South of the Colorful Clouds

Only after hearing his account did Locke understand.

This man was named Yun Zhinnan. When Locke heard his name, he was slightly surprised, thinking he had somehow traveled through time again. Such a poetic name completely clashed with this world's style!

But what surprised Locke came afterward. Yun Zhinnan said he came from a country called Great Xia. That country lay upon an incredibly vast continent, yet that continent existed apart from this world.

He had offended a noble of that country and was hunted down. Fortunately, ever since he was very young, he had possessed a superpower that increased his speed, allowing him to escape their relentless pursuit.

Yet he had never expected that noble to issue a nationwide warrant for his arrest, leaving him with nowhere to hide in that country. With no other choice, he risked crossing the land Great Xia called the Wilderness. There, he encountered a spatial rift and arrived upon this sea, which he had only ever seen in ancient texts.

When the sailors heard his story, they all looked at him as though he were an idiot. They assumed he had suffered a shipwreck and gotten water in his brain, then shook their heads and left.

However, after hearing the story, Locke stayed behind. From Yun Zhinnan's description, he realized that country was actually quite similar to the ancient times of his original world.

That piqued Locke's interest. Could there really be a place in this world that resembled his homeland? If possible, he truly wanted to see it.

After all the sailors had left, Locke walked up to Yun Zhinnan. The man looked extremely dejected after no one believed him and everyone treated him like a lunatic.

"They don't believe you, but I do! Come on, tell me about that country!"

Hearing Locke's words, Yun Zhinnan looked at him strangely. "Why do you believe me?"

Locke smiled without saying anything, merely pointing to the spot on Yun Zhinnan's tattered clothes where the character for Yun had been embroidered.

"What is wrong with this character?" Yun Zhinnan asked in confusion.

"Looks like you haven't been on this sea for long," Locke said with a sigh.

Yun Zhinnan was speechless. He had just explained that he had only arrived on this sea recently, and now Locke was saying it again. Was there something wrong with him? Still, Yun Zhinnan did not voice his thoughts. He simply stared at Locke, waiting to see what he would say next.

But Locke was in no hurry to explain. Instead, he turned to Carmen and said, "Carmen, go outside first. I have something private to discuss with this gentleman."

"Hmph!" Carmen snorted unhappily at Locke's words, but she still obediently left.

Watching Carmen leave, Locke shook his head with a wry smile. He had made that girl angry again. Who knew how many songs he would have to play later to cheer her up?

Locke quickly composed himself and continued speaking to Yun Zhinnan, who lay on the bed. "Because you've only just arrived here, you have no idea that the writing in this world looks completely different."

"Is that the only reason?"

"Of course there are others, but they aren't important. Tell me about your country instead! I'm very curious about it!"

"Do you really believe me?"

"Of course!" Locke answered firmly.

"Fine, then I'll tell you..."

Through Yun Zhinnan's detailed explanation, Locke gained some understanding of that country.

That country had originally existed in this world as well. However, a thousand years ago, its king acquired the power to control space and proclaimed that he had inherited the power of the God of Time and Space. At the time, warfare raged endlessly across the seas, so that king used his ability to create a separate space outside this world, moving his entire country and continent into it, leaving only one entrance connected to the outside world.

But after that king passed away, although the space remained, the entrance changed because of the king's Devil Fruit. Spatial turbulence began appearing there without end. Anyone who touched it vanished directly from the world and was never seen again.

At the time, the country even dispatched its strongest army, the Earth Fury Army, to investigate. Yet those troops also disappeared into that place and never returned. No one knew whether they had made it through or all died in the turbulence.

From then on, that place became a forbidden zone, and no one ever set foot there again. If Yun Zhinnan had not been truly cornered, he would never have entered that forbidden zone to gamble on his luck.

According to Yun Zhinnan, he was originally a seventeen-year-old servant from a branch family of the Yun Family in Great Xia. Since childhood, he had learned carpentry from his father, who was also a servant. Later, after eating a patterned fruit, everything he did became incredibly fast. By chance, he caught the family head's attention and gained an opportunity to rise through the ranks.

What followed was a rather melodramatic story. Yun Zhinnan went to the nation's capital and met a young woman. They fell in love at first sight and quickly fell deeply in love. But her family objected, saying she had long been promised to someone else and insisting that she marry that man. Naturally, Yun Zhinnan refused to accept that. On the day of the wedding, he stormed into the ceremony, only to find that the young woman had already taken her own life.

After discovering this, Yun Zhinnan flew into a frenzy. Relying on his speed, he charged inside and killed the man who was to marry her. But there were simply too many people on the other side, so he could only flee. Then he became wanted across the entire country.

That young woman was named Xi Cai. As he spoke of her, he pulled a jade pendant engraved with the character Cai from within his tattered clothes.

Locke looked at the man before him, who was telling this melodramatic story with a face full of sorrow, and for a moment, he did not know how to comfort him. In the end, he could only squeeze out two words. "My condolences."

Seeing Yun Zhinnan's sorrowful expression, Locke patted his shoulder and changed the subject. "What do you plan to do from now on?"

"Since I didn't die in the forbidden zone and came to this sea from our original homeland, I want to take Xi Cai around and let her see the world." As he spoke, Yun Zhinnan gently stroked the character Cai on the jade pendant.

"Oh, then why not come with us? I happen to be heading out to sea to explore this world too." Locke's eyes lit up when he heard Yun Zhinnan's words.

From Yun Zhinnan's account, Locke already knew that he had probably eaten a Devil Fruit as a child, likely a speed-type Paramecia Devil Fruit. And this guy knew carpentry. He might not know how to repair ships, but he could learn. After all, he had the foundation of a carpenter.

"Come with you?" Yun Zhinnan stared at Locke in astonishment.

"That's right! You just arrived in this world, so you don't really understand the situation here!"

"Let me tell you..."