What Are You Standing Around For?

A high, clear tolling of bells swept across the entire city in an instant. After greedily devouring every scrap of dissipated spiritus across the Border Realm in a single gulp, visible ripples of spiritus radiated outward in all directions from atop the bell tower. Then, the earth trembled and the heavens quaked! Dumbfounded, Ji Jue gripped Little Niuma, struggling to keep his footing amidst the violent shaking. Yet all around him, the shattered ruins were actually restoring themselves at a pace visible to the naked eye! It was as if time were flowing in reverse. Dust whirled and rose, flaked-off stones flew back into place, and the fragmented skylights knit whole once more, returning even more intricate and resplendent than before. Everything was transforming at breakneck speed. Generally speaking, aside from its controls over every aspect of its operation, an outstanding workshop possessed an underlying instruction set composed of complex commands governing all facets of its environment. Accumulated over time and refined and expanded across generations of artisans, it would grow increasingly intricate and versatile, gradually becoming capable of handling ever more complex situations and chaos. At times, it could make one feel it possessed the flexible, adaptive intellect of a living creature. Going one step further, it could even be directly endowed with a soul. Among the legendary workshops surviving today, every single one achieved peerless renown in its respective specialty; some workshops were even creations composed of multiple Celestial Crafts! Now, within this workshop that spanned an entire Border Realm and had weathered four hundred years of wind, frost, rain, and snow, its predetermined instructions had been initiated. Damage level too high? Then self-repair! The workshop would draw upon dissipated spiritus, convert all reserve power, and readjust its internal environment to its preset parameters and form. —Reshaping! Yet on such a gargantuan scale, this was... far too exaggerated! Through the bizarre glass before him, Ji Jue could see time seemingly rewinding across the entire city. Countless invisible hands manipulated everything, holding dominion over all to rebuild the entire world. Collapsed high-rises rose from the ground anew, dismembered corpses knit back together, withered plants regained vitality, and even the dark clouds above the heavens dispersed without a trace. Disordered stars returned to their positions, sinking away along with the night sky as dazzling sunlight shone down. And at the edge of the sky, the once broken, solemn tower seemed to recover its original shape, radiating brilliant light. Streets bustled again with pedestrians, filled with vibrant clamor. It was as if a god had lightly tapped a finger, restoring everything that had crumbled. Except... there seemed to be discrepancies with the blueprints. Across four hundred years, through countless cycles of reconstruction and repair, errors had compounded upon errors, and discrepancies had amplified upon discrepancies. In the end, it had morphed into the scene before them—seemingly normal, yet deeply eerie. A skyscraper that should have been straight twisted unnaturally; its lower half looked like architecture, but its upper half had turned into a mountain range with an actual waterfall cascading down. A graceful young woman strolling down the street was striking and glamorous, but she had four eyes on her face, and a third leg behind her hips twitched and swung aimlessly. In her hand, she held a leash attached to a squirming, dog-like thing. The roads appeared orderly, but close inspection revealed far too many incomprehensible setups and furnishings. Much like the AI-generated imagery that had grown popular in recent years: at a fleeting glance, the world seemed utterly peaceful, yet it concealed far too many bone-chilling details. "W-w-w-who are you?" Beneath the rubble of what had been collapsed brick and stone, crushed limbs reassembled themselves. When the figure rose, it turned into an impeccably dressed gentleman, scrutinizing the people who shouldn't have been in a luxury mansion: "L-l-l-leave, or I will c-c-call the p-p-police—" On his face, two mouths spoke words in disjointed dissonance, but suddenly froze in place, as if lagging. Incomprehensible phrases kept spilling out, until finally, as if losing his soul, he slumped into a daze. Completely unresponsive. "Brother Ball, what's going on?" Ji Jue lifted the puzzle ball. [Heh, runaway error, obviously. Left unattended for centuries, and you expect it not to have a single bug?] The puzzle ball mocked: [Times have changed. In modern alchemy, workshop repairs must incorporate calibration values, reference blueprints, and scheduled schematics... God only knows where the glitch started.] It added: [Hurry up, kid. The chance has come!] Even a blind person could feel the sudden change. By now, the anomaly at the bell tower had drawn the attention of countless outsiders. Anyone with working legs was sprinting this way—some even faster than Ji Jue and company. A few figures leaped and bounded, arriving around the bell tower in just a few breaths. Seeing no one else had reached it yet, one person leaped into the air, lunging straight toward the tower... only to slam face-first into an invisible wall, swiftly roasted into charcoal by the lightning and fire bursting from it. Blood-curdling screams and shrieks drifted down alongside the falling ash. Causing who knew how many onlookers' skin to crawl. [See that? That's what happens when you lead with your thick skull,] the puzzle ball sneered. [Even people who keep jewelry at home know to buy a safe. Did they really think a workshop's defense measures were nonexistent? Learn something from this, kid—don't touch what you shouldn't touch, and don't mess with what you shouldn't mess with, got it?] The first person to eat the crab died right before everyone's eyes, striking temporary dread into their hearts, but that couldn't deter the Celestial Chosen with their myriad tricks. Ji Jue and An Ran leaned against the windowsill, eating snacks and watching the scene by the bell tower like spectators watching a drama. Someone dragged a few stiff pedestrians from the street and tossed them toward the barrier; sparks flashed and faded. Noticing that any object attempting to approach