Chapter 261: Migration and Probing

The night deepened.

Ansu sat atop an abandoned watchtower, the highest point in the village, looking down at everything below.

Following the instructions of the "Chosen One" Leo, he was responsible for guarding the village tonight as a member of the hero party.

The village was a sea of people, with torches forming a winding river of fire. The Staya had taken Leo's advice, and several neighboring villages were now bustling with activity, preparing to evacuate overnight and migrate toward the snow mountains to establish a defensive line.

Freya stayed by his side.

She remembered Ansu's instructions and spoke very little, simply sitting quietly and gazing at the starry sky above.

Suddenly thinking of something, Freya took Ansu's hand and slowly traced her fingertips across his palm:

"Lord Ansu, do you think these stars are real?"

Ansu looked up at the brilliant starry sky and shook his head.

"I don't know."

Ever since they entered the Talin region, everything had felt off—numerous subtle inconsistencies and unexplainable anomalies...

It had even begun to make him doubt the reality of this world.

Freya pursed her lips, thought for a moment, and then scooted closer to him until they were almost pressed together.

She wrote in his palm again:

"Forget it. As long as Lord Ansu is real, that is enough."

No matter what grand conspiracy was at play, Lord Ansu would always find a solution.

The two sat side by side, watching the stars, both appearing deep in thought.

Suddenly, Ansu squeezed her hand and asked,

"Do you remember what Leo looks like?"

Freya was taken aback.

She instinctively went to answer but suddenly found herself stuck.

What did that Chosen One, Leo, look like again...

She frowned, trying hard to recall the face she saw every day.

Short hair? A swordsman? A bright smile?

But none of these were specific features. She couldn't even remember the color of his eyes; his face seemed shrouded in a thin mist in her mind, both clear and blurry at the same time.

She looked at Ansu, her eyes filled with alarm and suspicion.

Ansu nodded slightly; it was the same for him.

He had already begun to doubt the reality of this world. Perhaps this place was like his 【Void Corridor】, an independently existing space, only this domain was far more sophisticated—so sophisticated that it was almost impossible to find a flaw...

Freya grew thoughtful.

She instinctively moved even closer to Ansu.

This time, their bodies were pressed tightly together.

It was very warm.

Being so close, she could hear his steady breathing.

Under this shroud of doubt, on a night where everything might be fake, this tangible body heat gave her a sense of peace.

Ansu stroked his chin, his gaze silently fixed on the five members of the hero party assembling below.

Just then—

"Morris!"

Leo's voice drifted up from below the tower.

The "Chosen One" stood in the firelight, looking up and waving at them. "I'm heading out with the main force first! I'll leave the rear guard duty to you. Keep a close eye on the security at the back of the line!"

After he spoke, a burly warrior stepped out from the group and stood silently beneath the tower.

"Agger will stay behind to help you with the rear guard."

Agger, the 'tank role' of the hero party, looked hulking and fierce, but after spending time together, he proved to have a rather honest and simple personality.

Ansu nodded without saying a word.

Leo seemed used to this; their new partner, the mage Morris, was always a man of few words.

After he left, Freya prepared to climb down the watchtower.

Ansu, however, did not move.

He watched the migrating group below and quietly summoned the system panel.

【Simulations available for the following times】

【10 minutes later (August 3, 19:50), cost 10 points】

【10 hours later (August 4, 05:40), cost 50 points】

【100 hours later (August 8, 23:40), cost 100 points】

【Remaining points: 525】

【Start simulation?】

Having plenty of points, Ansu chose to 【simulate 100 hours】 without hesitation.

【Future: 100 hours later】

【Starting simulation...】

【Remaining points: 425】

Darkness enveloped his vision as the countdown gradually faded.

When he opened his eyes again, Ansu surveyed his surroundings, but his brow instinctively furrowed.

The environment... hadn't changed at all?

He was still sitting atop the abandoned watchtower in Elvin Village, and below him were the Staya holding torches, preparing to migrate.

