Although there were no spectators anywhere around him, Bai Zhou still instinctively kept his expression tense.
He forced himself to endure the shivering, yet it felt as though he could hear the echoes of a tsunami beside his ears.
These "blood pearls" definitely had functions Bai Zhou had yet to discover.
—Why had the "blood pearls" flowing from the Crown borne the Adventurer's mark?
The so-called Golden King was probably a high-sequence existence from the Adventurer pathway!
Even those twelve Golden Giants he had vaguely glimpsed just now, standing above the stars and impossible to fathom...
Could they also have been ancestors of the Adventurer pathway?
—Could that still be called an "Adventurer"?
Even the ultimate form of an Adventurer that Bai Zhou could imagine, the Dragon-Slaying Brave One, was nowhere near that frightening.
"..."
Bai Zhou's gaze flickered.
He studied the Silent Crown, motionless in the distilled water and without a trace of blood, everything just as it had always been.
If the secret to becoming the "Golden King" was hidden inside...
Then it very likely contained the subsequent pathway of the "Adventurer" as well!
"Thump, thump—"
This guess sent Bai Zhou's heart racing wildly.
The Moon Ember Sacred Oath Slash was only enough for Bai Zhou to complete the cultivation of "body" and "heart." He still had no leads for the subsequent pathway.
When he looked back, he realized that the treasure mountain had been right before his eyes all along.
"Tsk!"
His clear eyes blinked twice in the dim Black Room. Bai Zhou restrained himself and merely clicked his tongue.
But in the end, he still couldn't hold back and happily hummed twice.
—Cold living people all lied.
But warm dead people didn't, and neither did comforting Last Wills.
The Special Management Department had even claimed this was an F-Class Black Box, utterly inconspicuous.
—But this was probably the greatest treasure hidden within the Special Management Department, unknown to anyone!
"Splash, splash..."
He drained the water and replaced it.
Then he resealed the water tank.
After half a day of work, Bai Zhou restored everything to normal.
He raised a hand to the top of the water tank and lightly tapped it twice. "Tap, tap."
At last, he gave the Last Will of the "Golden King" above the Crown a few lingering looks.
Although he had no clue how to deal with those harsh "trials" for now, he might have to rely on it for the rest of his life.
He couldn't leave this thing for the Special Management Department... No, wait, what Special Management Department?
This was Bai Zhou's Crown.
Heaven and earth as witness, the Special Management Department had the Johor Laurel Crown. It had nothing to do with him—not even half a Golden Bean.
Bai Zhou scratched his head and suddenly felt that the top of his head was empty. It would be best to put something there.
That unruly cowlick that always stuck up needed something to hold it down, too.
White King... That name seemed pretty decent?
"Snap"—
He sealed the Black Box.
Bai Zhou cautiously put away those Golden Beans whose functions were unclear,
then walked out of this "F-13777" Black Room with an unchanged expression.
Imitating Section Chief Liu's manner from back then, he began walking with steady, measured official strides.
The keys jingled at his waist.
Taking the Crown now would be too easy to expose him. He wasn't that desperate.
But before leaving tomorrow night, he would definitely take the Crown away and savor it slowly.
...What did "the one who inherits the Throne" mean as the foremost trial?
Bai Zhou pondered. It probably symbolized some kind of "qualification."
To solve this problem, perhaps he would have to use the Jurassic Pass and visit the Battlefield Ruins again.
Since even the pass had been given to him by the Crown, if he wanted to solve the problem posed by the Crown...
Naturally, he could only explore that place.
—Bai Zhou began fantasizing again:
Perhaps one day, he would find a pair of scepters and seals in the ruins of that Inverted Giant City.
At that point, he would receive the Mandate of Heaven, return, and make the Crown bow before him in awe. He wouldn't even have to worry about the Twelve Trials—he could directly be appointed the new Golden King!
If that didn't work, perhaps he could look for a tattered imperial robe. Wearing one after picking it up should let him give it a try.
To avoid arousing suspicion, Bai Zhou continued working even though there was no one else around, and didn't leave the Black Room Sector.
His footsteps echoed as Supervisor Bai Zhou patrolled everywhere, inspecting the Black Boxes.
He also took the opportunity to see whether there was anything convenient to pack up and take with him tomorrow.
[I eat, eat, eat, eat, eat... I'm so hungry, so hungry!]
[If I write hypocritical people into my phone's memo, I can kill them... I will become the god of the new world!]
...Familiar and unfamiliar Last Wills appeared one after another.
"What a pity..."
The more Bai Zhou looked, the more regret he felt, and the more it pained him.
