Out of the blacksmith's shop, Xu Mu wasted no time and headed directly to the adventurer's guild on the west side of the city.
After paying one hundred taels to join, he was informed that due to the severe sandstorms in Alfheim, the guild needed to wait for the storms to subside before departing, which would be no later than two days.
Xu Mu calculated briefly and felt that no accidents would occur in these two days. He settled down in Tu City with peace of mind. With nothing else to do, he decided to thank Le Lingyun before leaving. Since she wasn't at the incense shop, he wrote a note and stuck it on the door, telling her, "See you at Fulai Tower at 5 PM."
Tu City, 5 PM, the top floor of Fulai Tower.
From here, one could vaguely see the distant horizon, with dust clouds faintly drifting in, appearing 황 red yet emitting light, as if sprinkled from the sun.
Xu Mu and Qiong Qi sat opposite each other. On the table between them, a pot of bright red hot pot steamed. The air was filled with the spicy aroma of meat steeped in chili, making little Qiong Qi drool.
"Eat slowly, no rush, the main guest hasn't arrived yet," Xu Mu said, taking out the fragmented map. He chewed on the piping hot and delicious beef while carefully studying the similarities between the two maps.
"This Fuxi fragment, though appearing to be a small map, actually marks a much larger area than the one drawn by old man Degas," Xu Mu said, pushing the map to Qiong Qi and gesturing on it. "Look here, this area is the central region of Alfheim. Forty li to the front left, twenty-seven li to the center, and eighteen li to the left. There are three stone cave ruins in these three locations."
"These three places take up a palm-sized area on Degas's map, but on the fragment, they are only the size of an egg."
"So, the things drawn on this fragment are the entire core of Alfheim?" Qiong Qi also realized this, saying with some surprise. If they truly had a map of Alfheim's central area, wouldn't the holy relic be within their grasp?
"I guess, even if not the entire thing, it must be the most important part of the core. Otherwise, why would the human emperor Fuxi carry it with him?" Xu Mu's smile deepened. Then, as if remembering something, his chewing suddenly stopped, and he sighed, "The only pity is that the markings on this fragment are too complex. I can't understand what they mean."
"I don't understand either," Qiong Qi and the artifact spirit demon god spoke in unison.
"If Charles were here, it would be great," Xu Mu sighed, then put the map away and focused on eating the hot pot. There was nothing he could do; it was too delicious.
"I've been looking for you everywhere, so you're here," Le Lingyun said, dressed in a light, simple dress, and walked towards Xu Mu with a smile.
The girl had her hair in a ponytail, her voice like a warbler, and a well-proportioned, graceful figure. When she smiled, two shallow dimples appeared on her face, making her very charming.
"I thought you weren't coming. Come sit, the meat in the hot pot is just cooked," Xu Mu said, momentarily lost in thought, then quickly squeezed over to make space and laid out a new set of bowls and chopsticks for the girl.
"You're the only one in Tu City who could have stirred up the entire black market and still be calmly eating hot pot in Tingfeng Pavilion," Le Lingyun said. She picked up a leaf of green vegetable, put it in her mouth, and then her eyes widened, her body stiffening for a moment. She quickly fanned herself with her hand, "So spicy, so spicy, so spicy!"
"What are you afraid of? The Ye family's influence doesn't reach here, and there's no domain lord in this city, so it's very safe," Xu Mu said with a smile, standing up to pour Le Lingyun a bowl of water.
"In any case, you should be careful. My uncle said the Ye family is taking this matter very seriously, and they are almost using their entire clan to search for you, digging three feet deep," Le Lingyun said, draining the tea and then patting her chest in fright, which trembled slightly.
"You've offended the people in the black market. If they report you, the Ye family members should already be on their way to Tu City by now."
"Hmm... it's no use for me to worry," Xu Mu said, calmly sipping the hot soup and letting out a satisfied burp. "The adventurer's group going to Alfheim can only depart in two days, and I have to go with them."
"There's no spatial teleportation array here in Tu City. Even if the Ye family members are rushing here now, two days should not be enough time."
Xu Mu said this and then, as if remembering something, took out the pistol he often used from his spatial ring, a Browning M1911, and handed it to Le Lingyun.
"This thing is called a handgun. You've done so much for me, and even if you're part of the Hunter's Alliance, it might not be safe for you. Keep this for self-defense."
"Handgun?" Le Lingyun looked curious and played with the object in her hand for a few moments, then looked up at Xu Mu, "But I don't know how to use it!"
Xu Mu smiled, then moved his chair closer to the girl, took the handgun with both hands, and began to explain.
"It's a weapon developed by the Zhou Dynasty. You know about matchlocks, right? This thing is actually similar to it, but it's much better in terms of power and convenience than a matchlock."
"Look here, this thing is called a magazine. The magazine is filled with bullets. You just need to load the bullets into the magazine one by one like I do, then insert the magazine into the gun body, pull the bolt, and the bullet is chambered. Finally, you just need to aim at the enemy and pull the trigger with your index finger."
"It sounds quite simple. It doesn't require supernatural abilities?" Le Lingyun followed the steps Xu Mu described, chambering the round and pulling the bolt, then placed her index finger on the trigger, suddenly aiming at Xu Mu.
"Stop messing around," Xu Mu yelped in fright, quickly raising his hands and begging for mercy with a smile.
