I'm in Mota, and they all want me to confess my feelings!

"After all—you are a legend who has crossed the bottom of Manes four times and won the Order of the Oak Leaf. It is rumored that you are more likely to become the King of Heroes than Augusta."

"The King of Heroes?" Duanmu Yan asked in confusion.

What, is there something to do with Gilgamesh?

"It's the great hero from the prophecy who saved the Seven Hills from being swallowed by the Black Tide," Yuno explained quietly, pursing his lips.

"Oh I got it."

Avidia strolled up to the group, her gaze sweeping over them before finally settling on Duanmu Yan: "This must be the warrior who fought the governor yesterday. Although I didn't witness it firsthand, I can sense your extraordinary fighting skills from the descriptions of others."

Yuno immediately frowned and stood in front of Duanmu Yan: "Don't mess with Duanmu. He won't collude with your Senate."

Avidia shook her head and smiled, denying it outright: "It's just admiration for a hero. I want to see anyone who can fight the governor without being at a disadvantage, for whatever reason."

As he finished speaking, he turned his gaze to Lupa beside him: "Even the rising star gladiator has come? What a pleasant surprise. I thought you would wait until you won the Grand Gladiator Tournament before considering embarking on your journey to Karihara."

Lupa had heard of Avidia's deeds before.

However, she never understood why this highly regarded gladiator did not participate in the Grand Gladiator Tournament, but instead devoted all his energy to hunting.

“It just so happens that my schedule allows it, and besides…” Lupa still maintained that cheerful smile, “As a child of the Seven Hills, it is only natural for me to stand up when my home is threatened.”

Unlike Yuno's undisguised disgust, Lupa always looked at everyone with warm eyes.

In her naive understanding, there seemed to be no truly evil people in the world.

If even someone like Lupa breathes on someone, then that person is probably already beyond redemption.

“That’s right, we are fighting for the Seven Hills now.” Avidia smiled slightly and performed a standard gladiator salute. “In that case, I won’t bother you any longer. I look forward to working together with you all in the upcoming hunt.”

After watching Avidia leave, Duanmu Yan leaned closer to Yuno and asked in a low voice, "You seem to have a problem with him? Did he offend you before?"

“No, not really. It’s mainly because he’s an ambitious man and he’s always going against Augusta. And…” Yuno suddenly frowned, as if trying to grasp some kind of inexplicable intuition, “For some reason, this person always makes me feel uncomfortable. I can’t quite put my finger on what’s wrong with him.”

She shook her head, dispelling the doubt in her mind: "Forget it, let's not talk about him anymore. Let's go back to the Four Directions Palace and ask Granny Lilybe about the strange situation in Karihara."

P.S.: Sigh, I used to have some issues with Dawei, but this time he's really amazing.

Furthermore, I'm utterly fed up with the review process on Maoke; even a simple kissing video gets rejected.

Alas, we've been set up by the Fesalie family.

If this can be rejected, what am I supposed to do in real combat?

Volume 1: Chapter 107 The Blank Person Belonging to Yuno

Sifang Hall.

The dwelling place of the Seven Hills Wise Women was also a sacred site for observing fate and recording prophecies.

To outsiders, this place is a sacred and inviolable forbidden zone.

But for Yuno, it was just a dull and boring place.

The hall was silent, as if even the air itself had frozen. The few maids who occasionally encountered these outsiders cast curious glances at them, but they all stood quietly at a distance without approaching.

perhaps……

Was it because Yuno was there?

Who knows?

However, there was one thing that Duanmu Yan was very curious about: why were these imperial concubines...?

Aren't they wearing shoes?

"Grandma Lilybe, I'm back."

Yuno skipped and hopped to the back of an old woman standing in the center of the hall.

The spacious palace walls are covered with ancient murals, and in front of each mural is an explanatory booklet that records the legend of Seven Hills City and the prophecy of the Hero King.

Only one mural appeared particularly blurry, as if it had been deliberately erased.

Duanmu Yan curiously leaned closer for a closer look, but heard Grandma Lily sigh softly as she turned around—the words she originally wanted to say turned into a doting shake of her head the moment she saw Yuno's bright smile.

When the old man's gaze shifted to Duanmu Yan, his pupils suddenly trembled slightly, and he murmured in an almost inaudible voice, "It's... a blank space?"

"Blank?" The whisper was soft, yet it reached Yuno's ears precisely.

