Chapter 225

The temperature around them gradually rose, causing sweat to pour down.

His pupils shrank, Pangzi Luo as if waking from a dream, suddenly snapping back to reality, frantically trying to let go.

But it was too late.

Boom!!

The axe suddenly erupted with dense patterns, then exploded toward Pangzi Luo, turning into a shower of molten iron.

Pangzi Luo had just released his grip and stepped back when the molten iron splashed all over him.

"Aaaahhhhh!!"

Pangzi Luo screamed, rolling on the ground.

Dozens of small, glowing red holes burned into his body; searing iron water hissed against his skin, emitting the smell of roasted meat.

"Help! Help!!"

The host, terrified, rushed over immediately; with help from other members of the caravan, they lifted him and carried him out.

The noisy auction finally fell silent again.

Yet everyone's mood remained unsettled, their eyes frequently glancing nervously toward Captain Fire.

"Is this okay?"

Fang Yue asked, puzzled.

Fang Yue had seen Pangzi Luo's movements—he was trained in martial arts, but not even a martial cultivator, so he was no match for Fang Yue, let alone capable of harming him.

With Captain Fire beside him, Fang Yue naturally had no need to act.

He had expected Captain Fire to intervene, but never imagined he'd strike so brutally.

"Don't worry. Mo Cun's rules are far stricter than your little village. Besides, I didn't kill him."

Captain Fire replied indifferently.

Didn't kill him…

Fang Yue felt a faint sweat on his brow.

So Mo Cun's folk customs were even more primitive than Gu Yue Cun's.

Looking at the others, he saw that though they had indeed been startled by Captain Fire's violence at first,

after the Black Crow Auction carried Pangzi Luo away for treatment, the scene fell into an eerie silence.

Though some still glanced over occasionally, no one dared speak up in protest.

After all… that was Captain Fire!

Not only was he short-tempered, but he struck without warning; most importantly, no one except the Chief Captain could control him.

In any village, a Captain was treated like a local emperor—only a fool like Pangzi Luo would dare defy such a man.

Still, Pangzi Luo got truly screwed—he spent ten black stones on a piece of trash. That price could've bought the final featured item.

Now it was all gone.

Got royally scammed…

The crowd looked at Fang Yue with growing wariness.

At this point, they all realized—the Heavy Water Shoes were fake; the price had been artificially inflated.

Killing with words!

Seeing Fang Yue's easy rapport with Captain Fire, many others began to think deeper.

Could it be that this unfamiliar guy named Niu Niu was a target deliberately brought by Captain Fire to trick all of us?

Thinking this, many grew even more wary of Fang Yue.

"Host, aren't you continuing the auction?"

Fang Yue casually bent down, picked up the Heavy Water Shoes from the ground, and put them away, then asked.

Everyone saw this action, yet no one spoke.

Only now did the host snap back to reality.

The auction had already returned to its previous order, as if Pangzi Luo's outburst had been merely a minor interruption, leaving no ripple.

Clearing his throat, the host returned to the stage, glanced at the worn-out Backward Clock above, and called out loudly:

"Backward Clock, Human Grade Upper Tier, 46g Black Ember—any higher bids?"

Below, complete silence.

Earlier, some had been willing to bid against Fang Yue, gambling on luck.

Now, no one dared raise their bid against him.

Pangzi Luo was the clearest example.

They'd all thought Pangzi Luo had struck gold, landed an incredible prize, and soared to fortune.

What actually happened? He'd been misled, thrown away a fortune, and ended up with nothing but trash.

With this example right before them, who could still trust Fang Yue's judgment?

Besides, everything Fang Yue had bid on before had been unremarkable trinkets, with no special qualities.

So they'd all learned—Fang Yue's bids were unreliable; there was no point matching them. Just bid normally according to your needs.

As for being scared into silence by Captain Fire's punishment of Pangzi Luo—that was impossible.

If you saw something valuable but dared not bid or buy because of someone's status, why even come here? Just to watch?

An auction is meant to stir conflict; Mo Cun hasn't descended into lawlessness yet.

Captain Fire acted only because Pangzi Luo first attacked Fang Yue. Had Pangzi Luo merely shouted threats from afar without moving, Captain Fire would've had no excuse to strike—and none of this would've happened.

