My setting is above yours!

Chapter 84, version 4.004 of the new DLC, with an additional number (5k6).

Ron was thrilled and his eyes immediately fell on the potion recipes in the spellbook:
[Trick] Sequence Zero "Chess Player"

"Potion ingredients: three extraordinary traits of the [Trickery] Sequence 1 'Conspirator' (regardless of whether you have digested them) + [Trickery] Spark + twelve deeply emotional lies (must affect divine beings) + the dying words of twenty-four people who gave their lives for lies (must be higher than Sequence 4)."

"How to make it: Ignite all your undigested materials with the [Trick] spark and lift them into the starry sky."

Looking at the faded words above the potion recipe, Ron couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

Although he knew he was far from Sequence Zero, he couldn't help but sigh when he saw the potion ingredients for Sequence Zero.

The extraordinary traits of the three Sequence 1 [Trickery] 'Conspirator'?
This means that to become a Sequence Zero, one must acquire at least three Sequence One extraordinary traits from the current sequence... That alone is enough to deter most people!

Aside from the extremely difficult main material, the auxiliary materials that follow are also hard to understand—

What are "twelve lies filled with deep emotion"? What are "the dying words of twenty-four people who gave their lives for lies"?
Could these ethereal, seemingly purely conceptual creations really be considered "potion ingredients"?
However, it wasn't that Ron hadn't come into contact with all of these incomprehensible potion ingredients...

He looked at the text on the potion recipe, where the ingredient "[Trick] Spark" was flickering, clearly different from the other completely dark ingredients.

Clearly, Ron had already obtained the seed of this "trick".

'The quill pen and notebook...so that's the so-called "trick" that sparked the fire?'

Ron seemed thoughtful, and for a moment he couldn't help but feel a little confused.

'[Trick] The Spark... This is the main ingredient for Sequence Zero! Why would such an important potion ingredient fall into the hands of the Silver Knight?'

'The Silver Knight is merely a Sequence Six cultivator; even if he's hiding his strength, he's probably only a Sequence Five at most—does someone like that deserve to possess the [Trickery] Seed?'

It's important to understand that while the potion formula for Sequence Zero of the "Trick" is undoubtedly a deeply hidden secret, this secret is only accessible to those who are not powerful enough...

Could it be that high-sequence transcendents of the [Trickery] sequence, or other gods who have already reached sequence zero, are unaware of the importance of the [Trickery] spark?
That makes no sense.

'Given the importance of the [Trickery] Seed... does this mean that the Silver Knight who did these things must be guided by a high-sequence transcendent?'

'Or rather, not just an ordinary high-sequence transcendent...it's even possible that he's a god!'

Ron was thinking to himself, and just as he was about to close the spellbook, he noticed that besides the potion recipes at the beginning, there was another passage of text at the end:
"The ritual of taking the potion: to devise a scheme to deceive the world, and after the scheme is accomplished, to build a new order for the world, and to take the potion as the supreme leader."

What is this thing again...?

Deceiving the world, building a new order, and becoming the supreme leader—is this something a normal person can do?
And... a ritual for taking it?
Isn't it true that potions can be taken directly after being concocted, or do they need to be prepared through a ritual?

Ron frowned, but quickly relaxed.

Thinking about it, it makes sense... These are all magical potions that can make people gods, so it's only natural that taking them requires a ritual.

Anyway, Ron is still a long way from achieving this goal, so it won't be difficult for him and there's no need to worry about it.

The most important and pressing issue for him right now is...

Only the Silver Knight was there.

The thought of the Silver Knight gave Ron a headache and a sense of helplessness.

'An enemy backed by high-sequence superhumans, or even gods...'

For a moment, Ron didn't know how he could defeat him... Did he really have to slink back to Ideal City to level up to the highest level before coming back to deal with this enemy?
But after a brief thought, Ron abandoned the idea.

The "Potion Era" was of great help to him. If he lost the settings, knowledge and sequence potions he obtained in the "Potion Era", Ron would have had a hard time in the Ideal City.

The new "anchor" is unknown when it will be available, and the start of a new era seems far off. Only the "Potion Era" can help Ron improve quickly and gain greater power.

