Dimensional Codex System: I'm really not a cultist!-Chapter 859 - 858: Are You Sure You’re Ready?

"Cough... Cough cough..."

Covered in mud, Walnut crawled on the ground, coughing while pale-faced, staring at the corpse of the poisonous lizard not far away. Fortunately, it’s already dead; otherwise, she’d truly be doomed.

Even dead, Walnut didn’t feel well; the entire Bottomless Swamp was littered with the corpses of various humans and animals, even excrement and that disgusting stinky mud. At this moment, Walnut was desperately wanting to find a place to bathe and change clothes!

"Now you realize this is different from the game, right?"

Amused, Fang Zheng shook his head as he looked at Walnut.

"You must understand, this is only the most basic task, and reality isn’t a game; there’s no chance to reload and start over... How are you feeling now?"

"So disgusting... Ugh..."

Fortunately, Walnut hadn’t eaten much recently, otherwise just seeing the filth on herself would have made her vomit.

"You should be grateful this poisonous lizard only tried to eat you."

Fang Zheng snapped his fingers, and the mud and other filth on Walnut vanished instantly, allowing the girl to regain her radiant appearance.

"If it were goblins, they wouldn’t be so kind. They’d pin you down, strip off your armor, and toy with your body... Do I need to be more detailed? I could describe the whole process in five thousand words if necessary."

"No, no need..."

Hearing this, Walnut became even paler. Despite her bold demeanor, she was still a girl and naturally understood Fang Zheng’s implications. Yet, hearing Fang Zheng’s words, Walnut was somewhat incredulous.

"Is this world... that dangerous?"

"Of course, how do you think the mercenary you replaced died?"

Fang Zheng pointed to the mercenary tag hanging around her neck.

"She went with companions to hunt goblins, failed, was captured, then played to death as a goblin toy. If not for other adventurers clearing those goblins, you might not even find her corpse. This is the life of a mercenary, entirely different from a game; they work with their lives on the line, facing various dangers constantly. These are just the outdoor threats from sinister creatures. Besides, you also have to face human threats; mercenaries often scheme against each other, backstabbing is common, and some infiltrate other mercenary groups as spies, silently growing stronger and then seizing leadership, bringing others to join their original leader..."

Fang Zheng shrugged at this point.

"You still have a chance to consider, and you need to understand that living conditions here are nothing like Heavenly Dao Palace. As you’ve seen, most areas here are stuck in the Middle Ages or the early Industrial Revolution. There’s no internet, no TV, no air conditioning. You won’t have the time to eat sweets with friends, watch concerts, or play games together... This is far more dangerous than you imagine. Do you still want to proceed?"

"........."

This time, Walnut didn’t answer immediately as she did before. Just as Fang Zheng said, while she might not fear death as a Zombie, Walnut is ultimately still a girl. Perhaps she doesn’t fear dying, but thinking about what Fang Zheng said... it’s enough to scare Walnut.

Originally, Walnut was confident about becoming a mercenary; she thought, having killed zombies in the Bio-World, she was "battle-hardened and seen blood," so being a mercenary should be simple and straightforward. Moreover, she wouldn’t die being a Zombie, making her even more confident.

But now it seems her proud little experience is utterly useless.

Not fearing death has no benefits; if Fang Zheng hadn’t intervened, Walnut might really spend her life in the Bottomless Swamp.

"And I must say, in critical moments, you can indeed seek aid from Heavenly Dao Palace. But note, this mercenary group is established as an external sensor for Heavenly Dao Palace, meaning there’s no apparent association with Heavenly Dao Palace. While I can sponsor some startup funds, all troubles and difficulties must be resolved on your own. If it becomes dangerous enough for Heavenly Dao Palace to act, this mercenary group will disappear, and you must immediately return to Heavenly Dao Palace. Because Heavenly Dao Palace is embroiled in many troubles and enemies, if your identities are exposed, they will focus their attention on you, making it even more dangerous."

These principles must be clarified from the start; the identity of external sensors cannot be exposed, and many forces can’t reach Heavenly Dao Palace due to geographical reasons, merely lamenting. Yet if they know of a Heavenly Dao Palace organization inland, they will probe by all means. Therefore, Fang Zheng must ensure this mercenary group doesn’t expose its relation to Heavenly Dao Palace; otherwise, retreat must be immediate.

With Kurumi, Fang Zheng is quite assured; her skills eliminate worry about these issues. But Walnut is different; despite seeing blood in the Bio-World, she’s ultimately an ordinary high school girl, and the Main World’s environment is much more dangerous than where she previously lived.

Fang Zheng refrained from saying so earlier because he noticed Walnut seemed a bit overconfident, deciding to let Walnut cool down before deciding... Hmm, now it appears soaking at the Bottomless Swamp’s bottom for over ten minutes was enough to calm her.

"........."

After hearing Fang Zheng’s words, Walnut stayed silent for a while, then clenched her teeth, stood up, and picked up her shovel.

"You shouldn’t force yourself."

Fang Zheng glanced at Walnut.

"Retreating isn’t shameful or disgraceful; this is just a part of the Main World’s danger, and only the lowest part. Why do you think I don’t let those little girls come here? Do you truly believe they’re weaker than you? Caution and vigilance are paramount; if you’re trying to save face or think it’s disgraceful, you don’t have to. There are just the three of us here, and no one will mock you."

"No... Brother Fang, I’ve decided."

However, in the face of Fang Zheng’s warning, Walnut shook her head.

"To be honest, I never knew what I should do. Leaving that world, everyone began living their desired lives, but I... I didn’t know what I should do."

While speaking, Walnut looked at her hand.

"I’ve turned into a Zombie; I’m different from Yuri and the others. Although everyone treats me well, they have their lives. Miss Rea is doing well over at ’Farron Xiuxiu’, and I also want to find something I can do. But... to be frank, I don’t know what I should do."

Saying this, Walnut lifted her head to look at Fang Zheng. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"But, I want to give it a try, Brother Fang."

"Alright, since you say so, I have nothing more to add."

Hearing the girl’s answer, Fang Zheng shrugged; Walnut has elevated this to the extent of a "life goal," and he couldn’t say much more.

"However, remember, safety first. If you encounter any trouble, you can contact me for help. Externally, you can say I’m a wandering mage in the mercenary group, handling crucial assignments regularly. Of course, this is only for me personally. If you face difficulties that require Heavenly Dao Palace intervention... you know. Also, listen to Kurumi’s advice often; she’s far more experienced in this than you."

"Yes, Brother Fang!"

Hearing this, Walnut clenched her fists and nodded.

"I will try my best!"