Translator: AnubisTL
In the Second Universe, on an uncharted planet within an unknown city, Chen Mang and his group arrived.
What was peculiar was this:
Although the inhabitants were supposedly dead, they lacked the dense aura of death. Their bodies weren't decaying, nor were they ghostly apparitions; they appeared virtually indistinguishable from living humans.
No.
To be precise, there was absolutely no difference.
This saved them considerable effort.
Chen Mang had initially planned to disguise himself to conceal his living status, but upon closer observation of these "Hell residents," he realized:
They were all alive.
Not a single one was dead.
The city teemed with pedestrians, a modern metropolis boasting skyscrapers, neon lights, and bustling streets. Everything about it made it easy to forget they were in Hell, the so-called "Second Universe."
"..."
Chen Mang, accompanied by Biaozi and the others, stood before a roadside vendor, watching as the man dipped palm-sized, unidentified insects into batter, coated them thoroughly, and tossed them into a sizzling oil vat. Once fried to a crisp, he sprinkled them with chili powder.
It must be a local delicacy.
But...
It was a bit hellish.
He could barely tolerate eating insects, and even then, only those about the size of a cicada's finger. Insects the size of his palm were already pushing his limits—after all, he wasn't from Guangxi.
His lips twitched slightly.
He led Biaozi and the others away from the vendor. Over the years, he had been diligently studying Cosmic Language in his spare time. Now, he could communicate fluently and naturally in it. Since all the signs and communication in this city used Cosmic Language, he could live here almost normally. Of course, he still occasionally heard niche languages he didn't understand.
As an aside, Cosmic Language could actually be instantly mastered through memory implantation. However, he was sensitive about this, unwilling to erase any part of his own memories or have new ones implanted.
It made him feel impure, as if he wasn't truly himself.
Three hours later, Chen Mang sat with Biaozi at an outdoor table of a roadside café, sighing softly.
"Not bad."
It now seemed clear that the Second Universe was a complete and independent cosmos. The only catch was that all its resources and special items were prefixed with "Hell," making them unusable in the First Universe and confined to circulation within this realm.
He had initially planned to buy some snacks, but...
He was penniless.
Without local currency or Hell Iron Ore, he couldn't afford even the cheapest item.
They were currently sitting at the café's free outdoor tables, not daring to enter. They couldn't afford coffee, and as newcomers, he was reluctant to try Tyrant Coffee, which was known for its exorbitant prices.
In other words, the overpowered effect that allowed him to freely travel between the Second Universe and the First Universe was essentially limited to sightseeing.
He couldn't even become a simple black market trader.
However, he had gleaned some valuable information about the Second Universe.
For example, it was a hierarchical society divided into nine classes. Those who had understood Cosmic Language in life and had family in the First Universe who regularly burned paper offerings for them were considered third-class citizens.
Not understanding Cosmic Language meant being unable to immediately integrate into this world, but having family burn paper offerings meant being Sixth Class.
Not understanding Cosmic Language and having no one care after death meant being Ninth Class.
As for First Class, it meant not only understanding Cosmic Language in life but also knowing about the Second Universe. After death, family members would frantically burn incense, by the ton, ensuring a comfortable afterlife in the Second Universe.
Beyond that, the Second Universe held no particular significance. It was simply a place where everyone had a chance to end up after death, where they could live indefinitely until they no longer wished to.
The suicide rate here was extremely high.
Every year, a large number of people took their own lives.
Without natural death or the ability to kill each other, suicide became the only means of ending one's existence.
Just then—
Chen Mang suddenly felt his Hell Staff tremble slightly, and even his Hell Hat began to vibrate. Not only that, but the Hell Shades in his shirt pocket were also shaking, as if sensing something.
"..."
He paused, recalling the full names of the three special items:
Hell Staff Hell Hat * Hell Shades
All three were special items prefixed with "Hell," suggesting a deep connection to this place.
But isn't that normal?
In the First Universe, many special items bore the "Hell" prefix, including accessories like the Hell Cannon. He wasn't the only one who possessed such items.
He raised the Hell Staff and stood still, rotating his body to face different directions.