Moreover, now that he has finally left Evening Bell City, if he could go to Fog City, the world center that is extremely important throughout the entire "Potion Age," Ron couldn't even imagine how many opportunities for advancement he would encounter...

Therefore, it is absolutely impossible to get him to temporarily abandon the "Potion Era".

'We have no choice but to take the risk...'

'Anyway, the high-sequence superhuman behind the Silver Knight hasn't made a move yet; perhaps he's in a state where he can't interfere with reality?'

'After all, the gods have been banished to the stars; if He is also a god, He certainly wouldn't be any different.'

'Anyway, the most dangerous moment hasn't arrived yet—we can't just give up now, can we?'

With this thought in mind, Ron felt much more at ease. He put the "Introduction to Mysticism" back into his pocket and looked at Idrila, who was lying lazily on the haystack just like him.

Compared to Ron, who could save energy by using [Vector Manipulation] and rely on various forces to propel himself forward, Idrila, who relied solely on her legs, was clearly more exhausted than Ron.

I just randomly picked a cowshed in a rural village, lay down on a pile of hay next to it, and a disgusting stench lingered around me for a long time. The hay was also brittle and prickly, and lying down there only made me feel uncomfortable all over...

But after lying down for only a few moments, Idrila had already fallen asleep.

A young girl dressed in a white robe with gold thread lay on her side in a haystack. The afterglow of the setting sun shone down, outlining her porcelain-white profile and making the pearl earring on her right earlobe gleam faintly.

Her long, golden hair was tied into a long braid and was now draped over her chest, which she was holding with both hands. For some reason, her brows were slightly furrowed as she slept.

Although Idrila had fallen to the point of being a fugitive, even having to hide in a farmer's cowshed, seemingly at the lowest point in her life, she appeared even more pitiful than a beggar begging on the street...

Yet she still exudes a pure and unyielding spirit, along with a sense of sanctity that seems to come from nowhere, making it clear to anyone who sees her face that she is no ordinary person.

Now, even when she's frowning in her sleep, Ron can see a hint of stubbornness in her expression.

"You guy..."

Suddenly, Idrila spoke indistinctly, muttering in her sleep:
"Your Excellency, the Bishop... will surely judge you..."

"Though I die... I died in battle... The heart of strife... bless me... Ah..."

...Is this a dream about being chased by the Silver Knight, and still unwilling to accept defeat, preparing to fight to the death?

Listening to Idrila's sleep-talking, Ron couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

What is this? It's the iron will that comes from military experience in childhood that leaves behind a unique soldier's spirit.

Idris... is also a person who doesn't give up easily.

Coincidentally, so was I.

Ron smirked as he lay on the haystack, gazing up at the slowly setting sun.

The Silver Knights were still in pursuit, and it was unclear how close they were to them.

Behind all this lies a conspiracy, perhaps involving the interests of countless people, and there will certainly be a high-sequence superhuman who opposes them...

But so what?

Ron can return to Ideal City at any time, and he can't really die in the "Potion Era," so what can even the highest-ranking superhumans do?

If Ron ever manages to get his hands on the power of the Anti-Mystic Formula, he could kill even a god!
...However, that's the point.

Ron couldn't possibly spend the night in that cowshed.

The Silver Knight is right behind us, and if we rest for too long, we are very likely to be caught up.

Now, after a day and a night of all-out escape, almost all of Ron's "superpower era" traits have been worn down and damaged by the omnipresent "mystical influence," and he has reached the point of running out of supplies...

It's time to fix the settings.

When he comes back next time, it might be after the monthly exam, when Ron has already constructed the normal [ability formula]...

With the unlimited use of the [Omniscient Domain - Pseudo], Ron will surely be able to escape to the Fog City with Idrila and temporarily escape the Silver Knight's pursuit!

It's time to go back.

With that in mind, Ron opened the Dimensional Update Manual and clicked on "Enter World Save".

The current world save files are: The Era of Superpowers and The Era of Potions (already loaded)

[World save file "Superpower Era" selected, joining the world...]

Ron's vision went completely black, but it didn't return to its original colors.

what's the situation? !