Between Captains and the village's merchants and elites, there existed an unspoken rule: don't cross the line, authority doesn't reach that zone, and both sides coexisted peacefully, with no need for conflict.

The Captain's power was great, but for the village to develop, it needed support from all corners of Mo Cun.

Therefore, between the Captain and these nobles, there was not only no intense conflict, but a mutually beneficial relationship—even in the case of Captain Fire, who despised such nobles, he would never lightly overstep and act against them.

But Fang Yue's actions today made many suspect that Captain Fire intended to use Fang Yue to do something to the village's nobles, inevitably stirring up thoughts.

"One time, 46g of Black Ember. Is there any higher bid?"

The host asked again patiently, though he subtly sensed something.

People neither wanted to be suckers nor were they enthusiastic after the incident with Pangzi Luo.

After calling out a few more times, Fang Yue successfully acquired the 【Chrono Bell】 for 46g of Black Ember.

As members of the Black Crow Merchant Group, like servers, delivered the 【Chrono Bell】 to Fang Yue, he handed over the Black Ember to them, completing the transaction.

Many cast several glances his way, but when the next auction item appeared, they stopped paying attention.

Fang Yue, meanwhile, carefully observed the 【Chrono Bell】.

He wanted his Analysis Pupil to analyze the 【Chrono Bell】.

Unfortunately, the Analysis Pupil failed to activate.

He sighed in frustration and began examining its structure.

The 【Chrono Bell】 looked extremely worn, as if just dredged up from the ocean floor.

It was no larger than a palm, covered everywhere in moss and greasy grime.

Entirely carved from unknown ancient wood, its internal structure was as intricate as a modern machine.

Yet every component was made of old wood, many parts severely damaged, gears long since stopped turning, motionless like a broken clock.

From the front, through several cracks, one could directly see its inner structure.

Even if this thing were intact, Fang Yue would never have sensed anything special about it.

It was plainly just a small carving made by some old woodcarver, and its structure showed no sign of a power source—he couldn't imagine how it could ever turn.

Still, Fang Yue didn't waste time. He directly asked the parchment in his mind.

"What is this thing?"

【Don't ask what it is—give it to me, give it to me, give it to me!】

"... If you don't tell me, I won't give it to you."

【... Stingy!!!】

【Angry! Angry! Angry!!】

Fang Yue rolled his eyes.

He was immune to this trick of the parchment.

"... Stop wasting time. Tell me what this is. I spent 46g of Black Ember on it—don't tell me it's just a toy."

"... Cut the crap, hurry up and tell me what this is. You wasted 46g of Black Ember on me—don't tell me it's just some toy."

The parchment seemed irate; though no text appeared in his mind, Fang Yue immediately sensed its emotion.

It was a peculiar feeling—as if two souls could effortlessly perceive each other's emotions.

Yet this sensation vanished instantly. Whenever the parchment didn't manifest text, Fang Yue could no longer know what it thought or felt.

But that feeling vanished in an instant. As long as the parchment didn't surface any text, Fang Yue had no way of knowing what it was thinking or feeling.

Was it because of the contract that my connection with the parchment had deepened? Or does the parchment unilaterally conceal its own emotions while always perceiving my every state?

This wasn't good news. The most frustrating part was that even his own thoughts were now always knowable to the parchment.

This thing was like a parasite lodged in his mind, impossible to shake off.

Just as Fang Yue thought this, text began appearing in his mind.

【I am Fang Yue. At the Black Crow Auction, I obtained something extraordinary—an extremely peculiar artifact.】

【It is called the 【Chrono Bell】, a terrifying artifact said to reverse time. But time flows on—even the mightiest artifacts cannot resist its corrosion.】

【Over countless ages, the 【Chrono Bell】 has lost nearly all its power, its artifact rank sinking layer by layer until even ordinary people can touch it.】

【I am eager to restore the 【Chrono Bell】's power, to unleash its ancient, earth-shaking ability. But with my strength, I lack the price necessary to awaken even a fraction of its might.】

【Therefore, I entrust this artifact to the great and noble Parchment Lord, who will surely handle it properly.】

【Therefore, I have entrusted this item to the great and noble Lord Parchment, trusting that the great and noble Lord Parchment will handle it properly.】

Holy shit!

