Within Xisbaning, inside a natural crystal cavern in the Ji Lu Mountains.
Several Apocalypse Paradise contractors stood in a circle. At the center floated a transparent crystal about the size of a fist. The inside of the crystal was a chaotic blur, and staring at it for a few seconds could even make one dizzy.
"So this is... the World Core?"
An old man wearing a miner's helmet and holding a high-tech mining shovel stared blankly at the World Core. He had been looking at it for several minutes.
"What should we do? We only wanted to dig up some rare ore, so how did we end up digging out this thing? Sanctuary Paradise is not to be trifled with, and Reincarnation Paradise is practically a lunatic asylum. I don't want to fight them. I've already prepared myself for the attribute deductions from failing the mission."
A little girl raised her head. She had also been staring at the World Core for quite some time.
"Why don't we... just pretend we didn't see it? I muddled through the last World War. Those hardliners still won in the end."
"Are you kidding? If we leave it alone, we could very well be executed by force. Besides... there's a huge reward for discovering this thing. Aren't you tempted?"
"Very tempted, but those two sides will definitely rush over to seize it. If it becomes two against one..."
"Stop. I can already picture it in my head."
Several people surrounded the World Core. They were early-stage Tier Four contractors, and very laid-back ones at that. Every time they entered a world, they completed their missions with very low ratings. Their main source of profit was searching for rare resources, which had earned them quite a lot.
Small teams like this were fairly common