Batuma approached Fang Zhen and handed him a small leather pouch.

Fang Zhen took the pouch, feeling the lingering warmth of her body heat.

He loosened the drawstring and glanced inside. There was a pale yellow Crystal Bone that looked like a cross between a pinecone and a honeycomb.

Inside, there was also a pale green, cylindrical Crystal Bone.

He looked at Batuma.

"Both of these Crystal Bones are quite useful," Batuma explained. "The pale yellow one is Silver-rank. With enough bone energy, it can transform into a type of Bone Insect called a Dragon Flame Bee—and I mean a whole swarm, not just a single one."

"I'm not really suited to controlling this kind of swarm-type Crystal Bone, or I wouldn't be trading it to you."

"The greenish-blue Crystal Bone is a botanical Crystal Bone from a 'Reflecting Bamboo.' You've heard of it, right? It can record images and text."

"The method I mentioned for ordinary people to slowly absorb and cultivate bone energy is recorded on this Reflecting Bamboo. Any kind of Extraordinary power can activate it. If you really don't have any bone energy, you can also activate it with extremely high temperatures."

"Trading these two items for Avera and the heir to the Sea Tide Family... you're not getting a bad deal."

Batuma finished her explanation.

Fang Zhen didn't agree immediately. "I want Avera's and Connor's things as well," he said.

"Done," Batuma agreed readily.

Batuma turned to her quiet companion. "You heard the man. Have some sense and go collect their things. Don't you dare pocket anything. Make sure this Samurai here gets a clear view while you gather everything."

"Mhm." Batuma's companion nodded.

The man with the dragon tattoo on his head began to go through the spoils.

Fang Zhen found this arrangement quite agreeable.

'This Batuma woman may be a barbarian, and she seems so brash, but she's actually incredibly meticulous. She's thoughtful and very sharp.'

Before long, the man with the dragon tattoo had finished his work, collecting everything from the dead, as well as from Connor and Avera.

Avera and Connor knew they couldn't escape their fate today, but at least they wouldn't die, so they didn't put up much of a resistance.

The dragon-tattooed man took out a cloth bag and presented the spoils to Fang Zhen.

There were eight or nine Crystal Bones in total and a few gold bars. The rest was just junk with no real value.

Aiden's pauldron and Avera's crow Crystal Bone had both been collected.

"This is everything for now," Batuma said. "Aiden's and Mela's Crystal Bones are still inside their bodies. They're not easy to get out before cremation, and besides, I don't know how squeamish you are..."

"Give me their cash value," Fang Zhen said succinctly.

Batuma's mouth couldn't help but twitch.

After a long moment, Batuma sighed, turned away, and then turned back again. A fist-sized lump of shiny, silver-white metal was now in her hand.

"A special metal that can amplify Crystal Bone energy. In our language, it's called 'Tatito,' meaning 'the metal used to forge a god's throne.'"

"This piece weighs twenty times as much as an equal volume of Gold."

"I wasn't planning on taking this out..."

"Fine." Fang Zhen nodded.

He was, in fact, a bit squeamish. The customs of Xia Country were to respect the dead, and Fang Zhen hadn't stooped to the level of burning corpses on the spot to retrieve bones for money.

But it seemed the people of the Crystal Bone Realm didn't mind. 'Perhaps they're just used to it.'

In any case, this was an unexpected bonus for Fang Zhen.

'This Tatito metal can be taken to the Curse Seal World for appraisal, to find a high-level Alchemist to craft some equipment.'

'Aiden and Mela, creating value even after death, I suppose.'

Fang Zhen accepted the Tatito metal.

Batuma felt a little vexed.

Although Batuma had wanted to make the trade, she still felt like she had gotten the short end of the stick.

Fang Zhen paid her no mind. "I'm leaving the people with you. My business here is done. Farewell."

With that, he picked up his spoils, walked over to his Holy Garment case, and placed the cloth bag inside.

"Hey!" Batuma called out, stopping him. "You're an interesting one. Leave your name. If we ever meet again and we're not on opposite sides, I'll buy you a drink."

"You don't look like a Crystal Bone Master, but that doesn't matter. With your strength, join our Black Garden!"

"We northern tribes don't have so many prejudices. Whether you're a Crystal Bone Master or a normal person, as long as you have strength and talent, we welcome all kinds. Everyone gets a chance to move up."

"Why not give it a shot?"

"Haha, I'll pass on joining the Black Garden," Fang Zhen replied with a carefree smile. "My name is Fang Zhen. The world is small; we'll meet again if fate wills it. For now, this is where we part."

He hoisted the Holy Garment case onto his back and, without looking back, gave a wave before heading toward the main entrance of the Forbidden Land.

Batuma watched Fang Zhen's departing back, and a strange feeling suddenly arose in her.

Batuma had the distinct intuition that some great opportunity had just slipped away.

"What a strange man," Batuma murmured, shaking her head slightly as if to cast the feeling aside.

…

Fang Zhen followed the main passage out of the Forbidden Land.

On the way, he saw several corpses and the wreckage of destroyed Forbidden Area Guards.

