don’t want to be locked up in this doomed continent right from the start, do you? ” the Travelers’ Guild member persuaded.

“I came here to report an incident on my own initiative, only to be treated like this. “

“The story you made up has too many holes. “

“Ha, ” Yang Zicang said with a cold laugh. “What if I said I could prove it? Would you make a decision right now? “

“And how do you propose to prove it? ” A voice, laced with laughter, drifted over from somewhere. “Only a Crossing Man can pick up that rope, isn’t that right, great storyteller! “

“If I could throw that rope, wouldn’t that prove I could also pull a newcomer out of the seawater? “

“Hahahaha! “

Amidst the burst of laughter, the captain narrowed his eyes. “So you already know that particular trait of the rope. Very well. I’m starting to look forward to seeing how you’ll prove yourself. “

Long Qiula’s body suddenly flared with a stronger, darker spectral shadow-flame.

“Come on, I’ll go with you to the boat. But if you can’t cast that rope—the one only a Crossing Man can throw—into the sea, I’ll execute the law right here and now and toss your corpse into the water. “

Xue Qi looked at Yang Zicang with obvious nervousness.

“Don’t be afraid. ” Yang Zicang comforted her, then turned and walked toward the edge of the reef.

The sound of splashing water rose and fell all around as several boats cut through the surface, surrounding their iron-clad wooden vessel.

More people poured out from the lighthouse’s stone fort, eager to witness whether the man’s words were true or false.

“You have no idea what you’re doing. ” These people wanted to see how this arrogant man would end his tale.

“What if he actually succeeds? “

“I used to run a supermarket. I’ve seen too many of these stubborn fools who’ll die with their beak rusty. They walk in saying they want two packs of cigarettes, but when I hand them over, they swear up and down they only asked for one. “

“If he actually succeeds, then a feat will be born—where a man who isn’t a Crossing Person can, just like one, drag someone else on a different Track of Fate from the Fog Sea into a new Track of Fate! “

They all knew what that meant.

And the one who didn’t get it was Yang Zicang, who was about to board the ship simply to prove his innocence.

｛I can feel dozens of gazes, filled with the same hopeful wish, eagerly watching me.｝

“Huh? “

Yang Zicang, just about to step onto the boat, paused slightly and turned his head to look at the crowd behind him.

They’d already thrown out a hint strong enough to forge a Amulet of Hundredfold Wishes—so it turned out he could still ‘craft’ that kind of charm in this world too.

After a brief pause, he leaped onto the vessel.

Watching that oddly graceful arc of his jump, combined with the kid’s earlier boast that he could control the ship’s trajectory, Rong. Qiu La found himself actually starting to believe this bastard’s bullshit.

But how was that possible? He was just a fresh newcomer.

Yang Zicang quickly made it to the cabin doorstep, yet under everyone’s watchful eyes, instead of reaching for that coil of rope straight away, he pulled a silk scarf out from his coat.

“Hey, what are you waiting for? Gotta wipe your hands first or something? “

“Hahahaha. “

“Even if you’re wiping your hands, you should be done by now. Hurry up and start your show, kid! “

Yang Zicang took a deep breath, his gaze turning cold and steady. With a flick of his hand, the silk scarf suddenly unfurled into a massive blanket, as if it would envelop the entire ship.

Long Qiula’s eyes instantly flashed with fury.

“How dare you pull a trick right under my nose! “

Puff! Puff!

Several streams of muted, intoxicating spray shot from the nozzles in the guards’ hands, conjuring phantom flames and icy chills, even water bubbles and venom, all hurtling toward the ship.

Amidst these attacks, the squad leader, his body radiating a ghostly, shadowy flame, leaped onto the ship, ready to slam a fist down.

But at that moment, the unfurled massive blanket did not fall to cover the vessel — instead, it lingered in the air above the wooden boat. One corner of it curved and swayed, displacing the air to fan away the incoming onslaught of iridescent shockwaves.

At the same time, the other corner of the massive blanket twisted downward, touching the rope on the cabin.

Crackle! Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!

Frost-like, hair-thin sparks burst violently at the point of contact!

With the twist of the blanket’s corner, the coil of rope was easily lifted from its wooden hook, thrown aside, and landed on the deck with a soft thud, unfurling as it went, with one part sliding down the gunwale into the seawater.

“This… ” Those nearby were all struck dumb.

At that moment, the iron fist of the squad leader who had jumped aboard was already mere inches from the head of the young man standing steadily on the deck.

Yang Zicang turned his head, calmly gazing at the gem-like blazing eyes of the man whose arm was now locked in mid-swing.

“Actually, this is my first attempt. “

The captain and the crowd on the reef stared blankly at the rope sliding into the sea.

“F-first time? “

“Back then, I used this blanket directly to scoop that lady right out of the water. “

“Ahh~ ” An uproar of noise erupted from the reef shore and the surrounding boats! Everyone exchanged stunned glances.

Ron Qulla, the captain, retracted his fist and stared at the giant blanket unfurled above him, muttering under his breath: “This is definitely a Saint-tier item! “

“That blanket? “

“Damn, could we be witnessing the birth of a ‘Flash’ right now? “

The crowd burst into an uproar.

A Flash?!

The word “Flash ” struck Yang Zicang like a bolt of lightning, bringing to mind the image of Mr. Black Stork extracting that bizarre light from his own experiences.

Mr. Black Stork had once drawn out something called a “Heroes’ Flash ” from Yang Zicang’s extraordinary experience of overcoming a life-or-death crisis, then invested it back into Liang Xi’s seemingly flickering vitality, rekindling it into vibrant life!