When he faced due north, the staff stopped trembling.
He looked up.
Across the street lay a dark, narrow alley.
"Another alley," Chen Mang murmured. The staff was clearly being drawn to something, but whether it was a blessing or a curse remained to be seen. He lightly touched the brooch on his chest, reminding himself that skill breeds courage.
He rose, leaned on the Hell Staff, and crossed the bustling street toward the opposite side.
The crossing took six minutes.
The street wasn't particularly wide—only eight lanes.
There were no traffic lights here, and cars sped down the streets, making crossing the road a perilous task.
Deeper into the alley, he reached a fork in the road. The Hell Staff began to tremble again, but the tremors ceased when he faced east.
Guided by this subtle vibration, he navigated the labyrinthine alleys of this unfamiliar city until he arrived at a...
"Floodgate Entrance."
This was a public structure, a subterranean tunnel designed to quickly divert floodwaters during extreme weather events. But perhaps due to prolonged drought, it had devolved into a slum.
People milled about the entrance, their clothes tattered and bodies covered in scars. Some had even disemboweled themselves, hanging their intestines over the railings and suspending themselves by their necks from the dangling entrails, swaying like grotesque teru teru bozu dolls in broad daylight.
It was a scene of utter chaos, a veritable dance of demons.
Not a single sane person remained.
Only here could one truly sense the atmosphere of Hell.
Yes, this is how Hell should be.
The office workers on the main road outside, clutching their briefcases, seemed utterly disconnected from Hell. They were insane—still working even after death, eternally toiling away. No wonder so many people committed suicide; complete annihilation would be preferable to this.
At that moment, many people cast strange, wary glances at them.
Their presence here was strikingly out of place. Their clothes were impeccably clean and clearly expensive, and their bodies were whole and undamaged, making them utterly incongruous with the surroundings. No one dared to look at them for too long, fearing they might offend some big shot.
Chen Mang glanced down at his Hell Staff.
The staff guided him deeper into the slum.
The air reeked of a stench so overpowering it was almost palpable—like the odor of a middle-aged man with a fungal infection who had spent the day stomping on koji rice, then rolled up his sweaty sleeves to work as a perfume salesperson.
Yes.
Even the people here had to work. Without access to bathing facilities, they could only afford cheap perfumes to mask their body odor.
When these various scents mixed together, the air quality became almost unbearable.
Standing here in person, it was hard to imagine that such a place could exist within the countless skyscrapers of this bustling city.
"Let's go in and take a look," Chen Mang said.
Now that they were here, Chen Mang was eager to discover what had guided him to this place.
Leading Biaozi and the others, he strode into the Floodgate Entrance. The light shifted rapidly, and as their eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, they found themselves in a parking lot-like area. The ground was covered in makeshift bedding, where families slept side by side.
The dominant race was human, but there were also various other races present, many of which Chen Mang didn't recognize. Most of these races shared a basic human structure, with modifications or extensions to their anatomy.
Following the guidance, Chen Mang ventured deeper into the area. Surprisingly, no one bothered to challenge or drive him away, saving him considerable trouble.
Finally—
Guided by the Hell Staff, he reached the deepest part of the Slum. Here, the environment appeared slightly cleaner. Merchants sat on the ground, their wares displayed on white cloths spread before them.
This place must be something akin to a Black Market.
He noticed that each white cloth spread out before the vendors had threads extending from all four corners. This clever design allowed them to instantly create a makeshift pouch by tugging on the threads, gathering their wares and fleeing at the first sign of trouble.
He'd seen such a world before.
But that was in the previous world he'd encountered before his transmigration.
It felt like a distant memory, the details already fading.
This detail further confirmed his suspicion that this was indeed a Black Market. Only vendors dealing in illicit goods would use such a setup. Yet the items for sale looked utterly worthless.
Chen Mang crouched before one vendor, examining the goods laid out on the white cloth.
There were cracked washbasins, used bars of soap, nearly empty tubes of toothpaste, and... a few cigarette butts. Rather than merchandise, these were more like trash—the kind of things you'd find in a landfill, not a Black Market.
