The King of Black Fog

When he touched the fragment with his hand, his hair, for some unknown reason, turned golden—a splendid, noble gold, as dreamy as the sky. Before this, the world did not know the color gold; there was no such thing as gold.

The descendants of that man also had golden hair.

To this day, kings and nobles across the continent are mostly golden-haired.

After explaining, Wen Carol glanced again in the rearview mirror at Beia Triss, "This lady's gold is so pure, her royal bloodline must be deep. Such a person, even born in a side branch of a side branch, would be granted a noble title."

"There's quite a lot to be aware of," Turquoise Pool murmured to herself.

"Hm? Aware of what?" Wen Carol didn't hear clearly.

"Nothing," Turquoise Pool smiled, "Aren't we there yet?"

"Just around the corner ahead."

Wen Carol executed a beautiful fishtail turn and the car passed the bend, steadying as it entered a rounded residence with a garden and garage.

"You drive well." As a man who had sped through Prague, Li Changzhou approved of Wen Carol's driving.

Wen Carol showed a graceful yet lively and proud smile: "I often drive around with someone."

Wen Carol's family was very wealthy; not only were there two more cars in the garage (an SUV and a sedan), but there was also an eight-meter-tall mecha.

In the corner of the garage, there were many spare bullets and weapons.

"Things are quite chaotic now, so—" Wen Carol explained somewhat awkwardly as they got out of the car.

"Understandable, an auto mechanic must always carry a wrench," Li Changzhou said.

Li Qianxia's lips drew close to Yang Qinglan's ear: "It's from 'Shaolin Soccer,' it's about..."

"I know this one," Yang Qinglan interrupted her.

Li Qianxia pursed her lips and turned her gaze towards the depressed Beia Triss: "What my brother just said..."

"You and Zhou Weisi are siblings?" Beia Triss asked weakly.

"That's right. What my brother was saying about 'an auto mechanic carrying a wrench being normal' comes from a story called 'Shaolin Soccer,' at that time Zhou..."

"Sha... Shaolin Soccer? Is it a person named 'Sha' and surnamed 'Lin Soccer'?"

"Uh—, never mind."

Once inside the rounded residence, Turquoise Pool asked Wen Carol to prepare dinner, clothes, and bath water.

"I need to rest immediately after everything's ready," she said.

"Alright," Wen Carol responded.

"Oh, Miss Carol, could you also prepare a map of this city?" Li Changzhou spoke up.

"A tourist map?"

"Whether it's a tourist map doesn't matter; the more detailed, the better."

"Alright."

After Wen Carol left, the five of them relaxed momentarily, Turquoise Pool so weary that she immediately lay down on the couch.

"No one has caught up so far, it seems we've succeeded," Li Changzhou said, standing by the window, keeping watch through the glass.

The color of the sunset deepened, streetlights lit up along the streets, extending into the distance, and the distant volcano resembled a vividly colored oil painting.

"Sigh, my Red Lotus is probably gone," Li Qianxia still worried about her toy.

"It's useless," Beia Triss sat quietly next to Li Qianxia, "No one can survive under the pursuit of the Empire's mechas."

"Even now?" Li Changzhou asked.

"Yes, even now."

The idea of certain defeat was so deeply ingrained, it was beyond saving.

But at least, though insisting they would surely die, they still cooperated with the plan and caused no trouble.

Li Qianxia thought for a moment and decided to retell the 'Shaolin Soccer' joke to Beia Triss, hoping to lighten her mood.

The two huddled together, one speaking, the other listening.

After Beia Triss listened, she totally missed the joke, even after Li Qianxia explained it again.

"Without the mechas now, if we really encounter the Empire's mechas again, we might truly be killed," Turquoise Pool said with her eyes closed, speaking languidly.

The destructive power of the Empire's mechas was strong and their range large; with their current physical forms, a mere brush would mean complete dissipation.

Trying to resist head-on like before was utterly impossible.

"Escape is still possible," said Li Changzhou, who had once battled Red Lotus for three hundred rounds, tried every method, and used every tactic, only to find escape was his only option.

