Who is the Enemy

The main Lighthouse Plaza was not very crowded at this time.

The people present mostly possessed some strange features, as if revealing an anomaly was the only way to avoid certain troubles.

Novices wearing ordinary masks as disguises were rarely seen.

Most of them had completed their instances by the beginning of the month, either dying or returning.

Those who had nothing to do at the end of the month dared not wander around the Lighthouse Plaza.

Those still in the Lighthouse at this time were either newcomers who had just been brought in or those with enough ambition to continue stirring up trouble.

No one would wander around the Lighthouse Space casually; who knew which people they might run into who possessed the ability to see through disguises or peer through them.

Although there were restrictions regarding such matters within the Lighthouse Plaza, just like that Paper Person Tower Master, one could simply pay some survival points to 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: 14531.

After deducting the initial teleportation fee for carrying the Life Box, the appraisal fee, and the cost of refreshing the instances three times, this was all that remained.

Survival points were truly never enough.

It seemed that only the power gained from plot worlds that could be integrated into oneself was the most cost-effective.

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

He was communicating with a young man wearing a black robber's hood, then turned away in disappointment.

Wu Heng walked up quickly.

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

The man in the gorilla mask turned around upon hearing this and said cheerfully:

"Ah, yes, yes, is there something you need, brother?"

"I would like to ask a few questions, paid."

Wu Heng still had many questions about the Lighthouse in his heart.

"I appreciate you thinking of me for a good deal, brother. I would love to earn this money, but I don't dare; there are rules here."

"Let me point you to a place. See that Shrine over there? That is the external intelligence office of the Heart Inquiry Pavilion. Go there to ask."

The man in the gorilla mask shook his head with some regret and pointed toward a location in the Lighthouse Plaza.

Even this kind of thing was monopolized and governed by rules?

Wu Heng had not expected this place to have so many rules, and he became increasingly cautious. After thanking him, he walked in the direction indicated.

What met his eyes was a large bronze Shrine, covered in spots of green rust, one meter wide and two meters high, featuring lattice doors, a porch roof, and carvings of flowers.

"Greetings, senior. I heard that intelligence is sold here, and I have a few questions I would like to consult about." Wu Heng stepped forward and bowed.

The upper cabinet door of the Shrine opened with a clack, revealing a Clay Nuo Mask.

It had a wide face, fangs, and ridges on its forehead; it was merely a clay head with no body.

The clay face's tightly shut eyes suddenly snapped open, rolling around as if focusing, before finally fixing its gaze on Wu Heng.

"Ask!" A deep, thick voice that sounded like earth rubbing against earth rang out.

Wu Heng did not dare to waste words: "May I ask why the plaza is filled only with useless basic items?"

He had always been curious; logically, a grand Lighthouse like this should be very prosperous, but on the contrary, the plaza was quite desolate.

"200 survival points!"

So expensive. Wu Heng had not expected a random question to cost so much, while those manuals only cost 100 points!

Could this be the difference between mass-produced service and one-on-one service?

With a thought, Wu Heng transferred 200 points.

The Mud Head opposite him spoke:

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

Aiding the enemy? Who was the enemy?

Wu Heng asked again: "Where does the enemy come from?"

"200 survival points."

Another 200. Was this the starting price? Wu Heng transferred another 200.

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

Wu Heng was about to blurt it out, but his heart jolted, and he fell silent, not answering.

"Smart!" the Mud Head said.

"Except for those from your own world, everyone else is an enemy."

Mud Head paused before adding, "A mortal enemy!"

Wu Heng felt a chill in his heart upon hearing this. Everyone except those from Deep Blue Star is an enemy?

He recalled the recruitment signs he had seen in the plaza earlier—Bright Realm hiring, or joining Cangyue Star to receive a personal gear set.

Are all of them enemies?!

"What a pity!" Mud Head spoke again.

Wu Heng asked, feeling somewhat puzzled:

"What is a pity?"

"It is a pity that cleverness is undone by cleverness. You have no badge, which clearly means you haven't joined any faction. Now that you've asked two questions, if you include the mandatory manual, your survival points must be completely exhausted."

Mud Head suddenly seemed to become vivid and lively, his words flowing more freely, as if he were a different person from a moment ago.

Has he logged on? Wu Heng guessed to himself.

"The survival points from the basic mission are meant to give newcomers an extra choice. The name of a plot world is enough to judge its difficulty and orientation. You used your survival points to ask these kinds of questions; you've lost your right to choose!"

"It is clever to think of asking such questions, but it is foolish to actually come and ask them!"

"If you can survive your next plot world, you may come find me. I will give you a chance to join the Heart Inquiry Pavilion."

Mud Head's originally rigid, square face now carried an expression—one of disappointment mixed with approval.

"Senior, aren't you going to ask which world I am from?"

Wu Heng had even more questions. Just a moment ago, the man spoke of mortal enemies, yet now he didn't even bother to ask. Had he already seen through him?

"There is no need to ask. Our world is already gone. If you join the Heart Inquiry Pavilion, you must also abandon your own world. From then on, you will only exist within the Lighthouse."

Wu Heng was surprised and confused by this. What did he mean by "the world is already gone"? And joining this Heart Inquiry Pavilion meant he could never return to Deep Blue Star?

Furthermore, the Mud Head before him had clearly misjudged the situation; he was no mere newcomer who had only received the 500 survival points from the basic mission.

"Go complete your next plot world first, then consider it!"

Before Wu Heng could think of a way to politely decline, Mud Head had already spoken, and the bronze door on the Shrine slammed shut instantly.

This was because Mud Head knew the newcomer before him had no survival points left.

Being so indecisive when faced with an opportunity meant he might not survive the next plot world, and his impression score had already dropped.

Seeing the Shrine closed, Wu Heng bowed, said nothing more, and turned to examine the stalls.

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

However, every recruitment sign for these factions included a mandatory requirement: a clean background.

What did a clean background mean?

It certainly didn't refer to the Lighthouse Space; it inevitably meant having one's real-world identity and family information recorded clearly—that was what they called a clean background.

Once personal information was exposed, wouldn't one be at the mercy of these powerful organizations?

If he had no choice, Wu Heng would have resigned himself to joining an organization; that was the choice made by the vast majority of Tower Guardians.

But Wu Heng had a choice, and he still had a chance, provided he was strong enough.

At the very least, there was a huge difference between joining as a new employee and joining as a shareholder with capital!

One was selling his labor, while the other was collecting dividends.

Wu Heng walked around the stalls, which were filled with various odd trinkets.

However, two items caught his eye.

"Witch's Blood 10ml: Produced in the Crazy Witch plot world. The blood spilled when an elderly witch was stabbed while passing on necromancy to her granddaughter. If used by an ordinary person, it will induce hallucinations of death."

Price: 300 survival points.

"Corpse Candle: After an ordinary person consumes it, a curse enters the body, increasing mental power tenfold for three seconds. After three seconds, the body melts into wax."

Price: 500 survival points.

Thank you all for your monthly votes; I have seen them all.