Exploring

Yue Jingxui was slightly speechless.
He couldn't help but remar. "You are… astoundingly quick at making use of your travel partners."
Zhang Yin was also reluctant. Other than the fact that Yue Jingxui was practically drowning in blood, he was also a man! If Yue Jingxui was a soft woman, or if Zhang Yin was an actual woman, then Zhang Yin wouldn't feel as much rejection to the idea.
However, it had to be reiterated, they're both two grown men!
Imagining the glorious picture they would make for the viewers, Zhang Yin almost wanted to take back his request. Honestly, at this point, Zhang Yin thought that he would be less embarrassed if he had just died back then. But, who told him to forget to take countermeasures against the environment's effects? Now that it had already gotten to this point, he could only reap what he sowed.
Knowing that his health was ticking down every second, Zhang Yin steeled his heart. "I'm sorry for imposing you like this, but I'll really die if you don't carry me."
Hearing this, Yue Jingxui shrugged his shoulders.
Seeing his nonchalant gesture, even though Zhang Yin was the one who asked, he was a little surprised that Yue Jingxui actually agreed.
'Did this guy get more casual after we agreed to travel together?'
While thinking that this former big boss was really laidback, Zhang Yin went around him and awkwardly climbed onto his back.
However, just as he got onto Yue Jingxui's back, Zhang Yin heard the sounds of chimes. Before he could even react, Yue Jingxui's chains were wrapped around him securely.
Zhang Yin, who expected a normal piggyback ride: ???
After Yue Jingxui finished tying Smoke Without Fire onto his back, he nodded in satisfaction. This way, he would be able to use his hands if anything unexpected were to happen.
Before Zhang Yin could protest, Yue Jingxui started moving. He still remembered that he reeked of blood, so it was unwise to stay in the same spot for long.
'Although the air constantly smells of iron, the scent of fresh blood is still too conspicuous. I'll change clothes when I meet with other criminals. Though they would most likely also be in rags, at least it would be cleaner than what I'm wearing right now. Probably.'
Zhang Yin opened and closed his mouth, but ultimately chose to remain silent. He was already bothering the other with his request, so he really can't be picky in this situation if he still wanted to increase his favorability.
[Fire's #1 Fan: It's over. It's all over. My son has changed.]
[Old Hand: Lmao. Someone take a screenshot, this scene needs to be immortalized for the photo album!]
[Smoke It Up: Are Fire's streams always this eventful?]
As they continued walking, Yue Jingxui periodically used his ability to see the path in front of him so that he wouldn't run into a wall. Using his strong mental imagery skills he developed through imaging a world into existence, he slowly created a map based on the areas he passed through. This map gradually matched up roughly with the pre-existing map of [Black Abyss Prison] inside his mind, causing Yue Jingxui to be able to increase the interval between each vision.
However, even with only using the first type of foresight, the repeated abuse of his ability still caused a mild headache. Fortunately, it was still within his tolerance range and wouldn't affect his actions or thinking.
If Yue Jingxui had to make an analogy, he would say that his ability was like three spells that used a corresponding amount of mana for how far and long he wanted to see into the future.
The first type of foresight had a low mana consumption rate relative to the second type of foresight and can be active for longer than the second type. However, it does not offer much functions other than danger detection.
The second type has a high mana consumption rate, but it is detailed and can offer much more information than the first type of foresight.
Strangely, for the third type of foresight which he couldn't control, he didn't need to spend any mana to activate it, but he also couldn't control when it activated nor what it showed him.
Continuing with the analogy, using his abilities too much would deplete his mana pool. Once his mana pool was almost empty, the discomfort he feels would be magnified exponentially.
To distract himself from his growing headache, he decided to fill the silence.
Turning to Smoke Without Fire, Yue Jingxui asked, "May I know which clan you are from?"
Checking his system panel, Zhang Yin replied. "I should be from the Phoenix Clan."
