As night descended, the Burning Fire Marketplace remained brilliantly lit, the town adorned with various colored illuminating crystals, shining like magnificent neon lights under the night sky.
Magnificent, thriving – this was the Burning Fire Marketplace of today.
However, from an unknown time, an unsettling atmosphere began to permeate the marketplace. This unease did not originate from within the marketplace itself, but from the outside, from the uncanny creatures that people had become accustomed to.
"President Sean, have the wild uncanny creatures truly become that ferocious?"
Inside a private room at the Gourmet Heaven restaurant, labeled 'Earth-grade'.
Dishes emitting enticing aromas had already been served. In normal times, these wealthy merchants would have abandoned all pretense of elegance to snatch at the food. This was because Gourmet Heaven was not only a place that made one linger but also famously expensive.
But today, eleven wealthy merchants from different great domains found themselves resistant to the delectable dishes placed so close at hand. Or rather, one matter had surpassed the importance of food.
With solemn expressions, they looked at a man with curly brown hair and a flamboyant orange-red robe.
— Sean, Vice President of the White Day Chamber of Commerce, from the Blazing Heart Core Great Domain.
It was another vice president of a great chamber of commerce who eagerly asked the question.
"Do I look like I'm joking?"
Sean forced a bitter smile.
His eyes held an unconcealable weariness, a fatigue stemming from his body and, even more so, from his soul.
The cross-domain journey had been devastatingly costly for their caravan. Half of their guards had perished, and the rest were almost all wounded. Even their extremely precious cargo had to be abandoned with great reluctance.
This was the most disastrous loss he had ever experienced in his merchant career; half a lifetime's savings might not even be enough to cover it.
Sean's heart bled.
If he hadn't hoped to recoup some resources from these 'old friends,' why would he attend a banquet at a time like this?
No matter how delicious the food, it could not soothe the wounds in his heart.
He no longer wished to speak, and simply picked up a dish, biting into it fiercely, as if gnawing on the uncanny creatures, as if drinking their blood.
Seeing him in this state, the other chamber of commerce owners fell silent.
Asking a few more questions, hoping for a different answer, was merely a flicker of hope they still harbored.
At this moment, all hope was shattered.
There was no room for fantasy in the first place. When the White Day Chamber of Commerce's convoy entered the oasis, they were all wounded and their armor was in tatters. Many people had witnessed their tragic state firsthand. The Burning Fire Oasis was small, and those who came and went had many connections. The incident involving the White Day caravan had long since spread throughout the entire oasis.
"But why would the uncanny creatures become so ferocious? What do they look like?"
Uncanny creatures were already synonymous with chaos and ferocity. Even well-traveled, knowledgeable wealthy merchants found it hard to imagine how a ferocious creature could become even more ferocious.
They could only wait for President Sean to clarify their doubts.
Sean sighed. He remained silent for a moment before finally speaking, "The fog-dispelling items we use not only dispel fog but also curb the recovery ability of uncanny creatures, correct?"
The merchants nodded.
Without fog-dispelling equipment, not only would uncanny creatures swarm them, but they also possessed incredibly strong recovery abilities. Even if half their body was destroyed, they could recover completely after a while.
These were common knowledge even for rookie awakened ones, but few had actually seen it. Any rational person would avoid such suicidal common sense.
"The Bright Light Torches alone can curb most of the recovery power of uncanny creatures. The high-grade fog-dispelling artifacts our chamber of commerce uses are even more effective, allowing uncanny creatures to recover almost no ability, as if they had entered an oasis."
"However, about half a month ago, the uncanny creatures we encountered along the way gradually increased. At first, we didn't notice them becoming more difficult to deal with. But gradually, the more we fought, the more wrong it felt. Many times, we clearly saw uncanny creatures fall, only for them to swiftly get back up after a while. The flesh buds at their severed limbs grew rapidly, and they recovered within a few breaths."
Recalling such scenes, Sean's face turned a little pale.
Their caravan's fog-dispelling artifacts still had an effect, and the number of attacking uncanny creatures had not reached a level of a tidal wave. However, those uncanny creatures, which already possessed incredibly tenacious vitality, had become extremely terrifying with the enhancement of their dreadful recovery abilities.
Facing a four-star disaster-level uncanny creature, he, a six-awakened, had to expend great effort to kill it swiftly.
As time passed, the number of uncanny creatures they encountered increased, their recovery speed grew faster, and they found it increasingly difficult to move forward.
"If we had lingered in the wild for another ten days or eight days, I fear our White Day caravan would have been completely annihilated."
At this point, Sean still felt a lingering fear.
He paused and added, "Moreover, the uncanny creatures we encountered were still within the range of the fog-dispelling artifacts. If we had truly entered the gray fog to face them directly, I dread to think..."
After hearing the description from the Vice President of the White Day Chamber of Commerce, the other ten-odd wealthy merchants exchanged glances.
They all realized the gravity of the situation.
