The sky gradually brightened, dim light filtering through the glass-like force field onto the giant beast’s carcass.
From the monster’s wounds flowed blood mixed with pale green and vivid red; the stench was carried away by the wind scraping across the force field.
Beside the opened treasure chest, before drifting off to sleep, Diudiu murmured softly: –Sister Morri, tell me again… the bedtime story.-
–Alright.-
The woman looked at the little girl who had fallen asleep using her thigh as a pillow.
Leaning against the monster’s massive corpse, amidst the sound of gurgling blood, she swayed gently and whispered:
–There was a little boy whose wooden axe fell into the river. As he was crying, the river god rose halfway out of the water holding a silver axe.-
–Mmm…-
–He asked: ‘Child, is this silver axe yours?’ The boy sobbed and said no. So the river god picked up a golden axe from the riverbed and asked him: ‘Is this yours?’ The boy also said no. Then the river god smiled and said: ‘You’re such an honest child. I’ll give you both the gold and silver axes.’-
–Sister… and then?-
–Then the boy grew even sadder. He said he only wanted his wooden axe.-
The woman gently stroked the girl’s pale cheek.
The girl mumbled drowsily: –Sister… these people here, they might be about to…-
The woman with a slightly dirty face hummed a tune. –Those people we met, right? But there will always be those who want only their own wooden axe. I believe.-
She lifted her head. Despite the marks of harsh environment on her gaunt face, her eyes still sparkled with youthful vitality.
–I have only lost my bonded Enightmare, but I haven’t lost everything.-
She glanced at the sleeping girl in her arms and the slain monsters all around, then at the ordinary, worn statue that had been with her for so long.
The statue was a mass-produced item from an abandoned store. Inside, similar items were scattered haphazardly across the floor and shelves.
And as she passed through the ruined city, she recognized the statue’s image at first glance—the eternal maiden, Joan of Arc.
In that instant, the woman’s darkened heart found encouragement from the ancient maiden of her homeland.
–I will find you, my ‘wooden axe.’ This is the stage where I will show you my existence.-
A section of mountain slowly slammed toward them. After the force field shattered, Julia stood up with the girl in her arms and headed toward the Magic Teeth room ahead.
{You have entered the Arena City. Congratulations on qualifying for multiplied return financing.}
{You will be noticed by all in this world. Strive to become a brilliant new star. Every investor in you will receive doubled dividends from Void Zero Chronos.}
[I have obtained a financing limit of 10000N, valid until the end of the month.]
[I realize that if I initiate a Chronos funding request now, everyone in this world will have the opportunity to invest.]
[Everyone in this world will turn their attention to me.]
A red circle appeared on Julia’s chest, and a quadrilateral made of threads slowly rotated.
After a tense and hesitant pause of one second, the threads swiftly sped across mountains and seas, over deserts, igniting tens of thousands of halos.
{I am Julia Morri. I request funding of 5100N. Each share: 0.01R!}
Under the light of dawn, tears glistened in Julia’s eyes.
{Alexander, can you see me?}
[I received an investment of 0.01R from Zhang Yuemei.]
[I received an investment of 0.01R from Morri Ka.]
[I received an investment of 0.01R from Yue Chimei.]
[I received investments from Xu Aiyuan… and 127,000 other people.]
……
In the Frequency-Lost Land, a wooden cabin and a small workshop were hidden amidst the greenery within a dense forest. Various messy materials were piled under a giant tree, resembling a small illegal factory.
Yuan Kun placed several particularly valuable ability spheres in front of him—these were specifically chosen for him by Robin Lo from among the ability spheres he had collected. The purpose was to help him craft firearms with a better shooting range.
[Hyper-range Projection.]
[Stable Furnace.]
[Numerical Controlled Distortion.]
His hand swept across ability orb after ability orb, picking out the right ones to apply to the various guns before him, hoping to forge an Enightmare weapon with superior range and minimal Chronos consumption.
Next to Yuan Kun, a man was tracing data specs on a gun blueprint with his finger when suddenly the ring on his chest flickered to life.
–Huh? Boss, I just got a funding request from the Demon Hero Hall?-
No sooner had he spoken than the silvery Moxel on Yuan Kun lit up too.
–Huh? I got one too?-
Just as they were about to ask, the halos on everyone around the cabin—red and white alike—flickered to life in a dim golden refraction.
The little cluster of huts in the deep woods instantly buzzed with excitement.
–No more research today—let’s enjoy the match!-
–Hell yeah!-
They expanded the funding interface so the whole team could see it.
Yuan Kun had just fetched a little stool and was settling against an Enightmare modular off-roader, ready to kick back for the day, when a cry of surprise rang out from the vine-covered cabin beneath the giant tree.
–Boss, this fresh-out-of-the-forge modular pistol is really strange!-
Lu Xiang, bandages wrapped around his forehead, came bursting out of the cabin, waving the pistol.
–How strange is it?-
–It’s already a modular weapon, but it keeps repeating that its name is ‘Black Rose’!-
–Let me take a look.-
The crowd gathered around, watching Yuan Kun take the weapon shaped like a broomhandle pistol, then the surprise on the man’s face quickly turned to helplessness.