A little astonished, Yue Jingxui stopped. "Phoenix Clan?"
The second Yue Jingxui said "Phoenix Clan", a strange emotion emerged from his chest.
Feeling his own weird reaction, Yue Jingxui frowned. Why would the mention of the Phoenix Clan make him feel this way?
Sensing that Yue Jingxui's attitude turned strange, Zhang Yin became worried that he had accidentally touched Yue Jingxui's sore spot.
'Could it be that Yue Jingxui has some kind of feud with the Phoenix Clan?'
Just when Zhang Yin's mind was working overtime to find some sort of excuse, Yue Jingxui continued walking. "Haha, from the way you speak, I though you would be from the [Eastern Continent]. Who would have thought we'd have a little princess here? Would you like me to address you as Your Highness?"
When Yue Jingxui's words reached his ears, Zhang Yin heard the word "Princess" and was stunned. "What?"
Yue Jingxui was baffled at Smoke Without Fire's confusion. Did this person not read the background of her character?
The last Yue Jingxui checked, usually for the type of games where you play as a pre-existing character, it was customary to understand the character you possessed. This helps players understand more about the world within the game and their status, which can be useful in navigating the world and social interactions with NPCs.
Could she be a newbie?
Great God Fire, who had unknowingly been given the pot of being a newbie, was reminded by Yue Jingxui that he hadn't gotten the chance to read anything before he was attacked. However, even with this reminder, he still didn't bother to read it.
He never liked reading in any of the games he played, but he still had to in order to better understand the resources at his disposal.
Deciding to put it off until the last possible second, Zhang Yin made up an excuse without putting any effort into it and hummed. "To be honest, I don't remember much of anything about the world. Other than knowing I'm from the Phoenix Clan, I don't even remember where I live or how to get back to my clan."
To Smoke Without Fire's admission, Yue Jingxui, who knew the truth, could only silently judge her.
Usually, even though a character's background can be many pages long, all the important information is contained within the first page. As long as a player wasn't too lazy, they should have known all of this information.
Adding an additional "lazy" tag onto Smoke Without Fire in his mind, Yue Jingxui sighed and felt pity for himself. Although this world isn't exactly like his own, it was still largely based off of it.
All that effort spent creating his world, and therefore the bulk of this world, and the first player he meets wasn't even willing to read their description...
Even while he was feeling sorry for himself, he still couldn't help but talk about his creation.
"That's... quite troubling. However, the last time I checked, which was an undetermined number of years ago, the headquarters of the Phoenix Clan is situated in the branches of the World Tree."
Zhang Yin was surprised that Yue Jingxui even answered.
Usually, because they were too lazy to program a custom response for every playable character, the developers would program NPCs to only answer in specific ways when asked this question.
Exhibit A:
In Zhang Yin's first game, the NPC said: "That's awful! I sincerely hope your memory loss gets better. Perhaps reading some books or something would be of help?"
Blatantly telling players to go read the character's description.
Exhibit B:
In Zhang Yin's first mystery game, the NPC said: "You're a detective and you have amnesia? Then what are you asking me for? Can't you just discover all these by yourself? Absolutely useless."
Giving players a useless answer, and occasionally insulting the player (?)
Exhibit C:
In Zhang Yin's first horror game, the NPC said: "Shit. Are you serious? You're stuck here and also have amnesia at the same time? ...Brothers! Come kill this little shapeshifter fucker with me!"
Straight up killing the player who aroused suspicion.
After that, Zhang Yin no longer directly asked NPCs to help explain to him who his character is.
Yet, Yue Jingxui actually answered with a helpful reply!
Zhang Yin, whose hope of slacking off was rekindled, nodded enthusiastically. "That's right. Actually, I was hoping that maybe you could tell me a little of what you know about me. Such as what the Phoenix Clan is and what their powers are."
At Smoke Without Fire's request, Yue Jingxui fell silent.
