Lost Paradise

Night fell.

A-Kun had gone out to keep watch and patrol, leaving Xu Nan alone in the empty tent, unable to fall asleep.

On one hand, there was Xin'er's matter. He still could not figure out what exactly Xin'er had meant by that joke about her stepfather.

Could Xin'er have deliberately made it up for the sake of her stream?

Unable to make sense of it, Xu Nan instead began suspecting other possibilities.

After all, that plane crash was far too painful a memory for him. Many things that had happened before and after it had become blurred.

He hesitated before sending Xin'er a WeChat message, only to find that he was still blocked. All he could do was sigh.

She had stayed mad longer than usual today.

Xu Nan could only put the matter aside for the time being.

On the other hand, the gradual public exposure of Awakened professionals also made Xu Nan uneasy.

The Armed Police and the military district had sealed off the river bend. They said there was a wanted criminal, and an Awakened professional at that. Did that mean the world would gradually begin to descend into chaos?

Once the existing social order was shattered, innocent civilians like them would always be the ones hurt. According to the "future" Xu Nan had seen while inheriting his bloodline, there would be no shortage of conflicts after the two worlds merged, and countless innocent people would die in the process. Xu Nan did not want to see that happen, but he also knew that even after inheriting the Ron Sorcerer Bloodline, he could not stop it all.

At most, he could protect himself. If he became stronger, perhaps he could also protect the people around him.

One person could never face the whole world alone. Xu Nan understood that clearly. He was long past his hot-blooded youth. All he considered now was how to protect himself and Xin'er in the coming disaster—though, if possible, he greedily wished to protect Yingluo Senior, Lü Junyi, and some other friends as well.

"Ultimately, it all comes down to strength!"

Xu Nan got up.

Qin Lele was already a Level 4 rogue, and Senior was a Level 3 paladin. He was only Level 1. He was starting to fall behind everyone.

According to A-Kun, a second-tier bard had already appeared in North America. Would that not mean power above Level 5?

"The Ron Sorcerer is indeed a powerful class. Paladins have strong Will saves, and most charm spells are ineffective against them. Yet I almost charmed a Level 3 Senior with passive feats alone. That proves this class has tremendous potential."

"But leveling this class is ridiculously annoying. I still haven't figured out how to level up. Do I have to actively trigger bizarre Shame Point quests?"

"What a headache."

Xu Nan sighed to himself. He opened his character sheet, looked it over once, and decided to take action.

Leveling up was beyond his control for now. He could only wait for an opportunity and for his bloodline to awaken. However, he currently had another way to increase his strength.

That was Arcane Art - Lost Paradise!

Lost Paradise was the exclusive plane of Ron Sorcerers. Every floor of Lost Paradise contained countless treasures, opportunities, and even Bloodline Fruits. Devouring a Bloodline Fruit could very well send someone soaring through the ranks.

Among the knowledge related to Lost Paradise, Xu Nan had even learned of a Level 1 Ron Sorcerer who had eaten a Bloodline Fruit left behind by a predecessor and shot straight up to Level 17!

Of course, the consequence of that bloodline rampage was that he had only lived for seven days, his accelerated metabolism draining away all his lifespan.

Xu Nan naturally did not want to encounter such a situation, but if he could obtain a Bloodline Fruit that raised his level, it would greatly increase his strength.

He had to give it a try.

Before entering Lost Paradise, Xu Nan decided to make a few more preparations.

He opened his spell list and spent 6 Shame Points to purchase six Level 1 spells: Shield Spell, Mage Armor, Level 1 Monster Summoning, Enlarge Spell, Animated Rope, and Feather Fall.

Shield Spell and Mage Armor were both life-saving spells. The former blocked magic, while the latter increased physical resistance. Few spellcasters learned both at once, which showed just how afraid Xu Nan was of dying.

Level 1 Monster Summoning could summon a random Level 1 monster to serve him for thirty minutes. It was not as effective as a familiar, and the things it summoned were rather strange, but it was consumable and he did not have to worry about it dying.

Enlarge Spell could make a humanoid's body, or a certain part of it, twice as large. Xu Nan had learned it merely to be prepared. After all, he had claimed to be a bard. He needed to learn at least one support spell, right?

Animated Rope could control a nimble rope as flexibly as his own fingers. Xu Nan had once read a D&D-like novel on Qidian called "Dark Night Ranger," where the protagonist loved using ropes and had even earned the title of Rope Art Master. It had looked extremely cool. Xu Nan wanted to try it himself.

Feather Fall was to prevent accidental falls or something like that. Who knew what sort of terrain Lost Paradise had?

After purchasing those six spells, he spent another eight Shame Points to activate the Ron Sorcerer's exclusive arcane art, Silent Wail.

Although it was only a first-circle spell, its effect was proportional to the Shame Points spent. This arcane art could forcibly interrupt most spells that required chanting or incantations, giving Xu Nan a great advantage against spellcasters.

After all, most spellcasters suffered severe magical backlash once their spells were interrupted. That would be Xu Nan's opportunity.

