The First Step into the Mist (5,500 Words)

"Yes, it's that simple."

On the train, Xiao Xiao was still completely unaware of what was going on. He honestly told Lin Bo and the others, "Everything I did in Night's End City was based on the in-depth research and calculations of our Old Chairman in Black Gate City on the theory of the native perspective. I personally only made a small attempt and verification based on his theory, but it is obvious that this attempt was very effective."

"The Outer People organization in Night's End City felt this pressure, so they finally agreed to make a deal with me."

"As you can see, the transaction went smoothly, and we were all satisfied, although he said he no longer welcomes me to come over..."

"..."

Lin Bo and the others listened while taking notes, their expressions somewhat astonished. "It's that simple?"

Xiao Xiao replied frankly, "Of course."

"We've only been in Night's End City for such a short time, how complicated could it be?"

"..."

"... That makes sense!"

Lin Bo tilted his head and thought for a moment, then sighed, "Things are progressing much more smoothly than we imagined."

"Thank goodness, we all had a great harvest and didn't cause any major trouble..."

"..."

Little Four, who was dozing off next to them, glanced at them with disdain, thinking to himself, "These people only earn a little more, yet they've already made a fortune?"

Xiao Xiao, curious, asked, "So what were you thinking at the beginning?"

"What I initially envisioned was far more exciting than this..."

Lin Bo suddenly became interested and said, "In the original plan, we were probably going to be harassed by the Night's End City as soon as we arrived, right? These people are notorious for being stingy and miserly. Then I guess you guys would definitely have a small conflict, since neither of you would be the ones to suffer a loss. After the conflict, it would be my turn. I would mediate for you in the name of the Dante Organization."

Seeing that he was getting more and more excited as he talked, Xiao Xiao also became interested. "How do you mediate?"

Lin Bo laughed and said, "Then let's see who comes out on top in this little conflict. If you come out on top, then I'll side with you and go with you to take advantage of Night's End City. That way, I'll not only help you, but also settle the score we suffered before."

"If Night's End City gains an advantage, then I will side with them during mediation."

"Not only will it give you a good reputation in your search for the Fourth Element, but it will also settle our score with Black Gate City..."

"..."

Xiao Xiao was stunned. This plan was shamelessly blatant.

The key is that when I followed his line of thought, it actually seemed so reasonable.

If I hadn't reviewed so much of the information left behind by the Old Chairman before leaving, and hadn't seen the perspective of the indigenous people, things might have really gone as he wished, or even worse than he had imagined. I would have suffered a loss and Unquenched Heart back...

All I can say is...

Xiao Xiao sighed and said, "It's all thanks to the information left behind by the Old Chairman."

Regardless, I should keep my little secret to myself, so I only have one explanation for Lin Bo's speculation:

The Old Chairman is awesome.

Because the Old Chairman is so awesome, things have gone so smoothly for me.

Since he's already dead, he can't just come out and explain that he wasn't that awesome.

"Really."

Lin Bo listened with deep emotion. "I had heard of your Old Chairman of Black Gate City before. None of the people who have risen to the position of president in these cities are simple people. However, I knew how powerful he was because he actually cultivated such a powerful person as Yang Jia. But now it seems that this person is really quite capable in academics as well."

Xiao Xiao smiled and said to Lin Bo, "Are you done with your job?"

"Sure."

Lin Bo took out what he had just recorded and said, "What you did in Night's End City can be seen as very important experimental data. The Dante Organization has always valued these theoretical things, even more than Enhancement Element."

Xiao Xiao.

Once Lin Bo has taken these things and handed them over to the Dante Organization, his reputation will most likely be that of the Old Chairman.

However, strictly speaking, what I told them was indeed the theory left by the Old Chairman. However, based on my experience from the perspective of the indigenous people, I made some modifications to some key data in these theories. My own identity is somewhat special, and although I don't know what this means, I have already taken precautions from now on.

"No problem, it's much better than we imagined."

