Paige Summers had taken Claire Chapman’s words to heart. When they passed by Stoneridge Base, she really did go looking for the legendary master planter. But asking for planting techniques was one thing; most importantly, she wanted to ask if he had any grain seeds.

That’s right, she still hadn’t given up hope.

Sweetie’s round trip to Central City would take at least half a month, so she still had a long wait ahead. Meanwhile, they were about to reach The Foundry. It wasn’t clear if things would go smoothly then, and getting the seeds even a day earlier would be a huge advantage. So, she made her move while everyone else was resting.

Of course, she wasn’t alone. To her right was Ben, and to her left was Zephyr Mercer, who had insisted on coming no matter what.

Speaking of which, in the month or so since they’d left Central City, he had been a huge help.

Not only had the Bloodfall Team Members’ physical fitness greatly improved, but their superpowers had also progressed significantly, with eight of them advancing to the next tier.

According to one of the team members, his superpower’s advancement was closely related to his improved physical fitness.

This result was a very pleasant surprise.

Because of this, Zephyr Mercer’s status in the team skyrocketed, and everyone admired him.

Many people marveled that the Ancient Martial Clans were truly incredible. Under such high-intensity training, it was no wonder every one of them was brimming with vitality, allowing them to secure a place in the talent-filled Central City!

For this reason, Paige Summers was also more polite to him.

But that was all.

She still decisively rejected his various subtle attempts to close the distance between them. Her attitude was just slightly more tactful now, at least enough to not embarrass him in front of others.

But a rejection was still a rejection, and it never felt good.

The fact that he hadn’t blown up yet made Paige feel like he was a bomb building up its charge, ready to detonate on some unknown day.

The thought filled her with a sense of regret.

’He’s actually a decent guy. He comes from a major family but isn’t arrogant, and he’s generous when he’s being genuine with people. His tongue can be sharp, but he’s direct and doesn’t play mind games. A very straightforward man.’

’If it were possible, I’d be happy to be his friend.’

’Unfortunately, his personality probably wouldn’t allow for that... He seems like the stubborn type, the kind with a do-or-die attitude. If we can’t be a couple, we probably can’t even be friends. So, until he finally blows up, it’s best we just keep things polite.’

If Zephyr Mercer knew that this was the reason his relationship with Paige Summers had stalled, he would surely have been angry enough to spit blood.

He operated on the principle that even the fiercest woman succumbs to a persistent suitor, thinking that if he just stuck with her, he’d win her over one day. He never imagined this would be the very reason Paige refused to let him get even an inch closer.

Zephyr Mercer was twenty-five, and this was the first time in his life he had ever fallen for someone outside of his family. It had reached the point where he wouldn’t give up, not even when his father locked him in solitary confinement or punished him with dangerous missions. And yet, the one he liked didn’t like him back.

Such is life, lonely as blood.

Unfortunately, the current Paige Summers had no time to think about matters of love and romance. Her mind was entirely focused on finding that master planter.

Stoneridge Base was one of the larger bases they had seen on their journey. The walls were tall and imposing, and although the space inside was quite limited, it was estimated to be about the size of a town.

Its main virtue was its cleanliness.

The streets were straight and orderly, though not wide. Paired with the small houses lining either side, they had a certain delicate charm.

As for the pedestrians who occasionally appeared on the streets, they looked to be in good spirits, not sallow and emaciated or listless like the people in some other bases.

Paige nodded to herself after observing the scene. ’Overall, a base like this is a rare find.’

Her resolve to find the master planter strengthened.

She had thought finding this person would be difficult. To her surprise, she learned his location after asking just one random person.

Paige Summers blinked, looking at the passerby’s bizarrely enthusiastic smile, which all but had "Go on, hurry up and go!" written on his forehead. She felt a flicker of doubt.

’What’s going on here?’

But no matter the situation, she had no reason to back down.

Following the passerby’s directions, the group of three headed straight there.

It was a rather remote, isolated little courtyard, located almost at the very back of the base and separated from the other residences by some distance. Strangely, there was no wall around the courtyard, just a wooden fence, allowing a clear view of the wooden cabin inside.

The yard was filled with edible mutated plants that Paige Summers recognized. They were truly lush and vibrant, completely different from those seen elsewhere.

Only in the middle, leading directly to the cabin door, was a small path of stone slabs left clear.

At first glance, it felt like she had been transported to another world.

It almost made Paige Summers think she had returned to the countryside of her own world.

Aside from the oblivious Ben, even Zephyr Mercer couldn’t help but comment, "It feels very comfortable here." Compared to the slaughter, blood, and death outside, this place exuded a peaceful atmosphere, as if it were another world entirely.

The fence gate wasn’t locked. Paige Summers called out a few times, but when she received no answer, she walked in on her own.

At that moment, something strange happened.

The path had looked perfectly ordinary from the outside, but when they actually stepped onto it, it seemed as if they could walk forever without reaching the end. The surrounding plants became shrouded in a white mist, growing indistinct and distant.

Paige Summers stopped in her tracks immediately.

"Something’s wrong here," she said softly to Zephyr Mercer.

She glanced to her side, but he seemed not to have heard her. He was frowning deeply, surveying their surroundings. After a long moment, his face grew grave as he declared, "This is an Array!"

"An Array?"

Paige Summers raised an eyebrow. ’Doesn’t this feel a bit off-genre?’

She’d heard Sean Raines talk about Arrays before. They were a required subject at the Taoist Association, but those arrays were formed by people—a way to amplify attack power by shifting formations. Here, however, there was nothing but mutated plants and a stone path. She couldn’t see what could possibly be causing this phenomenon. It was almost as if...

"This must be a true, legendary Array! According to the ancient texts of the Mercer Family, only someone who has entered the Innate Realm can set one up!"

Zephyr Mercer’s words made Paige Summers’s heart skip a beat.

’Innate?’

’Does that mean there’s a Postnatal one, too?’

’I vaguely remember reading about that in some novel...’

The corner of Paige Summers’s eye twitched.

’This is supposed to be an apocalypse story, right? I don’t remember it having Cultivation elements at all!’

But regardless of the truth, she didn’t want to be trapped here wasting time. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

She took two more steps forward, but the wooden cabin remained standing at the same distance, showing no sign of getting any closer.

Paige Summers narrowed her eyes.

’If we can’t go forward, we’ll go back.’

She called out, and the three of them quickly retreated.

Sure enough, after taking roughly the same number of steps as before, they were back at the fence gate in the blink of an eye.

Zephyr Mercer let out a heavy breath, seeming extremely excited.

Paige Summers glanced at him, then suddenly turned toward the wooden cabin and raised her voice. "This place is bizarre. Since we can’t walk in, we’ll just have to burn our way through! If we wait a few hours and burn all this to ash, there shouldn’t be a problem."