"Crow!"
Bai Zhou exclaimed and suddenly sat up from the bed, cold sweat dripping down his back.
In the dim light, the safe and sound Crow was looking at him with a strange expression:
"Did you have a nightmare? You shouted so loudly, it was like... you saw a ghost."
Crow's voice is slightly hoarse, and his soft tone is comforting, like a child who has a nightmare and calls for its mother and is coaxed back to sleep by its mother. However, this is also the reason for Crow's strange expression.
When Bai Zhou woke up from a nightmare, the name he subconsciously shouted was himself... So he was so important and trustworthy in Bai Zhou's mind? For some reason, there were some ripples in Crow's heart.
——Although the ripples in this small pond were quickly muddied by Bai Zhou holding a big shit fork.
"Because you are the one I have nightmares about!"
Bai Zhou answered honestly, looking at Crow with an expression of horror that could not be concealed in the dim light, "You don't know what I saw!"
Deep in the darkness, the corners of Crow's mouth twitched slightly, "It is extremely rude to dream about a lady."
"Especially... still a nightmare!"
Although it is rude, I can somewhat understand that a boy in adolescence would dream of the young and beautiful Maiden. It is just because they get along day and night and she is really beautiful... But what does it mean to have nightmares?
Let me ask you what nightmares mean?!
Not only is it impolite, but it's also insulting!
But when Crow's sight crossed the darkness and saw Bai Zhou's face that seemed panicked and helpless at this moment...
She frowned again and her voice became softer unconsciously.
"Bai Zhou, what did you see?" she asked softly.
"I..." Bai Zhou turned around and looked over.
That face that could always remain calm and pretend to be calm even when it was pretending was now filled with uneasiness and fear that could not be concealed.
His eyes glowed in the darkness, staring intently at the figure of Maiden on the ribbon not far away, as if he was afraid that the figure of Maiden would suddenly disappear from his sight. "I..." His eyes were firmly on Crow, and his answer was very soft.
"I saw you dead..."
"So, you dreamed about a female corpse that looked exactly like me?"
When the lights were turned on, the crow narrowed his eyes slightly and sat cross-legged on the ribbon thoughtfully.
"The white earth? Full of potholes, and "I" wearing a crown of thorns?"
Bai Zhou, who was sitting by the bed, nodded.
"But I've never seen a place like that, let alone one with a crown of thorns."
As he spoke, Crow cast his eyes on the Thorn Ring in Bai Zhou's hand, "If it's this Crown... I have nothing to do with it. It's an antique, but I'm not some mummy who pretends to be dead."
"And..."
"I'm not a dead person." Crow looked at Bai Zhou seriously, "Although my current state is a bit strange, and even I can't figure out the situation... but I am convinced that I am still alive."
"I can breathe, move, and speak, and my body temperature always remains warm at 42 degrees 21." Maiden's tone was affirmative, "I meet all the definitions of being alive!"
"Then what I dreamed about..." Bai Zhou recalled his dream.
The overly clear dreams were frightening, and the cold and dead feeling was as if he were actually there. White gravel like ashes was piled under his feet. At that time, Bai Zhou felt like he was weightless and couldn't find the center of gravity of his body.
"It's not me." Crow shook his head, "At least I've never had that experience."
Not a crow?
That's Queen Rome Irina?
A Irina that is exactly like the crow's?
That's not right either...
Others are just fine. Bai Zhou has seen the appearance of Irina through the fragments of Last Will. Although it is very beautiful, it is a little worse than a crow, and the deep facial features of the Western Federation race are completely different from those of a crow.
Since the appearance of Golden Giant's hand, Irina's face and figure have become blurry.
Protagonist starts at the moment Replacement.
"You and that Empress Irene..." Bai Zhou asked tentatively, "Do you have anything to do with it?"
"At least in my memory, my family has nothing to do with Western Federation. We are completely descendants of Eastern Federation."
Crow said expressionlessly, with a fleeting look of disgust in his eyes, "Those old men attach great importance to the purity of blood." As he spoke, Crow looked at the ring Bai Zhou was wearing on his hand thoughtfully, "Maybe this Crown is sending you some kind of warning, like a precognitive dream."
