Chapter 885 - 885 884 Identity Assessment

Chapter 885: Chapter 884: Identity Assessment Chapter 885: Chapter 884: Identity Assessment “[Grey Area] is a significant region for the current World of Fate event, and flying is prohibited in this area.”

“As expected…”

With his flying ability completely sealed off,

at an altitude of over a thousand meters, Han Dong couldn’t possibly just fall straight to the ground.

Relying on his left arm’s control over the Black Sand, every ten meters he descended, a layer of black sand cushioned his fall, making it an easy descent.

Just before landing,

a layer of black sand was preemptively spread at the landing point to avoid direct contact for Han Dong… It was better to be cautious without knowing the structure of this grey sand.

Observing the Grey Area desert up close was far clearer than viewing it from a thousand meters above.

Preliminary testing,

confirmed the sand indeed belonged to the category ‘sand’… but these grains seemed to contain other substances, Han Dong suspected it had to do with Black Water.

Moreover, Han Dong always felt that these sand grains were not inanimate; each grain was making minute movements.

When Han Dong tried to control these grey sand grains, there was no response at all.

One must know that Han Dong’s control over sand-related magic was not low at all; the original owner of this arm was the great High Priest of Ancient Egypt—Imhotep.

“The inability to control means every grain of sand in this desert has an allegiance, managed by some powerful entity.

And…”

As Han Dong slowly reached out his hand and touched the grey sand on the ground,

the seemingly lifeless grains immediately clung to Han Dong’s fingers, instantly sinking beneath the skin.

The mutation had already occurred.

Hiss~ Several tentacle-like appendages grew from the edges of the fingers, each tip morphing into a sharp-toothed mouth. Han Dong had lost control of his fingers.

The mouths on the fingers seemed very interested in Han Dong’s head, frantically climbing upward.

Crack, crack, crack—

bones were broken, and the skin was about to be torn… The mutated finger was about to detach from Han Dong and become an independent entity.

“The invasiveness of these sand grains is much stronger than the inferior Black Water in the outer regions.”

Han Dong immediately directed the Holy Blood flowing in his right arm, gathering it in the finger area.

Like a sharp sword, the Holy Blood cells quickly killed all the mutant factors in between the fingers, reclaiming control over the fingers… Faint, lackluster sand grains were constantly coughed out from the fingertips.

The finger, similar in appearance to a facehugger, gradually returned to its original state, although some traces resembling tentacles and mouths remained on the skin’s surface.

Han Dong then tried wrapping the fingers’ tips with cloth, metal, and a spacesuit and made contact with the sand.

He discovered that metal effectively prevented the sand grains from penetrating.

“The origin of this ‘Grey Area Desert’ is related to Black Water… Speaking for myself, I must activate ‘Holy Blood’ to barely resist the mutations. Is it this troublesome even before the main storyline begins?

However, the fact that metal can isolate is very good news.

Everyone just needs to cover themselves with ‘Power Armor’ to proceed through the desert.”

“If this desert is controlled by some entity, our arrival must also have been seen by ‘it’.”

As Han Dong’s information was relayed back,

team members one by one descended slowly from the cliffs thousands of meters high, wearing their armor in advance.

Even so, when their soles touched the grey sand, they could distinctly feel the sand grains beneath their feet slightly wriggling, but the metal isolation prevented any from entering the soles.

“Miss Mary, you…”

“Such inferior invasion tactics won’t work on me.”

[Adaptive Field]

As an Ancestor Body, Mary Maritzis’s domain had evolved into a passive skill that existed continuously without the need for energy support.

Always with a puddle of water wrapping her lower body, it was precisely because of this that she avoided direct contact with the desert.

Of course, such capability is limited to environments with a certain level of humidity.

Dry areas would cause water to continuously drain away, ultimately dissipating the domain.

But thankfully, due to the ‘Water-avoiding bead’ Han Dong had prepared in advance, the large amount of water inside the bead could support them for at least a week… As long as no intense battle occurred, this amount of water was enough to support her reaching the City of Gods.

Although Mary’s curly hair covered her face, her speech was filled with disdain for the humans accompanying her.

