Setting out

"So weakness itself is the original sin," Lin Shan said evenly.

"Carry on. I have something to do, so I'll head back first," Xia Xuan said. She had only come to bring the cocoon to Huang Ying.

"I have things to do too. Enjoy your sunbathing," Huang Ying said with a smile, then walked back with the cocoon in her arms.

The two went off to attend to their own affairs, while Lin Shan continued reclining in his chair and basking in the sun. The Heart Light in his hand kept shifting shape as he murmured, barely loud enough for himself to hear, "If only things could always be this easy."

After lunch, Lin Shan prepared the potions inside the wooden cabin: seven doses in total, filling fourteen small ceramic bottles. He still had a dozen or so grams of Specter Thread Fish spirit ash and over thirty grams of powdered Ashatu's Horn left.

He put away the remaining materials and picked up one of the small ceramic bottles. The liquid inside was crystal clear, resembling mercury, and slowly swirled and drifted within the bottle.

While preparing the potions, Lin Shan had discovered something: as long as the proportions were correct, they triggered some unknown law that caused a qualitative change in the potion. He had made one of the bottles without using Parchment to weigh the ingredients, instead adding them bit by bit.

This rule should apply to other potions as well. In other words, as long as he had enough materials, he could gradually work out the proportions through trial and error.

Lin Shan tightly wrapped the ceramic bottles in silk cloth and put them in his backpack.

He stepped out of the cabin, intending to continue his leisurely sunbathing, but the sight of the ten neatly arranged wooden cabins suddenly gave him an idea.

He wanted to build a wooden cabin for himself too. By the time he returned, plenty of newcomers would probably have arrived. This place was effectively the city center. Why not stake out a plot now, in case its value rose later?

The Cat Clan's houses were separate from those of the Human Race, with two hundred meters between them. Aside from learning each other's languages and eating together, they were nowhere to be seen most of the time.

Lin Shan found a densely wooded spot.

Looking at a tree thick enough for one person to wrap their arms around, he transformed the Heart Light in his hand into an axe. Two blows were all it took to send the entire tree crashing down. He felled over a dozen trees in succession and processed them all on the spot, cutting them into smooth planks.

He brought Jin Tianzong over to help. With Heart Light taking on countless forms, a medium-sized wooden cabin of fifty square meters took shape by evening.

Its design was also quite modern, somewhat like a villa. Compared with the other cabins lined up nearby, it was more than an era ahead.

Lin Shan looked at the little villa before him and nodded in satisfaction. He had found that, although Heart Light was mediocre in a fight and had no particularly outstanding abilities, it was truly a deft hand at work. It could turn into any tool he needed.

With the Red Moon hanging overhead, everyone gathered for dinner.

Zhang Zhonghua suddenly called out:

"Weiyi, the seven of us will be heading out with Lin Shan tomorrow. It may be a long time before we return. If more of the Human Race arrive while we're away, please lend them a hand."

Weiyi froze at first, then a look of delight appeared on his face, though he quickly hid it. He said politely, "Of course. The Cat Clan and the Human Race are already allies. Rest assured, as long as the Cat Clan is here, no harm will come to the Human Race."

"Thank you."

Zhang Zhonghua expressed his gratitude.

Lin Shan frowned as he watched it all. Although that flash of delight had vanished in an instant, he had still caught it.

It looks like I'll have to find an opportunity to come back, Lin Shan thought.

"What will you be going out to do?" Weiyi asked.

Zhang Zhonghua looked hesitant. Just then, Lin Shan spoke evenly. "Attain Transcendence."

He had said it deliberately. Even if the Cat Clan truly had some scheme in mind, they could at least weigh the consequences of the transcendent members returning next time.

"Uh." Weiyi looked stunned.

Still, he forced a smile. "Congratulations to you all. You've found the path to Transcendence so quickly."

"The Cat Clan has given the Human Race so much help. Once the Human Race grows strong, the Cat Clan will receive its rightful repayment," Lin Shan said softly.

His words carried two meanings. He did not believe the Cat Clan could fail to understand the implication.

He did not know whether Weiyi had yet to learn the Huaxia Language well enough or was deliberately pretending not to understand.

Weiyi continued smiling as he said, "That is precisely the Cat Clan's intention. How vast the Ash Fog World is! We are all mere ants within it. Someone draws a circle around us, and we cannot step beyond it, penned inside this so-called safe zone. Only by huddling together for warmth can we barely struggle to survive in this ash fog."

"Brother Weiyi, do you mean that all the races in the Ash Fog World huddle together for warmth and develop together?" Lin Shan asked with interest.

"Exactly." Weiyi nodded. "Cooperation and mutual benefit are the essence of survival in this world."

Lin Shan remained silent. Whenever he asked Parchment anything related to a race, its answer was always, "Blocked by Clan Fortune. Unable to determine." Weiyi's words were unsupported claims, and he would not believe them.

After dinner that night, everyone returned to their own cabins to rest.

Lin Shan continued sleeping in Jin Tianzong's cabin. Though his villa was large, it was only a shell, with nothing inside.

The sun took the Red Moon's place, and streaks of dawn light appeared on the horizon.

The eight of them were packed and ready to leave. Lin Shan led a black horse out of the stable. While the others advanced, he intended to search for his second sequence potion. With such a long journey ahead, riding would be a good choice.

The seven others brought only a little dry food. If they were quick, they might arrive in a single day.

The seven were Zhang Zhonghua, Zhao Xiao An, Wu Wang, Xia Xuan, Huang Ying, Si Zhennan, and Chao Yuxin.

Only Yan Ruxin, Jin Tianzong, and Luo He remained in the camp.

It took only two hours to reach the barrier's boundary. Lin Shan led the way, and they encountered no danger along the route.

A small hand formed from Lin Shan's Heart Light held the Red Lantern five meters in the air, keeping it from affecting the others.

Before the barrier, Lin Shan's expression turned serious. "Beyond this is the Ash Fog World. It's full of danger. A single careless moment could cost you your life..."

"Lead the horse for me. Walk behind me and stay close." Lin Shan moved to the front, brought down the Red Lantern, and held it in his hand.

"All right," everyone replied.

As they stepped beyond the barrier, ash fog instantly engulfed their vision. They could see no more than ten meters ahead, and that included Lin Shan. Heart Light could neither disperse the ash fog nor be concentrated in his eyes to enhance his vision.

Holding the Red Lantern, however, was a different matter. It allowed him to see through the ash fog within four hundred meters, making it an invaluable treasure for traveling through the fog.

They pressed onward. Only a few minutes into the walk, Zhao Xiao An whispered, "It's so cold. Could it be..."

The others nodded as well. They too felt a sinister chill following them, and every gaze turned toward Lin Shan.

Lin Shan shook his head and raised the Red Lantern to indicate that it was the cause. "Keep going."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and continued in the direction Lin Shan gave them. Meanwhile, he watched the markings on Parchment, constantly adjusting their course.

For some reason, their luck was excellent throughout the journey, and they encountered no danger at all.

"Could we be taking a different route?" Lin Shan muttered.

The last time he had traveled alone, he had encountered danger several times along the way. Today felt a little too smooth. They had not even come across a single wild beast.