"Melody, what's wrong?" Ember Yang asked suspiciously, seeing Melody Wood lost in thought.
"N-no, it's nothing," Melody Wood replied, snapping back to herself.
Lynn Lin was also curious about Melody Wood's odd behavior—she'd been acting strange ever since meeting Yvonne Wood.
Noticing the odd looks from the two, Melody Wood said, "You're overthinking it. I just need to rest for a bit."
Lynn Lin and Ember Yang exchanged glances, while Melody Wood closed her eyes to rest. The two were left unsure what was going on, and since Melody wouldn't explain, they could only helplessly continue their own conversation.
Meanwhile, Evan Yang used the Realm-Shuttle Pen to repeatedly traverse space, eventually arriving in a realm so strange he couldn't begin to guess what kind of place it was.
All he saw was endless void, with patches of land floating here and there—like small islands drifting on water.
"It's boring alone. Let's bring the girl out." Evan wanted to test if anyone could appear in any realm, so he summoned Ember Yang.
When Ember Yang saw the scene before her, she was stunned. "What is this place?" she asked in disbelief.
"This is the place we've just arrived at, but I have no idea where it is," Evan Yang replied.
"Could this be the Nether Sky Realm?" Ember Yang asked curiously.
"No, it's not. There's no Nether-Origin Force here, so it can't be the Nether Sky Realm. But what's puzzling is, why did those people escape to this place?" Evan Yang wondered aloud.
Ember Yang frowned as well. "That's weird. Why don't we ask someone about it?"
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking," Evan Yang said.
So Evan Yang and Ember Yang picked a place to settle down. There was a small town here, and at a glance, everyone in it seemed to be cultivators. Evan and Ember found a restaurant—Ember's favorite kind of place.
She immediately thought of eating, so she had the waiter bring out a huge spread, while Evan Yang didn't pay much attention, instead focusing on their surroundings. He noticed that everyone here was silent—nobody was talking.
"Weird. Why isn't anyone talking?" Evan Yang wondered.
Ember Yang noticed it too and said, "This really is a strange place."
Maybe it was Evan and Ember talking that got their attention, because suddenly everyone in the room turned to look at them.
Seeing this, Evan Yang and Ember Yang switched to voice transmission.
"Dad, don't you think these people are acting strange?" Ember Yang felt uneasy.
Evan Yang had already noticed it. Everyone here was oddly silent—not sure if they disliked speaking, or if they were simply used to communicating by voice transmission.
To figure out what was going on, Evan Yang curiously asked the waiter as he brought over their food, "Waiter, why is everyone like this?"
"Shh, keep your voice down. Here, speaking loudly is forbidden—or better yet, just say as little as possible," the waiter replied.
"Why?" Ember Yang asked, suspicious.
"Because you'll wake the terrifying Sleep God," the waiter said.
Ember Yang thought it sounded like a story and laughed, "Sleep God? Seriously? You actually believe that?"
Instantly, the people around them shot angry glares. Evan Yang quickly explained, "She's just a kid—kids say whatever comes to mind."
Only then did the crowd look away, though some still shot warning glances at Evan and Ember, telling them not to speak recklessly. The waiter was startled too, and quietly advised, "See? It's better to stay quiet and not cause trouble."
After the waiter left, Ember Yang complained via voice transmission, "Dad, these people are total weirdos. Sleep God? They're just scaring ordinary folks. What a scam."
"Ember, every place has its own customs. Maybe this is their local legend. When in Rome, do as the Romans do," Evan Yang reminded her.
"Isn't that boring? Not being able to talk at all," Ember Yang grumbled.
"Just eat your food, or it'll get cold," Evan Yang said with a smile.
Ember Yang glanced at the dishes in front of her. At least they looked decent—and smelled delicious. Unable to resist, she started devouring the food.
Evan Yang, of course, wasn't nearly as enthusiastic. He simply watched from the side, keeping an eye on the people in the restaurant and their every move.
"Can they really hold it in like this? Is it even possible?" Evan Yang wondered to himself, still curious about what exactly this so-called Sleep God was, and where the Nether Sky Realm people had escaped to.
Curious, Evan Yang kept pondering these things, while Ember Yang was completely absorbed by the food. She ate until she was full, and then the waiter came to settle the bill.
When it came time to pay, Evan Yang and Ember Yang were stunned. What was a Nether Sky Coin? They'd never even heard of it, let alone seen one.
So Evan Yang asked, "What is a Nether Sky Coin?"
"What? You don't know what Nether Sky Coins are? Are you outsiders? Or just trying to scam a free meal? Damn it, you two look like you're trying to eat and run! Watch how we deal with you!" The waiter exploded, and his loud voice quickly drew a crowd. The shopkeeper came over, eyeing Evan and Ember suspiciously. "You're not really trying to dine and dash, are you?"