Didn't we used to just hack into the site briefly and then immediately switch back to Ideal City?
Ron was momentarily taken aback, but soon light returned before his eyes, the murky colors cleared, and a new world emerged—

Before him lay his familiar dormitory. Looking around, he saw nothing had changed; everything was exactly the same as before.

'That's strange...why did it take longer to get back this time than before?'

'And... what exactly was that pitch black area when I chose to add it to the world save?'

'Is it some kind of transit space during time travel?'

Ron scratched his head, unable to figure it out for a moment. Suddenly, a notification sound rang in his mind. Ron turned his head and saw that the Dimensional Update Manual's screen displayed text he had never seen before:
[It has been detected that a player has altered the ending of the main storyline "Drama: Hero Quest for Dragons" in the small map of Evening Bell City in version 3.172. The new storyline is being anchored according to the newly changed ending. Version update announcement is loading...]

What's going on? After I saved Idrila and changed the ending where Idrila was destined to die in the main storyline of Evening Bell City, will it anchor to a new world line?
Ron thought about it and felt it was only natural.

After all, he had only brought back Idrila's clothes, which led to the assumption that Idrila was destined to die and the main storyline of Evening Bell City.

Since Ron rescued Idrila from the main storyline of "Dragon Quest," a new storyline should naturally be anchored there as well.

But... what will this new storyline be about? Escape?
Ron thought to himself, and a sense of anticipation suddenly arose within him.

If he could see the version update PV like last time, and see what kind of attacks he and Idrila would be attacked during their escape, wouldn't that be like a prophecy that was bound to come true for Ron?

As long as they can deal with these attacks, they will be able to easily reach the Fog City and avoid being hunted down and killed by the Silver Knights!

With these thoughts in mind, Ron looked expectantly at the Dimensional Update Manual, waiting for the new announcement to arrive.

However, the update manual keeps getting stuck on this prompt, with the ellipsis following the prompt constantly refreshing and extending, seemingly indicating that the new version update announcement hasn't been generated yet...

Will the Dimensional Update Manual also lag?
Ron scratched his head. He was so exhausted that he couldn't just wait for the update announcement to finish, so he took a good shower and fell into a deep sleep...

The next day.

Ron stretched and got out of bed with satisfaction. He subconsciously looked at the screen of the Dimensional Update Manual, only to find that the new version update announcement had not yet been generated.

'It's taking this long... What exactly does the new update involve? Is it not just about Idrila and me escaping, but also some main storyline in the Foggy City?'

Ron scratched his head, unable to figure it out for a moment, and simply stopped thinking about it.

It will be updated eventually anyway; you'll understand when the version update announcement comes out.

As he was thinking this, his phone suddenly vibrated.

Upon opening the message, he discovered it was Huihui inviting him to have breakfast together.
[Anhui: Are you up yet? I have lots of long classes this morning, wanna grab some breakfast and go together?]

[Ron: Okay, wait for me in the fourth cafeteria. I'll be there soon.]

An Hui took significantly longer to type, replying after a long pause:
[An Hui: The fourth canteen? Are you alright? Where did you get so much money to eat at such a nice restaurant?]

Good restaurant?
Ron was taken aback when he saw An Hui's words.

Moen University has a total of five dining halls. Among the first to fifth dining halls, the first to fourth are dedicated to student catering, but the quality varies. The food in the fourth dining hall is the best among the four.

While the Fifth Dining Hall is called a dining hall, it is more like a top-notch restaurant built within Moen University.

Many of these foods are rare natural products of this era. Even with the investment from Tian Ting Media, Ron doesn't have much spare money to eat such luxuries... mainly because Tian Ting Media is unwilling to give him so much money to burn for fun.

However, although the food in the fourth canteen was the best and most expensive, the prices were still within Ron's acceptable range...

When did Huihui become so frugal?

She spends all the investment that Tian Ting Media made every month!
...Could it be that she's already spent all her money in just over half the month?

Thinking of this, Ron couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth, preparing to tease An Hui, and casually typed:
Ron: What, you have no money for food? Call me nicely, and it'll be my treat today.

As soon as the message was sent, An Hui replied immediately.

[An Hui: Dad! Godfather! You're already like this, what else is there to say? I'll just eat it, okay?]

