Xue Qi reappeared in the inn, easing the door open cautiously. Immediately, she could hear the voice of a burly, heroic man downstairs laughing and chatting with Hua Mi.

“That girl… she really treats this hotel like her own damn home. Nerves the size of tram lines—how dangerous is that? “

Xue Qi glanced left and right down the long, carpeted corridor. An orange Chrono-Void Flame flickered into existence around her, amplifying her presence.

Ah, a void-zero timeline was a blessing indeed. Lately, every time danger lurked and this radiance flared around her, those who saw a ‘weak woman’ and thought to cause trouble would weigh the pros and cons and quickly back off. The locals at least followed a few rules, but there was no such protection against the Fogfolk.

Xue Qi, dressed in a fitted waistcoat and black skinny flared trousers, crept stealthily toward the stairwell while mulling this over. The moment she reached the landing, a sudden footstep echoed from above. She looked up, and her pupils instantly constricted.

“Ahhh—!! ” The woman shrieked, hands flying to her ears.

“Argh! ” Wager yelped in equal shock before snapping, “What are you screaming for? Never seen a man before? “

“You! ” Xue Qi rapidly backed away, fumbling the drowsy Xiangxiang from her pocket and leveling it at the scowling president of the Weiting Travelers’ Guild, who was descending from the floor below. She watched, her mind a whirl of question marks, as the man strolled down from the third floor with the ease of an afternoon walk, a contemptuous sneer plastered across his face.

Quick footsteps rushed over from the great hall. Xue Qi peeked around the corner of the wall to see a guard from the Weiting Travelers’ Guild sticking his head out to look at her.

Panic surged in her heart.

Oh no! She thought, the inn was taken over by Weiting Travel Merchant Association again! Hua Mi! Her heart suddenly clenched as she thought of Hua Mi, who had likely surrendered to the enemy, or was forced to become one of them. What had she been through? What should she do? Would the same miserable fate befall her… At least she’d taken precautions; it must have been because of her own timeline that this guy chose not to attack her!

Just as she was about to swiftly grasp her key, Hua Mi had already rushed over with delight on her face. “Qiqi, you’re back! Quick, quick, we’re tasting the new little cakes the mice have developed!“

“Yes, lady, pleasure to meet you.“

Xue Qi, holding the bottle of Nightmare Perfume in her hands, bit her lip, eyes reddening as she shook her head in anguish.

“Hua Mi, what did they do to you? Why did you choose to team up with them to deceive me?“

“Huh?” Hua Mi, her face slender but with sharp, well-defined features, looked at her in confusion, eyes widening. At the stairwell corner, Wager looked up with a snort. “She thinks we’re all in cahoots.“

“Ha! ha! ha ha ha ha ha!“

Karl let out an underhanded and smug smirk.

Hua Mi was taken aback for a moment, then stepped on Karl’s instep and nailed it hard on his foot. Startled by the sharp prick against the back of his foot from something, Karl winced as he feigned an overly dramatic but utterly lazy “Oi-eeee! ” just twice.

“Qiqi, don’t misunderstand. We’re just working together for now.“

“That’s right. This is the first joint meeting of both guilds, ” Wager said.

Xue Qi didn’t believe such nonsense for a second.

“Don’t think you can fool me. “

“Chairman Wager was rescued back by our Chairman Yang. Now, there’s only him left in the entire Weiting Travel Merchant Association. ” Wager nodded. Hua Mi continued, tapping her fingers one by one, “But I really don’t buy that tall tale. “

“You! ” Wager fumed, his anger flaring. “Get out of my way. I’m going to the bar. “

Hua Mi and Karl took two steps back toward the counter, clearing a path for the man as he strode away.

Karl turned his head and said, “Manager Mus, don’t just stand there watching the joke. Help us explain, will you? “

“Mm-hmm. As of now, what they’ve said matches what I’ve seen and heard. Miss Xue Qi, the final say is always yours. “

Hearing the lobby manager’s words, and seeing Karl, who had been holding a stone rod, already backing away to create a safe distance, Xue Qi felt uneasy even with the door to her room behind her. She moved her shapely legs and walked downstairs.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear: “And you all are just in the lobby? If that jerk suddenly comes down with his men, aren’t you all in danger? “

As she spoke, she glanced at Karl.

The sturdy Karl hugged the stone Holy Sword, shook his head, and turned away, looking just like a foreigner who adored the style of a wandering knight.

