In an unclear situation, recklessly entering the enemy’s stronghold was unwise. But Ji Jue was already here, and his siblings were still young. Besides, he truly had no leads regarding Pacifier. If he wanted to continue his investigation, he had to take this risk.

Moreover, with Mr. Ball in hand, along with Horsey and even An Ran as an ace bodyguard, if things really went south, they could still run.

And so, following the strange creations, he entered a ruined settlement. After pulling away a disguised panel, he saw what appeared to be a descending path.

The town’s sewer system was unbelievably vast, crisscrossing in complex layers. Walking through it, there was even a strange magnetic interference, and compasses quickly became useless.

They went deeper and deeper underground until, at the very bottom of the sewer system, they finally saw a rusted rolling shutter door. But the space beyond it was unexpectedly large. It was practically a full-scale camp.

The original wastewater treatment facilities, now completely useless, had been abandoned to the side, replaced by rows of simple shacks and tents.

Unlike the chaotic ruins above, there was a strange sense of vitality here. All kinds of people bearing signs of mutation moved through the square, and there were even stalls set up, though what they sold were compressed food packs and various incomprehensible items.

The entire camp seemed to hold sixty or seventy people. They were closely connected to one another, and upon noticing the arrival of outsiders, their expressions all carried varying degrees of caution and vigilance.

“Mom!”

A child’s voice rang out, and the wheels of a small cart rolled closer. On the cart was a completely deformed, unrecognizable figure. It pushed the cart forward with one hand and warmly hugged the middle-aged man walking in front.

When it noticed Ji Jue’s gaze, it quickly became frightened and hid behind the man, covering its slightly mutated limbs with a piece of cloth, acting cautiously. Its cracked and sunken face had a black glass bead in place of an eye, cautiously peeking at Ji Jue’s group.

“Xiao Jiu, are you behaving yourself? Go back, I’ll come see you later,” the middle-aged man said with what seemed like a faint smile, patting the child’s head. “I’ll take them to see the Seer.”

After watching the child leave, the man gave no explanation and led them further inside, all the way to a door where two burly, mutated figures stood guard.

“Please hand over your weapons,” the middle-aged man said. “You may find this offensive, but we cannot allow you to bring weapons to see the Seer.”

Feeling the surrounding gazes, Ji Jue did not move.

“To be honest, I’m a bit scared,” Ji Jue probed. “Could the Seer perhaps step outside for a moment instead?”

“Hey!” the guards shouted. “Outsider, don’t be so insolent!”

A hoarse voice came from behind the door. “It’s fine. Whether they bring weapons or not makes no difference. You don’t understand the abilities of the Chosen Ones, so there’s no need for such pretense. Come in, both of you, outsiders. Due to my physical condition, I cannot go out. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be this troublesome.”

The guards exchanged glances. After a moment of hesitation, they finally opened the door.

The room beyond was unexpectedly empty. There were no elaborate decorations or furnishings as one would expect, and it was mostly empty save for two chairs.

One chair was old, bearing the marks of long years and repair work. The other seemed to have been welded directly to the ground, surrounded by cables. Thin, needle-like connectors pierced into a body riddled with wounds, as faint sparks of electricity flickered from within.

Above that decayed and ruined body was a head barely still attached. It was withered and broken, its bald scalp showing a metallic sheen, clearly the result of countless modifications. Its aged features still faintly carried traces of femininity.

“Hello, outsider. I am the Seer.”

Ji Jue stood across from her, not sitting down, only examining her closely.

“You don’t really look like someone who knows everything,” he said.

“It’s just what people call me. A name is only a label; it makes no difference,” the Seer’s face twitched slightly, as if attempting a smile. “I assume you have many questions.”

“Indeed. Too many, in fact. So many that I’m not in a hurry.” Ji Jue shook his head. “You seem quite familiar with us Chosen Ones?”

“People like you appear every few decades. They come here to dig for treasure, search for gold and silver, or hunt for loot. Men and women alike, it makes no difference. Some leave, some die. After seeing enough and dealing with your kind, one is bound to become familiar.”

“What is Pacifier?” Ji Jue asked, even though he already knew the answer.

“It’s your third time putting on an act and probing me. Interesting. You’re more cautious than I expected. If you want, I can explain from the beginning. The so-called Pacifier is the matrix left behind by Mercury. One of the few remaining legacies left in this world by the Onyx. You came here for it, didn’t you?”

The Seer slowly lifted her eyelids with visible effort, staring at Ji Jue’s face.

