Elves have the strongest perception of abnormal emotional changes.
After wandering Labia City for one day and seeing the general appearance and daily lives of the residents, Weibai had already gained a basic understanding of the city’s situation.
His wandering wasn’t purely for leisure; he had used that time to carefully observe the local customs and people.
Now, he felt the hair on his arms stand up as a terrifying hypothesis surfaced in his mind.
The residents of the entire city were not right!
Ordinary people would feel their legs go weak at the mention of the Bandit Plague, but the residents of Labia City lived their lives as if they were ignoring it.
Actually, up until this point, the residents didn’t seem that eerie — not until Weibai recalled a crucial detail.
Every resident had a happy smile on their face.
Regardless of the time, they expressed a sense of profound happiness.
From shop owners to vagrants, from carriage drivers to craftsmen, everyone was the same without exception.
It wouldn’t be much if the wealthy had happy smiles, but the problem was that Weibai had personally seen a vagrant in rags shivering in the early spring breeze.
Even as the man’s body shook, his face maintained that eerie smile.
It was as if the one suffering from the cold wasn’t him.
Something was wrong — very wrong!
Weibai didn’t care about anything else now and rushed toward the Adventurers’ Guild.
‘I have to report this to the Adventurers’ Guild! They are currently handling the investigation into the Bandit Plague in Labia City, so giving it to them is for the best.’
It had to be as fast as possible!!!
He didn’t worry that the Adventurers’ Guild might be empty.
Having been an Adventurer for so long, he knew their rules inside and out.
The Adventurers’ Guild had receptionists at night to accommodate Adventurers taking on special missions.
Even in the middle of the night, the guild could respond to emergencies.
Soon, a breathless Weibai reached the entrance of the Adventurers’ Guild.
It was mostly deserted now, with only two receptionists on duty reading books.
A receptionist wearing glasses looked up from her book and saw the hurried Weibai.
“How can I help you?”
She asked.
She wasn’t surprised; she was used to people bursting in at night.
“I need to report something regarding the investigation into Labia City’s situation. It might help your work,” Weibai said, taking a deep breath and speaking slowly.
“Understood. Please provide your Adventurer ID number.”
The receptionist showed no other emotion, simply pulling a ledger from a cabinet.
After opening the book, she held her pen and looked at Weibai.
Weibai was at a loss.
His status as an Adventurer had likely been deleted from the records.
Where would he get a number?
But without providing a number, he couldn’t register the report.
Thinking quickly, as the receptionist was still waiting for him, he gave her his old number.
“One moment, please.”
The receptionist wrote the number in the ledger and then activated a small Magic Array.
This Magic Array was specifically for verifying identities.
To prevent fraud from affecting commissions, the Adventurers’ Guild had always been very strict in this regard.
After a moment, the light of the array faded, and the number on the ledger vanished along with the glow.
“I’m sorry, but the number you provided is invalid.”
The receptionist looked back at Weibai, her voice devoid of emotion.
Hearing her answer, Weibai felt a headache coming on.
At this critical moment, he was being blocked by the guild’s old rules.
‘If my hypothesis is correct, then with the size of the Adventurers’ Guild, investigating and solving the truth shouldn’t be a problem.’
But he had forgotten that he no longer had guild authorization.
“This is extremely urgent!”
Weibai tried to persuade her to make an exception.
“The Bandit Plague might not be that simple!”
“I understand, but without an ID number, I can’t even create a file, let alone organize or investigate your lead,” she said, shrugging to show there was nothing she could do.
“Tch.”
Weibai knew that seeking help from the Adventurers’ Guild seemed impossible now.
After a brief silence, he turned and walked out of the guild.
He had made a decision.
Since this matter hadn’t affected him yet, there was no need to worry about it.
He might as well live his own life and wait for the guild to finish its investigation.
‘Maybe the Adventurer’s Guild has already discovered this anomaly? Am I just meddling in things that don’t concern me?’
With that thought, Weibai set the matter aside and headed toward the inn.
Upon returning, he collapsed onto the bed in exhaustion.
He was tired after walking outside all day.
After lying there like a corpse for a while, he decided to take a shower first.
Entering the bathroom, he skillfully struck a firestone to heat the cold water in the tub.
Glancing at the mirror, he suddenly felt that the version of himself in the reflection looked particularly decadent.
Like a salted fish with no dreams.
Mist began to fill the room, and his reflection grew blurred.
He didn’t care, simply staring blankly at himself in the mirror.
As water droplets covered the glass, countless versions of Weibai appeared within the droplets, but these reflections seemed different…
The versions of him in the droplets weren’t decadent; instead, they looked high-spirited.
No, it wasn’t just his high-spirited self.
There were many, many versions of him.
There was a suspicious fugitive, a shivering vagrant, an ignorant Adventurer, and a successful Gold-Ranked Hero.
Thousands of versions of himself were reflected in his eyes as he stood dazed in the misty bathroom.
“Young man, do you wish to find your true self… ?”
An ethereal voice suddenly echoed in his ear, neither male nor female.
Weibai seemed unaware of the abnormality, his eyes still fixed on the mirror.
“My true… self?”
His lips moved as he hesitantly spoke those words.
“Come, let me lead you to find the real you.”
As the ethereal voice finished, a clean, slender hand grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the mirror.
Instantly, Weibai felt the world spin, as if everything had been turned upside down.
Before long, a blinding light appeared before his eyes, forcing him to squint.
After a moment, the light faded, and a bustling scene filled his vision.
This city was 100 times more prosperous than Labia City.
Pedestrians, merchant caravans, and carriages formed a never-ending stream.
In the distance, a massive statue of a deity stood tall.
The statue wore a laurel crown and had a gentle expression, holding a book in its hands and looking down at the pages with a tranquil gaze.
“This is…”
Weibai looked around in shock, realizing this was a strange city he had never visited.
“This is the perfect world.”
Just as Weibai was confused, a little girl skipped over to him, her face beaming with an innocent smile.
“The perfect world?”
Weibai repeated the words in surprise, then looked back at the statue.
“That’s right. Here, you are a Great Adventurer revered by thousands.”
The girl chuckled and pointed at Weibai’s chest.
A badge woven of gold and silver hung there.
It was not just a proof of experience, but a symbol of status.
“A Great Adventurer?”
Weibai didn’t remember becoming a Great Adventurer.
However, he felt that all of this seemed perfectly reasonable.