But—
If these vendors were selling these items, and doing so in a Black Market, there must be something special about them that he hadn't yet grasped.
Still...
Chen Mang picked up the nearly empty tube of toothpaste from the white cloth, examining it from every angle. He couldn't discern anything special about it—a brand he'd never heard of, with the label's text faded beyond recognition.
"How much?" he asked, looking up at the merchant.
He found the merchant frozen in place, his expression one of terror as he stared at the toothpaste in Chen Mang's hand. His voice trembled, "Y-you can actually pick up this toothpaste with your bare hands?"
Chen Mang paused for a moment before calmly replying, "I'm wearing invisible gloves."
"That explains it," the merchant sighed in relief. He carefully wrapped his hand in his sleeve before taking the toothpaste from Chen Mang. "This tube costs 170,000 units of Hell Iron Ore."
He then pulled out a device from his pocket, touched it to the toothpaste, and a number appeared on the screen:
[Vitality: 17]
"A Vitality of 17 for 170,000 units of Hell Iron Ore—a very fair price," the merchant said earnestly, clearly eager to make the sale.
Meanwhile—
Xiao Ai had already searched nearby AI databases, retrieved the relevant information, and transmitted it directly into Chen Mang's mind.
"Train Conductor, the goods sold by these merchants are called 'Hell Forbidden Items,' similar to the 'Cosmic Forbidden Items' of the First Universe."
"In the First Universe, Cosmic Forbidden Items are entities that have traveled back in time through spatiotemporal rifts, disrupting the spacetime continuum. When the Past State and Present State of a Cosmic Forbidden Item collide, inexplicable phenomena occur."
"Cosmic Forbidden Items are unique to the First Universe."
"They don't exist in Hell."
"What's truly remarkable is that..."
"The Second Universe lacks temporal rifts entirely. Its unique product, the Hell Forbidden Item, is an extraordinary phenomenon. When someone dies in the First Universe, there's an extremely low chance that some of their personal belongings—clothing, items they were touching, or even body parts—will accompany their host to the Second Universe."
"These items become Hell Forbidden Items."
"The 'Vitality' of different Hell Forbidden Items varies greatly. This Vitality value primarily depends on the duration the item drifted between the two universes. The longer the drift, the higher the Vitality."
"When someone dies in the First Universe, they don't immediately appear in the Second Universe. There's a period of drifting, and the duration of this drift is entirely random."
"It could be a second, a fleeting moment."
"Or it could be a hundred thousand years, a million years, even ten million years."
"Drifting for one year grants one unit of Vitality."
"Anything less than a year yields zero Vitality—completely useless."
"The Hell Forbidden Items have two primary effects."
"The first, and most common, is to absorb the Vitality from the Hell Forbidden Items to enhance one's Physical Strength. This is by far the most widespread method of use."
"The second effect is much rarer."
"It's said that..."
"Between the First Universe and the Second Universe lies a vast expanse of The Void. To return to the First Universe, one must gather a sufficient quantity of Hell Forbidden Items and use them to reverse the flow and ascend back."
"However, this remains unverified. According to my information, no one has ever accomplished this feat. The origin of this rumor remains unknown."
"Oh, right."
"One more thing."
"Never touch Hell Forbidden Items with bare skin. It's like wiping your ass with stinging nettles and then rubbing vigorously—the excruciating pain lasts for an agonizingly long time. No ordinary person could endure it. You must always use a barrier, even a thin plastic film or a sheet of toilet paper will suffice."
"..."
As Chen Mang listened to Xiao Ai's report in his mind, his expression remained impassive. The reason nothing happened when he touched the device was likely because he wasn't a native of this universe.
This object was fundamentally a product of the First Universe.
As someone from the First Universe, touching it posed no problem for him.
It seemed that while people from the First and Second Universes might appear identical outwardly, subtle yet significant differences existed between them.
Absorbing Vitality...
Enhancing one's Physical Strength...
To be honest, he was tempted.
Although he had no intention of relying on such methods in combat, any increase in Physical Strength would be beneficial. He wondered if he could even use it and considered buying one to test back home. But he was genuinely short on funds.
