Light Fortress

Moon City Fortress sat on the northeast border, taken over by the Fourth Legion.

Snow billowed, vast and savage, its edge as sharp as blades.

The Source Energy Boat landed before the fortress gate. The gate had already been opened, and the high-ranking officers of the Fourth Legion were gathering there one after another, coming out to receive them.

A young figure, cloaked, stood at the very front.

Five figures disembarked from the Source Energy Boat one by one.

At their head was Rust Bone.

The tip of the bronze sword scabbard stabbed into the snow, letting out a dull, heavy thud.

The officers of the Fourth Legion all dropped to one knee.

"Lord Rust Bone."

The young figure at the front looked somewhat dazed. Since yesterday he had noticed that the Rust Bone General was acting strange—he had inexplicably given that Wuyin Cloak to him... then said he was going to Central City. Now he had even issued an internal legion summons, ordering that within the Fourth Legion’s jurisdiction, all Transcendents of the fourth tier and above were to assemble here at Moon City Fortress.

After the end of the War of Felling Red.

The Fourth Legion had been scattered across the Frontier, and had never put on such a grand formation!

"Nanfeng."

Rust Bone extended his hand and lightly patted the young man’s shoulder before him, his eyes filled with gentle gratification.

Every time the world restarted.

He would go to have audience with His Majesty...

Likewise, he would take off his own cloak and mantle and hand it to that young man he valued most.

Rust Bone knew that before long, Gu Nanfeng would leave the North Continent.

"If there were ever a next time, I would definitely make Gu Nanfeng stay in the North Continent and inherit my mantle."

This was what Rust Bone kept thinking of after Gu Nanfeng left back then, a line he always had on his lips.

Yet now that there really was a chance to "do it over," he had not done so.

With every restart, he respected Gu Nanfeng’s choice and let him go.

He knew.

In the ten-odd years to come, Gu Nanfeng would live a very hard life because of this decision, but no matter what... CN021 would always be the disciple he was proudest of.

"What’s going on?"

Gu Nanfeng spoke softly: "Everyone’s very tense. We even heard that you had some conflict with the commander of the Investigation Corps."

The North Continent was vast, and the North Continent was small.

How could what happened in Central City be kept from them?

"It was just a spar."

Rust Bone smiled and said, "I went to see His Majesty... The reason I called all of you here this time is to announce a matter of great importance."

His expression grew solemn as he ordered, "Nanfeng, from this day forth you are to lead people to evacuate the residents of the surrounding areas and bring them to other habitable cities... At the same time, send people to seal off Moon City Fortress."

Gu Nanfeng’s gaze was a little puzzled, but without the slightest hesitation, he agreed at once.

"...Yes!"

He glanced at the figures standing behind the Rust Bone General, faintly feeling that one of them looked very familiar.

The old man in a Zhongshan suit, leaning on a dragon-headed cane.

Back when he left the East Continent...

He had met him once.

"East Province Grand Judge, Zhou Jiren."

Rust Bone of course understood this sharp disciple of his. He spoke calmly, introducing the few people behind him: "These three are all his disciples: Tiantong Lu’er, Zhong Wei... and Gu Shen."

Gu Nanfeng dipped his chin slightly—regarded as having met.

His gaze paused for a moment on the youngest boy.

He did not know why, but he kept feeling...

That this boy gave him a peculiar sense of familiarity, hard to put into words.

As if they had met somewhere before.

Gu Shen looked at the young Gu Nanfeng, momentarily a little dazed.

This was his first time seeing what "CN021" looked like.

Though this was merely a polite first meeting, Gu Nanfeng at this moment wore a wooden sword at his waist, cloak flaring in the wind; with every movement, youthful vigor overflowed from him.

When you spend a long time with someone, you start to overlook their changes... By now, he and Gu Nanfeng had nearly a decade of friendship between them.

Gu Shen thought of that recent meeting with Nanfeng. Having inherited the position of Family Head, Gu Nanfeng, worn down by day-and-night toil, had long since let youth’s arrogance be washed away by the years; even at his temples you could faintly see a touch of gray.

"Gu Shen..."

Gu Nanfeng softly spoke Gu Shen’s name.

He took the initiative to extend his hand, smiling gently: "What a coincidence, my surname is also Gu."

"Really? Then that is quite a coincidence..."

Gu Shen shook hands with Gu Nanfeng. He could tell that Gu Nanfeng very much wanted to chat with him a bit more.

But he did not pick up the conversation or carry it on.

As an outsider intervening in the restart, he had already altered the trajectory of this world.

For the mission of "breaking the restart" to be successfully completed, he did not wish to change too much of the original course.

So Gu Shen hurriedly ended his exchange with Gu Nanfeng.

The few of them entered the interior of the Fortress and came aboard Rust Bone General’s main boat.

Rust Bone had long since ordered the Deep Sea network within the main boat to be shut down... According to the restart world’s timeline, there were still several years before Deep Sea’s betrayal, but this Spirit Network had already been unsafe as early as twenty years ago.

...

...

This meeting carried great significance.