"Similar things are not uncommon in Mystic World. Someone saw a squirming blood Meat Mountain in a dream. When he opened his eyes, he was inexplicably summoned to the desert island of Atlantic Ocean, located in an abandoned stone Divine Hall."
She said, "Mystic World is too mysterious. When a person is dreaming, it is like having an antenna on the top of his head that does not reject anyone. Some mysterious inspirations will be received by the dream, attracting the invasion of some mysterious forces."
"For this reason, some schools of thought simply advocate not sleeping, or develop Ritual that closes itself in dreams."
Crow continued, "The current situation you are encountering cannot be ruled out as the result of some mysterious inspiration that resonated with the radiation of Crown at a certain moment and tried to intrude on you... It just took the form of me that you are most familiar with, so as to give you a deeper psychological impact."
"But there is also a possibility that Crown has sent you some kind of warning, reminding you that you need to be vigilant in the near future." As he said that, Ya looked at the ring on Bai Zhou's hand in surprise:
"I know this Black Box may not be Ordinary, but I really didn't expect that this Crown has the power to warn the future."
There are many more magical places in this Crown...
Bai Zhou was murmuring in his heart.
But
"Precognitive dream?"
Bai Zhou frowned suddenly, "Doesn't that mean you may be in danger?"
"Maybe, but it may only be related to you." Crow shrugged and yawned, "No one can see me. I can't directly interfere with Present World, and no one can affect me."
As she spoke, she narrowed her eyes slightly and raised her slightly hoarse voice in Dormitory, "If someone really can pose a threat to me, I really want to know who it is."
"Of course, there is also a possibility..." She seemed to have thought of something, pursed her lips, and her expression was cold and cold.
"If this matter is indeed related to me, it means that something will happen faster than I imagined... but I am not unprepared." Crow's voice paused.
She turned to look at Bai Zhou, with complex eyes and spoke seriously:
"You have to grow up as soon as possible...Bai Zhou."
Bai Zhou felt a chill in his heart.
"I thought I could breathe a little relieved." Bai Zhou blinked twice, "Now it seems that fate is still chasing us behind with a knife."
Bai Zhou has a feeling.
If this matter is really related to crows.
Then, the truth behind the crow's current appearance may soon be revealed.
Once Bai Zhou also heard the hidden meaning that Ya had not said.
The current Bai Zhou is not strong enough to digest that information, let alone intervene in matters of that level.
Now is not the time to be arrogant and talk nice. Instead, Bai Zhou seems a little silent.
Even when he was chased by people all over the city and was on the run, Bai Zhou could still enjoy the misery... but now?
Raven needs Bai Zhou.
Bai Zhou has never been more thirsty for strength than now.
Strength!
Become stronger!
Fumbling for the Thorn Ring on my finger, at this moment Bai Zhou thought of Jurassic, Troy Civilization and Xiluo Empire, the Altar logo on my wrist and the Last Will I had encountered in the past...
To use a certain sentence that Bai Zhou recently learned from Tinghai, it is
He needs to drive a bigger rig!
... This night, Bai Zhou didn't rest any more.
Sitting on Crystal Ball's cold buttocks, Bai Zhou closed his eyes and meditated.
With spirituality flowing through his body, he deduced <Basic Nine Slashes> all night, trying to find the path to level 6.
But first.
He wants to understand the key to promotion to level 6, what exactly is "god".
The next day.
At seven o'clock in the morning, Sky Light is bright.
The Black Box Special Management Department headquarters uses the latest air purification device. Even in the underground base, you can feel the fresh morning air. The flowing breeze is so natural that even the flowers planted on the roadside bring crystal clear dewdrops.
The entire base is quite impressive. Even the ground is made of a special composite material, which combines the hardness of stone with the flexibility of plastic. It is spotless and presents a solemn gray and black color.
When the weather is cold and freezing in winter, elderly people who are unsteady in walking may be knocked to pieces on these floors if they walk on them, effectively reducing the burden of the Special Management Department's elderly care.