Should I just take it?
He glanced up at the merchant, whose face was sincere and eyes brimming with anticipation. After a moment's pause, he said, "No rush. Why don't you take a look at this and see if you're interested?"
With that, he rummaged in his pocket for a moment before producing a lighter.
The merchant carefully took the lighter with gloved hands and picked up his device again. "Let me check the Vitality of this Forbidden Item. If it's too high, I might not be able to afford it." The next moment—
A long string of numbers appeared on the screen:
[ 0.00000317. ]
"Uh..."
The merchant paused, looking bewildered. "Big brother, this Vitality is practically zero. It's worthless."
He had assumed Chen Mang was a big shot, given the entourage following him, his extraordinary attire, and his imposing demeanor. The merchant had braced himself for a Cosmic Forbidden Item with sky-high Vitality. Even if he couldn't afford it, he'd at least gain valuable insight.
But this... this was just trash.
"..."
Chen Mang nodded slightly, rose, and walked away. "Wait here for me."
He strode to a corner and stepped into a refrigerator.
He had an idea he wanted to test.
His lighter possessed Vitality, classifying it as a Cosmic Forbidden Item. This meant his transit from the First Universe to the Second Universe counted as drifting through time, albeit at an accelerated rate.
Perhaps he could artificially create a "Cosmic Forbidden Item" with extremely high Vitality?
Returning to the Stellaris train, he traveled back to the Niya Star System within the First Universe. Piloting the Stellaris, he initiated Spacetime Reversion, rewinding time by ten thousand years, and immediately crossed over to the Second Universe.
From there, he returned to the Black Market via the refrigerator.
"Here," Chen Mang said, approaching the merchant again. He pulled out another lighter from his pocket and whispered, "I grabbed the wrong one earlier. Try this one."
The merchant cautiously accepted the lighter and aimed the device at it.
The next moment—
Beep beep beep!
Instead of displaying a numerical value, the device's screen flashed three exclamation marks.
The merchant froze in shock, staring at the screen for a long moment before looking up at Chen Mang. "Big brother," he stammered, "this device can only measure Vitality up to 1,000. Yours is off the charts! This little shop can't handle something like that."
Chen Mang didn't reply. He slowly rose, leaning on his staff, and gazed at the lighter in the merchant's hand, his thoughts gradually deepening.
He had only been testing a theory.
He hadn't expected it to actually work.
If he returned to the Niya Star System ten thousand years ago, then when he traveled to the Second Universe again a hundred thousand years later, the items he carried would have effectively drifted through time for ten thousand years?
A Hell Forbidden Item with 10,000 Vitality.
Created so easily?
And mass-producible?
It seemed...
He could effortlessly become the wealthiest man in the Second Universe. In other words, if he were willing to switch trains, he could amass enough Hell Forbidden Items to build the most powerful train in the Second Universe.
The cost would be never being able to return to the First Universe.
He could only possess one train.
Alternatively, he could keep his current train and use vast quantities of Hell Iron Ore to collect Hell Murphy Stones, forcibly forging an extremely powerful train in the Second Universe through this method.
This was essentially unlocking a cheat code for unlimited resources.
There were even more uses.
For example, these Hell Forbidden Items could significantly enhance his Physical Strength. However, he hadn't experimented yet and wasn't sure if he could absorb them, so he'd set that aside for now.
As for the present...
He glanced sideways at a special item on the merchant's stall—a panel-equipped object called the Hellfire Stone.
It wasn't a Hell Forbidden Item.
This merchant sold more than just Hell Forbidden Items.
His Hell Staff had guided him here, sensing the Hellfire Stone.
"How much for this?"
"300,000 units of Hell Iron Ore...?" The merchant hesitated before naming a price. For a special item, this was practically a giveaway, an absurdly low price.
But...
The problem was that this special item was utterly useless. Its only function was similar to a tinderbox, capable of producing a small flame—essentially a perpetually lit lighter.
As a result, this special item hadn't sold in ages.
The merchant knew he'd overpriced it, given its complete lack of utility. Still, it was a special item, after all.
