Chapter 19: Click Clack Click Clack Click Clack

After spending several peaceful days attending school during the day and studying the investigator’s manual embedded in her wristband at night, Mu Huiyue finally received a contact from Xiang Xun.

The wristband also had communication and positioning features.

From the investigator’s manual, Mu Huiyue learned that this feature’s most critical use wasn’t for contacting colleagues but rather for summoning help in the event of an unexpected secret realm emergence—part of the Bureau’s protective measures for its investigators.

Xiang Xun appeared on the communication screen, looking as tired as ever. Mu Huiyue wondered what he had been up to these past few days.

Once he confirmed that she was ready, he landed directly in front of her apartment on his Crimson Feather Eagle, taking her along to East Bay Park.

The Crimson Feather Eagle flew swiftly, its thick and soft feathers expertly cushioning the wind pressure during flight, allowing the two to land steadily on a clearing in East Bay Park.

Mu Huiyue instinctively checked the information displayed on her wristband.

[Name]: Crimson Feather Eagle
[Attribute]: Wind
[Race Level]: Elite Warrior
[Growth Stage]: Stage 9 of Growth
[Talent Core]: Feather of the Wind (Wind C-Class)
[Normal Hidden Energy Value]: 60,255 P
[Race Description]: A wind falcon-type extraordinary creature, evolved from the White Feather Eagle, known for its stable wind manipulation and high-altitude vision.

When detecting non-contracted extraordinary creatures, the manual couldn’t directly display skills beyond the talent core; instead, it provided an expanded race description.

As a peak growth stage warrior race, the Crimson Feather Eagle was exceptionally cultivated, boasting a normal hidden energy value that made it a standout among warrior species.

However, given that Xiang Xun was a top student from the Capital University’s Combat Department, representing the school in national competitions, Mu Huiyue guessed that this Crimson Feather Eagle wasn’t his trump card.

“Thanks for your hard work.”

As they dismounted from the Crimson Feather Eagle, Xiang Xun reached up to scratch its enormous beak before storing it back in the beast space.

East Bay Park remained under the Bureau’s lockdown, with no entry for ordinary civilians. Tonight, Mu Huiyue and Xiang Xun were the only visitors.

Without the presence of extraordinary beasts, Xiang Xun appeared even more fatigued in the night breeze, half of his face buried in his scarf, looking as if he were on the brink of collapse.

He pulled up his wristband, switching it to detection mode to calibrate the secret realm entrance.

Mu Huiyue glanced at him but couldn’t hold back her curiosity any longer, finally asking the question that had been nagging at her for a while, “…Xiang Xun, what have you been doing all this time? Didn’t you say that being an investigator wouldn’t be so exhausting?”

“Hey… just call me Xiang Xun. ‘Senior’ makes me sound way too old,” he replied, scratching his head while shrugging as he continued his work, his voice sounding weary. “This is just how I usually am; it doesn’t delay the investigation… no need to worry.”

Could anyone be so perpetually exhausted?

Mu Huiyue’s doubts didn’t wane at all. If it wasn’t work or something else keeping him busy, then…

“Have you contracted a Succubus or something?” Mu Huiyue recalled some information from the forums, mentioning that certain dark-type beasts had unique emotional preferences that could cause their contractors to lose motivation.

“Shh—” Upon hearing this, the tired youth displayed rare tension, quickly stopping Mu Huiyue from continuing, “If Huana hears you say that, I’m finished!”

He glanced at the inquisitive girl filled with curiosity and sighed helplessly, “Huang Na is my contracted beast, not a Succubus. She’s a bit… well, you’ll understand once you meet her.”

“I’m usually low on energy because of my beast mastery talent. To put it simply, it’s a suppression-type talent; the energy I usually suppress gets stored, allowing it to explode in multiples when needed.”

Just as Xiang Xun finished speaking, his wristband emitted a series of short beeps.

In the initial phase of a secret realm emergence, the Bureau’s personnel would conduct preliminary investigations to ascertain the type of realm, energy levels, and the general location of its entrance.

During this stage, the secret realm is highly unstable. If conditions permit, the Bureau prioritizes sending investigators of the corresponding level for on-site exploration.

The secret realm of the Earl of Star Dragon’s mansion is classified as a historical relic type, with energy levels and interior space size considered relatively low, estimated to be between D and C levels.

With Xiang Xun’s strength, he was more than capable of handling a realm of this level, which is why he was assigned as a companion to assist Mu Huiyue in her first secret realm investigation.

The wristband pinpointed the location of the secret realm connection entrance.

Xiang Xun nodded slightly and turned to the girl beside him, saying, “All set. You know the necessary steps to enter a secret realm, right?”

Mu Huiyue nodded. She had diligently studied the investigator’s manual in her wristband over the past few days.

Opening her own wristband, she connected the sensing device to the secret realm entrance coordinates and activated the “Mind Calibration Mode.”

According to the Bureau’s explanation, the emergence of a secret realm unfolds in three stages.