The owner of the Golden Shimmer Chamber of Commerce spoke, "Everyone need not worry too much. Regardless of the disaster that has occurred in the Falling Star Grotto, we are not the first to bear its brunt. It will be the Burning Fire Chamber of Commerce and the City of Falling Stars. Let's wait and see how they respond."
"Eat, eat your food."
After discussing for so long, the owners could no longer resist. No matter how difficult the disaster, one should not starve themselves.
Huh? Why does it seem like there's so much less food?
...
The entire Burning Fire Oasis remained peaceful and serene. However, the White Day caravan was not the only one that had recently arrived and encountered ferocious uncanny creatures, suffering considerable losses.
Due to this reason, several caravans that had originally planned to depart decided to hold back and observe the situation before making any further plans.
The wealthy merchants were not idly waiting. They hired mercenary groups with whom they had business dealings and sent them out of the oasis to gather information.
Upon investigating, they discovered that the situation was indeed very troublesome.
No, it was even more troublesome.
When they first left the oasis, the situation was still somewhat normal. But after venturing tens of kilometers into the gray fog, the Bright Light Torches seemed to lose their effect, and uncanny creatures, one after another, pounced like sharks smelling blood.
The mercenaries attempted to break through for a while before being forced to give up and retreat to the Burning Fire Oasis in a sorry state.
The situations encountered by several major mercenary groups were similar.
Their losses were not significant, but that was because they returned promptly. If they had traveled far like the caravans, venturing for dozens of days through the thick gray fog and facing increasingly intense onslaughts from uncanny creatures, the mercenaries dared not imagine what the outcome would be.
"Let's wait for the Burning Fire Chamber of Commerce to ascertain the situation. They must be investigating. For now, it's best if we remain inactive."
"Remain inactive? This President is waiting to transport this batch of treasures back. If we let it sit here, it's a loss of thousands or tens of thousands of uncanny crystals a day!"
"If the most severely affected area of the disaster is in this vicinity, can we perhaps find a way to break through?"
"Breaking through isn't impossible, but according to Vice President White Day, they encountered a similar situation in the inter-domain zone. Unless we can ascertain the scope of the disaster, a rash attempt to break through would be no different from seeking death."
"I don't think it's that bad. Frankly, it's still a matter of strength. We just need to fight our way through."
Although many people were clamoring to test the waters and break through, in reality, the high-ranking officials of the major chambers of commerce remained safely within the Burning Fire Oasis. Their primary activities involved commissioning mercenaries or dispatching their own caravan guards to investigate the situation in the wilderness.
Compared to the daily loss of uncanny crystals, their own safety was more important.
Moreover, if they plunged in without investigating and encountered misfortune like Vice President White Day, wouldn't the losses be even greater?
...
As the major chambers of commerce had predicted, Fang You was organizing personnel to enter the gray fog area to investigate the situation, although he had a vague suspicion about the root cause of the disaster.
Simultaneously, he was also urgently arranging for the construction of the Burning Fire Oasis's city walls.
At this time, the Burning Fire Oasis had only been upgraded to a Level 2 oasis—to maintain secrecy, he could not infuse the oasis with experience en masse using rituals. The actual occupied area of the marketplace was even smaller, and the construction of the city walls was much less of a workload compared to the Spark Oasis.
However, the Spark Oasis currently had a population of over a million, so there was no shortage of workers for any task.
The Burning Fire Oasis, on the other hand? Excluding the merchants, mercenary groups, and idle awakened ones, only a few hundred people belonged to the Raging Flames. These individuals also had to manage chamber of commerce operations, marketplace patrols, and other affairs, leaving very few available for construction.
The Myriad Wood Generates Tendrils defensive ritual was also somewhat troublesome to engrave.
This resulted in the hundred-meter-tall giant wall not being completed even after two months.
Now, Fang You secretly dispatched a group of elites to the oasis and hired some idle awakened ones who were staying in the oasis to help with the construction, which gradually increased the progress.
He himself even possessed Xiao Huan, venturing deep into the gray fog area to capture several uncanny creatures and send them to the base for Yin Ling to research.
Indeed, something was discovered.
Yin Ling, with one hand supporting under her chest and the other holding a pointer, pointed at a diagram of the uncanny creature's structure that she had drawn.
"The specific reason is still unclear, but..."
"Let's first talk about the recovery ability of uncanny creatures. Previously, uncanny creatures were amplified by the gray fog, equivalent to a battlefield buff. We used Bright Light Torches to remove these enhancements and restore uncanny creatures to their normal state."
"But now, uncanny creatures have gained a permanent enhancement, or rather, a reinforcement. Their strong recovery ability is just the most obvious external manifestation. In addition, there are three points:..."
First, their sense of smell. Uncanny creatures had become more sensitive to human scent. This was why, even with the influence of the torches dispelling the fog, more and more uncanny creatures were still attacking the chambers of commerce.
Second, mutation. Affected by unknown influences, uncanny creatures could also mutate, transforming into top-tier uncanny creatures of the same rank, or even evolving into higher-ranked beings.
Yin Ling stated that this point still required further research.
Third, pollution. The blood of these uncanny creatures carried stronger pollution than before, and their attacks could also cause pollution. In other words, once an awakened one was injured by an uncanny creature, it could exacerbate their own pollution level.