[An Hui: I'll be waiting for you at the cafeteria entrance. See you later!]

Upon seeing the text message that popped up on his phone, Ron was momentarily at a loss for words.

He was shocked and wondered if he was still half asleep.

Good heavens, how could a breakfast from the cafeteria cause Huihui to have this kind of attitude?

Could it be that she simply wants to call me "Dad"?

Are they really that poor?

He scratched his head, quickly washed up, and went out.

Ron didn't know if he had gotten up too early, but he actually saw a thin layer of morning mist, which was quite unusual.

Walking in the thin gray fog, Ron couldn't help but feel a slight chill.

"The autumn chill..."

He sighed and habitually walked to the entrance of the fourth canteen...

"Where are we going? Where are we going?"

Just as he reached that area, An Hui, who had been waiting for a long time, saw Ron's actions and immediately jumped out to grab his arm:

"I've already called you godfather, are you just going to treat me to that? Don't go back on your word!"

"Don't pull me, don't pull me... How is that breaking your promise?"

Ron was somewhat puzzled. He glanced at the place An Hui was dragging him to and saw the magnificent restaurant entrance. For a moment, he was speechless.
"I'm only talking about eating at the fourth canteen. It's no use dragging me to the fifth canteen... I can't afford it, Huihui."

"What, the fifth canteen?"

Upon hearing this, An Hui paused for a moment, then immediately pursed her lips:

"Ha, men... they lied to me again!"

"If you don't want to treat me, then don't... Hajin, you bastard, you even made up a non-existent fifth cafeteria at Moen University just to fool me? Don't go too far!"

Lie? Where did I lie?
Moen University only has five cafeterias, right? Do you think one of them will be demolished overnight?

Ron was a little puzzled. He looked up and saw that the sign at the entrance of the magnificent restaurant did indeed read "Fourth Dining Hall"...

what's the situation?
Why has the sign for the Fifth Canteen been changed to the Fourth Canteen?
What about my fourth canteen?
Ron frowned and turned to look behind him, only to realize that the sign hanging at the fourth canteen in his memory was not actually the fourth canteen...

That's the No. 1 canteen!

A number that is incomprehensible, memorable, and clearly out of step with the world is hanging on the sign!
The No. ▆ cafeteria?! ▆?!

What number is this?
The moment Ron saw that number, a chill ran through him, and he jolted awake from his drowsy state.

He hurriedly and anxiously asked An Hui:

"Huihui, what day of the week is it today?!"

"What day of the week?" An Hui was taken aback. "Today is Monday, why?"

"Zhou?! Shouldn't today be Thursday?"

"Thursday? You want to eat Crazy Thursday?" An Hui was a little puzzled. "Yesterday was Wednesday, today must be Sunday... You can sleep through the whole day, right?"

Although An Hui spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world, Ron's coldness grew ever deeper.

The moment An Hui uttered the number "▆", Ron immediately recognized it as "▆", but the pronunciation, meaning, and concept of that number—everything about it—had never appeared in Ron's memory before...

He couldn't even recognize the number. The moment he saw it, he felt a sense of bewilderment. It looked blurry, as if the number was shrouded in some kind of hazy bubble!
He immediately realized a problem:
In An Hui's mind... the number after three isn't four, but ▆!

'And this isn't just An Hui's concept... it seems to be everyone's concept except mine!'

There's an extra number between three and four!

What...what's going on?!

At that moment, he heard another "beep beep" notification sound.

He turned his head and saw a small megaphone icon pop up on the screen of the Dimensional Update Manual:

[Version Update Announcement: Version 4.003 → Version 4.004]

We have updated the story ending of the main storyline "Drama: Hero Quest for Dragons" in the small-scale map of Evening Bell City in version 3.172, adding new opportunities for character ▆▆▆.

He successfully ignited the spark, becoming the second [Mystic], confusing the world's underlying logic and adding a number to the world.

Therefore, we have added a new DLC, "Return to Earth," for version 4.004.

Because of the influence of [mystery]▆▆▆ on the world, the calculation of the [Anti-Mystery Equation] has developed a fundamental flaw.

The mystery has never left us... and now, it has been revived—

[They're coming back!]

(End of this chapter)