Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land and the Ark Heart

As if he had finally found someone to confide in, Zhuge Yun suddenly appeared in the slowly descending elevator and poured out his grievances to him.

"When you're in the world of martial arts, you're not always in control of your own destiny. Especially for someone like me, born into a prominent family, handsome and capable, there are many things I can't decide for myself. It's really too hard for me."

"... Including your personal marriage?"

Stunned by the other party's shamelessness for a moment, Bai Zhi sighed with deep emotion after a brief silence.

"That's true. After all, someone as handsome as you already has so many troubles. Someone like me, who is so much more handsome and capable than you, will probably have a lot of troubles in the future too."

"... That's right."

Zhuge Yun's eye twitched slightly, and he sighed.

"But things are better now than before. After all, I've become Player and Inheritor, so I finally have some say... but that's not enough."

"What? You can't even decide your own feelings right now... or is the person you like just common?"

Bai Zhi narrowed his eyes slightly.

"More or less, but I can't reveal her identity right now. After all, I seem to have a lot of enemies for no apparent reason, and it wouldn't be good if she got involved."

Zhuge Yun nodded quite frankly.

"As for Dead Zero, I've always just considered her a younger sister..."

He caught a glimpse of a Young Girl's eyes out of the corner of his eye, and suddenly shuddered. With a flick of his sleeve, Zhuge Yun put on a righteous and awe-inspiring expression.

"No, I see her as an older sister. She's my Little Brother sister. It's perfectly normal for a younger brother to care about his older sister's marriage, isn't it?"

Zhuge Yun had a serious expression on his face.

"I went out of my way to create a private space for you guys where no one would bother you, and then I even went out of my way to tip you off. Isn't that enough to show my loyalty?"

So you're saying I should actually be grateful to you?

Bai Zhi rolled his eyes.

"You were the fastest runner before, right?"

"There's no other way. Uncle He has beaten me up several times already, and I can't beat him, so I have to go undercover."

Reaching up and touching his head, Zhuge Yun chuckled a few times.

"Uncle He is very strong. The one he suppressed... In short, as long as you can successfully become the Inheritor during your trip to the [Underworld] in the next half month, Uncle He will have nothing to say, because you have already surpassed him."

As if recalling some unbearable past events, Zhuge Yun wore a sighing expression.

"Before I became the Inheritor, Uncle He was my daily sparring partner. You have no idea how badly I got beaten up back then..."

"What, your father wasn't the Inheritor?"

Turning to look at the Dead Zero beside him, Bai Zhi was slightly surprised.

"Yes, he failed."

The Dead Zero, nodded calmly.

"In the Underworld, everyone only has one chance. The selection of Inheritor is not just based on strength, but involves many factors. It is extremely dangerous, and it is already very good if one does not become a vegetable."

"Yeah, I was lucky back then, otherwise I probably would have died there too. That kind of test was just unbelievable..."

Zhuge Yun then spoke with great emotion.

"As for your previous question, I can give you an answer now. Our world is different from other worlds because we belong to a world that has been revived. Therefore, we are well prepared for the onslaught of Anomaly and can completely conceal such things in the early stages. So common have no idea about these things... But other worlds are different."

"In most worlds, the existence of Anomaly and Player is public knowledge, but in our world, the existence of Anomaly and Player is hidden. Is that roughly the idea?"

After thinking for a moment, Bai Zhi raised an eyebrow.

"Then, Large-scale Campaign Quest are announced a few days in advance. For people in other worlds, they can evacuate all the common in that area beforehand. But unless we completely announce the existence of the Anomaly and Player, it's impossible for us to find an excuse to evacuate millions of people from a city, right?"

"That's right."

Slightly surprised, Zhuge Yun looked up at Bai Zhi and nodded.

"Therefore, under the premise of minimizing the impact on common and the normal operation of society, the Inner World has emerged. However, judging from the current situation, it probably can't be kept secret for long. At most, within a few months, once all countries have made full preparations, news about the Anomaly and Player will gradually be made available to common. However, obtaining Player Qualification is too random, and we are finding it difficult to find sufficient manpower."

"Hmm... Whether it's building shelters, constructing related defenses, or rebuilding infrastructure, all of this requires a considerable amount of manpower and Player. However, the probability of Player appearing is not fixed, so you need [Noah's Ark]."

Bai Zhi reached up and touched his chin, looking thoughtful.

"Is this why those countries and organizations are all vying for [Noah's Ark]?"

"Pretty much. Anyway, I've been incredibly busy and stressed about this matter during this period."

Zhuge Yun sighed helplessly.

"So far, organized Soldier have already moved into [Noah's Ark]... However, it's estimated that in the end, matters like [Noah's Ark] will still need to be resolved at the negotiating table. Add to that the interference of this Large-scale Campaign Quest... You were involved in this Large-scale Campaign Quest, weren't you?"

"What, you weren't involved in this Large-scale Campaign Quest?"

Bai Zhi raised an eyebrow slightly.

"No, if I stayed in those Dungeon for days on end, Binhai City would be in complete chaos."

Zhuge Yun shook his head with great regret.

"The Point Store within Large-scale Campaign Quest offers many valuable items that are normally unavailable for purchase. Furthermore, participating Player will have their Mandatory Quest suspended—these are all hidden perks. Especially in certain Dungeon, unexpected and extraordinary rewards can be obtained, and these extraordinary rewards are..."

"Alright, just say what you want to say. Don't you get tired of beating around the bush?"

Slightly unable to bear it any longer, Bai Zhi reached up and pressed his forehead, then began to speak.

"You came all this way just to answer my questions, right? What do you want from me?"

"Ahem... In that case, I'll just get straight to the point."

Slightly embarrassed, Zhuge Yun coughed a few times before speaking seriously.

"You obtained [The Dim Ark Heart] in the last Dungeon. You should still have it, right? Since you don't need it, why not sell it to us? Our Relevant Department is willing to pay a high price to buy it."

"Did Li Tong tell you that?"

Bai Zhi raised an eyebrow, showing no surprise whatsoever.

After all, the other party had been desperately trying to steer the conversation in this direction; what else could it be but this?

"You all seem to want this thing, but what exactly is it used for?"

"Uh... this is hard to explain in a short time, but you really don't need it... how about two Epic Level Equipment or items?"

Reaching out to scratch his hair, Zhuge Yun tentatively began to speak.

"Really, this thing is just a collectible if it's with you; it can only be of greater use in our hands."

"Since it's complicated, let's get straight to the point. If you're not even willing to tell me this kind of information, what kind of deal are we talking about?"

Bai Zhi pursed his lips.

"I haven't settled the score with you for locking us in that dangerous Game before. How about we start by discussing compensation for emotional distress? And time is money; you wasted so much of my time. How much money are you planning to use to compensate me?"

"... seed."

Zhuge Yun's lips twitched slightly, and after a moment's hesitation, he finally sighed.

"You should know the term 'Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land', right?"