Apocalypse Forecast

Actually, this thing didn’t trouble Huai Shi for long.

There was no need for the Hand of Confinement that is now integrated with the Casting Furnace.

With Huai Shi’s expertise in Metallography, he already figured out the internal structure of the Alchemy Matrix just by looking at the box, and then he simply inputted Source Substance in a few places, tried the startup password, and it opened automatically.

The box was merely to verify Huai Shi’s identity.

—Only an Alchemist proficient in Metallography can open it.

Yet when the box gradually retracted and disassembled, there was nothing inside.

Only a core symbol...

It was the emblem of the Helios Workshop!

Now, as the box’s complex structure kept changing and collapsing, it ultimately overlapped into a fist-sized iron ball, falling into Huai Shi’s hand.

Across the finely hollowed-out surface texture, he could feel the operation of Source Substance within the complex matrix inside, followed by dozens of layers of nuclear operation, eventually forming a map he had never seen before.

At that moment, The Sorrow of Index resonated deeply.

Causing Huai Shi to freeze in place.

Following an agreement from long ago.

The Alchemy Workshop·Helios Chariot issued a call to the Alchemist with whom it had made a contract.

Marcus did not represent Rome at all; this notification was merely handed over by the Mercury Institution...

Now, as the iron ball slowly unfolded, a vague flame ignited within it.

The Helios Workshop awaited Huai Shi’s response.

The simplest choice: accept, or reject.

Huai Shi fell silent.

In the lengthy quiet, he raised his head, gazing at the city behind him, the area gradually growing and thriving.

Everything has changed too fast.

In just a few short years, he has transformed from a wandering Sublimator into a pivotal figure in the entirety of Yingzhou, no longer the boy without choices.

He has the power to say no, can even repay a hundredfold the aid once provided by Helios, not to mention that he was unaware of the details of the contract upon signing.

He could easily ignore this call.

No one could criticize Huai Shi’s handling of this matter.

Yet somehow, upon receiving this invitation, what surfaced inside wasn’t resistance... but an indescribable joy.

Even the sea breeze from afar seemed fragrant.

A new adventure had issued its call to him.

He began to laugh softly.

No more hesitation.

.

.

"Have you decided?"

Behind the screen, Luo Su scratched his head: "Helios isn’t the most peaceful place. Recently, it seems to have been mired in trouble, otherwise the invitation wouldn’t have been forwarded by the Rome Genealogy. If you want to go out and relax, there’d be more and better options. Look, isn’t Shambhala picturesque as well?"

Huai Shi laughed: "I always feel there’ll be trouble wherever I go, is Shambhala different from Helios?"

"Since you’ve decided, I can’t oppose it." Luo Su pinched his chin: "Thinking about it, I’m quite surprised you stayed in Tanbo for so long. You used to cause trouble and then leave, but this time you cleaned up your own mess, maybe you’ll learn something from it."

Huai Shi couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

"Don’t be stingy after benefiting, okay?" he retorted, "I’ve been your dedicated tool for so long, don’t hold plans for using me again, can you?"

"Look at you, it’s a teacher’s sincere care for a student! You hurt my feelings."

Luo Su sneered and asked: "How’s your condition? Going out like this might not be wise."

"It’s not like I’m going to fix a car and end up in the Abyss, right?"

Huai Shi sighed, scratched his head: "No worries, I’m taking Beelzebub along. Anyway, with Extreme Interpretation, at least when things go south, I can still escape."

Having grown accustomed to his extremely peculiar luck, he accepted the strange setting that whenever he went out, something was bound to happen.

Couldn’t risk not being prepared.

After witnessing the Extreme Interpretation duel between Luo Lao and the Sword Saint with his own eyes, the development of his ’Resonance’ entered a brand-new level—Resonance may not be the strongest in destruction, but it is surely the most versatile among them.

Sitting by the sea these days wasn’t just to fish for fun.

But to seize the time and consolidate the experience and insight gained from that confrontation.

The final result wasn’t the scene Marcus saw, but more subtle perception.

The scale of the sea’s resonance looked terrifying, but it was actually the result of reading continuously by the sea for over two hours, aside from training control, it wasn’t battle-effective.

An opponent wouldn’t let him read for two hours and then stand still to let the sea’s resonance shove into their belly.

So far, Huai Shi can only say that he’s at the entry level of Extreme Interpretation, not daring to assert how it is, but at least he now has a chance to escape when facing those once overwhelmingly strong opponents.

These days, running fast beats everything.

"Is it so? Hope you can run fast..."

Luo Su’s smile became strange, and before Huai Shi could ask further, he suddenly snapped his fingers: "Speaking of, the timing should be about right."

"What timing?"

