Fantasy Game: Infinite City

Chapter 627 Returning to the Old Place (3)

Han Zu rushed to the ship's side, frowning as he watched the receding coastline and the solitary lighthouse. He hadn't yet explored the land where the lighthouse was located, but it seemed the ship was taking him to uncharted waters. The ship's speed had increased several times in a short time without him noticing. Han Zu could no longer jump directly back to the beach; this blood-stained, blackened ocean was full of too many unknowns, and Han Zu wasn't prepared to take the risk. Therefore, to stop this strange ship, Han Zu needed to quickly get to the wheelhouse and figure out the situation.

He turned and ran back to the wheelhouse, grabbing the door knocker with both hands. He poured his inner energy into his arms, attempting to pull the door open with brute force. His muscles bulged with the energy, the veins on his arms standing out like earthworms, but the door remained firmly fixed to the frame, showing no sign of loosening. He could even feel a counterforce coming from the door knocker, slowly dissipating his energy, like punching cotton. Han Zu quickly withdrew his strength, avoiding unnecessary energy waste, but this also caused his brows to furrow even more deeply.

Since a direct approach wouldn't work, Han Zu decided to try a different strategy. He looked up at the windows of the control tower; the patchwork glass, though cracked, didn't seem completely shattered. Perhaps he could try the windows and force his way in. He took a few steps back, ran up, and leaped into the air, kicking his right foot hard at the window. The instant his toes touched the glass, an invisible barrier reappeared, firmly blocking his attack. Han Zu keenly sensed the barrier's rebound force, flipping his body in mid-air and landing lightly without stumbling. He secretly assessed that the barrier's resilience was far beyond ordinary; there was probably something fishy about it, and forcing his way in might not work.

He carefully observed the ship's wheelhouse, trying to find a weak point in the barrier. At a corner of the wheelhouse, he discovered a small gap where the metal armor met the oak wood, with some seaweed embedded in it—a blind spot in the barrier's coverage. He immediately crouched down, inserted his finger into the gap, and channeled a wisp of pure energy to probe deeper. The moment his fingertip touched the inside of the gap, he was enveloped by a chilling force that spread upwards from his fingertip, attempting to freeze his energy flow. Han Zu immediately changed the form of his energy; a raging flame instantly engulfed his body, annihilating the anomaly that was trying to freeze his energy.

Han Zu stood on the deck, gazing thoughtfully at the wheelhouse. Since a direct assault was futile, perhaps he could try deciphering the symbols etched on the ship's hull. The dizziness he experienced while analyzing the symbols earlier made him realize that these symbols might be connected to the ship's barriers. He rose and walked to the ship's armor, carefully examining the distorted inscriptions once more. This time, he didn't rashly activate his energy to analyze them; instead, he focused his mind, slowly sensing the patterns of the symbols. Gradually, he discovered that the arrangement of these symbols seemed to follow a certain pattern, like a winding river, constantly circulating, each turning point concealing traces of energy flow.

Han Zu slowly moved his finger along the patterns of the symbols. When his finger traced one of the more complex symbols, he suddenly felt a slight fluctuation in the energy within his body. A thought struck him, and he immediately stopped, focusing his attention on that symbol. He discovered that the pattern of this symbol differed from the others, with subtle branches at the edges, like tiny energy nodes. He tried to inject a wisp of energy into the symbol, but the energy was immediately absorbed upon contact. Meanwhile, the other symbols on the ship's armor emitted a faint gray glow, as if they had been activated, albeit weakly and briefly.

Han Zu was overjoyed; it seemed these symbols were indeed the key to controlling the barrier on the ship. He continued trying to inject energy into the node symbol, but no matter how much energy he injected, it was absorbed by the symbol, and the light of the other symbols only lasted for a moment before disappearing. He quickly realized that a single node could not activate the entire symbol system; perhaps he needed to find all the node symbols and inject energy into them simultaneously to form a complete circuit and thus break the barrier. He immediately began to carefully search along the ship's armor, from bow to stern, from the edge of the deck to the outer walls of the cabins. After more than half an hour of meticulous searching, he finally found a similar node symbol at the bow, the cabin entrance, and the side wall of the wheelhouse. Together with the one he had found earlier, there were a total of four node symbols distributed throughout the ship, precisely arranged in a four-corner configuration, surrounding the wheelhouse in the center.

