The sun had just risen, and there was a faint ray of sunlight on the ground. However, the small seaside city was already bustling with activity.
Crowds shuttled through the small city. Most of them went to buy or sell things early in the morning. Otherwise, by the time the sun rose, the temperature outside would be enough to make people faint from the heat. Usually, by noon, there would be almost no one in the city. Only a few people would be walking around outside. It would only start bustling again in the afternoon of New Year's Eve, when the weather was slightly cooler.
Gu Zheng and Meng Zhen, who had just entered the city, frowned as they walked through the crowd. They looked around as if they were looking for something.
Not only were there humans on the streets, but there were also various Goblin who had completely transformed into human form. Most of them were from the Sea Clan. Only a few weaker Goblin were here. It had been a long time since this place was harmonious. It was as if the two sides had reached a balance and had become a neutral city.
The city was neither big nor small. After walking around for a while, the two of them found a restaurant that looked good and stopped. They found a place by the window and sat down.
Gu Zheng's brows were still furrowed. He had been like this ever since he entered. He looked at the continuous flow of people outside. No one knew what he was thinking.
Meng Zhen, who was at the side, casually ordered some things. She looked at Gu Zheng's expression and could not help but advise him.
"The other party might just be using his natural talents to hide. He won't go missing. If we search more, we might be able to find traces of Xiang Xiang."
"I want to think so too. However, the traces left behind along the way suddenly disappeared when we entered the third city. Then, they never appeared again. How can we not be worried?" Gu Zheng turned to look at her and smiled bitterly. There were only three cities within a radius of ten million miles.
Apart from the three cities and a few small villages, there was no one else to be seen. It seemed that the Goblin had abducted people along the way for the sake of enjoyment. They had developed until now.
However, the humans here, other than those who didn't cultivate, were living quite well. Gu Zheng didn't ask too much about this. After all, whether it was the Goblin or the Sea Clan, there were both good and bad things. In his opinion, if it wasn't too much, he wouldn't ask about it. Besides, he had more important things to do.
In truth, he wasn't worried about Blue Sea. He was worried about Sweet Fragrance herself. Blue Sea had chased them all the way here, and in just a few days, he had vanished into thin air.
Although the other party's cultivation was not strong, his survival skills were top-notch, and he would not take the initiative to attract the attention of others. How could he disappear without a trace? More importantly, he still had the life-saving item that Gu Zheng had specially left for him. He had not told him about it, and if he really encountered any life-threatening danger, it would teleport him away at least a thousand miles away.
In other words, if the other party didn't have the chance to activate it, their strength wouldn't be inferior to his. On the other hand, even if they activated it, they wouldn't be able to escape being hunted down.
No matter what, the other party was very strong. At least, he wasn't afraid of him. If the other party had bad intentions, Sweet Fragrance might be captured by him.
Even if it was just a guess, Gu Zheng felt a little restless when he thought about it. After all, he treated her as his sister. Naturally, he was very worried.
All the dishes had been served, but Gu Zheng wasn't in the mood to eat. He just took a sip of wine and looked at the crowd outside. He was still thinking of a solution.
"Gu Zheng, don't worry. Didn't the Demon God get rid of by the Old Ancestor? You don't have much of a burden. Why don't you cultivate for a while and raise your cultivation? This way, no matter what happens to the other party, it'll be easier to deal with them." Meng Zhen comforted at the side, but seeing that Lin Fan didn't seem to be listening, he said.
"Why don't we ask the people nearby? Didn't Blue Sea say that there's a force that just moved here not long ago? If not, we can ask the Goblin nearby. It's impossible that there's no trace left behind."
"Yes!"
When Gu Zheng heard this, he was suddenly enlightened. He was a fan of the authorities. He immediately slammed the table and made a loud sound. If Meng Zhen didn't protect him in time. He almost smashed the table into pieces.
"What's wrong? Is the food not delicious? I'll take it down and cook again."
With such a big commotion, it naturally attracted the attention of others. Even the waiter, who had been serving upstairs, hurried over and said politely.
Not to mention that this was a high-end restaurant, there were fewer humans nearby than Goblin. If they accidentally got into trouble, no one could save them. Therefore, they didn't show any dissatisfaction when they saw this.
"Nothing, I just suddenly thought of something. You can leave first!" Gu Zheng waved the waiter away and then continued to talk to Meng Zhen about the solution he had thought of.
"Didn't we see those ordinary people and some unambitious members of the Sea Clan waiting outside at noon? We can go there and ask them."
"Excellent. I also think that the people below know more than the people above. Moreover, we didn't find any powerful people here." Meng Zhen agreed.
If one were to talk about strange news and groundless accusations, none of the locals here knew about it.
"It's still early. Let's wait here for a while and go out in the afternoon."
Gu Zheng turned his head and looked out of the window. At this moment, the temperature was starting to rise. However, there were still many people outside who were still rushing about. He immediately made a decision.
By noon, the scorching sun had already caused the surrounding air to distort a little. The rolling heatwaves could be seen clearly inside the building.
