Guidance of the Compass and an Encounter at the Marketplace

Upon returning to Jianye City, Su Yan showed the [Damaged Compass] to Li Shanren. The NPC landlord's reaction exceeded his expectations. Rather than simply delivering task-completion dialogue, Li Shanren's eyes widened and the color drained from his face. He grabbed Su Yan and pulled him into a secluded spot, lowering his voice to a near whisper filled with indescribable terror:

"This... this compass! Young hero, you really found it! Is this fate, or calamity?" He stroked the broken needle and blurred runes on the compass, his fingers trembling slightly. "This item... according to fragments of ancient records, is no object of the mortal realm. It is connected to an ancient upheaval involving the laws of heaven and earth... It can sense things outside the world's 'logic'—the 'anomalies' you spoke of!"

Li Shanren looked up, his gaze complicated as he studied Su Yan. "Young hero, you possess extraordinary gifts and have come into contact with such secrets. Whether that brings fortune or disaster is impossible to say. This old man's abilities are limited, and I cannot offer you more help. But be careful. You are not the only one with compass fragments like this, or the ability to sense 'anomalies.' Some may see them as opportunities, while others... may see them as threats that must be eliminated."

The amount of information in those words was staggering. Su Yan's heart turned cold. This meant that there might be other "players" or native factions in this world who had noticed its anomalies, and their positions remained unclear.

[Hidden Quest Chain: 'Echoes of Data' Activated]

[Current Stage: Shattered Guidance]

[Description]: You have obtained the key quest item [Damaged Compass] and learned more about the world's anomalies. Repairing the compass, or at least activating part of its functions, will be the key to the next step. Li Shanren hinted that Jianye City's marketplace is a chaotic place where all sorts gather. Someone there may recognize this item or possess clues to repairing it.

[Objective]: Go to Jianye City's marketplace and seek information related to the [Damaged Compass].

[Reward]: Unknown.

After bidding farewell to the evasive Li Shanren, Su Yan did not set off immediately. The consecutive battles and flood of information had left him mentally exhausted. He first returned to the warehouse and sorted through his gains. The sunken ship expedition had brought him well past level 7, and his inventory now held plenty of Sea Hairy Caterpillar materials, insect shells, and several thousand Dream Coins. He redistributed his [Probability Accumulation] points, focusing on [Item Acquisition Chance (Rare)] and [Crafting/Synthesis Success Chance] in preparation for any future crafting or purchases of top-tier equipment.

Jianye City's marketplace was livelier than the eastern district, but also far more chaotic. This was no longer a system-regulated row of shops. Instead, it was a trading area spontaneously formed by countless players and a small number of native NPCs who seemed far more intelligent. Hawking cries, haggling, equipment display effects, and the low growls of summoned beasts mingled together, brimming with life while carrying an urgent hunger for resources in a post-apocalyptic world.

"Freshly forged level 60 [Dragon Spring Sword], damage +120! Personally made by a master smith, only fifty thousand taels!"

"Buying all high-grade Demon Beast Tomes! You'll be satisfied with the price!"

"Professional ghost-catching party, efficient team! Need a strong Dragon Palace or Tang Empire player!"

"Looking for a party to the Underwater Maze! Need a reliable Life Transformation Temple player!"

Su Yan moved through the crowd, his gaze sweeping across the stalls. He did not take out the compass and ask about it directly—that would be too conspicuous. Instead, he pretended to be an ordinary customer, browsing the goods while listening closely to nearby conversations, hoping to catch scattered mentions of "compass," "anomaly," or "ancient runes."

Most discussions revolved around levels, equipment, pets, and survival resources. Occasionally, someone mentioned a "strange quest" or a "monster they had never seen before," but they merely treated them as game Easter eggs and did not investigate further.

Just as Su Yan was beginning to feel disappointed and prepared to search another area, his attention was drawn to an inconspicuous stall in a corner.

The stall owner was a young-looking girl with the ID [Lingdang]. She wore simple beginner attire from Daughter Village and was only level 5. Unlike the others, she did not shout to attract customers. She merely sat there quietly, and rather than mainstream equipment, her stall displayed all sorts of strange items: unusually colored flowers, stones carved with unknown symbols, and fragments that looked as though they had been excavated from ancient ruins.

What caught Su Yan's attention were several pieces of tortoiseshell and beast bone casually placed at one corner of her stall. They were carved with extremely ancient, even somewhat twisted symbols. The style of those symbols bore a striking resemblance to the runes on the face of his [Damaged Compass]!

Su Yan's heart stirred, and he stepped forward.

"May I ask what the symbols on these tortoiseshells mean?" He crouched down, picked up a piece casually, and asked.

Lingdang raised her head, revealing a delicate but somewhat weary face. Her eyes were large, yet her gaze drifted as though she were always looking into the distance. She looked at Su Yan, then at the tortoiseshell in his hand, and spoke softly. Her voice was as crisp as her ID, though it carried a trace of uncertainty. "I don't know... They're... very old. They feel... strange. I picked them up near the Mass Grave west of the city. Sometimes... strange winds blow there, and these things appear."

Mass Grave? Strange winds? Su Yan remembered the location.

"You're interested in these ancient symbols?" Su Yan asked tentatively.

Lingdang tilted her head, seemingly thinking. "Mm... I feel like they're... 'talking,' but I can't understand them. It's like... they're warning about something, or... guiding something?" Her words were disjointed, carrying an almost instinctive sensitivity.

Su Yan was nearly certain that this girl possessed some special perception. Perhaps it was not as direct as his cheat ability, but she truly could sense the world's anomalies. After hesitating and considering Li Shanren's warning, he did not take out the compass. Instead, he phrased it differently. "I happened to obtain an antique with similar symbols on it, but unfortunately, it's damaged. I heard someone in the marketplace might recognize it, so I came to try my luck."

