Chapter 187 A Mobile Phone Number

Apparently, Anna, following Vivian and the others' instructions, hadn't told anyone about the "spatial rift leading to El Dorado in the catacombs." Igor didn't know that Hao Ren and his group had gone to another world. But now there was no need to worry about anyone crossing that rift: when Hao Ren returned, he had already set up sensors and rift disruptors near the spatial rift, which could prevent unauthorized personnel from entering Tanagus.

Igor also inquired about why there was one less person in the team—Becky had stayed in the Dream Plane and hadn't returned. To this, Hao Ren explained that she had gone back to her hometown to visit relatives.

The group didn't accept Igor's offer to stay but decided to go home directly. Hao Ren's first order of business was to find his official vehicle in the courtyard in front of the castle—the car had been parked here for a whole week, covered in snow. He patted the roof of the car, feeling a bit self-deprecating: when he came here, he didn't want to scare the ordinary people in the castle, so he didn't put the car directly into his portable space, but parked it in the courtyard. But he didn't expect the wraith phenomenon at the Andrei Castle to be so severe that everyone here was unfazed by the supernatural. He also didn't expect the Andrei family to be descendants of Vivian's underlings. If he had known earlier that they were such resilient folks, he wouldn't have gone to so much trouble.

"Take good care of the catacombs below the castle," Vivian instructed Igor. "Set up some manned outposts in the alternate space of the catacombs, but don't go too deep. Anna knows something about that space and can decide on the location of the outposts. We have already set up a seal near the Wraith Gate, but if any abnormalities still occur, remember to report to me immediately."

Igor respectfully bowed and nodded, then cautiously asked, "Madam Witch, how should I contact you? I'm sorry...our family has lost the secret arts left by our ancestors."

Vivian smacked her forehead: "Oh right, wait a moment."

As she spoke, she began to rummage through her pockets. Igor's expression immediately became tense and solemn, thinking that she was about to take out some magical item. Wasn't the usual way for witches to contact their human servants through the cries of black cats, the shadows of crows, or the ashes of mandrake flowers? But after searching for a long time, Vivian only pulled out a small notebook. She tore off a piece of paper and wrote a number on it: "I have a mobile phone now, this is my number—remember to add 0086."

Igor: "...Not a magical item? I remember that the ancient books left by my ancestors mentioned something about a blood droplet fragment..."

Vivian frowned: "That was a long time ago. People need to keep up with the times, you know? Can a blood droplet fragment send text messages?"

Igor: "..."

Hao Ren felt that only he could witness a ten-thousand-year-old bat spirit educating a modern person about keeping up with the times.

After finishing the instructions, the group left Andrei Castle and then teleported directly back home. Izhaks was sitting in the living room reading a newspaper. The sight of this bald, burly man sitting upright on the sofa reading the People's Daily was like someone receiving ideological education in a labor camp. Noticing the spatial distortion that appeared next to him, Izhaks raised his head and revealed a predatory smile: "I knew you should be back. Dealing with a wraith shouldn't take so long... Hmm? Where did Becky go?"

"She went back to her hometown," Hao Ren chuckled. "You'll never guess what we found in the wraith's lair! It's a pity you didn't go this time. We found a stable passage between the real world and the Dream Plane."

Izhaks didn't expect this either and was immediately very surprised: "Really? Then you have to tell me all about it later."

"Before that, can someone explain to me properly?" Nangong Sanba slumped onto the sofa, spreading his hands and calling out to Hao Ren and the others. "My head is still a mess, and I haven't come back from the other world yet. Can someone tell me what you guys are doing? What organization, what gang? Are you soloing superheroes or a team of Avenger-like folks? It seems like your team isn't from Earth, so if I join you, am I a civil servant or outside the system?"

Nangong Wuyue glanced at her brother: "Bro, you ask too many questions."

"It's time to explain it to you," Hao Ren nodded. "Are you mentally prepared? In the future, you'll be following a group of space-time agents all over the world dealing with miscellaneous matters—and often going to other worlds. Our work is very risky, but the safety guarantees are also very adequate. It's very exciting, but there will also be great rewards. You can broaden your horizons, increase your knowledge, and often receive rewards that exceed worldly possessions, such as..."

As Hao Ren spoke, he took out a golden apple from his portable space: "A golden apple, that's right, the one from the story, the one that Hercules used to trick Atlas into living a life of misery. This is the real deal, with a trademark and everything. I can guarantee that it's as reliable as the peaches stolen by the monkeys, one hundred percent from the realm of the gods. If you join, you can get these things and reach the pinnacle of your life."

