“This watch was passed down from my ancestors. My ancestors, like you, were also transported from another world. As for Old Duan, he was once the city lord’s weapon, so I naturally know him.”
The old woman's words were so informative that Zhang Shi and his group were completely confused until she explained them in more detail, at which point Zhang Shi finally understood the gist of it.
It turns out that hundreds of years ago, a group of otherworldly survivors appeared in this desolate world. The elite among them united and established a city-state on this land, which is the origin of Fog City.
With the emergence of Fog City, more and more survivors were attracted to the area, and the land became increasingly prosperous. The survivors multiplied and thrived in this city-state, establishing civilization and order.
However, this period of prosperity was short-lived. As Fog City grew, the will of the Wilderness World took notice and began to use methods to limit the survivors' further expansion. An inexplicable phenomenon began to spread within the city—invisible monsters appeared silently. They had no physical form, yet they could influence reality, creating fear and chaos. Overnight, all the buildings, including the entire city, came to life and began to devour the survivors. These monsters became Fog City's greatest threat, and although the survivors fought valiantly, they were unable to completely eradicate them.
Ultimately, most of the survivors left Fog City, and the once prosperous city-state crumbled within days. The old woman's ancestors were among the few survivors who remained. They constantly struggled against unseen forces in the city until the old woman's generation, when it seemed their lineage was about to end.
"The people in the city have either left or died, and I am the only one who has survived to this day thanks to that ray of light. I never thought that I would be able to see outsiders again before I die and entrust the history of the Fog City to you. I can die in peace now."
After digesting the old woman's information, Ge Dalong asked in confusion.
Have you ever seen any other survivors who don't belong to Fog City?
The old woman nodded, thought for a moment, and then answered.
“That was when I was very young, when my parents were still alive. A few outsiders like you broke into Fog City. They must have just arrived in the Wilderness World. It seems they came here in search of some kind of artifact. One of them was wearing Old Duan’s robe.”
Zhang Shi looked at the old woman with some doubt and surprise. The old woman looked at the old Duan in Zhang Shi's hand and her eyes showed sadness.
"My ancestors deduced that survivors are like leeks, harvested again and again by the wilderness. Whenever a civilization develops to a certain level, the will of the wilderness will intervene and completely destroy any trace of its existence until the next batch of survivors appears."
"Old Duan seems to be an exception. I don't know why he was able to survive from the will of the Wilderness World. He was originally the weapon of the first city lord. He was taken away by the city lord hundreds of years ago. There are even records about him in the city. Until a few decades ago, when I met Old Duan, he had already changed masters."
"My father speculated that Old Duan is a self-aware being, capable of choosing the strongest survivor from each generation to serve as his master. Young man, you bear a heavy burden on your shoulders."
As Zhang Shi listened to the old woman's story, complex emotions welled up within him. He looked down at the old Duan knife in his hand—this seemingly ordinary kitchen knife carried such a heavy history and mission. He took a deep breath, trying to calm the turmoil in his heart. However, expecting him to fight against the will of the wilderness world in his current state was still somewhat of a pipe dream. Zhang Shi still needed a long time to develop; their short-term goal remained exploring the Fog City and unlocking the teleportation point after killing a certain number of monsters.
Seeing that the old woman had fallen silent, Zhao Feng quickly pressed her for an answer.
"Grandma, what happened to those survivors who left? Were they all wiped out by the will of the wilderness world? After so many years and so many groups of people, didn't they have any descendants outside?"
The old woman slowly stood up.
"Survivors can never escape the purge of the wilderness world's will, but there should be many successors like me who are barely surviving. We have inherited the wristwatches of our predecessors. Although most of the functions are unusable, the supplies stored inside are enough for us to survive for a long time and continue our civilization."
Zhao Feng's eyes lit up. Their initial purpose in coming to this instance was to make contact with the natives. If they could obtain more information about the existence of the natives, then this trip would not have been in vain.
The old woman took out another transparent crystal ball and waved it around Zhang Shi and the others. After a moment, the crystal ball changed from transparent to red, emitting a faint glow. The old woman was somewhat surprised and turned to look at Zhang Shi and the others.
"Hmm, my crystal ball has reacted, which means you have had close contact with your successors."
Zhang Shi's mind was about to explode. He couldn't recall when he had ever come into contact with the descendants of the previous generation of survivors, so he simply stopped thinking about it and focused on the task at hand.
"Grandma, you just said there are records about Old Duan in the city. Could you take me to see them?"
As a mythical weapon, Lao Duan has a mysterious origin. Zhang Shi has possessed Lao Duan for some time, but he still hasn't figured out its specific attributes. Now that he's encountered the old woman, a living fossil, if he can't unveil the mystery surrounding Lao Duan, he will definitely regret it for the rest of his life.
The old woman put away the crystal ball, then flicked her sleeve, and a dark shadow emerged from her sleeve, slowly coalescing into a human shape.
"Follow him, but be careful on the road. There are all sorts of monsters in the city, so avoid them if you can."
Zhang Shi nodded. On their way here, they had already encountered some orc monsters. Zhang Shi guessed that these monsters might have accidentally wandered into the City of Mist from the secret realm, and dealing with them wouldn't be difficult. If they encountered them, they could simply kill them, which would even advance their mission progress. As for the invisible beings, they should be avoided if possible. These things couldn't be seen in their physical form, making them more troublesome to deal with. Unless absolutely necessary, Zhang Shi didn't want to confront them directly. If they alerted this living city, it would inevitably cause another problem.
Zhang Shi and the others followed the humanoid black figure, embarking on a journey to the depths of the Fog City to uncover Old Duan's secrets.
Along the way, they carefully traversed abandoned streets. With the guidance of an old woman, Zhang Shi and his companions encountered no danger and had more energy to observe the scenery of the city.
The once-prosperous buildings are now nothing but desolation, eroded beyond recognition by time. Occasionally, strange creatures can be seen roaming the streets. Zhang Shi gripped Lao Duan's hand tightly, remaining vigilant. Although he wasn't afraid of these monsters, the old woman's words made him realize that this city was far more complex and dangerous than they had imagined. He had to stay alert at all times to avoid getting into unnecessary trouble.
As they walked, the humanoid figure suddenly stopped and pointed to a dilapidated library ahead. The library door was ajar, as if awaiting their arrival. Zhang Shi and the others exchanged glances, their hearts filled with doubt and anticipation. They knew that this library might hold the secrets about Lao Duan.
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