"What are you laughing at?" Xiya La asked curiously.
"Nothing, just remembering some happy things."
Heine smiled, without elaborating much.
"But you've been somewhat distracted since just now... Do you have any concerns?"
"I'm thinking about the future."
Xiya La was taken aback, seemingly having misunderstood his intention.
She bowed her head, stirring her spoon around in the bowl a few times.
"Heine, would you join me back to the frozen tundra?"
"Hmm?"
"I am from Nissian; the locals call us Snow Elves. Do you know about the Shadow Temple?"
Heine paused for a moment, then nodded.
"I know some, the Lady Speaker of the Dead and the Netherworld are not the same thing."
"Yes, the Lady Speaker of the Dead believes that life and death are part of a cycle, so those who follow her never blindly chase after immortality. We also refuse to imprison the deceased in the Netherworld or in the world of the living.
"I came here to realize a shared ideal with my mentor; we wanted to recruit local Necromancers, but now... it has been buried along with the Bone Burial Ground."
"I'm sorry..."
"No, it's not you who should be apologizing."
Xiya La's eyes sparkled, as if there was a fire burning within her.
"I believe you're sincere, and I know who's stirring all this behind the scenes. I will make them pay the price. Will you join me in revenge?
"The Necromancer school's research on blood, bone, and flesh all originates from the Shadow Temple; and then there's Ying. You might become an excellent Shadow Sorcerer."
Heine fell silent.
To be fair, it was a good proposition.
It would help to avoid the impending disaster while seeking better development...
If it had been the Heine from four days ago, he definitely would have agreed.
But now...
He was not content.
Xiya La wanted the people of Eternal Dawn to pay the price, and wasn't he the same?
He was not cold-blooded.
The Bone Burial Ground was not a good place, but it was destroyed in such a brutal manner.
Those neurotic students weren't all that great, but they were enjoying freshly steamed buns, puffing and panting from their spiciness that morning.
By the evening, they had become dark silhouettes on the ground and walls.
And there was Principal Gale.
His wishes were simple and pure, yet he died tainted and sullied.
Heine was furious.
An adult can restrain and dissolve many kinds of anger.
But not this one.
It may not be sharp, not fervent, but it is deep.
Deep into the marrow, as profound as the sea.
He knew that Eternal Dawn would split in the future.
But now he hoped to tear it apart himself.
Watching him, Xiya La's hopeful gaze gradually faded until she finally sighed.
"Alright, you're still the same. It seems I have never been able to persuade you."
"Are you leaving tomorrow?" Heine asked.
Xiya La nodded.
Suddenly, she put down her spoon and took Heine's hand.
"Will you stay with me tonight?"
There was a gleam in her eyes.
Heine smiled and nodded.
...
Meanwhile.
Director Sa's problem had all three of them laughing.
Players truly were bad omens, bringing disaster wherever they went.
But after the laughter, Zhuo Yang continued, "It's precisely because of these reasons that we know how to avoid the lightning."
"Didn't you say not to play too smart though?"
Teacher Xia said, "That's where the skill comes in, buddy. Did you know we've already cleared one and a half dungeons? Brother Yang has assembled the 'Flesh and Blood Set,' and I've got the 'Scorpion Tail Needle' hand crossbow. All of this gear is slightly enchanted with magic. You get what I'm saying, right?"
"Wow, that's rich?"
It was then that Director Sa noticed the equipment on Teacher Xia and the brand-new armor on Zhuo Yang.
"That's the Viscount's plate armor, isn't it? It's only been four days; he's already farmed enough reputation?"
Teacher Xia: "Absolutely. Just tonight, he was chatting and laughing with the Viscount, even changing the course of the plot... and Heine cares deeply about the equipment for the undead. We definitely won't lose out in that regard."
"What about leveling up?"
"That part is more mysterious," explained Zhuo Yang. "It's like we still don't know the pattern of Heine's summoning. Your body right here is from the Haunted Manor."
"Haunted Manor?"
Director Sa was stunned. "You guys have been there too? Isn't that for level 10 and above?"
"No, not really..."
Zhuo Yang immediately recounted his afternoon encounter at the hunting grounds.
After listening, Director Sa fell into deep thought before cautiously saying:
"You know about the Witherbow, right? It has a solo quest line that requires sneaking into the manor to steal the number three boss's fungus strain. I found a page titled 'Spirit Communicator Modification Notes' on his bookshelf, which talks about transforming a Necromancer into a Spirit Communicator. Could it be related to this?"
