In the end, Fang Zheng decided to head into the depths of Shadow Canyon with Malte and the others to stop the Lich's evil plot. In truth, he did not have much of a choice. Fang Zheng certainly could not make it out of Shadow Canyon alone, and Malte's group was determined to go back, so he could only accompany them. Thinking it over carefully, this might even be a good idea. After all, if he stayed with them, he might run into Stone and Miss M. Then, leaving would be much easier.
The battle at the riverbank had left the team with grievous casualties. Including Malte and Conan, only five Knights had survived. Two of them were seriously wounded, so Fang Zheng had no choice but to play priest again, using the Paladins' Holy Light Flash to heal them. This naturally left Malte astounded, but unfortunately, none of the Paladin skills Fang Zheng possessed included resurrection, so there was nothing he could do for the dead—though even if he could, he probably would not save them. When he had been with Knight Conan earlier, Fang Zheng had asked about this. In this world, anyone with even a faint breath left could be saved, but reviving the dead was another matter entirely. That was the domain of the gods. If an ordinary person somehow resurrected the dead, people would be more likely to associate him with Necromancers who toyed with souls. Fang Zheng had not even shaken off the Cultist label yet, so he did not dare invite more trouble by adding Necromancer to his list of titles.
According to Malte, those who had surrounded them were the main force behind the earlier ambush. They had fought while retreating, and quite a few people had scattered along the way. Left with no other choice, they had chosen to make a desperate last stand at Blood Sandbar. If Fang Zheng had not arrived in time, it truly would have been a fight to the death. Still, things were not too bad now. Including Malte and Conan, five Holy Knights had survived. That could barely be considered good news.
After Fang Zheng treated their wounds, the group immediately withdrew from Blood Sandbar. Yet, to their surprise, the journey was unusually peaceful this time, and they encountered no more enemies. That was both good news and bad news. The good news was that they no longer seemed to be the Lich's primary concern. The bad news was that if the Lich no longer needed them, then he must have enough confidence to complete the ritual. This only made it more urgent for them to stop his evil plans and schemes.
The night grew deeper.
Fang Zheng sat on a rock, watching the campfire before him. In the pitch-black wilderness, that flickering orange-red flame was especially reassuring. The night wind swirled across the wilds, and strange noises could even be heard in the distance. He did not know whether they were the roars of beasts or the screams of ghosts.
This was really interesting...
Looking at everything before him, Fang Zheng could not help narrowing his eyes as he leaned comfortably against the rock. He had grown up in the city and occasionally traveled to a few places, but this was his first time lighting a campfire and spending the night in a boundless wilderness. The novelty alone fascinated him. It even made him feel as though he had crossed through time and returned to the savage ages of thousands of years ago. Perhaps primitive people back then had also gathered around campfires like this, enjoying warmth and driving away the darkness. The weight of time washed over him, leaving Fang Zheng briefly lost in thought.
"You rarely travel, do you?"
As Fang Zheng admired the scenery before him, Malte walked over and sat beside him. Hearing Malte's question, Fang Zheng nodded.
"Yeah, not often. I used to be very busy. Honestly, I can't even remember the last time I looked up at the stars."
"People are always too eager to focus on what is right in front of them, and end up overlooking the beautiful scenery around them."
Hearing Fang Zheng's answer, Malte smiled at him.
"To be honest, sometimes it is better to get out and walk around, even under circumstances like these. After all, no one knows whether they will live to see tomorrow. That is why you have to focus on enjoying the present. Only then will you not regret all the wonderful moments you missed when death comes."
"That makes a lot of sense."
Fang Zheng nodded at Malte's sentiment. Wasn't it the same for people living in cities? Every day, they were busy with work and housework, concerned only with trivial matters like food prices and health insurance reimbursements. They went to work, got off work, socialized with colleagues, then went home to worry about their children's studies and mortgage payments. Perhaps they even had to consider whether gas prices had risen again lately. But of the city they lived in, who truly cared what it was really like?
What did people live their entire lives for?
Everyone had a different answer to that question.
But the most important thing was...
"A person's life should be lived this way: when he looks back on the past, he will not regret wasting his years, nor will he feel ashamed of having accomplished nothing..."
"Oh? That is quite an interesting saying. Did you come up with it yourself?"
"No, I read it in a book before."
Noticing Malte's curious gaze, Fang Zheng shrugged.
"To be honest, I did not think much of it at the time. Anyone can spout lofty principles, and besides... saying them does not really do any good... But now, I think I understand it a little."
"The advantage of being young is fearlessness. Living cautiously might be stable, but it is also far too dull. If you ask me, it is sometimes better not to understand certain grand principles. If you do understand them, it means that while gaining something, you have also lost something else."
With that, Malte stood and patted Fang Zheng on the shoulder.
"It is late. Aren't you going to get some rest? We still have a long journey tomorrow."
"I'll stay a little longer."
"All right. Be careful. The scenery may be beautiful, but danger exists as well. Life is a journey down a road shrouded in fog. No one knows what will happen the next moment."
"I understand that very well."
Fang Zheng deeply related to Malte's words. After all, who could understand their meaning better than him? He had been electrocuted to death by high-voltage wires and even crossed over to be reborn. What else could possibly happen in life that he had not encountered?
Malte went back to rest, leaving Fang Zheng alone. Of course, he had not stayed behind merely to enjoy the scenery. Only after confirming that no one was nearby did Fang Zheng take out the Spirit Crystals he had put away earlier. Ever since learning from the system that he could recharge, Fang Zheng had been impatient to try it. Now that he had the chance, he immediately began figuring out how to recharge.
Soon, after Fang Zheng took out the Spirit Crystals, the system message from before appeared before his eyes again.
Valuable convertible materials detected. Convert and recharge?
"Yes."
Looking at the message, Fang Zheng confirmed without hesitation. Soon, he saw a golden circular magic formation emerge from his palm. The Spirit Crystals enveloped by the formation silently broke apart, turning into countless golden particles that scattered through the air before being drawn into the formation like iron filings to a magnet. Then, another system prompt appeared before Fang Zheng.
190 Crystal Energy absorbed. Please select usage.
190?
Looking at the number before him, Fang Zheng froze. He remembered that according to the exchange rate he had designed, Crystal Energy was converted into currency at a one-to-one rate. In other words, all the Spirit Crystals in his hand were worth only this much? But wait... if he remembered correctly, the conversion rate from Crystal Energy to Dimension Points was one to five... Which meant that he could exchange them for, at most, 38 Dimension Points?
At that thought, Fang Zheng's expression immediately stiffened.
That meant that, including the five Dimension Points he had saved earlier, he could only pull four times?
And so the question arose: should he pull? Pull? Or pull?
Fang Zheng felt that this question was simply too stupid. It did not need an answer. What was the difference between paying and not pulling, and being a salted fish?
So Fang Zheng decisively made his choice.
Pull!
Before you continue