Chapter 10: The Fog Realm
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
A slight chill brushed against his wrist, and Shi Wenze’s heart rate quickened. Just as he was about to say something, the door to the next room opened, and a burly man with tattoos was passionately singing an upbeat folk song. The DJ remix of “Drunken Butterfly” was clearly not the right background music for love, and Shi Wenze quickly snapped back to reality, momentarily escaping the dizzying world around him. He asked, “Why the sudden urge to go to the Fog Realm?”
Lin Su replied, “To ride motorcycles.” It made sense—he had mentioned it just yesterday.
“Alright,” Shi Wenze nodded. “I’ll go get some gas first.”
But Lin Su wasn’t willing to wait a second longer. He just wanted to get away from this dangerous world, where even a credit score above 650 was enough to rent a charging bank without a deposit.
The tattooed man kept rocking out, his voice so loud that even the bartender was taken aback, muttering how hard it was to make money and how terrible the music was. He sighed, knowing this song would probably haunt him every day, and wondered if he could file a work injury claim for the experience.
Lin Su, however, felt a sense of relief. It was the perfect excuse to drag Shi Wenze out of there. Without even returning to their room, they sent a quick message to Lin Lu. But even then, Lin Su wasn’t fully at ease, so he extended his hand and said, “Give it to me.”
“What?”
“Your phone. Little Lu needs to get it fixed too. We might as well do the after-service for both of you together.”
Shi Wenze understood exactly why Lin Su suddenly wanted to go to the Fog Realm, but he didn’t want to hand over his phone. It wasn’t just because of the repair. If his sister got her hands on it and pressed the power button out of curiosity, the 95% remaining battery would turn into a cold, icy downpour all over his face.
Shi Wenze even thought, given Lin Su’s almost non-existent ability to handle stress, if he found out that Shi Wenze had pretended not to drive just to hitch a ride on a motorcycle, he might offer a full service of deleting and blocking contacts by tomorrow. After all, artists were sensitive and fragile, like the wind or birds, never tied down by bureaucracy, and always ready for an impromptu adventure. It made things difficult to chase.
“You don’t need to go through all that trouble,” Shi Wenze said, his hands in his pockets. “I’ll ask a friend first. Maybe I just forgot to charge it after copying data for hours last night. I was too lazy to go back and fix it.”
Lin Su insisted, “Send it back now. We’ll stay in the Fog Realm for a few more days. If there’s a problem, it might be out of warranty when we come back.”
The unexpected trip had come out of nowhere, and it all started just because Shi Wenze didn’t want to check Weibo. He could only admire Lin Su’s skillful handling, saying, “Nice move. I should’ve expected that from you.” He didn’t resist any further, knowing that if he refused too much, the trip wouldn’t happen, and Lin Su might lose patience. Then he’d have nowhere to cry about it.
Shi Wenze immediately called for a courier. A small monster in a yellow shirt and hat zoomed in on a tricycle from a distance. He took the phone, quickly packed it into a box with foam padding, and said crisply, “Same-city delivery, fifteen yuan.”
Lin Su stood still, not realizing that Shi Wenze’s phone had already been sent off in the box. He couldn’t scan anything and was confused as to why the courier was looking at him. The room went silent for a while, before the little monster sighed and said, “Alright, alright, I know it’s only nine yuan for SF Express within the same city. I’ll give you a discount on this one.”
His words knocked six yuan off Shi Wenze’s bill. Perhaps in an attempt to prove his worth, the courier rode off with such speed that it seemed like he was in a whirlwind. He looked as if he were about to arrive at a tattoo parlor in the blink of an eye. “SF Express will pick it up in an hour, and we’ll deliver it in an hour! The price of delivery, the service of flash delivery, the speed and passion, and trust follow me!”
Next, they fueled up the motorcycle, bought water at a convenience store, and had a meal at a small roadside restaurant—everything was paid for by Lin Su. Shi Wenze turned down the boss’s recommendation of cold beef salad, opting instead for a few pieces of old-style dumplings and some cooked greens. Lin Su couldn’t help but marvel at how easy it was to feed this handsome guy. Afterward, they each had a bowl of brown sugar jelly, and when Shi Wenze tasted the sweet, refreshing flavor, he realized that having someone else pay for the meal was quite addictive. He even thought about indulging a little more.
They didn’t reach the Fog Realm until late afternoon. Shi Wenze drove him around aimlessly on winding mountain roads. There were no traffic cops or speed limits in this area. If the monsters wanted, they could chase the wind, and Shi Wenze did just that. The black motorcycle sped through the mountains, and Lin Su, for the first time in his life, experienced the thrill of speed. Forget about Ferraris, he didn’t even care. A real man rode a motorcycle!
Gradually, more cars appeared, as well as some other monsters. While they didn’t have vehicles, they could control the wind and ride the thunder.