Grandma Lily quickly regained her composure, walked slowly to Duanmu Yan, and smiled kindly: "The three of you must be the help that the Governor mentioned? My name is Lily, and I am the guide for the girls."

The group returned the smiles politely.

“…Blank.” Yuno was still muttering those two words softly, but quickly shook off his thoughts and turned to Granny Lilybe: “By the way, Granny, didn’t they say that the Kuroshio Clouds in Karihara were acting strangely? But I feel like…it’s no different from usual?”

Normally, Karihara during high tide presents a stark contrast to the peaceful scene it displays today.

Grandma Lilybe shook her head and sighed softly, "A while ago, an unusually powerful frequency fluctuation suddenly erupted in the Plain of the Past Flower. The camp sent out several hunter teams to investigate, but unfortunately..." She paused, "...there has been no news of them since."

“Hirano Hirano of the Past Life?” Yuno paused, then seemed to realize something. “Could it be… ‘that guy’?”

"That guy?" Duanmu Yan keenly caught the name.

“The Black Tide is the first judgment that Mingshi has brought upon civilization, and the Black Tide itself is its vanguard.” Yuno’s expression became solemn. “It has life, it has will, and it will devour the frequency of all life—we call it the ‘False God-King’.”

“But that doesn’t make sense either…” Yuno pondered. “If it really is that being, with its current strength, it shouldn’t be acting so ostentatiously. Right now, it doesn’t have the resources to confront Seven Hills head-on.”

Grandma Lilybe continued, "What's even stranger is that the previously missing investigation team's terminals are still sending distress signals—the location shows it's in the eroded area below Karihara."

"Was it actually in that place?"

Duanmu Yan keenly sensed the change in atmosphere: "Is that place dangerous?"

“That’s the area in the entire Karihara most deeply corrupted by the Black Tide,” Yuno said gravely. “Not only are they filled with powerful Black Tide creations, but they also corrupt the hunters’ minds. Under normal circumstances, no one would ever willingly approach that place. And now, a distress signal is coming from there, it’s practically like…”

“A trap,” Koleta’s cool voice broke the silence, her gaze sharp. “An obvious trap. But the question is, what is its purpose? Is it merely to lure people in and devour their frequencies?”

Yuno nodded in agreement: "That is indeed possible. But whatever it may be, since Augusta has entrusted this matter to me, I cannot stand idly by. Let's set off as soon as possible."

"Yu Nuo is coming too?" Duanmu Yan looked at her with some surprise.

"What do you mean by that?" Yuno glared at him angrily. "I'm a genius born on the night of a lunar eclipse! Before taking up my divine office, I was a gladiator in the arena. To be honest—" she proudly raised her chin, "with my strength, even in this hunter's camp, there aren't many hunters who can beat me!"

……

……

Before setting off, Yuno handed several shimmering crystals to the three of them.

Duanmu Yan examined the translucent gem in his palm, its touch slightly cool: "What is this?"

“A directional anchor,” Yuno explained. “Forged from the black stone that accompanies the Earth-Piercing Wedge, it can interfere with the Black Tide’s erosion of the mind to some extent. It’s an essential talisman for entering the Eroded Land.”

"What is the Wedge-shaped Pitch in the Earth?"

“You really have a lot of questions.” Yuno shook his head helplessly, but his eyes were full of smiles. “Legend has it that this is where the Lord of the Year, Inberlado, first descended upon the Seven Hills. Later, when the first Black Tide broke out in Laguna, endangering the survival of the Seven Hills, the device left there by the Lord of the Year was activated, thus curbing the spread of the Black Tide Cloud and sealing it forever within the territory of the Hunting Plains.”

"Although I don't quite understand it, it sounds pretty impressive."

Duanmu Yan toyed with the directional anchor in his hand, then casually put it into his pocket and turned to walk out of the hall. Several king vultures were waiting there quietly, their wings fluttering slightly in the wind.

"Let's set off then." He flexed his wrists. "If all goes well, we might be able to make it back for dinner."

“Duanmu is always so confident.” Lupa followed briskly, the fiery red spear in her hand shimmering with warm light. “However, I really look forward to fighting alongside you. I can’t wait for the day we become partners. By the way, Miss Koleta, what’s your decision? Could you lend me Duanmu for a while?”

Koleta: "..."

Yuno, however, did not set off immediately.

