When Fang Mo rode the Ender Dragon to Hendon Myre, night had already fallen.
Even so, the scenery still caught his eye.
Originally, in Fang Mo's impression, the Arad Continent was full of people ignorant of technology... At best, it was a land of swords and magic; at worst, it was a purely medieval civilization.
In the game, Hendon Myre.
It only took players a few seconds to run from one end of the street to the other.
So, in Fang Mo's imagination, this place was probably just a small medieval town, possibly without even a proper toilet.
But when Fang Mo actually arrived here.
He found that it was entirely different from what he had imagined.
This was a very prosperous city, much larger than he had anticipated. The architectural style had a strong medieval flavor, but the overall color scheme leaned towards white, giving it a very clear and clean feeling.
In addition, the city was very well landscaped.
Fang Mo glanced around and saw gardens and squares everywhere, with lush trees lining the roads, making the environment very pleasant.
Even though the sun had already set, the streets were still brightly lit.
Vendors and adventurers could be seen everywhere on the streets.
"..."
Fang Mo didn't speak; he simply sat quietly, cross-legged on the Ender Dragon's back, looking down at Hendon Myre.
The game scenery overlapped with reality, making him see his past, the shadow of the clumsy yet stubborn little swordsman in the 60th version. This scenery was truly breathtaking for him.
It was a pity that such a beautiful scene.
In the Great Shift version, it had become a monster-infested town ruin.
"Is this Hendon Myre?"
In fact, it wasn't just Fang Mo; even the little magician beside him was captivated by the scenery below: "It's so beautiful. I wish the Demon World could be this prosperous too..."
"The Demon World used to be much more prosperous than this."
Hearing this, Fang Mo quickly snapped back and replied: "Later, some scientists messed up and accidentally blew up the planet, which is why the Demon World became what it is now. It used to be called Holy Terra..."
"That's why Lord Hilder wants to revive the Demon World."
Hearing Fang Mo's words, the little magician couldn't help but add.
"That's what they say, but I really don't understand that woman's thinking." Fang Mo spread his hands: "Hilder has the power. If she wants to revive the Demon World, why not just take over a new planet? Why cling to the fragments of Terra... Can't you Demon World people live without it?"
"You seem very dissatisfied with Lord Hilder?"
The little demon glanced at Fang Mo curiously: "It seems like you've been bad-mouthing her ever since we met..."
"Dissatisfied? Dissatisfaction doesn't even begin to cover it."
Fang Mo perked up: "If I ever see that woman, I'd expose all her schemes and let the other Apostles take turns with her. Especially Bakal, I'd resurrect him first to deal with her, then Lotus... I've long wanted to try the egg-laying play."
"You..."
The little demon broke into a cold sweat, unsure of what to say: "Could you not do that..."
"Then should I do it to you?"
Fang Mo raised an eyebrow.
"Ah?" She was clearly startled and quickly tried to play dumb: "Then... let's just stick with Lord Hilder..."
"Good."
Fang Mo laughed.
"You monster." The little magician sighed helplessly, having no way to deal with Fang Mo: "It's a good thing Lord Hilder is always in the Demon World..."
"It's fine, we have plenty of time. I can play with her slowly."
Seeing the helpless expression on the other person's face, Fang Mo instead showed a faint smile: "I think I know how to get to the Demon World. Just push our way through."
Yes, Fang Mo wasn't just talking nonsense; he really knew how to reach the Demon World.
According to his memories, the plot of this game was quite clear. Essentially, Hilder deceived other apostles, transferred them to Arad, and then lured adventurers to kill them. The whole narrative revolved around this scheme.
On the continent of Arad:
The victims included the apostles Dires of the Black Plague and Lotus of the Long Legs.
In the heavens above Arad, an apostle named Anton the Flame Eater was transferred. However, this one was a fool who began devouring the energy resources of the heavens, causing widespread anger. He was eventually killed by the combined efforts of the heavenly people and adventurers in a sea region, where his body turned into a giant island.
Another apostle, Luke, built a Silent City above this area, which served as a passage connecting the heavens and the Demon World.
Previously mentioned, the Demon World used to be a planet called Terra.
It had a highly developed civilization until a group of scientists conducted reckless experiments to create artificial gods, alarming the Great Will. This led to the planet's explosion, leaving only fragments drifting through the universe.
The so-called twelve apostles in the Demon World were essentially tricked into being there.
After Terra's destruction, its fragment, the Demon World, drifted through the universe. Occasionally, it would pass by planets with life. The strongest beings on these planets would sense the Demon World's arrival and go to investigate.
Once they boarded, the Demon World would drift back into the endless universe, leaving these apostles stranded. Truthfully, they didn't want to stay in such a desolate place either, but they couldn't return.
Currently, the Demon World happens to be hovering over Arad, allowing a brief connection between the heavens and the Demon World through Silent City. One could theoretically fly up directly, but Hilder was Fang Mo's last target, so he wasn't in a hurry.
For now, he needed to deal with Kiri first.
"Alright, enough talking."
Thinking of this, Fang Mo waved his hand to interrupt the conversation and patted the spine of Xiao Momo: "Daughter, it's time to land."
