Scourge Messenger

Chapter 440 Earthly Barrier
The Huanglong River is the largest river in the Liang Kingdom, passing through the three major military towns of Jianghuai, Xulin, and Xiangyang. It was the first line of defense for the Liang Kingdom against the Qi Kingdom. A hundred years ago, Emperor Taizu of Liang and Emperor Shenwu of Qi confronted each other along the river many times, eventually shaping the world order.

Three days ago, the Anlan departed from the mouth of the Huanglong River and entered the vast blue sea and sky, untouched by the Central Plains civilization. Except for the occasional shallow shoals and small islands, it spent most of its time sailing in the boundless blue sea and sky.

"Porridge won!"

"Plain porridge! Plain porridge! Plain porridge!"

On the deck, a group of boys and girls, no more than ten years old, gathered together, shouting excitedly, but the scene was quite bloody: a girl was straddling a boy, punching him repeatedly. The boy was tall and strong, but he was beaten so badly that he couldn't fight back. His occasional counterattacks were blocked by the girl, and his teeth were knocked out.

"Stop hitting me! Stop hitting me!" The boy finally cried out, begging for mercy, "I give up! Take my food back, I won't fight anymore!"

The girl stood up, wiping the blood from her face; her fists were already bleeding profusely. Amidst the envious gazes of the others, she walked to the dining table in the center of the deck, took the most lavish dish—a bed of rice topped with ribs drizzled with sauce, along with vegetables and fruit. The portion was undoubtedly too much for the children. The girl picked up a rib and began to devour it, stuffing her cheeks full, making the other children drool.

There were still many plates on the table, but no child dared to misbehave. There were more than a dozen adult guards on the deck, as well as a steward with a blank expression. On the first day at sea, a child who disobeyed and tried to grab food had his hand broken on the spot by the steward.

The manager glanced at the children: "Does anyone else want to argue?"

Two teenagers and a girl stepped out from the crowd. They looked around with menacing expressions. The children they saw either avoided them or lowered their heads. Even those who dared to meet their gazes did not step forward.

"Then, let's take our food in order." The manager waved his hand, and the children immediately lined up in order. Those who took their food first got the largest and best portions on the table, while those who came later only got noodles and pancakes. The last person even only got a steamed bun, which was not enough to fill them up.

But that wasn't the worst of it, because there were thirty-three children in total, but only twenty meals were prepared for the table, meaning that thirteen children were destined to get nothing, including the tall child who was defeated and lying on the deck.

After the food was distributed, the entire deck was immediately divided into several circles. The three largest circles were occupied by the three people who received the best three plates of food. They had taken the initiative to share some of their food these past few days and successfully recruited a number of followers.

But many people still hadn't eaten. They stared longingly at Bai Zhou, who had taken the largest portion of food, hoping she could attract followers with her food like the others. However, Bai Zhou turned around warily, blocking the plate with her body, and kept stuffing food into her mouth, her mouth never stopping.

"Little Tiger!"

The girl with the steamed bun walked to the corner of the deck, sat down next to the boy wearing a tiger-head hat, and said with exasperation, "Why don't you go and snatch some food? You're even stronger than me, it's not like you can't beat him!"

"I'm not hungry," the boy in the tiger-head hat said.

"How could you not be hungry? If you had started grabbing food on the first day, you would have been able to fill your stomach every day! Why don't you say a few nice words to Rong Hai? He might give you some food. He's the easiest to talk to among the Four Heavenly Kings."

The girl glanced at the white porridge she was diligently eating and shook her head: "I thought that after the fatso from the Four Heavenly Kings was driven away, the new one would definitely recruit some henchmen... but I didn't expect another starving ghost to appear. Hey, Little Tiger, if we go over and ask her to be our boss, do you think she'll give us some food?"

“Go ahead, I’m not hungry,” the boy in the tiger-head hat said.

"I'm not going," the girl said mysteriously. "There's no shortage of food on the ship, and they prepare feasts every day. Why do we have to fight tooth and nail to determine who gets the seats? I think this is the Golden Eagle Island test. Those with talent and the ability to be leaders will all be selected in these few days. I may not have the talent or the ability to be a leader, but at least I won't be a lackey. Someone with backbone like me, even if I'm not given important positions on Golden Eagle Island, at least I won't be looked down upon. Look at those brats who become lackeys when there's no food; even if they get to the island, they'll definitely be destined to be menial laborers."

