181: question

At the same time, outside the realm, lay a vast and boundless range of majestic mountains.

It stretched endlessly, reaching several light-years in height.

Every pebble that composed it seemed like an independent unit, yet they were stacked together with eerie tightness.

At this moment, atop one of the peaks, stood a shop with a sign that read: "Destiny Foundation World Trading Center—Wujie Mountain Main Branch."

"Manager Carlos, shouldn't you give me an explanation?"

A man carrying a greatsword questioned with a grim expression as soon as he entered.

"Oh, heavens, look who's here! What an honored guest!"

A creature resembling a burly lizard apologized to the lizard-kin customer in front of him, then turned and greeted the newcomer with a loud laugh.

As he walked, the folds and sharp edges on his body smoothed out, his thick limbs became slender and fair, and his crawling posture turned upright. By the time he reached the man, he had transformed into an exquisite humanoid beauty.

His original scales also automatically transformed into an elegant long dress.

"Mr. Xuanjian, look at what you're saying. What has made you so angry? Is it that the boys in after-sales maintenance didn't meet your expectations or something else? Just tell me, and I'll resolve it for you."

A soft, charming voice spoke.

"Manager Carlos, please change into a normal appearance."

The man's eyes twitched slightly at the sight, and his anger momentarily faltered.

Anyone would feel uncomfortable seeing a large lizard suddenly turn into a beauty, especially when the creature's true form was male.

"Fine... you humans are truly strange."

A hint of regret flashed in Carlos's eyes as his body changed again, taking the form of a stern old man.

"If I recall correctly, when I purchased Foundation World No. 00736 here, you guaranteed me that there would be no issues with this world."

The man addressed as "Mr. Xuanjian" spoke.

"Of course, that is the most basic rule of our trade. If there is a problem, we will resolve it immediately and provide compensation."

Manager Carlos's expression turned solemn. "Mr. Xuanjian, has something unusual occurred in that world?"

"See for yourself."

Mr. Xuanjian snorted coldly and tossed over a storage jade slip.

Inside was the footage of Emperor Luo transforming into an insectoid beast and killing the master of the beast tide along with two palace guardians.

"This is...!"

Manager Carlos, who had been smiling all along, froze, his hand holding the jade slip trembling slightly.

"Manager Carlos, do you recognize this monster?"

Mr. Xuanjian said, dissatisfied with the other's reaction.

"I don't know the origin of this thing. It has no psionic energy fluctuations, yet its physical strength is terrifyingly immense. Not only did it destroy one of my talismans, leading to the death of an outstanding disciple with infinite potential, but it also killed two guarding elders and even broke the World-Imprisoning Pearl you established."

"This loss is enormous for our Profound Sword Sect. You must provide compensation and resolve the issue."

"My apologies, Mr. Xuanjian. I wonder if you still have the proof of purchase from back then?"

Having regained his composure, Manager Carlos's eyes darted around as he put on a professional smile again.

"Of course. But this isn't our first time working together; do you still need to see the proof?"

Mr. Xuanjian touched his storage ring with some confusion and took out a contract stamped with a golden seal.

"This... alright then."

A hint of disappointment appeared in Manager Carlos's eyes as he said helplessly:

"Rest assured, Mr. Xuanjian. I will immediately arrange for someone to repair the World-Imprisoning Pearl. Additionally, we will compensate you with 10,000 time coins. What do you think?"

"What about that monster? How can you guarantee it won't appear again?"

Mr. Xuanjian frowned and pressed for an answer.

"This..."

"What, are you saying 'Destiny' only does one-off deals and wants to shirk responsibility?"

"Of course not..."

Hearing this, Manager Carlos squeezed out a smile and sighed inwardly. "Very well, Mr. Xuanjian. Please wait a moment in the lounge."

He really didn't want to deal with those monsters.

Passing through the hall and heading up floor by floor, he soon reached the top level of the trading center.

The furnishings here were very simple, with only a few cubicles connecting to other dimensions.

Carlos took a deep breath and walked to a door labeled "Special Complaint Handling Room No. 2—Swarm," carefully pushing it open and entering.

He saw the floor covered in dark purple Creep, with a layer of disgusting slime flowing over it.

In the center of the room sat a light orb, faintly connected to an unknown world.

"Destiny Level 1 Manager Carlos requests an audience."

He reached out to touch the edge of the light orb, spoke respectfully, and then knelt on the ground with a thud.

After a long while.

The light orb glowed slightly, and a phantom projection descended.

It was a humanoid being, completely different from the previous insectoid beast, though its body was covered in dense folds and barbs.

"What is it?"

A somewhat dry voice sounded.

Carlos felt a slight sense of relief.

According to his own experience and feedback from colleagues, humanoid Zerg were generally relatively rational and communicative. If an insect-form one had descended, it would have been disastrous.

"My lord, it is like this. One hundred and ten thousand years ago, an esteemed member of the Zerg sold us a world, claiming nothing was left behind..."

As he spoke, he took out a contract and handed over the jade slip from earlier, becoming even more respectful.

"But a recent buyer reported that a Zerg Hunter has appeared in that world. Do you think there might be some misunderstanding..."

"Hmm... it is indeed the aura of my race..."

The visitor glanced at it, the two antennae on his head twitching slightly, and said indifferently:

"It's possible a few eggs were left behind and forgotten during the cleanup. As for this Hunter, it was indeed a little fellow over there who violated the rules without authorization. I have already sentenced him to a century of solitary confinement. Anything else?"

"No, nothing else. Thank you, my lord, for taking the time to handle this."

Carlos was overjoyed and bowed repeatedly.

He hadn't expected it to be resolved so easily; previously, a colleague had half his body swallowed and nearly died.

As for this punishment, which was practically non-existent, it seemed perfectly normal to him.

The Zerg... they were a truly powerful race that dominated the heavens.

There were even rumors that the Swarm appearing here was merely an insignificant branch.

"Heh, interesting..."

The projection chuckled at some thought and vanished... Meanwhile, at the edge of World No. 00736.

With the three intelligent lifeforms working together to mobilize all resources from the Empire and the Star Alliance, Zhang Huaiyuan finally reached the palace shown in the footage on the twenty-seventh day.

It had been torn apart from the center by a sharp force, nearly half of it collapsed.

Outside the palace, there were also two massive corpses scattered on the ground, still emitting a strong pressure.

"Is this the key location pointed to by the Omniscient Deduction..."

Zhang Huaiyuan manifested twelve Phase Meters for protection and walked straight into the palace...