Each Great Door closed mysterious building looks to be six or seven stories high, neither high nor low, and is surrounded by the Clock Tower in the middle, forming a circular layout. Under the tall Clock Tower, there is a group of researchers in white coats, raising their hands and twisting their buttocks to perform exercises neatly amidst the cyclic sound of the eighteenth set of Radio Calisthenics<The Federation Calls>.
"One! Two! Three! Four!"
Slogans were shouted, and at the same time there were the sounds of uniform footsteps passing by on the floor.
"Snap, snap, snap... stand still!"
The trainees, who have just been employed for more than a month, are lined up neatly. Everyone is wearing a close-fitting combat uniform. The surrounding walls are engraved with slogans that are characteristic of the Special Management Department.
"Everyone, cheer up!"
The middle-aged man carrying the box didn't even look back, but his voice reached everyone's ears clearly.
"Rookies, today, I mainly want to show you the environment of the Special Management Department headquarters."
The man was wearing a washed white suit, wearing a P6-level badge on his chest, and carrying a Silver White-colored metal Briefcase in his hand. The side of the box was branded with the icon of a cross bound by a chain.
He lectured lazily, and the arrogance in his words was almost palpable, but these students who had been through hell training for more than a month had long been accustomed to the instructor's appearance.
Rookies don't deserve to have personalities. During the training period, the students even only have numbers but no names.
"When you go back, remember to write a new report and give it to each group leader to collect..."
While the man was lecturing, a bald man in a brown suit suddenly passed by in the distance with a long fishing net. He was shouting strangely while chasing several translucent jellyfish floating in the air.
"Don't run! Stop! Are you deaf if I tell you to stop?"
The jellyfish that should have grown in the water was now floating in the air strangely, with electric arcs looming between the tentacles, almost condensing into substance, which was daunting.
"Crack..." Wherever the jellyfish passed, there was a burning smell, and the crowds fled away, fearing the translucent jellyfish like snakes and scorpions. But the bald man in a brown suit roared while walking as fast as flying, covering a distance of more than ten meters with every casual step. The terrifying momentum filled the sky, and the fishing net in his hand was ready to go.
If you look carefully, you will find that the jellyfish running in front are like students who are running away from the wall and are being chased by security guards. Their tentacles are like dragon boat racers paddling wildly, running like crazy as if they are running for their lives.
In the blink of an eye, humans and jellyfish roared past half of the base and ran away into the distance, turning into fuzzy dots.
... That's Director Ge from the Logistics Department." The middle-aged man introduced to the juniors without changing his expression.
"[Talking Jellyfish] is a mysterious creature identified as F-level by the Ordinance Hall. It was discovered in the Reflection Ruins Realm one hundred and twenty years ago. After eating it, it can develop brain, ear and eyesight. Magic Potion, which is made from materials, can be used to help Destiny awaken. It is very cherished."
"Currently, Director Ge is experimenting with small-scale artificial breeding... If it succeeds, it will be a very great research result, and the entire Special Management Department will receive a major award from Tianjing."
"Of course, the risk is also very high - a group of F-level mysterious creatures means that its destructive power and danger are also F-level, equivalent to many Black Box of the same level. If you are not careful, someone will die!"
As he spoke, the middle-aged man said to everyone seriously, "But things like this are common in the Special Management Department and in our headquarters." "Every laboratory, every department, and specifically every official Commissioner, has his or her own important things to be busy with."
His eyes are firm and his expression is pious;
"Remember, rookies, what we have to do is a great honor!"
"Supreme Glory!" The students' breathing became heavier. They stood upright with eager expressions and scribbled notes in their notebooks.
"This is the most important part of Black Room Administration, Black Box Special Management Department."
"This is the weapons arsenal, which contains all kinds of Extraordinary Weapon. The enchanted sophisticated equipment is beyond your imagination. I will take you to know them one by one later."
The team marched in the base, and the leading middle-aged man introduced them one by one. His expression was always serious. From time to time, a patrol team with fully armed guns and live ammunition passed by:
"This is an incubation room. You don't need to know its specific function. Commissioner below level P6 has no permission to set foot in it."