She quietly stayed beside Grandma Lilybe and asked in a low voice, "Grandma, what exactly did you mean by 'blank' just now?"

Grandma Lily watched Duanmu Yan's receding figure, a ripple of emotion welling up in her aged eyes: "His future... is an unfathomable void."

Yuno's eyelashes trembled slightly.

As diviners, they can see the trajectory of fate that ordinary people cannot—everyone's future is like a book already written, clearly discernible.

But Duanmu Yan's future is nothing but emptiness?

How can this be?

just like……

His story has yet to be written, thus containing infinite possibilities.

The girl gazed at the retreating figure, softly repeating, "Emptiness...emptiness..."

Volume 1: Chapter 108 The Black Tide is Coming

Eroded land.

This is a world stripped of color. As far as the eye can see, there is only monotonous gray and white.

While Sanguisgari was the front line against the Kuroshio Current, other areas still retained their natural vitality, but this place was different—

It is a truly desolate wasteland.

From the moment he stepped into this area, Duanmu Yan clearly heard—an ancient whisper lingering in his ears, seeping into his mind like a bone-deep infection.

"Tsk..." He shook his head vigorously, trying to dispel the persistent noise.

Not only him, but everyone in the group was also affected to varying degrees.

Koleta clutched her chest, her face pale: "This place... is disgusting."

Yuno frowned, but as a harem member who often accompanied the hunters on expeditions, she had gradually adapted to the Black Tide's corrosive influence: "Hold on. The Black Tide does interfere with our minds, but as long as our will is firm, it cannot truly corrupt us. Besides, we have a directional anchor with us, so the Black Tide can only do so much."

"Well...it feels so uncomfortable..."

Suddenly, Abu wobbled out of the sound trail. It looked exhausted, and with sleepy eyes, it floated to Duanmu Yan and rubbed its sleepy eyes with its little paws.

"Where am I? I feel so weak all over, I can't muster any strength at all..."

"And this smell..."

"No, I... I feel a little nauseous..."

Duanmu Yan stared at Abu's listless appearance—this was the first time he had ever seen the little guy so weak.

"Are you feeling unwell?" he asked softly.

Abu nodded weakly: "I don't know why, but I feel especially tired as soon as I step into this place..."

Duanmu Yan frowned with worry, but at the moment he was at a loss, so he could only gently advise, "Why don't you go back and rest for a while?"

"Okay..." Abu replied weakly, but still mustered his strength to wave his paw. "But if you encounter any danger, be sure to call me! I'll rush out to protect everyone!"

"Okay, it's a deal." Duanmu Yan smiled and rubbed its little head.

With a flash of golden light, Abu transformed into a stream of light and disappeared back into the sound trail.

"What's wrong with Abu?" This was the first time Koleta had ever seen the little guy so listless.

In her memory, this little one was always full of energy, especially when it came to food.

Duanmu Yan shook his head: "I don't know, it might be due to the influence of this area. Even Abu is acting strangely, it seems this place is more dangerous than we thought." He turned to Yuno, "The source of the distress signal is just ahead, right?"

Yuno nodded: "Yes, it won't be long."

“Then let’s quicken our pace.” Lupa rubbed her temples and let out a suppressed groan. “Tsk, the longer we stay here, the stronger the negative emotions become.”

Without further delay, the group hurried forward, following the guidance of the terminal signals.

"Right there!" Yuno suddenly pointed ahead.

Looking in the direction she pointed, a desolate plain stretched out before them—broken weapons and mutilated corpses were scattered everywhere, and an ominous aura permeated the barren land.

They stepped into this wasteland shrouded in death.

Koleta looked around at the horrific scene, and even though she was used to blood and death, she couldn't help but frown.

This was not a hunt, but a pure slaughter.

Duanmu Yan bent down and probed the nostrils of a mangled body with his fingers, finally shaking his head heavily: "There are no signs of life."

Most of the corpses here are mutilated.

The pale rock surface was splattered with congealed dark red bloodstains and bits of flesh, with severed limbs and remains scattered everywhere.

One body was torn apart at the waist, its internal organs dragging on the ground; the other's head was missing, and the severed neck was covered with a muddy black tide.

Fragments of bone and scalp with strands of hair stuck together were embedded in the cracks in the stone, and the strong stench of decay was almost solidified.

Yuno closed his eyes, unable to bear the sight of the carnage any longer.