As a transmigrator, Ethan considered himself unqualified. He did not bring anything that could prove his identity. The moment he regained consciousness, he found himself in a group of refugees heading to Ximu Town, surrounded by the stench of unwashed bodies and people talking gloomily about the recent upheavals in the Empire.

The leader splashed cold water on everyone's hopes.

Even if they really reached Ximu Town, it didn't necessarily mean their lives would get any better.

In the first two years of his journey, Ethan faced the same dilemma as all the adventurers in the novels—he had to figure out how to survive in this messed-up world.

In search of security, to avoid being easily crushed by societal changes, he tried every means to learn about the path to the extraordinary.

Merlin placed his phone in the most conspicuous spot, ensuring that anyone coming here could recognize his identity through it at first sight.

He was waiting for a fellow countryman, but Ethan was sure it was definitely not his "companions" from the Guild.

It was clear that Merlin's final days were spent in restless anxiety. His "Alchemy Workshop" could only be described as a mess, with torn parchment scattered everywhere. There was only a small bed set up, and the wall by the bed was scribbled with many characters incomprehensible to Cynthia and others, but extremely familiar to Ethan.

Finally found this place.

Soon I can get out.

Why is there still no progress?

Is it because of the seals?

Hurry, there's almost no time left.

Those people have arrived.

Can't just sit idly anymore.

The further down the wall he went, the more haphazard the handwriting became. Some areas were severely dented.

The intense unease made Merlin act somewhat paranoid, but from the lines of incomplete characters, Ethan discerned his purpose for coming here.

Merlin was searching for a way to leave this place. At least in his understanding, it was related to the sealed Old Gods, and those special planes controlled by them might be the edges of this "black box." If they could reach one of these edge areas and somehow break through the outermost barrier, they could exit the "black box."

He had reasons that compelled him to leave here.

"You can read ancient characters?"

To Cynthia, Ethan's surprising talents kept growing. "What does it say here?"

"It reflects Merlin's homesickness."

Ethan gave a brief summary. "Back where we're from, these aren't called ancient characters."

They are very modern, unique, yet familiar, even though Merlin's handwriting looked extremely sloppy, like a prescription from a hospital doctor, that he could never understand what medication was written on it.

"In those special planes, there are many similar characters, and the Guild has set up a dedicated department to study their meanings."

Cynthia leaned closer for a detailed examination.

In the Guild, there were many who believed that only the founders could comprehend the meanings of these ancient characters; that this was the source of their strength and their uniqueness.

They might possess some ancient and mysterious lineage, which was not uncommon across various planes.

"What does that mean?"

This time the question came from Yoda. The golden mask distorted his original voice, with a hint of bothersome "electromagnetic interference" in his tone. He seemed very agitated, pressing Ethan for answers. "What exactly did Merlin write? Why did he betray the Guild? What was he hiding here to study?"

Without a doubt, this was Merlin's final stop. He left everything he hadn't had the chance to complete here.

Yet Yoda was shrouded in disappointment.

To get here, he calculated every move, took enormous risks, but was met with ancient characters whose meaning baffled him.

This was Merlin's encryption method. All his research left here was done using ancient characters. Just as he was about to lose control of his emotions, someone appeared before him who understood those characters.

This might just be fate.

Yoda thought so, needing Ethan to provide answers urgently, to explain the meaning of destiny.

"It's a treasure hunt game; up to this point, you've all impressively conquered this game."

Ethan said, "But the part that follows, it's better that you don't know."

Even for him, this was a monumental problem.

How was he supposed to explain to Princess Vivian, Cynthia, Yoda, Kara that it was all fake?

The hardships they endured, the war raging outside, the souls of the deceased, and everything they held dear were actually just a string of codes. Their birth didn't come from their parents as they believed, but was merely a part of this world's backdrop, created by a group of office workers staring at computer screens all day?

Most of their names were meaningless, maybe just something someone came up with on a whim.

For instance, Yoda reminded him of Star Wars, and Kara was the protagonist in Detroit: Become Human. As a modern person, Ethan could trace these name origins.

What about Ethan then?

If we exclude the scientifically unexplainable transmigration, this young refugee seemed more like an NPC in a side quest encountered by a player passing through a small town.

But on the other hand, these codes and NPCs were too real. In his familiar world, no program or code could achieve such a human-like setup. Whenever rationale emerged, another voice in his mind would tell him that it was all real.

A long time had passed since facing Sincaro, yet Ethan still couldn't define this world.

Though he was never a scientist, everything happening before him forced him to contemplate that ancient yet direct question—if something looks like steak, smells like steak, and tastes like steak, is it a steak?

Distinguishing these things was more mind-boggling than delving into Elemental Magic, to the point where Ethan felt he might need to swallow some blue pills to calm down.

And now, Merlin had provided his reference answer.

This world is fake; perhaps the exit lies within one of the planes controlled by the Old Gods. To reach there, they must break the Old Gods' seals.

This was the most special plane, and in his view, the closest place to the "black box" edge.

As for what catastrophe breaking the seal might bring upon this world's inhabitants, Merlin need not worry about that.

This was just a block of data, and even death and suffering were merely pre-designed program feedback.

As for his compelling reason to leave here...

The hand-drawn picture in the drawer seemed to say it all.

It was a family photo.

The parents held a newborn baby, their faces beaming with smiles, filled with hope for a future life.

Perhaps because Merlin couldn't find photo technology back then, he could only record it by hand.

The picture had been unfolded countless times, covered in wrinkles, with small tears at the corners.

He must leave here.

This phrase was written on the back of the picture, as if to give him a constant psychological reminder every day.

Yoda couldn't recognize the man in the drawing.

He was sure it wasn't Merlin. According to his description and the chronicles left by the Gallog Dynasty, Merlin was a charismatic sage, always wrapped in a black robe, exuding heroism. The silly-smiling middle-aged man on the picture could never compare to the legendary Gallog Dynasty hero.

But such an answer didn't satisfy Cynthia and the others.

Though they didn't push further, they all looked at Ethan with sharp stares, seemingly telling him through their gaze that a "treasure hunt game" was no excuse at this point.

As the atmosphere grew tense, Princess Vivian served as the team's lubricant.

She inadvertently shook a glass bottle while fumbling for alchemical materials, causing it to crash onto the floor and shatter.

The jarring noise in the silence was enough to capture everyone's attention.

"Didn't you all hear it?"

Princess Vivian seemed to use a smile to mask her embarrassment, knowing how valuable each and every item here might be.

But it wasn't entirely her fault.

"Someone was calling my name."

She pointed to the back of the shelf, to a wall tangled with vines, "Just on the other side of the wall."