"Roar~"
The Ender Dragon beneath them let out a soft growl and began to descend slowly.
Fortunately, they landed in a very remote area, seemingly on the edge of a forest. The cover of night helped them avoid detection of the dragon's massive form.
After landing, Xiao Momo reverted to human form.
After several transformations, she seemed to have awakened some strange talents. Previously, every transformation would tear her clothes, but now a flash of black light would produce clothes made of skin, scales, and fur.
"Hmm?"
Fang Mo glanced at her in surprise.
Her outfit resembled gear from Monster Hunter, made of pure monster materials, but it didn't look out of place on the continent of Arad.
Shaking his head, Fang Mo stowed the little one away.
With the Ender Dragon gone, the little magician finally let out a sigh of relief. She was genuinely afraid of the dragon, always feeling like it might eat her the next moment. Surprisingly, she wasn't as scared of Fang Mo, though he gave her a headache, which even she found strange.
"Alright, let me check the map..."
Fang Mo didn't notice these details and glanced at the mini-map before heading towards Hendon Myre.
Initially, Fang Mo intended to go directly to torture Kiri.
However, shortly after entering the old city from the forest, a strong male voice called out from the roadside.
"Hey, you two over there."
Fang Mo turned to see a man in yellow martial arts attire.
The man had a shaved head, a bit of beard on his chin, a sweatband on his forehead, and eyes that seemed perpetually squinted. His exposed arms showed solid muscle lines, indicating significant strength.
"Are you... Pungjin?"
Fang Mo stared at him, trying to recall: "From the Wind Fist Clan?"
"Hmm? You know me?"
The man seemed surprised, his squinted eyes widening slightly: "Judging by your appearance... are you from the Xu clan? Yes, I am Pungjin of the Wind Fist Clan, currently running a dojo here."
"So why did you call me?"
Fang Mo didn't respond directly, instead asking bluntly.
"Oh, sorry about that."
Pungjin explained, "I see that you two just came out of the Forest of Gran, so you must be adventurers. However, you look somewhat unfamiliar, so I wanted to greet you first. After all, you aren't carrying weapons, so I assume you use martial arts to fight. My dojo welcomes people like you."
"Sorry, I just happened to tuck my weapon away."
While speaking, Fang Mo pulled out the Manyullyn Cleaver from behind him with a swift motion: "I was going to use it later anyway, so I might as well take it out now... By the way, do you know where Kiri is?"
"Where did you pull that weapon from..." Pungjin couldn't help but ask.
"Don't mind the details," Fang Mo replied, waving the Manyullyn Cleaver twice. "I'm almost unable to suppress my killing intent. Come on, Master Pungjin, tell me where Kiri is?"
"This..."
As a martial arts master in Hendon Myre, Pungjin was very sensitive to the aura of others and could naturally sense Fang Mo's killing intent. His heart skipped a beat.
They were neighbors in Hendon Myre, after all.
Pungjin knew Kiri, especially her numerous unresolved debts.
Kiri claimed to have fallen from the heavens and mastered some strange technology. Recently, she developed a furnace said to enhance equipment, which swindled many adventurers. Her infamy was spreading, even reaching North Myre.
Adventurers often roamed around, spreading news quickly. Now, even the dark elves to the south and the Bantus to the north had heard of her.
"You're not looking for her to seek revenge, are you?"
With this thought, Pungjin became a bit worried: "This is Hendon Myre; the kingdom doesn't allow private vengeance."
"Does this kingdom not want to exist anymore then..."
Hearing this, Fang Mo instinctively wanted to retort, but Pungjin suddenly seemed to remember something and asked directly.
"Wait."
Pungjin looked puzzled: "You don't know exactly where Kiri is, so this is your first time in Hendon Myre?"
"That's true..."
The little magician beside him nodded.
"Uh?"
Pungjin was also a bit confused. If it was their first time in Hendon Myre, they shouldn't have used the enhancement machine. Why were they so aggressively seeking Kiri?
Could it be they were avenging a friend?
"How about this then."
Unable to figure it out, Pungjin decided to drop it and said, "You two can rest at my dojo. You seem tired from coming out of the Forest of Gran. Tomorrow morning, I'll take you to find Kiri, how about that?"
"This..."
"Because it's useless to look for her now," Pungjin spread his hands and said. "Kiri is from the heavens and is always elusive. She probably closed her shop and left by now. No one knows where she is."
"Tch, fine."
Although dissatisfied, Fang Mo ultimately accepted the proposal.
The night passed quickly. Fang Mo kept an eye on Pungjin's avatar on the small map to ensure he didn't go out to inform anyone.
The next day arrived soon.
Fang Mo got up early and, after a few words, got Kiri's address from Pungjin and set off.
From a distance, Fang Mo saw a tall woman standing in front of a machine, humming a strange song and sweeping a pile of what looked like metal scraps, unaware of the impending danger.
Seeing this, Fang Mo walked straight over.
He slammed the Manyullyn Cleaver onto the table with a bang, then, like a rogue, started causing trouble.
"Boss, enhance this for me!"