And this was the most fatal for awakened ones.
"Not bad. You've figured out so much in such a short time. You're quite capable when you're not slacking off," Fang You praised.
However, Yin Ling did not accept the compliment and retorted with an eye roll.
"It's as if I often slack off. If I were capable of slacking off, would my supervisor approve? Hmph."
Come to think of it, apart from being very reluctant to go out and often having her students complete her work, Yin Ling hadn't really slacked off much... had she?
...
Fang You did not conceal Yin Ling's latest research findings and immediately announced them within the Burning Fire Oasis.
"No wonder I've been experiencing auditory hallucinations frequently lately. So, so it was from an injured mutated uncanny creature before!" Da Feng Novel Network
Sean of the White Day Chamber of Commerce muttered, his face turning even paler.
But the joys and sorrows of people are not interconnected. Compared to the pallor of a few, more awakened ones were invigorated, seeing a glimmer of hope for the disaster.
After all, this was not their homeland. With the super-force of the Burning Fire Chamber of Commerce taking the lead, most people felt relaxed.
At worst, they would just wait.
Those who wait will never lose.
Until, one day, a chamber of commerce owner received a message from his hometown, and his face instantly turned white.
"What? Our Eternal Frozen Land Great Domain is also experiencing a similar situation?"
Eternal Frozen Land, Blazing Heart Core, Gloomy Yellow Ruins...
Great domains, one after another, issued warnings. Even the Shattered Sea had truly powerful figures emerge, sounding the alarm.
The reason remained unknown, but this disaster, which could possibly affect dozens or hundreds of great domains, simultaneously triggered a historical catastrophe in the Shattered Sea.
In other words, the Shattered Sea would suffer even heavier damage.
"But it's not just the Shattered Sea. The area most affected by the unknown disaster is the Inter-Domain Zone. This is not me talking nonsense; it is rumored that a titan from the Shattered Sea personally investigated and reached this conclusion."
"It's not a rumor. The Third Island Master of the Seven Star Alliance peered into the secrets with powerful astrology and proved that the unknown influence is spreading from the Inter-Domain Zone to various great domains."
"It's actually that one! It is rumored that he is already beyond the mythological level?!"
"There must be other titans who have taken action, we just don't know about it. This also shows the seriousness of the matter."
"There's another problem. Since the inter-domain zone is the most heavily affected, then isn't this Burning Fire Oasis, which is very close to the inter-domain zone...?"
Moreover, with their hometowns also facing the threat of disaster, the high-ranking officials in this oasis could no longer remain indifferent.
The Third Island Master had also revealed the fact that the disaster was gradually intensifying.
Can't sit still anymore!
"We must break out early."
"I've decided. We won't bring large quantities of goods; we'll only organize a few experts to return."
"We leave today. If we don't leave now, it will be even harder."
The Golden Shimmer Chamber of Commerce caravan, the powerhouses of the Silent Night Garden, the elites of the Dawn Legion—one after another, these forces immediately stopped hesitating. After purchasing some recovery supplies, they plunged into the vast gray fog.
The entire oasis seemed to have become much sparser in an instant.
However, less than half a day later, the gray fog surged outside the oasis, and teams, tens of people, dozens of people, rushed out of the gray fog in a sorry state, returning to the oasis.
Along with them came terrifying uncanny creatures, biting at their heels.
"Help!"
A monstrous uncanny creature hundreds of meters tall leaped out of the gray fog.
This uncanny creature had the body of a black-armored demon dragon, the arms of a four-armed giant demon, and the heads of a three-headed ogre. It was a bizarre amalgamation that even the Raging Flames warriors had not seen in their compendium of uncanny creatures.
But they responded quickly, immediately operating the uncanny crystal cannons to fire.
A beam of dark cyan energy pierced through the behemoth, annihilating two of its heads and half of its body. However, the next moment, in the eyes of everyone, flesh buds began to spread on the uncanny creature. In a mere instant, it recovered completely and, with fierce rage, lunged towards a nearby merchant caravan.
*Splurt—*
A warrior, who was already in a sorry state, suddenly became dazed. When he came to his senses, half of his body was gone.
He stumbled and fell, and after a few seconds, he was reduced to ashes under the uncanny creature's black flames.
No one could break through.
They hadn't even reached the Inter-Domain Zone before they were forced to turn back due to the immense pressure.
"I even saw a seven-star world-ending level uncanny creature in the distance!" a blind awakened one said, trembling.
"A caravan was completely wiped out. The last message transmitted before their death was... world-ending!"
"Gulp~!"
"We can't venture out of the oasis anymore. But at least, staying within the oasis is relatively safe, right? These mutated uncanny creatures don't approach the oasis."
Those who harbored this thought didn't rejoice for long before a wealthy merchant from the Shattered Sea brought dire news.
In their area, over a hundred oases had vanished within a single day.
At the same time, thunderous roars echoed from outside the Burning Fire Marketplace. A head comparable in size to a building emerged from the wall-like gray fog.