Lin Bo's team members were quite excited upon hearing this, saying, "Furthermore, to make our data seem more important, when we report it, we can say that we faced severe difficulties from Black Gate City and Night's End City in the process of obtaining this data. We endured humiliation and acted opportunistically, only obtaining it after paying a heavy price in terms of physical strength and points..."

Lin Bo paused for a moment, then couldn't help but slap his thigh. "That's right..."

"Anyway, Night's End City is notoriously stingy, and the Black Gate Society has a terrible reputation..."

"In that case, taking this report back won't be considered as atonement, but rather a meritorious deed!"

"..."

Seeing their excitement, Xiao Xiao felt happy for them too.

But I felt a little awkward. "You said Black Gate City has a bad reputation in front of me, the guild leader..."

"... Isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

"..."

Lin Bo narrowed his eyes. "Don't interfere with our work."

Does this person not understand how Black Gate City's reputation became so bad?

Xiao Xiao: "..."

I always felt that Lin Bo was shamelessly honest.

I just received the points and report I transferred, so I'm not going to be so kind to myself...

"What are all these?"

Just as they were discussing putting away the notes, the man in the plaid shirt under Lin Bo's command suddenly looked surprised:

"Isn't that going too far?"

"..."

Those around him were surprised and looked at him. "What's wrong?"

"The people of Night's End City are simply too much..."

The man in the plaid shirt turned his tablet around and said, "Look what they're saying. This guy with the ID 'Night's End Phantom' is just posting online: which bastard told that big pervert in Black Gate City that we have something he needs here, and that guy just showed up empty-handed, not wanting to give a single point, just trying to get something for nothing from our Night's End City..."

"Who is he?"

"He's a monster who killed hundreds of members of the Hell Organization without batting an eye!"

"He's an old freak who single-handedly turned Black Gate City into a hellish forbidden zone..."

"We in Night's End City are no match for him. That bastard shoved a chainsaw right in our faces and forced us to negotiate. Not only did he take a precious Class A artifact without spending a single penny, but he also extorted 300,000 points from us... It's not that we in Night's End City didn't fight back, but not only was our perfect defense torn apart by him without batting an eye, but even the city we served..."

"... He made the city weep!"

"Is there any justice left? Where is the law for strangers?"

"..."

"Um?"

In the blink of an eye, Xiao Xiao had seen all the posts and was startled:

"Why did you bring up the matter of the City Will?"

"... No, that girl wasn't crying either; in fact, she seemed rather gloating..."

"The others are even more outrageous, aren't they?"

"... I Mingming extorted 30,000 points!"

"..."

Lin Bo and the others were also dumbfounded when they saw the post. "Didn't you buy it with points?"

"Yes!"

Xiao Xiao said, "I haven't even seen their City Will!"

Why do you sound a little guilty when you say that?

Lin Bo and the others paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "This doesn't need explanation. Each city is a living entity, but this entity exists at a higher dimension. Even the leader of their own city finds it difficult to witness the manifestation of its will, let alone an outsider. I suspect this is just an exaggeration; no one will believe it. But what they said about the rest..."

Xiao Xiao firmly stated, "The others are also false and slanderous."

That's true.

The man in the plaid shirt nodded and said, "More than 90% of what's said on the forum is unreliable; everyone's used to it."

"Look, now people down there are even refuting him..."

"..."

Sure enough, Xiao Xiao followed the mouse cursor and glanced at the comments, only to see a hidden account had already replied, "Speaking of this Chairman Xiao, no one knows him better than me. I think the people in Night's End City are obviously talking nonsense. This Chairman Xiao is just someone who likes dancing and dogs. The worst thing he's done is skinning the living..."

"Dancing while killing..."

"I feel better when I'm alone with a corpse..."

"In many ways, it exhibits a temperament and interests that are remarkably similar to those of the Hell Organization..."

"..."

"..."

"These words don't really sound like a rebuttal..."

Xiao Xiao looked somewhat confused. "Also, why was this ID deliberately hidden?"

