“I’m sorry, I’m feeling a bit… “

Yao Xiaoqin looked up and apologized, “I really did want to use this information to secure a portion of Radiance, but I can never seem to do it right. “

“It’s alright, my dear lady. “

Leonhard raised his hand casually, a hint of softness in his tone, “You may touch it, but you cannot open it. “

A flicker of surprise gleamed in the woman’s eyes. “Then what’s inside that wooden box? “

“Heh heh. ” Crown Prince Leonhard behaved just like an ordinary young man.

“Something that can ensure our nation continues to exist on the next continent. “

“Continues to exist! ” She repeated the word in disbelief, certain she had discovered a monumental secret.

“Why? “

“If you’re willing to tell me your true name, then I can answer that question for you, my dear, beautiful lady. “

The Crown Prince pulled a business card from his pocket and handed it over. “Provided you don’t deceive me. I can verify its authenticity. “

The Crown Prince turned and gave a subtle twirl of his finger toward the palace guard. The woman, who was holding the card in astonishment, watched as the guard, dressed in a uniform resembling formal attire, walked over.

A wisp of ethereal, flame-like energy appeared on the guard’s fingertip and touched the card. Immediately, “Yao Xiaoqin ” saw a ripple emanate from the card in the Crown Prince’s hand—difficult to perceive with the naked eye, yet clearly discernible to the senses.

“Pulse Flow Collector. “

She instinctively tried to get a better look, but the guard raised his hand to block her eyes. When he moved his hand away, she discovered the man had vanished!

It was as if the person who had been speaking to her moments ago was merely an apparition!

“What just happened?! “

“It seems your teammate failed to inform you about matters of this nature, ” the palace guard said calmly, pointing his finger at the card in her hand.

“You are about to enter the ‘Sub-Aether Force Field Space.’ Please do not be too startled, or it will be dangerous. “

The court guard closed his eyes as the panicked woman had yet to react. A large hand grabbed her, pulling her into a glowing rift of swirling energy.

……

The flustered “Yao Xiaoqin ” blinked open her eyes and gazed at the psychedelic rainbows swirling around her.

Just then, a figure stood beside her and swung a sword.

“Ah—you! What are you doing? ” She cowered in fear, shrinking back.

“Don’t be nervous. This is necessary. “

A familiar voice came through. “That sword is protecting you. Sheridan, give her a demonstration of what a lie looks like. “

Straightening her spine, “Yao Xiaoqin ” took in the dashing, tall man who looked like an exquisite doll. And to the side, the sword-wielder immediately registered to her as something akin to a suit of armored samurai, its iron blade giving off no ordinary aura.

｛Authority｝、｛Omnipotence｝、｛Self-Proclaimed Uniqueness｝、｛Confidence｝…

Beside this man faint informational wavebands shimmered, instantly decipherable at a single glance!

What was that?!

｛Startle｝、｛Fear｝、｛Longing｝、｛Regret｝…

Leonhard raised his hand, and the knight armor at his side hefted its long iron blade sharply. In a single strike, the energy around them cleaved straight into nothingness.

Sheridan spoke: “I am a Fogfolk. “

At once, lines resembling twisting afterimages rippled into view by his side.

｛Banter｝、｛Lies｝、｛Deceiver｝、｛Performance｝…

“See what I mean? “

Leonhard observed the girl across from him, who seemed as helpless as if backed into a corner. The traits displayed on her confirmed these emotions were genuine. She was clearly a woman who had never been valued by Yang Buchen—that bastard hadn’t even told her about the existence of the “Sub-Ether Force Field.“

“What the hell is this place!“

｛Regret｝, ｛Scrutiny｝, ｛Pity｝, ｛Attracted to Good Looks｝… Leonhard chuckled:

“Before I tell you anything, answer me first: what’s your name?“

Boundless fear lingered, intense regret converged, but a desperate courage was also being born. And all of this was transparent. She felt as if she were stripped completely bare before two men.

“I…” Her hands, with nowhere to put them, clenched her clothes through her teeth.

｛Decision｝, ｛Loneliness｝, ｛Shame｝, ｛Danger｝…

She said, “My name is Yao Sumang.“

As those words left her mouth, energy surged around all sides instantly.

｛True Words｝.

The iron sword swung toward her. Yao Xiaoqin instinctively closed her eyes, clenched her fists, and dodged sideways, the blade’s tip sweeping past her.

“Excellent, Ms. Yao. You didn’t lie to me. Now, I’ll grant your wish as well.“

The man, as tall and handsome as a doll but with a grim face, took two steps forward:

“This radiance is my gift to you, an apology for my actions. I hope you won’t hold a grudge. A beauty like you must surely understand my plight, yes?“

Rings of energy patterns flickered around Yao Xiaoqin.

｛Feeling Down｝, ｛It’s Alright｝, ｛Status Gap｝, ｛Thorough Security｝, ｛Anticipation｝…

She opened her eyes to look, then made an effort to ease her furrowed brow, and with propriety raised her skirt to give a respectful curtsy.

