Above and Below

"Kill!"

Snap—

A furious roar filled with murderous intent rang out.

A burly man with a strong build, wielding a single-edged sword, charged forward after shouting the order.

There were no loose stones or short pieces of wood blocking the road.

But without warning, he fell to the ground, and his body turned grayish-white in the blink of an eye.

All Life Force vanishes from its body.

The robber from a moment ago is now a cold, lifeless corpse.

The merchant, who had just been in danger of being robbed, sat shakily on the ground, his eyes darting to the side.

This is at the foot of Consonis Mountain.

The man who killed the awakened bandit with a single glance.

She is a young girl.

The other party possessed stunning beauty. Although her black and white hair was eye-catching, what left a stronger impression were her fiery red eyes, from which the grayish-white Essence was now dissipating.

The businessman dared not appreciate her beauty at all.

Although he was just a traveling merchant.

But with his keen eyesight from walking around, he also understood how exaggerated the power was to kill an Awakened with just a glance!

Hong strode up to the merchant, grabbed him, and pulled him up. "Hey, tell me, where is this?"

The merchant replied tremblingly:

"This is the world where Nal Kebandek is located, the homeland of warriors Entire Universe."

"Nal Kebandek?" Red eyebrows rose. She had heard this name from Linsey before, but she hadn't expected to be randomly transported to a place like this. "Do you know where Black Mountain World is?"

"Huh? The Black Mountain World?" The merchant looked completely bewildered.

"Tsk—"

Hong smacked her lips and continued asking:

"Then tell me where Nal Kebandek is and how to get there."

The merchant pointed to Consonis Mountain in the distance.

"After crossing this mountain, it's another ten miles or so, and then we'll see the city."

Hong tossed her hair in dissatisfaction.

She didn't put the businessman down, but grabbed him with one hand and walked forward.

The merchant, held captive by the girl, stood there stunned for a long time before finally wailing, "Miss, I'm just a small-time merchant! I have a shipment that needs to be delivered to the border before April, please let me go... Ah!"

The merchant hadn't finished pleading for mercy.

Hong then leaped high into the air, landing on the cliff face near the two of them, and began to climb upwards with superhuman agility.

Red's action policy has always been direct and efficient.

So instead of traversing the winding mountain paths, she went straight ahead, crossing the mountains in the most direct way! Only then did she ask the merchant in her hand, "Oh, shall I let go now?"

The merchant glanced at the Abyss below and swallowed hard.

"Uh... please wait a moment."

"..."

As Red travels to the soldiers' hometown, Linsey's condition takes a sharp turn for the worse.

Of course, this is 'down' in a physical sense.

He sat in a small boat, plunging down the waterfall, the fierce current rushing past him, and in the blink of an eye he entered the dark void at the World Boundary.

This kind of gliding descent is definitely several times faster than the Climbing to Heaven Vine.

It won't even take a few hours.

A moment later, they crossed the dark void and saw the new world below.

—The Courtyard in the Forest.

Sitting in a small boat speeding down the waterfall, Linsey gazed into the distance.

At the base of the waterfall is a lake.

Two rivers extend out, flowing from the east and south respectively, eventually disappearing into the dense, shady forest.

Some of the trees in the forest are lush and verdant, with gnarled trunks and intertwined roots, like ancient guardians.

The plants along the rivers and lakes are exquisite and beautiful, with vibrant colors that attract butterflies and bees to flutter about. Occasionally, a fallen leaf gently drifts down, welcoming every visitor with its graceful dance.

"This is the Courtyard in the Forest..."

Linsey murmured.

Although the mist from the waterfall masked the scent of the forest.

But he could also imagine the scent of soil and Planting Flowers in this world.

Reflecting on her experiences traversing the world, Linsey couldn't help but remark:

"The Hidden Borderlands is affected by the Black Mountain, and the border area is completely covered by heavy snow."

Upon hearing this remark, the Law Knight at the front of the small boat proudly explained, "This place would originally also be affected by the advancement of Dragon Beast."

