"I'll do my best," Manu replied cautiously, not daring to make any promises.
"Thank you."
As Rhett watched Manu soar into the sky, his gaze returned to the back of "Lan."
—"Lan" was the code name Rhett and the others had given the Level Three female knight.
Suddenly, Rhett rubbed his eyes.
He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but it seemed as though the faint gray mist in the air was slowly merging into the woman's body—something that had never happened before.
"Did you see that, Rilai?" Rhett squinted his eyes and asked quietly.
Rilai's gaze was also fixed on Lan, and with a serious expression, he replied, "Yes, this is the first time in a month that the mist has actively entered her body."
"Tucker!" Rhett called out.
"Yes, Father!"
"After we finish absorbing the fire origin that Manu brings back, I want you to wander around and observe whether any of the other ordinary people exhibit this phenomenon."
"Understood!"
The three of them focused their attention back on Lan. Apart from the occasional mist flowing into her body, there didn't seem to be any other unusual occurrences.
Gradually, they grew impatient.
After waiting for some time, a large mass of fiery light in the gray sky caught their attention, and their expressions filled with excitement.
"It's coming! Everyone, get ready!" Rhett's eyes gleamed with a hint of anticipation.
But just at that moment, his brow furrowed. He noticed that, at some point, Lan, who had walked away earlier, was now returning—and heading straight toward their position.
Normally, Rhett wouldn't think much of this, considering it a coincidence.
But the timing—coinciding with the arrival of the fire origin—was enough to make him suspicious.
Rilai also casually glanced at Lan but quickly froze, his expression surprised. He looked up at the fiery light and fell into deep thought.
Soon after, Manu descended, guiding the large cluster of flowing fire.
This time, the fire's color was slightly lighter than the last.
But it was only the exterior that appeared lighter; the fire origin inside was just as mysterious and profound. Rhett and the others marveled at it, their faces full of wonder.
"This is definitely not the mystery of heat. I can sense the essence of endless violence from within, something I've only felt once before from King Milan."
"No doubt, this fire origin contains the mystery of Explosion!"
Rhett clicked his tongue in amazement and quickly commented.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps could be heard from nearby.
As soon as the fire origin reached the ground, Lan, who had been walking normally, suddenly quickened her pace and charged straight toward Rhett and the others.
Her eyes held a mix of confusion, fear, and… desire!
"Does she also want to absorb the fire origin?" Rilai speculated, his attention fixed on Lan.
Manu, exhausted from guiding the fire, perked up upon seeing Lan's behavior. His explorer's spirit ignited, and he said with great interest, "Let her try. Let's see how she intends to absorb it!"
Rhett, also curious, glanced at Lan and nodded, "Alright, we'll leave her be for now. This fire origin is dissipating rapidly, so let's focus on absorbing it ourselves."
With that, the four of them concentrated on the flowing fire, extending their spiritual senses to begin absorbing the fire particles that had just dispersed.
Since this was the first time any of them had absorbed the mystery of Explosion, their faces contorted with pain, their expressions twisted in agony.
The pain from the mental strain was not something easily ignored.
Moreover, the sensation wasn't just a burning heat; as they absorbed the fire origin, it felt like they were swallowing little bombs. As soon as they enveloped the fire, it was as if their spiritual energy was about to be blown to bits.
Their faces flushed red—except for Manu, who was already red by default…
Despite the initial difficulty, they managed to pull through. After absorbing the first particle of fire, they all opened their eyes, only to find Lan standing right next to them.
Lan's gaze wasn't on them but fixated on the giant mass of fire, her eyes gleaming with a strange intensity!
"How annoying. This woman is just getting in the way of our absorption! Father, why don't we just get rid of her?" Tucker grumbled, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he grimaced in both pain and excitement.
His impatience seemed to affect his mood, and he glanced at Lan with growing irritation.
But the next moment, something happened that shocked them all!
They watched in disbelief as Lan, after standing in front of the fire origin for a moment, suddenly charged straight into it! It was an incredibly reckless move.
Even Rhett and the others, despite their cautious absorption, only dared to absorb the fire one particle at a time. None of them would dream of getting too close to the flames, let alone making direct contact, for fear of being burned to ash in an instant.
Before they could react, Lan had already rushed into the flames.
Tucker was dumbfounded, immediately regretting his earlier words. Had she been provoked by what he said? His mind raced, and a pang of guilt washed over him.
But then, something even more astonishing occurred!
Lan remained completely unharmed inside the flames. In fact, the central flow of fire was actively being drawn into her body!
And on her face, an expression of confusion and joy intermingled—completely unaffected by the flames!
This bizarre scene had all four of them staring intently at every inch of Lan's body. They weren't thinking about propriety or having inappropriate thoughts; they were purely driven by an overwhelming curiosity!
"This can't be happening! How can she just walk straight into it?" Tucker's eyes widened as he reached out a finger, tempted to try it himself.
But when he saw his father raising a hand to stop him, Tucker quickly withdrew, sheepishly grinning.
Manu, his expression intrigued, raised his voice, "Look closely! Her body is covered in a layer of black light. That must be why she can absorb the flowing fire directly!"
Rhett and the others focused their gaze and, sure enough, they saw an extremely thin black membrane covering Lan's body, wrapping around every inch of her skin as she absorbed the fire.
"What is that? Could it be related to the dark barrier that Mingge mentioned?"
Rilai stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Manu shook his head. "There's still too little information to analyze, but since Lan is absorbing the fire origin, we shouldn't just stand here watching. Let's get back to work before it all dissipates."
Though still reluctant, they knew Manu was right.
They each took a deep breath, pushing aside their growing curiosity. They had to prioritize the task at hand.
Half an hour later.
The massive fire origin had completely dissipated.
The four of them stared at Lan, discussing the strange events.
