After leaving that one line behind, Loren stepped straight out of the Illusion Space.

His consciousness and spirit returned to his body. Standing on the wind-swept overlook, he stared alone into the distance, silent and calm.

At that moment,

Raven’s silhouette quietly appeared on Loren’s shoulder.

It felt its master must need it right now...

“Master, what are you thinking about?”

Loren’s eyes remained half-dazed as he gazed at the horizon, a little vacant.

“Raven, watch that stone slab. If anything feels off, tell me...”

At those words, Raven immediately lifted its wings and saluted, full of vigor!

“As you command, my dear master!”

Sensing Raven’s concern, Loren glanced sideways at the bird on his shoulder and said calmly:

“Don’t worry, Raven.”

“I’m just wondering what lies at the end of the path to transcendence...”

After saying that, Loren turned and left the overlook, strolling slowly toward the direction of the City of Canbera...

“Really? My dear master.”

“Really, you stupid bird.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Believe it or not...”

...

One man and one raven chatted casually as they walked away into the night.

--------

Federal Calendar 7708, December 30, morning.

A small tavern halfway up the mountainside in the City of Canbera.

Having rested the whole night, Loren walked out of the tavern named Illusionary Night’s Dream at ease.

Last night, after leaving the overlook with nowhere to go, Loren had returned to this tavern.

Under the arrangement of the Minotaur bartender, he stayed the entire night in one of the rooms the tavern provided...

During that night, Loren did nothing but the most ordinary deep sleep.

Loren, who hadn’t slept properly for nearly a month, was finally able to lower his guard and defenses and close his eyes without thinking about anything...

It wasn’t a matter of not trusting Seena and the others; it was simply a habit from growing up in the slums that made it hard for him to fully relax and sleep around other people.

It was a habit, unrelated to trust.

“Mr. Destiny! Walk slowly!”

As Loren stepped out of the tavern door, the Minotaur bartender’s booming farewell reached him from behind.

Loren, who had been walking leisurely, heard the farewell, lowered the brim of his hat silently, and quickened his pace...

“Too conspicuous! Mr. Bloodhoof!!”

Burying his head as he hurried, Loren muttered under his breath.

After visiting Illusionary Night’s Dream late last night, Loren learned the bartender’s name: Brute Bloodhoof. He was born in a Minotaur tribe called Bloodhoof.

By a twist of fate, he had joined Illusionary Night’s Dream, a half-hidden establishment, as their bartender, not through formal vocational training...

Thus, this somewhat simple, self-made bartender didn’t quite understand what “low-key” meant...

Every time he sent off a shareholder, he made a grand spectacle.

The street’s regulars poked their heads out in various shapes...

Once Loren had stepped out of that secluded street, he wandered casually about the City of Canbera.

Aimlessly...

Though he had been in the Beastkin Star Domain for some time, he hadn’t properly experienced the local culture or taken a full day off...

Now that he finally had that somewhat unreliable-looking stone slab,

at last there was nothing weighing on his mind all the time.

So Loren decided to give himself a proper day off...

------------

Federal Calendar 7708, December 30, evening.

After spending the day in Canbera, Loren headed toward the casino location he had just learned from a two-headed ogre...

It had been a very full day for Loren.

In the morning he went to the Orc arena and sparred with some orc warriors. While honing his rough combat skills, he also earned tens of thousands of Spirit Stones.

Only after Loren knocked the arena’s ace—a seventh-tier green-skinned orc warrior—down so he couldn’t get up did the arena owner “politely” escort him out...

Of course, Loren also earned ten thousand Spirit Stones.

His assets had reached 9.45 million Spirit Stones...

At noon,

somewhat idle, Loren accidentally wandered into Canbera’s slave market.

Curious, he walked inside...

Half an hour later,

the slave market erupted into a riot...

The magical shackles on the slaves’ necks all simultaneously failed for unknown reasons, losing their suppressive function...

At the same time, several slave traders frequently died in extremely bizarre “accidents”!!

One slave trader tripped while walking, broke a rib, and, unluckily, the broken rib punctured his heart precisely...

Another was struck by a bolt of lightning from the sky while haggling and was charred to a crisp...

And in the sky, only a single cloud had floated by...

Most eerily, after striking the slave trader, that cloud drifted away and dissipated lightly...

Even worse, during the punishment of slaves, a trader accidentally detonated his own released spell and was blown up.

Low-probability spell backfires began occurring frequently along that slave street!!

In the end, after all the slave traders died from various causes...

Loren walked out of the slave market with a smile.

At the same time, innumerable freed slaves ran past him...

Loren quite enjoyed this “game.”

Unfortunately, the street next to the Orc arena was the “talent market” focused on slave trading...

In the afternoon,

after leaving the slave market, Loren went to Canbera’s auction district...

There a “somewhat fat-looking Minotaur” brazenly used his enormous physique to rob many extraordinary items and Spirit Stones!

Such behavior qualified him as a bandit!

.......

Back to now.

In the evening, swaggering toward the casino, Loren suddenly frowned.

His spiritual perception told him someone was watching him...

However, Loren didn’t stop walking; he only slowed his pace...

He still pretended to be very leisurely.