[Black Rose indicated that it wanted the firing chamber.]
–This thing—even though it carries Chronos and can shoot over a hundred meters, each pull of the trigger costs a thousand years!-
–Ah!-
–Ten lives wouldn’t be enough for a single bullet.-
–Who can afford to use this?-
……
More and more people arrived behind the third water curtain; by the early morning, nearly a dozen teams had chosen either the formation’s millwheel group or the competitive city, and it was expected that two days later there would be even more people.
In the Magic Tooth room, facing the super-powerful monster, Tong Wenqi was experiencing the Syn-Link feed from the lottery site.
So far, the Xiongying group still occupied this place, and forced everyone to draw ten times, or die.
{That despicable thing, Tong Wenqi, if Su’e cooperated with you to teleport close to Lü Bu, could you kill him in one strike?}
Tong Wenqi’s figure suddenly leaped, dodging the giant monster’s flame breath.
–Definitely impossible! He would absolutely use Chronos to protect his internal organs and brain at all times.-
–Showing up so conspicuously feels like Lü Bu is fishing.-
Someone at the back of the team, wielding a great sword and slashing at the monster’s thigh, shouted, –If you miss the first strike, it’s all wasted.-
{That guy, is he really going to have to be dealt with by Cheng Yunze?}
–Even Cheng Yunze might not necessarily be able to take care of it. It’s an attack from the sky. The only hope is that the room they meet in is blocked by other Blade Fangs above.-
–Many people are looking forward to Yang Zicang’s appearance.-
–Yang Zicang is indeed formidable, but human strength has its limits. Don’t expect him to leap into the sky and punch a satellite into pieces.-
–That’s right.-
Some people recalled a figure who had once jumped up and blasted an interdiction force into oblivion in the sky.
But even that person was completely helpless against a satellite ten thousand meters high.
……
After successfully grasping the aura of the –Prelude of Death- last time, Yang Zicang has gradually been able to sense their presence.
By the late night, he could already catch the aura of the –Prelude of Death- roughly once every two to three hours.
No wonder Crow had told him to seize the moment and train hard. Even with the help of the –Right of Materializing the Mind,- he still found it such a struggle. Starting from scratch to train this secret technique, without the support of Crow’s bloodline, even a thousand years might not be enough to master it.
Yang Zicang sensed again that indescribable aura suddenly appearing, and this time it was far denser than any other –Prelude of Death- aura.
The scene swiftly shifted to the interior of an unusually huge, empty palace.
A familiar figure appeared before Yang Zicang.
It was Liang Xi!
Liang Xi, his form shimmering like a faint shadow, followed Robin Lo, leading several teammates assigned by headquarters as they battled a colossal bull-shaped rock inside a grand hall.
With each dodge, the earth was churned up by the rock bull’s massive hooves.
–Death Prelude…- Yang Zicang rose to his feet involuntarily, attempting to activate the Ring of Moxel, but of course, it didn’t work.
Yang Zicang said anxiously:
–Senior, these are my friends! Are they in danger? Please, can you help them?-
Gray Crow looked down at Yang Zicang, silent.
–I beg you.-
{Why didn’t you beg me for those people before?}
Yang Zicang was momentarily at a loss for words, then spoke with anguish:
–I can’t imagine what meaning this hellish world would have if I lost them, after all we’ve been through, supporting each other. I think their existence is what keeps me going in this world. Senior, is there anything you can do?-
{Do you know what comes after winter?}
–It’s… spring.-
{Indeed, the grass and trees are reborn in spring.}
Yang Zicang listened anxiously to Gray Crow, while also hearing Liang Xi’s resolute roars and Robin Lo’s stern commands echoing through the hall.
—-Ruan Lian, use your wind field to cancel out the gravel barrage!-
—-Wang Meng! Remember to use Yang Zicang’s ability orbs!-
Bang! A man named Wang Meng failed to evade in time and was slammed into a massive pillar by the monster’s charge, his head—crowned with sharp horns—bracing against the impact.
–Aaaah!- Wang Meng painfully lit up the chest ring on him, –Super Investment, I am in the Rock Hall for my…-
Silver threads rapidly spread out. Yang Zicang saw faint white specks of light quickly entering the chest ring from the void.
–Is it this person who died?-
Although he could sense the prelude of death sounding here, Yang Zicang could not determine exactly who it was, nor perceive when it would happen next.
This was to glimpse a person’s outcome within the interwoven fates; even with help, it was not something he could accurately accomplish.
Gray Crow turned his face to look at the young man’s silhouette.
Liang Xi, like a true swordsman, had already delivered the flaming sword in his hand precisely onto the monster’s body several times.
But it only chipped off a few pieces of gravel.
{With high probability, the one who will die is your young friend.}
–It really is him! Why is this happening!-
{The more someone is related to you, the easier it is for you to sense them.}
Gray Crow raised his claw.
{In fact, after winter comes vitality. Are you willing to invest this withered vitality for your friend?}
–Invest… vitality?-
Yang Zicang stared blankly at the figure with gently fluttering feathers.
{The precious… spark you burst forth… obtained from shattering the impossible… the flash.}
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