Chapter 25: A Rare Exception with Perfect Mastery of Curiosities

Duan Wenxuan fully displayed his talkative talent, extending each sentence endlessly until all the tea in the room was consumed and the faint morning light dispersed the pale green rain mist.

”… So you see, this has been my innate gift since childhood - being exceptionally intelligent and observant to details… Oh right, don’t you want to tend to your wounds?”

“No need.” The white-clothed man’s voice had a deep timbre, carrying a subtle elegance reminiscent of noble poetry recitation even in ordinary speech. “It’s almost dawn, and you’ve stalled for an entire night.”

While Duan Wenxuan was stalling, the white-clothed man himself was also using excuses to prolong the situation. Dealing with two monsters had reached his limit; he couldn’t intervene further without risking death.

At this point, the evident excitement on the man’s face had subsided, but Duan Wenxuan could sense that the stranger’s gaze still remained fixed on him, suggesting he likely wouldn’t leave easily.

Duan Wenxuan, feeling weary from talking, said, “I truly am just an ordinary person.”

“Looks like it.”

“In fact, my family is quite well-off, and they were very strict with me when I was young. This is my first time venturing far away, having secretly slipped out. My ability to discern the characteristics of those monsters comes from ‘it’.” Duan Wenxuan noticed that the white-clothed man’s patience was reaching its limit, so he promptly produced the paper figurine.

The white-clothed man refrained from hastily touching the paper figurine, as despite lying quietly in Duan Wenxuan’s palm, it emitted an ominous and malevolent aura. He even took a few steps back, a hint of apprehension appearing in his eyes. “You don’t belong to any specific profession, nor do you possess any distinctive traits. How do you control such an ominous anomaly?”

“Well, I’ve grown up with it since childhood. It has always been at home, very obedient,” Duan Wenxuan lied effortlessly.

Without any breeze, the paper figurine began to flutter gracefully, performing a joyful seaweed dance accompanied by eerie yet childish laughter.

The white-clothed man swiftly covered his ears and retreated rapidly towards the door. To his surprise, this wasn’t merely an anomaly but rather a peculiar entity with some level of cognitive abilities!

Compared to anomalies, peculiar objects were even more difficult to control due to their deeper level of chaos and distortion. Without someone possessing corresponding traits to handle them, engaging with such entities would likely result in self-destruction.

When the peculiar object emitted its eerie laughter earlier, the man in white felt an overwhelming impulse. He wanted to loudly utter something, accompanied by a surge of anger building within him, ready to burst forth.

“Stop flying around, it’s making me dizzy.”

Just as the man in white realized he might have misjudged Duan Wenxuan, he saw Duan Wenxuan extend his hand and surprisingly grasp the peculiar object using only his ordinary physical strength.

“This can’t be!” As he watched Duan Wenxuan casually crumple the paper figurine and tuck it into his pocket, the man in white couldn’t help but exclaim elegantly, betraying his surprise.

Duan Wenxuan, appearing utterly innocent, said, “Are you alright? Normally, I don’t let it roam freely either; I’m afraid it might scare others. I assumed, given how powerful you seemed, you wouldn’t be frightened by it.”

The man in white looked at Duan Wenxuan as if studying a freak, yet Duan Wenxuan was genuinely an ordinary person without any characteristics of a professional in this domain. Most importantly, dawn was approaching, and these night guards were already beginning to suffer from the reverse effects inflicted by peculiar objects. In contrast, Duan Wenxuan showed no fear whatsoever of daylight.

A non-professional controlling a Strange Artifact?

What kind of freakish luck did Duan Wenxuan have, managing to unexpectedly establish a bizarre equilibrium with that ominous Strange Artifact, even taking a dominant position?

“Your gaze is quite peculiar,” Duan Wenxuan remarked, appearing like a somewhat naive young man.

The white-clothed man stood at the door, observing Duan Wenxuan. “Your luck seems unbelievably good. However, on your first trip away from home, you ended up in Northern Province’s Sipu Continent, coinciding with the Monster Slaughter Night that occurs once every forty-eight years. That doesn’t sound so fortunate anymore.”

Duan Wenxuan scratched his head. “Well, it’s not too bad since I encountered you, right? Last night really gave me a scare. What were those things?”

The white-clothed man momentarily choked. True enough, Duan Wenxuan had indeed stumbled upon him. Come to think of it, this kid’s luck was truly overflowing. The white-clothed man began suspecting whether Duan Wenxuan might possess some artifact or Strange Artifact that enhances fortune.

“Wanna know more?”

Duan Wenxuan promptly nodded.

Meanwhile, the morning light grew increasingly prominent, and the pale green mist rapidly dissipated. The white-clothed man’s complexion worsened, looking as starkly white as a sheet of paper, devoid of any color.

The man in white was aware of his current predicament. He lifted a hand to touch his hat, pulling it down slightly. “Daybreak is here; I can’t remain outside any longer. If you want to know, follow me.”

Originally, the man in white wouldn’t have given Duan Wenxuan a choice, but the ominous artifact in Duan Wenxuan’s possession startled him.

A human capable of perfectly controlling an artifact without any side effects held immense value and potential, yet equally terrifying implications—though this young man seemed unaware of them.

The man in white started walking, but Duan Wenxuan did not immediately chase after him.

After covering some distance, the man in white paused, surprised as he had expected Duan Wenxuan to follow.

Then, he heard Duan Wenxuan’s footsteps approaching. From a few steps away, Duan Wenxuan shouted, “Never mind, I’m still a bit scared. I feel that knowing more only increases the danger. Things are fine as they are, so I won’t come along.”

The man in white frowned. ”…My name is Wendell.”

