Chapter 3504: A Lax World

"It doesn’t sound special," Lin Mu said honestly.

Jeon barked out a laugh. "It wasn’t."

He studied Lin Mu closely. "You look disappointed."

"I was expecting something... stranger," Lin Mu replied. "A calamity. A forbidden technique. An external invader."

Jeon shook his head. "No. Just immortals being immortals."

Lin Mu nodded slowly.

But another thought surfaced.

"There’s something else I don’t understand," he said.

Jeon raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Information," Lin Mu said. "Or rather... the lack of it. News here moves slowly. Too slowly. Even major events seem barely recorded or half-forgotten."

Jeon fell silent.

For a long moment, he stared into his tea.

"That," he said at last, "is a question I can’t answer properly."

Lin Mu waited.

"I’ve heard stories," Jeon continued, "from travelers who passed through once or twice. They said other immortal worlds spread news quickly. Formation networks. Messenger sects. Court registries. Things like that."

He shook his head.

"But here? We’ve always been... lax."

Lin Mu frowned. "Always?"

"As long as I’ve been alive," Jeon said. "And I’ve never left this world."

He gestured around the shop.

"This place survives because people forget things slowly. Not because they remember them well."

Lin Mu muttered under his breath, "It really is a backwater place."

Jeon burst out laughing.

"Finally, someone says it honestly," he said. "Yes. It is."

His laughter faded into a smile.

"You could say the Fifteen Ryze World was always like this," he added. "Too quiet. Too slow. Too content with being overlooked."

That brought another question to Lin Mu’s mind.

"Speaking of that," he said. "Why is this world called the Fifteen Ryze World?"

Jeon blinked.

"Hah," he said. "You’re the first person in years to ask that."

Lin Mu tilted his head slightly. "It’s a strange name."

"It is," Jeon agreed. "And the truth is... it’s not very grand."

He leaned back again.

"There are many myths," he said. "Some say fifteen immortal beasts once ruled this world. Others say fifteen great formations anchor it."

He waved a hand dismissively.

"Most of it is nonsense."

Lin Mu waited patiently.

"The simplest explanation," Jeon said, "is usually the correct one. The first settlers of this world were called the Ryze. Fifteen groups arrived here together."

"Immigrants," Lin Mu said.

"Pioneers," Jeon corrected. "They came from different places, but they shared a name. Ryze."

"And they named the world after themselves," Lin Mu guessed.

Jeon nodded. "Fifteen Ryze. Fifteen groups. Fifteen banners."

He shrugged.

"No grand prophecy. No divine meaning. Just people leaving their mark."

Lin Mu stared at the shelves, imagining those first settlers carving out lives in a weak, quiet world like this.

A place easy to overlook.

Easy to abandon.

And easy, perhaps, to hide things in.

"I see," Lin Mu said quietly.

Jeon watched him for a long moment.

"You’re not here just to pass through, are you?" the old man asked.

Lin Mu met his gaze. "No."

Jeon nodded slowly. "Then be careful."

"Why?"

"Because worlds like this," Jeon said, tapping the counter softly, "look harmless. But they’re very good at swallowing people whole... without anyone noticing."

Outside, the city of Blue City continued its quiet existence.

And somewhere beyond its small walls, the remnants of a fallen kingdom lay buried beneath time, forgotten by most... but not entirely gone.

Lin Mu lingered in the bookstore a little longer, his fingers still wrapped around the warm teacup as his thoughts settled. The conversation had answered many questions, but it had also sharpened one in particular, one that mattered far more than idle history.

"Senior Jeon," Lin Mu said, lifting his gaze again. "There is something else I need to ask."

The old man hummed, clearly in no hurry. "Go on."

"The former capital of the Butterfly Kingdom," Lin Mu said. "I need to get there. My next departure route depends on the teleportation array that was once located there. How do I reach it?"

Jeon’s expression shifted, not to surprise but to mild contemplation. He stroked his beard slowly.

"The capital..." he repeated. "That place hasn’t been called that for a long time."

"But it still exists?" Lin Mu asked.

"Yes," Jeon replied. "The city didn’t vanish when the kingdom fell. It was too valuable for that."

He gestured vaguely to the south, as if pointing through walls and continents alike.

"When the Butterfly Kingdom collapsed, its lands were divided among several neighboring powers. Borders were redrawn, names were changed, flags replaced. But the capital city itself?" He let out a soft chuckle. "Too important to destroy."

Lin Mu leaned forward slightly.

"It sits at the junction of multiple territories now," Jeon continued. "None of the kingdoms fully owns it. Instead, they all share it."

"A joint city," Lin Mu said.

"Exactly," Jeon nodded. "An economic hub. Trade city. Neutral ground, more or less. Everyone wants access to it, so no one dares ruin it."

"And the teleportation array?" Lin Mu asked.

Jeon smiled. "Still there. I would bet my shop on it."

That alone made Lin Mu feel a noticeable weight lift from his chest.

"They rely on it," Jeon went on. "Merchants, envoys, caravans. Even if the world itself is quiet, that city is one of the few places where things still move. You will have to fly south and head to the South Port City and take the teleportation array to the Southern continent. From there you can fly to the city in a few months."

Lin Mu exhaled softly. "That’s good to hear."

"You were worried?" Jeon asked.

"I didn’t want my journey delayed because of something that happened centuries ago," Lin Mu replied honestly.

Jeon laughed. "Understandable. History has a bad habit of inconveniencing the living."

Lin Mu stood up and gave the old man a respectful bow.

"Thank you," he said sincerely. "You’ve been a great help."

Jeon waved a hand dismissively. "It was nothing. Just an old man talking too much."

Lin Mu hesitated for a moment, then asked, "How much do I owe you?"

Jeon blinked, then frowned.

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