Chen Mang paused before looking up at the man. "Do you set up shop here often?"
"Every day."
"I didn't bring any money with me today. Can I take this now and pay you tomorrow? Deal?"
"Deal."
The man nodded emphatically without hesitation, picked up the special item from his stall, and handed it to Chen Mang with a wide grin. "Big brother looks like someone who's not short on cash. I trust you. If you need anything else, just let me know. I might not have much on hand, but I've been in this business a long time and know plenty of people. I can help you source whatever you need."
The transaction went smoothly.
Without spending a single coin, Chen Mang walked away with the Hellfire Stone.
As he strolled down the street, playing with the item in his hand, he headed toward the city's largest Auction House, intending to sell the Hell Forbidden Item with 10,000 years of Vitality that he had acquired.
The Hellfire Stone resembled a smooth river pebble, its surface rough. Rubbing it with his thumb produced a faint flame—barely noticeable.
Just enough to light a cigarette.
Another special item with the "Hell" prefix.
From what he could tell so far, the Second Universe still had plenty of valuable resources. While he couldn't take away raw materials, special items could be completely removed from the Second Universe. Collecting a batch of these items would be a good way to strengthen the foundation of human civilization.
Ten minutes later, Chen Mang emerged from the Auction House. He had expected the staff to be shocked by his 10,000 Vitality "Hell Forbidden Item" and unsure how to price it. But to his surprise, the receptionist remained remarkably calm, showing almost no expression, perhaps due to having seen countless grand occasions.
She quickly offered a fair price:
"80 million units of Hell Iron Ore."
Under normal circumstances, given its rarity, the item could have sold for 120 million units of iron ore.
But Chen Mang didn't have time to consign it for auction. He chose to sell it directly to the Auction House, accepting a lower price for the quick sale. Otherwise, he would have to wait a long time for the Auction House's next major auction.
"What a pity," Chen Mang murmured, a hint of regret in his voice. If only he could bring the iron ore from the Second Universe to the First Universe.
Then he could truly lift himself up by his own bootstraps and ascend to the heavens.
Is there a way to successfully transport the Hell Iron Ore from the Second Universe to the First Universe and make it usable there?
Meanwhile—
In a remote corner of the Second Universe, an elderly man sat cross-legged on the surface of a desolate planet. As if sensing something, he slowly opened his eyes.
The old man had been sitting here for an immeasurable amount of time.
Withered grass had already overgrown his body, and the atmosphere around him was utterly desolate.
After a long silence, he murmured absently, "Another person has gathered four pieces of the Hell Set. I wonder if anyone will ever truly complete the entire Hell Set."
"Impossible," a woman's silvery laughter suddenly echoed from behind him. "The Hell Set consists of seven special items. Three are in the First Universe, and three are in the Second Universe."
"The last one remains unaccounted for."
"It's virtually impossible for someone from the Second Universe to reach the First Universe. Only those from the First Universe have a chance to come here. The only way to complete the Hell Set—"
"Is if the three special items from the First Universe happen to transform into Hell Forbidden Items and arrive in the Second Universe. Only then would it be possible to gather the entire set."
"But even if that happens..."
"The final special item remains a mystery. We don't know what it is, where it is, or even whether it's in the First Universe or the Second Universe."
"So many years have passed, yet no one has ever completed the Hell Set. Elder, why do you still worry about this? Over the years, countless lucky individuals have gathered four pieces of the set, but what good has it done them? Until the entire set is complete, it's practically useless. Gathering six pieces is no different from gathering just one."
The Elder remained silent, his expression unreadable.
In truth, even he didn't know what would happen upon completing the Hell Set. He only remembered the ancient consensus: completing the Hell Set would grant a tremendous reward.
After a long silence, he murmured, "Very well."
"Let's not dwell on this."
"How long have I been asleep this time?"
"Roughly three thousand years, I didn't keep exact count."
"That was a long nap. I'm still a bit disoriented. Has anything significant happened in the past three millennia?"
"Nothing major. Everything's much the same as before."
"Oh, right. There was one thing: the entire Demon Race fled to the First Universe, using some unknown means."
(End of the Chapter)
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