Amid the buzzing discussions, Yang Zicang felt his awareness burning under countless gazes.
He sensed the tension in the hand on his shoulder and heard the rapid, heavy breathing of some people.
Although, according to the regulations, the Illusion Company had no way to prevent him from resigning without violating any confidentiality conditions, still…
–It’s fine. I can sit this one out,– Yang Zicang sighed.
–You!– Croft turned to look at him.
Yang Zicang met the man’s eyes—probably the one person most supportive of his resignation was this blue-skinned senior designer of the Demon Hall of Heroes.
Fuchiyong stared at the young man with suspicion and said:
–So you’ve changed your mind? Not planning to fight for your city anymore?–
Yang Zicang, as if relieved after making a difficult decision, said calmly:
–I can transfer my Moxel to someone from our city using Chronos Migration, and let them compete with my power.–
Boboli’s eyes went wide instantly! He shot to his feet, slamming his hands on the table: –No! You can’t! I forbid it!–
Yang Zicang looked at Boboli:
–Maybe this way, I’ll return to my original, unchanged fate.–
–Then wouldn’t Morri’s risky sacrifice be in vain!–
–The changes Morri made to the future would be erased, so he probably wouldn’t die. That Time-Shifter should still be around…–
Jin Fangmao’s eyes shifted as he looked at Yang Zicang.
Croft was stunned. The look he cast at Yang Zicang was akin to staring at an absolute moron.
–Sigh, I truly let a gem slip through my fingers,- he lamented inwardly.
Boboli urgently addressed the two phantoms:
–The gear room can be replaced—if we all work together to rebuild it, it’ll take only two or three days! We can also swap out the support pillars of two wheel sets, and I can restructure the city, so it would never be the same as the original! Please, give me a little more time!-
The two phantoms exchanged a glance.
{Truly, this arena city is far too convenient.}
Boboli gritted his teeth, glaring at Yang Zicang, and nearly roared:
–We all agreed: every major decision must be unanimously approved by the three chiefs of the Puming Group! You had no right to unilaterally offer the Chronos ball! I, for one, won’t stand for it!-
Jin Fangmao said, –I see no need to redesign the terrain. Simply rearranging the room positions will suffice.-
–This…-
–Candidate Yang Zicang,- Chief Jin said, his gaze fixed on the young man, –has already rendered great service by finding a new path to forge a Magic-class arena city for the Starlight Phantom Realm amid such hardship, and by participating in the creation of a permanent Magic Palace.-
He addressed everyone present:
–Moreover, he is a true warrior who abandoned his own precious opportunity to fight for his bottom-ranked city. Now that the Magic Palace has been rated as permanent, continuing to haggle over such trivial matters would only make our Holy Ring Council appear petty-minded.-
–Yeah!- A crowd of people jumped to their feet.
–Sigh.- Croft hung his head in profound disappointment.
–But!-
Croft’s head snapped up, and the others immediately fell silent.
Jin Fangmao chuckled, –The necessary punishment must still be carried out, Yang Zicang.-
Everyone’s eyes fell on Jin Fangmao’s smiling face.
–For fairness, you are forbidden from engaging in battle for the first five days after being deployed to the Demon Hero Hall.-
Yang Zicang’s breath caught.
Five days… He hoped the people from the two cities wouldn’t be able to clear all those rooms.
–I… agree.-
–Very well. Then from this moment on, you cannot contact anyone from the Illusion Company or the city until the battle begins!-
As he spoke, a quadrilateral line abruptly appeared.
[I have obtained ‘Within a Square Inch’.]
Shwoosh! Yang Zicang entered a transparent square box that contained a toilet.
{To prevent leaks, from now on, all possible forms of communication—whether through dreams, telepathy, or the connection of the Mind Ring—are to cease immediately!}
{You will receive food on schedule each day. When the time comes, you will naturally appear at the entrance of the Demon Hero Hall.}
–Ah, I’m being locked up.-
Everyone looked at this frosted, large square box; the outside couldn’t see inside.
……
……
Yang Zicang sat cross-legged inside the seemingly transparent box.
Before long, he deduced from the fact that no one’s gaze was fixed on him that the outside world couldn’t see in.
–I was hoping to enter the Stamp World and obtain a statue before the ranking battle began, but it seems that’s no longer possible.-
Yang Zicang sighed, tallying up the expenses this time.
Even with Director Huan Bao’er’s –slush fund- backing, most of the Chronos he had earned himself went toward purchasing ability balls.
They hadn’t needed that many rewards, but thinking of the many people in the two cities struggling on the edge of life and death, at Morri’s suggestion the three of them decided to give back the extra time earned from skill books over the past six months.
Now, after the calculations, they still had roughly over 300,000 Chronos left.
–Since this is a rare break, I’ll just train hard.-
Yang Zicang began recalling and summing up what he had gained since recently constructing the Demon Hero Hall.
This trip to the Lost Illusion Company gave him an incredibly profound understanding of spiritual telepathy—something he had been completely in the dark about.
When one’s strength is still far weaker than that of the powerful, having such an experience means he will avoid many detours on this path ahead.
He recalled the content of –Primitive Spiritual Exercise Yoga,- feeling the forest aura in his mind becoming increasingly integrated, as scattered, chaotic thoughts gradually faded away.
Yang Zicang sat cross-legged in stillness, slowly cultivating his mental power.
……
Two days later, Boboli returned to the residence.
Liang Xi, who was washing dishes, saw him come back and immediately greeted him happily.
