Chapter 230 - 228: The Dreaming Black Text

Yang Shen stared at the doodle of the "Three-headed Dragon," his voice cold. "This monster... how big is it?"

The Noon Realm had no concept of a dragon—at least, the Noon Realm People who were now struggling to survive didn’t. However, they had learned the pronunciation of "dragon" from the Rebel Species, even if they were unaware of the cultural significance behind it.

The old man gestured. "Big enough to fill the entire Xi Race’s habitat."

Yang Shen glanced out the window...

This cavern was vaster than a full-sized stadium...

’Doesn’t that mean it’s over a thousand meters long? Is that possible?’

’By comparison, wouldn’t the Fear Eel he encountered on the way here be like a mere caterpillar next to this dragon?’

’Is that even plausible?’

’Could it be that the Noon Realm People are just bad at math, or have a poor sense of spatial awareness...?’

"The colossal monster awoke, and the entire sea began to boil. Of our forty clansmen, only two made it back alive... That group’s ship sank as well, but then an even bigger one came..."

"We hoped to go to the continent, but we were worried they would deceive us, so the Mo Race left a mark on that treasure..."

The Mo Race and the Hei Race were close. It was said that they were one family a thousand years ago but had to split due to overpopulation.

That was also how Black Rope was able to find traces of the Jade in the Jinshui District. The Rebel Species weren’t familiar enough with the power of Curse Engraving, so a precaution had been taken against them.

"Only the Xi, Hei, and Mo Races know about this. Even among the Twelve Clans, some are closer than others. I admit that after seeing a glimmer of ’hope,’ I had selfish motives. I wanted my own clan to benefit more, and sooner. You have a long-standing cooperation with the Hei Race; I wonder if they’ve revealed this secret to you."

Yang Shen didn’t know. He hadn’t even reached the Hei Race yet—he was lost, wasn’t he?

But he suspected the Hei Race hadn’t told the whole story either.

Just as the old man said, everyone was willing to cooperate in times of despair, but once "hope" appeared, selfish motives were inevitable.

After making contact with Cyan Blue, it was difficult for them to grasp the full picture, but it wasn’t hard to sense that the world was about to change. It was only human nature to hold out for the best offer.

After listening, Yang Shen’s mind raced...

A timeline began to connect in his Sea of Consciousness.

At least nine months ago, or perhaps even a few years ago, the Rebel Species brought the "Dragon" to the Vast Sea Center by some means. They quietly conducted experiments in the nearby waters—to be precise, they were using the Vast Sea’s abundant food resources to sustain the "Dragon."

At that time, the "Dragon" may have already been in a semi-uncontrollable state.

Seven months ago, the Noon Realm People discovered the Gate of the Exotic Realm on their own. After arriving on Cyan Blue, they were trapped on a deserted island, where they encountered a ship belonging to the Rebel Species.

The Noon Realm People paid a heavy price to steal the "Twin Dragon Jade" from the dragon’s head, which they then used to cooperate with the Rebel Species.

And that dragon flew into a rage, triggering an abnormal migration and rampage among the Sea Beasts.

Six months ago, the Tattooed Guest was sent to Yanhua’s Jinshui District, where he was set up and died in the Big Pharmacy. Afterward, Yanhua learned of the Noon Realm’s existence and began preparations for its development.

Five to four months ago, right before Yang Shen’s college entrance exams, Yanhua arrived at "Harmony Island." At the same time, the Rebel Species leaked the news to the other three major powers.

At the time, a few scattered Noon Realm People were still on the island, unwilling to leave the clear sky, but they were quickly brought under control.

After that, the situation became what it is today, with the three major powers wary of each other and engaging in sabotage, but things have remained relatively orderly overall.

But... there was a serious problem with all this.

The "Sea Beast rampage" that caused his Uncle’s death was eight months ago; it had been on the news.

But the "Sea Beast rampage" caused by the theft of the Twin Dragon Jade was seven months ago...

In other words, his Uncle died *before* the Dragon Jade was stolen.

Either there were two "Sea Beast rampages"...

Or... there was another secret behind the incident that killed his Uncle.

Yang Shen let out a long breath. Regardless, the intelligence from the Xi Race was extremely valuable.