from above triggered the defenses, a quick-witted fellow summoned his courage and walked straight across the ground. Step by step, cautious and tentative. Every onlooker held their breath. Only when he touched the door did he finally let out a sigh of relief. And then, the man shattered into two pieces. Behind the bell tower's massive doorway, a blade thin as paper sliced down silently, flashing past... splitting his smile straight in half. Blood erupted like a geyser. "Holy shit, so damn violent!" Ji Jue drew in a sharp breath. "These wasabi-flavored shrimp crackers taste pretty good, Xiao An, want to try one?" "Cucumber-flavored potato chips are awful." An Ran asked carefully, "Can I throw them away?" "Why would such an abomination even exist?" Ji Jue was horrified. Finally recalling Ye Chun sneaking snacks into his bag like a thief before they set off, his temper flared. You lazy dog! How dare you poison your junior brother like this? Just wait till we get out of this Border Realm—I'm submitting that thesis I finished rewriting days ago! You won't even get second authorship this time! Just wait and weep over your assignment that only has an opening three hundred words... BOOM! When bullets and explosives blew the bell tower's doorway into dust, a massive, burly silhouette slowly emerged from the dark, the shadows behind him sealing the entrance. The hunched figure draped in a black robe slowly unfolded four arms, drawing daggers and swords of different shapes. The blades were rusted, serrated, and jagged. As though suffering from years of disrepair, even its hideous, grotesque mask was chipped and faded. Gears and mechanical linkages were faintly exposed beneath. Yet its movement was unimaginably fast. Darting like a dark shadow, it swept across the plaza. In an instant, the intruders lay dead across the ground; not a single one could even put up a fight. "Boss, this is a tough nut to crack," Slan, Knight Commander of the Knights of Homecoming, drew a sharp breath. "Are you sure you want to force our way in?" "At this point, we have no other choice," Lou Feng squeezed out through gritted teeth. "I know this is a huge ask, but we have no alternative." "The contract already has relevant clauses, so I have no objection." Slan went silent for a moment before speaking slowly: "However, given how troublesome the opponent is, I hope you can add some extra compensation for this operation." "I'll double it," Lou Feng answered decisively. And so, the two shook hands, a deal struck. Outside the plaza, the gathered Knights of Homecoming exchanged glances, dropped their packs and supplies, and quickly helped each other don heavy armor. Ghost-gods from Mid-Continent mythology were engraved upon the thick suits of plate, gradually cloaking every inch of skin. Wisps of crimson blood-qi seeped from the crevices of their armor, swirling and drifting together until they formed a dense red mist. Strife, slaughter, duel, killing, war. This was the domain of the Swarm. Walking the path of the Swarm meant turning oneself into an instrument of destructive power. The knights loyal to the Red King received the blessings of the Swarm; war spread like mycelium, uncontrollable and relentless. In endless conflict, blood-qi and life gathered, etched onto the victor's honors. A few dozen Knights of Homecoming were enough to summon the boon of the [Colony]. A horn sounded. Six-legged giant steeds materialized from the void, obediently trotting up to the knights, who swung into their saddles. And in the knights' hands materialized exaggerated lances over nine meters long. The banner of the Blood Nation unfurled here; the Celestial Chosen who had once overthrown the White Nation and the White King displayed the power of the Swarm. "This victory is dedicated to the Red King!" Slan's roar boomed like thunder. Mounted on his giant steed, the knight charged out at the vanguard, followed by a mere dozen or so mounts that nonetheless thundered forward like an unstoppable iron torrent. Audaciously, they launched a challenge against the guardian left behind by the Sage. Amidst thunderous iron hooves, the iron torrent collided with the giant. Pure force clashed, darkness jolting and blood-qi boiling. Encircled by the knights' fierce assault, a life-or-death battle erupted! "Does it really have to be this dramatic?" Behind the window, Ji Jue gaped in disbelief, lamenting the decay of public morals: *Hey guys, ganging up on him like this isn't fair!* Especially when he saw the guardian who emerged from the bell tower being faintly suppressed... *Crap, is Lou Feng's crew actually going to pull this off?* *Should I play dirty... and take a potshot?* However, the Knights of Homecoming were seasoned veterans after all. Even while engaging a powerful foe, several knights continued to patrol the perimeter, vigilant against ambushes hidden in the shadows, guarding Lou Feng so thoroughly that not a drop of water could leak through. They looked every bit the pros who loved boss drops, but loved their employer even more—holding both firmly with an iron grip. Steady, methodical, never reckless. Professional, too damn professional... For a moment, with Ji Jue's petty experience in underhanded sneakiness, even he felt completely stumped. He couldn't help sighing: "Looks like we can only wait for them to tear each other apart." [Huh?] The puzzle ball was baffled: [Why don't you just go in?] "Huh?" Ji Jue was dumbfounded. [Just... go straight in!] The puzzle ball asked bluntly: [Why would anyone be stupid enough to butt heads with the defense program? Can't you just take the back door? With me here, the workshop's detection routine won't even find where you are. What, just because you don't have an invitation, you have to wait until Quicksilver comes back to life, opens the door, and invites you in for tea?] As it spoke, a faint glow emanated from it, enveloping the two people and one mount. At the same time, a guiding map was projected from the ball, showing a hidden entrance behind the tower, along with an identification circuit so complex it made Ji Jue dizzy—a counterfeit key disguised as normal authorization. The key was right here, and the entrance was marked for him. All that was missing was the ball physically grabbing Ji Jue's legs and tossing him inside. [So, the hell are you standing around for?] The puzzle ball urged: [Get moving!]