"The mecha in the garage is quite powerful," Beia Triss suddenly said, "The only difference with the Empress's Knight Order is the operating system, one is civilian and the other is military."

"Caroline's identity is not simple," Li Qianxia said pretentiously as she stroked her chin—with her older brother around, she barely needed to think.

"From the start, we should have looked for an uninhabited room or a warehouse," Li Changzhou maintained his point.

"Go if you want to," Turquoise Pool shifted to a more comfortable position, "The environment here is good, we're being taken care of; what warehouse, do you want to sleep on the floor? Or in beds of workers who don't bathe, not even washing their feet?"

"You're prejudiced against workers," Yang Qinglan retorted, "In every class, there are those who don't love to bathe, even to wash their feet, just like every male, female, yellow, white, black races, there are good and bad people alike—it's a matter of personality, just to varying degrees."

"You misunderstand me," Turquoise Pool laughed, "I hold no prejudice against workers, I treat the lower classes the same, just like the Buddha regards all beings as equal."

"..."

The three simultaneously had the same thought—there's no point in arguing with such a person.

Wen Carol soon returned with two maidservants following her, their purple hair striking, hands filled with brand-new clothes, toiletries, sheets, and so forth.

"So, do you want to go to the warehouse or stay here?" Turquoise Pool asked lazily.

No one responded to her.

"Forget it," she propped up her lithe, seductive body, "Carol, is dinner ready?"

"It's ready," Wen Carol said with a smile.

The way of eating in this world is largely the same as on Earth, probably because both involved apes turning into humans.

The ingredients are certainly different.

"This town primarily uses volcanic fish as its staple food, from the 'Pela Volcano' to the south," Wen Carol explained during the meal.

"Mmm, it's warm, a bit spicy, delicious!" Li Qianxia chewed vigorously on the red, magma-like fish meat.

Li Changzhou wiped a bit of each dish, every drink, with his Emerald Bee Sword quietly.

"Miss Yao, how long will you stay in Pela Town?" Wen Carol asked, "If you have enough time, I can take you to tour the volcano farms."

"No need, we're leaving tomorrow morning," Turquoise Pool quickly finished her meal, "I'm going to take a bath now, I'll rest right after. Don't disturb me unless it's important."

"Alright," Wen Carol bowed courteously.

After the meal, Li Changzhou and the others, along with Beia Triss, also quickly washed their bodies and changed into ordinary clothes that wouldn't raise suspicions.

The four shared a bedroom, Beia Triss rested on the bed, while the three others closed their eyes to recuperate.

They didn't practice Visualization.

Visualization consumes 'Ability,' and during this perilous time, every bit of 'Ability' needed to be conserved.

Unable to practice Visualization, Li Qianxia pondered the 'Fire God Map' of Combat Skill—Turquoise Pool had already taught it to the three of them, and she also obtained her own 'Fire God Map' to assess its suitability.

Yang Qinglan was not suited for 'Fire God Map', and 'Thunder Map' lacked Combat Skill; in the absence of alternatives, she continued to delve into 'Call the Wind and Rain.'

Li Changzhou took out his Emerald Bee Sword, and summoned the King Cobra, letting it lick the blade.

"Is it poisoned?"

The King Cobra gently shook its head.

"Go to the garden outside and keep watch. Notify me immediately if anyone approaches," he instructed.

"Ss~" The King Cobra slithered out through the window.

In terms of vigilance, the King Cobra, which could see any object with a temperature and could detect their scent, was much more efficient than Li Changzhou's mere eyesight.

Li Changzhou casually glanced outside the window.

The triple moons were bright, the blue moonlight bathed the world, turning the wide, straight roads into what seemed like a trail of white bones under the moonlight.

The night passed peacefully.

The next day, as dawn was just breaking, a loud knocking came.

"Open up!"

The military had come for a search.

Beia Triss, who hadn't slept all night, sat up with the poise of a princess and asked Li Changzhou, "Feeling desperate now?"

"Not really," the Emerald Peak Sword slid into his palm, "It's like biting into a chicken bone while eating rice soaked in braised chicken sauce, a bit annoyong, but you just spit it out and it's over."

The thin blade, shimmering with a chilling jade light in the morning light.