"I understand. Thank you for your clan’s support."

The old man looked at the boxes again, his eyes filled with longing.

Yang Shen didn’t waste any more words. He pulled out two boxes according to their numbers; they were full of vacuum-sealed food.

"These two boxes of food are for you. As for the medicine, I can only give you what I have for personal use. You wouldn’t know how to use the ones in the other boxes without professional knowledge."

His personal supply wasn’t small. It was a whole medical kit with items for emergency hemostasis, anti-inflammatories, treating bruises and sprains, and life-saving measures. Yang Shen gave them a simple lesson on how to use everything.

"I won’t give you any water. Among the Twelve Clans, the Xi Race is the only one that doesn’t lack water, since you have an entire Underground Lake."

"You should be able to use these two bags of seeds. The Hei Race has already verified that they can be planted. I believe this should be enough to trade for your intelligence."

The old man said hastily, "It’s enough... more than enough... You are too generous!"

Yang Shen felt no reservations about giving away the supplies. Yanhua itself wanted to win over as many clans as possible; they just hadn’t gotten to the Xi Race yet because it was too remote.

Even if he reported this, no one would say a single bad word about him.

To Yanhua, these supplies were merely scarce, not precious. In an extreme situation, Yang Shen could even abandon all of them to prioritize his own safety.

The Xi Race members left with the supplies, overjoyed. They wouldn’t eat the food right away, as it could be preserved for a long time. The Yanhu People had given them a little during their first contact.

They were especially careful with the emergency medical supplies Yang Shen had given them. They didn’t even dare to touch the pristine white gauze, afraid of getting it dirty.

The old man wanted to invite Yang Shen to a meal, but Yang Shen refused for safety reasons. He would only consume the food and water he had brought himself.

Besides, food from the Noon Realm would be considered worse than pig slop on Cyan Blue.

This wasn’t out of contempt, but a reflection of their harsh reality.

The old man led Yang Shen to an empty room. The earthen bed inside wasn’t even covered with straw; any organic matter was precious in the Noon Realm.

"Our esteemed guest, please rest here for the night. There’s a sandstorm outside. Once it subsides tomorrow, we will escort you to the Hei Race."

The man was shrewd. Escorting Yang Shen to the Hei Race was only part of it; the most important thing was to re-establish contact with the "outsiders."

Yang Shen didn’t refuse. The locals would have a much easier time finding the way than he would.

After speaking, the old man pointed to the fair-skinned girl behind him. "Since you’ve taken a liking to this child, Sir, let her stay in the room and serve you. If you have the need, please, do with her as you please."

The moral concepts of the Noon Realm People had long since diverged after centuries of struggle. Xu Mo had warned him about this before he set out.

For example... increasing the population was both extremely important and extremely dangerous.

And because they lacked any means of "prevention," most Noon Realm People would only be intimate once or twice in their entire lives.

It was indeed a very repressed existence.

However, the old man had other plans. He hoped to try and obtain the bloodline of an "outsider."

The Twelve Clans had long known that these outsiders were all extremely powerful... any single one of them surpassed the strongest members of their respective clans...

Although this was because only the elites from Cyan Blue could come here, it was nonetheless true.

Physically, they far surpassed the Noon Realm People.

The Cyan Blue Star People who came here started at the Innate level, whereas the pinnacle for the Noon Realm was merely the "Innate" realm—a level that might not even produce one person in several generations.

Yang Shen looked at the shepherd girl with her innocent face and said after a moment, "One isn’t enough. Bring me another."

"I prefer one who’s literate."

...

After the old man left, Yang Shen meditated on the earthen bed, with the numerous boxes piled in a corner.

The shepherd girl knelt silently to the side, accompanied by a slightly older girl who looked to be about fifteen.

It was the Clan Leader’s granddaughter... from the looks of it, she had even been specially bathed before being sent over.

They were said to be here to serve him, but given the poverty of the Noon Realm, they had nothing to offer but themselves...

After a long while, Yang Shen opened his eyes.

’The Spiritual Qi concentration in the Noon Realm... is far, far lower than on Cyan Blue.’

After coming to this Exotic Realm, Yang Shen became even more certain of how uniquely blessed Cyan Blue was.

