Li Ban sat up with a start.
A sharp clank of metal echoed.
He looked down, startled to find himself shackled with the Obscuring Sun Locks. A thick, heavy chain trailed from the collar, its far end anchored deep into the wall.
He knew this place well.
It was a cell on the fourth floor of the Death Prison.
Only then did he look toward where Du An's voice had come from.
Tall and handsome, his expression cold and aloof, Lord Du stood behind the iron bars with his hands clasped behind his back.
He stared at Li Ban. His eyes held a probing scrutiny, but no expectation.
It was as if he simply wanted to know whose consciousness currently inhabited Li Ban's body.
Du An chuckled. "It seems you learned quite a bit returning to the Laboratory this time. I stopped being a general a long time ago."
He lowered his gaze, then raised it again. "Tell me. How are things in the Ring World?"
Li Ban did not mention being transferred into the mobile nexus or the Star River.
Taking the perspective of a bystander, he recounted everything piece by piece—the Leader's death, the guards' despair, Chen Dong's absolute resolve, and the collapse of the world itself.
Li Ban's tone was incredibly calm, completely stripped of personal emotion.
Du An looked puzzled. "You don't hate me?"
Any normal person from the Ring World would have immediately treated Du An as a sworn enemy upon seeing him, itching to kill him to avenge their world.
But if he did that, the two of them would become absolute enemies.
Because of that, Li Ban's next answer was critical.
It would determine whether he could overcome the first, and possibly greatest, hurdle he faced upon returning: Du An.
"Lord Du, I'm just a low-level experimenter. Moreover, before I entered the Death Prison, I suffered a level-three memory glitch. I didn't know who I was. When I first got here, I didn't even know what my mission was."
Li Ban let out a bitter laugh. "And I still haven't recovered those memories. Rather than calling me a survivor of the Ring World, you'd be better off calling me a lonely spirit and wild ghost. I just acted on the Director's orders, never knowing when I'd step into the light and drop dead."
"To be honest, I'm more used to life in the Wizard World. It's hard, but I get to live for myself. I'm not just a pawn whose life and death are controlled by the Laboratory."
"You might not believe me, but the Ring World was already on the verge of collapse. Now that it's completely destroyed, and the Laboratory that controlled my life is gone forever, all I feel is a sense of loss—and relief. Not hatred. Otherwise, I wouldn't have chosen to come back at the very end."
Having finished, Li Ban lowered his head and waited for the inevitable questioning.
"I believe you." Unexpectedly, Du An chuckled. "I figured out who you were after you entered the Death Prison and set fire to the corpse Chen Dong left behind. I kept an eye on you for a while after that."
Du An's mood seemed to have improved. Li Ban guessed that something he had just said earned the man's approval.
Li Ban had to make Du An understand that they had only been enemies because of the Laboratory. Now, Li Ban was not his enemy.
"You... were keeping an eye on me?" Li Ban put on a look of confusion.
"That's my ability," Du An said simply. "But when things went wrong over at the Myriad Ancient Pagoda, I couldn't afford to focus on you anymore.
"When you first arrived, I found myself wondering: how could this experimenter act like an ordinary person with zero training?"
He seemed to find it amusing. "It was just like when I first entered the Wizard World. I didn't know anything either, and I even thought about saving the weak."
No wonder Du An had once said Li Ban was a lot like his past self. He must have known back then that there was something wrong with Li Ban as an experimenter, hadn't he?
"I thought the Ring World was running out of people and figured you'd make a perfect weak point to exploit. But I didn't expect that you had actually lost your memory. Were you brainwashed?"
"I don't know." Li Ban shook his head blankly.
Du An didn't say anything else, but from his expression, he had clearly concluded that Li Ban was indeed brainwashed.
"That's their own fault." Du An truly looked as if he didn't hold a shred of nostalgia for the Ring World. "How did you get back in the end? What about Chen Dong? Did he enter one of the other Experimental Capsules?"