'Aiden and Connor must have paid a steep price to come through the front.'

He even checked the wreckage of the destroyed Forbidden Area Guards for any salvageable Crystal Bones or similar items.

He didn't find anything usable. The Forbidden Area Guards' revival ability was probably achieved through some other means.

After walking out of the Underground Cave at the front of the Forbidden Land, he found himself in the forest he had once seen in the distance with Avera.

Fang Zhen let out a long breath.

Although he hadn't spent much time in the Forbidden Land Netherworld, it felt like a lot had happened.

He looked up at the sky.

The cave entrance to the Forbidden Land was near a Sea Cliff. It was late at night, and he could hear the sound of waves crashing against the reefs, the air thick with the salty scent of the sea breeze.

Under the night sky, the Isle of Rest was not completely dark. For some unknown reason, there was a natural phenomenon on the island like an aurora, which made half the sky as bright as day. He could see the distant high mountain where the Light Gate was located.

Fang Zhen took a deep breath, as if releasing all the conflict and secrets he had just experienced.

Soon, he felt a sense of relief.

The Light Gate was on the high mountain. It had taken nearly an hour to get here by motorcycle. Walking back was unrealistic; it would be too exhausting.

The Crystal Bone Warhorse required bone energy to operate, which Fang Zhen didn't yet possess. He would need to go back and study the Reflecting Bamboo Crystal Bone that Batuma had given him to have a chance at acquiring that power.

But he wasn't in a hurry.

Fang Zhen did not go back the way he came. Instead, he walked toward the sound of the waves crashing on the reefs.

Before long, Fang Zhen arrived at the edge of the seaside cliffs.

The coast here was made of reefs and rocky cliffs.

Fang Zhen stood on the cliff, at least two hundred meters above the sea level below.

He walked to the edge, took off his Feather-Iron Wall gauntlets, and held out a hand to feel the air.

"Hmm, the wind speed and direction are just right," he murmured in confirmation.

Fang Zhen then set down his Holy Garment case, opened it, and took out his paragliding gear.

His paraglider was packed neatly and didn't take up too much space, though repacking it after a flight was a hassle.

After unfolding the canopy, untangling the lines, fastening the harness, strapping the Holy Garment case to his chest, and checking the wind one last time, Fang Zhen prepared for takeoff.

He kited the canopy, letting it fill with wind and rise above him. Once it was stable, he took a short running start, and with a powerful lift from the wind and the glider, he was airborne.

From the cliffs of the moonless, starless, but aurora-lit Isle of Rest, Fang Zhen took flight like a dandelion seed, riding the wind higher and higher toward the island's mountain peak.

He pulled on the paraglider's lines to control his direction. His vision was completely unobstructed, offering a panoramic view of the island's night scenery. The feel of the wind on his face as he flew was exceptionally exhilarating.

Fang Zhen focused on enjoying the flight, pushing all thoughts of murder and the Thirteen Crystal Bone Families to the back of his mind.

As he watched the forest scenery glide by below, a thought naturally arose in his mind.

'One day, I'll fly over this vast land by my own power and experience the true freedom of flight.'

One of humanity's oldest dreams has been to fly, and this desire has persisted even in the age of airplanes.

For Fang Zhen, this wasn't just a fantasy. As long as he kept walking this path, abilities like achieving an Extraordinary level of power, gaining immortality, and flying freely were all within the realm of possibility.

「Thirty-something minutes later.」

Fang Zhen landed on the mountain peak where he had arrived, the Light Gate just over twenty meters away.

After landing, he didn't bother repacking the paraglider properly. He just bundled it up roughly, then carried the Holy Garment case and entered the Light Gate.

The Jue Ying motorcycle had exploded before he entered the Path of the Dead. Fang Zhen had only kept a charred handlebar as a souvenir.

But out with the old, in with the new. A new vehicle was already in his mysterious belt.

Fang Zhen quickly took off his armor, changed his clothes, and went to the computer room to operate the computer.

He had a feeling he'd cleared the instance this time.

After he closed the Light Gate, sure enough, the instance was cleared.

"Congratulations, you have cleared the Normal difficulty instance 'Land of Rest' in an Elite Realm setting."

Fang Zhen clicked the mouse to enter the results screen.

"Congratulations on clearing the 'Land of Rest' instance.

Instance World Setting: Elite

Instance Difficulty: Normal

Base Instance Completion Reward: 240 Merit Points

Calculating performance-based rewards. Please wait... Please wait..."

"Instance Performance: Outstanding. Your clear speed was phenomenal. It seems you've found your style. Keep it up and continue to build on your strengths.

Exploration Performance: Excellent

Key Item Acquisition: Outstanding

Instance Development Completion: Outstanding

Skill Acquisition and Development: Excellent

Other: Outstanding

Overall Score. Calculating... Calculating...

Total Performance Bonus: 1580 Merit Points

Congratulations, your total reward for the 'Land of Rest' instance is: 1820 Merit Points.

First clear of an Elite Realm instance, bonus 50% Merit Points.

Your final reward is: 2730 Merit Points."