Gu Shen gathered together all the outsiders who had come to this restarted world, and for Rust Bone—who was still in a state of utter confusion—he brought complete information about the restart world and the Five Continents World.

"According to what you say, the Northern Continent Border is currently under attack by the Traveler Tribe."

Rust Bone rubbed his brow, sorting out his thoughts.

He first asked about the situation back in the Five Continents: "His Majesty is locked in brutal combat within the Source Tower... Right now our only hope is that Meng Xizhou completely refines the Fire Seed and ascends to the Divine Throne?"

Because of Deep Sea’s scheming...

He had inexplicably ended up in this place.

When Rust Bone was exiled, he’d already faintly sensed something was wrong, but he’d never imagined that after his departure, such waves would surge across the Five Continents!

"Crack."

The general clenched the bronze sword tight.

As the highest commander of the Frontier, to be absent from a war this important was the greatest dereliction of his life!

He wished he could rush back to the Frontier at once and slaughter the Traveler Tribe down to the last!

As Rust Bone’s fury spilled over, the bronze sword standing point-down on the deck released rings of pitch-black annihilating radiance... The aura from the blade alone made Titleds like Luo Er and Zhou Jiren feel a tremor in their hearts.

This was "Power of Destruction Origin" that surpassed the upper limit of mortal strength!

But beyond dread, what it brought them in this moment was a greater sense of ease.

A Rust Bone General who wielded this kind of power was on their side!

"...Yes."

Gu Shen could see Rust Bone was on edge, burning with anxiety.

But given the situation, no amount of anxiety would help.

He spoke in a steady voice to reassure him: "Mr. Rust Bone, the situation in the Five Continents is indeed tense, but it’s not as bad as you’re imagining."

White Lizard and Silver Fox had both been plotted against by Deep Sea, their bodies seized.

"If we can get out of here and make it back to the Five Continents... everything will still be in time."

Gu Shen spoke frankly: "The war will end because of our return. As for ’White Lizard’ and ’Silver Fox’, their Spirits must have been stored by Deep Sea in some sealed sea region. The damage this catastrophe has wrought may not be as irreversible as it looks."

When he finished speaking.

The main boat fell into brief silence for several seconds.

And then.

Came a hoarse, self-mocking laugh.

"Ha..."

Rust Bone slowly let out a breath.

"Gu Shen..."

He stared at the youth and slowly said, "Do you know that after these few resets, deep down inside... I actually felt a trace of relief?"

Gu Shen froze for a second.

"If I hadn’t been careless, if I could have been just a bit more cautious..."

"Then Silver Fox and White Lizard wouldn’t have met with disaster."

The three generals had gone through countless wars in the North Continent together, and had risen to the top together in the War of Felling Crimson. Their bond was harder than steel and iron. After personally killing White Lizard, then learning from Gu Shen that Silver Fox had also fallen.

Rust Bone’s Heart Lake could not calm for a long time.

The North Continent had been safe and solid for thirty years, and with a single lapse of attention, it had suffered such a devastating blow.

Instinctively, he shouldered all of the blame himself.

The most agonizing thing in this world is being powerless.

But what if you could "do it all again"?

Right now, Rust Bone saw hope.

Across these few resets, he had been trying, in his own way, to save this world... even though deep down he believed everything here was false.

He would still go to court before His Majesty, report intelligence, take off his cloak and gift it to the young man he most admired.

"..."

Zhou Jiren and Luo Er both fell silent; they could understand Rust Bone’s feelings.

Because what they’d done at the very beginning was the same as Rust Bone.

"This world here can be reset. Every time we end with a bad outcome, we can do it over."

Gu Shen was quiet for a few seconds, then lifted his bright eyes and suddenly asked, "But what about the world outside?"

Rust Bone looked into the youth’s eyes.

Gu Shen had yet to ignite Chi Huo.

Yet those pupils burned more brilliantly than any flame in the world.

He almost couldn’t bear to look directly at them.

"The world outside will not reset. Once it’s destroyed, it’s truly destroyed... The things you want to protect—Fortresses, old comrades, your people—none of them will get a second chance at coming back."

Gu Shen said evenly, "So we have to get out of here."

Rust Bone watched Gu Shen in silence.

"So... what should we do?"

"First, we leave the Five Continents."

Gu Shen spoke quickly, and very calmly: "The Moon City Fortress will only appear a year from now; we don’t have that kind of time to sit and wait... This reset world must have some major logical loophole in its structure. Don’t forget the ’common point’ in how we got here."

Every single one of them had left the Five Continents, stepped into the Old World, and only then arrived in this place!

"So to trigger that logical loophole, we must act within the Old World?"

A gleam of light flashed in Rust Bone’s gaze.

"Exactly!"

Gu Shen declared solemnly: "So... my suggestion is that we get on a Source Energy Boat and depart from the North Continent Fortress—right now, immediately!"

"But..."

Luo Er frowned and raised a key question: "The Old World is so vast. How are we supposed to travel it?"

"That’s not a big problem... We need to leave from the Gu Castle Fortress."

Gu Shen raised two fingers and tapped his temple lightly, speaking seriously: "As for the route once we enter the Old World... I have a complete map right here."