–Sorry for troubling you these past two days,- Boboli said gratefully.
–It’s nothing. Brother Morri is Brother Yang’s good friend, so of course I had to protect him.-
Morri opened the bedroom door. –Boboli, you’re back. How did it go?-
–Great!-
Boboli glanced at Liang Xi, who was busy in the kitchen, then entered Morri’s room, closed the door, and said, –There’s something I don’t know how to decide on, and I wanted to ask you.-
–Ask me? What is it?- The stubbly man stared at the boy with curiosity.
–The manager of Lost Illusion Company invited me to join them as a designer. But I don’t know whether I should accept.-
–This is great news!-
Morri exclaimed in surprise. –Now that both of you will be working there, my biggest worry is gone.-
He had long heard about Lost Illusion Company from Yang Zicang. When it came to the person before him, Yang Zicang kept no secrets.
–But Brother Zicang is going to resign. He wants to participate in the year-end ranking battle. Besides, he said that if he doesn’t resign, he’ll give Moxel to their city friend. That way, your vision for the future might fail, and you won’t have to worry anymore.-
–That bastard!-
Morri raised his voice. –How can he even think like that? If he really does that, I’ll have Robin Lo take out the last Li Shangxiang right away!-
Murderous intent radiated from Morri.
Boboli knew Morri wasn’t joking—he was truly capable of such a thing.
–Don’t worry, I’ve already talked him out of it. Besides, he’s been confined to his quarters.-
Morri was taken aback. Hadn’t he just pulled off a major success? How did he end up grounded all of a sudden?
After Boboli finished explaining, Morri burst into laughter.
Liang Xi knocked on the door from outside.
–Brother Morri, what are you guys laughing about?-
–Oh, nothing, nothing. Hahaha!-
Morri waved his hand, nearly laughing to tears. –That Zizang guy, it’s good he’s locked up! By then, he won’t even be able to make it to the arena battles. Good thing too—you two will both be in the Lost Phantom Company.-
–But you…-
–I’m a living person, how could I starve to death? Don’t worry.-
Morri patted Popoly on the shoulder.
–Since you’re going to the Lost Phantom Company, don’t put on airs. You have to follow the company’s rules. So go on ahead—they’ll treat you well.-
Popoly stared into Morri’s eyes for a long time.
–Why do I get the feeling something’s off with you?-
–I’m happy for you, that’s all! Our team—just three people—yet two of you got into the Lost Phantom Company and caught the attention of the Holy Ring Council. Something like this makes me want to go out and celebrate with you.-
–No, you stay put. In two and a half years, you’ll be out.-
That evening, in this room, Liang Xi, Popoly, Morri, and Zhuyin gathered.
Over a lavish dinner, they celebrated Popoly’s nearly impossible feat, linking minds with Robin Lo and the others on the Lost Frequency Land.
Ning Jiajia watched listlessly from the big tent, where Robin Lo and Zuo Feixian and the others danced joyfully around the warm campfire, her face cold and expressionless.
Then she turned her head. Outside the tent, the Phantom Train glowed faintly, silently watching the people inside.
Back in the room at Hub Town.
–Little Mr. Boboli.-
Zhu Yin exclaimed sincerely:
–You’ve been here so long, and I never properly appreciated your abilities. I never expected that Mr. Yang Zicang and Mr. Morri, with their keen eyes for talent, would bring out your potential to such heights.-
Liangxi clapped his hands on the other end.
–I’m so happy! Haha, Brother Morri, I want to join your Piao Ming Group too!-
–Wait until Yang Zicang returns, and I’ll let you join. I’ll hand over the resonance authority of the statue to him later.-
–No way, you’ll always be our captain,- Boboli said.
–We’ll talk about that later, haha. Come, let me toast you. Deputy Mayor Zhu Yin, drink up.-
Amid laughter and joy, the group was thoroughly drunk. After saying goodbye, Zhu Yin staggered out the door, then vanished in a flash at the entrance.
–You should leave too,- Morri said to Boboli.
–I…-
–Take advantage of everyone’s familiarity with you now—go quickly and maintain your relationships within the company.-
Morri was lecturing the young man.
–Don’t think that just because you built an arena city, you’re a big deal. You yourself said that model can be used long-term, with or without you. For the sake of our future meeting on the path of fate, don’t waste time.-
He earnestly admonished Boboli.
The drunken Boboli eyed the man suspiciously.
–Fine, suit yourself. I’m going to sleep. Let Yang Zicang stay alone over there. Liangxi, I’ll trouble you with these dishes.-
Morri stood up, stretched, went in, and closed the door.
He leaned against the door.
–My last worry is gone. Julia.-
The man nervously and expectantly pondered the message from that phone call.
His future self hadn’t held together the team called Park Myung Group—instead, he had joined a team composed entirely of non-Asians.
The future Yang Zicang had vanished for three whole years, and now, Yang Zicang had indeed left the Land of Lost Frequency half a year after that point in time.
His seemingly altered fate…
…appeared to have returned to its original course.
This brought him great comfort.
…
Originally, I planned to end the second volume around a hundred chapters, which led me to omit content like acquiring the –Wish Talisman- and the exploration of the Cleaning Department’s old band. But after running the numbers, it looks like it’ll still take more than twenty chapters to finish. A few days ago, I got back from a trip and rewrote the outline for Volume Three, adding back material I’d originally wanted to cut from it. Hmm… that’s about it.
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