Dimensional Codex System: I'm really not a cultist!

Chapter 222: Chapter 221 Killing and Robbing are Mutual Actions (Part 1)

“Haaa……”

Following behind Fang Zheng and Tilia, Nanoka couldn’t stop yawning, looking utterly exhausted.

“Do Fire Mist Warriors also get tired?”

Amusedly watching Nanoka, who seemed to be sleepwalking, Fang Zheng wasn’t as displeased as Tilia. Since this girl had become obsessed with video games, she hadn’t closed her eyes for several days in a row. Apart from running errands for Fang Zheng and Tilia during the day, Nanoka had been spending all her remaining time playing games.

“Fire Mist Warriors might not need to eat, but they still need to rest their minds. Lately, Nanoka has been playing way too much…”

King Sanya of the Crimson Realm, attached to Nanoka’s bracelet, couldn’t help but complain, while Nanoka just pouted.

...

“What can I do, the game is just too fun. I really want to know what happens next, like who built that ‘Aura’ and why there is a Hongmo sealed there, and the Forerunner’s equipment, and… Oh, right, Sanya, from now on can I call you Cortana, please?”

“I refuse!!”

Hearing this, Sanya instantly bristled.

“I am your Contractor! Nanoka, wake up a bit. That ‘Cortana’ is just an AI, similar to a ‘Phosphorus’ presence! And I’m not any less than Cortana! I am the noble King of the Crimson Realm! You really think I’m inferior to an AI?!”

“Really, you’ve lost all the face of the Followers of the Crimson Realm.”

As she clung to Fang Zheng’s arm, Tilia also didn’t forget to constantly strike at Sanya, much like that Follower of the Crimson Realm Fang Zheng had eliminated earlier. She believed that those Demon Kings of the Crimson Realm who contracted with Fire Mist Warriors were essentially acting as executioners who helped outsiders slaughter their kin… well, it’s like seeing a translator who, while smiling respectfully next to the enemy, says, ‘This way please, my lord’. It’s just downright irksome.

Therefore, Tilia took every chance to mock Sanya, and Sanya, clearly not as quick-witted as Tilia, could only helplessly endure the sarcasm.

“However, speaking of which… Elder Brother, have you noticed? The bugs that have been secretly watching us have increased.”

“Yes, I’ve noticed it too.”

Upon hearing Tilia’s whisper, Fang Zheng nodded and then discreetly glanced behind them. Ever since they had entered this area, they had been under the covert surveillance of Fire Mist Warriors. At first, Fang Zheng didn’t care too much, thinking these Fire Mist Warriors had simply learned their lesson, given his and Tilia’s burgeoning reputations. Any rational Fire Mist Warrior would think twice before troubling them.

But as time passed, the number of Fire Mist Warriors trailing them didn’t decrease but increased instead, which struck Fang Zheng as strange. According to what Shana had said at the time, there is generally only one Fire Mist Warrior in charge of an area. Others would leave if they detected a fellow’s presence. However, according to Tilia and Nanoka, this area was very peaceful, with no Fire Mist Warriors or Followers of the Crimson Realm, so theoretically, it shouldn’t be attracting so many Fire Mist Warriors.

And with that, the reason they had gathered together became clear.

He bore no hatred towards the Fire Mist Warrior, but that didn’t matter because just yesterday, Shana had called him and revealed something to him.

He had the news of the Zero Hour Resurgence, and for some reason, it had already spread; now, most of the Followers of the Crimson Realm and the Fire Mist Warriors were aware of it.

Strictly speaking, this could be traced back to Shana, since it was she who had submitted the report to the outside world. However, at that time, Shana and Fang Zheng were not very familiar with each other, and she was still a “qualified Fire Mist Warrior,” obliged to report on anyone possessing the Noble Phantasm of Zero Hour Resurgence.

Indeed, it was after reading her report that Wilhelmina came to Goki City.

Shana was no fool; after asking Wilhelmina, she knew the reason behind it and felt terribly sorry for Fang Zheng, even foregoing her usual haughtiness to call and apologize to him. Honestly, it was not Shana’s fault, as she did not know at that time that the Followers of the Crimson Realm were also searching for the Zero Hour Resurgence; yet, since she was the one who had spilled the beans, Shana would not just let it slide.

According to Shana, the Nordic division of the outer lodge seemed to plan on forcibly taking the Zero Hour Resurgence from him. Well, it seems these folks are just asking for trouble.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven—just a series of Gourd Kids, alas, there is no grandfather here for you to rescue.

“No worries, we’ll go on our own.”

Thinking this, Fang Zheng smiled slightly and then spoke. Hearing his reply, Tilia also revealed a sweet smile and tightly embraced Fang Zheng’s arm.

“Ok, Elder Brother,”

Accompanied by Tilia, Fang Zheng continued wandering the streets of this small town. They did not opt for any tourist attractions; for Fang Zheng, instead of going to the bustling tourist spots, he preferred wandering around in these small towns. In his view, traveling was all about experiencing the local culture and customs. And those tourist attractions were mostly for outsiders. Just like how not all African people live on trees or how Egyptians no longer use the Pyramids as tombs today, to feel the true flavor, one must delve into the masses, into the countryside, into the cultural life of the people…ahem, I digress.

It was still morning in the small town, with few people on the streets. Following the cobblestone road, Fang Zheng and Tilia silently moved forward, admiring the scenery along the way. Nanoka, following them, yawned with her eyes half closed, moving as if sleepwalking. For her, the scenery here was just a part of daily life, something she was long accustomed to, and found nothing special.

