Resonance response

Jiang Yu rested at the safe point for longer than usual. The battle with the "Ancient Whisperers" was not only extremely taxing, but the lingering spiritual remnants of the Outer God's corruption were like a persistent, intractable disease, requiring time to slowly purify. He repeatedly studied the "system fragment" he had obtained from the corrupted core. The information within was fragmented, but the keywords "key" and "nuclear core" hung over his mind like the Sword of Damocles.

While Jiang Yu was focused on recovering, he was unaware that the commotion he had caused at the "Abyss Sacrifice Field" and his previous series of "rent collection" activities had already triggered a tsunami-like chain reaction among the high-level players of Infinite Games.

The main city for infinite game players, "Star Trail Nexus".

In the "Forgotten Corner," a tavern woven from data streams and real-world objects, the atmosphere was bustling with activity. But today's topic was no longer about which dungeon to clear or which guild had acquired a powerful artifact.

"Have you heard? The two A-level difficulty rule-based dungeons, 'Undead Train' and 'Ghost Town,' have been permanently closed!" A lean assassin said in a low voice, his face full of disbelief.

"More than that! Top guilds used special items to detect it, and even the more terrifying S-class forbidden zone 'Abyss Sacrifice Field,' where no one has ever survived before... has completely lost its energy signal!" A female player in a mage robe interjected, her voice trembling.

"It's the 'rent collector'! It must have been that rent collector!" A burly man gulped down a glass of wine. "One of our guild's teams went missing in 'Ghost Town,' but suddenly returned yesterday! Although the memory is a bit hazy, they said it was a young man with a rusty knife who...negotiated rent with the dungeon boss, and then 'saved' the entire dungeon!"

The rumors spread far and wide, becoming increasingly fantastical. The mysterious youth was given various titles such as "Rent Collector," "Instance Demolition Team," and "Boss Buster." Some saw him as a savior, believing he was cleaning up dangerous instances; others saw him as a greater threat, fearing his actions would disrupt the balance of the infinite game and bring about unknown disasters.

Against this backdrop, a new player organization called "Dawn" quietly emerged and rapidly grew. Its core members were among the first to survive the "Undead Train" and "Ghost Town," including "Rock" and "Fox." They firmly believed that the existence of the "Rent Collectors" revealed a deeper truth about the infinite game, and their aim was "to explore the essence of the game and cope with unknown changes," rather than the traditional monster-slaying and leveling up. They began consciously collecting information about the "Rent Collectors" and anomalous dungeons, attempting to align themselves with this wave of change.

While players were buzzing with discussion, in some unknown, dark corners of the Infinite Game, certain ancient entities were also disturbed.

In a shattered temple where time flowed abnormally slowly, a figure draped in a starlight robe with a blurred face stared at a mirror made of mercury. The mirror reflected the blurry scene of Jiang Yu severing the corrupted heart with his final strike at the "Abyss Sacrifice Field" (although severely interfered with, the unique power fluctuation could not be completely concealed).

“The power of authority… so pure… Did the ‘Executor’ from the ‘Lawful’ side make a move?” The starlight figure muttered to himself, his voice tinged with a hint of solemnity and doubt. “No, although the essence of this power is high-level, the way it is used is very… naive. Like a novice.”

He/She pondered for a moment: "'Annihilation's' tentacles have stretched too far; it certainly needs to be dealt with. However... is 'Lawful' sending a rookie to handle this level of contamination because they have no one else available, or... do they have other plans?"

The figure dispersed the water mirror and disappeared into the depths of the temple. Clearly, Jiang Yu's appearance had attracted the attention of certain beings outside the player realm, those who roamed the higher levels of the infinite game. Perhaps the "mess" left behind by the Supreme God wasn't just the Boss owing rent and the external invasion, but also included other "colleagues" with similar authority and ambiguous stances?

Jiang Yu finally expelled the last trace of pollution from his body, and his mind returned to clarity. He took out the list and found that it had changed again. The parchment had a smoother, warmer texture, and even faint golden lines had appeared along the edges. Most notably, the list no longer simply displayed rent arrears information, but also included a simple area map.

The map is based on an endless corridor, with light spots shimmering on it with different glows:

Gray dots: represent tenants that have been dealt with or are not currently under threat.

White dots: represent tenants who are in arrears on rent and need to pay rent according to the procedure.

Pale red dots: represent tenants with minor anomalies or potential threats (such as the original Lost Library).

Deep red dots: These represent tenants that have been confirmed to be contaminated by the "Null of Oblivion" and need to be cleaned up first (such as the Abyss Sacrifice Site, where the dots have turned gray and are marked with an X).

Among the densely packed points of light, one stood out as particularly unique. It emitted a faint golden glow and flickered continuously, accompanied by a line of small text:

“Resonance response of ‘protocol key’ fragment detected (weak).”

Target area: 'Void Market'.

Related tenant: 'The Merchant with a Thousand Faces'.

Status: Highly dangerous, stance unclear, suspected of having connections with multiple forces.

The key fragments have finally provided a clue. Although it's just a fragment resonating, it's a clear direction.

“Void Marketplace”… “The Merchant of a Thousand Faces”… Jiang Yu murmured the name. It sounded like a cunning and difficult character to deal with. The list marked “Unclear Stance” meant that it might not be simply corrupted, but rather wavering between the “Core of Annihilation,” the “Main God” (or rather, the original rules of the building), or even other forces, waiting for the right price.

Such beings are often more troublesome than mere enemies.

But the clues about the "key" must be investigated. Jiang Yu stood up, his gaze resolute. He needed to go to this "Void Market" to meet that "Thousand-Faced Merchant."

Just as he was about to set off, a brand new, never-before-seen blue arrow suddenly appeared on the map next to the golden dot representing the "Void Market," pointing to a specific location within the Void Market. Next to it was a smaller, seemingly newly generated annotation:

"A fluctuation in the permissions of a peer (?) has been detected."

Identity verification: Unknown.

Recommendation: Remain vigilant.

Fellow travelers?!

Jiang Yu's heart skipped a beat. Did it refer to "envoys" like himself? Or... members of the faction to which the starlight figure spying on him in the temple, which the list had just detected, belonged?

It seems this trip to the "Void Market" is destined to be anything but peaceful. The waters are deeper and more murky than he imagined.