Li Ban went on to describe the harrowing moment they entered the abandoned Experimental Capsule right before the neural realm was destroyed.
When Du An heard that Chen Dong had refused to enter the capsule, his eyes flickered.
"Why wouldn't he go in? His personality flaws were too great; he always did inexplicable things."
Du An wasn't actually asking Li Ban that first question; he didn't expect Li Ban to understand the thoughts of his alternate self.
But then, he asked Li Ban something else.
"If he refused to come over, why did he send only you back?" Du An's gaze fell on Li Ban's face. "Is there something special about you?"
Li Ban could tell that Du An had actually hoped Chen Dong would enter the Wizard World as well.
The fact that Li Ban was the one who returned had left Du An somewhat disappointed.
"Because I wanted to live," Li Ban said in an incredibly sincere tone.
On that point, he wasn't faking a single thing.
Du An, on the other hand, was momentarily stunned by such a simple, straightforward answer.
A mocking smile touched his face, though it wasn't directed at Li Ban.
"Because you wanted to live, he sent you back. Then what about all the times I said 'I want to live'? Why did they insist on dragging me back to be buried alongside the Ring World?"
Hearing this, Li Ban immediately thought of the cold, ruthless Leader. "No one can stand in your way anymore, Lord Du."
That "Lord Du" calmed Du An down.
"You're right, Li Ban. Now, the two of us are the only ones left from the Ring World. The funny thing is, we're two people who don't miss it in the slightest."
"Before I came here, I heard Chen Dong say that there might be others left in the Wizard World—"
"There won't be." Du An waved his hand, cutting Li Ban off. "Before this, I was the only one who successfully separated my consciousness and body completely. Otherwise, why do you think there wasn't a second traitor in the Ring World? Did they all just want to stay there and die?
"Chen Dong's naive thoughts were nothing more than wishful thinking."
Li Ban was taken aback.
Seeing Li Ban's surprised expression, Du An shook his head. "So, they must have discovered that your consciousness was unique and capable of detaching from your body. You just didn't know it yourself."
Li Ban certainly knew he was unique. He wasn't even from the Ring World; he was a foreign soul.
He likely didn't even have a physical body of his own in the Ring World to begin with, so naturally, he didn't have to worry about separating his consciousness from it.
Perhaps Chen Dong had figured out that he could survive returning to the Wizard World after finding him alone in the mobile nexus, which was why he had tried so desperately to send him back.
Clink!
A small bronze key sailed through the bars and landed on the straw mat where Li Ban was sitting.
"The key to the Obscuring Sun Locks."
Joy flared in Li Ban's heart. He hastily snatched up the key and unlocked the Obscuring Sun Locks on his body.
The Obscuring Sun Locks prevented prisoners from absorbing ambient spiritual rhinoceros, drastically crippling their strength.
Although Li Ban still wouldn't be a match for Du An even after unlocking them, regaining control of his power was a comforting feeling.
As his spiritual rhinoceros flowed freely once more, he instantly breathed a sigh of relief.
The cell door wasn't locked, so he simply pushed it open and walked out.
Seeing Li Ban walk out obediently without any intention to attack or flee, Du An gave a slight nod.
"It's a good thing your consciousness is somewhat special. Otherwise, how would you survive in this dangerous Wizard World?"
His gaze drifted into the empty air, his voice soft, as if he were trying to convince himself.
"The Ring World is destroyed. Having one fellow countryman left isn't so bad. Anyway, we likely won't have many chances to see each other in the future."
"Lord Du, are you leaving the Death Prison?" Li Ban asked cautiously.
In truth, he was quite happy about it.
Although he and Du An were the only two survivors of the Ring World, they weren't partners. Their relationship was built on mutual exploitation.
If Du An believed Li Ban's existence posed a threat to him, he absolutely wouldn't spare his life.