Time reversal?

Ancient artifact? Powerful anomalous object?

Fang Yue stared blankly at the small object in his palm.

Damn it, what kind of monster thing ended up in my hands?!

Damn it, what kind of monstrous thing is this—how did it end up in my hands!

Is this even a lucky find?

This loophole is sky-shattering-level huge!

Fang Yue's breathing quickened slightly, but he quickly controlled it, fearing Captain Fire or others nearby might notice.

He pretended to casually put away the 【Chrono Bell】, then bombarded the parchment with frantic questions.

"Parchment, tell me—how do I repair the 【Chrono Bell】? What level is it? What exactly can time reversal do? Can I bring it into the real world? Like you—I want to bring it into the real world!"

After signing the contract, the Advent skill merely projected game character data into the real world.

Equipment and items carried by the character simply didn't exist.

So far, Fang Yue had only seen the parchment appear simultaneously in both the real world and the game.

Whether the 【Chrono Bell】, as a high-level anomalous object, could also be brought into the real world was a question Fang Yue had long wanted answered.

And the Human Skin Mask—that was also a valuable item. If usable in the real world, it would offer many advantages and make operations far easier.

There's also the Human Skin Mask — that's a good thing too. If it could be used in reality, the benefits would be many, and it would make acting much more convenient.

Fang Yue's string of questions gave the parchment a bit of indigestion; after a good while, its not-particularly-bright brain finally managed to digest them.

【I am Fang Yue. I was so wildly fanciful as to assume that any strange artifact could leave the game as easily as the parchment does, and be brought out into reality.】

【But I did not know that such an operation requires paying an enormous price.】

【The current me still cannot afford the terrifying price of bringing an existence like the 【Clock of Returning Time】 out of the game — it would be a horror and catastrophe sweeping across the world.】

【As for the Human Skin Mask, one only needs to pay an appropriate amount of lifespan, using the great and noble Lord Parchment as a medium through a contract, to bring it out of the game — but the lifespan paid is still no small price.】

【I feel very depressed. So bringing strange artifacts out of the game requires paying lifespan. My poor lifespan cannot withstand such expenditure… But the good news is that the great and noble Lord Parchment is willing to share intel — as the loophole expands, the price of bringing strange artifacts out of the game will gradually decrease, even approaching zero cost. I look forward to that day.】

【The terrifying 【Clock of Returning Time】 is not something I can control. After much deliberation, I still handed the 【Clock of Returning Time】 over to the great and noble Lord Parchment for handling.】

The parchment dodged many questions, but did offer some information.

Loophole? What is a loophole?

If the price means lifespan, then bringing the 【Clock of Returning Time】 out of the game would cost a huge amount of lifespan — more than he could bear.

And as the loophole expands, he could freeload? Such a good thing exists?

Fang Yue was deeply skeptical, but the parchment refused to say more.

Even so, Fang Yue still treasured the 【Clock of Returning Time】 as a priceless find. After thinking for a moment, he asked,

"What do you want the 【Clock of Returning Time】 for?"

As for the claim of "safekeeping" the 【Clock of Returning Time】, Fang Yue didn't buy it at all.

Letting the parchment keep it was no better than keeping it himself.

The parchment seemed to hesitate, as if it sensed that without an explanation, Fang Yue would absolutely never hand this thing over to it.

After hesitating for quite a while, the parchment finally spoke.

【I am the great and noble Lord Parchment. In my long parchment-life career, I have learned one thing.】

【And that is — I will no longer be parchment!!】

【The great and noble Lord Parchment wishes to devour the 【Clock of Returning Time】. When that happens, the 【Clock of Returning Time】's properties will be inherited and absorbed by the great and noble Lord Parchment, further elevating Lord Parchment's essence.】

【The great and noble Lord Parchment will no longer be Lord Parchment, but… the especially great and especially noble Lord Parchment!】

…Isn't that still parchment?

【Silence!! A Lord Parchment possessing the properties of the 【Clock of Returning Time】 should properly be addressed as Lord Parchment of Time!!】

(End of this chapter)