A Phone Call

Kang De stood by the window, gazing at the world outside.

He had gazed at the outside world more than three hundred times, the mighty Qianjiang River shrouded in thick White Mist, a scene devoid of hope... until today.

The call was connected.

That's a distance of half the Earth.

That was their conversation again more than 300 days later.

A chuckle came through the phone, "So you actually thought to call me first, are you short of money?"

Kang De laughed.

He replied calmly and easily, "No, I just missed you all."

Halfway around the world, my mother spoke on the phone. Because of the distance, her voice was a little distorted. She said, "Missing us? Didn't we just call the day before yesterday?"

Kang De gave a faint smile, "Is that not allowed?"

The body, enhanced by the Black Beast Crystal, is very powerful.

However, the spiritual and the material are inherently independent of each other.

He could control his body, but he couldn't completely control his surging emotions.

These surging emotions, though subtle, were conveyed through a long telephone call.

But the mother could sense it.

She hesitated for a moment. "... What's wrong?"

Kang De said, "It's nothing, I just missed you all a little."

"Real?"

"Real."

My mother was slightly relieved and joked, "Why haven't I seen you being this filial before?"

Kang De smiled and said, "Because I've grown up."

The mother clicked her tongue and said, "You complained that I was nagging when we talked on the phone the other day, how come you've grown up so fast?"

He replied softly, "Boys are all like that. Sometimes, before you know it, I've secretly grown up."

The mother's voice turned shocked. "You have a girlfriend!?"

"... no!"

"What? You've already broken up?"

Of course not!

"... But you still paid it, didn't you?"

"Hello!"

In everyday parent-child communication, the mother's laughter on the phone is like the sharp whistle of a 155mm grenade cutting through the sky.

After an initial awkwardness and silence, the communication quickly returned to normal.

My mother brought up what had happened in the past two days. She went to Africa to visit my father who works overseas. Africa is very chaotic, and the security situation is much worse than in China, but the China have a lot of influence there, so she didn't encounter any trouble.

Her tone conveyed a sense of regret.

"You're not allowed to do anything reckless."

Kang De cautioned, "Be careful, you know? I need my dad to keep an eye on you... Africa is often at war, it's chaotic and terrifying."

The mother scoffed, "Little brat, what do you know about war?"

Kang De laughed and said, "Alright, alright, you understand, you understand. So, be careful in everything you do, take care of your health, okay?"

"..." Mom was silent for a moment, "Your tone is so gentle it's making me feel a little nauseous."

"... Are you dog-faced? You can't even handle being spoken to nicely?"

The mother burst into laughter.

When talking to his family on the phone, Kant would often run out of things to say after a while, fall silent for a bit, and then find an opportunity to end the call. But now, Kang De wanted to talk to his mother more.

But I didn't know what to say.

All the grievances and sorrows, expressed in countless words, can be summed up in one sentence. "Anyway, everything's alright, right?"

The mother said, "Yes, everything is fine. You are too, right?"

Kang De laughed and said, "Yes, I'm doing quite well, I've never felt this good."

That's all for today.

"Okay, that's enough for now."

The mother concluded by saying, "Remember to eat well..."

"Go to bed on time, don't stay up late, don't eat junk food..." Kang De continued, "Don't spend too much time on the computer, don't stare at your phone, don't sit for long periods, exercise, breathe fresh air..."

Mama Kang laughed and scolded, "What, you can recite it all already?"

Kang De smiled and said, "I have followed it well."

The mother continued nagging, "A day or two won't make a difference. The most important thing is to persevere, understand?"

Kang De nodded and said, "Of course, I've been doing this for a long time."

"Nonsense, I don't believe it."

"Really, listen to my sincere voice."

The phone call ended amidst laughter and banter.

Kang De slowly put down his phone and looked out at the city from the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room.

Traffic flows like a river, pedestrians throng the streets, skyscrapers stand tall, and in the distance, the Qianjiang River surges mightily.

This was undoubtedly the world he was familiar with.

"Sorry..."

He apologized in a low voice.

After being transported to another world, all he thought about every day was going home. Some things are only appreciated when they are lost. He vowed to reunite with his family one day, to cherish every moment, to spend quality time with them, to avoid upsetting them, and to live a peaceful and happy life together.

