In the name of the true god

After a dizzying experience in the darkness, Tang Ping's vision cleared again.

This is a flat, tranquil, and seemingly boundless mysterious space.

The sky was blindingly white, and a black mist, reaching past ankle-deep, floated on the ground.

"Holy crap... what's going on here..." Tang Ping looked around blankly and muttered to himself.

"Who are you?" At that moment, a question tinged with curiosity and wariness came from behind.

Tang Ping turned around and saw a tall, handsome young man with medium-length wavy blond hair standing about two or three meters away from him.

He took half a step back, and asked in surprise, "And who are you?"

"My name is Edmund Ravenscrown, a Norden." Edmund noticed a ring on Tang Ping's left index finger as well. "Did you bring me here?"

"No..." Tang Ping also noticed the glint of light reflected between Edmund's fingers, and couldn't help but recall the details before entering the mysterious space. "You also suddenly arrived here after putting on the ring?"

"Hmm." Edmund raised his arm, generously displaying his ring to Tang Ping. "It seems our rings are quite extraordinary."

Tang Ping walked a little closer, mimicking the same gesture while staring intently.

Edmund's ring was entirely black and gold, and its shape was also slightly different from his own.

After observing silently for a few moments, Edmund spoke first: "Are you a priest?"

"No." Tang Ping's heart tightened. "Are you a priest?"

Edmund's wariness lessened somewhat: "I am a tangle wizard."

Tang Ping nodded thoughtfully.

Aside from priests, and sorcerers and resonance mages who are considered heretics, there are indeed no other people who would immediately verify each other's most sensitive identities.

However, since you're new here, it's best not to blindly believe someone's "self-disclosure."

Tang Ping was extremely careful not to reveal his true identity, and skillfully steered the conversation back to the main topic: "But your ring is not quite the same as mine."

His ring was a silver and blue Möbius stripe, while Edmund's was a black and gold ouroboros ring.

Why would two rings that seem to have nothing in common be connected in such a strange way?

"Yes." Edmund possessed an unusual confidence and composure, and despite Tang Ping's reservations, he remained candid. "My ring comes from my father. He's worn it as far back as I can remember. But over the years, he's only ever told me that the ring is called the Ouroboros Ring."

"Then find a way to leave here, and then ask your father what happened."

"He's gone." Edmund's eyes were downcast. "I intended to keep this ring as a keepsake, but I never imagined that the first time I wore it, I would end up here. And you? How did you get your ring?"

"Ah..." Tang Ping carefully considered his words, "It was left to me by a stranger."

"stranger?"

"Yes."

Edmund could sense that Tang Ping was quite wary of him. He hesitated for a moment, then said directly, "I have no hostility towards you. Perhaps you suspect that I am behind all this, or perhaps you believe the church's various claims and think that implicating wizards is a heinous heresy... But since we are both trapped here, it would be best to trust each other and work together to find out what is really going on."

"I'm not lying to you, this ring was indeed left to me by a stranger. I was just curious, so I tried it on, and then I ended up here." Tang Ping was telling the truth. "As for what it's called... I saw that its shape looks a lot like a Möbius strip, so I'll just call it the Möbius Strip Ring for now."

"A Möbius strip? What does that mean?" Edmund asked, looking puzzled and doubtful.

Tang Ping realized that this was another world, and the 'Möbius strip' was a concept from his original world: "Hmm... it's like a strip of paper twisted 180 degrees and then glued together end to end to form a ring. It only has one side, with no inside or outside. That's a Möbius strip."

"I see..." Edmund turned his gaze back to Tang Ping's ring. "May I touch your ring?"

Tang Ping didn't mind: "Okay."

Edmund reached out and gently touched Tang Ping's Möbius strip ring, a barely perceptible golden light flickering in his pupils: "...Strange."

"What's wrong?"

"I can't sense any information from it. It's like... it just appeared out of thin air and hasn't connected with anything yet." As a wizard who connects with things, touching objects to find clues is the most direct way. However, the result of 'getting nothing' is obviously much more troublesome than finding something.

Tang Ping felt a moment of regret, then his eyes lit up.

He remembered that the fat wizard had promised to help "himself" find his brother's whereabouts, but in the end, he hadn't revealed a single word.

Since Edmund is also a wizard involved in the case, he should also have the means to find people, right?

If I could get him to find my brother's whereabouts, wouldn't I be able to go and seek refuge with him immediately, thus changing my dire situation?

Moreover, this is also an excellent opportunity to confirm whether Edmund is involved with the wizard.

If he really is involved with the wizard, then at least he's not on my side. I can try asking him for advice on many important questions that are troubling me.

"Mr. Ravenscrown," Tang Ping changed the subject, "Could you do me a favor?"

Edmund was naturally happy to help Tang Ping, in order to quickly build rapport and trust: "No need to be so formal, just call me Edmund. What is it?"

"I have an older brother who has been missing for eight years. I really want to find him, but I have almost no clues."

This request was originally entirely within Edmund's capabilities, but his inability to sense any information about the Möbius Ring just now made him somewhat uncertain: "...I can try. Do you have any of his items on you?"

"No……"

"It's alright." Edmund had another idea. "I can try to pinpoint his location using you as a medium."

Tang Ping exclaimed in genuine admiration, "So much so that it involves wizards?"

He thought he would have to prepare some sacrificial items and have Edmund chant some incantations in order to get a vague result.

"It's nothing," Edmund replied calmly, placing a hand on Tang Ping's shoulder. "Tell me about your brother."

"Okay. His name is Connor Viera," Tang Ping replied from memory. "He's from North Pluton City in the Kingdom of Florence."

“Viera…that’s a rare surname.” Edmund gestured with his chin. “His date of birth, his basic characteristics.”

He was born in the year 419 of the Christian calendar—

Edmund's pupils contracted slightly, as if he had heard something terrifying: "Wait, your brother was born in the year 419 of the Divine Calendar? Are you sure?"

"...I'm sure." When Edmund asked him this, Tang Ping nervously did some calculations before confidently replying, "He's twenty-nine years old this year, and it's currently year 448 of the Divine Calendar. 448 minus twenty-nine equals 419..."

Edmund paused, taken aback.

He wondered if Tang Ping hadn't received the most basic education, which was why he couldn't even do basic arithmetic.

Even the dumbest person shouldn't be able to remember so many years.

He then wondered if Tang Ping was lying, and if he was trying to deceive him with some unknown purpose.

But this lie is truly astonishing and clumsy, something no normal person could come up with.

"What's wrong with you?" Tang Ping asked cautiously when he saw Edmund standing there stunned as if struck by lightning.

Edmund snapped out of his reverie and asked again, emphasizing each word, "You mean... it's currently the year 448 of the Divine Calendar?"

"Otherwise what?"

Another silence followed.

After a long silence, Edmund slowly spoke: "In my world, it is now May of the year 419 in the Divine Calendar. If what you say is true, then your brother might not even have been born yet."