“Hold on!” Shi Wenze bent low and revved the engine to its maximum. The world of monsters was so carefree. Everyone had been casually strolling around, but with the appearance of a motorcycle, it suddenly turned into a rally championship. There were no referees, no prizes, and the track was entirely spontaneous, but it didn’t matter. Every overtaking was a victory.
The motorcycle took off from a slope, soaring alongside a golden eagle in the air, before quickly descending to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust as it came to a smooth stop. They had reached the highest point of the mountain.
Lin Su had taken off his helmet, and the sky was already completely dark. Flashing lights were drifting around in the fields, sometimes bright, sometimes dim. Some were lights left by monsters falling, and others were petals drifting from plants. He was still caught in the weightless rush from the street race, so he remained silent for a while. His medium-length hair slightly covered his eyes. Shi Wenze stared at him intently, but before his emotions could settle, a sudden “thud” hit his chest, and an advertisement flyer was slapped onto him.
“…”
“New store opening, 20% off!”
The boss, who was some sort of monster, was standing there with chicken claw-like feet on a tricycle, a green snake wrapped around his neck, and wearing a black studded leather jacket and bright red mountaineering pants. He looked incredibly hardcore. Ignoring the cold, emotionless expression of his customer, he kept his Mohawk hairstyle and flashed a big smile. With a strong northeastern accent, he boomed, “Fa Cai Grand Hotel, with free breakfast, foot spa, back rub, and car wash coupons! Free use of meeting rooms, game rooms, gym, and swimming pool. Luxurious and high-end, it’s an unbeatable value.”
Shi Wenze said, “Boss, you’re really not going to make any money this way.”
The boss immediately grew serious, his smile vanishing and replaced by a stiff, fleshy expression. Without saying a word, he parked the tricycle, rolled up his sleeves to reveal his biceps, and turned to rummage through his bag. Lin Su was used to these kinds of situations—beatings, chases, insults, intimidation—but he didn’t care whether the boss had been in business for more or less than five years. He only cared if Shi Wenze hurt the guy and it got classified as excessive self-defense.
Shi Wenze leaned against the motorcycle, raised an eyebrow, and motioned for Lin Su to stand beside him. The boss grabbed his bag and shook it, making a loud noise. Lin Su thought he had finally found the perfect weapon, but instead, the boss pulled out a notebook and pen, greasy from the pile of kitchen knives and crab crackers he had gone through.
“So, what suggestions do you have for our hotel’s operation?” he asked, opening the notebook and looking at Shi Wenze with eager curiosity, eliminating any bias from his accent. The man wasn’t interested in what you thought about him; he was focused on his career, elegant and charming. His ambition reached for the stars.
Shi Wenze, who had been ready for a confrontation, was caught off guard. It was like a fan meeting, except this time it was the hotel business, an area he knew nothing about. And without the handy tool girl Lan Weiwei around, he could only ask, “Where’s the hotel? We’ll stay for one night.”
“It’s very close, just ahead in Happy Village!” The boss was ecstatic and led the way. Shi Wenze glanced at Lin Su, who was too busy thinking about why he was the fool in this situation to respond.
The boss turned on the horn attached to his tricycle, blaring a welcoming tune as they sped toward the hotel, the regal atmosphere growing stronger. Lin Su, feeling dizzy from the noise, didn’t cover his ears because there were monsters along the way staring at them. At least with the helmet on, he could cover his face.
The tricycle eventually stopped in front of a luxurious hotel. To the left, two rows of fancy cars filled the parking lot, making it hard to tell whether they were in Happy Village or Dubai. The boss, possibly worried that guests might misunderstand the hotel’s pricing, quickly clarified, “These cars are all mine, they have nothing to do with the hotel. Our standard rooms are only 299 a night!”
Shi Wenze: Thanks, but that didn’t comfort him.
The reason the boss was riding the tricycle was because his Aston Martin couldn’t handle the gravel roads, which wasn’t good for his flyer distribution business.
Inside the Fa Cai Grand Hotel, there was a cacophony of voices, with crystal chandeliers sparkling. Various mythic beasts roamed through the hall. Guests wore luxurious bathrobes with logos all over, looking like they belonged to a Louis Vuitton collection. Lin Su even wondered if he had unknowingly missed a dress code.
Shi Wenze declined the enthusiastic offer of the young female staff to show them the way and instead waited with Lin Su for the elevator. Technically, it was their first time sharing a room, and it should have been a chance for lingering tension, but the hotel’s overall vibe was so otherworldly that neither of them felt any earthly desire. All they wanted was to head straight to the second-floor sauna for a relaxing time.
The journey back to their room wasn’t easy either, as they got lost while walking through the sky garden. After about twenty minutes of wandering in the dark, a security guard finally escorted them back to their room. Lin Su sat silently on the couch. Outside the window, monsters passed by, laughing maniacally through the fireworks, but all he could think about was how noisy they were.
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