Both in terms of the ambient Spiritual Qi and the physique of the Cyan Blue Star People...

On his way here earlier, he had secretly left behind "Array Materials," and the area around this small hut was now enveloped by an "Alarm Array."

For the first two hours, someone had been lurking nearby, but after a while, they seemed to have been called back by others, and an argument had broken out.

Yang Shen waited until everyone had left before taking out his translator. He spoke a few sentences, using the Clan Leader’s granddaughter to read the text, but his words were directed at the shepherd girl.

"Where are your sheep?"

The shepherd girl replied, "They’re not my sheep. They belong to the clan."

Yang Shen: "Which clan is your father from?"

The translator was passed back to the Clan Leader’s granddaughter, who then relayed the message orally to the shepherd girl.

The shepherd girl’s eyes lit up; she had clearly been wanting to talk about this for a long time. "The Hei Race! My father is from the Hei Race!"

’Just as I thought...’

He had thought the shepherd girl’s face looked somewhat familiar earlier.

She resembled the man in the Big Pharmacy, the one who had gouged out his own eyes.

The scene had been so shocking that Yang Shen remembered it clearly.

The girl clutched the translator and chattered nonstop, her face full of excitement. "My father is a great hero of the Hei Race! He discovered the ’Gate’! And he was the first person to pass through it."

"My father is also the strongest person in the Hei Race. Many clansmen followed him. He was the one who led us to find hope!"

The translator was passed back and forth like this, with the Clan Leader’s granddaughter constantly translating, leaving the freshly bathed girl a little bewildered.

She thought she had been brought here to carry on a bloodline.

Instead, she was here to relay messages.

Yang Shen asked about his appearance and was finally able to confirm that the shepherd girl’s father was indeed the brawny man who had gouged out his own eyes.

To be able to use a Curse Engraving Secret Technique to seal the pharmacy, even at the cost of sacrificing himself, meant he could be considered among the absolute strongest of the Noon Realm People.

The girl said excitedly, "My father is the bravest man in the Hei Race! The others didn’t dare explore the outside world, but he alone would leave the clan’s lands every year to venture far away, exploring tirelessly. If it weren’t for him, no one would have ever discovered the ’Gate’!"

’So that’s how it was...’ Yang Shen thought.

"Some people in the Hei Race didn’t like him. They called him ’Black Text the Dreamer.’ But my father told me there was always hope. This world is so big, there must be a place where we don’t have to endure sandstorms, fight the Corpse Calamity, or just struggle to survive. He said he would spend his entire life searching for such a place!"

The shepherd girl even forgot her duty, standing up and describing him vividly, her face beaming with pride.

"And he really did it! He brought back green plants! He brought back the fish of legends! He brought hope back to the Twelve Clans."

The girl looked at Yang Shen with anticipation:

"You came from the other side of the Gate. Have you met my father? He used to come see me every year, but I haven’t heard from him in a very long time."

Yang Shen held the translator for a long time—so long that the light in the shepherd girl’s eyes slowly faded.

"I understand... You’ve probably never heard my father’s name... You have no news of him, right? That’s normal."

Yang Shen nodded.

The shepherd girl sat back down in the corner, hugging her knees, and said no more.

Yang Shen resumed his cross-legged meditation. Only the Clan Leader’s granddaughter occasionally glanced toward the earthen bed, as if contemplating whether she should climb onto it.

After a long time, the shepherd girl suddenly came forward again and picked up the translator. She stared at the unfamiliar screen and the completely incomprehensible interface for a long while.

Long enough for a light to reappear in her eyes.

"Did he die... bravely...?"

Yang Shen didn’t open his eyes.

"Bravely."

In truth, Black Text had been tricked and killed by the Rebel Species. As the pinnacle of the Noon Realm People, he had died from "Martial Arts Psychosis" without any real achievements to his name.

To Yanhua, a madman from an Exotic Realm was definitely not someone who could be "let go."

But his death, objectively, had indeed drawn Yanhua’s attention to the "Noon Realm" and brought hope back to the Noon Realm People.

"And it had value."

The room fell silent again, until a long time later... when a phrase came in the Noon Realm tongue that even Yang Shen could understand.

"That’s good, then..."

’At least Father died chasing his dream.’