Lost City (3)

Having said that, Fanxin didn't linger and immediately headed home.

Watching Fanxin's departing figure, the old man chuckled to himself, "That lad, trying to keep me here with wine, that's certainly a good idea."

"Fine, I have nowhere else to go anyway, so I might as well stay."

He has lived here for many years and has long since severed ties with the outside world. If he were to leave now, he really wouldn't know where to go.

He said no more, sat down, and started drinking.

Fanxin carried the child back into the courtyard.

At this moment, Ren Fang was washing vegetables. When she saw Fanxin return, she wasn't surprised at all.

Fanxin is very strong, and with a child in tow, she's sure nothing will happen to her. Therefore, she had no worries whatsoever.

"Where did you go?" Ren Fang asked curiously.

"Hehe, I wandered around for a bit, and you know what? This place is really full of hidden talents. If I hadn't been paying attention earlier, I might have missed something," Fanxin said with a smile.

"Oh, what is it?" Ren Fang asked curiously.

"Hehe, I've met a master here. He's an old man, looks ordinary, and I was fooled at first. But later I realized he was no ordinary person," Fanxin said.

Previously, if he hadn't been curious, he indeed wouldn't have been able to recognize the old man.

Although he still doesn't know the other person's identity, the other person must be an extraordinary individual.

"Oh, really? That's interesting," Ren Fang said.

"Yes, I plan to visit again tomorrow. Let's go together tomorrow," Fanxin said with a smile.

"Okay, let's go together then," Ren Fang nodded and said.

After that, Ren Fang stopped talking and went inside to cook.

Fanxin stayed here, playing with her daughter.

Soon after, the meal was ready, and the four of them ate there, a very warm and cozy scene.

They had a good night's rest there.

The next day, after they finished breakfast, they took the child and went to the old man's house together.

Yesterday, he didn't figure out the other person's identity, and today he plans to find a way to confirm it.

Although he didn't need the other party to do anything, it would be too useless if he didn't even know the other party's name.

Once outside the courtyard, Fanxin saw the old man weeding intently, oblivious to his surroundings.

Fanxin glanced at it, then opened the door and went inside.

Hearing the noise, the old man finally looked up and saw Fanxin and Ren Fang.

"Hehe, you actually came," the old man said with a smile.

"Of course, I would never go back on my word." Fanxin smiled and said, "Let me introduce you, this is my wife, and these are my daughters."

"Hmm, not bad, your wife is beautiful, and your daughter is adorable." The old man looked Ren Fang and the two children over and said with a smile.

"Thank you for your praise, sir," Fanxin said.

"Alright, enough with the formalities. You're all guests, please sit down," the old man said.

After saying that, he put down the hoe and went inside.

Fanxin and Ren Fang sat on the stone bench, looking at the surrounding scenery.

The air here is pleasant; it smells very comforting.

Soon after, the old man came out with a tea set and began to brew tea for Fanxin and Ren Fang.

"Senior, you are no ordinary person. Why are you living here? The New World is in turmoil. Don't you have any plans to go and see it?" Fanxin said with a smile.

Although he didn't know the old man's specific abilities, his formidable strength was undeniable. If he went to the New World, he would probably cause a huge uproar.

"Heh, I'm getting old. Even if I were powerful, how could I withstand a fierce young man like you? If we went there, we'd only get thrashed. Besides, I'm not particularly interested in that so-called Pirate King title anymore." The old man smiled calmly and said, "Oh."

"Oh, really? It seems the old man has seen through many things," Fanxin said with a smile.

"At your age, you've naturally seen through many things," the old man said.

"Hehe, if the old man doesn't want to go out, I naturally won't force him," Fanxin said.

He did want to invite the other party to come out of retirement, but the other party disagreed, and there was nothing he could do.

He no longer wanted to be enemies with them, because that was not what he wanted to see.

"Hehe, the air and scenery here are wonderful. I'm very happy retiring here," the old man said.

