“No particular reason, just not used to it.” Enzo replied.

Mona and Quincy were both taken aback by Enzo’s answer.

Quincy was about to unleash another round of curses but remembered Mona’s earlier reprimand and chose to remain silent.

Mona laughed, her voice clear but laced with sarcasm. “Is that really why you’re refusing my offer?”

Enzo didn’t respond, tacitly confirming her guess.

Mona exhaled lightly and said, “I’m giving you a second chance. Do you want to become one of my guards?”

“No, I don’t!” Enzo once again refused, then asked curiously, “Miss Mona, I don’t understand why you insist on choosing me. There might be others more suitable than I am.”

Mona answered, “Because you’re special.”

Then she added threateningly, “No one can refuse me a second time. However, since you insist on rejecting the offer, I won’t force you. But I hope you won’t regret your decision today. Also, trying to stand out this way won’t work.”

“Quincy, take him back.”

With that, the princess jumped back onto the giant elephant.

Quincy, now visibly annoyed, led Enzo back to the group. He warned in a dark tone, “Kid, I don’t know where you get the courage to refuse Princess Mona. But I’m sure that once you’re in the Flamingo Settlement, you’ll understand what it means to be in a difficult position. Just because Princess Mona spared you doesn’t mean her followers will. I hope you have the strength to survive!”

Enzo paid no attention to the threat.

In fact, he didn’t even care about Mona.

At that moment, he was more focused on experiencing the differences between the external realm and the Barren Peninsula. The most noticeable difference was the energy in the air after crossing the barrier into the Dark Night Forest. Although this energy was faint, it was constantly working to transform the body.

“No wonder people from the external realm are so strong…”

A realization dawned on Enzo.

This was similar to the effects brought about by the Ring of the World Ritual, though most of the energy in the Ring was accumulated for creating the Water of Life or for baptisms, leaving only a small amount scattered around. Nevertheless, it was much less intense compared to the rich energy in the Dark Night Forest.

If the Ring of the World Ritual were to cover the entire Barren Peninsula…

The thought quickly snapped Enzo back to reality. This goal was too grand and currently unrealistic.

At this moment, Quincy led Enzo back to the rear position of the group.

Enzo’s expression remained calm as he resumed his place.

After Quincy left, Harvey approached curiously and asked, “Enzo, why did Lord Quincy take you over there?”

Enzo smiled and replied, “Three gold Kafen.”

Harvey’s face immediately changed, and he hissed, “Why didn’t you just steal it?”

Enzo responded, “Stealing is not as easy as this. You taught me that.”

Hearing this, Harvey was infuriated and deliberately said, “Hmph, I really don’t want to know what happened.”

Enzo stopped teasing Harvey and took out a book on basic potion knowledge, reading it slowly while saying, “It’s nothing much. That lady Mona wanted me to be her guard, but I refused.”

“Refused? What, you actually refused?”

Harvey was astonished, his voice rising so much that it drew the attention of many others around them.

He quickly lowered his voice and scolded, “How could you refuse? This is a tremendous opportunity. Being a guard for Lady Mona not only means a prestigious status but also access to abundant resources. Most importantly, Lady Mona is very beautiful!”

Enzo scoffed and retorted, “Are those things really that important?”

Harvey’s eyes looked vacant, as if he felt he had missed a golden opportunity, muttering, “How could it not be important…”

Enzo chose to ignore Harvey.

Before leaving the Crimson Star Tribe, the small world he controlled was about the size of a small tribal camp.

It contained a large quantity of supplies.

These supplies including a warehouse of various crop seeds, fine wines, delicate glassware, a whole room full of pristine paper, and other common materials. Even in the Dark Night Forest, such items were highly valuable.

Yet, compared to another item, these were practically worthless.

At that time, Mina had scornfully said, “Kid, with all this stuff, are you planning to move house? Hmph, once you get to the external realm, just selling a few drops of Life Water will get you endless wealth!”

Indeed, it was the Life Water.

Since producing Life Water was so easy, Enzo had instinctively overlooked its value.

If Mina hadn’t reminded him, he might have sold off those supplies.

It was then that Enzo realized the power of the totem he controlled. Therefore, upon entering the Dark Night Forest, he decided not to reveal his totem unless absolutely necessary.