If only he had an infinitely large storage bag like the Protagonist in adventure stories.
Then the entire Black Box Maintenance Department would thank him for his silent efforts.
After all, the Black Boxes that gave them headaches would no longer exist.
When it came to benefiting both others and himself, Bai Zhou's qualities could be said to be exceptionally high.
Noon.
After finishing his work in the Black Room, Bai Zhou went to the Ordnance Logistics Department to collect his upgraded service weapon.
They had originally planned to issue him a new gun.
But he refused.
He had proactively applied to inherit Section Chief Liu's service weapon.
—The specially modified enchanted pistol, Judge-300.
The cold firearm felt inexplicably warm in Bai Zhou's hands.
The enchanted patterns reflected light along the gun's body, while the scents of metal and gunpowder eagerly rushed into his nose, stirring a trace of restlessness in his heart.
"Don't rush..."
Bai Zhou gently stroked the gun and murmured inwardly.
"Snap." He pulled back the gun's slide.
The brass bullet ejected from the chamber was a bright yellow and leaped into the air.
Bai Zhou caught it in one hand.
He opened his palm. The brass bullet, engraved with dark-blue patterns, lay quietly in his palm.
Its cold, hard texture traveled from his palm into Bai Zhou's mind.
"Soon."
Above him was a cold-white strip of light.
The frigid mechanical walls sealed the sky and earth.
Leaning against the corner, Bai Zhou lowered his head and looked at the Judge-300 and the bullet in his hand as he spoke.
After lunch, Bai Zhou was quite busy.
Busy wandering around the base.
He looked as though he had completely shaken off the impact of Section Chief Liu's death, carrying a thermos and strolling everywhere, wandering here and there.
However, he didn't dare drink a single drop of what was inside the thermos...
There were still plenty of Chemical Materials left in the Dormitory from what Ya had "picked up" from the research institute before.
During special training, Bai Zhou had been forced to memorize many Chemical Formulas.
That was because certain interesting Small Rituals required Chemical Materials to use.
—This meant that the Ritualist arranging the Ritual had to understand the basic composition and principles of Chemical Materials.
Although this was Bai Zhou's lowest-scoring subject, he had still managed to pass Ya's assessment.
Now,
Bai Zhou stood in various forgotten corners of the base, recalling how these Rituals were supposed to be drawn.
No one paid any attention to what he was doing.
In the afternoon, Bai Zhou had a good meal in the Cafeteria and took a great deal of food back with him.
Chili oil, Mustard Water, flour, onions, garlic... and similar things.
They were all foods Bai Zhou "loved."
—Once he left, there would be no free Cafeteria anymore. He had to stock up on what he needed in advance.
Carrying large and small bags, Bai Zhou huffed and puffed his way back to the Dormitory.
"Ya?"
The moment he entered, he saw that Ya had returned at some point.
For some reason, the familiar aroma of Coffee made Bai Zhou's restless, suspended heart feel much more grounded.
...But this time, Ya was no longer leaning against the black ribbons while reading.
She was cleaning a blade.
Leaning against the windowsill, she ran her slender hand over the unsheathed blade.
Mysterious patterns with white characters on a red background were engraved down the center of the long blade. As her fingertip passed over them, they lit up one after another.
The snow-white edges on either side reflected Ya's cold eyes.
Then she raised her head and looked at Bai Zhou.
"I've finished investigating what you asked me to look into."
"...You were right."
"This place has been completely corrupted!"
After a moment of silence, she continued,
"But you might not know this yet—"
"You're their next target."
Them.
Ya had used "them" to describe the people involved, making Bai Zhou's heart tighten.
The heart that had been suspended in uncertainty finally died.
"We can't stay here anymore, but they definitely won't let you go."
The sound of metal scraping rang out as the long blade slowly slid back into its sheath.
Ya stood up.
The light elongated her shadow.
"Bai Zhou, we can't just sit here and wait for death."
"We have to do something!"
Her blade-sharp gaze carried a cold killing intent.
But those cold eyes quickly thawed, as though she had thought of something.
"However, unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about this..."
"After that, if nothing unexpected happens."
Her petite figure stood straighter than the blade. Light poured down from above, and in that instant, all the light seemed to gather on Ya.
Like a Silver Blade Light slicing across his eyes.
Her calm voice carried helplessness—
She slowly raised an arm toward Bai Zhou and extended her hand.
The gesture was like an invitation for Bai Zhou to dance with her at a ball—
"You may have to join me, a lone wandering ghost..."
"On the run, wandering the ends of the earth."
Before you continue