"Thankfully, this cluster of fire was larger than the last. Otherwise, with Lan absorbing at such a fast rate, we might not have gotten much of it ourselves," Rilai remarked, his gaze lingering on Lan, who was now lying on the ground, asleep. He was deeply curious about what had just occurred.
—After finishing her absorption, Lan had immediately fallen into a deep slumber, leaving them all puzzled.
Tucker looked at her face and shook his head regretfully. "Too bad Mingge died too soon this time. Otherwise, we could've used his abilities to see what's going on inside her body."
"Hmm, even if Mingge were still alive, I doubt he'd be able to enter Lan's body now," Manu said, his entire form now as red as molten lava. He radiated intense heat, looking completely different from when they had started.
He continued, "Ever since Mingge destroyed the dark barrier inside her, this woman's body has likely undergone tremendous changes. Mingge's death must be related to this. If we consider the dark barrier as a kind of shackle, it means she's hiding an extraordinary secret."
They all glanced at Lan, recalling the reckless way she had absorbed the fire origin, and nodded in agreement.
"Is there any way to make Mingge stronger?" Rilai wondered aloud. "If his soul essence were deeper, wouldn't he have more resistance to the mysterious power inside Lan?"
Rhett furrowed his brow. "In theory, yes, but how do we strengthen Mingge?"
Manu's eyes glimmered with wisdom as he suggested, "I believe if we can make contact with someone from the Netherworld, they might be able to recognize Mingge's species and origins, which would help us find a way to enhance his strength."
"Hmm?"
Rhett paused, suddenly realizing, and his voice rose, "The Shadow Demon? Didara!"
Rhett's eyes lit up with excitement. "Yes, Didara! It has significant knowledge and status in the Netherworld. It might know what Mingge is!"
"Exactly. That's who I had in mind as well. Perhaps you could return to a simulation from a thousand years ago and consult Didara about this," Manu said with a smile.
Rhett considered it for a moment and then nodded slowly.
Since Mingge was already dead, it seemed like the right time to end this simulation.
—They had just absorbed the second cluster of fire origin, and who knew when the next one would appear?
Besides, Rhett had only brought Tucker and Rilai with him this time; he hadn't included Telles.
As a good father, Rhett wanted to be fair. Spending too much time in the simulation with just two of his sons wasn't ideal.
After weighing his options, Rhett glanced at everyone and announced, "I have an announcement. Everyone, prepare yourselves. This simulation is about to end…"
Tucker's eyes widened in shock. "Huh? It's ending already? But I was just getting into it!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the world began to spin, dissolving like particles into nothingness, returning to the colorful, twisted void.
Rilai and Tucker, momentarily dazed, slowly realized that everything they had just experienced had been both so real and yet so illusory.
Since this was their first simulation, they were still adjusting. As they replayed the scenes in their minds, they gradually regained their composure.
Meanwhile, Rhett stood in the void, gazing at a light screen that had just appeared before him.
[The simulation world has ended. A world-strengthening origin has been detected. Would you like to spend Destiny Points to channel it back?]
At the bottom of the screen was a phantom image of the flowing fire. Compared to the last simulation, where nearly half of the fire origin had escaped, this time, an even greater portion had been captured.
The cost, however, had also risen to an astronomical [3217 Destiny Points]!
Seeing this number made Rhett wince. All the Destiny Points he had painstakingly accumulated were nearly spent after just a few simulations.
It seemed he would need to come up with a solid plan for gathering Destiny Points once he established his kingdom. Whether it involved executing criminals or breeding magical beasts, he'd need to find every possible method!
Otherwise, in the endless history of the simulation world, so many opportunities would be lost if he didn't have enough Destiny Points to unlock them. It would be like having a treasure but no key to open it.
The fire origin needed to be channeled back to strengthen the world. While this might benefit other people in the short term, Rhett realized that ultimately, the greatest benefit would go to his descendants.
As the Lord of the Homeworld, he could manipulate the talents of his bloodline. The deeper the world's foundation, the higher the potential of his descendants.
Moreover, Rhett still harbored ambitions of unifying the world. Any brilliant talent would eventually come under his command—it was only a matter of time.
With that in mind, Rhett made his decision without hesitation and selected [Yes].
In an instant, an unseen wave rippled through the colorful, twisted world. A ray of light shot toward the fire origin, making it more tangible as it radiated a profound energy.
At that moment, Mingge was revived from the colorful, twisted void. His head spun in confusion as he recalled the events that had just occurred. He jolted in surprise.
But when he looked down at his intact body, a joyful expression spread across his face. He quickly flew toward Rhett.
When he arrived, he knelt in the void and said, "Thank you, Great Lord, for restoring me to life!"
Rhett waved his hand dismissively. "You earned it. Now, do you remember how you died?"
Mingge thought for a moment, then awkwardly replied, "I'm terribly sorry, Great Lord, but all I recall is that after I entered that woman's body, something struck me, and then I lost consciousness…"
"A black shard—do you remember that?" Manu interjected, reminding him from the side.
"A black shard?" Mingge's face showed confusion as he scratched his head with his wings, trying hard to remember. "Could it have been a fragment of the dark barrier? But why would it attack me? That was supposed to be an unconscious object…"
The flowing fire in the void grew brighter and brighter until it shone brilliantly like a star before shooting off into the distance like a meteor, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
[The simulation world has ended. Please select which family members you'd like to channel the feedback to, and which attributes you wish to enhance.]
[1. Constitution]
[2. Battle Energy]
[3. Spiritual Power]
[4. Other]
After taking one last look at Mingge, Rhett turned his attention back to the light screen. Naturally, he wanted to enhance everything—constitution, battle energy, spiritual power, and more!
After making his selections, Rhett sent Tucker and Rilai out of the simulation space.