He actually wanted to say: "At this point, I also can't confirm anything about this world and the knowledge I have might be completely wrong. Since you have an official character background, you might be the one who possesses the most accurate knowledge of the two of us."
However, even though this world was a little different from the one Yue Jingxui created, he would never let go of the perfect opportunity to talk more about his creations.
Before he spread potential false information, his conscience poked him one last time. Feeling a little guilty, he warned, "I don't know exactly how long I've been sleeping, so things might have changed since I've been out. Are you fine with this?"
Hearing this, Zhang Yin hesitated before his laziness ultimately won and he nodded.
Using his ability to see Smoke Without Fire's nod, Yue Jingxui started talking. "[A great, towering willow tree resides in the center of the world. Its branches stretch across the sky, protecting the earth from the sun's harsh rays. At night, its fruits glow and replace the moon's light, providing light in the darkness for the world's inhabitants. Its branches house the phoenixes and its roots house the dragons. Together, the phoenixes and dragons protect this great tree, the World Tree.]"
"Chapter 1 sentence 58 to 63 of the [Origin of the World], the book detailing the creation myth of this world." Yue Jingxui continued to explain based on what he knew of his own world, which this world seemed to be based on. "As said in the book, because of their divine duty, the Phoenix and Dragon Clans are unanimously referred to as the "Royal Clans". Of course, they are also extremely powerful and possess many secret techniques that were given to them by God. They hold a sacred status no matter where they go and are extremely revered."
When Yue Jingxui finished saying this, he couldn't help but think, 'Of course, that God is me.'
Zhang Yin was surprised at the strong background of his character. Who would have thought that the character that he possessed would essentially be this world's universal royalty?
Thinking of all the times when he was referred to as the King of Mystery Continent, his lips twitched. He felt that his current character suited him very well.
'It would have been perfect if only it was male...'
Zhang Yin joked back lightly. "Well, since I have amnesia, I can't say for sure that what you said is true. However, if you want to call me Your Highness, I wouldn't be too opposed to it. If you treat me well, I may even let you kiss my hand."
The second Zhang Yin finished joking, he was startled at what he said. Even though they agreed to travel together, their relationship has not progressed to the point where he could poke fun at the other.
Just when Zhang Yin was worried that he crossed a line, Yue Jingxui playfully snarked back.
"I will drop you."
Hearing this, Zhang Yin was relieved and he snickered. "No no no. There's no need for that. I'll shut my mouth now."
They continued to banter for a while.
Like this, the atmosphere was light. Sometimes they would start talking about random things and sometimes they would teasingly poke fun at one another. Strangely, it felt less like a big boss carrying around a burden in a deadly prison and more like two friends exploring caves together.
Their journey proceeded relatively unimpeded due to Yue Jingxui's ability to pick the best path and preconceive danger. When they encountered the occasional monster, they were swiftly taken care of by Yue Jingxui. Zhang Yin attacked every once in a while to replenish his HP and level up.
While choosing the best paths and talking with Smoke Without Fire, Yue Jingxui was also simultaneously updating the map in his mind and comparing it to the [Black Abyss Prison] he had made. The more he walked, the more he was certain that this [Black Abyss Prison] was almost exactly like his [Black Abyss Prison]. There were only a few more additional passageways and places where the caverns had collapsed.
'Perhaps, this world is not actually a separate world, but just my world in the future?'
Yue Jingxui relaxed a bit. Getting out of this place would have been a lot more troublesome if the interior of the prison had been different. Thankfully, as far as he knew, everything except the room he woke up in was the same.
While Yue Jingxui and Zhang Yin were discussing the [Black Abyss Prison]'s special effects, Zhang Yin suddenly asked, "Speaking of which, how is it possible that you can still use your racial skill? Didn't you say that any racial or normal skill related to energy will be sealed? Also, how are you not taking any environmental damage?"
Yue Jingxui thought for a moment. "It probably has something to do with my connection with the [Spirit World] and the nature of my body."