Lily blinked her eyes: "Why does it feel like the landlord is running a pyramid scheme?"

Nangong Sanba looked at the golden apple in Hao Ren's hand in a daze, feeling confused. He subconsciously asked, "What happens if I don't join?"

"I think normal people can't refuse this, but if you really don't want to join, that's okay too," Hao Ren said as he took out a pen from his pocket. "Then you look at the small light on this. When I count one, two, three, and the light turns on, you'll forget everything you saw in the other world. But to be honest, I don't know if this thing works. My boss told me when he gave it to me that it was bought from a place called Erliqiao Small Commodity Wholesale Market. That place is the largest gathering place for counterfeit goods in the entire God Realm. There's a group of people who are too bored all day long transporting some knockoff toys from the human world to cheat money. So this thing might make you forget even more things. It's said that there's a ten percent chance of causing gender identity disorder. But don't worry, I'll introduce you to a gay website, and you can embark on another happy life, and you won't remember that you ever liked women... Hey Lily, don't bite!"

Lily let go of her mouth and raised her head from Hao Ren's arm: "Because you're going too far!"

Nangong Sanba broke out in a cold sweat and quickly swore to the heavens: "My heart to join is clear to the heavens—but come to think of it, I suddenly feel like you guys are an illegal gang..."

"You won't find a more legitimate team than us in the whole world," Nangong Wuyue stuck out her tongue and gave Hao Ren a glare. "It's just that the captain is too unreliable, causing you to misunderstand."

"Then let Wuyue explain it to you, about our Space-Time Administration en35 node's Wangbatouzi office. After that, I'll take you to report to the superiors, and then it's all done," Hao Ren put away the pen and passed the work to the siren girl. "I'm going to find Big Beard. Now that the passage to the Dream Plane has been opened, I have to ask him if he's going home."

"He went out to give classes," Izhaks stopped Hao Ren. "He won't be back until evening."

Hao Ren was stunned: "Classes? What kind of classes?"

"Giving lectures on health and environmentally friendly low-carbon living to a group of old men and women and housewives in the back alley," Izhaks' expression was strange. "The class started a week ago and is now very popular every session... He's about to become a friend of women."

Hao Ren listened in a daze. He never expected that the usually dullest and most old-fashioned ascetic Big Beard would become such a capable person. But when he heard that the other party had gathered so many people to give lectures, he faintly felt that something was wrong, so he lifted his leg and walked out: "I'm going to find him!"

Hao Ren came to the back alley, and just as he was about to ask someone where the lecture was being held, he realized that there was no need to ask at all: there were three or four layers of people gathered under the big poplar tree at the east end of the street like some kind of cult, and eighty percent of them were housewives. Without asking, this was the scene of Big Beard imparting knowledge and dispelling doubts. He quickly ran over and saw a small open space in the crowd. Big Beard was sitting on a stone, lecturing people with a solemn expression:

"...Therefore, the way of natural harmony is the key to long-term survival. The female... sages taught us that all things in the world originate from the same source and return to the same destination. All things are equal and are just a speck of dust in the cycle of heaven and earth. People, regardless of their status, are just a mass of flesh and blood, and plants and trees, regardless of their status, are just living beings. That's the principle. Life in this world begins with dust and returns to dust, so one should be content with happiness. Ordinary three meals of clear water and dry food are enough to sustain life; a few feet of straw mat are enough for a sound sleep; three feet of linen cloth are enough to cover the body. If you want to enjoy yourself, you should be self-sufficient..."

Big Beard was talking eloquently, and the housewives around him nodded frequently. These things that sounded obscure but were low-carbon and environmentally friendly were most to their liking.

At this moment, a voice suddenly came from the side: "Hao Ren? You're here to listen to the lecture too?"

Hao Ren turned his head and saw an old neighbor, the fat boss who ran the supermarket at the end of the street. He shook his head: "I'm here to find someone—you're here to listen to the lecture?"

"Who wants to listen to this? I'm here to drag my wife back," the fat boss was almost crying. "This damn lecture... My wife is obsessed with it. I've been eating pancakes and steamed buns with boiled rice for five days, and she even told me that if I want to eat meat, I should go catch a rabbit in the wild myself. Is this even called health!"

Hao Ren: "..."