My mood is somewhat chaotic.

Ever since Yang Jia gave him this forum, he hadn't seen anything nice about it. Logically speaking, since his reputation had been so badly tarnished, he should have gone up there to explain, or even turned around and went back to Night's End City to ask what was going on. But when he thought about the problems he was facing now, Xiao Xiao felt that none of these things mattered. He should prioritize the bigger picture.

First, I have obtained the Unquenched Heart, which means that the investigation into the Black Forest should begin.

What did this well-known and seemingly influential company among the indigenous people do to me back then, and what are they doing now? What impact does the Pioneer Project, which I was involved in without my knowledge, still have?

Secondly, should the Old Chairman's Noah Project really be put into action?

This Old Chairman is truly remarkable. He is a stranger in a foreign land, yet he has conducted extensive research on the theories of the indigenous people.

And now, based on my own verification, most of these studies are actually true...

But only most of it is true.

The Old Chairman was, after all, a stranger in a foreign land, and he had his own limitations in many areas. Could the plans he left behind really succeed?

But if I don't carry out this plan, how will I explain it to Mister Ye and Yang Jia?

These two people joined forces to push themselves into the position of the Old Chairman of Black Gate City. They also concealed and were wary of each other, but it was clear that they were of one mind in their attitude towards the Old Chairman. They must have been waiting to advance this plan for a long time.

And finally, the most crucial one...

... Mysterious Guidepost.

... What role did it play in this matter, and what is its relationship with the Record Player Miss?

Mystery!

All of this was like a huge fog, shrouding the sky above Black Gate City.

How can we see through the fog to uncover the truth?

The answer is actually quite simple: just walk in.

Now, I am qualified to step into this fog and begin to unravel it all.

The Unquenched Heart is in your own hands.

According to Dante Organization's calculations, as long as he obtains this item, he can enter the fourth stage of the Insightful Enhancement.

In the third stage of the Insightful One, one has already seen many things that other strangers are unable to see. So, what kind of answers will the fourth stage, which has become powerful enough to offend the city, reveal to one?

"The time has come..."

While Xiao Xiao was pondering these matters, Lin Bo and the others put away their report and closed the forum page.

They knew there were more important things to do, so they all avoided the topic.

Only Lin Bo looked at Xiao Xiao and reminded him, "We'll be back in Black Gate City in about an hour. We can't wait any longer."

"You mean the Unquenched Heart?"

Xiao Xiao looked into his eyes and asked softly.

"Yes!"

Lin Bo said, "I told you before that Black Gate City wouldn't like you searching for the Fourth Element, because it means your abilities will exceed her limits. You will have the power to resist her influence and glimpse some secrets she doesn't want you to know. But you've already made your decision, successfully gone to Night's End City, and brought this crucial thing back..."

"Then you'd better complete the enhancement before returning to Black Gate City."

"Otherwise, the Black Gate City's City Will might not be able to guarantee what it will do to this heart when you enter the city."

"..."

"..."

"Everything has developed so fast..."

Xiao Xiao sighed silently. Since he left the bedroom, many things had developed too quickly.

So fast that I didn't give myself time to prepare.

Fortunately, I have the ability to Mind Burst, which allows me to slow down and think about all of this.

So what if it's fast?

So what if I offend this city?

Four years ago, I was struggling in my bedroom, unable to distinguish between reality and illusion, and unable to live like an ordinary person. Every day I was fighting against that huge fantasy and the unknown babbling, like an ant desperately digging and scouring in the mountain pressing down on my head, just to find a way to escape. But who could have imagined that after I came out, there would be another bedroom.

The series of thoughts seemed to take a long time, but in reality, only a short time had passed.

The answer is absurd.

Xiao Xiao suddenly felt ridiculous, having always wanted to escape the torment of the unknown and the mysterious.

Now that I have the opportunity to formally delve into the mystery, why am I hesitating?

What are you hesitating for!

