I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

"Desert? This exotic land looks desolate."

The woman muttered to herself. Although Lu Ban couldn't understand the language she was using, the pronunciation and rhythm sounded familiar to him, as if he had heard it somewhere before.

"A fellow traveler?"

Lu Ban then asked a question.

Those who travel with you are basically your teammates. Lu Ban wasn't the kind of person who liked to hide his identity and play role-playing games. Therefore, when he heard the other person use the word "exotic" in their mouth, he immediately asked in a low voice.

"...You, you are also a chosen one?"

The woman seemed somewhat surprised, raising her eyebrows. Only then did Lu Ban notice that her hair was light gold and slightly wavy, and her eyes were clear and bright green, making her look like a foreigner.

"Um... wait, is this the first time you've met someone traveling with you?"

Lu Ban quickly realized what was going on from the woman's reaction.

It's surprising that he was a newbie being mentored by Twisted Fate last time, and now he's already mentoring newcomers.

Well, according to the law in the book, it's easy to let a newbie get complacent and fall behind.

Lu Ban decided to protect this newbie and uphold his dignity as a senior.

"Fellow traveler... So, that spell did indeed mention the word 'fellow traveler'."

The woman seemed to be deep in thought, and her expression immediately turned serious.

"Hello fellow traveler, I am Shia Quillris from the Grey Tower, and I am a prospective agent."

She spoke with a powerful voice, and if she hadn't lowered her voice, Lu Ban would definitely have replied with "Good, very energetic."

"Grey Tower...Night Kingdom?"

Lu Ban recalled the information from the foreign land.

The Gray Tower is an official institution similar to the Night Kingdom, training mages. So, this woman named Sia is a mage?

Lu Ban became interested.

"Yes, in the Silent Land, that is indeed the name of the world I live in."

Xia nodded slightly. She gave off a very positive vibe, speaking and making expressions very serious, just like the class's discipline monitor.

What is a "quasi-proxy"?

Lu Ban decided to take this opportunity to learn more about the Kingdom of Night.

"Uh, the Agents are mages dispatched by the Gray Tower to various parts of the world. They have very strong autonomy. I haven't officially become an Agent yet; I'm still traveling with my teacher."

The blonde woman offered a generous explanation.

"So, you can use magic?"

Lu Ban asked.

"Of course! I'm a top student at Gray Tower Academy. Apart from that guy whose head is glued to a book, I dare say no one is better than me!"

At this point, Xia became even more energetic.

"Can you knead bread?"

Lu Ban asked a question that had always been a source of curiosity for him.

If magic can create food, will people feel hungry after eating the food and the magic effect wears off, or will they not?

"?"

Xia was taken aback and didn't know how to answer for a moment.

"The art of food creation is a highly specialized spell, which I have not yet mastered."

"I see."

Lu Ban didn't dwell on it. Although he didn't understand why kneading bread was a high-level spell, since the other party said they didn't know how, he wouldn't bother with it.

The two were still whispering when a muffled thud suddenly came from ahead.

Lu Ban looked over.

An explosion occurred in the desolate and silent desert.

An explosion sent dust billowing high into the air, while on the dune, three people appeared to be fighting around a dark shadow.

Lu Ban focused his attention slightly and saw a huge insect in the sand and under the starlight.

The insect looked like a large praying mantis, only with more slender limbs and a glossy black chitinous exoskeleton. It had huge pincers, sharp forelimbs, and a body full of angles, exuding a dangerous aura.

There was a crater next to the insect, which seemed to have been blasted open by the explosion, as if the explosion had lured the insect out of its nest.

While Lu Ban was still considering whether to help, he saw the arm of one of the people who were surrounding them suddenly swell up.

The hand quickly grew thicker than the man, like a giant's arm attached to a human body, extremely incongruous.

The next moment, the man's arm grabbed the insect's large claw.

The intense, power struggle sent a rush of blood to his head. Then, the man's other hand swelled up, and both hands gripped the insect tightly, preventing its escape.

Meanwhile, another person next to him held a torch in his left hand and raised his right hand high.

Lu Ban saw the flames flow from the torch like a long snake, reaching his right palm.

Immediately, the man threw his right hand, and raging flames flew out, swirling around the insect's tail and burning it, causing the monster to let out a low howl.

The last person simply stood there, but Lu Ban could sense a change occurring between him and the insect.

