I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

Ji Tian's gaze fell on that face, his mind filled with a multitude of thoughts.

He remembered the face of the Cursed Apostle, the fanatic who sacrificed himself in the capital's dungeon to summon the god of industry.

The sacrifice was irreversible. Ji Tian witnessed the cursed apostle's body crack open, light bursting forth from the fissures, until only a withered shell remained.

Even with the protection of fragments and the backup of a clone, it's impossible for that body to appear intact in the market of the Southern Island.

Moreover, one's temperament cannot lie.

But it's too similar.

Unfortunately, Ji Tian always changes his appearance whenever he goes out to avoid revealing his identity, and this time when he came to the island, he was no exception. Otherwise, he would have changed into the appearance he had when he first met the Cursed Apostle to see the other party's reaction.

However, it seems that the Cursed Apostle sacrificed himself just as he revealed himself... I wonder if he saw me.

"I want this, this, and this!"

"Alright, little girl, that'll be 90 copper coins in total."

Lilith's conversation with the stall owner brought him back to reality. She was standing on tiptoe, tapping her finger on the wooden sign above the oyster stall, and then turned her head to look at Ji Tian expectantly.

Ji Tian withdrew his gaze, took a silver coin from his pocket, placed it on the wooden board of the stall, and said casually:

"Boss, these oysters look pretty fresh. Do you sell them here every day?"

The stall owner looked up and gently pried open the edge of the oyster shell with his broadsword. The shell popped open, revealing plump oyster meat.

"You're absolutely right, sir. I'll be here as long as the market is open."

As he spoke, he arranged the shucked oysters on a wooden board, sprinkled some chopped herbs on the grilled oysters, added a few drops of lemon juice, and then handed them to Ji Tian, ​​who had paid. "This is the first serving. Eat it while it's hot."

Lilith eagerly took one, carefully cradling the shell edge, and gently sucked it into her mouth.

"Mmm, so fresh!"

Ji Tian took the handkerchief from Elena and handed it to Lilith, then continued asking the stall owner, "Boss, your accent doesn't sound like a local. What did you do before?"

Upon hearing this, the stall owner paused slightly, his knife stopping at the edge of the oyster shell before continuing to pry, and responded with a smile:

"To be honest, I don't remember very clearly. I had a shipwreck when I went out to sea before. The boat capsized, and I drifted at sea for an unknown amount of time. When I woke up, I was on a fishing boat. I bumped my head, and I can't remember many things."

He pointed to an old, faded scar near his temple. "I bumped into this. Later, the people on the island taught me how to pry open oysters, grill fish, and weave fishing nets. Over time, it just stayed there."

There's even the most classic amnesia plot!?

Now that he had the power of amnesia, Ji Tian was no longer sure whether the other party was a cursed apostle.

So he tentatively asked:

"I know quite a few people in mainland China, maybe I can help you find your family. Do you remember your name?"

The stall owner paused for a moment, frowned and thought for a long time, and finally shook his head helplessly:

"I can't quite remember, I think it was someone's surname... It's too vague, I dare not say anything. I only remember that I used to live a very luxurious life, I was either a merchant or a nobleman, I was never short of money. But to be honest, none of that matters anymore. I'm very happy here, I have work to do, I have food to eat, and no one causes me any trouble, which is better than anything else."

After he finished speaking, he bent down again and started prying open oysters.

Ji Tian's gaze fell on him, and he simply smiled and said, "That's good too. Living comfortably is the most important thing. Keep the change, and use the extra to treat the boss to a drink."

"How could I possibly accept that—"

"Keep it."

Ji Tian turned around and led Lilith and the others along the market. Elena, walking beside him, asked softly, "Do you know him?"

"He looks like someone I know, but it's probably not the same person. We'll talk more about it over dinner."

They found a slightly larger restaurant not far away, which was much more formal than the makeshift shacks, with a wooden sign hanging at the entrance that read "Tidal Restaurant" in Common.

Pushing open the door, you see that the tables and chairs inside are polished smooth, and there are several rough pottery jars on the windowsill, with a few unknown wildflowers inserted inside, looking as if someone has taken care of them.

The shop owner was a sturdy, middle-aged half-orc, probably of large feline descent, with fine, light gray short fur covering his cheeks.

The shop assistant was a cute and very enthusiastic fox-girl with a fluffy tail swaying gently behind her as she asked them in a soft voice what they wanted to order.

Ji Tian sat by the window and ordered some simple hot food. After the waiter left, he quietly took out the dark gold book of industry from his modified storage ring, using the light from outside the window as a guide.

The book opens silently:

【Um… Master, my authority hasn’t been fully restored yet, could you grant me a few more days?】

"Don't worry, that's not why I came. I have something to ask you."

[Master, please ask whatever you wish. Your subordinate will answer to the best of his knowledge without reservation.]

Ji Tian could sense a relaxed mood emanating from the book, so he asked, "Since you've seen the Cursed Apostle, you should remember what he looked like, right?"

[Of course I remember. He was the one closest to me among the seven apostles. I bestowed some of my memories upon him, allowing him to feel my great will, which is why he was so determined to resurrect me.]

At first it was "Come, young man, carry on my legacy!", but after gaining the memories it was "The most urgent task is to revive the original body," right?

In the world of cultivation, this phenomenon is generally referred to as "body snatching".

"Do you remember what he looked like when he was sacrificed? Why did he look exactly like someone I just met?"

[Of course I remember. Given my—no, given his—personality, he would definitely mold himself into someone who could easily inflict damage on the enemy even after death.]

I didn't expect it to have a deathrattle effect?

Therefore, if the cursed apostle is replacing the stall owner, then his original identity was not simple either.

Why didn't the apostle kill him? Wouldn't that have been safer?

Ji Tian turned his head and glanced out the window.

The market was still bustling, and the oyster stall owner was still very busy.

"Ophelia, please tell me the identity of that oyster stall owner and find out who he really is."

Ophelia nodded slightly, took out a few pieces of tortoise shell from her sleeve, held them in her palm, closed her eyes for a moment, and the tortoise shells vibrated gently in her palm, making a soft knocking sound, but then fell silent again.

She opened her eyes, her fingertips tracing the edge of the tortoise shell, her brow furrowing slightly.

"The divination was blocked. Someone tampered with him to prevent his identity from being discovered, but I still managed to divine that he comes from the Augustus family. Do I need a more precise divination?"

"No need, this is enough."

Ji Tian continued to torture the Book of Industry, coldly saying:

"Your clone knows quite a lot, doesn't it? Did you leave some kind of backup plan on him? You even used reverse divination."

"Well... having lurked in this world for so many years, I do know some anti-divination techniques, but those memories were erased when I reappeared. I don't know if the Cursed Apostle used anti-divination on anyone else."

"So, you don't know either?"

【Master, please calm your anger. I truly do not know. However, in my opinion, the Cursed Apostle will certainly eliminate any threat and will not allow the person he replaced to live.】