Who Were the Enemies?

There weren't many people in Lighthouse Master Plaza at the moment.

Almost everyone present had some unusual feature, as if displaying an anomaly helped them avoid trouble.

There were barely any newcomers disguised with ordinary masks.

Most had cleared their instances at the beginning of the month, then either died or returned.

If they had nothing to do at the end of the month, they wouldn't dare hang around Lighthouse Plaza.

Those still in the Lighthouse with ordinary disguises were either newcomers who had just been brought in or ambitious people looking to stir up more trouble.

No one would wander around Lighthouse Space carelessly. Who knew who they might run into—or who might be able to see through their disguise or look right through them?

Although Lighthouse Plaza placed some restrictions on such abilities, someone like the Paper Person Tower Master could still pay a few survival points and openly kill Duanmu Ruixiong in the plaza.

Wu Heng checked his survival points:

Lighthouse ID: SL914

Identity: Tower Guardian

Strength: Tier 1, Intermediate

Survival Points: 14,531.

After deducting the initial transfer fee for carrying his Life Box, the appraisal fee, and the cost of refreshing his instance three times, that was all he had left.

Survival points really weren't enough.

It seemed that gaining power in a story world and making it his own was the most cost-effective option.

Wu Heng first wandered around and spotted the man in the gorilla mask who had sold him the manual last time.

He was talking to a young man wearing a black robber's mask, then turned away in disappointment.

Wu Heng hurried over.

"Wait a second, brother. I bought a manual from you a few days ago."

The man in the gorilla mask turned around and replied cheerfully:

"Oh, right, right, right. What can I do for you?"

"I'd like to ask a few questions. I'll pay."

Wu Heng still had plenty of questions about the Lighthouse.

"Thanks for thinking of me when there's money to be made, brother. I'd like to earn it too, but I wouldn't dare. This place has its rules."

"I'll point you somewhere. See that Shrine over there? That's the Heart Inquiry Pavilion's public information office. Go ask there."

The man in the gorilla mask shook his head regretfully and pointed toward a spot in Lighthouse Plaza.

Even this kind of service was monopolized, with rules laid down?

Wu Heng hadn't expected this place to have so many rules. He grew even more cautious. After thanking the man, he headed in the direction he'd indicated.

Before him stood a large Buddhist shrine cabinet made entirely of bronze, speckled with green patina. It was one meter wide and two meters tall, with lattice doors, a projecting roof, and floral carvings.

"Greetings, senior. I heard this place sells information. I have a few questions I'd like to ask." Wu Heng stepped forward and bowed.

With a bang, the shrine's upper cabinet door swung open, revealing a Clay Nuo Mask.

It had a broad face, tusk-like teeth, and ridges on its brow. It was only a clay head, with no body.

The clay face's tightly shut eyes suddenly rolled open. They turned around as if trying to focus, then fixed on Wu Heng.

"Ask!" A deep, resonant voice rang out, sounding just like soil grinding against soil.

Wu Heng didn't dare waste time. "May I ask why there are only useless basic items for sale in the plaza?"

He'd always wondered about that. The Lighthouse was so vast, it should have been thriving. Yet the plaza was practically deserted.

"200 survival points!"

So expensive! Wu Heng hadn't expected a single question to cost that much. Those manuals only cost 100 points!

Was this the difference between a mass-market service and one-on-one service?

Wu Heng focused his thoughts and transferred 200 points.

The Mud Head on the other side spoke:

"To avoid aiding the enemy, everyone has their own circle, with the Tower Master as its leader."

Aiding the enemy? Who were the enemies?

Wu Heng asked again, "Where do the enemies come from?"

"200 survival points."

Another 200. Was that the minimum charge? Wu Heng transferred another 200.

"Which realm are you from?" the Mud Head asked in return.

Wu Heng was about to answer, but his heart jolted. He stopped himself and said nothing.

"Clever!" the Mud Head said.

"Everyone who isn't from your world is your enemy."

The Mud Head paused, then added, "A mortal enemy!"

Wu Heng felt a chill as he heard this. Everyone except the people from Deep Blue Star was an enemy?

He recalled the recruitment signs he'd seen in the plaza just now. Bright Realm was recruiting, and joining Cangyue Star came with a personal set of equipment.

Were all of them enemies?!

"A pity!" the Mud Head spoke again.

Wu Heng asked, puzzled, "A pity about what?"

"A pity that your cleverness has backfired. You don't have a badge, so you clearly haven't joined a faction. You've asked two questions, and with the mandatory manual on top of that, you've already used up all your survival points, haven't you?"

The Mud Head suddenly seemed to come alive, becoming animated and much more talkative. It was a far cry from before.

Had it just logged on? Wu Heng wondered.

"The survival points from your basic mission are meant to give newcomers one more choice. The name of a story world is enough to tell you its approximate difficulty and leanings. You used your points to ask questions like these, and now you've lost that choice!"

"Thinking to ask about these matters was clever. Coming here to ask was foolish!"

"If you survive your next story world, you can come find me. I'll give you a chance to join the Heart Inquiry Pavilion."

The Mud Head's stiff, square face now wore an expression of both disappointment and approval.

"Senior, aren't you going to ask which realm I'm from?"

Wu Heng had even more questions now. The Mud Head had just said they were mortal enemies, but now it wasn't asking anymore. Had it seen through him?

"There's no need to ask. Our world is already gone. If you join the Heart Inquiry Pavilion, you'll have to abandon your own world too. From then on, you'll exist only in the Lighthouse."

Wu Heng was both surprised and confused. What did it mean that their world was already gone? Joining the Heart Inquiry Pavilion meant he couldn't return to Deep Blue Star?

And this Mud Head had clearly misjudged him. He wasn't some newcomer with only the 500 survival points from a basic mission.

"Go complete your next story world first, then think it over!"

Wu Heng was still wondering how to turn it down politely when the Mud Head spoke again. The shrine's bronze doors snapped shut.

The Mud Head knew the newcomer standing before it had no survival points left.

Someone who was so clumsy about seizing an opportunity might not survive the next story world. His impression score had already dropped.

Seeing the shrine doors shut, Wu Heng bowed, said nothing more, and turned to look over the stalls.

He had considered whether to join one of the Tower Master factions from Deep Blue Star.

But all their recruitment signs listed one requirement: a clean background.

What did a clean background mean?

It definitely didn't mean his background in Lighthouse Space. It must mean recording every detail of his real-world identity and family information.

Once his personal information was exposed, wouldn't he be at the mercy of a powerful organization?

If he had no choice, Wu Heng would have accepted his fate and joined a faction. That was what most Tower Guardians did.

But he had a choice, and he still had a chance—as long as he was strong enough.

At the very least, there was a huge difference between joining as a new employee and investing capital to join the shareholders' meeting!

One meant doing the grunt work; the other meant taking a cut.

Wu Heng made a round of the stalls. They were all selling dubious little trinkets.

Still, two items caught his eye.

"Witch's Blood, 10 ml: From the Crazy Witch story world. A drop of blood shed when an elderly witch was stabbed as she passed her necromancy on to her granddaughter. Ordinary people who use it will experience deathly hallucinations."

Price: 300 survival points.

"Corpse Candle: If an ordinary person eats it, the curse will enter their body and increase their mental strength tenfold for three seconds. After three seconds, their body will melt into wax."

Price: 500 survival points.

Thanks for all the monthly tickets. I've seen them all.