Han Zu took a deep breath, dividing his energy into four even streams. He precisely controlled the flow and intensity of the energy with his mental power, simultaneously injecting it into the four node symbols. The instant the energy was injected, the four symbols lit up, emitting a soft yet stable gray light. Other symbols on the ship's armor were also activated, their gray lights connecting to form a complete symbol network covering the entire ship. Han Zu could clearly feel the invisible barrier on the ship gradually weakening; even subtle ripples appeared on its surface. He didn't rush things, but steadily increased his energy output, attempting to break through the barrier step by step. But just as a crack was about to appear in the barrier, the figure in the stern wheelhouse suddenly moved. The hem of his cloak fluttered slightly, and a steady yet powerful energy emanated from the wheelhouse, covering the entire symbol network like a tide, instantly reinforcing the barrier. Sensing the force of the energy clash, Han Zu immediately withdrew his four injected energy streams, his body tilting back half a meter before he stood firmly, unaffected by the impact.

Han Zu's eyes narrowed, his heart filled with shock. The figure's energy control far exceeded his imagination, and it could accurately predict his movements. It seemed that trying to enter the helm by cracking the symbol system was indeed impossible. He looked up at the helm; the figure still had its back to him, its hands gripping the helm without moving an inch, as if the energy fluctuations earlier were just an illusion. Han Zu was not discouraged at all; instead, it fueled his even stronger desire to investigate. He tried several different methods—interfering with the symbol patterns with his mental power, attempting to destroy the physical structure of the node symbols, and even trying to simulate the frequency of the symbols' fluctuations with energy. But no matter what method he used, it was all cleverly neutralized by the energy emanating from the helm; the barrier remained impregnable.

Time passed slowly, and the dark red sky was gradually replaced by a deeper inky black. The wind and waves on the sea quietly increased, the churning spray lapping against the sides of the ship with a dull thud, yet the cargo ship continued to sail smoothly as if on flat ground, completely unaffected. Han Zu leaned against the mast, his gaze never leaving the wheelhouse, his mind racing. He had tried every method he could think of, but he still couldn't break through that mysterious barrier. After a moment, he slowly calmed himself. Since he couldn't enter the wheelhouse for the time being, perhaps the ship's destination was the key to unraveling all the mysteries. Rather than wasting his energy here, he decided to wait and see.

He rose and walked to the ship's railing, gazing at the distant sea. The sky was now completely dark, with only the faint phosphorescence on the water outlining its contours. Suddenly, he noticed a thin mist rising from the sea ahead, drifting slowly like a veil. As the cargo ship approached, the mist thickened and expanded. A thought struck Han Zu; he immediately focused his mind, channeling energy into his eyes to create a penetrating vision, attempting to pierce the mist and see clearly ahead.

A faint, indistinct sound drifted through the fog, like the rumble of wooden wheels rolling on a stone path, mixed with the rhythmic crashing of waves against the shore. Han Zu grew increasingly vigilant, his hands hanging naturally at his sides, a wisp of energy gathering at his fingertips, prepared to deal with any unforeseen circumstances. The cargo ship continued its journey into the fog, gradually entering its entirety. The fog here was exceptionally thick, visibility less than five meters; everything around became blurred, even the oars on either side of the ship were reduced to hazy outlines. Only the figure in the wheelhouse remained clearly visible, as if isolated from the fog itself.

Just as Han Zu thought they would continue sailing in the fog for a long time, the fog ahead suddenly began to dissipate rhythmically, as if an invisible force had drawn back a curtain, revealing the outline of a massive city. This city wasn't built on an island, but stood directly on the coastline, seamlessly integrated with the sea. As the cargo ship approached, the city's outline gradually became clearer—towering spires pierced the dim sky, and thick city walls, constructed of massive bluish-gray stones, were covered in moss and water stains, revealing the marks of time. The entire city was half-hidden by a thick layer of fog, only its outline visible.