With one final glance at Duan Wenxuan, Wendell quickened his pace. With cases like Duan Wenxuan, whether he chose to accompany Wendell or not, it destined him to be unable to leave Xip Continent for now, unless he could fly.

And indeed, Wendell truly left.

An hour later, the sky had fully brightened.

Duan Wenxuan then observed squads dressed in medieval-like armor appearing first on the streets. They began systematically clearing the chaotic roads while swiftly disposing of scattered corpses. As these personnel worked, cries and wails emerged from some houses; those displaying excessive emotional distress were temporarily subdued and taken away.

Of course, many others seemed utterly bewildered, having slept deeply throughout the night, completely unaware of what transpired.

After nearly cleaning up the streets, riders on horseback appeared, loudly proclaiming official announcements.

The announcement stated that during last night’s city-wide festivities, employees from a pharmaceutical factory in Westbrook Continent attended the celebrations. This led to an accident at the factory, causing toxic powders to be released. Some individuals, after being poisoned, experienced hallucinations and committed acts of violence, resulting in tragic incidents.

Whether the public believed it or not, this was the narrative propagated, and major newspapers also published articles detailing deaths caused by the pharmaceutical factory accident.

Around 4 PM in the evening, Duan Wenxuan descended the stairs, feeling refreshed and invigorated. The twenty-four-hour countdown had ended, meaning he could now return to the real world at any moment.

With this life-saving knowledge, Duan Wenxuan felt instantly relieved.

Now more at ease and with no intention of leaving, he realized that this world was somewhat unique, delving into mysterious realms. Moreover, these mysteries had already established their own set of operating rules within society.

Duan Wenxuan wanted to stay and explore the nature of this world’s mysticism.

As for ordinary people, they clearly knew very little about it. He deliberately went downstairs to discuss last night’s events with the innkeeper, subtly mentioning “professionals,” but the innkeeper paid no heed.

Around 5 p.m., Duan Wenxuan bought some food, but unfortunately, the gold he carried seemed worthless here, and he hadn’t brought any silver coins. His remaining valuables were dwindling fast. The innkeeper forcibly asked him to vacate his room, but Duan Wenxuan remained unperturbed; he was waiting for Winter.

His prediction proved accurate as, just as the sky’s light began to fade, Winter appeared.

In contrast to his lethargic demeanor during the day, Winter now wore the same white attire, but his expression was much more composed and carried an air of elegance.

“You’re the specialist?” A gothic girl beside Winter tilted her head, staring intently at Duan Wenxuan.

“Me?” Duan Wenxuan pointed to himself, uncertain. “I’m not sure… But could you lend me some money? My funds were stolen.”

The Gothic girl looked at Winter with disdain. “Being so weak, were you tricked? Your wallet got stolen.”

“Wena,” Winter reprimanded her gently, “Since your wallet was stolen, come along if you need to borrow money.”

Duan Wenxuan, looking miserable, had no choice but to follow. Eventually, they stood before a church.

However, this church differed from any church Duan Wenxuan had seen in the real world. It appeared grayish-white, and at the entrance, there stood a black sculpture over a pool of water. The sculpture lacked facial features, making it impossible to discern its gender. At the top of the church hung a massive clock, visible perhaps across the entire Westbrook Continent.

Duan Wenxuan was led inside.

Under questioning by a person dressed in black clerical attire, Duan Wenxuan repeated the deception he told Winter, concluding with, “You can verify it. Can I borrow the money now?”

“Child, we certainly will. However, could you show us your unique item first?”

Duan Wenxuan clutched his chest protectively. “You guys seem quite peculiar. First, tell me what exactly happened that night. What are these ‘unique items’ and other strange things?”

Winter glanced at the priest, who nodded before responding, “In this world, there exist monsters during the nights, similar to what you witnessed last night. Ordinary people cannot stand against them.

Through continuous efforts over time, we discovered the presence of ‘anomalies’ in this world. Anomalies are also a form of monster, but their existence is often stationary and relatively less harmful.”

As Winter spoke, he extended his hand, revealing a white card with a jade-like texture, which he skillfully flipped. “For example, this… it’s an anomaly card. Monsters are uncontrollable, whereas anomalies can be somewhat managed.

Each person possesses unique attributes; if that’s too abstract, think of it as everyone having their own strengths, regardless of whether they’re a beggar or not.

When one of your prominent attributes aligns perfectly with an anomaly, you can utilize it. However, once aligned, you cannot separate from the anomaly unless through death.

Yet, this isn’t entirely beneficial either. Just as the night belongs to monsters, those who acquire anomalies become akin to monsters themselves. During the day, we become extremely weak and constantly suffer reverse damage inflicted by our anomalies.”

Duan Wenxuan furrowed his brow. If this were true, the method of harnessing mysterious forces in this world seemed far from ideal, with too many limitations.

“Unique items are even rarer than anomalies. They exist between monsters and anomalies, and when characteristics blend with unique items, such professionals often become more powerful but also die sooner. Someone like me can probably endure for another seven or eight years. But after fusing with a unique item, I’d likely have only one or two years left.”

Winter sighed, but then he looked at Duan Wenxuan with intense curiosity. “But you’re an exception. Now do you understand your uniqueness?!”

Duan Wenxuan promptly nodded and responded, “But I don’t know how it happened. The paper figurine has been with me ever since I can remember, and it never harmed me. There were indeed some unfortunate incidents that angered me greatly, but once I expressed my displeasure, it stopped doing them.”

Winter’s gaze held both envy and disbelief.

This was the first time he had heard of a unique item coexisting peacefully with a human.

Duan Wenxuan slowly smiled, “The paper figurine doesn’t explain much. Why don’t you show me some anomalies or unique items instead? Perhaps we could figure out what exactly is going on with me?”

With those thoughts, he planned to grab something and make a swift escape - thrilling indeed.