Gacha games can't save this bizarre world.

Zhao Hao thought it was probably similar to that of a programmer.

If you're programming on someone else's framework platform, and they restrict your permissions, you're finished.

Building your own framework platform would be a massive undertaking, difficult to complete without generations of accumulated experience.

As for what Zhao Hao is learning now, those are just minor things.

Talismans for warding off evil and fire are common items among talismans.

If other apps are considered programming mobile apps, then this one is just a calculator that keeps resetting to zero.

As for the paper man and paper horse technique, it was the same paper man and paper dog that Zhao Hao had encountered once before.

Although this method is a folk tradition, it can be quite useful when practiced to a high level. It is even passed down in some major sects, after all, it is effective.

Zhao Hao was cutting paper with a pair of scissors, wondering if he could combine the talismans, paper cutting, and the ability to create soldiers from beans with his own paper shikigami skills as a young barrier master, Sumimura Toshikami. That would be something!

But this was just a thought; the time they'd spent together was too short. Zhao Hao hadn't even started training his paper shikigami yet.

There's plenty of time...

Two days later, the fat man suddenly called Zhao Hao.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"Fatty, I think you're craving meat again. How about trying my fist, which is as big as a clay pot?"

"Stop fooling around, Ritian, I have good news for you!"

"Hey, Fatty, why didn't you say so sooner! I'm perfectly fine! I was just discussing printing with Gou Quan, we're going to do an extra print run... Just let me know if you need anything!"

Finally, the fat man arrived at the restaurant. He pushed open the door as if he had been bounced by a ball. He sat down in a chair and ordered four more dishes without saying a word!

Zhao Hao: No wonder you're not here to freeload, are you? I'll put up with it for the sake of a good cause!

The fat guy grabbed his chopsticks, bared his back teeth, and started munching away, then downed a pitcher of beer. He wiped his mouth and said, "Okay, I'm full. Enjoy your meal, you two. I'm leaving, no need to see me off!"

Zhao Hao and Gou Quan had been watching eagerly for about ten minutes, just waiting for something good to happen. When they saw this, they were furious and went up to hit him.

The fat man quickly clasped his hands in apology: "Hey, hey~ I was just kidding! Would I lie to you? It's really something good!"

Upon hearing the good news, Gou Quan's small eyes widened: "Fatty, what good news is it?"

The fat man glanced at Gou Quan, clicked his tongue, and Gou Quan quickly called out to the waiter, "Bring another pitcher of beer!"

The fat man sipped his ice-cold beer and said, "Originally, I didn't want to bring Gou Quan along, after all, Gou Quan is just an ordinary person..."

Upon hearing this, Gou Quan immediately broke down: "Brother Pang! Brother Pang, you can't abandon your little brother! I'll do anything for you!"

The fat man pressed his hand down: "This matter shouldn't involve ordinary people, but that's not always the case. Besides, you already know about the inner world from Zhao Hao, so it would be a bit unfair to keep it from you."

He stared at Gou Quan, his eyes wide, his expression exaggerated: "But we've got this in mind! Getting too involved in the affairs of the underworld isn't necessarily a good thing! Then the life of an ordinary person will be far removed from you. Think it over!"

……

The next morning, Zhao Hao and Gou Quan waited for Fatty at the agreed-upon place.

Zhao Hao also carried the sleeping Orange and the curled-up Little Soft in his backpack.

After all, the fat man was so serious and even asked Gou Quan repeatedly, so it's very likely that it concerns the inner world.

He regretted not bringing Xiao Ruan along when he fought the bear-man beast tamer a couple of days ago.

We absolutely have to be careful this time! Bring everything, bring everything!

About five or six minutes later, the fat man came over carrying a few steamed buns, eating as he walked.

Suddenly seeing Zhao Hao and Gou Quan, he quickly stuffed the buns into his mouth. How could Zhao Hao and Gou Quan let him go? He rushed over in a few steps and had already snatched the remaining buns and divided them among himself.

The fat man, chewing on half a bun, mumbled as he asked Gou Quan, "Are you really sure?"

Gou Quan nodded and took out the amulet hanging around his neck from his clothes.

"I've made up my mind! Look, I've brought the amulet that Elder Zhidian gave me when I was a child! It's foolproof!"

Zhao Hao and the fat man were curious, so they went closer to take a look. It was a small piece of copper-plated iron, the cheapest kind found at tourist attractions like temples.

Above it is a simple image of a Bodhisattva, along with a few crooked, small characters, clearly handwritten:

Om Pa Ni Re Mong~

The fat man couldn't help but give a thumbs up: "Gou Quan, you're awesome!"

Gou Quan laughed, revealing a set of bright white teeth: "I've been smart since I was a child!"

Then, rubbing his hands together, he asked again, "Fatty, do you think I can become a superhuman?"

This is where the fat guy's high EQ came into play: "Hey, Gou bro~ have you ever considered doing rap?"

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Chapter 48 The Other World, Free City Market

After some playful banter, the fat man explained what had happened.

So this is eight years after the period of psychic dormancy? The connection between the inner world and the outer world is gradually becoming closer, and many secret realms are beginning to reappear and open.

Secret realms are often the link between the real and the real worlds, and they are the easiest way to connect the two worlds.

Secret realms vary in size and are generally controlled by powerful superhumans or forces.

Recently, a secret realm in Liberty City opened, allowing people to travel between the two worlds.

Of course, you will bear the consequences yourself.

This time, Fatty was taking the two of them to the underworld to see what it was like.

