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

Upon hearing Fina’s request, Fang Zheng nodded in agreement, and the two of them arrived at a camp on the frontlines of the Twilight Frontier, where Fang Zheng saw two familiar faces.

”Oh, Bishop Carl, Sir Shi Dong, it’s been a while.”

Looking at the two in front of him, Fang Zheng chuckled and waved his hand. They nodded in return upon seeing his arrival.

”It’s really been a while... No, why do I feel like it hasn’t been that long?”

”It’s been about a year and a half since we last met, it feels like ages though.”

”True...”

Upon hearing their sentiments, Fang Zheng shrugged his shoulders. The last time he met them was when the Golden Dragon Girl invited him to a banquet, after which a series of events occurred. Although the Heavenly Dao Palace also joined the Holy Church Kingdom in attacking the Twilight Frontier, both sides were too busy fighting at the time, so there was little interaction.

After that, Fang Zheng had been occupied with his own affairs, spending years in other worlds... thinking about it now, it had been a little over a year since Shi Dong and Carl last saw Fang Zheng, but for Fang Zheng, it felt like decades.

”Bishop Carl, how is the situation?”

After exchanging pleasantries, Fina immediately got to the point, prompting Bishop Carl to furrow his brows and shake his head.

”No good, so far there is no sign of the fog dissipating.”

”Let me take a look...”

Fang Zheng walked to the edge of the camp and looked ahead, indeed seeing a thick fog covering the mountains not far away, resembling layers of cloud sea that hid everything in the permeating white mist.

”True Knowledge Technique.”

Fang Zheng resolutely used a spell, but it proved to be ineffective.

So next...

Fang Zheng opened his personal terminal and connected to the near-earth orbit satellite, but even using satellite detection, the result remained unchanged, the entire area was shrouded in fog, making it impossible to see what was inside.

”This is really baffling.”

Fang Zheng narrowed his eyes and murmured to himself, then turned to Bishop Carl.

”So Bishop Carl, I heard Lady Fina say that some victims returned earlier... are they still alive?”

”Alive they are, but...”

At this point, Bishop Carl hesitated slightly.

”But, their appearance...”

”Regardless, let’s take a look first.”

Although it was Fang Zheng’s own suggestion, he regretted it the moment he entered the tent.

”Oh my gosh...”

Looking at the ”patient” lying on the bed in front of him, Fang Zheng couldn’t help but twitch his eye and his face turned livid. The appearance of the person before him was simply too... disgusting!

Though the person still barely retained a human appearance, it was just that; his entire body had swelled up like a corpse soaked in water, and the bluish-purple skin showed cracks. Not only that, it seemed like eyeball-like things bulged inside these fissures...

”Ugh...ugh...ah!”

Seeing Fang Zheng approach, the ”person” lying in bed suddenly screamed in terror and twisted his body desperately as if trying to escape, but was unable to move at all. Moreover, with his movement, a strange stench emanated from him, making one nauseous.

”Pull yourself together!”

Seeing this scene, Fina promptly raised her wand and then... knocked it on his head.

”Thunk.”

With a soft sound, the next moment the person still struggling closed his eyes and passed out.

”...Weren’t you trying to get him to pull himself together just now?”

Fang Zheng looked at the knocked-out victim and then at Fina, feeling as though he had just misheard.

”His soul is contorting, we have no choice but to make him temporarily unconscious.”

At this point, Fina’s wand emitted a white light beam that enveloped the victim, quickly calming his previously brisk breathing.

”But we really can’t reverse this at all...”

”Why?”

”Because it’s not caused by Chaos.”

”Not by Chaos... huh? Really!”

Upon hearing Fina’s words, Fang Zheng was momentarily stunned, but then realized quickly. Indeed, just now at first glance, he instinctively thought that this guy was like those Demon Beasts infected by Chaos, a victim of the Chaos Aura. However, upon closer inspection, despite the unsettling transformation of this person, there was... truly no trace of Chaos Aura!

”Could it be you guys have purified the Chaos Aura?”

After all, there were Holy Knights, Bishops, and the Pope present, wouldn’t it be easy to purify a little Chaos Aura?

”Not at all, Mr. Fang Zheng, in fact, when he came out, there was no trace of Chaos Aura on him, so...”

”.......”

No wonder Fina showed a troubled expression; indeed, this seemed rather anomalous.

”Then let me give it a try.”

After glancing at the patient again, Fang Zheng immediately left the stinking tent. He then took out a Little Ding Dong from his inventory and tossed it out, soon seeing Little Ding Dong wobble in mid-air before quickly flying forward into the dense fog. At the same time, Fang Zheng opened his personal terminal to carefully observe the scene inside.

In the screen, Little Ding Dong keeps flying forward, but sees nothing—only mist, mist, and more mist, and then .... signal interruption.

”...Hmm?”

Seeing this, Fang Zheng was also dumbfounded. What’s going on? Signal interruption?

Are you kidding me?