However, he hadn’t expected to be singled out by Mona as soon as he arrived.

Although Mona claimed she wouldn’t force him, Enzo could tell from her gaze that she was not someone who would easily give up.

With these thoughts in mind, Enzo lost interest in reading and began to plan his next steps: “Once I arrive at the Flamingo Gathering Place, I’ll first need to secure a proper identity. My knowledge of Potions is almost complete now, and with Life Water, I can create at least Level 3 Potions. Being a Level 3 Potion Master is quite valuable—it can avoid a lot of trouble and make it easier to earn money.”

“Once I have enough funds, I can collect sufficient supernatural materials and learn various abilities.”

“Mina mentioned that advancing from Level 6 to Level 7 is the most challenging step, requiring complete mastery over one’s totem and a clear understanding of one’s supernatural path attribute. I already understand this well. To reach the seventh tier, I need to fully complete the Ring of the World.”

“This will require a lot of money and time…”

Although Enzo’s face remained calm, he was troubled internally.

The Ring of the World currently contains the Beasts Totem, Tree of Life Totem, Endless Fire Totem, and two Primeval Totems, along with one deity totem. However, this only makes half of the Ring of the World look complete. To quickly fill in the rest, he would need to obtain another Seven Great Origins Creation.

Such an acquisition was nearly impossible.

Fortunately, besides these powerful totems, other totems or supernatural materials could also help complete the Ring of the World.

According to Enzo’s estimates, he didn’t need to fill it entirely—just covering eighty percent of the area would be sufficient to advance to the seventh tier, gaining more powerful abilities and significantly extending his lifespan.

While Enzo was contemplating, Quincy issued the order to resume the journey.

The trip proceeded smoothly without the inspections Harvey had warned about, which relieved Harvey.

By evening, they arrived at the Flamingo Gathering Place.

Thus the group disbanded.

Harvey took Enzo through the settlement while lamenting, “Why did you have to refuse? If you hadn’t, we’d be staying in those well-crafted houses, maybe even being attended by beautiful young women…”

Enzo interrupted Harvey’s daydreaming, “Where are the places to stay?”

Harvey sighed and said, “Follow me.”

Clearly well-acquainted with the Flamingo Gathering Place, Harvey easily led Enzo to a secluded corner. There stood a slightly tilted three-story wooden house, making Enzo wonder if it might collapse suddenly.

Harvey was unconcerned, saying, “As long as it’s a place to stay. If it falls, that’s just bad luck.”

Enzo countered, “It might be better to stay outdoors.”

As they entered the house, they found the first floor was a large hall with several tables where seven or eight people were chatting. Upon hearing Enzo’s comment, they burst into laughter, saying, “Stay outdoors? Harvey, did you bring a fool this time? Not only are there terrifying creatures out there, but even the moon tides at night are not something ordinary people can withstand.”

“Spending the night outdoors is courting death!”

Enzo glanced at the group and noticed they seemed to have some friction with Harvey.

However, Harvey quickly headed upstairs, calling back to Enzo, “Keep up.”

As Enzo followed Harvey up the stairs, he marked the people downstairs with a life marker and asked, “What is the Moon Tide?”

Mina hadn’t mentioned this before.

Harvey looked at Enzo with a strange expression and said with certainty, “I underestimated you. You’re just a small tribal person who knows nothing.”

Despite his comment, Harvey patiently explained, “The Moon Tide appeared around eight hundred years ago. Each night, certain areas in the Dark Night Forest are enveloped in a silvery mist. Within this mist, extremely terrifying creatures lurk, and their presence is accompanied by the sound of tides.”

“For the people of the Dark Night Forest, it’s a disaster.”

“Anyone caught in the Moon Tide will be killed by these horrifying monsters. Even if they survive, they’ll be driven insane.”

“However, the Moon Tide doesn’t occur in populated areas.”

This peculiar situation reminded Enzo of the world’s rules, suggesting it might be some sort of special rule.

Moreover,eight hundred years ago.

The time frame of eight hundred years was particularly significant. That was around the time the Barren Mountain Tribe experienced the curse disaster.

There could very well be a connection.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep