"Durandor was not of the noble Haka clan; he belonged to the grotesque ape-boar tribe. Strangely enough, we found ourselves bound by shared ambitions.
I pledged to avenge his tribe, and he, in turn, offered to help me search for relics of the fallen powerful.
By the Old Gods, in the year 7568, after tireless efforts, Durandor and I finally annihilated the Mirenbu clan. But as a consequence, those loathsome Nasriton set their sights on us.
Although our camp has slowly taken shape, I know we are no match for the might of Nasriton.
After that, Durandor and I conceived a grand scheme.
By the year 7666 of the Old Gods, I had won a decisive victory, yet my strength had entered a decline. This, too, signaled that our future plans would no longer succeed.
Just as I had feared, events unfolded as I anticipated. The number of totem warriors fallen in battle grew by the day, and even the mighty Durandor lost his left arm.
Durandor was relentless. He sought me out to inquire about the whereabouts of the Seed of Destruction. Though I hesitated, I could not deny him when I saw the resolve in his eyes.
In 7699, I awoke from a nightmare with a premonition, a vision of death.
Despite my unwillingness to accept it, I knew there was nothing I could do to avert it.
Durandor left with his team 32 years ago, and I do not know how much longer he will be gone. Yet, I feel compelled to take action. Contemplating this, I seem to have embarked on another path. Although I know the outcome cannot be changed, I wish to leave behind the Forbidden Arts as a reminder to those who covet forbidden relics that such things are not so easily claimed.
In 7705, I marked all the forbidden relics and recorded the secrets of the forbidden construction in a separate journal.
Having accomplished these tasks, I am filled with joy, for I have finally broken free from the curse of Hakalan's ensnaring grip!
..."
Xu Que closed the journal without reading further and eagerly reached for the final diary.
As he flipped open the pages, the dense records of forbidden artifacts and guardian creatures nearly made him reel with excitement.
Who could have imagined that Gamaran, in his ruthlessness, would not only label his own forbidden relics but also pinpoint the locations of other forbidden constructors' hidden artifacts?
As Xu Que continued reading, he found a staggering five hundred eighty-nine entries on the locations of forbidden relics.
"This... this is a colossal windfall!"
Scanning Gamaran's method of breaking the curse, Xu Que skimmed through and confirmed that his own approach aligned perfectly before setting this journal aside for safekeeping.
Checking the time, he realized he had been immersed here for over two hours.
Glancing at the other reading materials in his inventory, he longed to continue but knew he had pressing matters. He decided to read on his journey.
Arriving at the Rift in the Lake District, Xu Que quickly completed the handover and re-entered the void.
During his travels, he perused the contents of *Boruwat's Scroll*.
He had hoped for treasures, but it contained merely knowledge he had already acquired in his previous life.
While it might be of value to an alchemist, to someone like Xu Que with a decade of experience, these branches were as superfluous as a straw sword—useful only to a true alchemist.
After all, an alchemist was a rare breed, far surpassing even a poison master or potion maker.
Upon re-entering the otherworldly dimension, a few goblin warriors rushed toward him.
After dispatching them with ease, Xu Que found a safe spot to begin his cultivation.
He wasn't in a hurry to conquer this space; after all, the memory of the demon incident was still fresh. If another demonic creature suddenly appeared, he'd start to wonder if he should go buy a lottery ticket.
As he thought about luck, Xu Que opened the *Mystic Shop*.
Seeing the identical prices to his past life, he decided against purchasing anything.
Back then, some had spent a hundred thousand points to acquire a B-grade weapon or a B-grade pet egg in the shop, though the odds were maddeningly grim.
With a ten-thousand-point gamble on an unknown item, Xu Que dared not risk it. He knew all too well the probabilities of that shop.
In his previous life, there had been a wealthy veteran with a million points who, chasing a one-percent chance, purchased thirteen items from the Mystic Shop, only to curse his fate after ending up with twelve D-grade items and a single C-grade pendant.
Indeed, Xu Que could recall countless instances of people gambling recklessly, including Duan Jiude, whom he had eventually convinced to abandon his habit.
Even now, he could hardly contain his laughter recalling Duan Jiude's five D-grade items—gifts no one would dare accept.
As time passed, a vortex of spiritual energy swirled around Xu Que.
Just ten more stars to complete *The Forge of a Thousand Stars*.
Xu Que decided not to use the formation array just yet; securing an easy rank seemed prudent, given the unpredictability of what lay ahead.
Meanwhile, in Silver City's Jun'an District, several figures finally emerged from the rift.
"How's it going? Can you continue?" Cao Bin asked, supporting a team member.
"I'll be fine; just need a short rest," the member replied with a faint smile.
Cao Bin nodded and waited as the rest of the squad emerged, quickly ordering a rest period before exchanging updates with Zhang Hao.
"Next stop is Street 30, Chuandufu District," Zhang Hao handed him the chart.
"Be careful out there. I have a feeling the creatures inside the rift are stronger than the ones that emerged," warned Cao Bin.
"Don't worry, our squad is definitely tougher than yours," Zhang Hao laughed.
Little did Zhang Hao know, Cao Bin's warning was rooted in personal experience.
As Cao Bin handed the completed paperwork to Zhang Hao, the phone rang in the guard zone.
"I'll get that. We can talk on the way," Zhang Hao said.
Cao Bin nodded, glancing back at his team members. "Everyone, get in!"
"Mr. Shen, what did you say? Li He's team ran into trouble?"
Although Zhang Hao spoke softly, Cao Bin overheard him clearly.
"What's going on?" Cao Bin asked as he approached the guard station.
"It's something in Lijiang City. Although the rift has closed, Li He's squad lost four members, and there was an issue when he handed over to Guo Yuqi," Li He explained.
"Embezzling resources?" Cao Bin wondered aloud.
"No, nothing like that. A squad member lost his mind, claiming he saw people from other countries. Because of that, they couldn't fill out the data properly, and even Mr. Shen hasn't given an explanation."
The explanation puzzled Cao Bin. A mad teammate could simply be counted as severely injured; why was it such a big deal?
What Cao Bin didn't know was that this was far from a simple issue.
"Anyway, Mr. Shen has already sent people over. They just called to check if we've noticed anything unusual," Li He said, patting Cao Bin on the shoulder.
Once they were in the car, Zhang Hao shared the details from the recent call.
Listening to Mr. Shen's response strategy, Cao Bin couldn't entirely agree; he felt that Mr. Shen, as a woman, was overly cautious.