Chapter 156: A Carefully Crafted Truth

An eerie silence fell over the hall, quiet enough to hear a pin drop.

All eyes fixed on Su Mu, filled with a complex mix of emotions: shock, dread, wild joy, fear...

The fear naturally came from the scarred man. He had just bent down to retrieve his gun, but at Pang Yang's words, his face drained of color and a faint tremble took hold of his body. He froze, caught in a dilemma—afraid to pick up the weapon, yet equally afraid to leave it.

"Is Mr. Su a Gold Transcendent?" King Hu Jie asked, breaking the silence.

Su Mu took a slow sip of coconut wine before parting his lips. "No."

Hu Jie's eyes flickered. "Forgive my presumption, but how did you enter the Black Fog and return alive?"

"You are indeed being presumptuous."

"..." Hu Jie was left completely speechless.

The scarred man carefully picked up his gun and returned to his seat in silence. He kept his head bowed, not uttering a single word, as if terrified of drawing Su Mu's attention.

No one present was a fool. They knew very well that for Su Mu to return alive from the Black Fog, even if he wasn't a Gold powerhouse, he was absolutely not someone to provoke.

Others might have dreaded Su Mu, but Yang Dongqing didn't; his face showed only wild joy. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's head straight into the Black Fog and leave the Nightmare World!"

The crowd exchanged uneasy glances. Even though a few of them were truly desperate to return to reality, no one voiced their agreement.

It wasn't that they didn't want to go back; the risk was simply too great. That was the Black Fog! Even Gold powerhouses didn't dare set foot in it, so how could they? Even with Su Mu as a living example of returning safely, they were still afraid. Just because someone else had survived didn't mean they would.

Yang Dongqing froze, caught off guard by their reaction. "What's with those looks? Do you really not want to go back? Do you actually want to spend the rest of your lives on this small island?"

His gaze swept across their faces. Anyone he looked at either lowered their head or averted their eyes. No one met his stare directly.

"You people!"

"I'll go back," Mu Qing suddenly spoke up. The manga-like girl's voice was calm, yet it revealed an unshakable resolve.

She looked at Su Mu. "Mr. Su, if you truly intend to enter the Black Fog, count me in."

Su Mu appraised Mu Qing. Outwardly, she didn't look the least bit threatening.

"I am a Silver Rank 1 Transcendent. I won't drag you down," she said. "Besides, since I've decided to enter the Black Fog, I take full responsibility for my own life or death. If we run into true danger, you won't need to save me, Mr. Su."

The others were mildly shocked. No one had expected the harmless-looking Mu Qing to be a Silver powerhouse. More importantly, her attitude showed she had truly cast aside all fear of death.

Su Mu nodded, implicitly acknowledging her.

Perhaps because Mu Qing had taken the lead, another Nightmare Apostle quickly spoke up: "Count me in. My mother is still waiting for me in the Real World. I have to go back!"

"Fuck it! Enough acting like cowards! I'm going too. Even if I die, I'm going out with a bang, not rotting away in this shithole until I die of old age!" a burly, buzz-cut man with a fierce expression shouted.

King Hu Jie, who had remained silent the entire time, subtly watched the group come to an agreement, his eyes flickering.

He suddenly let out a hearty laugh. "People truly can't be compared. To think this nightmare has trapped me for ten years, yet Mr. Su arrives and immediately brings a solution. If you truly plan to leave, Mr. Su, I am willing to provide a ship free of charge to take you all out to sea.

"The Black Fog lies deep in the ocean. Furthermore, I will provide several experienced sailors to help you crew the vessel."

"What about you?" Yang Dongqing asked. "Don't you want to go back?"

Hu Jie gave a self-deprecating smile. "I don't mind if you laugh at me for saying this. If I had met Mr. Su five years ago, I might have risked it all. But now... I've lived in comfort here for far too long, and I lost my edge a long time ago. Just the thought of setting sail and facing the countless undead sirens in the sea, let alone the unknown dangers within the Black Fog, terrifies me.

"In truth, I made up my mind to spend the rest of my life in the Sea Kingdom a long time ago.

"Think about it. As Nightmare Apostles, we could die at any moment. Even if we survive this Nightmare World, what about the next one? And the one after that? A person can't stay lucky forever. As far as I know, not a single Nightmare Apostle in this world has survived past ten years.

"I am the first to do so, and that's only because I've stayed on this island. I want to keep living, so I'm not leaving."

The king's self-deprecating words quietly extinguished the courage the group had just managed to muster.

It was true. Nightmare Apostles were never destined for long lives. Sooner or later, they would all die in the Nightmare World. But if they just stayed on this island, they wouldn't have to experience any other nightmares. They could live out their lives in peace!

Hesitation began to show on some faces. Hu Jie smiled faintly. "Whether you choose to leave or stay, I will support your decision. For those who depart, I'll provide a ship. For those who remain, I'll arrange official positions and women.

"The Sea Kingdom may be lacking in resources and it certainly isn't as vibrant as the Real World, but we still have over a hundred thousand citizens. More than half of them are women. There will be absolutely enough to go around."

Hearing this, the crowd felt even more tempted. Should they return to the Real World to face a precarious existence, or stay in the Sea Kingdom to enjoy their later years in peace?

The banquet soon dispersed. King Hu Jie arranged accommodations within the castle for everyone, promising that they would see the ship ready to set sail first thing in the morning.

As the group settled in, beautiful young women were sent into their rooms.

Naturally, one came to Su Mu's room as well. Perhaps feeling that Su Mu was the strongest among them, Hu Jie had arranged for the most beautiful woman of the group to be sent to him.

Su Mu appraised the woman in front of him. Unlike the sunburned, dark skin of the citizens outside, her complexion, while not exceptionally pale, was at least a healthy wheat color. With her tall figure of nearly 1.7 meters, a bikini-style outfit, and a gorgeous appearance, she belonged to the tier of models who could walk the runway in the Real World.

"Lord Su~" the woman cooed with a seductive smile, walking gracefully toward him. As she walked, she reached behind her back to untie her top.

"His Majesty the King sent me to serve you. I hope my lord will... Greetings, Leader!"

As a crystalline blue light flickered in Su Mu's eyes, the seductive smile completely vanished from the woman's face, replaced by an expressionless stare.

"State your purpose."

"I have come under His Majesty the King's orders to serve you."

Su Mu smiled faintly. Things were getting more interesting. He could sense that something was wrong with the king, yet the man had spoken the truth from beginning to end. Even after hypnotizing the soldiers and the maid, the answers he received had absolutely no issues.

It was as if the Sea Kingdom truly was a peaceful, happy, and foreigner-friendly nation, while the sea monsters were the sole evil. Good and evil were as sharply divided here as in a fairy tale.

Unfortunately, he didn't believe it, because a nation like this didn't even exist in reality, much less in a Nightmare.

The truly fascinating thing was never a flawless lie, but rather a carefully pruned truth.