He had examined the other spells as well, but in the end decided to keep 4 Shame Points for emergencies.

Then he quietly left the tent, found an uninhabited place, and silently cast Arcane Art - Lost Paradise!

A wonderful power enveloped his body.

The next second, Xu Nan vanished into the depths of Maple Leaf Forest!

Lost Paradise, Floor One, unlocked!

Since this is your first time entering Lost Paradise, newbie protection has been activated.

Coordinates confirmed. Teleportation complete!

Xu Nan opened his eyes and heard a strange, mixed voice beside his ears. "Welcome to the first floor of Lost Paradise. This is Exxon's Grayfrost Forest. Explore to your heart's content, young sorcerer!"

A tattered parchment map had appeared in his hand, and some basic knowledge had also entered his mind.

This was the first floor of the Lost Paradise plane. Because of the newbie protection, there should not be monsters above Level 2 in Grayfrost Forest.

Deep within Grayfrost Forest was Exxon's cabin. If he followed the map in his hand, he would find it.

Exxon was a powerful Ron Sorcerer. He had not died, but ascended to legend. To give back to the Ron Sorcerer Bloodline, he had left his own cabin on every floor of Lost Paradise for suitable fated individuals.

Generally speaking, Ron Sorcerers had a friendly relationship with one another. Because they shared the same bloodline, they preferred helping each other rather than scheming against one another.

Only a small number of Ron Sorcerers maliciously harmed their own kind.

However, Xu Nan felt that the reason Ron Sorcerers got along so well was probably because they shared the same suffering.

After all, they had all walked the same path. The stronger the sorcerer, the more likely they were to be viewed by the mundane world—even by those around them—as freaks, lunatics, or perverts.

Having finally encountered their own kind, there was a very high chance they would cherish one another.

"Looks like I won't be meeting any fellow countrymen from other planes this time. I wonder what opportunity Senior Exxon left behind in the cabin on this floor?"

Xu Nan was somewhat excited.

Still, he calmly observed his surroundings.

Massive trees, clearly of a gigantic species, blocked out much of the sunlight. Their leaves were all gray, which was probably why this place was called Grayfrost Forest.

His current location was only a few kilometers from the cabin. Walking there should take no more than an hour.

But he did not dare let his guard down. There could be monsters in Grayfrost Forest.

Xu Nan had never fought a life-and-death battle against a monster before, so he was extremely cautious along the way.

He first cast Shield Spell and Mage Armor on himself, then used Level 1 Monster Summoning to summon a rather common crippled goblin to scout ahead for him.

His mana reserves were fairly abundant. As he walked through the silent forest, his vigilance rose to its highest level.

"If a monster appears here, I'll retreat that way first, then fight like this..."

Countless battle plans played out in his mind.

Yet what shocked him was this.

Even after an hour, when Xu Nan arrived at Exxon's cabin while trembling with fear, he had not encountered a single monster!

The entire forest was silent. The fiercest animal he had encountered was probably a rabbit that ran even faster than him.

"What the hell? They made it sound so terrifying, but there isn't even a trace of monster activity."

Xu Nan rubbed his overly tense Temples, feeling both relaxed and disappointed.

He had prepared for so long, yet his first battle still refused to happen. It felt like he had been outwitting the air itself. It was rather depressing.

At that moment, fierce arguing suddenly erupted from the cabin ahead.

Xu Nan perked up and cautiously poked out half his head, only to discover that two somewhat unusual squirrels were arguing on the roof.

"Pine nuts should be eaten with honey! It's our tradition!" one squirrel roared.

"Heh, heretic." The other, slimmer squirrel sneered disdainfully. "Back in my hometown, pine nuts are always stir-fried with sea salt."

The two squirrels continued arguing without end.

Xu Nan found it baffling. Suddenly, the two squirrels charged toward him. The movement frightened Xu Nan so badly that he almost attacked. He had not yet decided whether to throw Arcane Missile or Burning Hands when one of the squirrels said:

"Relax, kid. We're herbivores."

Xu Nan took half a step back and cast Appraisal Technique, only to find that the appraisal had failed.

That made him give up completely. If Appraisal Technique failed, they had to be far stronger than him. If these two squirrels harbored any ill intentions, he would have no chance of survival.

"Indeed, we're herbivores," the other squirrel added. "Because we've eaten almost all the edible animals in the forest, so lately we've had no choice but to eat plants."

Xu Nan trembled.

"Don't be afraid." The slimmer squirrel introduced herself. "We are the Smith Couple. I'm the wife, and he's the husband."

"We are kind creatures summoned by Lord Exxon to guard the cabin."

"You heard our argument just now, right? We need someone to judge us. If you agree with my view, you may inherit the property in the front half of the cabin. If you agree with my husband's view, you can only inherit the junk in the back half."

"Choose one. Honey or sea salt?"

The two squirrels looked at Xu Nan expectantly.

By now, Xu Nan had relaxed as well.

After pondering for a moment, he pulled a jar of Lao Gan Ma chili sauce from his backpack.

"How about you try this instead?"