He suddenly looked up at the carriage. The carriage was now full of people. From the perspective of the strangers, they were all asleep. From the perspective of the natives, they were awake. According to the theory left by the Old Chairman, the reason why the strangers saw these people sleeping most of the time after leaving the city was because the strangers were moving away from the power of their own city...

The space outside the city was not ruled by any one city, but rather became a boundary and intersecting zone.

Therefore, the maternal force that constantly influences strangers will also shrink its own influence, simply making itself invisible to strangers.

However, these were not the Xiao Xiao wanted to study.

He hesitated for a moment, then called out a name in his mind, "Record Player Miss!"

Soon, faint electromagnetic hissing and melodies appeared, echoing in the minds of everyone in the carriage. Back in Night's End City, probably because of the distance, Xiao Xiao was unable to summon the power of Record Player Miss, not even when fighting against the armed forces of Night's End City. But now that they were closer to Black Gate City, the power of Record Player Miss had returned to Xiao Xiao's control.

As the melody began, the indigenous people in the carriage were affected, their eyes becoming confused, and they got up and left the carriage.

In Lin Bo's eyes, however, it was Xiao Xiao's single glance that caused the flesh and blood densely packed inside the carriage, along with the natives sleeping within it, to simultaneously melt away and gradually retreat from the carriage, leaving behind an empty area.

It was as if, upon seeing Xiao Xiao's gaze, all the forces of will retreated on their own.

This left Xiao Xiao with a clean space.

After Xiao Xiao finished doing all that, he slowly opened the gift box and looked at the beating heart inside.

His palm slowly moved towards his heart, and he spoke in a strange tone:

"Strengthen... the Unquenched Heart!"

"..."

In an instant, Xiao Xiao felt an unusual burning sensation in his palm.

The heart's performance, that inextinguishable flame, suddenly exploded, filling the entire carriage.

Even Lin Bo had deliberately stayed in the carriage to prevent problems during Xiao Xiao's enhancement process, was startled by the flames. He felt a burning sensation on a spiritual level, and his body suddenly jumped up, instantly retreating to the edge of the carriage, raising his hand to shield his eyes.

"Thump" "Thump"

Immediately afterwards, both he and Xiao Xiao heard the sound of a rapidly beating heart.

At the same time, unbeknownst to them, as Xiao Xiao uttered those words, something that had always coexisted with the natives and outsiders of Black Gate City, yet remained unseen by anyone, seemed to detach itself from the city and, like a rapidly spreading shadow, quickly approached this train in a world of ordinary people...

To be precise, it would be that a part of the soul of Black Gate City is leaving its body to welcome the train.

Wherever this shadow passed, all thought was shut down, even some of the weaker, Mysterious Source in the Mist Sea. They wandered around, searching for their hosts, but stopped their thought processes the moment the shadow approached.

Until the shadow quickly enveloped the train, everything inside the train stopped moving.

This includes Xiao Xiao and Lin Bo.

It was as if time itself had been pulled away, and everything became blurred, leaving only Xiao Xiao and the heart resting on his lap.

The flame above my heart beats quietly.

Xiao Xiao's handsome face appeared pale and fragile in the light of the flames.

The shadow that surged from Black Gate City vaguely transformed into a blurry human figure. She slowly bent down, tore open the clothes on Xiao Xiao's chest, and then slowly cut open his chest, taking out something strange inside his chest that was clearly different from a real heart. Without hesitation, and even with a hint of disgust, she crushed the thing directly.

Then, she slowly placed the heart from the box into Xiao Xiao's chest cavity.

That heart seemed to fit Xiao Xiao perfectly.

"It's been returned to its rightful owner..."

She examined her work closely, as if admiring a fine work of art.

Then, she melted away again, turning into a blurry black shadow, and slowly detached from the train, returning to Black Gate City ahead of schedule.

"Is it finished?"

In a realm no one can see, curious voices inquire.

"Um."

A helpless voice replied, "He's still wary of me, but he doesn't know..."

"Only I can implant this heart in him..."