Troy, Troy, Wake Up...

"..."

Bai Zhou shivered for no reason, as if a gust of cold wind had brushed past him.

Looking around, dozens of mutilated Undead were piled up like a mountain. Their pitch-black, hollow Eye Sockets glared furiously at the sky, their expressions twisted and terrifying.

Above their heads were identical words:

[Let Me Rest!]

Their resentment was almost tangible. It looked as though black smoke was about to hiss out of the crowns of those skulls...

Bai Zhou backed away from them and cautiously poked his head out to observe from a distance.

"...Is something wrong here?"

Soon, an even more horrifying question emerged in Bai Zhou's mind.

His gaze swept across the Wilderness. Broken swords, shattered War Blades, snapped bows, and fragments of arrows were embedded throughout the ground like rows of gravestones.

—But where were the corresponding Corpses?

At least within Bai Zhou's field of vision, he could only see the several dozen ancient corpses in the Corpse Pit.

The numbers did not add up at all!

Surely it could not have been just several dozen people dueling in the Wilderness, casually raining down countless divine weapons and bombarding each other with treasure vaults like they were setting off firecrackers for New Year?

And in the end, they had fought until an entire civilization was wiped out?

Bai Zhou felt uneasy.

But horrifying or not, he could only steel himself and continue exploring.

Since he was here, he might as well make the best of it.

Just as when he had been abducted from Evening City to Blue Star, Bai Zhou's adaptability had only grown stronger.

Bai Zhou remembered Ya mentioning that exploring the Reflection Ruins Realm required precise coordinates, and this Golden Pass was likely bound to the Teleport Anchor here.

Yet everything in sight was ruined. There was no sign of human presence, and the desolate battlefield was covered in dust-laden ash.

—Who knew which Corners and Crannies of the Reflection Ruins Realm these ruins were in.

The Reflection Ruins Realm was probably boundless. The Special Management Department had spent so many years merely searching for Evening City's coordinates...

Bai Zhou even had reason to suspect that no one else had ever set foot here.

But if that was really the case—

Bai Zhou's expression tightened, and his heart gave a violent leap.

If that was really the case, then he possessed the exact coordinates of a Great Tomb of civilization that no one knew about!

What would the Special Management Department's reaction be if they found out?

Even setting aside the Giant City in the sky, just this wasteland alone—if he dug up anything and brought it back to the Special Management Department, it might be a Black Box!

—An ownerless Black Box, an ownerless mysterious item. What did that mean?

An opportunity beyond imagination!

Now, Bai Zhou felt that he needed to reevaluate everything related to the "Last Will."

Alpaca Lollipop, the Golden Pass... What was its limit?

"Crack."

His footsteps shifted carefully over the rubble as Bai Zhou nervously looked all around.

The battlefield was littered with ownerless armor and broken blades. No matter how badly damaged they were, he could more or less tell that they all shared the same style.

There was only one style of equipment on an entire battlefield...

So, was it an internal rebellion?

By glimpsing fragments of the battlefield ruins, he could learn more about that ancient civilization and make his future actions easier.

A scroll stained with blood and fire slowly unfurled before Bai Zhou.

Ancient scenes of clashing weapons, charging warhorses, and earth-shaking slaughter seemed to appear before his eyes.

A lost ancient civilization had once built a glorious floating Giant City, only for the city to be overturned during a rebellion and for everything to be destroyed overnight.

In the end, time passed, and all history and secrets were buried.

Everything that had died appeared on the reverse side of Blue Star, the place that recorded all endings and buried all ruins.

It appeared in this Reflection Ruins Realm.

...Was that how it had happened?

But Bai Zhou had no desire to spend the rest of his life in this world of "death," even if it seemed to count as his "hometown."

Under the crimson moonlight, he examined the Golden Pass in his hand, his fingertips brushing its uneven patterns.

A pass... Since it could bring him here, there was no reason it could not take him back.

Perhaps it was merely missing a condition, an activating substance like "spirituality"...

But what could it be?