“This kind of scrutiny is only to be expected. “

｛Calm｝, ｛Rational｝…

The iron sword flashed. This time, she didn’t show fear, though instinctively she still slightly closed her eyes.

Approval flickered in Leonhard’s eyes; the coalesced trait energy was swiftly dissolved by the iron sword as it swept through in a chopping arc.

The woman’s expression returned to a gentle calm, she fixed her gaze on the Grand Duke heir.

“May I ask, Your Highness, why does that object allow the Imperial Guard to remain in existence? “

“Because that is a kind of privilege—a privilege that allows me to pass through. It’s as simple as that. “

｛Arrogance.｝

Feeling deceived, Yao Xiaoqin’s eyes flickered with a tranquil surface rage, but the trait energy gathering at her side couldn’t escape the other party’s gaze.

Hastily, she began scrambling her thoughts.

In an instant, countless, dense traits sparked; they writhed into utter disorder was surely hiding something no soul could glean.

“It seems you are a little unsatisfied with my answer. Well, perhaps you’ll understand if I put it this way — this wooden box comes from the last era of the ‘Continent of ｛Lu｝.’ “

“Really? “

The man stepped closer, gently taking the woman’s fair, dreamlike shimmering hands in his, saying:

“During our over four hundred years on this continent, it has never been opened. “

Yao Xiaoqin raised her head in astonishment. “You come from another continent too? “

Their eyes met, and after a few seconds, she turned her head down, only to feel a mouth pressed against her ear.

“Still hoping to get answers to your questions for free, huh? “

His hand wrapped around Yao Suman’s waist, and he gazed at the strikingly beautiful face within the Sub-Aether Field Space: “From now on, nothing comes for free. “

“You… “

“Want to come with me to the next continent? How about it? I’ll still have an entire kingdom, you know. “

｛Shock｝, ｛Wonder｝, ｛Fate’s Crossroads?｝, ｛Truth and Lies｝, ｛Choice｝, ｛Inconclusive｝…

……

April 19th.

Started at dawn, traveled for an entire day, and by four or five in the afternoon, the two carriages had already reached the planned rest village.

This village, wedged between two cities, was unexpectedly lively.

But this bustle was rather disquieting, even dampening the mood of Liana, who had been cheerfully winding up the coral clock’s rabbit head all day long.

For everyone coming and going here was either physically disabled, or had patches of tumors on their body or face, or was hunched over, or limped along the roadside with a twisted head.

“This is Concie Village? “

“Such a lively place, and yet these people… ” He Yishu, walking beside the carriage, sighed as he looked at the frail, bony old man who brushed past his shoulder to make way.

Ebiser, his figure visible through the car window, sighed. “Looks like everyone across the continent afflicted by the Blight has come here. “

It was an exaggeration, but not entirely inaccurate.

Saunter from the front of the car said, “This town was once tainted by Miasma. The people and the town itself were lost. But now, because some residual miasma remains, a village has been born from the ashes. “

By the roadside stood an endless line of cheap diners and rundown lodges. They’d nearly traversed the entire block before they finally spotted a fairly well-kept inn nestled among a few residential houses.

On the distant, low hill, there were several squat buildings decked out with brightly colored signs promising “Bone Realignment ” and “Specialist Treatment for Pseudosarcomas. “

They checked into a hotel, secured a private room, and ordered their meal. Lianna cautiously peered out the window at a few shadowy figures in the alley before immediately shutting her eyes and pulling her head back in.

“So scary. Dad, why are they all here? “

Ebiser set down the newspaper he’d taken from the front desk.

“It’s said that nine out of ten people corrupted by Miasma die a terrible death. But those who survive gain strange abilities, just like the Mistlanders. That’s why these people are here. “

Yang Zicang took a couple of seconds to process the logic. “They’re hoping to use the Miasma to fight the disease inside them? That…well, wouldn’t a remnant Miasma cause them to mutate? “

“Leaving mutation aside for now, ” He Yishu interjected, stretching his neck, “using Miasma to treat an illness is fundamentally impossible, isn’t it? “

“Ahem. ” Yang Zicang deliberately cleared his throat.

He Yishu, who had just spoken, was taken aback. Amidst the bewildered gazes of the four locals beside him, he looked up at Yang Zicang and asked in surprise:

“Could it be… precisely because it’s impossible, there might be some fellow countryman willing to give it a try…? “

Yang Zicang nodded.

The jaws of the people around nearly hit the floor.

“Of course, that’s only one possibility, ” Yang Zicang added.

Normally, he wouldn’t have thought this way—not without Joshua’s words. It was precisely because of that person’s hint that Yang Zicang had been pondering all along why he had to stay here for a night for this potentially “corrected ” village to continue existing.

Now, with these clues surfacing, he was finally piecing things together:

Could someone be trying to stir up demonic energy to achieve some “miracle, ” ultimately causing the village’s destruction?

And he just happened to stumble into it?

Though it might be a coincidence, it was the only most plausible theory he could come up with right now.