Chapter 320: Senior Sister

Chug-chug-chug-chug——

The noise in his ears sounded like the chugging of a tractor on a dirt road back in his hometown, and beneath him, the bone-jarring tin plate kept colliding. In a noisy environment extremely unfriendly to deep sleep, Chen Ling slowly opened his eyes.

The first thing that came into view was a gray-white sky, followed by black smoke constantly drifting into the sky. After a full five seconds of daze, Chen Ling realized this wasn't a dream……

He really was on a tractor.

On the gray-black earth, a tractor covered in twisted characters was bumping forward. At this moment, Chen Ling was lying in the center of the tractor's cargo bed. Beside him, members of the Twilight Society were sitting in a neat circle…… They were all looking down at him, like guests at a funeral politely smiling at the corpse in the coffin.

He sat up from the center of the cargo bed with a start.

“I…… how did I get here??”

“Oh, when that lord brought you back, you were already unconscious. We figured if we didn't leave, it would be too late, so we temporarily laid you flat in the cargo bed.” The boy, Plum 8, yawned. “You should thank me properly. If I hadn't stopped him, Heart 9 would have already covered you in wreaths……”

“No, isn't that just a professional reflex?!” Heart 9 widened his eyes and started gesturing at Chen Ling. “Lying here like this, all square and boxy, don't you think it’s a bit monotonous without something laid out?”

【10】 on the side thought seriously for a moment. “……It is a bit monotonous. It’s missing a lid.”

Chen Ling: ……

Chen Ling shook his still-dazed head and slowly sat on the edge of the cargo bed. He saw Jian Changsheng sitting in the tractor's driver's seat, his body bumping as if he were riding a horse, the flesh on his cheeks trembling, his face as ugly as if he had eaten bitter melon.

“This tracto…… uh…… what is this vehicle?” Chen Ling asked suspiciously.

“You know about Realm Trains, right? The material of this tractor is the same as the Realm Trains. It has the effect of isolating the Gray Realm aura in a small area and can also shield against the perception of disasters. We snatched it from those clever craftsmen with great difficulty…… no, bought it back.” Heart 9 raised his head proudly and patted the tin plate beneath him. “Don't look at it as ugly and slow; it can travel across realms. It’s very precious.”

“I’ve been wanting to say this: since you have the materials, why not build a train? Or at least a car…… why does it have to be a tractor?” Chu Muyun couldn't help but speak up.

“A train? Do you know how much material it takes to build a train? The nine great realms exhausted all their efforts and only built four! These are all the scraps left over; there isn't even an extra gram…… Although a car would work, it can carry fewer people with the same amount of material. Unlike a tractor, with such a big cargo bed, we can squeeze in a dozen or twenty people without any problem!”

Bai Ye, wearing a duckbill cap, sat quietly in the corner and suddenly interjected:

“Although it’s not impossible to steal a Realm Train, the main issue is there are no tracks. Even if we stole one, we wouldn't be able to drive it…… and it would be easy to get surrounded.”

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone fell silent. They looked at Bai Ye with a subtle gaze.

“No, why is it that we’re both newcomers, but Heart gets to lie there and sleep, while I have to drive this tractor-tractor-tractor-tractor??” Jian Changsheng finally couldn't hold it in anymore, his voice trembling from the bumps, and he asked with resentment.

“He’s injured and unconscious; it’s normal for him to rest a bit more.” 【10】 comforted him solemnly.

Chen Ling finally came back to his senses. “Where are we going?”

“The Red Dust Realm.”

A cold, clear voice came from the end of the cargo bed. It was Plum K, who was sitting at the very back.

Hearing these four words, Plum 8, sitting opposite Chen Ling, trembled slightly. Although it wasn't obvious, this scene was captured by Chen Ling, who possessed the [Secret Pupil].

“The Red Dust Realm…… could it be that the next one whose time is running out is the Red Dust Lord?” 【10】 was thoughtful.

“That cannot be determined for now.” Plum K paused. “However, we have members in the Red Dust Realm who can arrange a cross-realm train…… Don't some of you still have missions? You can transfer to other realms from there.”

“That’s not bad. If we really had to take this tractor so far, we’d be shaken to pieces.”

Chen Ling listened to the discussion, and a thought that had long been buried in his heart welled up. After hesitating for a long time, he asked:

“Can I…… also take the cross-realm train?”

“Of course you can. Which realm do you want to go to?”

“The Ancient Treasury of the Drama Path.”

Everyone suddenly went quiet.

Seeing everyone looking at him with strange expressions, Chen Ling quickly spoke up. “I know the location of the Ancient Treasury of the Drama Path is not in the territory of any realm. I mean, whichever realm is closest to the Ancient Treasury of the Drama Path in a straight line, I’ll go to that one.”

From Han Meng, Chen Ling had long heard some news: among the fourteen Ancient Treasuries of the Divine Path, the four treasuries of 【Drama】, 【Prostitution】, 【Yellow】, and 【Thief】 were located at the intersection of the Gray Realm and reality. They were difficult to reach by ordinary means and belonged to the four treasuries forgotten at the edge of the world……

But Chen Ling was not afraid. He possessed the ability to walk in the Gray Realm. As long as he found the nearest realm, he could try to walk there.

Everyone still didn't reply, but instead turned their heads to look at Plum K, who was sitting at the end……

Plum K stared at Chen Ling. “You, why do you want to go to the Ancient Treasury of the Drama Path?”

Chen Ling hesitated for a moment before answering truthfully. “I…… I have met a person who claimed to be my master. He said if I ever felt lost, I should go to the Ancient Treasury of the Drama Path to find him…… Before this, I also met a man who claimed to be my senior brother, and he said the same thing.”

Hearing this, everyone’s expressions were filled with surprise, looking at Chen Ling and wondering what he was thinking.

“……Alright.”

Plum K nodded calmly. “After we arrive at the Red Dust Realm, you come with me.”

Seeing the confusion in Chen Ling’s eyes, Chu Muyun leaned into his ear and whispered, “This person is someone who came out of the Ancient Treasury of the Drama Path.”

Chen Ling froze in place.

Plum K came out of the Ancient Treasury of the Drama Path? Is she also from the Drama God Path??

Come to think of it, Chen Ling had seen markings on her face that looked like theatrical makeup, and that slash that isolated the Sea of Taboo also looked exactly like a curtain on a stage…… In other words, it was very likely that she was his senior sister?!

Chen Ling never expected that this senior whom everyone respected belonged to the same sect as him. After all, her reaction when she saw him was much colder than the End-role’s, as if she didn't know him at all.

“I have a question.” Plum K looked at Chen Ling and spoke again with a serious expression.

“……Please ask.”

“You, why do you know how to sing the Requiem Ballad?”