“We’re just carrying out the mission the chairman gave us. “

“A mission from Yang Buchen? “

“Exactly. ” Hua Mi gently moved her arms up and down a couple of times. “Some guests in the Travelers’ Guild’s rooms have already passed away, but as long as they died naturally and weren’t tenants whose lease ended, they’re still considered occupants. Just like the President’s… um, friend in the coffin. “

“So what? “

“There are a few more this time. ” Hua Mi quietly raised a hand. “If we bid on those rooms, we’ll succeed immediately. But we don’t have enough people right now, and the President’s Glory Radiance manager seems to be a bit short too. So for now, we’re maintaining a state of peace. “

Xue Qi more or less understood. “I see. So what’s the task you mentioned here, then? “

“Well, if Wager tries any tricks—like reassigning those rooms to someone else—then we’ll start right away. We’ll bid on the third floor, which he has complete control over, and trap him in there forever. “

Xue Qi was startled, then bit the corner of her lip with a sly grin. “It’s only been this long, and we’ve already made this much progress? The President is way too impressive. “

“Yeah, the President… ” Hua Mi trailed off in thought. Karl reacted a moment later and said, “Ah, speaking of which, the President really lucked out. “

“Lucked out? “

He said with envy, “Things just sort of… naturally fell into place like this, it seems. “

……

Yang Zicang and his companions arrived at New Sail Town. The place was even less populated than the village they’d been in before. Under the night sky, the entire main street of the town looked desolate instead. Many vacant houses had sealing notices from the Land Requisition Office pasted on their doors.

“Honored guests, are you looking for lodging? Our rooms are all standalone villas. “

Spotting the carriage rumbling and creaking in from the road, an innkeeper who had been waiting early at the town entrance promptly hurried over to greet them.

“Why are there so few people here? “

“Ah, you must not have visited this place often, sir, ” a man in his fifties said. “That’s because our town was primarily responsible for building merchant ships for an ocean trading company, but ever since the Steffen people have been pushing eastward, there hasn’t been a new ship made in a long time. “

“That’s right. A town like ours, close to the river that flows into the sea, lost its main source of income, and once the workers took their families and left, this is all that’s left. But rest assured, our inn is fully equipped, and we won’t neglect any of our guests. “

Another person stepped forward and said, “Gentlemen, my place is cheaper—choose our inn. It’s lively and full of people. If you need anything at night, just give a shout, and it’s taken care of. “

Torn looked at the eagerly welcoming men before him, then turned and asked, “Master, how should we arrange things? “

“Pick that standalone cottage. Liliana needs some fresher air. “

“Understood. “

The innkeeper and Torn settled on a price before Cádin’s carriage wearily trudged over. They all knew Shirley had also started to feel unwell—being stuck with the lingering demonic energy of Concie Village meant it was best to avoid such places as much as possible from now on.

Yang Zicang’s Silent Night worked to compress its detection range as he cautiously scouted the surroundings.

Under his careful use, he analyzed briefly…

In the town, there were a few people with decent skills. In the distance, several abandoned shipyards lay quietly in the night. In another area, there were many discarded iron mines and several rusted ship hulls.

The so-called town’s liveliest spot was nothing more than this makeshift settlement of dwellings along the road outside the abandoned factory.

-｛Distributor Tatamingqi is currently watching my life experiences.｝

Yang Zicang, who was heading toward the inn, had a slight change in his gaze.

The old rock-hewn houses around him stood in silent stillness, with cobwebs hanging under some eaves and the seals on certain doors turning white with age.

-｛Distributor Tatamingqi felt a sore throat.｝

What… Yang Zicang suddenly jolted awake.

Though he didn’t understand why such a mere fleeting thought had caused this distributor from the Moon Realm’s first layer to suffer a backlash, it was clear that Tatamingqi was risking himself to warn him.

Could it be that the true purpose of that “prophet ” was to make him embark on this journey and come to this very town?

He suddenly no longer wanted the traveling party to continue forward.

“Wait a moment, Mr. Ebiser. ” Yang Zicang pushed the door open.

“What’s wrong? ” Ebiser lifted the curtain of the carriage and poked his head out to look over; beside him, Lianna immediately leaned toward the other side, sticking her head out to peer at the rear carriage.

“Anyway, it’s still early. Why don’t we head straight for Hydropower City overnight? “

Hearing this, the coachman and Thorne were taken aback. The innkeeper, who had already finalized their stay and was leading them inside, hurriedly turned around with an awkward smile and said, “You jest, sir. The nights are far too dangerous. Even if we set out for Hydrapower City, we wouldn’t arrive until noon tomorrow. Why not rest well for the night? “

Ebiser was still pondering the “hero ” gentleman’s sudden suggestion, wondering if there might be some deeper meaning behind it. However, Lianna’s spirit, having only recently recovered, couldn’t withstand much stimulation; it was best for her to rest properly. Just as he was about to ask why, the maiden opened her mouth joyfully and said cheerfully:

“Great, great! Let’s stay in a tent. Can we set up one big tent tonight? I… um… “

She was yanked back by someone pulling her arm.