Soon, the insect's wailing stopped. As if hypnotized, it lost the strength to resist and its whole body collapsed. Then, with the force of the two huge human hands, the insect's head was broken off with a crack. The greenish-blue viscous liquid splashed onto the sand, quickly turning the silver sand a darker color.

"You two, what are you still looking at? Come and help!"

The person holding the torch called out in Lu Ban's direction. The flickering flame reflected on the sand, giving it a hazy glow.

"it is good."

Lu Ban quickly got into character. He stood up and glanced at Xi Ya, who was still hesitating.

"No problem. The mission in the Silent Land will assign us a suitable identity, and no one will suspect anything."

He guessed that the woman named Sia might have only been on one or two missions and wasn't very familiar with the rules here.

"I understand."

Sia stood up from the sandpit, her cloak fluttering with her movements, allowing Lu Ban to see the clothes beneath the dark cloak.

With her jet-black steel gauntlets, breastplate, skirt armor, and long boots, Sia looked every bit like a medieval heavy knight, her entire body covered in armor.

"...What did you say you were a mage?"

Lu Ban felt that one of them, Xi Ya, must have a misunderstanding of the definition of a mage.

Chapter 176 Someone Must Have Fallen Seriously Ill

"This doesn't look appetizing, and it actually is quite unpalatable."

The man, wearing only a sleeveless shirt, held a worm leg in his hand. The leg was covered with tender white flesh, which sizzled and dripped oil over the fire, emitting a peculiar smell.

In Lu Ban's words, it was like the lingering smell on your palm after swatting a bug.

It smells really bad.

Under a brilliant starry sky, the five people sat around a campfire, with towering sand dunes on one side. The firelight reflected on the silvery sand, making the surroundings bright.

The muscular man in the sleeveless shirt was called "Giant Arm," who could control flames. The short man was called "Flame Heart," and the thin, pale-faced man was called "Old Dream."

"Hey, you two are newbies, so you might not know the rules of this wasteland. Wasteland hunters' names are kept secret; we prefer to use nicknames. Of course, a catchy nickname is sometimes easier to remember than a real name, isn't it!"

The giant wrist let out a hearty laugh and gave a brief explanation.

As you can see, although his hands are human-shaped, there are countless pebbles on the skin of his arms. These pebbles grow on his hands like crystals, and they are shiny.

Similar to Giant Arm, Flameheart's right hand is completely encased in crystals, like a prosthetic limb, while Old Dream has the same crystals around his eyes, and even his eyes shine like gemstones.

“Crystallization disease…”

Lu Ban learned from their conversation that this was the reason for the world's destruction.

Yes, the wasteland is different from other wastelands in that it has indeed been destroyed.

This world was once incredibly prosperous, possessing a technological level far surpassing that of Lu Ban's world. However, a disease swept the globe, causing dazzling crystals to appear on the bodies of those afflicted. These crystals would continue to spread over time, eventually turning the entire body of the afflicted person into hard crystal.

After experiencing a series of disasters and great battles, the wasteland became what it is today.

The three individuals, including Juwan, are patients with crystal nucleus disease.

Crystal nucleus disease is the source of extraordinary abilities in this world.

Once someone contracts the Crystallization Disease, their body will develop certain abnormalities, thereby gaining power beyond the limits of ordinary humans. Some people's bodies mutate, allowing them to grow strong, giant arms; some can control flames for their own use; and others can influence the minds of others.

However, as time goes by, the extraordinary abilities of patients with crystal nucleus disease become stronger and stronger, which also leads them closer and closer to the end. The more they use their abilities, the faster the crystal nucleus spreads. In the end, when their abilities fully bloom, they will become a crystal flower in the desert.

"Nicknames? I think we should get a couple, don't you think?"

Lu Ban looked at Xi Ya beside him.

"...Yes, indeed."

Xia was still somewhat dazed by the strange situation in this world when she heard Lu Ban's words and nodded.

"My nickname is... Mage."

She answered immediately.

Although Lu Ban wanted to complain, now was clearly not the time. After thinking for a moment, he also revealed his nickname.

"You can call me the clown."

"What an interesting nickname, hahaha."

Giant Wrist chuckled and handed the roasted insect meat in his hand to Lu Ban and Xi Ya.

"Here, eat it while it's hot, it'll smell even worse when it gets cold."

"……Thanks."

Xia took the meat skewers, her expression somewhat unpleasant.

Lu Ban held his string of beads close to his nose and smelled it.