"Confess honestly, how many young girls have you tricked with this move?" Le Lingyun's voice was cold, her eyes narrowed slightly. "Don't think I didn't notice, you took the opportunity to touch my hand while loading the gun just now!"
"Lewd," little Qiong Qi, chewing on a cabbage leaf, grumbled silently, his six whiskers twitching.
"That... that was an accident. I'm not a pervert, why would I touch your hand?" Xu Mu said with a dry laugh. His original intention was indeed to help Le Lingyun learn how to use the gun, but for some reason, just now, he inexplicably touched her hand.
It was white, smooth, and warm, not rough like he imagined a martial woman's hand would be, but rather like that of a pampered young lady from a wealthy household.
"You really haven't tricked any women?" Le Lingyun pressed on, her eyes narrowed, as if she could fire at any moment.
"I really haven't. In my entire life, I haven't even held a girl's hand," Xu Mu said, scratching his head in embarrassment, his face slightly flushed.
"Oh, alright," Le Lingyun seemed satisfied with this answer, then slowly released her right hand, and several bullets fell out.
"Just scaring you, you dummy," the girl giggled, covering her mouth. Qiong Qi couldn't help but laugh as well. He had remained composed and naturally saw everything.
"You Qiong Qi, how dare you laugh at me." Xu Mu couldn't do anything to Le Lingyun, so he quietly went behind the table, grabbed Qiong Qi, who looked like a tabby cat, and started scratching him ferociously, his claws extended. The latter repeatedly begged for mercy, his paw-like body trembling, which made Le Lingyun laugh heartily.
For a time, the restaurant was filled with laughter.
After an unknown amount of time, Xu Mu stopped and quietly returned to his seat, continuing to eat the remaining hot pot.
"The Ten Thousand Races Alliance, will you go?" Le Lingyun asked Xu Mu curiously.
"Yes," Xu Mu nodded, then, as if remembering something, added, "Provided I can make it out of Alfheim alive."
"You... you're going to look for the holy relic?" Le Lingyun's smile gradually faded upon hearing this.
"Everyone who comes here isn't after the holy relic," Xu Mu said calmly, finishing the rice in his bowl.
"Of course not. Most people only choose to stay on the outskirts," Le Lingyun said, her expression grave.
"Alfheim was a forbidden zone even before the Apocalypse. Even the most renowned adventurer groups dared not venture deep into it, as they would eventually get lost in the sandstorms and become dried bones."
"After the Apocalypse, it became a major pollution disaster zone. The vast desert hides countless great demons and terrifying sandstorms. Even domain lords dare not approach it too closely, let alone search for holy relics within it. You will die!"
Xu Mu clicked his tongue, "I... probably won't die. I have some preparations, so it should just be a matter of time to get out."
"What if you can't get out?" Le Lingyun asked coldly, her emotions seemingly agitated for some reason.
Xu Mu was stunned. He had never considered this possibility.
Because according to Charles, he had the protagonist's script, and he wouldn't die no matter what. And after several life-and-death trials, this seemed to be confirmed. But Le Lingyun's question made him inevitably fearful.
Yes, what if he got lost in the sandstorm forever and couldn't get out? Charles had already disappeared. Could Qiong Qi still take him through space again, avoid spatial turbulence, and get out safely?
"I'm just reminding you, don't overthink it," Le Lingyun coughed twice and turned her head away somewhat unnaturally.
Xu Mu remained silent, thinking deeply for a long time, then said, "There's nothing that can be done about this."
"Actually, I don't know why I have to do these things, but it seems like heaven has already arranged my itinerary. Whether I want to or not, I have to follow this path. And even if I don't go in to search, others will," Xu Mu said faintly. One day, his grey-white pupils would conquer his inner demons, and then he would be locked in the Heavenly Palace at night, just like before.
And given that guy's pride, he would definitely gather all eight great holy relics and uncover the secret of the Apocalypse. However, thinking of this, Xu Mu shook his head slightly and then slowly reached his hand towards the position above his chest, touching a pendant.
His origins were still a mystery.
"What does it have to do with you if others go?" Le Lingyun asked in confusion, unable to understand the complex relationship.
"Never mind, never mind, do whatever you want, it has nothing to do with me," the girl said, huffily moving her chair a little further away.
Under the setting sun, all Xu Mu could do was sigh. He didn't know how to explain it to Le Lingyun, and after thinking for a long time, he suddenly realized that he didn't need to explain it to her.
They were just acquaintances for now.
"Get some rest early, and be careful," Xu Mu placed a full box of bullets on the table, then picked up Qiong Qi and went downstairs.
Le Lingyun sat on the top floor of Fulai Tower, watching Xu Mu below. His retreating figure was stretched long, appearing somewhat desolate. At this moment, she suddenly felt worried, and her breathing inexplicably quickened.
It wasn't until Xu Mu had long disappeared at the street corner that she suddenly realized something. She fanned her ears with her hand, her cherry lips muttering, "What's going on? Why is my heart beating so fast? This forbidden zone is indeed a forbidden zone; just thinking about it is terrifying..."
After a while, Le Lingyun seemed unable to convince herself with this reason, so she picked up the bullet box and used her chopsticks to pick up a piece of meat from the hot pot, saying fiercely,
"It must be because I ate too much hot pot. How hateful!"
The girl fiercely chewed on the green vegetable, her small face flushed a delicate pink, and was charmingly lovely.