Bai Zhou felt that the answer was often written into the question itself.

—It should be somewhere on this battlefield.

If he wanted to explore this vast battlefield, the first place to investigate should have been the ancient corpses in the nearby Corpse Pit.

But those Last Wills were too vicious and Ill Omen-like, enough to make his scalp crawl and instinctively keep his distance.

So Bai Zhou decided to begin exploring elsewhere.

He did not dare go too far and merely wandered around nearby.

Twisted ropes, rotten ancient trees, dried-up ancient wells, crumbling Broken Walls,

Broken blades, shattered edges, ruined shields, rusty spears, and all sorts of fragments of unknown origin.

As well as a miscellaneous assortment of jars and bottles...

The crimson moonlight silently illuminated the shattered wasteland. A furtive figure carefully wandered through one corner of this lost ancient battlefield.

He tiptoed about, bent over, and scanned his surroundings. Nervous yet determined to scrape up every last inch, his bright pitch-black eyes searched in every direction and refused to overlook a single spot.

Broken bows, rusty swords, damaged spears, and shattered blades looked exquisite, but after countless years, they seemed to possess no other wonders aside from being hard enough.

"What is this?"

"Crack—"

Bai Zhou picked up a severed black spear and discovered a trigger at its base.

However, nothing happened after he pulled it.

At the broken end of the spear were several tightly Entwined animal tendons, coiled like springs, but all of them had snapped.

Bai Zhou guessed that under normal circumstances, the upper half of the spear might have been launched by this mechanism.

He also found several mechanical War Blades fitted with pulley systems whose use he could not understand, but they were all rusted beyond use.

He even came across two round shields capable of firing concealed arrows, but they were empty as well.

Once the mechanism was pressed, the densely packed arrow holes in the round shields would open, instantly turning them into hornets' nests...

Bai Zhou's heart tightened.

—What a sinister civilization!

Despicable! Underhanded!

Was this how they fought their wars?

The flashy, treacherous mechanisms sent a chill down Bai Zhou's spine, making him even more careful as he explored.

Because it meant that among this shattered battlefield, there might be Traps and mechanisms that had not yet fully decayed, waiting for him!

He had no idea what this civilization had been thinking. Their technological level was clearly extraordinary, yet they had invested all their technology into sinister things...

After a while, Bai Zhou found several weapons that clearly looked extraordinary. They glimmered faintly within heaps of pitch-black ash, though he had no idea what material they were made of.

—Extraordinary Weapons?

Bai Zhou's eyes lit up.

But when he dug them out, rust rapidly crept across their surfaces. Their glow faded away, and all traces of wonder vanished. They were merely heavy in his hands.

...They counted as antiques.

Time truly was the most terrifying thing. As time passed, history would be buried, civilizations would be entombed, and knowledge would become drifting ash.

Even Extraordinary Weapons and exquisitely crafted mechanical weapons would become rust-covered scrap metal.

Naturally, Bai Zhou was unwilling to accept that.

He carefully inspected even the jars and bottles.

After a round of rummaging, Bai Zhou found only some half-congealed pitch-black sludge inside. It looked disgusting, and he had no idea what it was for.

But after thinking it over, Bai Zhou still collected it.

What if it proved useful after he brought it into the modern world?

"Creak, creak..."

Stepping over broken pottery shards, Bai Zhou suddenly understood something Ya had once said—

A powerful extraordinary individual was first and foremost an outstanding archaeologist and a skilled tomb raider.

Indeed.

Was he not doing archaeology right now—or rather, robbing tombs?

But was he not a little too pathetic for a tomb raider? He could not call it treasure hunting; he had only gotten a hand full of dust.

With a sigh, the diligent Bai Zhou held a half-broken spear in one hand and half of a battered shield that was still somewhat usable in the other, continuing to painstakingly scrape the ground.

Unlike the sinister hornets'-nest mechanism shields, this half of a black giant shield was made of an unknown material. It was plain and unadorned, with only one feature—

It was big! And hard!