"But the worst one is definitely someone like you who has no talent, no ability, and is too stubborn to back down. A clueless brat like you will definitely starve to death on the way and won't even be able to set foot on Golden Eagle Island!" The girl made a face and said fiercely, "Even if you do get to the island, you'll be sent to shovel chamber pots and empty manure, and you'll be a slave for the rest of your life!"

"Oh," said the boy in the tiger-head hat.

The girl stared at him for a while, then suddenly sighed heavily: "Oh dear, how did I end up with such a fool like you?"

She broke the steamed bun in half, carefully compared the two pieces, handed the smaller one to the boy in the tiger-head hat, but then took it back, asking, "If you're willing to rob someone tomorrow, I'll give you the bigger one." "I'm really not hungry," the boy in the tiger-head hat said.

"Why don't you tell me your name, and I can give you this big piece."

"Tiger Vanguard".

"Don't be so rude, my lady! You're asking for it!" The girl angrily shoved the larger half of the steamed bun into the other person's hand, turned around, and ate while cursing, "Let me tell you, I've already paid back the favor you did for me that day. If you don't go robbing tomorrow, you'll be starving! You idiot!"

Just then, Tiger Vanguard suddenly stood up and walked to a corner of the deck. In the corner, a thin child was being teased by two other children. There might be a reason, or there might not; these children had nothing better to do on the ship, and bullying others was their only pastime. Hearing footsteps behind them, the two children turned around and snorted, "It's you again, you nosy Tiger. Heh, you still have food, watch us—"

With two thuds, the two kids gagged, uttered a few harsh words, and ran away. The girl then appeared and said to the bullied child, "Hey, he's Tiger Vanguard, and I'm Mi Mian. Remember, we helped you, so remember to repay us later!"

On the way back, she couldn't help but complain to Tiger Vanguard: "Look at you, you're not incapable of fighting, why don't you go and steal food? Why do you always meddle in other people's business? You don't even know them."

"Can't I help someone I don't know?"

"Of course not! You must have a reason!"

"If a reason is needed, it is because I am a partner of justice."

A noisy commotion arose on the deck as children gathered at the bow. The sky and earth shimmered, and every inch of air seemed to shimmer with light.

Tiger Vanguard and the girl Mi Mian turned around and saw a scene they would never forget:
Thousands of tons of seawater flowed upstream along an invisible wall, each drop clinging tightly to it, so that everyone could see this smooth, flat 'water wall,' as if the sea had abruptly folded up, with the wall and the sea surface forming an astonishing right angle.

The water wall was not continuous; it frequently interrupted its flow. Therefore, Tiger Vanguard could see very clearly that behind the water wall was a transparent void. He could even see that behind the water wall was the sea. But the most peculiar thing was that the water wall carved a rectangular chasm in the middle of the sea, which was at least two miles wide at a glance.

When the Anlan arrived at the wall of water, everyone could see that the chasm was bottomless, as if the wall of water stretched to the heavens without end. When the Anlan collided with the 'wall of water,' the ship did not shake at all, but remained motionless on the sea, even though the sea was still moving.

An unimaginable force, an inexplicable phenomenon, an invisible and intangible wall, stretching between heaven and earth.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle, an immeasurable ocean tide, a barrier against the mortal world," the girl murmured. "Beyond this lies the East Sea."

Yan Qing, through Tiger Vanguard's eyes, was also looking at this wall, where a system introduction was displayed—a rare sight—on the game console screen:
"Earthly Barrier"

"Required Level: 40 or above"

"Characteristic - Accelerator: After leaving, he cannot return to the beginner area and becomes a departed person."

"Special Feature: Tribulations Rampant: Anyone who crosses the barrier of the mortal world and returns to the beginner area in any way will suffer more severe tribulations and is more likely to fall from their realm."

"Special Feature: Abundant Harvest: After leaving the beginner area, players will receive a 10% experience bonus for 30 days."

In the game, the barrier of the mortal world has a more common, familiar, and catchy name—

Invisible wall!
(End of this chapter)