rustling sound --
Three men emerged from the woods.
They were slender, with ridiculously long arms that almost reached the ground.
Qin Ze frowned. There were actually native inhabitants in this world?
Judging from the current situation, it can be said that this is a completely different world from what Brother Yuanzi had explored before.
This place is not only teeming with life, but also home to intelligent life.
Most importantly, judging from their auras, Qin Ze knew that these three people were all at least at the Level Seven cultivation.
A Bing said on the Local Area Network, "We've now completely left the newbie village; Level Seven Martial Artist are as common as dogs."
The Mist Lord said, "Didn't Thousand Faces and the Dharma King go to another newbie village?"
Miss Sword Case was delighted to see the new face. "It's alive!"
Her voice is still so pleasant to hear.
"Welcome, traveler from the Abyss."
The long-armed man wore a warm smile and showed no resistance to Qin Ze's arrival.
Qin Ze felt that the other party was being a little too enthusiastic.
He was a different race; forcibly opening the spatial gate without prior notice could already be considered an invasion.
However, the three indigenous men in front of him showed no wariness or aversion towards him; on the contrary, they treated him as a distinguished guest.
One shouldn't hit a smiling face, so Qin Ze also adopted a more humble attitude.
"I'm sorry, I've been in the Abyss for too long; my World Imprint has become very weak."
"I happened to discover the entrance to your world by chance, and I apologize for the intrusion."
Qin Ze hadn't spoken in such a refined manner in a long time.
At this moment, he was as polite as a college student who had not yet graduated, with incredibly clear eyes.
The long-armed man smiled and said, "It's alright. We understand your experience perfectly."
"Come with me, it's getting dark, and the forest isn't very safe at night."
Qin Ze followed them, heading in the direction they had come from.
"How did you know I was teleported here?" Qin Ze asked curiously.
The long-armed man who led the way replied, "He's a shaman; he can sense all the changes in this world."
Qin Ze raised his eyebrows. "So you cleared that open space around the spatial gate?"
The long-armed man nodded. "Of course, otherwise travelers would have nowhere to stay, and their perception of our world would suffer."
Qin Ze was greatly shocked.
The natives of this world are so incredibly hospitable that they've opened their arms to the entire Abyss.
Qin Ze didn't know whether to call them naive or overconfident in their abilities.
"Aren't you stationed around the portal? What if some alien beast gets in?"
The long-armed man explained, "The gate to the Abyss opens periodically every day. Abyss travelers who discover this place are inevitably as exhausted as you are, needing a world to rest and recuperate."
"All who come are guests, so who are we supposed to be wary of if we're stationed there?"
"We're all just people with the same tragic fate."
Qin Ze listened silently. What did he mean by "people with the same tragic fate"?
The long-armed man continued, "As for the Abyss beasts you mentioned, there's even less to worry about; they can't get in."
Qin Ze was startled upon hearing this.
With the main gate wide open, how can the strange beasts still not get in?
Qin Ze's immediate reaction was that it was a fantasy.
But the nonchalant expression on the other person's face told him that everything they said was true.
Qin Ze glanced back at the spatial portal that had disappeared from sight and asked, "Am I the only one who unintentionally visited this place today?"
The long-armed man nodded. "We haven't had any customers in a long time."
Qin Ze's expression darkened.
Although Zi Yue and her group were ahead of him, the local natives did not notice them.
He seemed to understand why Zi Liangchen had gone to such lengths to use a compass for location instead of simply using a key.
The key opens a fixed-space portal, teleporting the user to a specific location, while the compass teleports the user randomly.
Therefore, it seems that the sorcerer the long-armed man mentioned was not omniscient.
Of course, it's also possible that the witch probably already knew about Zi Yue and the others' visit, but didn't alert them, and simply observed them in secret.
Regardless of the possibility, Zi Yue and the others clearly came prepared for this trip.
They seemed to have known about the world for a long time, and even knew about the existence of the natives.
The random transmission of information by the compass perfectly confirms this.
Qin Ze was puzzled because the Grand Consul's last visit was only a year ago.
In just one year, the world has undergone such tremendous changes, especially with the ecosystem recovering.
Did these lives spring from a crack in the rock?
After Qin Ze and the others emerged from the forest, the long-armed man in front visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
He turned to Qin Ze and said, "Luckily, you came in at dusk. If it had been night, we would have had to rely on the witch to save you."
Qin Ze asked in surprise, "Is the forest dangerous?"
There were flocks of birds flying around inside, and he really couldn't see where the danger was coming from.
The long-armed man said gravely, "To be precise, the forest is extremely dangerous at night. No matter what happens, never go into the forest at night."
Qin Ze assured him, "I've got it."
Upon hearing the long-armed man's words, the clones on the Local Area Network were all eager to try.
"Leave me in the forest! I don't want to go out!"
"Please, Qin Ze, let me stay!"
"Let me into the forest, and they'll do anything."
"This is clearly a key point that triggers the plot, I'm going, I'm going!"
"Quickly say you need to poop, and let me... release me!"
"..."
The clones didn't want to miss out on something so interesting.
If a task carries no risk, everyone will lose interest.
If it were a possibility of death, some of the clones would sign up to participate.
If the mortality rate were 100%, the clones would fight tooth and nail to get them.
Qin Ze declined everyone's requests, deciding it was best not to trigger any side quests before figuring out the main storyline.
After leaving the forest, a plain lies directly ahead.
Vast stretches of fields lay side by side, planted with crops from another world that Qin Ze did not recognize.
After passing through the narrow paths in the fields, you will reach a village.
As darkness fell, wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys of every household.
As soon as Qin Ze entered the village, he could smell the aroma of firewood in the air.
"Traveler, come with me to see the shaman; he is already waiting for you."
The long-armed man's tense body relaxed considerably.
Qin Ze sensed a faint, emanating power enveloping the village.
"Starter Village"
"Quickly check if there are any good village swords."
"Beautiful pastor! I want to see the beautiful pastor in the village!"
"Isn't having me, the pastor, enough?"
"..."
The various clones chattered amongst themselves, eager to uncover every detail of the village.
Qin Ze automatically blocked out the background noise and said to the long-armed man, "Thank you for your trouble."
The long-armed man led Qin Ze deeper into the village, where he saw more and more villagers.
Qin Ze's expression grew increasingly serious. The villagers looked very different, clearly coming from different civilizations and races.
He suddenly remembered what the long-armed man had said in the forest.
We are all people suffering the same fate.