"This place... why does it look so familiar? I feel like I've been here before?"

As Han Zu's gaze swept across the city, a strong sense of familiarity suddenly welled up within him, as if he had seen this city somewhere before, yet he couldn't recall any specific fragments of memory. He carefully observed the city's details, confirming that the architectural style was typical of the Middle Ages: spired churches, stone houses, arched doors and windows—everything exuded an ancient and rustic quality. At the top of the towers on the city's edge, faint lights seemed to flicker, likely torches lit by the night watchmen, casting orange-yellow halos in the mist.

The cargo ship continued its slow journey towards the city, the view ahead becoming clearer. Han Zu noticed the ship approaching a makeshift harbor. This harbor lacked sturdy dock facilities; it was simply a ramp extending into the sea, constructed of massive stones. Rough planks covered the ramp's surface, and several rudimentary mooring posts were firmly anchored to the stones, with worn-out hemp ropes tied to them. Scattered along the harbor's edge were stacks of wooden crates and pottery jars, remarkably similar in style to those he had seen on the cargo ship's deck.

As the cargo ship drew closer to the shore, Han Zu's gaze swept across the harbor ramp and landed on the street along the bank. The street was paved with irregular bluestone slabs, tiny weeds growing in the gaps between them. Low stone houses lined both sides of the street, most of their doors tightly shut, with only a few windows letting in a faint candlelight. When his gaze swept over a section of the street around a corner, a sense of familiarity washed over him again, but his memory couldn't quite place the scene before. However, Han Zu was absolutely certain that although he couldn't immediately recall exactly where this place was, he had definitely been here before.

Han Zu stood at the ship's railing, his gaze fixed on the familiar details of the streets along the shore. The cargo ship slowly docked beside the stone ramp of the makeshift harbor, its hull gently touching the ramp with a dull thud. Finally, a figure in the wheelhouse made a noticeable movement, gently turning the rudder with his right hand and pulling down a rope beside the rudder.

"Boom."

With a muffled thud, the massive anchor abruptly dropped, embedding itself deeply in the seabed. Controlled by both the rudder and the anchor, the ship turned sideways and came to a steady stop inside the makeshift harbor. The hull rocked slightly, following the movement of the waves. Shortly after the ship came to a stop, within minutes, the mist that had been dispersed by the vessel condensed again, this time enveloping the newly arrived ship.

"Where did that guy go??"

Attracted by the sound of the ship stopping, Han Zu glanced back instinctively at the wheelhouse after the ship came to a complete stop and fell silent again. The figure that had been so easily noticeable inside had abruptly vanished. Han Zu was currently on the ship near the bottom of the only staircase in the wheelhouse, but he heard no footsteps and sensed nothing moving. The figure that had once been steering the ship in the wheelhouse seemed to have evaporated into thin air.

"Tap... tap... tap..."

Just as Han Zu was searching for that figure, he suddenly heard clear footsteps. The pace was slower than that of a normal person, but judging from the volume of the sound, the person making the footsteps was either a strong man about the same height as him or an overweight fat man.

Following the direction from which the sound came, Han Zu quickly found the source of the sound. The clear footsteps were coming from the same figure who had been controlling the ship in the wheelhouse. At this moment, that figure had somehow managed to get onto the dock at some point, and the footsteps were the sound of that figure stepping on the dock planks.

Seeing that the figure was about to enter the fog, which could even obscure his vision to some extent, Han Zu made a judgment. He immediately exerted force with his feet, jumped off the ship, and landed steadily on the solid land in front of the figure. If he wasn't afraid that his force would break the wooden planks on the dock, Han Zu could have landed directly next to the figure.

"Ok??"

However, from the moment Han Zu landed until he turned to look around, in less than a second, the figure that should have been there suddenly disappeared. Not only that, the surrounding sounds also quieted down, with only the occasional sound of waves and the faint sound of the wind remaining.