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"Hey, look over there—do you see that tower?" The girl in the short skirt pointed to a high-tech tower atop a hill to the right.
"That tower emits a special magnetic field that blocks the Phage Beasts' sensory systems, causing them to instinctively stay away from this area.
So, anywhere covered by the tower's magnetic field is safe."
"That's amazing."
Mark couldn't help but exclaim in admiration; it seemed to him that Dragon Bone Village was far more advanced than the Lighthouse in terms of technology.
At the very least, the Lighthouse possessed no such device.
If the Lighthouse could develop a similar device, scavenging for supplies on the surface wouldn't be nearly as dangerous.
But that didn't matter right now; the most important thing was joining forces to completely resolve the problem of the Mana ecosystem. This way, everyone could live safely on the surface.
"We're here!"
Bai Yuekui did not stop her subordinates from explaining the situation regarding Dragon Bone Village; in fact, she was the one who had instructed them to do so.
The objective was simple: to win the trust of Mark and Goku.
Trust is the key to cooperation; if the level of trust between two parties is too low, reaching an agreement becomes difficult.
They arrived at a facility atop the mountain and boarded a special inclined elevator, slowly descending into the hollowed-out interior of the mountain.
"So this is Dragon Bone Village? It's amazing!" Mark couldn't help but exclaim as he looked down from the elevator.
To his eyes, the Dragon Bone Village below looked like a veritable paradise.
Artificial sun-simulating lighting fixtures lined the ceiling of the cavern, illuminating the entire space and providing sufficient light for photosynthesis in the stacked, modular agricultural zones above.
A waterfall cascaded down the side of the mountain interior—a truly beautiful sight.
Below, a cluster of cozy cottages formed a lively little village.
From the village schoolhouse, one could hear children studying modern knowledge, while older students played soccer on the playground outside.
In the central park, elderly residents with white hair were exercising.
Seeing them move with such agility—performing dozens of consecutive backflips and knocking out over a hundred one-armed pull-ups—it was clear their physiques were far beyond those of ordinary people.
Compared to the Lighthouse, which housed over ten thousand people, Dragon Bone Village seemed to have a population of only a few hundred—yet the quality of life here was far happier.
At the very least, if the choice were his, he would certainly choose to live in Dragon Bone Village with Ran Bing.
"Travelers taken in by our village say that your Lighthouse established three major laws—forsaking all emotion—in an attempt to reduce your allure to the Phage Beast.
But here in Dragon Bone Village, it's the exact opposite: we draw strength from our emotions, unlock our latent potential, and hone ourselves in the face of desperate odds.
That is how we grow ever stronger.
We believe that as long as we stand united and fight together, humanity need not feel insignificant—even when facing the Mana ecosystem!"
Noticing Mark's look of amazement, the girl in the short skirt couldn't help but speak with a hint of pride.
"You boost your strength by unlocking latent potential? Can I do that too?"
As soon as Goku heard about increasing his strength, he was immediately interested.
Upon hearing this, Bai Yuekui turned around and said:
"Of course. Even though you're already incredibly strong, unlocking your potential might allow you to reach even greater heights."
If they were to forcibly breach the Scarlet Miasma zone, the stronger Goku was, the better.
So, even if he hadn't asked, she would have found a way to persuade him to undergo the process to boost his power.
The reason the villagers of Dragon Bone Village were in such peak physical condition—with many possessing special abilities—was simple:
After meeting certain criteria through training, they used "phenomenological devices" created by the Old World's Heluo civilization to trigger their latent physical potential.
Once unlocked, not only would their physical attributes improve drastically, but they would also gain unique abilities tailored to the individual.
Examples included communicating with flora and fauna, telepathic control, sonic attacks, quantum tunneling, and more.
She didn't know what ability Goku might gain, but one thing was certain:
Given his current strength, the boost he would receive after unlocking his potential would be absolutely massive.
It's one thing for someone with a strength of 100 Kgs to jump to 150 Kgs after unlocking their potential—that doesn't seem too exaggerated.
But if someone with a strength of one million Kgs suddenly jumps to 1.5 million Kgs...
That is a different story entirely.
Gaining an extra 500,000 Kgs of strength—that was a terrifying prospect.
"If you're willing, once our conversation is over, I'll take you to try unlocking the potential within your body."
"That's great! Thank you—you're a really good person!"
Goku expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Bai Yuekui; she had just earned a spot on his list of "good people."
The elevator stopped at the village entrance. Amidst the villagers' enthusiastic greetings, Bai Yuekui led Goku and Mark into the village.
Inside the village chief's office, Bai Yuekui took two bottles of iced cola from the refrigerator, placed them in front of Goku and Mark, and began explaining the intelligence regarding the Mana ecosystem.
"So, the only way to completely resolve the Mana ecosystem issue is to enter the heart of the 'Scarlet Miasma'?"
After hearing the information Bai Yuekui provided, Mark didn't believe it immediately; instead, he asked somewhat challengingly:
"How do you know all this? And... judging by the timestamps in the video, you shouldn't be this young."
"Because I already existed before the Phage Beast appeared..."
Bai Yuekui gave a brief overview of her background.
She didn't even hold back details about Mark's own origins.
Since she had decided to abandon the previous plan to attack the Abyss and wanted to earn Goku's trust, she certainly couldn't afford to be evasive anymore.
Otherwise, why would Goku be willing to take such a huge risk—venturing into a place like the Abyss with someone he had only met once?
After all, that meant coming face-to-face with the Mana ecosystem civilization—an entity existing on a higher dimensional plane than humanity.
The dangers involved were far beyond anything a mere Monarch-class Phage Beast could pose. She had once entered the "Scarlet Miasma" zone; while external readings showed she had stayed inside for only 0.7 seconds, physiological scans indicated she had actually spent 137 seconds there.
She emerged critically injured and had lost all memories of her time within the "Scarlet Miasma."
"Lusheng"—the entity that served as the genetic source for Mark—had entered alongside her. External monitors recorded a duration of twenty-four hours, yet physiological scans revealed he had spent 195 days inside.
Although Lusheng retained his memories of the "Scarlet Miasma" zone, he refused to speak about what had transpired within the "Scarlet Miasma."
Ultimately, he was consumed by the ecosystem and fully assimilated, nearly destroying the early Dragon Bone Village.
Thus, even a Monarch-class Phage Beast is nothing more than a hound created by the Mana ecosystem to purge humanity.
However, unbeknownst to her, the moment she agreed to help Goku unlock his potential, he had already mentally categorized her as a "good person."
Moreover, Goku was drawn to dangerous places.
Even if she had said nothing, Goku would have been willing to venture into the "Scarlet Miasma" zone on his own.