"This is the training ground. You guys have been rolling in the mud here every day lately, so I don't think I need to say anything more."
"This is;..."
"We control, we block, we protect..."
Finally, he spoke words that made all the "rookies" breathe harder. "This is the reality hidden behind the world!" If Bai Zhou were here, you might find this scene quite familiar, and there is a high probability that it will remind you of an old friend.
"As for here..."
The middle-aged man led the team to stop outside a grand hall. Commissioners wearing windbreakers or suits and having high-level badges were rushing to and fro at the door carrying documents and metal boxes.
Standing outside the door and looking from a distance, you can see a huge electronic screen standing in the center of the hall, with a dense task list and suffixed status indicators scrolling on the screen.
[Received], [Executing], [Not received], [To be archived...
"This is the office hall. Senior Commissioner can receive tasks here. The contribution points obtained by completing the tasks can be exchanged for promotion resources, which is very important."
"And, I must remind you that when the special training period is over, you must always wear your uniform and badge." He looked around at everyone seriously and lectured, "This is your life! It is also your only identity in this base!"
"Otherwise, if you are found to have a dress code problem by the discipline team, you will be severely punished! You may even be directly arrested and killed as a suspicious person in some restricted areas!"
These words were extremely serious and made all the students panic.
"Report!" At this time, someone shouted loudly.
The middle-aged man frowned and looked over, wanting to see which thorn it was. "Tell me!"
"That person" Crew Cut student with a stern look in his eyes raised his hand and pointed in a certain direction, "That person, why can he walk around the headquarters base without wearing a uniform?"
"How is it possible..."
The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment and looked in the direction of student Crew Cut's finger.
At the corner of the corridor, there was a figure walking by leisurely.
Not only was he not wearing a uniform, the man looked young, around seventeen or eighteen years old. He was wearing white baggy pajamas, holding his pajama pants pockets with both hands, and just came towards me with his slippers on.
His walking posture was sloppy, and he looked out of place among the patrols who even walked in goose steps. He had messy hair and thick dark circles under his eyes, and he stooped and staggered.
His distracted eyes fell in vain in the air in front of him. The distracted boy seemed to have not yet woken up, completely immersed in his own world..." The team of students standing in military postures and the middle-aged man silently watched his figure, and their eyes followed his figure. However, this man never glanced at the team beside him.
Simply arrogant.
He passed by the group of students.
Like a ghost wandering around the base.
But he is actually more like a street kid.
Just at this moment, a team with "Feng Ji" armbands hanging on their shoulders walked by and saw the man.
"This man is going to be in trouble."
Thinking of the terrible rumors about discipline inspections in the base, the students shuddered and murmured in their hearts.
But.
"Salute!"
Accompanied by a serious shout, the discipline pickets wearing helmets and fully armed stood on the spot. With a loud shout, they all raised their hands and saluted at the "street kid" in pajamas.
On the always arrogant and meticulous faces of these discipline guards, the students saw expressions of respect that they had never seen before.
"She?"
Bai Zhou came to his senses in a daze, turned his head and looked over, hurriedly took his hands out of his pajama pants pockets, smiled sarcastically and returned the greeting to the discipline inspectors, "Thank you for your hard work, everyone!"
"Buzz..." [Celestial Pivot] in Fate Space is always running. Bai Zhou has countless thoughts Spiritual Light flashing in the depths of his mind every second. Basic Nine Slashes has a vague clue about the deduction of the sixth cut, and now is the critical moment.
When the ethics picket left, Bai Zhou dragged on his slippers and continued to move forward, ignoring the eyes of others, and walked towards Cafeteria.
The team of students silently looked at Bai Zhou's retreating figure, racking their brains to figure out why the gap between people could be so big even though that person looked younger than them.
Is this Black Box Special Management Department? In name, it emphasizes discipline and system, but in fact, privileges are rampant and unscrupulous, which is really disappointing... "You..." The middle-aged man held it in for a long time before finally holding back an angry shout, "You are different!"
"Compared with him? You know who he is, you can compete with him!"
