Chapter 86: The Secret of Betrayal

Before Zhou Yi could ask, Sophia had already turned to look at him. Clearly, she understood precisely what was on his mind.

“Don’t be surprised. One of the effects of the Tongquan Grass is the creation of illusions, allowing puppets to live within the scenarios set by their master. They don’t need to eat or drink, surviving solely on the spiritual energy emitted by the surrounding spirit stones.”

Zhou Yi frowned. Illusions? Could it be that the time and space he had seen earlier was nothing more than an illusion? But that couldn’t be—the statues, for instance. How could those be explained if everything was illusory? The summons he’d experienced had felt far too real. And then there was the voice, the gaze that seemed to pierce his very soul—those sensations were not something an illusion could create.

Sophia hadn’t noticed the change in Zhou Yi’s expression. She simply turned another page and pointed to a line of text as she continued, “There’s another effect of the Tongquan Grass—healing. You must have been severely injured at the time, but the grass’s properties allowed you to recover quickly.”

Zhou Yi nodded. Behind him, Cheng Zhi and Fatty both let out a sigh of relief; this outcome was to their satisfaction.

“By the way, should I give you the spirit stones now?” Zhou Yi asked.

Sophia quickly raised her hand to stop him. “No rush. Keep them for now. I noticed that both Fatty and Cheng Zhi seem to have awakened their attributes?”

Zhou Yi saw no reason to hide the truth; after all, it wasn’t something he could conceal. “Yes. When we retrieved the spirit stones, Fatty was recognized by the earth-element stone, while Cheng Zhi was accepted by the wood-element stone. I couldn’t have done it alone, since the pool holding the stones repelled me whenever I got close.”

Sophia nodded. “Tell me in detail what happened.”

Without needing Zhou Yi’s instruction, Fatty, ever the natural storyteller, began to recount the tale with vivid embellishments. He added a bit of artistic flair, describing just how much the pool repelled Zhou Yi, following Zhou Yi’s previous explanations.

When the story was done, Sophia looked genuinely shocked. Zhou Yi had only briefly mentioned the Five Elements Tomb before, but by Fatty’s account, the secrets here were much deeper.

She waved Fatty away and took Zhou Yi aside. Fatty and Cheng Zhi, sensing the mood, quickly found a corner to occupy.

Sitting down with Zhou Yi, Sophia lowered her voice. “This world truly is mysterious. When we first acquired this mission world, Base Seventy-Two got it by drawing lots. Valdenay was thrilled and sent people to investigate. Two slaves entered and then vanished without a trace.

“At the time, there weren’t many Chosen Ones or slaves at the base. Valdenay had just taken over Base Seventy-Two and didn’t want to waste too much effort on this world, so it was put aside temporarily, not even given a name.”

Zhou Yi knew Valdenay was a man who never acted without profit—a master of maximizing benefits. That was why Base Seventy-Two had no Chosen Ones of its own; they were all assigned by the City of Time and Space.

“I just find it odd,” Zhou Yi said, “that such a unique mission world, hiding so many spirit stones, would be abandoned by the Hunter Tribe.”

Sophia shook her head. “That was decades ago. I heard the Hunter Tribe had seized many mission worlds back then and even raised their offspring in them. But in Wangqiu Mountain, a high-ranking mage appeared. This mage fancied the chieftain’s youngest daughter and tried every means to win her favor. She was like a princess, and the chieftain, indulging her wishes, married her off to an ordinary hunter.

“The mage was enraged and led his followers in rebellion against Wangqiu Mountain’s rule. Coincidentally, the City of Time and Space was launching an assault on Wangqiu Mountain at that time. They persuaded the mage to their side and gained dozens of mission worlds that the Hunter Tribe had taken.

“After that, the various clans of the Hunter Tribe withdrew into the many rifts between worlds, and Wangqiu Mountain itself was relocated. Its whereabouts are now hard to trace, as they possess secret arts that allow them to travel between mission worlds at will.

“Still, the Hunter Tribe is a shadow of its former self. I know little of these histories—just tales I’ve heard. If you ever get your own base and can visit the City of Time and Space, you’ll learn all of this yourself; it’s no great secret.”

This revelation startled Zhou Yi. All along, he’d thought the Hunter Tribe was elusive, capable of ambushing Chosen Ones, moving between worlds like assassins—always lurking in the shadows. According to Sophia, the Hunter Tribe had once been able to rival the City of Time and Space, but had fallen from grace due to the defection of a single mage.

It sounded like a poignant tale of love lost—a tragic story, and one tinged with the yearning for freedom that Chosen Ones and slaves alike aspired to.

For those from the City of Time and Space, such stories were stirring. But if you were from the Hunter Tribe, your first reaction might be, “At least you’re still human—still retain some humanity.”

Yet, for someone who became a mage, or any kind of ruler, to be so swayed by love, to betray everything without warning—wasn’t that rather naïve?

That a woman could be the cause of a war might sound laughable; conflict always exists, and if the heart is moved, any excuse will do.

“So, the chieftain of the Hunter Tribe has many daughters?” Zhou Yi asked.

Sophia smiled and nodded slightly. “That’s exactly what I asked when I first heard the story. The chieftain had twelve daughters and only one son. Each daughter married a distinguished mage, or one of the chieftain’s disciples.”

Zhou Yi nodded. That was decades ago; who knew what things were like now?

“That mage who betrayed them—Juan—is he still alive?”

“Juan the Mage is alive, but no one has seen him in a long time. He once had his own domain in the City of Time and Space, with several bases under his control, second only to the City Lord himself—a king in all but name. But I’ve never seen him.”

Zhou Yi knew that traitors rarely came to a good end, especially here, where the Central Brain and the Intelligence Brain ruled supreme. Such individuals, no matter their titles, would eventually be sidelined.

“Wait—do the Hunter Tribe age like the people from the City of Time and Space? Or do they age more slowly?”

Sophia shook her head. “They aren’t completely unaffected by time, but they do age slowly. The more powerful one is, the longer their life. Even when someone’s time is almost up, they appear no older than fifty.”

Zhou Yi sighed. He finally understood these hidden stories. Here, he could speak freely without reservation, and Sophia truly seemed to want to share them.

“All right, enough of that. It doesn’t really concern this world. I want you to look at the current situation. If we want to leave the Gobi Desert, it’s impossible without transportation. Besides, we’ve already explored the Five Elements Tomb and gained something. Why not quit while we’re ahead?”

Sophia stood and gazed into the distance. “You’ve uncovered the Five Elements Tomb, and even the base can’t detect anything here—which is strange. Normally, after a team investigates, there should be at least some connection, a map, something. But right now, we can’t see anything—not even a single map. I’ve tried countless times from the base, but the signal is zero. That’s why I propose we explore the surroundings. Juan brought so many mission worlds here; without investigation, who knows what secrets they might hold?”

Zhou Yi was silent. He understood Sophia’s reasoning. Leaving things unexplored was like planting landmines in your own backyard—problems could arise at any moment.

“But the key issue is: how do we get there? Did you bring any vehicles?”

Sophia shook her head. “No vehicles.”

Zhou Yi was speechless. Here was a woman blocking both ends, saying something so infuriating, and yet he couldn’t scold or hit her. He didn’t even know how to reply.

Seeing his reaction, Sophia suddenly grinned. “Are you that annoyed? Come on, let’s go. The teleportation disk is the best way to travel. Watch me—I’ll show you how to use it.”

Zhou Yi hesitated. “Is it really that simple?”