In the carriage behind, Shirley’s expression shifted subtly as she glanced toward Kaden beside her.

Feeling the maiden’s gaze, Kaden shook his head gently and slowly.

They both understood that the man in that carriage must have sensed something amiss. But how was it possible? The fellow hadn’t detected anything unusual all day—why now, of all times? Had someone left telltale signs among those deployed in the town?

Yet that kind of arrangement, even under the personal scrutiny of someone on the level of a Full Moon Angel, would be imperceptible without a word of warning.

Kaden watched anxiously as Yang Buchen, wearing a stern expression, jumped down from the carriage and walked forward to negotiate, seemingly trying to persuade the coachmen to continue the journey. Even though the coachman said the horses were already exhausted, Yang Buchen still insisted the group leave the town first and talk later.

On a mountain peak outside the town.

Two men with soldierly bearing, dressed in long uniforms, stood beside a man wearing black leather gloves. This man was using a telescope to observe the dim scene on that street.

“Major Otto, that man is the Fogfolk who has recently gained fame? Arrogant indeed. His only disguise is his ears and a slight change in age. “

Otto, holding the telescope, said, “There are still some differences. But since we know he’s our target, we recognized him at a glance. “

“Do we truly have to approach him like this? Soldier No. 4 just tried to kill him. There’s no way we can complete our mission this way. “

“I like that line. ” The impeccably dressed Otto lowered the telescope and smiled. “Turning the impossible into the possible is what us Fogfolk do best. I believe I already have a reason to convince him now. “

The assistant beside him fell silent, but upon reflection, this indeed was an angle they could exploit.

What a fucking mess.The officer couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Once you start thinking like a Fogfolk, even things that were clearly unnecessary suddenly become… “necessary. ” Of course, only in their minds.

“The barrier has been set up here. Will Yang Buchen be safe? ” the assistant asked.

“Yes, I’m also curious to see if this Fog man, who’s been making a name for himself lately, has anything unique beyond his knack for seizing the moment. Well, they’re helping us test that out as well. “

He glanced at his watch.

“As a rule of thumb, if convincing an employer to act on an employee’s suggestion can’t be done in a few exchanges, it means there’s a significant difference of opinion. Our friend must have discovered something by now, yet Yang Buchen hasn’t used that to inform his employer. Mm, Buchen probably doesn’t have much experience in persuasion. “

“Major Otto, the carriage is moving again, but the shop assistant didn’t follow. “

“Heh, looks like he succeeded. ” Otto smiled faintly from under the tree.

“Will Yang Buchen dodge this danger too? “

“That depends on their determination and how well they know Yang Buchen’s intel. Honestly, if it were me, I wouldn’t let a box like that cost over a thousand lives in the entire town. “

As soon as he finished, a drop of water suddenly landed on Major Otto’s dark shoulder fabric, bleeding into a deeper spot.

Rustle, rustle; swoosh, swoosh.

The major looked up at the gloomy sky. Raindrops began to fall swiftly, and in an instant, a torrential downpour engulfed his entire field of vision.

Water splashed against the mud, gathering into the wheel ruts. Before they had even left the street, the horses began to neigh uncomfortably, refusing to take another step forward.

The innkeeper’s waiter, with his arm draped over his head, ran over again.

“Gentlemen, ” the waiter shouted loudly, “even if you’re in a hurry, please wait until the rain stops to continue. Ahead lies the Yellow Fish River; with such heavy rain, the water will wash over the bridge. “

Yang Zicang stood in the curtain of rain, the downpour quickly drenching his body.

Lianna watched this upright figure lift his head to gaze at the heavy rain in the sky, his eyes filled with caution.

“Get in here quickly, ” He Yishu called out in Chinese, “Chairman, don’t let the check get ruined. “

Lianna’s small face turned in surprise to look at He Yishu, who had shouted this. Seeing his smiling expression as he looked back, He Yishu felt awkward, realizing that this young girl actually knew more Earth languages than he did.

“How coincidental, ” Yang Zicang said blandly.

“What did you say, sir? ” The waiter leaned in, as if trying to hear clearly whether he was giving an order.

“Can things really be this coincidental? “

As soon as he finished speaking, he felt a faint layer of energy in the air enshroud the entire town.