Zhang Yin tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
Yue Jingxui hummed. "Do you know what species I am?"
Just to doublecheck, Zhang Yin brought up Yue Jingxui's Character Information.
"A Ghoul?"
Silently noting down the confirmation of his guess, Yue Jingxui nodded his head. "That's right. And a Ghoul is, essentially, a spirit of a dead person. All spirits have an intrinsic and innate connection to the [Spirit World]. Like how you still have your innate [Fire Resistance], the Ghoul's racial ability has to do with their connection with the [Spirit World]. As long as this place cannot break the connection between me and the [Spirit World], I will be able to use my [Intangibility]. Likewise, since I'm actually a spirit, physical damage such as heat does not bother me as much as you."
Zhang Yin let out a noise of understanding.
"So, basically, it's because you were born with a racial advantage?"
Yue Jingxui shrugged, jostling Zhang Yin with the movement. "I wouldn't say "born", but sure."
"Then, you're a fancy Ghost?"
Yue Jingxui's bad taste was suddenly provoked and a gentle but slightly evil smile formed on his face. He laughed softly. "Hehe. No, a Ghost and Ghoul are two separate species. Do you want to know what makes them different?"
Hearing Yue Jingxui's ominous tone, Zhang Yin shivered. "Can I refuse?"
Ignoring what Smoke Without Fire said, Yue Jingxui spoke. "There are many differences between Ghouls and Ghosts, such as Ghosts being weaker than Ghouls or Ghouls possessing physical bodies. Plus, Ghosts are merely the spirit of something ordinary, and, unlike Ghouls who can never reincarnate, Ghosts still have the chance to go to the [Wheel of Reincarnation]."
Even though Zhang Yin seemed reluctant on the outside, he was actually very curious. He did not know what the [Wheel of Reincarnation] is, but he could understand the gist of what Yue Jingxui was saying.
He looked at the back of Yue Jingxui's head and thought, 'Although this guy plays around a lot, he's very knowledgeable and still gives out helpful information.' Of course, most importantly, he was happy because he didn't have to read any of this information to get it.
Zhang Yin was very satisfied with this treasure he had picked up.
Not knowing that his value in Zhang Yin's eyes had once again increased, Yue Jingxui continued. "Additionally, the prerequisite to becoming a Ghoul is much more strict. A Ghoul is the dead spirit of something truly extraordinary and has enough madness to decide to never reincarnate again."
Yue Jingxui's evil smile came back full force.
"Now that you know what a Ghoul is, are you sure you want to travel with me?"
Hearing Yue Jingxui's strange tone of voice, Zhang Yin hesitated to answer. "Y-yes...?"
"Oh~?" Yue Jingxui chuckled. "It's one thing to be special and resentful enough to become a Ghoul. However, did you forget that this is [Black Abyss Prison]? I've obviously done something horrible enough to end up here. Plus, I died a painful and lonely death in this hell hole. I'm also mad enough to give up any chance of life after death. With this much evidence, I can't guarantee that I'm 100% sane~"
'Plus, I'm not even joking. From as early as I was exploring the caverns by myself, I had already been able to tell that something within me had changed from the years of solitude and sense deprivation I experienced…'
Yue Jingxui's smile stretched wider. Although he was acting like he was unstable, he couldn't tell how stable he actually was. It wasn't in his nature to keep quiet about a potential danger to someone he's going to be traveling with.
"..."
Suddenly, Zhang Yin regretted not reading his character backstory.
'Shit, I have no idea what being in [Black Abyss Prison] means, but are you sure this guy won't kill me?'
Just as Zhang Yin and Yue Jingxui were about to bicker again, Zhang Yin's head twitched to the side.
"Hm?"
Noticing his reaction, Yue Jingxui turned serious and stopped. "What's wrong?"
Zhang Yin hesitated for a moment before saying, "I think... there are people behind this wall."