“Someone like you, who focuses on the Ember Path and doesn’t even possess a matrix, yet dares to enter a rift to explore, and even steps into an old workshop... if not for Pacifier, then why else are you here? Is this answer satisfactory?”

Ji Jue did not respond.

“Please don’t be so wary. We old, weak, and disabled folk are nothing more than parasites on the workshop system, ants that narrowly escaped being reset and recycled. We pose no threat to either of you, especially the one behind you. From the very beginning, he has been aiming for my vital point. It’s quite nerve-racking.”

The Seer smiled and, with great difficulty, lowered her head, revealing the cracks in her skull and the dense, intricate gears inside. She exposed her weakness without concealment.

“Rest assured, I have no intention of playing games or keeping you in suspense,” she said plainly. “A few years ago, when our people were exploring outside, they found traces left by Mercury in a branch of the underground tunnels, but it was too dangerous to go further inside. If you are willing to assist us, we can send people to guide you. But, if possible, I would like you to help us with a small favor.”

Ji Jue remained silent. He only looked at the Seer for a long time, then let out a quiet sigh.

“Sorry, I think you might have misunderstood,” he said seriously. “My brother and I are just passing through. We accidentally got caught up in all this and honestly don’t really understand what’s going on. As for things like Pacifier or Mercury, we don’t know much about them and aren’t interested either. We really don’t know what you’re talking about. So let’s just forget about cooperation or anything like that.”

“Is that so?” The Seer was slightly taken aback, but she did not become angry or show any sign of forcing the issue. Instead, she simply nodded lightly. “Then perhaps I misunderstood.”

With a faint sigh, her gaze lowered. “Though the camp is small, it is still enough to host guests. You two are free to look around. Stay or leave as you wish. If you change your mind, you can come find me at any time.”

There was no urgency in her tone. Actually, she sounded confident. Ji Jue couldn’t read her, nor could he make sense of her intentions. After giving the Seer one last look, he left with An Ran.

The people in the camp prepared a resting place for them, even providing two packs of compressed biscuits from the outside world. Although they were two or three years past their expiration date, they were still barely edible. An Ran did not detect any toxins in them.

There were no listening devices here, but there could still be alchemical tools secretly observing them. After all, this entire rift realm was Mercury’s workshop. No one could say what strange things these “locals” could be hiding.

The devil's work ball temporarily opened a small pocket of a safe space, allowing the two to communicate privately.

An Ran, very confused, asked, “Mr. Ji, weren’t you here for the matrix?”

“Yeah, that’s right. But just because I want something doesn’t mean I can’t say no, right? Accepting a gift doesn’t mean I agree to everything. And even if I agree, it doesn’t mean I have to actually do anything, right?”

“Something about that feels off,” An Ran said blankly, though he also seemed to sense something vaguely. So that’s how adults talk? So hard to understand... I should write this down and ask Ms. Hua later!

Ji Jue fell back into thought. He didn’t understand rift realms very well, but he understood exactly how terrible his luck could be.

He had almost died right at the start. After painstakingly exploring, he had found nothing. And now, after barely gaining a few things, he somehow got entangled with the locals, like they were suddenly supposed to team up and do something big together. What was he even thinking?

More importantly, he truly didn’t trust that so-called Seer. The name alone already made her sound like a scammer. If he had to trust her, he might as well trust a refrigerator.

“Follow me,” he suddenly said, standing up and lifting the tent flap. He waved toward the middle-aged man who was spacing out not far away, his expression serious. “To be honest, there’s something very important I haven’t told you yet.”

“Hm?” The middle-aged man froze, becoming tense.

Ji Jue said solemnly, “I can fix air conditioners!”

On the twisted face of the middle-aged man, an almost solid sense of confusion appeared, as if it had physically congealed.

What the hell?

“I can fix air conditioners,” Ji Jue repeated. “Do you need my services? It’s free of charge! You don't have to pay! I just like helping people!”

He really could repair air conditioners. And not just air conditioners, but also color TVs, black-and-white TVs, washing machines, electric scooters, small motorcycles, three-wheeled scooters, and even vans.

As for plumbing, wall plastering, circuit maintenance, and all kinds of large equipment upkeep, he wouldn’t claim to be an expert, but at least he knew a thing or two. In short, if it involved repairs, he could do it.

Faced with such an unexpectedly bizarre statement, the middle-aged man stood unmoving for a long time, then went off to report his findings. Only after a while did he return and say solemnly, “The Seer said that as long as you don’t damage the camp’s equipment, you may do as you wish. But be careful. I’ll be watching you.”

“Well then, what are we waiting for?” Ji Jue whistled and stepped forward. “Let’s go!”