Chapter 466: Recruitment

“So, you didn’t come all this way just to tell me a story, did you?”

Gray said, “Before our city was destroyed, we activated a forbidden technique formation left by our ancestors and killed all the invaders. But the Tuiyuan that orchestrated the attack never received the punishment it deserved…”

Qin Ziwen cut it off. “Don’t tell me you want me to get revenge for you. If a verbal promise is all you need, I can agree right now. But if you’re going to ask me to sign a contract or something, then forget it.

“Considering how Tuiyuan travel works, if your enemy is even still around, there’s no telling how powerful they’ve become.”

“I won’t lie to you. Everyone who knows me calls me the Honest and Reliable Young Master.”

Gray was taken aback, shocked by the human’s “honesty.” After a moment’s hesitation, it said, “The flow of time isn’t the same in every world. Decades might pass in one world while only a single year goes by in another.”

‘So the flow of time differs between worlds.’ Qin Ziwen had already suspected as much.

Qin Ziwen said, “Since the flow of time is different, it’s also possible time moves faster for them. After so long, your enemies might already be dead.”

“No, they’re not dead.”

“How do you know?”

Gray explained, “Because they return periodically. They want to take the Golden Apple Tree, but it has long since fused with the forbidden formation. If they try to transplant it by force, I’ll detonate the planet’s core magma and destroy everything here.”

“Genius!” Qin Ziwen gave it a thumbs-up.

Gray paused. ‘Is he… praising me?’

Qin Ziwen continued, “Alright, but I can’t deal with a Tuiyuan that’s had who-knows-how-many years to grow. However, I can promise this: if I become strong enough to crush them easily in the future, *and* I happen to run into your enemies, I’ll get revenge for you. If you agree, we have a deal. If not, we don’t.”

Gray’s voice was grave. “You lack sincerity.”

Qin Ziwen’s expression remained unchanged, but inwardly, he silently communicated with his Home.

[Activate Node?]

“No.”

After confirming he could activate the Node at any time, Qin Ziwen felt a bit more at ease.

He said bluntly, “Since you don’t trust me, then forget it. You can wait for someone else.”

Gray said grimly, “You’re the only one who has come in over two hundred years. The forbidden formation can only hold for another thirty years at most.”

‘Hah. So I’m a hot commodity after all.’

‘No wonder it’s been so agreeable.’

A thought suddenly struck Qin Ziwen.

‘Wait a minute,’

‘I’m the only one in over two hundred years?’

He instantly recalled the Dark Tide Fishmen hunting Tuiyuan.

In that instant, everything clicked into place.

No wonder the Dark Tide Fishmen hunted any Tuiyuan who arrived here, and no wonder the tunnel-digging Insect Men were being slaughtered.

It was all to prevent anyone from finding these underground ruins.

Especially a Tuiyuan.

After all, the native life forms were stuck here; they had nowhere to run.

But a Tuiyuan could simply complete its mission and leave the world entirely.

Qin Ziwen said, “You don’t actually need to overthink this. The Golden Apple Tree is what they want. If I take it, they’ll come after me whether I go looking for them or not.”

Gray looked up, falling silent.

‘What the human says is true.’

‘Those Fishmen have waited over two hundred years for the Golden Apple Tree. If it’s taken, they’ll definitely hunt this human down.’

‘So why am I so insistent on getting a promise?’

It asked itself this, but after a long time, it still didn’t have an answer.

But it knew that when the forbidden formation was undone, it would vanish completely along with it.

Just like the Gray Race who had vanished beneath the earth.

“You want revenge, right?” Qin Ziwen said, looking at Gray and rubbing his chin. “What exactly are you? A Ghost? An earth-bound spirit? A curse?”

Gray was silent, then shook its head.

“None of those?” Qin Ziwen raised an eyebrow. ‘I was completely wrong.’

Gray glanced at him. “I am the cursed Ghost Companion Beast of the Golden Apple Tree.”

“…”

Qin Ziwen rubbed his temples.

‘That’s quite a mouthful.’

‘Any longer and it wouldn’t fit in the room.’

He recalled that the Golden Apple’s effect was to allow Extraordinary Plants to attract a Companion Beast when embedded in a building. Connecting that to Gray’s current state…

…it was clear Gray’s existence was inextricably linked to the Golden Apple Tree.

Gray’s tone was melancholic. “I was born from the curse. From the moment of my creation, I absorbed the memories of all my deceased kin. The agony of their final moments repeats endlessly in my mind.”

“Death would actually be a release for me, but I bear the hatred of my entire race. I don’t dare to die until I’ve planted the seed of vengeance.”

“Don’t dare to die? That’s an easy fix.” Qin Ziwen extended a hand. “Join my Home. I’ll let you witness it firsthand.”

Gray paused, then shook its head with a faint, sorrowful smile. “I was born from the curse of the forbidden formation. When the formation vanishes, the curse will break, and I will disappear along with it.”

Qin Ziwen said, “Then we’ll just find you a new curse to latch onto.”

Gray remained silent.

‘Curses aren’t that easy to come by.’

Qin Ziwen continued, “What about a Ghost Ship? If a ship isn’t good enough, how about anchoring yourself to a Ghost Ship Dock? A dock that can build Ghost Ships should be a worthy vessel, right? The dock is already full of Ghosts, what’s one more?”

Gray’s tone was strange. “You have a Ghost Ship Dock?”

“What, is that rare?”

Gray lowered its head. “It’s somewhat rare. I’ve heard it’s one of the components of an Ultimate series called ‘Evernight Harbor.’ The buildings in Tuiyuan are bizarre and varied, but not all Advanced Buildings are connected to a higher-tier Ultimate series.”

“So, Advanced Buildings that are part of an Ultimate series are rarer and more valuable?”

“Generally, yes. But what’s most suitable is what’s best, like the relationship between a trunk and its branches. And usually, one finds the Ultimate building first, then seeks out its corresponding Advanced Buildings.”

Qin Ziwen nodded, showing he understood. “So you still haven’t answered me. Do you want to live in the dock or on a Ghost Ship? My personal recommendation is the ship. It can sail anywhere, so you can get some fresh air. You might even get to kill a few Fishmen yourself. If you stay in the dock, you’re just trading one prison for another.”

With its head still bowed, Gray’s body began to tremble.

The existence of the Ghost Ship Dock was a bombshell, a completely unexpected miracle.

It had only wanted to plant a seed of vengeance, to create some trouble for the Fishman Tuiyuan.

But what if… what if it could truly take part in that revenge itself?

Gray raised its head.

The mist shrouding its face slowly receded like an ebbing tide, revealing the constantly squirming, grayish-white truth beneath.

It was a face.

Or rather, it was countless faces.

They were layered and squeezed together.

An old man’s face surged forward, lips parting as if to cry. Before it could fully form, it was shoved aside by the face of a woman with a shattered cheek and a malevolent, laughing expression. In a flash, that too was replaced by the twisted, agonized face of a burly man, tears of blood streaming from his eyes.

Countless voices merged as one: “Yes.”