Rather than a shield, it resembled a door panel. Even half of it could hide Bai Zhou's entire body behind it, providing him with a rather satisfying sense of security.

Beneath the inverted Giant City,

The Red Moon illuminated Bai Zhou's bent figure as he carefully picked through the ruins with tireless diligence.

Sure enough, just as Bai Zhou had expected.

There really were many untriggered Traps here.

Animal traps were commonplace. Inconspicuous bushes fired poisonous arrows in succession, while roadside weeds sprayed corrosive liquid.

Even things by the roadside that looked like bird nests would suddenly spray sleeping gas when someone passed by.

After finally spotting a roadside statue and thinking it might have some value, Bai Zhou approached slightly, only for the statue's ghostly head to open its huge mouth and breathe fire at him.

Fortunately, Bai Zhou had been cautious enough to remain hidden behind the giant shield the entire time.

—What exactly did this civilization do? Why did everything about it reek of crooked schemes!

Bai Zhou gritted his teeth and looked at the giant shield, now covered in arrows and blotched black and green, muttering Cursingly.

Fortunately, moonlight did not disappoint those who traveled under it. Bai Zhou, ever persistent in his search, had not come away empty-handed.

In a sense, he could even be said to have returned with a full load—

A glowing broken blade, a rusty sword that inexplicably dripped blood on its own, and a damaged bow that gave mournful cries whenever the wind passed through it;

As well as scattered arrowheads that remained sharp despite the passing of time.

A half-broken spear with a launching mechanism, a broken blade capable of firing concealed arrows, a Bronze Hand Crossbow made from rotten ropes and rusty gears, and a narrow cylindrical tube fitted with a spring whose purpose was unknown...

Bai Zhou carried them back one trip at a time and piled them together.

He did not even spare the jars and bottles filled with unknown black sludge, bringing them all back.

Standing before the pile of weapons and looking at the fruits of his labor over the past half day, Bai Zhou felt uneasy.

This was it?

Was he not supposed to be tomb raiding and conducting archaeology in the Reflection Ruins Realm?

Why did it feel more like scavenging for junk?

Would any of this really be useful if he brought it into the modern world...

Complaints aside, Bai Zhou still sorted and organized everything, treating this place as his temporary Stronghold among the ruins.

They might all be decayed antiques, but perhaps they could still be used after some repairs.

What if one of these seemingly useless "pieces of junk" was actually a hidden treasure that he had yet to identify?

Bai Zhou knew how to be content.

At worst, they were valuable antiques. He just did not know how many bags of Coffee Beans or packets of Four-Flavor Instant Noodles they could be traded for.

...And so, after several trips back and forth,

Other than the Corpse Pit, Bai Zhou soon completed a preliminary exploration of the nearby area.

Further ahead lay that winding path leading straight to the cliff.

There were even more ruins near the path, and visibly more to gain, but the road was harder to travel. Enormous fallen trees lay everywhere, along with piles of black ash and shattered Building Complexes.

Above the cliff, several flames occasionally fell from the inverted Giant City pressing down upon the sky, rolling silently into the bottomless abyss.

—Standing before the path, Bai Zhou looked up at the inverted Sky City and the enormous collapsed gear, unable to stop himself from recalling a Fairy Tale he had heard in Evening City...

It was said that a cowherd discovered a magnificent castle while tending cattle. Inside the castle was a Princess-like Sleeping Beauty who loved to snore.

The cowherd fell in love with Sleeping Beauty at first sight, kissed her awake, and was then reported to the Black Robe Enforcement Team for breaking and entering and molestation.

—Thus, the cowherd was dragged to Civic Square and burned to ash.

"..."

Looking up at the sky, Bai Zhou let his thoughts wander freely.

Perhaps there might also be a Sleeping Beauty slumbering within the ruins of this inverted Giant City?

But his instincts told him that now was not the time to explore the path. He had a feeling there would be many new Traps.

After suffering enough lessons, Bai Zhou's way of thinking had gradually begun to align with this sinister civilization.