When a secret realm first appears, its existence is incredibly unstable, making it hard to locate the entrance, which can disappear at any moment and randomly reappear at other coordinates. This period is known as the “Flicker Phase.”

After a secret realm appears, it becomes a stable, independent dimensional space, with a fixed entrance linked to the present world—this phase is called the “Arrival Phase.”

As the secret realm fully integrates with the planet, existing within the same spatial dimension, it enters the “Integration Phase.”

Once the Integration Phase is complete, the secret realm is transformed into an intrinsic part of the planet itself.

Over thousands of years, with constant secret realms emerging and integrating, the very landscape of the planet—its land, oceans, and diverse ecosystems—has been in a state of perpetual change.

The territorial boundaries of national powers are no longer fixed. Those who can navigate the situation during the arrival of large secret realms gain a strategic advantage during the integration phase, allowing them to acquire more land and resources.

In the Integration Phase, there’s little risk in entering these secret realms, as these areas are now part of the present world.

Some controllable secret realms in the Arrival Phase, once their entrances are stabilized, can be safely accessed by most people.

Only the secret realms in the Flicker Phase pose significant dangers during traversal. Their unstable connection to the present world means that what lies on the other side may still exist in a state where all rules and concepts are different from the current reality.

For humans, who establish various sensory perceptions based on the present world, traversing these realms can easily lead to a jarring consciousness shock, throwing their perceptions and mental states into irreversible chaos.

In Mu Huiyue’s understanding, the process of traversing the Flicker Phase secret realms might provoke some observer effects. Thus, the Bureau utilized high-tier mental skills from extraordinary creatures to create the “Mind Calibration Mode.”

This mode establishes a stable point of recognition, allowing one to quickly revert to their original state upon entering the secret realm, no matter how far their consciousness is shaken.

However, even with this function, few beast masters can safely traverse multiple different secret realms during the Flicker Phase. Most are humans with “Anchor Point” qualifications.

After adjusting the wristband settings, a thin layer of blue energy enveloped both Mu Huiyue and Xiang Xun as they closed their eyes simultaneously.

It felt like riding a roller coaster; Mu Huiyue experienced a sensation of soaring over several peaks, climbing high only to plunge down suddenly.

A powerful sense of weightlessness hit her, and just as she felt she was in free fall, she suddenly landed on solid ground. Immediately, all sensory experiences whirled past her before vanishing.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself in a familiar setting—a lavish yet decrepit room, surrounded by swirling, dense shadows, accompanied by a faint, foul odor.

This was the room at the end of the second floor of the Haunted Castle, the very place she had desperately fled from when she first crossed over.

“Click clack.”

A tiny skeleton popped its head out of her shadow, swimming into the thick darkness like a fish in the sea.

“Safe landing—”

Xiang Xun strolled over from another corner of the room, hands in his pockets and his steps light, looking invigorated, a stark contrast to his previous fatigue.

His scarf fluttered behind him, transforming into a style that no longer obscured his face; the dark circles under his eyes had vanished, and his skin appeared noticeably firmer. His gaze was clear and lively, wearing an expression of eager anticipation.

Mu Huiyue stared at him in disbelief, struggling to reconcile the cheerful, handsome college student before her with the weary figure outside.

Could the transformation brought on by beast mastery talent be so astonishing? Was it even possible for one’s spirit to enhance their looks…?

Xiang Xun seemed accustomed to the surprise in others’ eyes, speaking rapidly, “You’re more familiar with this place, so you can decide which direction to explore, Mu Huiyue.”

Gathering her thoughts, Mu Huiyue shifted back into her serious work mode and reopened her wristband.

The results of the regional hidden energy value scan quickly appeared on the screen.

“Normal hidden energy value range: 10-15 million P. Spatial measurements indicate a dark attribute with an energy coverage rate exceeding 99.2%. No chaotic regions detected; classified as a D-level secret realm.”

She glanced at the detection results and continued, “The presumed realm lord is a mature monarch race, with dark and undead types being the most likely.”

A crucial factor in determining the level of a secret realm is the situation regarding its realm lord.

These beings are the most dangerous extraordinary creatures within a secret realm; in certain special realms, the lord can even influence the operational rules of the entire realm. How to handle the realm lord is a significant aspect of exploring the secret realm.

“Good job! You’ve done your homework,” Xiang Xun nodded, his tone noticeably lighter now that he had shaken off his fatigue. “The Changning City Bureau has conducted preliminary external explorations, confirming that this is a remnant of the Earl of Star Dragon’s mansion, so we won’t detect chaotic regions here; after all, it’s a scene born from human history.”

“Can the internal conditions of the secret realm really be determined from external investigations?” Mu Huiyue asked.

“For special relic-type secret realms, yes,” Xiang Xun explained. “After all, there are mental-type beasts present, and many skills can sense the traces of time; it’s not difficult at all.”

With the assistance of extraordinary creatures, this world has developed many fascinating technologies, which Mu Huiyue diligently noted down.

“By the way, have you asked Allen about the situation here?”

Xiang Xun glanced around, unable to locate the tiny skeleton, which had seemingly merged into some patch of shadow.