"No, we just forgot to bring Nether Sky Coins. How about this—I have some artifacts, I'll leave them as collateral," Evan Yang said.
"Then show me. I'll see if they're worth anything. If not, you'll have to figure something else out," the shopkeeper said.
Evan Yang had no choice but to take out some of the materials he'd collected and a few unused items. The shopkeeper's eyes lit up when he saw them. After accepting Evan's materials, he grinned, "Come again next time!"
"What a complete turnaround," Ember Yang said angrily.
"Let's just go," Evan Yang said, knowing Ember Yang was upset. But this wasn't the time to make a fuss over such a small matter, so he pulled her out of the shop.
Out on the street, Ember Yang grumbled, "Why'd you stop me? I was just about to give them a piece of my mind!"
Her raised voice immediately drew strange looks from the people around them.
Realizing she'd spoken too loudly again, Ember Yang shut her mouth and switched to voice transmission. "Dad, these people are way too weird. They talk so quietly, like mosquitoes. How do they even stand it?"
"When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Looks like we'll have to find someone willing to talk to learn about this place. But first, let's exchange for some Nether Sky Coins. At least that proves we've entered a sub-plane of the Nether Sky Realm. Even if there's no Nether-Origin Force, at least we're not in the wrong place," Evan Yang said.
(Irrelevant system message skipped)
"Nether Sky Coins? What a weird thing. Let's go," Ember Yang muttered.
So Evan Yang took Ember Yang to wander around the town until they found a place where you could pawn artifacts for Nether Sky Coins. Not knowing the prices, Evan simply handed over a pile of materials to the appraiser. The appraiser was stunned at first, then said, "Wait here, I'll get your coins."
The appraiser went to the back, where he whispered to a middle-aged man drinking in the corner. The man stood up and asked, "Are you serious?"
"It's true. They have tons of good materials on them. And this is just a portion," the appraiser said.
"I see. Looks like we've got a fat sheep today. Give them the coins first. Once they leave, I'll take some men and rob them back," the middle-aged man chuckled.
"Got it." The appraiser nodded, then returned to the front counter, handed Evan Yang a storage pouch, and said, "Five million Nether Sky Coins—all here. Take them."
"Oh, thanks." Evan Yang had no idea how much five million Nether Sky Coins were worth, but it sounded like a lot, so he took them and left with Ember Yang.
Outside, Ember Yang was thrilled. "So many Nether Sky Coins! Let's splurge a little!"
"Don't forget why we're here. Let's figure out what's going on in this place first," Evan Yang reminded her.
"But everyone's so weird—how are we supposed to find anything out?" Ember Yang grumbled.
"Don't worry, we will soon enough," Evan Yang said with a smile. He'd already noticed someone tailing them—at least that meant he could use these stalkers to his advantage.
So Evan Yang took Ember Yang and flew out into the empty void, away from the town. Ember Yang was confused. "Dad, why are we leaving? It'll be even harder to find out anything this way."
"Because someone's delivering themselves to us," Evan Yang said with a smile.
"Delivering themselves? Where?" Ember Yang looked around, curious.
"They'll show up soon, just wait," Evan Yang smiled. Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, a man appeared behind them with three others.
The leader held a smoking pipe, took a puff, but no smoke came out—it looked fake. But Evan Yang knew this pipe was no ordinary item. It didn't lack smoke; the smoke was just invisible.
"Who are you?" Ember Yang asked, curious how Evan Yang had noticed their tail so quickly.
"We're here to help you store your valuables. I know you two have lots of good stuff on you, and you know this world is chaotic and dangerous. Carrying so much is risky—why not hand it over to us for safekeeping? If you need anything, just come find us," the pipe-wielding man said with a smile.
Ember Yang burst out laughing. "Ha! So you're here to rob us!"
"Are you trying to get yourself killed, laughing so loudly?" the pipe man was shocked by Ember Yang's laughter.
"Tch, even robbers are this timid. Well, today I'm going to be loud—what can you do about it?" Ember Yang laughed.
"Go on, everyone! Seal that girl's mouth first!" the pipe man ordered angrily.
The three men immediately surrounded Evan Yang and Ember Yang, preparing to attack Ember. Ember said to Evan, "Dad, leave it to me. Watch how I teach these cowards a lesson."
"Cowards? Hmph, you ignorant girl. I'll teach you a lesson for your dad," the pipe man snorted, then signaled the three to attack.
The three attackers went straight for Ember Yang, while Evan Yang didn't intervene, instead stepping aside. The pipe man blocked Evan's path, thinking he would try to escape, and laughed, "Trying to run, are you?"
"Run? Not at all. My daughter is still here—why would I leave? Besides, we're here specifically waiting for you. Why would we run?" Evan Yang replied with a strange smile.