"An antique?" Lingdang's eyes brightened slightly. "Can... can I see it? I might not recognize it, but... if I sense it, maybe I'll know something."

Her gaze was clear and filled with pure curiosity, without a trace of pretense. After weighing it for a moment, Su Yan decided the risk was manageable and took the [Damaged Compass] from his inventory.

The instant the compass appeared, Lingdang visibly froze. She stared at it fixedly, her pupils contracting slightly as her body trembled almost imperceptibly. She reached out as though she wanted to touch it, but stopped midair.

"It... it's 'crying'..." Lingdang's voice trembled. "It's so chaotic... so painful... There are many fragments... missing..." Her words were incoherent, yet they sent a shock through Su Yan's heart. This girl's perception was unbelievably sharp and eerie!

"What can you sense? For example... how to repair it? Or the direction it's guiding us toward?" Su Yan pressed in a lowered voice.

Lingdang closed her eyes and furrowed her brows, as though listening as hard as she could. After a long while, she slowly opened her eyes. Her face had turned somewhat pale as she pointed in one direction. "Over there... north of the city, near the post station leading to Aolai Country... I've sensed a similar presence before. It's very faint... hidden beneath... many 'normal' things."

North of the city? The post station? That was a transportation hub where players gathered before heading into higher-level areas, a place where all sorts of people mixed together.

At that moment, a slightly frivolous and arrogant voice cut in:

"Oh, isn't this little Lingdang? Selling your worthless junk again?"

Su Yan turned and saw a Carefree Scholar player approaching. He wore luxurious brocade robes and carried a folding fan that shimmered with blue light, marking it as an enhanced forged weapon. His ID was [Fleeting Life, Dreaming], and he was level 15. Two players who looked like lackeys followed behind him, one a Tiger Head Monster and the other a Giant Demon King. Their levels were not low either.

Fleeting Life, Dreaming swept his gaze over Lingdang's stall, making no effort to hide the contempt on his face. But when his eyes landed on the [Damaged Compass] in Su Yan's hand, an almost imperceptible gleam flashed through them.

"This brother looks unfamiliar." Fleeting Life, Dreaming lightly tapped his palm with the folding fan as he looked at Su Yan with an aloof, scrutinizing expression. "That thing in your hand looks interesting. It doesn't seem ordinary. What, are you interested in this little girl's nonsense?"

Without changing expression, Su Yan put the compass back into his inventory. "Just looking around."

Fleeting Life, Dreaming smiled. He sounded casual, but there was pressure in his tone. "Brother, some things aren't meant for low-level people to touch. They can easily bring disaster upon you. Your level isn't high, so why not join our Drunken Spring Breeze guild? With us looking after you, life in Jianye City will be much easier." It sounded like recruitment, but it was actually a warning, implying that Su Yan was unworthy of possessing the compass.

Lingdang seemed very afraid of him. She lowered her head and did not dare speak.

Su Yan sneered inwardly. It seemed Li Shanren's "threat" had revealed its first signs so quickly. This Fleeting Life, Dreaming was clearly not a lone wanderer like Lingdang, who acted on intuition. He had an organization behind him, and they likely knew something about the "anomalies" as well, viewing them as resources to be seized.

"Thank you for the offer, but I'll pass." Su Yan declined neither humbly nor arrogantly. "I have matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving."

With that, he gave Lingdang a slight nod, ignored Fleeting Life, Dreaming's instantly darkened expression, and turned to disappear into the crowd.

Fleeting Life, Dreaming watched Su Yan vanish into the distance, snorted coldly, and whispered to the two behind him, "Keep an eye on that brat, and on the girl called Lingdang. The guild leader may be interested in the things they've come into contact with."

After leaving the marketplace, Su Yan's thoughts churned. Lingdang's perception pointed toward the north of the city, while the Drunken Spring Breeze guild represented by Fleeting Life, Dreaming had bared its fangs. The clues to repairing the compass seemed to have a direction now, but the road ahead was covered in thorns.

He did not head north immediately. Instead, he first visited the blacksmith and clothing shop, using his accumulated funds to upgrade his equipment. He replaced his Iron Sword with a higher-damage [Bronze Short Sword] and exchanged his Cloth Armor for [Hard Leather Armor] with better defense. Improving his strength was the foundation for dealing with every risk.

At the same time, he decided to make more active use of his cheat ability. He went to the warehouse, took out some low-level crafting materials he had accumulated, and focused [Probability Accumulation] on [Crafting/Synthesis Success Chance], attempting to craft a few pieces of equipment himself.

After consuming some materials, a slightly brighter light than that of an ordinary crafting attempt flashed, and a piece of equipment with unexpectedly good attributes appeared in his hand:

[Refined Cowhide Boots] (Level 10)

Defense +12, Agility +5

(Maker: Su Yan)

Although his level was still too low to equip them, the agility bonus on these boots was extremely practical, and the "Refined" prefix indicated that they were a minor top-tier item. The effects of his cheat ability in crafting had begun to show.

Once prepared, Su Yan turned his attention toward the north of the city. There was not only a post station leading to the wider world, but also the "anomalous presence" that might contain clues to repairing the compass, as well as potential surveillance from the Drunken Spring Breeze guild.

Aolai Country, by the East Sea—the larger stage and deeper mysteries there seemed to be beckoning to him. This time, however, he was no longer feeling his way alone. At the very least, he knew of Lingdang, a potential ally with special perception, and he had identified factions like Drunken Spring Breeze as forces that required vigilance.

The canvas of this world was slowly unfolding before him, and he would take up the brush more actively, painting his own path. He touched the compass in his inventory and strode toward the north of the city.