Chapter 712: Equipment from Afar

“What…?”

“Everyone! The Hero has already given his instructions—this is exactly why he sent me back!” Brother Gu Yu swept his sharp gaze across the crowd before declaring, “Within two days, I will take responsibility for finding those ‘jades’ and distributing them to each of you! If I fail, I am willing to face the ‘family rules’ as punishment!”

His words struck with resounding force, echoing in everyone’s hearts. The scent of doubt in the air gradually shifted into one of reassurance.

They agreed to give Brother Gu Yu two days to locate the ‘jades’ and also pledged to regard me as their sole object of faith.

That day, as the crowd dispersed and I was about to return to my room, I suddenly caught an overwhelming scent from a distant place—one unlike anything I had ever encountered before.

I turned away from the crowd and stared blankly into the distance.

Noticing my reaction, Brother Gu Yu and Sister Siwei came to my side. They followed my gaze but saw nothing.

“What’s wrong?” Sister Siwei asked.

“That scent… it’s so intense…” I murmured, still staring dazedly at the sky.

“Scent?” Sister Siwei paused. “But there’s no one there.”

“No…” I pointed toward the sky. “It’s far away… but I can smell it… right there…”

Sister Siwei pressed, “Is it ‘fragrance’? Or is it an ’emotion’ or a ‘thought’?”

“None of those… and yet, all of them.” My body trembled slightly. “There’s fragrance, foulness, intense emotions, restless obsessions… and a massive thought…”

My words left the two of them puzzled. “A massive thought…?”

Brother Gu Yu pondered for a moment before speaking. “Hero, could it be psychological? The direction you’re pointing is empty for hundreds of meters. Theoretically, scents shouldn’t carry that far.”

Sister Siwei glanced at him and whispered, “Gu Yu… are you saying Wan’s death has affected the Hero mentally?”

“It’s just a possibility.”

“No.” I shook my head. “I really smelled it… I sensed that person’s thoughts in my mind.”

“What thoughts?”

“‘Come find me.’” I replied. “He’s calling me to him. He said, ‘Whether you see, hear, think, or sense the changes here, come find me. No matter how many years pass, I’ll be waiting for you.’”

The scent of caution instantly emanated from Brother Gu Yu and Sister Siwei.

“Hero… usually, you only detect someone’s ‘thoughts’ when they’re extremely intense, right?” Sister Siwei asked.

“Yes. That person’s ‘thought’ was so powerful it directly projected into my mind.”

I kept staring in that direction, where the scent and thoughts continued to pour in endlessly.

“But isn’t this strange?” Sister Siwei frowned. “We can’t tell if that person is friend or foe, nor do we know what they want. Why would they summon you?”

Truthfully, I didn’t know either. But within that scent, I sensed an unprecedented depth of despair and sorrow.

He was calling out to whoever could perceive him.

He needed my help.

“Brother Gu Yu… what place is that?”

He looked in the direction I was pointing. “You mean…?”

“Which city is it?” I pressed.

“Dao City,” he answered. “About a day’s journey from here.”

Sister Siwei hesitated before asking, “Hero… do you want to go see?”

“I…”

I hesitated too. Should I go?

But if I leave this city, what will become of it?

“I won’t stop you,” Sister Siwei said. “As I’ve said before, you can do whatever you wish.”

“No…”

I knew I couldn’t possibly put Brother Gu Yu and Sister Siwei in danger for the sake of a stranger.

But that person had said he would wait for me, no matter how many years passed. Sooner or later, I would have to go.

In the days that followed, just as Brother Gu Yu and Uncle Wan had predicted, the people here felt no attachment to the name “Wan Cai.”

What they needed was never Uncle Wan—it was me.

I wonder if Uncle Wan ever imagined that one day, he would truly become the “guide” he had spoken of.

After leading everyone onto this path, he was ruthlessly abandoned.

Brother Gu Yu told me that many in the family had their minds warped and rigid, and this mindset continued to spread. There was no changing them now. Many of the rules Uncle Wan had established during his lifetime still had to be followed.

Like worshiping the “Divine Dragon,” or using the “Executioner” for punishment, or chanting the “slogans”—except now, the object of their devotion was no longer someone else.

It was me.

I was the true Hero of “Jade City.”

When Brother Gu Yu retrieved those ‘jades’ and distributed them equally among everyone, their adoration for me reached its peak.

But I knew this was wrong… Now, the strange ones weren’t the ‘family members’—it was the three of us.

We were too clear-headed, making us misfits among them. If we didn’t pretend to be like them, we’d eventually be labeled as outsiders.

So we had no choice but to go with the flow, following the crowd in their daily routines.

Thankfully, the people treated me better and better, and I responded in kind. I did my best to help everyone every day. But I didn’t know how I was supposed to treat them—I had never been a ‘hero’ before.

Who could tell me… what does a real ‘hero’ even look like?

One morning, after I finished ‘judging’ everyone’s ‘fragrance,’ I sat aside to rest my nose when Brother Gu Yu called Sister Siwei and me over.

“What’s wrong…?” Sister Siwei asked.

Brother Gu Yu sighed. “There’s something I’m worried about…”

“What?”

“I’m afraid the Hero might collapse one day.” He didn’t avoid speaking plainly in front of me. “When I was in other cities, I heard that if a ‘fragrance’ ability over-enhances a certain part of the body, overuse will inevitably backfire.”

“You’re worried about the Hero’s nose…”

“Yes.” Brother Gu Yu nodded. “But speaking of which… I once saw something very interesting in ‘Dao City.’ I’m considering whether it’s feasible to replicate it here.”

“What is it?” Sister Siwei and I asked in unison.

“As I mentioned, ‘Dao City’ has many clever minds. They managed to create a massive display screen using ‘fragrance.’ On that screen is a bronze bell—whenever a ‘fragrance user’ appears, the bell rings, and the screen displays their ability. Though their terminology is slightly different from ours. Just as ‘Vortex City’ calls them ‘Ripple Soldiers’ and we call them ‘Fragrance Users,’ the people there refer to those with abilities as ‘Echoers.'”

Sister Siwei imagined the scene before asking, “So the screen would display… ‘Someone has begun to echo’?”

“No… the reality is far more intriguing.” Brother Gu Yu said. “That screen seems to have a life of its own. It says—‘I hear the echo.’”