Next time I have a chance, I should take Nymph out for a stroll too.

Watching Tilia alongside him, smiling sweetly, Fang Zheng couldn’t help but remember the Little Angel; of course, he didn’t wish to favor one over the other. Since he didn’t bring the Little Angel along this time, he would have to find time to make it up to her later. He wondered how the Little Angel was doing in the Main World, but fortunately, the Summoning Stone on the Dimensional Codex was intact, which meant the Little Angel should not have encountered any danger.

Ah, if it weren’t for that chain…

Thinking this, Fang Zheng suddenly felt irritated again. Although that woman’s soul had been collected by Malthael, Fang Zheng still felt incredibly irritated when he thought about it. He wondered what it would cost to repair that chain. Or could he find similar clues in this world?

“Elder Brother?”

“It’s about time.”

Upon hearing Tilia’s reminder, Fang Zheng’s expression also darkened as he reigned in his drifting thoughts. He had already felt the seven Fire Mist Warriors converging on them from all directions. Clearly, they felt that the encirclement had formed and were ready to make their move.

However, Fang Zheng obviously wouldn’t let them act first. In the sealing, it was impossible to release a second seal, which was currently the greatest weakness of Fang Zheng’s ability. If the opponent released their seal before him, then his own seal wouldn’t be able to be deployed. Therefore, Fang Zheng almost never unveiled his seal before others, unless…

“Seal.”

In just the blink of an eye, the small town originally enveloped in green vanished into a vast snowy plain, where the cold wind, mingled with snowflakes, howled across the wilderness, striking those dumbstruck Fire Mist Warriors.

“Alright, you stalkers, it must’ve been tiring following me all this way. Now, tell me, what do you want from me?”

Fang Zheng stood in the midst of the snowy plain, coldly eyeing the Fire Mist Warriors surrounding him. Nanoka seemed still not to have snapped back to reality, just standing there dazed. Meanwhile, Tilia had already moved back a step with a smile, subtly positioning herself next to Nanoka.

“We are members of the foreign subsidiary in Eastern Europe.”

Upon hearing Fang Zheng’s question, one of the tall men in a suit, who was eyeing him darkly, spoke up. Although he had sensed that the seal Fang Zheng released was different from what they had anticipated, the eerie nature of the seal still unnerved him. After all, this seal seemed more suited for combat…

Even so, the man in the suit remained unshaken; he was an experienced Fire Mist Warrior, having battled the Followers of the Crimson Realm for centuries and had quite a reputation among the Fire Mist Warriors. What sort of tremendous storms hadn’t he seen? How could he be perturbed by such trickery?

“We’ve received intelligence that the Noble Phantasm ‘Zero Hour Resurgence’ is in your possession.”

“That’s right.”

Fang Zheng clasped his hands behind his back, smiling slightly.

“I hope you will hand it over.”

“If you had heard a bit more, you should know… that’s impossible.”

The smile on Fang Zheng’s face remained unchanged, but the refusal in his tone was clear for all to hear. Upon his response, the man in the suit snorted coldly.

“Don’t think that having some slight power makes you all-important. This world is much bigger than you think. The ‘Masquerade Ball’ is searching for ‘Zero Hour Resurgence’. Although we don’t know why those damn Followers of the Crimson Realm are so keen on this Noble Phantasm, since they are so focused on it, we must not let them succeed. In the worst-case scenario, even destroying this Noble Phantasm would be within reason.”

“Well said, but unfortunately, this is my property.”

In response to the man in the suit, Fang Zheng remained unmoved. Looking at the unyielding Fang Zheng, the expressions of the fire mist warriors, led by the man in the suit, grew increasingly unfriendly.

“What do you mean by that? Do you think having this Noble Phantasm makes you more important than the world itself? Do you know how many times the Fire Mist Warriors have saved humanity? Without us, do you think you could still be living this life?”

“Did I ask you to?”

“… What did you say?”

Stunned by Fang Zheng’s retort, the man was taken aback while Fang Zheng gave a cold smile.

“Did humanity ask you? Did you see any humans kneeling before you, saying ‘please, save us’? Did they say that? Did you do that? Did you save the world for humanity? I don’t think so. The existence of you Fire Mist Warriors is for maintaining the balance of the world and seeking revenge, right? So do you truly care if humans live or die?”

As he spoke, Fang Zheng’s eyes narrowed.

“… In other words, if the Crimson Realm’s Followers were devouring pigs, cattle, sheep, and chickens instead of humans, then you would be fighting for them instead. So why should humanity be grateful for what you do? To you, whether they survive is just a byproduct of your goals. Since you yourself aren’t fighting for humanity, aren’t you now using this as a poor excuse?”

“… It seems you’ve been with the Crimson Realm’s Followers too long and have lost human values.”

The expression of the man in the suit had now turned as cold as millennia-old ice.

“Then, don’t blame us for being impolite.”

“Yes, I won’t be polite either.”

“Boom!!”

As Fang Zheng’s words fell, the icy plain suddenly trembled; then, right in front of the man in the suit, the surface of the ice, previously smooth as a mirror, suddenly shattered. A massive Skeleton Dragon then emerged, towering its head high and eying its prey.

That’s right, Fang Zheng normally wouldn’t release his trump card unless necessary.

And once he did deploy his seal in actual combat, there was only one reason.

Matters of killing and plundering were always mutual.

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