Spit flew everywhere, and the middle-aged man pointed at the students' noses and cursed:
"Don't even take a pee and take a picture of yourself!"
"His name is Bai Zhou! Do you understand the meaning of these two words in Tinghai! Even I am nothing in front of him!"
"If you can be like him, don't worry about wearing this tight uniform!" He tugged on the tie on his collar. "The whole Special Management Department has to be provided for you. You can come and go when you want. You don't have to clock in or attend work. You can go wherever you want and have whatever you want!"
"Learn from him, you rookies, and you can achieve even one-tenth of his achievements in the future." The man yelled at the ignorant students, "I will be proud of you forever!"
The conversation reached this point, but the man did not go any further on this topic.
Time is tight and the task is heavy. The "rookies" have finished their visit to the Special Management Department, and they will continue to start rigorous training... I heard that a new person will come to report this afternoon and join the trainee team for training.
Just a seed has been planted.
The mysterious back of the young man lazily leaving, and the respectful and solemn expressions of the arrogant moral discipline guards, all left an indelible impression on these young students.
They didn't know who he was or what the name "Bai Zhou" meant.
But they remembered today and the image of this moment.
As they advance within the Special Management Department in the future, they will slowly learn about what that man has done.
But the stronger they become, the more they know, that figure does not become clearer, but gets farther and higher, and the more they look up to that unforgettable figure, and regard it as the goal they pursue throughout their lives.
Although... the mountain itself probably had no impression on them at all.
Just like the wind blowing over the stream, it inadvertently stirs up waves on the stream, unintentionally shakes the branches of the forest, and inadvertently lets a certain leaf fall into the water, drifting into the distance with the rushing stream.
The wind has gone away.
But the leaves are still shaking.
The river is still flowing.
Those places blown by the wind will never be the same as elsewhere.
People call this "influence".
"Basic Nine Slashes The sixth cut seems different from the previous ones..." When Cafeteria was approaching, Bai Zhou finally discovered the secret to deduction. The basic first five cuts that Bai Zhou had practiced before, every move and style were complete. How to draw the diagram, Bai Zhou can practice it as long as he follows the steps.
However, starting from the sixth cut, those patterns no longer talk about "how to cut", but "why to cut like this", explaining to Bai Zhou the rationale behind the technique.
When Bai Zhou can integrate these principles, he has roughly completed the transition from "intention" to "spirit", and from the intention in the knife to the spirit in the knife.
But there is a problem -
The Basic Sixth Cut has an essential principle but no specific form, which leads to the fact that Bai Zhou also needs a specific framework to integrate the Basic Sixth Cut into it and turn it into its own basic Sixth Cut.
"Perhaps, this is the key to why <Basic Nine Slashes> is called <Basic Nine Slashes>." Bai Zhou suddenly understood.
"Not only because <Basic Nine Slashes> can also be <Basic Nine Fists> or <Basic Nine Swords>, but also because later on, <Basic Nine Slashes> can also integrate secret skills and turn them into exclusive secret skills with the characteristics of <Basic Nine Slashes>!"
Each practitioner will use <Basic Nine Slashes> very differently when they come to the back, and their power and characteristics will naturally vary.
Perhaps, this book is an extraordinary and profound outline!
Bai Zhou Now it is like having the best special gasoline, which burns very powerfully, but it also needs an engine to burn gasoline. As long as gasoline is injected into the engine, the fusion of the two can produce a qualitative change, achieving the effect of one plus one being far greater than two.
In one sentence, Bai Zhou needs a set of secret techniques of [Adventurer] approach.
It doesn't have to be a level 6 secret skill that contains the secret of "god", as long as it is a secret skill of this path and has strong enough characteristics.
Because "Basic Nine Slashes" already has the most critical thing.
If Bai Zhou still has a set of Adventurer Path's secret skills similar to [Moon Ember Sacred Oath Slash], he can use them directly and turn them into [Basic Moon Ember Sacred Oath Slash].
The name is basic, but the actual power is very basic.
"Find a set of secret techniques for [Adventurer]'s path..." Bai Zhou pondered.