Now he has achieved his wish, but everything has changed.

"I'm sorry, Dad, Mom... I'm no longer just a person of this world."

Countless fragments flashed through my mind.

During my time on the island, I met Tina, defeated the elves, and set sail for distant lands.

He once thought that a bizarre and fantastical new world lay ahead, but the humans in this world continued the cycle of killing and sorrow. He once thought that Earth's Civilization had been destroyed and decided to start a new life, but everything he hoped for was destroyed. Ugly spirits created betrayal and killing, and he turned into a madman, hysterically venting his revenge, even contemplating suicide, but in the very end, he met the sunlight.

It turns out that everything he cherished and missed had never been lost.

But he still lost something in his life.

That night of swords and shadows, the sailors who refused to draw their swords against him, Captain Oswald who calmly faced his death, Lady Bedela who volunteered to cover the rear, all the dead Goth People, and those he had gradually come to know, all lost their lives in that bloody night.

Even that knight.

Just because Tina asked him to protect Kang De, he would protect Kang De well, even at the cost of his own life. He would do what he believed in and would never compromise on his beliefs.

Compared to the likes of Lost and Glen, Cleveland was more like the knight in Kang De's mind, upholding the eight tenets, standing tall and upright, honest and fearless of sacrifice.

But he was also human. He felt fear before he died, and he missed his family. He was a living, breathing person who knew right from wrong and could distinguish truth from falsehood. He was not some so-called native of another world. Everyone living there had their own life and beliefs, and together they built that world.

Before he died, he entrusted Kang De with a task.

He sacrificed his life to save Kang De's, and begged Kang De to take over his responsibilities.

Kang De understood the knight's meaning.

Cleveland could see the bewilderment and sorrow in his heart. The knight feared that after his death, Kang De would go mad and despair, even becoming a walking corpse, not knowing the meaning of his life. So he entrusted everything to Kang De, using his own life to lock the soul of the time traveler, forcibly giving him a reason to continue living... until he found the true meaning.

And now, thanks to his advice, the last vestige of goodness in Kang De's heart guided him home.

Everything was never lost.

Kang De's mad and sorrowful mind had completely calmed down.

But a promise... is always just a promise.

I promise you.

That's what Kang De said back then, and that's what Kang De would say now.

He is not just Kang De, an earthling; he is a human being who transcends two worlds, carrying the spirit of a group of dead people and continuing their will and perseverance.

"I make a promise with you."

Kang De reached out and pressed his hand against the nothingness before him.

Push.

Beside him was the bustling traffic outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. Space shattered in his hands, black light flashed, and the scenery before him resembled a broken mirror. A portal that tore through space was thus opened.

Kang De moves forward.

Stepping into another world.

In an instant, the world turned upside down, changed, yet remained unchanged. Kang De stepped through this portal into another world, but the surrounding scenery remained the same. It was still his living room, and everything was exactly as before.

But the world is different now.

Kang De turned his head and looked out the window.

Countless stationary vehicles were parked on the street. Ahead were two office buildings. Further ahead, a white mist spread out, obscuring the view and blocking everything, forming a white walled city.

Just as I expected.

"For over a year, the neighborhood I returned to wasn't the Earth I live on, but another dimension, a world that replicated everything on Earth except for living beings..."

"Now, I can actually travel between three worlds..."

Kang De couldn't help but think of the Crimson Scroll discovered in the Rift Valley of the Holy Seal Archipelago, and the historical rumors that the traitors of various races who intended to open the Veil of the world attracted the invasion of Veil creatures, and the descriptions mentioned an impenetrable White Mist.

He also remembered some of the content about the scroll that Tina later deciphered.

The man who wrote the scroll was in painful repentance, regretting that his actions had attracted the covetousness of those outside the Veil, but now, a realization dawned on him.

The formation of this third world... may be related to the attempts made by those people back then.

But the real reason and the secret can only be discovered by him personally.

Kang De reached out and pressed down on the empty air.

The power to tear through space is constantly accumulating.

The familiar feeling told Kang De that, if he wished, the next stop would lead to another world.

He slowly lowered his hand.

