Under the cover of night, an endless sea of stars stretched across the sky.
The street before him had no visible light source. Logically, it should have been pitch black, yet in Mo Wu's eyes it was as bright as daylight.
Wooden buildings lined both sides of the road. Time had weathered them, leaving their surfaces worn and faded, but they still stood firmly in place.
The place felt desolate.
Extremely desolate.
Aside from the occasional sound of wind chimes and faint whispers drifting from somewhere unknown, the entire street was eerily quiet.
Pedestrians were few. Only a handful of people in strange clothing hurried past. They brushed shoulders with Mo Wu without even glancing at him before stepping straight into the thin gray light membrane behind him.
So this… is Paradise?
Mo Wu could hardly believe it. It looked nothing like what he had imagined.
Even if it wasn't supposed to be futuristic, shouldn't it at least look somewhat modern?
Why did it feel like a town straight out of a Western movie?
"Hard to believe this is the terrifying Paradise you imagined, isn't it?"
The middle-aged man in a leather jacket chuckled beside him. He casually patted Mo Wu on the shoulder and lowered his voice.
"Follow me. I can answer your questions."
He paused briefly.
"Three questions only."
With that, the man turned and walked into the most dilapidated wooden building along the street to the right, not bothering to see whether Mo Wu would follow—or perhaps completely confident that he would.
The man moved quickly.
So quickly that in the blink of an eye he disappeared from Mo Wu's sight.
Mo Wu stood there thinking for a moment before clenching his teeth and following.
After all, the man seemed to be the only person here willing to communicate with him—and he clearly understood this place.
Right now, what Mo Wu lacked most was information.
Looking around, Mo Wu felt a growing sense of unease as he examined the rundown wooden building before him.
A weathered wooden sign hung above the door.
The faded paint read: Tavern.
A lantern swayed in the wind at the entrance, casting a weak glow.
Creak—
The broken wooden door groaned under Mo Wu's push, sounding as if it might collapse at any moment. Thankfully, it still opened normally.
Inside the tavern, dim lighting illuminated the room.
Behind the bar stood a bartender in a suit whose face remained hidden in shadow as he quietly washed glasses.
Several people sat around a wooden table in the hall, speaking in low voices and occasionally raising their drinks before finishing them in a single gulp.
Their clothing styles were wildly different.
Even the two most normal-looking among them were bizarre.
One of them looked like he had come from the future.
His entire body was covered in high-tech armor. Cables ran along his mechanical right arm as he lifted a drink. With a hiss of steam, his helmet opened halfway, and he calmly poured the alcohol into his mouth.
The other wore armor crafted from bronze and gold plates.
On the chest piece was the symbol of the hawk-headed god Horus, representing authority. Beside it hung the ankh symbol of eternity and divinity. Lion-shaped shoulder guards rested on his armor, while the arm guards were made from metal plates and leather, both flexible and sturdy.
Mo Wu's expression turned strange.
This bizarre yet familiar feeling…
Were these two some kind of Predator and Egyptian Pharaoh?
Perhaps his reaction had been too obvious.
The man dressed like a pharaoh seemed annoyed. Amid the quiet laughter of those around him, he glared viciously at Mo Wu before standing and walking toward the entrance.
"Habib. He's a newcomer."
The same mysterious man appeared again from nowhere.
With both hands, he pressed down on the pharaoh-like man's shoulders, forcing him halfway back into his seat.
"Lin Dong, keep him under control."
Habib shot a wary glance at the man restraining him, then ignored Mo Wu completely. He handed Lin Dong a drink before returning to his seat and continuing his conversation with the others.
Taking a small sip from the glass in his hand, Lin Dong shrugged. He walked over to Mo Wu and pulled him to a square wooden table.
"How many worlds have you experienced?"
Lin Dong didn't bother with pleasantries.
Mo Wu narrowed his eyes slightly.
Instead of answering, he asked calmly,
"What do I have to pay?"
Lin Dong froze.
He clearly hadn't expected that question.
Slowly setting down his glass, he snapped his fingers and turned toward the bartender behind the counter.
"Mr. Modi, bring our clever newcomer a cup of Monster Milk."
He paused.
"No ice."
"Alright…"
An elderly voice came from behind the bar.
Then, in the blink of an eye, a wooden mug filled with pale yellow liquid appeared on the table in front of Mo Wu.
Naturally, the conversation caught the attention of Habib and the others nearby.
Shock flashed across their hidden expressions.
None of them had expected a newcomer to receive a drink from Lin Dong.
"Did I hear that right? Lin Dong actually bought someone a drink?"
The mechanical man in high-tech armor spoke in a cold, emotionless tone, though his voice was kept low enough for only those nearby to hear.
No one responded.
But the way they kept drinking betrayed their unease.
"Who was the last person Lin Dong bought a drink for?"
"I was," Habib replied quietly.
"Recruit him. Our team is missing a member."
The armored man's voice remained just as cold.
Mo Wu didn't touch the so-called Monster Milk.
Instead, he stared directly at Lin Dong as if trying to see through him.
There's something in this kid's eyes.
After holding Mo Wu's gaze for a moment, Lin Dong felt slightly uncomfortable. He took another sip from his nearly empty glass, then yawned and avoided eye contact.
"You don't need to pay anything."
"Go ahead. Three questions about Paradise. I'll answer what I can."
"Is Paradise always this… rundown?"
Thinking about what he had just seen, Mo Wu felt uneasy.
The empty streets.
The crumbling buildings.
And…
He glanced subtly toward the others nearby, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
Reincarnators who didn't look very powerful at all.
"Yes… and no."
Lin Dong scratched his head, seemingly unsure how to explain.
After thinking for a moment, he finally spoke again.
"Do you know what parallel lines are?"
He threw out a piece of knowledge even elementary school students understood.
Rubbing his temples, Lin Dong waited until Mo Wu nodded before continuing.
"Good. Since you've at least received basic education, that makes things easier."
"The place we're in right now is just one of countless parallel lines within Paradise."
Lin Dong closed his eyes as if searching his memory.
"I think our line is called…"
"D-856."
A somewhat stiff voice suddenly came from nearby, finishing Lin Dong's sentence.
"That's the name of our line."