From earlier observations, Little Ding Dong flew just a few hundred meters inside.

If that’s the case...

”Iona, is the Recombination Device fixed?”

Fang Zheng immediately contacted his flagship.

”Report to the Commander, the Recombination Device has been repaired.”

”Good, fire at the coordinates for me. I want to see what the heck this thing is!”

Soon, as Fang Zheng’s voice fell, within seconds, a dazzling light beam descended from the sky, heavily impacting the mist. Quickly, accompanied by the beam’s impact, the dense fog began to roll and rotate. However... after the light beam disappeared, the mist did not disperse, but instead returned to its original state.

”This is interesting.”

Seeing this, Fang Zheng finally concentrated his spirit. He raised his right hand, and soon a spark appeared at his fingertip. Fang Zheng flicked his finger, and that spark transformed into a massive Fire Dragon, roaring as it charged into the mist. Quickly, the flames burst forth, tearing apart the thick mist.

”Hehehe, I want to see what’s really hiding inside here...”

However, before Fang Zheng finished speaking, suddenly, with a low rumbling sound, the ground began to tremble, the earth burst open, and the surroundings quaked as if in a huge earthquake. Fire tendrils shot up from gaps in the ground, looking like the end of the world. Seeing this, Fang Zheng’s heart jumped, and he hurriedly withdrew the flames. With the flames gone, the disaster slowly subsided.

”Mr. Fang Zheng, what on earth happened?!”

At this moment, Fina and others hurriedly ran over, and Fang Zheng awkwardly shook his head.

”Nothing major, I was just thinking about whether I could clear this mist, but now it seems I’ve overdone it...”

”I see...”

After hearing Fang Zheng’s explanation, Fina breathed a sigh of relief, though her expression grew more serious.

”But since it can affect the entire world, it means the situation might be more severe than we imagined.”

”Speaking of which, you don’t know what’s inside, do you?”

Fang Zheng looked at Fina, puzzled—being the Goddess of Order, she should know what’s inside, right? However...

”I’m very sorry, Mr. Fang Zheng, I’m just a reincarnated entity. I carry the knowledge of the Goddess of Order, but much of what she’s done wasn’t passed to me.”

”Then I’ll ask others...”

Hearing this, Fang Zheng had no choice but to connect with the collective of the Goddess of Order once more, letting the group of schizophrenics argue for an hour. Finally, an ancient collective showed a memory with similar content, somewhat knowing that the Goddess of Order seemed to have done some experiment there. But as for what experiment... well, in compliance with safety and confidentiality principles, it was erased from memory.

MMP, isn’t it a bit much to wipe everything out?

At least leave a keyword! Why make it so mysteriously secretive? Although it’s understandable to prevent chaos corrosion just in case, but... okay, talking about it now is pointless.

This Goddess of Order should never write detective novels. With her style, if she went to a detective shooting scene as a perpetrator, even Sherlock Holmes, Kindaichi, and Conan would hang themselves together.

No chances or clues given at all!

What now?

Hanging up, Fang Zheng looked at the mist before him, rubbing his chin.

How about... going in and taking a look?

Actually, no need to go inside. Generally, according to many novels, animations, and movies, such forbidden areas are sealed and left alone. In web novels, you never see any Legendary Powerhouse break in just for fun. Generally, it’s the protagonist who enters, enduring near-death experiences to gain opportunities and insights of great power... Oh, wait, I’m the protagonist.

With that thought, Fang Zheng calmed down.

He now has the protagonist aura of the World of Love supporting him, what is there to fear?

Though Fang Zheng decided to go, there’s still one issue.

That’s other people wanting to tag along.

In the past, when Fang Zheng traveled to other worlds, due to the time difference, the Heavenly Dao Palace folks did not wait long. But this time, in the world at the coordinates, since time is synchronized, and because the coordinates are suspected of being corrupted by Chaos, Fang Zheng forbade others from entering, making a group of young ones quite frustrated.

Though Fang Zheng later returned, setting up dates with Asuna, Black Cat, and Eiriri to appease them, there were still many young ones who didn’t have the chance.

Naturally, everyone jostled to go with Fang Zheng to see what’s in the mist.

With disagreements, both sides finally decided to draw lots to settle things, and the one who emerged victorious was...

”I didn’t expect you’d come.”

Looking at the Little Angel before him, Fang Zheng sighed, while Nymph blinked bashfully.

”Because I haven’t gone on an adventure with Master in a long time.”

”Yeah... it’s been a long time indeed.”

Upon hearing Nymph’s answer, Fang Zheng couldn’t help but feel nostalgic. Since the establishment of the Heavenly Dao Palace, Nymph remained there, except for the Azure Fleet event, she hadn’t left again. Thinking about it now, it has indeed been a long time since he and Nymph acted alone.

”Then, let’s go.”

With that thought, Fang Zheng reached out to pat Nymph’s little head, and Nymph blushed slightly, nodding.

Then, the two walked toward the depths of the thick mist.