Originally, Gou Quan, an ordinary person, shouldn't have been involved, but in reality, there are ordinary people in the inner world as well. Some major forces in the outer world know about the inner world and often participate in it.

Zhao Hao and Gou Quan, of course, wanted to see this for themselves. So the fat man led the two of them to the bus stop…

Gou Quan and Zhao Hao: (￣_，￣)

"What's wrong, Fatty? Aren't we going to the secret realm? Are we taking the bus there?"

The fat man explained, "This secret realm is different; it's not the kind with a fixed location, but rather a fixed format."

"Fixed format?"

“That’s right! Most secret realms are located in fixed places. But there are also secret realms with a fixed format, which are within a large area. If a certain format is met, you can pass through the secret realm. For example, this time…”

There must be seven or eight secret realms of varying sizes in Liberty City!

The large ones are like a building or an estate, while the small ones are like a room or a tunnel.

Zhao Hao had heard from Fatty before that there was a bar whose warehouse was a small secret realm. Extraordinary individuals often lingered at that bar. It had become a gathering place for extraordinary individuals.

The fat man led the two of them to wait for several buses before finally boarding an old-fashioned bus on a remote route.

I bought a ticket after boarding the bus and sat in the last row. There were six or seven ordinary people on the bus, including the driver.

They drove around for over twenty minutes, Zhao Hao and his companion waiting patiently. Suddenly, the fat man called out, "Driver, there are passengers getting off at the next stop!"

An old-fashioned bus stop appeared in the distance. The driver stopped the bus with a blank expression, and the fat man led the two off. The bus drove away.

Zhao Hao and Gou Quan looked around the bus stop and realized they had arrived in the middle of nowhere!

Gou Quanxian couldn't contain himself any longer and asked, "Fatty, what exactly is going on?"

The fat man chuckled: "This bus route is a secret realm, but you need a special method to reach it. You have to follow the standard procedure to get to a certain place, then activate your spiritual energy and tell the driver you want to get off. This bus stop will appear, and once you get off, you'll be in the inner world!"

In reality, this type of secret realm is not very stable. At least not as stable as those with fixed locations.

Sometimes, ordinary people with high spiritual insight may be taken to the inner world by chance and disappear completely.

And those urban legends about the last bus probably originated from this.

"Is this the Otherworld?" Zhao Hao looked around, feeling as if he had arrived in a vast wilderness. The terrain was slightly undulating, and wildflowers and weeds grew everywhere.

The fat man pointed in a direction: "This is the inner world. In some ways it's the same as the outer world, but in other ways it's completely different. It can't be explained in just a few words. You'll understand later. Oh, that's the camp over there. I've been here once before, it's unusually lively."

At this moment, the Destiny Card System in Zhao Hao's mind reacted!

"Quest complete: Arrive in the Otherworld, +30 Fate Points".

I didn't expect to complete a task!

The fat man took the lead, leading Zhao Hao and Gou Quan forward with great strides.

Sure enough, there really was a dirt road. Although it didn't look like a specially constructed road, it was at least frequently used by people.

After walking for about five or six minutes, Zhao Hao could already see the shadowy figures of many houses and tent tops on the high slope in the distance.

Just then, an "oxcart" appeared from another side road?

It's called an oxcart, but the ox is really big, with four horns and bulging muscles all over its body. Although it looks slow and leisurely, it is obviously a very strong animal!

The cow was nearly three meters long, and the vehicle was also quite large, practically a mobile home!

More importantly, the driver was a short, green-skinned man!

The coachman looked to be only a little over a meter tall, and even sitting on the shaft, he wasn't as tall as a stool. He was completely green, had a large head with little hair, two large, triangular, pointed ears, a long, pointed nose, and a wide mouth.

The fat man whispered, "It's a goblin. They're all swindlers!"

"These little green rats are really smart, while the stupid ones are like animals that eat raw meat and drink blood... They even have business within the Song Dynasty, and are famous for being cat escorts—mousees who risk their lives for money."

When the goblin saw the three people, his eyes lit up, and he waved to them, saying, "Oh, it's three human friends! Are you also going to the market? Would you like to take a look at my goods? My Golden Shovel's products are famous throughout the entire market!"

This goblin looks strange, and its name is unusual too—it's called a golden shovel!

The fat man scoffed, "Yeah, I've heard of your Golden Shovel's reputation too, it's notorious for selling inferior goods as superior ones!"

The man with the golden shovel got anxious, his small, beady eyes widening: "Slander! Absolutely slander! That's a shameless defamation from our competitors! My golden shovel's goods are of the highest quality, it's just that some customers who don't know their stuff don't need such high-quality goods. I can tell at a glance that you three are connoisseurs, how could I possibly try to fool experts with inferior products?"

Goodness, she's really sharp-tongued, her little mouth is so quick and easy, and she's got a whole repertoire of little quips.

Before Zhao Hao and the other two could speak, the golden shovel had already pried open one side of the oxcart. It turned out that the cart had been modified, with one side of the carriage able to be opened and opened up to become a covered wagon!

Then the car became a counter and shelves!

Wow, that's a clever idea!

Zhao Hao glanced at the goods and found them to be quite varied: there were bundles of dried plants, animal limbs and organs soaking in large glass bottles, hanging animal pelts, strange potions of unknown color and purpose, odds and small ornaments and amulets, a few daggers and hand axes, and some unidentifiable ores...

It's practically a general store!

The fat man seemed intrigued, looked him over, and asked, "Golden Shovel, do you have any iron essence here? How much?"