His words were a message to Fanxin: I'm not going out; no matter what you say, it's useless.

Fanxin Xin nodded, and then didn't mention the matter again.

"Then could you tell me about the current situation in the New World? Who do you think is most likely to win the ultimate honor of becoming the Pirate King?" Fanxin asked curiously.

He didn't believe the old man sitting there was oblivious to world events; he was convinced the old man had.

"It's hard to say. The Four Emperors, the Shichibukai, the Navy, the Revolutionary Army, the mafia, and you Supernovas — the New World has been quite a turbulent place these past few years," the old man sighed. "I've never seen anything like this before."

In the past, although there were pirates in the New World, they were few and far between. Back then, the Navy was very strict, and many people didn't dare to become pirates.

However, ever since Pirate King Roger, revealed the approximate location of the treasure before his death, everyone who dreams of becoming a pirate has become restless.

Because they all want to obtain that treasure and become superior people.

Since then, countless people have set off from their hometowns and headed straight for the sea.

This grand occasion has lasted for more than 20 years.

However, it has been incredibly popular in recent years because so many strong individuals have emerged, making it a truly terrifying experience.

Now is the time when old and new forces are vying for territory, and major battles are taking place every day in the New World.

The strong survive, the weak perish—that's the rule of the New World.

Those who persevere to the end will become the dominant rulers of their respective regions.

Those Four Emperors and Shichibukai are all survivors of the great wave of change.

If they can't keep up, they'll eventually be eliminated.

"Hehe, that's true!" Fanxin nodded slightly upon hearing this.

"However, some things are certain," the old man suddenly said, changing the subject.

"Oh, what is it?" Fanxin asked curiously.

"Not everyone can obtain the title of Pirate King," the old man said.

Upon hearing this, Fanxin couldn't help but roll his eyes. He naturally knew this; there was only one Pirate King's position, and with so many people vying for it, it was impossible for them to occupy it all at once.

In this case, a major war seems inevitable.

And the one who ultimately emerges victorious in the great battle will be the Pirate King.

"Young man, you're not bad either. I sense a dangerous aura emanating from you. If we were to fight, I might not be your match," the old man said.

"That's because you're old, while I'm only in my twenties," Fanxin said.

If he were the same age as the old man, he would probably be Admiral in private schools as well; that's an undeniable fact.

"Hehe, that's true. However, when I was your age, I wasn't this strong either," the old man said.

He wasn't lying; he was stating the truth.

At that time, he didn't think about competing for anything, so he didn't cultivate at all. He gradually developed it later.

"Hehe, being strong doesn't necessarily mean being lucky," Fanxin said.

He was telling the truth. Whitebeard was incredibly strong, yet he still didn't find the Great One Piece. This shows that being powerful doesn't guarantee you'll become the Pirate King.

However, if you're not strong, you'll never become the Pirate King.

Because you have obtained the secret treasure, if you cannot protect it, you will eventually be pushed off your pedestal by others.

"Yes, that makes sense," the old man said.

"Thank you for the compliment," Fanxin said with a smile.

"Hehe, not at all," the old man shook his head and said.

"Oh, by the way, would you be interested in coming with me somewhere?" the old man said with a smile.

"Where?" Fanxin asked curiously.

"It's a terrifying place, like hell," the old man said.

"Really? Is it even more terrifying than the Impel Down?" Fanxin asked curiously.

The Impel Down was the most terrifying place he had ever seen, because there you would be tortured to the point of near death.

Those who survived inside were no ordinary people.

"Heh, the Impel Down? That's not a scary place. This place is absolutely terrifying," the old man said.

"Okay, I'll go with you," Fanxin said.

"In that case, I'll make the arrangements. Give me a day," the old man said. "You should also make arrangements to get the weaker people on your ship off this island as soon as possible."

"Oh, could something bad be about to happen?" Fanxin asked.

