We followed Mr. He into the room, and the moment I pushed open the glass door, I thought this was just another illusion, like the one created by Fatty Zhou at the beginning.

But I was wrong; it was a solid layer of dust.

Further inside, Mr. He slowly moved his body and turned on the light, which was one of those cheap lights that shone brightly.

The hall suddenly lit up, and the light felt even worse and more eerie than the one that Fatty Zhou had lit before.

Immediately, Mr. He sat down in the seat behind the counter in the lobby, the same seat that Fatty Zhou had previously occupied.

The layout around here is almost exactly the same as what we saw at Fatty Zhou's place.

I just couldn't understand how this could have happened. Could it be that the boss kicked out the previous fat guy and then decided to set up shop here himself?

"Master, I think I don't need to take action. This guy looks completely defeated right now."

The lightning sword spoke slowly inside my head.

The shopkeeper pulled a black box out from under the counter. Upon closer inspection, I saw that it was a mobile phone covered in a layer of dust. In addition to the box, there was also a slightly yellowed piece of paper.

Then, he slowly unfolded it and showed it to us, as if he clearly knew that we hadn't come here to stay.

"You see."

The girl and I went up to the counter. It was still covered in dust. I looked closely and saw a few large characters scattered on the yellowed paper.

Shallow central planning map.

The red circle on the map is still on the edge of the city, which is its current location, but the current situation should already be there.

I noticed that the edges of the yellowed paper were already curled.

This has clearly been touched and rubbed repeatedly.

The boss, surnamed He, had worn-out cuffs and trouser legs, and was still quite unkempt.

The guy remained silent for a while, then stroked the mobile phone and gently wiped away the dust.

I could tell he understood that I wasn't staying at the hotel.

I didn't hold back at all when I spoke up.

"This thing is no longer popular."

Why are you keeping it?

I thought he would be very upset, but Mr. He downplayed it.

"Back then, I bought this thing just to keep it for contacting goods. If I opened the entire ground floor of the shop and made that money, I could even equip every room on every floor with one."

Now... it's no longer needed.

I felt a bit emotional. Indeed, the phone is heavy and bulky. It was a popular model back then, and now even the antenna is rusted.

However, I wonder if the owner has successfully cultivated the sea marrow.

Seeing the boss like this, I didn't dare to ask any more questions, while he stared at the planning map and looked at it carefully for a long time.

He only folded the drawing and put it back down when the lights in the room started to flicker slightly.

After he put it down, as if he knew why we were there, he slowly raised his head and spoke.

"Just tell me what you want."

Me too, without much hesitation, I told them we wanted sea cucumber.

Upon hearing my words, his pupils immediately contracted.

As if he had heard something he had been waiting for, he muttered to himself.

He was in a state of extreme excitement.

I was a little scared when I saw him; he was ecstatic to the point of near-madness.

What do you mean by that?

"It doesn't mean anything. Just tell me what you want, and I'll do everything I can to satisfy you."

But I also think what you're looking for has great potential!

This sea marrow, including my piece of land, is the pillar industry of this entire center!

My inn, that's the real pillar industry of this area!

This boss is going a bit crazy right now.

"Don't you also think that this land of mine can work, and that I can grow this sea marrow?"

I really don't know how to respond to its behavior.

Should I tell him that this place is no good because the central government didn't even plan to develop it here?

I really can't bring myself to say such things, after all, this person's obsession is just too deep.

Whether it's a person or something else, I think this thing is very dangerous.

“Master, why are you wasting your breath talking to him? This guy is a bit too crazy. Let’s just leave.”

No, you should ask him first if he has any sea marrow. Don't let him lead you astray!

The sound of lightning striking the sword rang out, and I reacted immediately.

Indeed, Lei Jijian is right.

At this point, if we keep listening to him talk about how ambitious his business goals are, who knows when we'll ever see them again.

I went straight to the point, without any hesitation, and simply asked him if he had any sea marrow left.

Yes, of course!

If not, what's the point of me sticking around here? Like that young Zhang just now, I'd just go with him to the east!

Although that's what the boss said, I could see a hint of moisture in the corner of his eyes.

Since entering the hotel, he had been slowly touching everything there, as if lamenting their aging and bidding them farewell.

Then, the boss simply turned around and started leading us upstairs.

"Come on, they're all upstairs, I've put them all away."

Just as I was about to follow, the girl beside me lowered her voice and reminded me, "Brother, is this really safe?"

We encountered a ghost wall before, and other things were all upstairs, and now we don't even know if that big counter is still upstairs.

If we go straight to the second floor, we'll likely find only wood chips everywhere. Add to that the thick fog we encountered at the beginning, and we're doomed!

The girl's voice trembled slightly, and that strong, sweet, metallic smell lingered in my mind. Although I can feel it now, I can't forget that taste.

I pondered the taste from before, but then I felt a wave of dizziness.

What's going on? Ever since I entered this hotel and met this owner surnamed He, I've had a persistent headache.

"Come on, what are you hesitating for? Don't you want it anymore?"

Boss He urged him again, while he bent his waist forward and rubbed it. He wasn't old yet, but he had the bearing of an old man.

Or to be more precise, he carried the same weariness that Zhou Pangzi had previously displayed.

"They're here."

I blurted out a comment almost without thinking.

As I climbed further up, I could clearly feel that the stairs beneath my feet were somewhat sticky.

This stickiness feels like something is stuck to it.

Isn't this the same sticky, wrinkled feeling I had when I was stuck in a maze before?

Could it be?