"The timing of the order, of course." Luo Su glanced at his watch: "It should be around now."

Before he finished speaking, there was a knock on the door.

After opening the door, they saw a familiar eager smile carrying a camera.

"Hello, express delivery from yesterday."

The courier introduced himself and immediately asked: "Name?"

"..."

Huai Shi turned back expressionlessly to look at the screen, while Luo Su had already picked up his teacup, motioning with his mouth: indicating he should start performing, because he was waiting for this!

Huai Shi closed his eyes and pointed to the hallway outside the door for the courier: "Get out..."

"Come on bro, this is a special customer request... We’re just afraid of delivering to the wrong person." The courier squeezed a smile through the door crack: "Please cooperate, can’t you cooperate a bit?"

"Cooperate, my foot! I didn’t buy anything, get out!"

"It’s a package from the Abyss Archaeological Team! A Mr. Lucian sent it to you, specially ordered for express delivery—" The courier held up the package, shamelessly squeezing in: "Bro, my hundred percent customer satisfaction relies on you, please be kind and help me out, let’s just follow the process..."

"..." Huai Shi’s eye twitched violently.

After an exhausting traditional performance, Huai Shi finally got the slender iron box, finding it heavy with layers, all top-grade disposable sealed containment vessels.

Just the outer packaging was worth millions of US dollars.

"What the hell is this?"

Huai Shi scratched his head, not knowing what the older brother had sent him.

"Isn’t it quite fast?"

After finishing his tea, Luo Su finally put down his teacup and explained: "I checked the inventory earlier and found no suitable Stigmata Relic, so I placed an urgent order with the Archaeological Team. Turns out Lucian himself took care of it, seems you have quite a good relationship with him."

"Hm?"

Huai Shi was stunned, lifting the box in his hand: "Stigmata Relic? This?"

"Yes, relics recovered by the Archaeological Team from the Silent Zone beneath Area 22 of the depth. Fragments left from the Abyss exploration outpost of Utopia back in the day.

Years of searching day and night have finally led to its discovery with the Summon Dragon Flute."

Luo Su waved his hand, speaking indifferently: "Open it and see, Huai Shi, that’s yours now."

Huai Shi reached out, unclasped the locks on top, opening the layers of outer seals.

Finally, upon opening the last inner lid, he saw the incomplete creation sealed at the core.

It looked like a half-human height rusted iron rod, gray-black in color, utterly inconspicuous, easily mistaken for trash if not careful.

But when Huai Shi grasped and drew it out, it emitted a high-pitched cry.

The sound of cracking erupted, subconsciously channeling the bursting pressure into the ground beneath Huai Shi’s feet, causing the entire office building to suddenly tremble.

The alarm was triggered, a piercing sound blared.

The myriad rusted marks swiftly faded, revealing the steel color, with faint green waves encircling it, echoing the sea’s resonance.

All old inscriptions had disappeared, only leaving vague engraved marks proving its identity.

At that moment, the Stigma resonance within the same Genealogy awakened the dormant miracle, the King Xiang of Hell, having endured long silence, stirred, revealing vague outlines.

Feeling the Divine Nature of the Great Priestess, it emitted a rebellious clang in Huai Shi’s hand.

Almost trying to fly out of his grip!

But soon, it realized there was nowhere to go, the escaping force quickly weakened, returning to dimness, no longer reacting.

Just the corroded shell displaying weathered grind marks...

Upon inspecting closely, Huai Shi discovered the sharp crack at the front of the iron rod—it was actually a broken fragment of a weapon!

Yet the power of King Xiang within was intact, even beyond Huai Shi’s imagination, the defiant and fierce aura making one’s scalp tingle, unlike the gentle Water Master of Xiang River, but more a rampaging flood of disaster.

"...Seishui Spear? It’s truly you."

Luo Su gazed at the crack, lowering his eyes: "Long time no see, Ying Fangzhou."

"Seishui Spear? It was originally a long spear?"

Huai Shi carefully examined the weapon in his hand, feeling the deep loneliness and resentment it bore, almost empathically experiencing...

An indescribable regret!

The pain lodged within seemed to tear the soul apart, bitterly hating the relentless water flowing east never to return, bygone times unlikely to revisit.

Too late.

Searching the iron of Kyushu thoroughly, insufficient to clarify a single mistake.

When he snapped out of the intense headache, blood tears had already trickled down his eye corners.

"Be careful, Huai Shi, don’t go riffling through others’ memoirs carelessly..." Luo Su remarked, "This is the regret of the predecessors."

This is a genuine Stigmata Relic...

Remorse crystal left behind by the senior members along the Heavenly Inquiry Route, the once Cloud Monarch · Ying Fangzhou.