"Without limiting the specific level, although it is a bit difficult, you can try your best."
It seems impossible to expect to find the secret technique of [Adventurer] in Present World.
But Bai Zhou can start from the Xiluo Empire - to be precise, Bai Zhou plans to randomly select a lucky spectator at the Xiluo Empire to sacrifice in exchange for Troy's secret skill reward.
"I hope that lucky audience will like Troy's broad embrace of history." Bai Zhou thought in his heart.
While thinking, Bai Zhou had already walked up the stairs to the clean and tidy Cafeteria.
The fan above the head whirred, the air conditioner was turned on fully, the spacious Cafeteria was divided into Fifth Floor, and all kinds of breakfast were available. Bai Zhou walked straight to the window of Hu-La Soup almost without thinking.
At first Bai Zhou couldn't get used to drinking this, but after Brother Liu left, Bai Zhou would occasionally miss the taste of Hu-La Soup.
Especially now, being in a similar Special Management Department base, seeing a group of researchers doing exercises, young students in training, and patrolling soldiers with guns, Bai Zhou's heart became a little complicated inexplicably.
However, when Bai Zhou carried Hu-La Soup to his seat, he finally discovered what he had always vaguely felt was strange. In such a large base and with so many members, there is no need to fight for seats to have breakfast?
Bai Zhou rubbed his eyes surrounded by dark circles twice, looked around and found that there were very few operators having breakfast at Cafeteria.
Is it because Special Management Department people don't have the habit of eating breakfast, or do they have other special interests?
"Suck yo yo..." Bai Zhou was sliding the bowl and drinking Hu-La Soup, thinking about this problem casually.
"Found you, Bai Zhou!"
At this time, a familiar voice of Bai Zhou came into my ears.
It's Gem Witch.
The figure wearing the mask was so flashy that it particularly attracted attention in Cafeteria where there were only a few people there.
"You came here so early?" Bai Zhou and Gem Witch said hello, "Would you like to have something to eat together?"
It's free anyway.
Special Management Department and Cafeteria, you don't have to spend any money yourself.
"Why are you still eating here?" Gem Witch came over and rolled his eyes, "Special Management Department The elites and high-level officials from the headquarters have gone to the Central Square, why don't you come over and take a look?"
"What are you gathering in the square for? Arresting Luo Family people to hold a fire-burning ceremony?" Bai Zhou said vaguely as he took a bite of the fried dough sticks that were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
If it's the latter... Bai Zhou is really interested.
"Some big shot is here!" Gem Witch became serious, but what he said made Bai Zhou very interested.
"Recently, an exchange delegation from Western Federation Fog City came to Tinghai. They have already been to the Ordinance Hall and Bureau of Anomalous Investigation. They just came to the Special Management Department this morning."
"Fog City! Western Federation is one of the top five super-large metropolitan areas! Looking at the entire Blue Star, it is ranked in the top ten!"
"Oh..." Bai Zhou buried his head in chewing the fried dough sticks.
These fried dough sticks should be eaten with Hu-La Soup right after they come out of the pan. They are so delicious.
If you don't eat it, the fried dough sticks will become soft.
"And not only that."
Gem Witch describes:
"They organized friendly exchanges among the younger generation."
"The leader is a young adult from Fog City. His Highness claims to be the orthodox Successor of the ancient Rome that was extremely glorious thousands of years ago!" Gem Witch looked very interested. For some reason, she seemed to have a different interest in this:
"Are you really not going to watch around? This is a real big shot. Even Ordinance Envoy needs to be careful about his company."
..."Bai Zhou's hand holding the fried dough sticks stopped at the edge of Hu-La Soup's bowl.
Who?
Ancient Rome?
The orthodox Successor of the ancient Rome?
Bai Zhou's eyes blinked twice.
Then, he heard Gem Witch say again:
"It is said that the prize for this exchange and discussion was also provided by His Highness."
"It is the complete secret of the [Adventurer] path that he personally excavated from the ruins of the Rome ancient civilization in the past two years."
"One [Thousand-Blade Vortex Slash]!"