Yet, deep inside, she felt a slight stir, unable to comprehend how such a water-attributed bead came into existence, and why Han Dong, who did not possess water properties, would have such a treasure… Could it be that he had prepared it for her in advance?

The more she thought about it, the stranger it seemed, and from time to time, she would steal glances at this young man who both held a human identity and belonged to the Demon messenger.

Imagining the activities of the previous night that resembled mating, Miss Maritzis, though often seeing others mate but never having tasted the forbidden fruit herself, felt a slight desire to mate.

She temporarily placed Han Dong on her mating list, and he was the only candidate on that list.

…

Before departing, Mary asked again, “How do we find the City of Gods?”

Han Dong revealed a reassuring expression, “I have found a method. I initially suspect that this desert has its own life… Every grain of sand possesses vitality.

Or perhaps some higher being controls the entire desert.

We just need to follow the direction where the vitality is more concentrated, and we will definitely find the entrance to the City of Gods.”

“A Living Desert?” Mary, using “Toad’s Eye,” looked into the distance and indeed felt the desert resembled a grey worm, seemingly in a state of slumber.

Han Dong fully opened [The Eye].

Under the vision of [Demon Eye], he could see the gradient of vitality within the desert.

The entire team followed Han Dong’s lead, quickly advancing in “Travel Mode.”

There are no oases within the Grey Area Desert, but occasionally, one could see ancient buildings severely weathered by the elements, not of Ancient Egyptian style but rather of a design rich with alien biotechnology.

Such buildings appeared approximately every kilometer.

When sandstorms struck, they could take shelter in these unusually sturdy alien structures.

Even on the second day of their journey, Han Dong discovered an abandoned city… about the size of an ordinary town on Earth.

Just as he sensed a powerful storm carrying dense vitality was approaching, the team of five sought refuge in the town’s sturdiest building, a dome structure similar to a chapel.

The interior of the building was well preserved, avoiding inscriptions and patterns left by alien life.

Similarly, Han Dong also saw similar “frescoes”—a life form resembling an alien in the image of Christ’s Passion, engraved right in the center of the wall.

At that moment, Dumps placed a finger on Han Dong’s back, looking at the fresco inside the building together.

“Nicholas, you really did pick… This event of Fate suits you well.”

“How so?”

“Each [True Fate] possesses unique Special Traits.

Based on what we’ve observed so far in this ‘medium to large-scale World of Fate,’ the traits include ‘Life,’ ‘Mutation,’ and ‘Desert.’

All these traits are closely related to you.

You could try the corresponding ‘identity trials’ in ‘Prometheus,’ or even the highest level of ‘identity trials,’ which will be beneficial for all of us to survive and maximize our benefits.

Of course, the difficulty will also be very high… especially since we’re labeled as demons this time.”

“Identity trials?” Han Dong was hearing this term for the first time.

Dumps explained briefly, “Just as Captain Marlon in the massive World of Fate [Hell], passed the extremely difficult Demon King’s trial and became the first outsider to wear the crown of a King in Hell.

In every True Fate corresponding to a world, there is an identity trial.

It enables you to gain an identity and privileges in the current world, and even maintain a connection with this world in the future.

The [Hell Knight Corps] came into being this way.

Using Captain Marlon’s privilege, members can be directly transported to [Limbo (Hell Border)] for special Hell training, obtaining the Power of Demons.

If Nicholas, you can gain a similar identity, and once your power is strong enough in the future, you could potentially apply to the council for the Fourteenth Knight Regiment with ‘World Association’ and a dominant ‘Fate Identity.'”

“Haha, that’s too far off… But if that day does come, Dumps, you should be my deputy commander.”

“I’ll consider it.”

While Han Dong smiled awkwardly, he also found what Dumps said quite interesting.

The so-called identity trials existed in [Other Derry Town], where Han Dong first encountered them.

Participants could also pass assessments from the mayor, becoming residents of Derry Town or even one of the Ten Devils, and establishing a connection with Derry Town.

However, Han Dong was already a major shareholder of Other Derry Town, nearly equivalent to a clerk.

Gazing at the wall, at the ‘Christ’s Passion’ shaped with the alien as its main subject, and at the grey sandstorm raging outside the building,

Han Dong fell into deep thought while his lips slightly curved upwards.