After much effort, Yang Zicang finally found a still-operating inn in an alley. From his last remaining seven silver coins, he took one and booked a room.

“Fog man? ” The owner eyed the Fog Citizen ID Yang Zicang had handed over.

“Fog citizens can’t stay at an inn? “

“Oh, no, no. I’ll register you right away. ” The innkeeper deftly handed Yang Zicang the room key, along with two copper coins stamped with “20 ” and an iron coin stamped with “5 ” as change.

“Room 18, second floor. A lot of your… complexion of Fogfolk seem to like that room number. “

“Thanks. ” Weighing the few coins in his hand, Yang Zicang clutched them and followed the attendant upstairs. The increasingly controlled ｛Musing Night｝ spread out gently, feeding back to him the covert gazes that had been fixed on him from the shadows. These very same gazes were also tracking every other customer who entered “The Old Oak ” inn.

The clamor still boiled outside the window. Yang Zicang glanced at the alleyway beyond the side street outside, then closed the wooden window to muffle some of the noise. He picked up a copy ofThe Tranquil Sentinel Gazette, half-buried underThe Baijin Times, from the nightstand.

“The reaction iswaybigger than I expected. “

Rubbing the newspaper with one hand and his fingers, Yang Zicang muttered, “A hero… “

Suddenly, he felt something. Turning his head, he saw a figure sitting cross-legged on the floor right by the wall behind him, grinning.

“When didyouget here!? ” Yang Zicang exclaimed, startled by the sight of the little boy, the Distributor.

“Just now! When you were checking in. I heard him say ‘Room 18,’ so I came on in first. You just didn’t see me, that’s all. “

Yang Zicang’s gaze swept across the room twice. This inn had no electric lights connected—there wasn’t enough electricity to supply ordinary residents back then; only grand assembly halls, hotels, high-level office units, and the military had it.

In the pitch-black room, he relied on his slightly diffused Musing Night to perceive objects clearly reflected back in the darkness. Yet, in a moment of carelessness, he hadn’t even noticed there was another person here!

Loki. Tata Mingqi stood up and stretched lazily. “Ugh, walking around these past two days has been such a pain in the neck.“

“You didn’t come all this way just to find me, did you?“

“Coo coo~“

Flap flap, a pigeon landed on the windowsill, tilting its head and staring inside. Mingqi strode over and decisively pulled the thin curtain shut.

The candlelight flared up as Yang Zicang shook the spent match from his hand.

“I came to talk business with you.” The distributor pulled out a few trinkets. “Mind if I borrow your turf for a bit?“

As he spoke, he snapped his fingers with a sharpcrack. A chilling, swirling veil of darkness visibly materialized on the surrounding walls, rapidly shrouding the entire wooden room.

Yang Zicang studied this added sensation: “Is this similar to the ‘invitation’ in an inn room?“

“You mean your inn that houses a godhead? Mm… it’s somewhat alike. This is the effect of a bloodline.“

Yang Zicang’s eyes widened. “This is a bloodline power too?“

“Everything under the sun—all kinds of wondrous abilities—are products of bloodline.“

Tathā mind, clutching his ankle as he sat on the ground, stared at the man who seemed lost in thought on the chair. He grinned widely and said, “Well, you didn’t really think those abilities of yours came out of thin air, did you? “

“No, I didn’t… but I never imagined that abilities could also be derived from bloodline power. “

There were clearly so many bizarre and extraordinary abilities out there…

Yang Zicang stared at the circular ring emerging on his chest. This object was evidently from this world. Could it be… that this, too, was a Bloodline Ring? That’s right… it must be a form of Bloodline Ring. But then… why was it called a ‘model,’ with nothing more than simple geometric symbols like triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagrams?

“What’s its origin? ” Yang Zicang lifted his head and looked at Tathā mind across from him.

The boy shrugged.

“Sign a long-term contract with me, and I’ll share this piece of ‘golden intel’ with you. “

“Golden intel? “

Tathā mind raised a finger. “Free intelligence… consider this my complimentary gift of insight to someone grasping at divinity. Another way of putting it—a form of investment. “

Yang Zicang subconsciously glanced at the dark vapors covering all four walls of the room.

So that’s what this guy wanted to discuss? He turned solemn, rose, and sat down on the floor, aligning his perspective as an equal to face the distributor’s exclusive revelation.

Tathā mind continued, “The pentagon—or more accurately, the pentagram—came about from the evolution of the previous Track of Fate. It is an enhancement system—a system of power improvement designed and crafted by the sages who elevated their will to the Holy level. “

Muttering “pentagon, ” Yang Zicang exclaimed in astonishment, “You’re saying… constructed—designed—by them? “

“Ahem! ” Tata Mingqi nodded. “To ensure the course of the evolving world diverged completely from the old one, they even attempted to alter the foundational power structures that sustain the world itself. “

Yang Zicang was filled with awe and respect.

