The same Loen language, the same heavy and tense feeling.
Where is this? What do I want to do? I want to know too... Zhou Mingrui calmed down and silently repeated the two people's questions.
But what impressed him the most was not the sentences composed of words or the meanings contained in the sentences, but the panic, vigilance, fear, and awe displayed by the man and woman!
Having inexplicably pulled two people into this gray fog world, even he, the "perpetrator," was extremely bewildered and shocked, let alone them, who were the passive party!
In their eyes, this kind of thing, this kind of encounter, must have surpassed imagination, right?
At that moment, Zhou Mingrui thought of two choices. One was to pretend to be a victim as well, hide his true identity, gain a certain degree of trust, sit on the fence and fish in troubled waters. The other was to maintain the mysterious and unfathomable image in the eyes of the man and woman, actively guide the development of events, and obtain valuable information from it.
Without time for further thought or consideration, Zhou Mingrui seized the fleeting idea in his mind and quickly made a decision, trying the second method.
Use the other party's current psychological state to take advantage of his greatest advantage!
After a brief silence in the gray fog, Zhou Mingrui chuckled lightly. His tone was calm, his voice low but not deep, as if responding to a visitor's polite greeting:
"An attempt."
An attempt... An attempt? Audrey Hall looked at the mysterious man shrouded in gray mist, feeling that the situation was absurd, funny, frightening, and bizarre.
Just a moment ago, she was in her bedroom, in front of her dressing table, and then she "came" to this place full of gray fog!
How utterly unimaginable!
Audrey took a breath, revealed an impeccable polite smile, and asked quite nervously:
"Sir, is the attempt over? Can you let us go back?"
Alger Wilson also wanted to make a similar probe, but he, being more experienced, was more composed, held back his impulse, and only watched in silence.
Zhou Mingrui looked toward the questioner. He could vaguely see the figure through the blur. It was a girl with smooth golden hair and a tall stature, but her specific features were not clear.
He didn't rush to answer the girl's question. He turned his head and looked at the man on the other side. The man had dark blue hair, as messy as seaweed, of medium build, not particularly robust.
At that moment, Zhou Mingrui suddenly had an epiphany. When he becomes stronger, or understands this gray fog world more deeply, he might truly see through the haze and clearly see the features of the girl and the man.
In this incident, they are the guests, and I am the host!
With the change in mindset, Zhou Mingrui immediately noticed some details he hadn't paid attention to before.
The sweet-voiced girl and the restrained man were both quite illusory, tinged with slight crimson, like the projections of those two deep red "stars" above the gray fog.
And this projection was based on the connection between himself and the crimson, a connection that is formless and intangible but can truly be grasped.
If this connection is severed, the projection will dissipate, and they can return... Zhou Mingrui nodded imperceptibly, looked at the golden-haired girl, and said with a light smile:
"Of course, if you formally request it, I can let you go back right now."
Audrey, sensing no malice, breathed a sigh of relief, believing that since the gentleman who could do such amazing things had given his word, he would strictly abide by it.
Her spirits slightly calmed, but she didn't rush to request to leave. Her green eyes moved left and right, flickering with an unusual brilliance.
She said with a mix of unease, anticipation, and eagerness:
"This really is a wonderful experience... Well, I've always been looking forward to something like this. I mean, I like mysteries, I like miracles beyond nature. No, the point is, I mean, sir, what should I do to become a Beyonder?"
The more she spoke, the more excited she became, even stammering a bit from excitement. The dreams that sprouted when she heard all sorts of strange tales from the elders in her childhood seemed to finally have a glimmer of realization.
In just a few words, she had already forgotten her previous fear and terror.
Good question! I want to know the answer too... Zhou Mingrui silently complained to himself.
He began to think about what kind of answer he should use to maintain his mysterious image.
At the same time, he felt that standing and talking like this was a bit "low." Shouldn't this scene have a temple, a long table, and many high-backed chairs carved with ancient patterns and full of a mystical feeling, with himself sitting at the head, quietly watching the guests?
As soon as Zhou Mingrui had this thought, the gray fog suddenly churned, startling Audrey and Alger.
In an instant, they saw tall stone pillars appear around them, and above they were covered by a vast dome.
The entire structure was magnificent, grand, and towering, like the palace of giants in legends.
Directly below the dome, in the gathering of gray fog, a long bronze table appeared, with ten high-backed chairs on each side, and similar seats placed at the front and back. On the backs of the chairs, shining brightly, deep red converged, outlining strange constellations that did not correspond to reality.
Audrey and Alger happened to be sitting opposite each other, in the positions closest to the head.
The girl looked left, then right, and couldn't help but mutter:
"Truly amazing..."
Indeed amazing... Zhou Mingrui extended his right hand and gently rubbed the edge of the long bronze table, his expression unchanged.
Alger also looked around. After a few seconds of silence, he suddenly spoke up, answering Audrey's question in place of Zhou Mingrui:
"You're from Loen, right?"
"If you want to become a Beyonder, join the Church of the Evernight Goddess, the Church of the Storm Lord, or the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery."
"Although the vast majority of people never see a Beyonder in their lifetime, to the point where they suspect that the Church is in the same situation, and even within the major Churches, many clergy have similar thoughts, I can tell you clearly that in the Arbitration Tribunal, in the Courts, in the Execution Agency, Beyonders still exist, still fighting against the dangers growing in the darkness. It's just that their numbers are much, much fewer compared to the early Iron Age or before."