Teacher Xia exclaimed, "How come I've never seen it? We've cleared the dungeon and still haven't seen..."
"The bookshelf was burned during the fight with number three."
"Oh, right... Then next time we go to Haunted Manor, let's find a way to steal it out! Maybe we could summon even more brothers. With ten dudes as strong as us, we could flatten this Newbie Village, right?"
The three of them laughed for a while before Zhuo Yang suddenly asked, "Last question, bro, tell me the truth, did you pay for the spot in the Specter Expedition Army or..."
Director Sa smiled proudly, "Of course I fought my way in through Hook Hook West (the arena). Let's just say, I got the Sighing Bow by myself without any help. Not too shabby, huh?"
Both were somewhat surprised.
Teacher Xia said, "What a coincidence, I got the Dragon Fang Dagger all by myself too."
"Then I won't pretend either, I beat Gao from daytime at the Scarlet Trial."
The tasks they spoke of were all high-difficulty solo legendary quest lines in the game.
A player who could complete such tasks was not only a professional gamer but also considered a T0-level powerhouse.
After sharing their secrets with each other, they engaged in a round of mutual admiration for their business exploits.
Then, reminiscing about the good old days with great vigor, it was as if three old friends were boasting to each other at an offline gaming gathering, significantly closing the distance between their relationships, and Director Sa's discomfort after traversing to that world was washed away.
After all, gamers are brought together by shared interests, and nothing gets people more excited than sharing fun.
And so the night passed.
Come morning, Heine opened his eyes.
A few strands of long hair remained on the pillow, but the person was gone.
Xiya La was always a woman of action; otherwise, she wouldn't have come to the Makala mountain region alone to pursue her ideals.
Once she had made up her mind, there would be no hesitation.
Heine had actually woken up earlier.
He was awake when she kissed his forehead before leaving and said, "Don't forget about me."
"I'll visit the frozen land sometime again."
He sat up and stretched leisurely.
...
Heine, dressed neatly, appeared in the courtyard, observing the new skeleton.
Although his attention was not fully on the three-person chat last night, he still remembered quite a bit of information.
Director Sa was a seasoned Hunter with average close-combat skills, but not devoid of them.
Without a bow in the house, he temporarily lent the skeleton a sword.
One must maintain their character.
"Attack that tree."
Director Sa did as he was told.
Heine, touching his chin, commented, "Doesn't look too good..."
"For crying out loud... if you have the guts, give me a bow, and I'll show him who the top shooter of Sky City is!"
"Director Sa, let it go, it's all right. Don't stoop to his level; he's just testing your abilities."
Teacher Xia managed to calm him down, after all.
Heine went through the process, having him try the sword, shield, dagger, and even an electric shock magic wand.
Each sigh of Heine provoked several angry curses from Director Sa.
That was until the Scorpion Tail Needle was handed over to him.
As if without much hope, Heine instructed, "See the scar on that tree? Aim for that—Peoliang!!!"
He hadn't finished speaking when Director Sa, holding the crossbow in one hand and the other pressing down his wrist, fired.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Three purplish short crossbow bolts were compressed into a single straight arrow, consecutively hitting the scar.
"So this is your specialty!"
Heine excitedly slapped his skeletal frame and stuffed the hand crossbow into his hands.
A few minutes later, Director Sa, dressed in the Viscount's manor's standard light chainmail, was sitting in the carriage.
The carriage started moving, and Director Sa, with mixed emotions, said:
"Sigh, back when the server started, I grinded reputation for over half a month, just for this set of standard chainmail armor. Right when I finally got enough reputation, the Viscount's manor was gone, and I never got to wear it. Now, it seems my dream has come true..."
"Who hasn't been there?"
"Exactly, just like Teacher Xia's red mask and my Flesh and Bone, we all have a bright future ahead."
Director Sa: "Now I'm starting to believe what you guys said, this guy is really generous. It's just that the ride is quite shabby, a carriage... He can't really be thinking of hauling a carriage of bread people around town forever, can he?"
Heine almost burst out laughing.
But they had a point, and he was growing to dislike the carriage as well.
In the future, maybe just like these three said, he might summon an army of transmigrators.
At that time, what kind of badass vehicle would be fitting for a carriage full of undead servants?
While he was fantasizing about the future, a crisp whizzing sound came flying in!
Zhuo Yang immediately leaped out of the carriage, shielding Heine behind his shield.
However, the arrow was not aimed at him; it shot straight through the poor horse!
Heine cried out in anger and frustration:
"My horse!"