What an incredibly difficult task this was—he had never imagined that anyone would dare change these deeply ingrained systems, allowing them to grow into godlike powers, all for the sake of severing ties with the old world completely.

Suddenly struck by a thought, he asked urgently, “Then, does this mean that the progression from two-sided to five-sided corresponds to the five Blood-line Circuits of the old world? “

“More or less, that’s it. “

Yang Zicang listened in disbelief to Tata Mingqi’s words. “So it’s like that… which means I practically possess a four-ring Bloodline? “

Tata Mingqi chuckled. “Well, if you knew how Bloodlines were born and grew in ordinary people in the old world, you wouldn’t be so pleased. Hmm, that’s all the intel I have to share on this. As for revealing the fifth line to ascend to the rank of Five Stars… I also know how to do it. “

“You actually know! “

Loki Tata Mingqi turned his head, listening to the faint sound of the parade outside the window.

“Yeah, do you want it? Hehe, you did a great job this time! What a surprise! To think you’d make such a big impact! Before long, the whole continent will be reporting the news about this place. “

Tata Mingqi turned to face Yang Zicang, his eyes gleaming with sharp brilliance.

“You can probably imagine what choices your fellow townspeople, still in this Age Continent, would make when they see such an opportunity. “

Yang Zicang’s heart tightened abruptly.

“They…“

“Of course they won’t let this slip away! A rare chance for the blazing heroes to shine!“

Taminqi spread his hands eagerly, “If you sell this glory to…“

— “They’ve already started!“

A muffled voice drifted in from outside the window.

“Damn bird!” Taminqi, pretending to be mature, heard the voice blaring from the electronic loudspeaker and flew into a rage. He leaped up, pointed out the window, and roared, “Get lost, you dead bird! Don’t you dare mess with my business!“

— “You’re violating our agreement,” Duli’s voice cut in curtly. “I’ve already arranged with my client for a remote discussion at the next distributor’s shop. I’ve paid a reasonable temporary fee—let my bird in!“

“No shop, no payment received, GET LOST!“

Taminqi rushed over and slammed the window, making it rattle violently. The gray dove flapped its wings with a loud whoosh, circled in the air, and then landed back on the sill.

He turned around, “Sign a long-term contract with me. Sell me this glory, and you can not only complete the deal immediately, but also get the intel on rising to the fifth line—along with other benefits from me.“

“Other?” Yang Zicang knew there was one benefit that, if mentioned, would rub salt right in any distributor’s throat, but besides that, were there really others to be had?

“What are you hesitating about? Do you think we distributors just go around begging people to sign contracts?“

“I know, but I don’t exactly have a lot of glory to begin with.“

“Didn’t your last Track of Fate give birth to a Radiance? Go find a distributor who can bring it out—that way your Radiance won’t run short. And signing with me is the best deal next to signing with a distributor above the seventh layer. Don’t miss this. “

Yang Zicang hesitated.

TATAMINGQI’s gaze locked onto him. “Even compared to other first-layer distributors of the Lunar Realm, I have plenty of advantages, don’t I? “

“Yeah, you’re an accessory maker… “

“My father is a Marquis! “

Yang Zicang’s mouth fell open.

The boy raised his chin. “His power in the Lunar Realm is beyond your imagination! I can absolutely stay awake and live to become an eighth-layer distributor! This job—he got it for me! “

The distributor spoke with such bold confidence that Yang Zicang was momentarily at a loss for words.

— “Don’t believe him! It’ll be at least four thousand years before he becomes an eighth-layer distributor! “

TATAMINGQI turned in fury. “Get lost! “

— “Sign with me, and I’ll not only tell you the conditions for advancing to a pentagon—for free!—but I’ll also become an eighth-layer distributor at least sixteen hundred years earlier than him! “

……

Three people of commanding presence stepped into the Old Oak Tavern within the alley.

The one in the lead had a tawny complexion and an aura radiating authority. Flanking him were a man and a woman, both outstanding in stature and appearance, truly one in a hundred.

Seeing them all in military uniforms, the owner, who was checking in a guest, immediately dashed out from behind the counter. “Three sirs. “

“Don’t be nervous, we’re just here to see our guest. “

“Guest? ” The proprietor was momentarily bewildered. What kind of distinguished guest could be staying at his humble inn?

The young male officer unrolled a freshly-drawn portrait in his hand. “Do you recognize this person? ” The moment he saw the face, the innkeeper knew exactly who it was.

“Yes, yes! He checked in here earlier. “

The man smiled as he rolled up the paper. “Please take us to see him. “

The onlookers began speculating about who it could be. The two lodgers leaning against the wall by the entrance, smoking, flickered glances. Wasn’t one of the three men the adjutant to Colonel Schneider, the garrison commander of this very city?!

And then it hit them—could it be that the Fogfolk man in the ankle-high boots, with a green jacket draped askance over his arm, wasn’t some intentional mimic blending in with popular fashion, but… the man himself?!