"However, with Lord Ke Saiwei Lait in charge, it was able to maintain its original appearance."

It's this wizard.

Linsey looked at the old man in the gray robe beside her.

The other person didn't seem to mind, simply nodding slightly at him, remaining silent and taciturn.

Or rather, from the time we met until now.

This Seventh Stage wizard did not demonstrate any power other than helping the small boat glide down the waterfall.

Even when Linsey activated his reconnaissance abilities, he could only sense a faint presence of Essence from the other party, which was completely different from that of the Dragon Beast or the Dark Abyss.

If we meet unexpectedly.

Without knowing his background, Linsey would probably think he was just an ordinary old man.

However, Linsey's biggest worry right now is the Law Knight Han Si Ke beside her.

I was once in Anville Village.

The Law Knight Bargett placed the [Law - Sinner's Mark] on Linsey, and this status is still displayed on Linsey's attribute panel to this day.

This was done to ensure Linsey's safety.

Alvitte even invoked the Human Wisdom Codex to decisively send him away from that world.

Theoretically speaking.

Han Si Ke, who was standing next to him, should have reacted immediately, and it wouldn't be surprising if he even got into a fight with Linsey.

But what was the reality? Han Si Ke was quite friendly to Linsey and didn't seem to sense any legal imprint at all.

In this situation.

An assumption that had never been considered before surfaced in Linsey's mind.

—The color of the mark.

On the Attribute Panel, conditions like colds or injuries are usually marked in red. However, the "Law - Sinner's Mark" is a relatively dimmed state, as if its effect has been suppressed.

Did the Human Wisdom Codex suppress the validity of this mark? While pondering this, the small boat arrived at the bottom of the waterfall.

After leaving the area affected by the waterfall's impact on the lake, the group did not sail into the river, but instead rowed towards the shore. Linsey could see a small wooden dock with several stakes along the edge for tying the boat.

The small boat docked at the shore.

As Linsey stepped off the ship, Han Si Ke suddenly asked Linsey, "Mr. Linsey, you seem to care about me a lot. Is there anything you need me to answer?"

Linsey didn't want to cause trouble for herself, so she immediately came up with a reason. "I've heard that Law Knight exist in the City of Law."

"But I never expected to meet you in such a faraway world."

"..."

Hearing Linsey's confusion, Han Sike's eyes dimmed.

However, he still gave a fairly honest answer:

"Leaving the City of Law at a time like this would make me a coward."

"However, in the current City of Law, several forces are leading their respective armies to fight each other in order to establish their own absolute laws to govern the world."

"Someone like me, who is unwilling to participate in this struggle, can only leave his homeland like a traitor."

Hearing Han Si Ke's self-deprecating humor.

Meanwhile, the young man who was still reinforcing the boat's ropes was displeased and immediately defended the Law Knight:

"Mr. Han Si Ke is not like what he says!"

"These major cities on the World Border are all newly established. Every industry is a blank slate and urgently needs support from all sides. They have traveled here to resolve legal issues."

"And I believe that Mr. Han Si Ke will definitely go back."

"There is no such thing as a war that never ends..."

The young man continued talking.

Linsey suddenly heard a sound coming from afar.

He turned his head and saw a horse-drawn carriage coming from the woods toward him.

The trees on both sides of the forest seemed to consciously make way for the carriage, and the space twisted and stretched like a concave mirror.

On the carriage.

Sitting there was a middle-aged man wearing a purple overcoat and a top hat.

He drove to the lakeside, jumped off the carriage, and immediately fixed his gaze on Linsey.

He seemed to have discovered something of great value in Linsey, and he couldn't bear to look away.

He just stared at Linsey quietly for a few seconds.

The middle-aged man chuckled softly, then turned his gaze to the elderly wizard beside him, interlacing his fingers in a merchant's gesture of respect:

"Lord Ke Saiwei Lait."

"The Chamber of Commerce heard that you had suddenly left the city and headed to the World Border, so they sent me to inquire about the situation."

"Judging from your appearance, you must have been to Black Mountain, right?"