Chapter 665: Chapter 24: Utterly aningless 2
So Bai Wei closed his eyes once more and then began “The Journey of Two in the No-man’s Land” with Lair.
…
Lair never expected that despite all his precautions, he would end up returning here ahead of ti.
When he was shrouded in the thick fog he hadn’t seen for five years, Lair’s hands trembled slightly, but he dared not show it too obviously, because Lord Visas was watching him from within his body.
He really didn’t want to co back, but he didn’t dare to refuse Lord Visas, so he could only brace himself and keep walking forward, while mories of the past relentlessly flooded his mind.
“You are very uneasy.” Bai Wei’s voice reverberated in his mind, startling Lair so much that even the envoy leading the way ahead instinctively glanced back, “Can you tell why?”
“I-I’m just not accustod to this fog,” Lair subconsciously blurted out.
The envoy ahead heard his words, and before Bai Wei could speak, the envoy spoke first: “Don’t worry, the fog here is harmless to your body in the short term. However, if you can’t even endure this much…”
The envoy took out a bottle of magic potion from his pocket and tossed it to Lair.
Lair caught it but did not drink it. Firstly, because the packaging of this magic potion looked too much like the fake potions he sold everywhere, causing him so PTSD, and secondly, because he was all too familiar with the fog here. He once thought the world was always like this—unable to see the sky or the ground, with endless yellow sand and a biting pain in his lungs when he took a deep breath.
Bai Wei had long wanted to know what the No-man’s Land truly was but always pretended not to know about Lair’s past, so it was awkward to ask him directly. But now, he could use Lair’s words to inquire from the envoy leading them, naturally getting more comprehensive information. Lair was naturally quite willing, so he hurriedly relayed Bai Wei’s question to the envoy leading the way, prioritizing the question about this fog.
After hearing Lair’s question, the guiding envoy showed a hint of surprise. In his view, Lair (seen as a tongue by him) should be more concerned about the “Heavenly Voice Obedience,” as that was truly what could take his life. But Lair asked about this fog first, which was indeed strange. Logically, after staying in the Naless Town for so long, he shouldn’t know nothing about the No-man’s Land.
But since the other party asked such a common-sense question, the envoy might as well answer directly: “This fog is not natural but was specially created a thousand years ago to conceal the location of the Contract Land.”
“It has lasted a thousand years?” Lair asked.
“Yes, it has lasted a thousand years.”
“Is it the sa fog inside the Contract Land?”
“No, the environnt of the Contract Land itself is not different from the outside world; only this section of the area is special,” the envoy replied, “we call it the Isolation Zone.”
“This Isolation Zone seems quite large.”
“Of course, because we need to ensure that outsiders can’t possibly find the exact location of the Contract Land,” the envoy replied, “strangers who enter recklessly will only get lost forever in this thick fog.”
After each reply, Lair would internally repeat it to Bai Wei. Although he knew it was redundant, as Bai Wei could entirely hear the envoy’s words, he still did it for a sense of participation and to mask his continuous surging fear and anxiety.
Lair didn’t know the phrase “near-ho trepidation,” but at this mont, he deeply felt it. While walking in the fog, his eyes would wander unintentionally, as if searching for sothing. Yet from the cautious glance in his eyes, it also seed like he was afraid of actually finding sothing.
Because Lair no longer rembered the way back. He had only been out once and never returned. In these five years, the only connection he had with ho was occasionally asking that guy Harlow to send things back ho for him. Only an old rchant like Harlow knew the way, while he, a local of the No-man’s Land, did not. So much so that when he really needs to return ho, he will have to ask Harlow to take him back.
Thinking of this, Lair involuntarily sighed, and then he heard Bai Wei ask, “Are there locals in the No-man’s Land?”
Lair instinctively wanted to answer “yes,” but as the words reached his mouth, he suddenly realized Bai Wei wasn’t asking him, so he quickly passed the question to the envoy ahead.
And the envoy naturally answered “yes.”
Lair breathed a slight sigh of relief and was just about to ntally warn himself not to get distracted again when he heard the envoy speak.
“They are our nutrients.”
After a brief stupor, he couldn’t help but clench the hem of his clothing.
At this mont, Lair belatedly realized that not only was the conversation initiated by Bai Wei to understand the No-man’s Land, but it was also a No-man’s Land native like him, questioning the true owners of the Contract Land about his own existence’s aning.
This was a rare opportunity indeed because he hadn’t received such an opportunity in his more than twenty years in the No-man’s Land. Even during those years, he hadn’t known about the Contract Land’s existence until soone outside told him after he left the No-man’s Land.
And now, he had gotten the first answer—”nutrients.”
Lair very much wanted to imdiately ask why “nutrients,” but he couldn’t because he was rely a mouthpiece for Lord Visas, so he forcibly held back.
Fortunately, Lord Visas also asked the sa question, so he eagerly threw out the question stuck in his throat: “You might as well speak clearly.”
The envoy glanced back at Lair. He could sense Lair’s urgency, but it puzzled him even more why the other party cared so much about the locals here, as they themselves didn’t even care much.
But since the other party asked, it wasn’t unanswerable. He slowed down his pace and then pointed ahead.
“If you really want to know, go over there,” the envoy replied, “there you will find the answers you seek.”
Lair followed the direction the envoy pointed and then his heart nearly stopped.
Because amidst the endless yellow sand, he saw a silhouette.
It was a village, a village born amid the yellow sand.
At this mont, Lair’s heart tightened, thinking he was about to return ho. Until he approached and realized this was not his village, he breathed a sigh of relief, but what followed was an undeniable sense of desolation.
The village wasn’t large, seemingly housing only about a hundred families or so.
From the style of the houses and the villagers’ attire, it was much like Lair’s hotown, so he had a mont of illusion.
But what was different was that he saw a few acres of fields outside the village where small trees he had never seen before were planted. Upon closer inspection, he noticed golden fruits hanging on the branches, which looked very familiar.
“The Contract Seed?” Lair reacted, “Is that the Contract Seed? Do you have the villagers here plant the Contract Seed?”
“Yes,” the envoy nodded, “The Contract Seeds have always been entrusted to these residents of the Isolation Zone for them to plant for us.”
The envoy paused.
“This is the aning of their existence.”
Lair was stunned.
Planting Contract Seeds in the No-man’s Land seed fine at first, but the problem was… why had his village never planted them, and why did he only learn of the Contract Seed’s existence after leaving?
This question abruptly sprang to Lair’s mind, causing him to forget to ask Bai Wei for permission before subconsciously asking it: “Then why don’t so villages have such things?”
“Oh? You even know about other villages?” The envoy looked slightly surprised at Lair for a mont and then said, “Not all villages are assigned to plant Contract Seeds. So are used to grow grains, and so are to raise livestock, but all are for us, which is why I said they are the nutrients of the Contract Land.”
Contract Seed? Grains? Livestock?
Why was he unaware? Their village had never seen outsiders and had never heard of the Contract Land.
Lair asked again.
After a mont of contemplation, the envoy said plainly, “Oh, there are villages like that.”
“Why is that?”
“The Isolation Zone is too large; we forgot them.”
“Forgot?” Lair was taken aback, “Then what is their existence’s aning?”
“Then there is none,” the envoy said calmly, “No aning at all.”
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