The pocket watch, preparations before departure

"You don't have any money on you... then what about rare equipment? Or anything worth a bit?"

When it came to collecting payment, Wang Shui certainly wasn't going to stand on ceremony.

"No. Everything I have serves a purpose. Losing any of it would reduce my combat strength."

White Cat's clear blue eyes kept looking straight into Wang Shui's, without embarrassment, nervousness, or shyness.

"Then give me the vehicle. You're going to look for another hunting group anyway." Wang Shui was rather fond of this armored vehicle.

"No. I need it as startup capital. You can name a sum, and I'll pay you back later."

As White Cat spoke, he also sent Wang Shui a request to exchange contact information.

Pinned down and unable to move, Wang Shui couldn't be bothered to keep probing. White Cat's stubborn, self-willed personality was a perfect counter to his attempts to draw information out of him. Wang Shui's half-baked conversational tricks were utterly useless.

"All right, all right. I really did rescue someone I have to wait on hand and foot. You can have the vehicle. As for payment, how about 200 silver coins? Pay me once you've earned enough. No interest or deadline."

Faced with this price, neither high nor low, White Cat thought it over and did some careful calculations before saying:

"Agreed, but it won't be anytime soon. You're very weak. Try not to die."

"...Fine. I'll try not to die."

With payment settled, White Cat released Wang Shui and sat quietly in the passenger seat, casually catching the probe that had been moving restlessly beside them.

"I'll drive into the city first, near the mission square."

White Cat generously nodded his agreement to Wang Shui's request, then said nothing more.

Wang Shui remembered what Brother Tu had said: if he wanted to communicate with White Cat, he had to defeat her first.

Come to think of it, even after saving White Cat, Wang Shui hadn't expected White Cat to look out for him. Brother Tu couldn't even protect his own hunting group! Relying on himself was better than relying on anyone else.

After getting out and parting ways, Wang Shui came to the unchanging mission square and looked at the familiar vendors.

Having quit his job, Wang Shui was in no hurry to find somewhere to rest. He simply browsed the square while he was there.

He had already decided to find a world to train in as soon as possible, but he didn't want to travel to some world directly through the system's fixed missions.

The Dream System's free mission section mostly offered complicated worlds at war, with fighting far more intense than in the war zones near Iron Edge City. That was why this place was called a safe zone.

Wang Shui had actually found a few fantasy worlds, all based on entertainment works he had never heard of. He could find their plots online, along with walkthroughs for clearing them, but these worlds were very expensive, and the time available in them was generally short.

While browsing, Wang Shui disposed of some of the miscellaneous battlefield resources he had on him, selling off things with stable prices. He replenished his funds with over thirty thousand Dream Points, a sum that was neither small nor particularly large.

Rather than settling down or finding some work, he was more inclined to save the money for a ticket to a fantasy world.

With his thoughts somewhat bogged down, Wang Shui wandered back to Artisan Street, then kept walking until he reached the familiar Moran Bookstore. He wanted to read for a while and find some quiet.

Instead of dozing as usual, the clerk was browsing the internet, nervously slacking off. He looked up, saw that the customer who had just entered was the familiar Wang Shui, and casually pointed toward the little study inside, indicating that Old Moran was there today. Then he offered no further greeting.

Somehow, Wang Shui found himself going inside as well. He sat quietly beside Old Moran and stared blankly at the fire in the fireplace.

"You were lucky enough to survive. Why do you look so distracted?" Old Moran asked directly.

"Ah, you heard about it. Sorry for disturbing you... I, I just don't have a suitable job right now. I'm feeling a bit lost."

"It would be hard not to hear about what happened at Rusty Sword Fortress, especially since you were working for that fellow Edward."

"Yes. For various reasons, I left Brother Hei after finishing this run. That's why I have nothing to do."

"It's just as well that you left. That fellow will only squeeze every last bit of value out of his pawns, without ever caring whether you live or die. You're an awakener. If you want to survive, live well, and find the value of your own existence, what matters most is your own strength."

Old Moran picked up the wineglass on the low table, took a small sip, and continued,

"I admire you. Or rather, I admire your talent and your ability to learn. But I can't offer you work. Silvia is dead, and her hunting group has disbanded. The front line is going to be pushed back to this city, and I'm leaving too."

Wang Shui simply nodded. Old Moran was a person with supernatural powers, but he was neither an awakener nor a native. Wang Shui didn't pry.

"Knowledge won't let you down, but you need time. I think your feeling of being lost also stems from a sense that time is running short."

As Old Moran spoke, he took out a silver pocket watch, handed it to Wang Shui, and said:

"This should be familiar to you. It's a key to a fantasy world, an unknown fantasy world. Your system will probably issue an exploration mission, having you uncover the plot that forms this world and seek out the supernatural knowledge within it. Missions like this usually have no time limit, making it very suitable for you to study there."

Surprised and delighted, Wang Shui accepted the silver pocket watch, then looked at Old Moran and said:

"Thank you very much! I was just looking for something like this, but there are so few on the market..."

"Of course. These pristine, unknown fantasy worlds have dedicated explorers who develop them, then occupy the worlds or split off instances to make money."

"...Thank you very, very much. May I ask what I'll need to give in return?"

Wang Shui quickly calmed down. His relationship with Old Moran was something between teacher and student and friends, but he was an adult. He understood the simple truth that free things were the most expensive.

"Very wise. If you were hoping for my investment, I would probably sign a contract with you. I'm glad you're not that naive. In fact, I have something I need your help with. I need you to attend a grand gathering in the alchemy community in someone else's place. There's very little danger, but it will be troublesome, and you don't seem afraid of dealing with all sorts of people."

Old Moran's tone was very calm. Wang Shui thought it over carefully for a while. To be fair, the business with Brother Hei had made him a little afraid of having things arranged for him, but the silver pocket watch in his hand was simply...

[Otherworld key · State Alchemist's pocket watch (special item · blue)]

[Tier: 1]

[Danger level: 3]