Freya was standing not far away, looking at him with confusion, seemingly wondering why he was still dazing off.

【Reality】

【Radiant Calendar Year 625, August 3, 19:40】

【The host died on the fourth day of the '100-hour simulation,' therefore this simulation has been terminated early, and the future deduction 100 hours later cannot be completed】

【Rating: D】

【Reward: 8 points】

This...

This was the first time Ansu had encountered such a situation.

An unexpected death during the simulation meant he didn't even survive to see the scene 100 hours later...

Were those one hundred points wasted just like that?

Was the difficulty this time even higher than when he faced the evil god in the ancient ruins?

Oh right, back then he had the witch by his side...

However...

Ansu immediately flipped through his journal in the system.

Opening it, he found dense records of the intelligence he had gathered and the events he had experienced over the next three days—before his death.

So it wasn't a total waste; after all, he had obtained three days of crucial intelligence.

Ignoring Agger's waving hand urging him to come down, Ansu read the 《Future Diary》 while retrieving his memories.

【Day 1: Migrated toward the snow mountains with the group. Served as the rear guard with Freya and Agger, the warrior from the hero party.】

【On the way, the front of the line was repeatedly attacked by undead creatures. There were many of them.】

【However, under Leo's command, the combat coordination was seamless, and there were no casualties.】

【Leo is increasingly showing the charisma and appeal of a leader. Under his guidance, the people have found the confidence to resist the enemy. Finally, we arrived at the foot of the snow mountains.】

【There are many river valleys in the Talin mountains, surrounded by lush pastures and streams, making it suitable for living. Furthermore, the terrain is treacherous, making it easy to defend and hard to attack.】

Though the migration journey was perilous, nothing went wrong with the group.

Under Leo's direction, the Staya began to rebuild their homes here. Everything seemed to be heading in a positive direction.

But Ansu did not relax in the slightest. He decided to use the simulation to probe the boundaries of this mysterious 'domain'.

【Day 2: Attempted to use the teleportation tool 'Homing Compass' to force a return to my home in Norvigel.】

【However, something bizarre happened. After activating the compass, I was actually teleported back to where I started.】

Teleporting in place?

【Afterward, I tried several other teleportation methods, and the results were exactly the same. This mysterious domain can actually distort the coordinates of teleportation magic.】

【Any teleportation method attempting to leave this area was simply BANNED.】

【Day 3: Decided to leave on foot.】

【Used wind magic to speed up the journey, racing toward the border of the Talin region.】

【As I approached the border, a white fog covered my vision, and my sense of direction began to fail. Even though I clearly should have been heading east, I unknowingly turned north.】

【If I tried to force my way through the fog, I would inexplicably loop back to where I started, like a ghost wall.】

Ansu flipped through the diary. Next, he read an even stranger piece of intelligence.

【This probably isn't the real Talin region. It's like a carefully constructed 'script'—there are only Wolfgar and Staya here; no other demihuman races have been seen.】

Ansu's brow furrowed suspiciously.

The entire Talin region was a gathering place for demihumans. This autonomous territory, roughly the size of a province, was home to at least eight different demihuman tribes.

Yet in this "Talin region" he was in, there were only the Wolfgar and the Staya.

【Day 3, afternoon: I began wandering around the "Talin region."】

【Something even weird happened. As if to satisfy my "needs," demihumans from other tribes began to appear one after another. I saw a bear-kin hunting party by a river valley and encountered a draconian merchant caravan covered in scales at the foot of a mountain...】

【It's almost like... they're fixing bugs?】

【The director is being a bit too obvious.】

Stopping his futile attempts to probe the domain's boundaries, Ansu moved on to the next plan.

【Since I can't escape this place for now, I plan to test the true nature of the Chosen One, Leo.】

【Discussed the plan privately with Freya, preparing to take down this imposter and interrogate him directly.】

Recording in the diary stopped abruptly there.

Ansu stared at the final line of text, falling silent for a moment.

It seemed...

The direct cause of his death was likely this.