Qiu Yu woke up from a nightmare.
In that nightmare, the world was empty. There is no sky, no earth, no stars. Even time and space disappeared without a trace. He was the only one crying silently in this world that was darker than darkness and more void than nothingness.
Because the dream was too real, it was long after Qiu Yu woke up that his mind slowly climbed out of the abyss of despair. Then, as if instinctive perception spread to the surroundings, he happily touched the tangible things around him, and then infiltrated all the information called existence into Qiu Yu's mind.
The world began to turn again.
Qiu Yu opened his eyes as calmly as possible. The spread of perception has allowed him to grasp the surrounding environment, and confirming it again with his eyes is just a habit that overrides reason.
This is a dark and cramped space. It is only three or four meters long and wide, and its height is only a little over two meters. It's like an underground shelter dug in a hurry. Of course, if this was really a shelter, it would probably be the highest level shelter he had ever seen, because no matter how much his perception spread, he couldn't go beyond the walls. Although the wall looks like ordinary masonry, it can even block the law ability.
In the corner of the space, where Qiu Yu was standing up, was a folded cloth mat made of rags spread on the ground. Not only was this mat worn, but it also seemed to have been used by thousands of people, staining it with strange and inexplicable stains and smells.
Next to the cloth mat, only half of the candle that was the only light source here was left. The flickering candle flame twisted and struggled, spreading its little light towards Qiu Yu, leaving a dark shadow on the wall that seemed to be twisting and struggling in the same way. shadow.
Uncontrollable, unknown, lonely. Everything Qiu Yu fears is here. It was avoidance but also necessity. Qiu Yu focused all his attention on the exit of this space.
It was a shaky "wooden door" that was infested with insects, chopped with knives, burned by fire, and even Qiu Yu couldn't identify the cause of the damage. But amid the spread of perception, this wooden door is like a wall blocking the detection of law abilities. Although its sturdiness cannot be determined, the fact that it can allow the spread of perception to return without any effort shows that it is a creation of the power of law, or even the power of those who violate the law. The existence that could leave those traces on it... just thinking about it makes one's heart tremble.
"Have you been kidnapped again?" Qiu Yu sighed helplessly and walked towards the door.
Because he has already experienced what happened in the City of Destiny, and he happens to be still alive now, this is by far the most likely situation. As for what to do next? Apart from pushing open this dangerous door, there is no other option.
"Are you going out?"
Just when Qiu Yu moved carefully and his fingers were about to touch the door, a voice with an old aura and an obscure tone suddenly sounded from behind.
Qiu Yu bounced his knees and quickly jumped to the side. He was really scared.
A person hiding in a corner outside the field of vision can still scare people when he suddenly jumps out, not to mention that this small space has always been filled with Qiu Yu's senses. Without any blind spots, a person suddenly jumps out. This is already It's not just scary in the simple sense.
"Who are you?" Qiu Yu first asked an irrelevant question to confirm the other party's purpose and attitude, and then quickly looked at the other party.
Like other things in this space, the spread of perception is blocked around the opponent's body, but the eyes can get more information. It was a human figure completely shrouded in gray and black robes. The hem of the robe clung to the ground. The cuffs are also too long, and even though the hands hang down naturally, even the fingertips are not exposed. And where the face should be, the hood covers it directly to the chin.
Although the light in this place is dim, you should still be able to see what is under the hood as long as you adjust the angle slightly. However, Qiu Yu couldn't think of any idea to pry.
"Gatekeeper."
Surprisingly simple answer.
"What gatekeeper?"
"The Gatekeeper of the Land of Chaos and Chaos."
The existence of a self-proclaimed gatekeeper is like having rehearsed these problems millions of times, or it is simply a machine that has been programmed to take action. Almost as soon as Qiu Yu asked the question, the answers came one after another impatiently.
There was no intimidation and no hostility was felt. But these answers that can smoothly lead to the next question gave Qiu Yu a strong sense of crisis and oppression that he had never experienced before when he faced regulators or even those who violated the law.
Just when he tried his best to ignore this hallucinatory discomfort and was about to ask what the place of chaos and chaos was, the warning sign in his heart suddenly erupted. It was as if an invisible hand had been caressing his heart, and just when the question came out, it would hold it tightly.
"How did I get here?" After trying his best to calm down his disordered breathing, Qiu Yu fell into his own rhythm.
The other party was silent. (Don’t want to answer?)
"Where are the others with me?"
Still silent. (This question will not be verified. No matter how you answer it, you will gain an advantage. If you still don't speak, the only two possibilities left are that he does not know and cannot lie, or that he is restricted from answering.)
"Am I being kidnapped or held captive?"
Stay silent. (If you haven’t answered yet, you don’t need to threaten me or show me kindness?)
"So, the current situation is caused by conceptual creatures?"
The gatekeeper finally responded, "I only have knowledge about what's behind the gate. Other than that, I can't answer any of your questions."
"Oh..." The situation has returned to the original point. After careful consideration, Qiu Yu found that the only question he could ask was, "Can you tell me the most necessary and least dangerous piece of information?"
The gatekeeper slowly raised his hand and handed out a yellowed note covered with unknown stains from his wide cuff. Only half of the note was exposed outside the wide cuffs, so it was still impossible to see his hands hidden under the sleeves.
Qiu Yu took the paper and unfolded it. What he saw was densely packed, twisted patterns that could not be distinguished from words or graffiti. All that can be understood is a long line running from pure white to pure black, running through the entire paper. In the center of the line, where black and white intersect, there is a small arrow pointing downward toward the line. Of course, this was seen with the eyes. After Qiuyu used Perception Spread, he discovered that the arrow was not in the center of black and white, but slightly to the black side.
Qiu Yu looked up at the gatekeeper again, "About the world behind the door, do I need to pay a price for every question I ask?"
The gatekeeper's answer was still incredibly quick, "You don't need to pay a price, it's just an equal exchange."
While the gatekeeper was answering, the arrow on the paper moved slightly towards the black area.
Qiu Yu has roughly understood the current situation.
To use a game metaphor, this piece of paper shows the difficulty of the game. Each question, depending on its importance, will lead to an increase in the difficulty of the game. The more you know, the harder the game will be. The less you know, the easier the game will be. But being too ignorant and not even knowing the rules of the game is also difficult in another sense.
"Behind the Gate, which civilization is leading this game?" What Qiuyu wanted to know was not the civilization, but to confirm his situation. Cleverly limiting the problem to a certain range can make the cost smaller.
"Order and Chaos." This answer, which was not really an answer, caused the arrow on the paper to shift slightly towards the black direction. However, this subtle point is twice the distance of the previous problems combined.
Although there were still many necessary questions, Qiu Yu did not dare to ask any more. A vague feeling reminded him that the difficulty now had reached a dangerous level.
"If there are no more questions, please follow me." The gatekeeper turned to the wooden door, seeming to be convinced that Qiu Yu would have no more questions.
"Although I know it's impossible, I still want to ask, is there anything you can let me know for free?"
People named Qiu Yu will not be arrogant or conceited. Whenever necessary, they will use methods only used by fools to test out all possibilities.
For the first time, albeit briefly, the Gatekeeper spent time thinking about the answer.
“The smart ones die first, then the curious ones, and finally the ordinary people.”