There was a formation in this place and it was very cool. After getting some money from a member of the Sea Clan without anyone noticing, they put it down and walked out.
"My two friends, it's very hot outside. It's better to stay here."
Just as they arrived downstairs and were about to go out, a person who looked very bold near the door saw the two of them and immediately spoke.
Gu Zheng could tell at a glance that the other party was an ordinary member of the Sea Clan. His cultivation was at most five stars. Naturally, he couldn't stay outside for a long time. Like the other members of the Sea Clan, he came to this city to eat, drink, and play. After all, there was nothing interesting under the sea.
They brought some food or more precious things from the sea to pay for everything they needed. Of course, if they had money, they would bring some pearls to pay for it. Of course, in the end, these didn't fall into the hands of the working humans.
They only said that they didn't need to worry about food and safety. As for the other things, they didn't even need to think about it. Even so, they were already very satisfied. Moreover, they had been here for generations and were already used to it.
"Thank you. I still have some things to do here. The sunlight outside won't affect me." Gu Zheng replied politely and left with Meng Zhen.
"Wu Xie, didn't you see how perfect his transformation was? He's definitely different from us. Naturally, he doesn't need to worry about the outside. What are you worrying about?" His companion who was sitting with him waited for Gu Zheng to leave before mocking him.
He originally wanted to refute, but after thinking about it carefully, he realized that he was being a busybody. He didn't say anything else and just smiled. He raised the cup in front of him, which contained the favorite water wine of the Sea Clan.
"Drink!"
After Gu Zheng went out, he immediately walked out of the city. The streets were basically in a state of desolation. Other than a few doors that were still open and protected from the heat outside by the array formation, the rest were completely closed. It was like a dead city.
No one was causing trouble here. Naturally, there was no one guarding the door. Gu Zheng walked out without any obstructions.
There were a few huge man-made lakes outside. They were covered by a layer of array formation that blocked the heat outside. A portion of the Sea Clan was in the lakes. The surrounding area was filled with humans who were resting here. There were hundreds of people around each lake.
At this time, it was time to eat. Men, women, and children were all eating prepared food near the lakes. The space here was big enough for both men and women, old and young, to hide here.
It was an ordinary family of six. As usual, after occupying his place, the old man placed the food he brought on the grass. After unwrapping it, he called out to his family and began to eat.
He was already middle-aged and retired a few years ago. With a simple ration allowance and some filial piety from his son and daughter-in-law, he had already begun to enjoy life. What made him even happier was that in a few years, they would be able to leave this place. At that time, this place would give them a large amount of valuable things, enough to live outside for the rest of their lives.
"Father, we can leave in two years. At that time, Jiang 'er will only be five years old. We can finally leave this place." At this time, his son finished eating the food in his hand and said excitedly.
"What's so good about leaving? Didn't you hear the people outside say that you can't enter this place even if you want to? What's the point of suffering outside? Mother left here happily. It's not so good outside." His daughter-in-law helped to wipe the residue from the corner of his child's mouth. Hearing her own words, she said somewhat uninterestedly.
"What do you know? Although there's no need to worry about food and clothing here, there's no freedom at all. If you don't think for yourself, don't you think for Jiang 'er?" The old man heard and immediately said.
"But the outside world is so scary. It's so safe here." The daughter-in-law lowered her head and muttered something, but they didn't hear it clearly.
"Big brother, sorry to disturb you."
The old man didn't need to hear it to know what the other party was thinking. He absolutely wouldn't let his grandson stay here. There was danger outside, but there was freedom. That was better than anything. Women only knew stability. Just as he was about to say a few more words, a very pleasant voice suddenly sounded in his ear. Turning his head, he saw a young man standing here and smiling at him.
"Little brother, it's obvious that you just came from outside. Don't be afraid, we won't casually kill people here. If there's anything, sit down and talk. Hurry up and make some space." The old man said enthusiastically and said to his daughter-in-law at the same time.
His daughter-in-law glanced at Gu Zheng, then lowered her head and hugged her child in her arms. She moved a little to the side, making enough space for one person to sit down.
"Thank you, big brother!" The young man opened his mouth and smiled at the old man. He directly sat there without being polite.
"It's okay. Everyone here helps each other. Since you're here, there's no outsider." The old man was very enthusiastic and handed over an unknown red fruit. "You're welcome. Eat."
"Friend, looking at you, it seems that you've only been here for a few days?" The old man's son couldn't help but ask the young man.
The other party was wearing clothes that were given to those who just came in. It was ugly, but it was very tough. Generally, only those who came in would wear it. Those who came in had to be brought near the lake for a few days. After receiving some simple knowledge, they would be put in.
"Yes, I've only been here for three days. I'm still living there. I was just casually walking around and saw that big brother was kind, so I wanted to ask more." The young man took a bite of the fruit and felt the juice squirming in his mouth.
"If you have any questions, feel free to ask." The old man stopped and directly said.
"Because I've only just arrived, I don't know what's taboo. I just heard someone say that the south side is very scary. Even now, they don't let people go there. I'm quite scared." The young man stopped eating the fruit and put it aside with a trace of worry on his face.
"Haha, you don't have to worry about that. You've been here for a long time and won't go out. However, because it's close to the sea, ordinary people aren't allowed to go there. You're just thinking too much." The old man laughed heartily.
"So that's how it is. You scared me. When I was outside, I heard that it was very safe here. There's basically no danger. I'm quite lucky to be here." The young man's face relaxed and he said with a sigh.
"Of course. With the protection of the sea race, although you're just a servant, you don't have to worry about anything except food and clothing." The old man very much agreed with this point.
"Father, didn't you say that a foreign power came a few years ago? They even clashed with us. In the past, we could still go to the west side, but now we're not allowed to go there. "The old man's son suddenly said.
"That seems to be the case. This old man can't remember clearly, but I remember that they've been here for more than ten years." The old man touched his sparse hair and said with uncertainty.
"I remember that when I was young, there was news of them. It's been a few decades." The old man's daughter-in-law said with certainty.
"It's been a hundred years. I saw it with my own eyes." Her son stepped on her thigh and raised his hand. He said excitedly as if he had seen it with his own eyes.
"Stop fooling around. Come down, you should go to sleep." The child's mother immediately turned her attention to her son. She picked him up horizontally and let him lie in her arms. The grass was too hard.
"I really can't remember the exact time. We don't know the exact time here, but it's been a long time. It seems that there's a very powerful force. Occasionally, we can see them in the city. I only know that they're not weak. Even the nearby sea race can't drive them away." The old man's son thought for a moment and said.
"What do you mean drive them away? They're eagerly giving them things as if they're begging them to do something. This is news I heard by chance. However, it has nothing to do with us. Just do your own thing and don't have any interactions with them. Don't worry."
"So that's how it is!" The young man thought for a while and stood up quickly. "Thank you for telling me. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to sleep. I can't leave that place for too long. I should go back."
"When you can enter the city, remember to come to my house." The old man stood up enthusiastically and invited Gu Zheng. At the same time, he told him his address. "We'll leave in two years. By then, you won't be able to find us."
"Sure, sure!"
After leaving the place, the young man walked to a place where no one was paying attention. Then, his entire figure suddenly disappeared.
In a place far away, Gu Zheng's figure had just appeared when he realized that Meng Zhen had already returned.
"Did you find out anything?"
Because of Gu Zheng's request, Meng Zhen stayed here to guard the area. She didn't go in with him.
"I know a little about that mysterious force, but I don't know anything else. They almost never leave their house. They don't know much about the outside world. Looks like I have to find the sea race and that mysterious force." Gu Zheng said in a deep voice.
Among the crowd, he didn't just ask the old man's family. Basically, he brought back the general information. Although it was very messy, at least he had a rough understanding of it.
Blue Ocean disappeared after the second city. There was no trace of him in this city. The biggest possibility was that he was borrowed halfway. Of course, he didn't rule out the possibility that he didn't have time to leave a message. However, this possibility was too small, so he directly ruled it out.
"Then let's go find the sea race first. They have patrolling guards. We can ask around first." Meng Zhen directly suggested.
"Alright!"
As for the nearby guards, they were actually just a few Jin Xian early stage sea race members. With their cultivation, they wouldn't be afraid of even the hottest weather.
"Who's there!"
As soon as he appeared in front of a patrolling guard, the sea race member reflexively took out his weapon and shouted at them.
"Don't be agitated. We have something to ask." Gu Zheng didn't get close. He just looked at the other party not far away. The other party seemed to be very nervous. He didn't want to provoke him.
This sea race guard saw that Gu Zheng didn't have any hostility. After checking his cultivation, he immediately put away his weapon and his face became respectful.
He had already sensed the aura that Gu Zheng deliberately exuded. Naturally, he knew how strong his small body was.
"May I know what orders the two seniors have?"
"I'm here to look for a friend. He went missing here a few days ago. I've searched the vicinity but couldn't find any trace of him. I want to ask if anything special happened in the past few days." Gu Zheng went straight to the point. He didn't want to waste any more time.
"There really wasn't anything big in the past few days. I'm sure of that. However, whether it's our people or some humans, they've been inexplicably disappearing. We've already strengthened the security, but we still haven't found the reason." The guard thought for a moment and said with certainty.
"Is it possible that it's the new force?" Meng Zhen asked quickly.
"They probably wouldn't do that. However, I'm not sure. It seems that our commander has reached some agreement with them. We don't have much of a conflict."
"Then can you introduce me to your commander? I want to know how my friend went missing." Gu Zheng squinted his eyes and asked.
"Of course, there's no problem. Please follow me, seniors."
Seeing the dangerous aura on Gu Zheng's body, he naturally knew what was good for him. Even if he was still guarding the vicinity, he couldn't care less about his duties. He brought Gu Zheng and Meng Zhen to the deep sea.
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