"Yes, once you go to this place, the entire island will become a battlefield. If you're not careful, the whole island will be destroyed," the old man said. "If they stay on this island, they'll only face certain death."

"Okay, I'll make the arrangements in a bit," Fanxin Xin replied immediately.

Such a terrifying place, he naturally had to make some arrangements. He didn't want his crew to go and die.

"Yes, we'll meet here tomorrow at noon, and I'll take you there then," the old man said. "This trip will be both a blessing and a curse; it all depends on your luck."

Upon hearing this, Fanxin Xin nodded slightly, indicating that he understood.

Afterwards, he and Ren Fang left together, carrying the child, to make some arrangements.

The old man looked at the forest and muttered to himself, "This little guy is no ordinary creature. Hopefully, he can deal with that monster this time. Otherwise, once it escapes, this place will be completely destroyed."

After saying that, he stopped paying attention and continued with his own work.

Fanxin, with Ren Fang in tow, immediately headed towards where the ships were docked.

Back on the ship, everyone was quite surprised to see that Fanxin had returned.

They had assumed Fanxin would stay on the island for a long time, but to their surprise, he only stayed for one day.

"You're back so early, is there something you need to arrange?" Bingfeng asked.

"Yes, immediately recall all your brothers and tell them to stop searching for the Lost City," Fanxin said.

"Huh? Why?" the crowd asked, puzzled.

"Hehe, don't worry about that, just do as instructed," Fanxin said.

He's not entirely sure now, because the old man didn't tell him.

However, he preferred to believe it was true rather than not. If something really happened then, it would be very difficult for everyone to escape.

Upon hearing this, Bingfeng hesitated for a moment, then immediately complied.

Fanxin rarely makes decisions, but every time he does, it's a big deal.

Therefore, she felt it was necessary to carry it out.

Then, she found the little Little Black Cat and got it to give her the commands.

As time went by, the brothers gradually returned.

Back on the ship, everyone was puzzled, wondering why their Admiral had summoned them back.

However, they didn't say much more.

Since this was the boss's decision, they didn't need to speculate.

"Everyone, from this moment on, except for Bingfeng, Wang Yan, Little Fox, Sun Zhijian, Lin Haicheng, and Langyue, everyone else, immediately leave this island and hide in a place fifty miles away from this island, understand?" Fanxin said.

"Why?" those who weren't called out asked, puzzled.

"This island is not safe. I heard there are monsters here, and they're about to be released. If you stay here, you're very likely to be attacked. You're not as strong as the monsters, so it's very dangerous. Do you understand?" Fanxin explained.

Although he didn't know if it was a monster, since the old man said so, it was definitely not an ordinary thing. If he said it was a monster, then it probably wasn't a big deal.

"Oh, I see! We understand now!" everyone exclaimed.

"Okay, Little Black, you're in charge of the overall situation. Make sure the ships are hidden, understand?" Fanxin said, looking at the Little Black Cat.

"Don't worry, nothing will happen," the Little Black Cat replied.

"Very good. Those I just called out, get off the boat with me immediately. The rest of you, start leaving." After saying that, Fanxin Xin immediately led Ren Fang off the boat.

The rest of the people immediately followed suit and disembarked.

The Little Black Cat said no more, immediately ordered the ship to dive to the seabed, and then slowly headed away into the distance.

Fanxin only looked away long after the ship had sailed away.

"Tomorrow, we will have a major battle. You all need to conserve your energy tonight, understand? Remember, if you can't win the battle tomorrow, you must retreat. Don't fight head-on, understand?" Fanxin admonished.

These were his friends, and he didn't want them to die. It would make him very sad.

"Don't worry, we're not children, we'll handle everything," Bingfeng chuckled and said.

"That's good." Fanxin nodded and said, "There's no place to stay over there. You should go back to the Diamond Space and rest there for the night. We'll prepare the food and bring it in."

They only have a small courtyard, which is fine for two people, but it would be very crowded if so many people lived together.