However, Li Ban's earlier performance made him seem harmless.
It was just like the codename the Cat Girl had given him back in the Assassin Hall: "Good Guy."
That drastically lowered Du An's guard against him.
But if the two of them stayed in the same place for an extended period, who knew if some hidden conflict might blow up one day?
Especially since they both knew each other's secrets.
"Not only am I leaving, but you must leave as well," Du An said. "The Myriad Ancient Pagoda, the Assassin Hall, and the Imperial Court will likely investigate what happened that day. If you stay here, even if they don't know what you did, you might end up as an enemy's punching bag."
Li Ban nodded with a serious expression. "Understood. I'll leave as soon as possible."
He paused before asking, "Lord Du, can I know what happened afterward with the Myriad Ancient Pagoda?"
Du An was far more generous in this regard than the Laboratory had ever been.
"Wan Chengming took control of the grand prince, Li Yuan. Given his special status, and with the approval of the Myriad Ancient Pagoda's Wizard Lord and Priests, someone will escort him back to the Capital City."
"The Wizard Lord and the Priests—are they the true leaders of the Myriad Ancient Pagoda?" Li Ban had heard the title 'Wizard Lord' last time, but he hadn't had the chance to ask for clarification.
"You could say that. They aren't people you'll ever come into contact with." Du An didn't elaborate, immediately changing the subject. "During the two days you were unconscious, Yan Jiu escaped. However, a Priest has taken over the matter, so she likely won't have the time to bother with you.
"There's no news on Zhai Liu yet, but no news is good news. By the time he reappears, he should already be back in the Capital City, reinstated as the Sixth Prince."
Li Ban lowered his head.
He had already figured out that Zhai Liu was the Sixth Prince the moment he learned Yan Jiu was the Ninth Princess.
After a moment's thought, he looked back up with a bitter smile. "It feels like nothing can surprise me anymore."
This outcome was actually quite favorable for Li Ban.
Li Yuan had likely taken a fall, Yan Jiu—who posed a threat to him—was on the run, and Zhai Liu, whom he had helped, was doing 'pretty well.'
Throwing the White Jade Ocarina to Zhai Liu hadn't been a waste after all.
Even if Zhai Liu later found out that Li Ban was the invisible person in the secret room, that single act would erase most of the friction between them.
"What are your plans now?" Du An asked.
Li Ban had been calculating how best to leverage his connection with Zhai Liu.
He had no intention of latching onto him directly.
The man was a prince, and judging from what he and Li Yuan had been through, it was obvious that the princes and princesses of the Wizard World were no pampered aristocrats. Recklessly attaching himself to one would only turn him into someone else's pawn all over again.
If he could gain benefits to develop his abilities without bringing trouble upon himself, that would be ideal.
Seeing Li Ban's hesitation, Du An suddenly spoke up. "If you don't want to seek refuge with Zhai Liu and don't have any other plans, I can point you in a direction."
Li Ban looked up in surprise.
Not only was Du An letting him go, but he was also finding him a job?
"This was originally the path I prepared for Chen Dong—but since he chose to send you back, I'll give it to you instead. Have you ever heard of the Unreturning Place?"
"The Unreturning Place?" Li Ban had heard of the location. "The River of Forgetfulness flows into the Mass Grave, and the River of Helplessness flows into the Unreturning Place."
Both the River of Helplessness and the River of Forgetfulness were rivers of corpses. The Unreturning Place was likely similar to the Mass Grave.
"The Unreturning Place is far to the north in Yanzhou, and there's a Myriad Ancient Pagoda there as well. I can write a letter to Pagoda Master Qian. In exchange, you will have to escort a special prisoner there for the Death Prison. It's a long journey, and the north is a bitter, freezing wasteland. Think it over before you give me your answer."
Yet, as Li Ban listened, his eyes lit up.
The Unreturning Place definitely had a ton of corpses—it was absolutely perfect for him!