If a rolling boulder came barreling down a path like this, there would not even be room to run...

He should first thoroughly search the nearby area!

So, he decided to stop at the path for now and retrace his steps.

On the way back with the broken spear over his shoulder, Bai Zhou remained intensely focused on scraping the ground.

—No, this was called the craftsman's spirit of paying attention to detail!

He had learned it in the Black Robe Training Group.

"Clang! Clang!"

Passing a low Broken Wall, Bai Zhou swung the half-broken spear he had just picked up and smashed the clay jar hidden in the corner with a series of sharp cracks.

Shattered pottery littered the ground. Beneath the broken base of the earthen jar, something curled up inside was revealed.

"What is that?"

Bai Zhou's hairs stood on end. Hugging the Broken Spear tightly, he backed away two steps and hid behind his shield, cautiously peering over its edge.

—It turned out to be a half-rotted Wooden Horse covered in colorful paint.

It had distinct elbow joints and a proud, oversized head. Its cheeks had been carefully painted with adorable pink blush, like two ripe apples.

A conspicuous wind-up mechanism sat on its back. Its belly was round and large, like a gigantic pistachio shell covered in colorful paint, and a dashing little red velvet cape hung behind it.

Its round eyes had been dotted with the brightest black paint, full of kindness and curiosity, as though they were saying—

"I'm so happy to meet you!"

Perhaps, long, long ago,

this Wooden Horse had been a gift lovingly prepared by a pair of parents for their child.

It would have had a cute name, perhaps "Baoli" or "Kaka," and accompanied a child as they grew up.

But before it could be taken from its sealed clay jar, war suddenly broke out.

Only countless years later, when Bai Zhou came here, did it see the light of day again.

But all of that was merely Bai Zhou's speculation.

...In the long river of history, some had left behind brilliant, vivid strokes that still shone brightly.

Yet far more ordinary people vanished without a sound.

Only countless years later, when later generations set foot here, would they witness traces proving that those people had once existed in this world.

Though these later visitors were merely standing before history's doorway, peering through the crack to glimpse one lively corner of the people passing beyond it, futilely trying to retrace history's brilliant colors.

—But perhaps that was precisely the charm of excavating and exploring ancient ruins.

However, under the erosion of time, the Wooden Horse no longer possessed its former grandeur.

Its wood had long since rotted and faded, covered in cracks; its wind-up mechanism was mottled with rust, and its red velvet cape had become filthy, tattered strips of cloth.

Beneath the Scarlet Moon's light, compared to the crumbling ruins around it, its cuteness and childish innocence seemed especially jarring and out of place.

There was even a wisp of black mist faintly coiling around it.

...Black mist?

Bai Zhou froze.

Where had that black mist come from?

Like thin threads, the black mist vaguely curled around the Wooden Horse's face.

Whether it was an illusion or not, Bai Zhou suddenly felt that the Wooden Horse's facial features had somehow become vividly lifelike...

As if it were alive.

"...No offense intended."

The Wooden Horse's fixed stare made Bai Zhou's skin crawl, and he turned to leave.

But at that moment, there was a click of machinery, and the spring in its tail began turning on its own.

The Wooden Horse's belly opened, revealing a music-box-like gear mechanism that slowly began to rotate.

"Ba-da, ba-da, ba-da..."

The Wooden Horse moved.

It swayed back and forth, raised its head, and fixed its glossy black eyes directly on Bai Zhou.

Its mouth slowly stretched open, revealing a strange smile.

Black mist slowly seeped from the hollow spaces of its eyes and mouth.

Innocent, childish nursery-rhyme notes were sung by the Wooden Horse as it swayed its body, its spring slowly turning.

Bai Zhou could not understand that language, but the faint stir of spirituality within him somehow let him understand the nursery rhyme's meaning.

The distorted voice was somewhat grating, but the lyrics were full of childlike charm—

"Troy, Troy, wake up!"

"Troy, Troy, wake up!"

"..."