After Tina teleported, she was rescued by the Sword Saint Cascading Snow. Since he had shielded her from the Blade of Curse, Princess Goethe was now safe. Meanwhile, the fiery inferno surrounding the Goth 'Glittering Sand Viscounty's family wiped out, was bound to cause a huge uproar. News of this would likely spread, and the area was now teeming with investigators. The bloody rumors about the Cathayan were rampant, making it extremely unwise to show herself there...

Moreover, he also wanted to study the connection between Earth and the White Mist World.

Because he needs greater power.

The battle with Lost had exposed the problem of insufficient power and rate of fire of non-military firearms; he needed more powerful bangs and explosions.

He needs to do more preparation.

For example, by leveraging the amazing Taobao and modern industrial systems, one can order some useful items.

There are even many things to consider.

Future plans, self-positioning, how to leverage the enormous advantages brought by being backed by modern society, and thereby enhance one's strength and resources.

Sooner or later, he will intervene in a great war between powerful nations in another world.

Because he must return to the other world to fulfill his promise to the knight, protect the princess, and complete his mission in place of Goth's Knight Star, doing what a knight should do.

If you wish to defend your country, I will defend it for you.

Therefore, I need stronger... power.

The space around him kept shattering, eventually forming a portal. Kang De took a step back, preparing to leave this mysterious plane that transcended the two realms. His gaze swept around, but he was surprised to find that there were no generators or radios here, just like the current furnishings at home.

The White Mist World, at least in the neighborhood, is a complete replica of Earth.

But time on Earth keeps moving forward, and everything is constantly changing, but the White Mist World should just be a frozen and replicated moment of Earth.

For at least a year, nothing changed inside the community.

But things have changed now.

"... Has it synchronized with Earth again? How often does it synchronize?"

These are all issues that urgently need to be studied.

Kang De suddenly remembered something. "Oh dear! Those things!"

The reset of the White Mist World is both a good thing and a bad thing. The good thing is that all the previously consumed supplies have been replenished. The bad thing is that today, not a single tanker truck drove by on the main road to the north, nor did any armored truck carrying shotguns and pistols deliver money to the bank across the street.

He'd have to figure out another way to get his hands on the new big bomb.

As well as...

The things he looted from the Good Family's treasury.

Kang De hurriedly stopped his time travel, turned around and went to the master bedroom. After looting the accumulated wealth of the Good Family, he temporarily put the huge pile of things into the room, without having time to sort and classify them.

After pushing open the door, Kang De breathed a sigh of relief, then noticed the change.

Armor, round shields, amulets, treasures, potions... whether they were gifts from the princess, seized from the elves, or picked up from the Good Family, most of these things are still there.

However, the two boxes of gold coins and ordinary antique jewelry had all disappeared.

"Can things with Magic Power not be reset by the world...?"

Kang De looked worried and prepared to rappel downstairs.

Because the knight's sword is still there.

Although the sword was no ordinary item, he still wanted to take a look at it.

But before leaving, he remembered something and looked up at the wall.

"Huh..."

A clock hangs on the wall.

Although the power supply is gone, the clock, powered by a battery, still faithfully records the passage of time.

In other words, even if the White Mist World only replicates a certain moment in the Earth world, the copied clocks will still continue to run without stopping, and the timekeeping of both worlds should be consistent.

Kang De had at least previously confirmed that time had not stopped in the White Mist World.

But that's not the case.

Kang De opened his phone, checked the time, and confirmed the time in the real world.

And I discovered something.

That's because time in the White Mist World is different from time on Earth...

It was three hours late.

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PS1: Second update! Also 4,000 words! Today's update is 8,000 words!

PS2: To prevent any misunderstandings, let me explain here. There are three worlds in total: the other world, Kang De's Earth, and this world shrouded in White Mist. As for how the third world was formed, its connection to Kang De, and why time is three hours slower, you can guess those things as you go. I'll write about them gradually. (laughs)

PS3: By the way, Old Wang is a girl, Wang Xiaoman. It's just that the protagonist always calls her Old Wang. You should understand now, right? I saw some friends thought they were two different people... By the way, I didn't create a female version of the boss. He doesn't even have the surname Wang, so it's not him. Don't make a big deal out of this! (Serious face)