Having completed the preparations for faith development, Wang Zhifan planned to leave the current world, after all, his schedule was very tight. He had already spent a lot of time here today, and if he stayed any longer, he might have to enter another quest before completing his tasks.
So, he left a brief letter for the people of Wind Snow Tower, who were already out exterminating the magic sectâs lair, informing them of his urgent matter and inability to wait for their triumphant return. He might return tomorrow; for anything urgent later, let Mr. He and Wu Xun discuss and handle it, just ensuring the normal operation of Tiger Head Town and Wind Snow Tower would suffice.
In fact, with the Heavenâs Fate Divination Book in hand, Wang Zhifan knew there wouldnât be any urgent matters. He had already calculated with the divination book that Tiger Head Town would remain relatively peaceful in the next few days, and the magic sect wouldnât react quickly.
Because the magic sect was actually a large and chaotic entity with a mixed staff, Tiger Head Town was just a insignificant spot for them. Mo Ji, a master of such caliber, sneaked into Wind Snow Tower more out of curiosity towards the young genius who eliminated Blood Refining Demon Venerable, rather than any significant attention of the magic sect.
Having left the note and instructed internal personnel to pass it to several key members, Wang Zhifan raised his hand to feel the legendary-grade artifact concealed by his clothes over his chest, that is, the Master of the Universe Badge, beginning his next task for the day: random exploration of other worlds.
Speaking of it, he had quite high expectations for this Master of the Universe Badge, as it was one of the only two legendary-grade artifacts he possessed, obtained before the Black Tower. However, this thing hadnât shown particularly great use, so he had to spend effort to delve into it.
In a blink, as the Master of the Universe Badge activated, Wang Zhifanâs figure vanished from Wuji Sect World, soon appearing on a strange plain.
The scenery here was nothing extraordinary, with a gentle breeze sweeping across sprawling fields of yellowed crops, making ribbons on the scarecrow flutter, while paths beside the fields branched towards different directions. At the intersection stood a T-shaped wooden sign, engraved with some vaguely recognizable alphabetical characters, presumed to be a road sign.
"Another Western-style world?"
Upon noticing the characters on the sign, Wang Zhifan made this judgment, which brought him a bit of aesthetic fatigue because the last realm he entered through the Master of the Universe Badge was of this type, and now even though he specifically chose a new world this time, it turned out the same.
"I might as well take a stroll first, as every world is unfamiliar to me."
After a momentâs thought, he decided not to leave immediately. Compared to the last Western world he entered, this place at least had better scenery and air, without encountering monsters directly, nor facing nauseating toxic mist.
Thus, like a regular traveler, he followed the direction indicated by the sign to seek life that he had sensed.
The journey wasnât long; once he passed the field area, he found himself seemingly at the road entrance of an ancient Western village, with a fairly tall tree growing beside the entrance. From its sturdy branches hung a corpse emitting a putrid smell, swaying gently in the wind â presumably someone who was hanged.
"Just complimented the scenery, and then this happens..."
Wang Zhifan immediately understood what a mood killer truly meant, yet he marched past the tree with the corpse, entering the village ahead.
This appeared to be a sparsely populated ordinary village, with an uneven dirt path void of people, except for a juvenile red-haired face peeking from the window of a wooden house to the right. The personâs blue eyes curiously stared at him, head twisting slightly as he moved, likely having never seen an outsider like him.
"HELLO?"
Wang Zhifan waved to the child observing him through the window, uttering a sound he himself wasnât sure if the other could understand, only to see the red-haired childâs face flash a frightened look and quickly disappear.
"Communication is such a problem... why doesnât this legendary-grade artifact come with language comprehension ability? Isnât it standard in recent quests?"
Upon witnessing the scene, Wang Zhifan felt discontent. During his previous visit to the Otherworld, he had sensed he couldnât communicate with the locals, and now this was confirmed again.
Puzzled by the Master of the Universe Badgeâs functions, he slowed to a leisurely pace on the village path, casually observing his surroundings.
Before long, he neared a doorway emitting complex noise beside the road, and just before reaching the large wooden door, someone from inside suddenly pushed it open, revealing a tall, white male.
That was someone distinctly characteristic, immediately catching Wang Zhifanâs attention upon appearing.
He had long gray-white hair, with a rugged and handsome facial contour, yet his expression appeared very bland, even indifferent. His eyes were amber-colored vertical pupils, wearing silver-gray leather armor with uneven-length swords hanging behind, giving Wang Zhifan an intense sense of déjà vu.
While Wang Zhifan was still staring at the man, the latter also shot him a wary glance, then uttered some brief words.
But Wang Zhifan couldnât understand him, causing the man to swiftly turn away without further interaction.
"There is certainly a supernatural existence in this world... he was absolutely a professional, and not weak."
With a glance at the departing figure, Wang Zhifan made an accurate judgment, his interest in this world slightly increasing.
Subsequently, he turned and stepped through the wooden door just opened by another, entering the source of noise.
As he expected, he found himself in a place unmistakably a tavern, though its size wasnât large, featuring only a counter less than two meters wide, where a middle-aged white woman wrapped in a headscarf stood behind. Outside, six rectangular wooden tables with matching benches were arranged, surrounded by several white men with either blonde, black, or red hair, loudly drinking and bragging, though their numbers werenât many, they managed to produce quite a raucous sound.
"Places like this, Iâve encountered quite a few within quests... but itâs the first time without a mandatory mission entering, and I canât understand what others are saying..."
Wang Zhifan was rather familiar with Western classical style taverns; even though this visit was definitely his first time here, he didnât feel much novelty, raising his legs to sit at an empty wooden table, leisurely observing the surroundings.
Such completely free Otherworld leisure moments, he indeed hadnât experienced many times; without having to consider quest tasks, nor ponder his precise plans, he felt a genuine sense of relaxation.
As for the probing gazes from the tavern owner and surrounding strangers, he didnât mind at all, since with the Master of the Universe Badge, he was as strong as a demigod in this realm, making him unconcerned about any security issues.
"Whatâs up with this owner having no insight at all? A new customer arrives and doesnât even come over to ask? Then I guess Iâll have to drink my own reserved liquor."
Sitting down on the chair, Wang Zhifan initially thought the woman behind the counter would come to entertain him, or those drinking men upon noticing him would come to display their intellect. However, the reality was that those people merely glanced at him, or discussed him in a language he couldnât understand, without further action.
Feeling bored, Wang Zhifan opted to extract the rice wine from Wuji Sect World from his personal space, taking a small sip, while allowing his thoughts to scatter amidst the liquorâs aroma, pondering his next moves.