Dimensional Codex System: I'm really not a cultist!

Chapter 214: Chapter 213 Ecological Survey of the Follower of the Crimson Realm

The train threaded through the mountains, and as the scenery flashed by, Fang Zheng pulled his gaze back from the fleeting views outside the window and refocused on the notebook in his hands.

A spur-of-the-moment global adventure was indeed soothing to the heart. For Fang Zheng, his past life had not afforded him such a luxury, as just completing tasks each day was enough to exhaust anyone. And during holidays, the first considerations were always various welfare plans and events, plus adjustments to the game itself left no time for travel.

In the Main World, because he couldn’t reveal his identity and those Cultists roamed everywhere, disrupting public order, Fang Zheng had no mood to go sightseeing. By contrast, in this world, he had fulfilled the dreams of his former life. Not to mention, he had a beautiful girl accompanying him… Ah, it was simply heaven.

Of course, sightseeing was only a sideline. During his travels, Fang Zheng was also conducting investigations, hoping to understand the situation in this world: Followers of the Crimson Realm, Fire Mist Warriors, and humans. Among them, the Followers were naturally the focus of Fang Zheng’s investigation as the root cause of all conflicts.

From what he had seen so far, the conflict in this world was actually quite simple. The “Crimson Realm” was connected to this world, so those Followers came to this world. Perhaps due to their own nature, they did not choose to conquer or rule this world; instead, each Follower seemed more concerned with their own affairs. They wanted to play and have fun in this world as they pleased, which seemed to be a common issue among them.

Otherwise, considering the ancient times when the Followers first came to Earth, they could have easily organized an army, conquered humans, and then raised humans like pigs, cows, and sheep. In that way, the Followers could have obtained the Power of Existence without still maintaining a primitive hunting mode to this day.

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But because of the nature of the Followers, it was hard or they were unwilling to do so, resulting in those who came here first mostly doing their own thing.

Since this world is not the Crimson Realm, the Followers, if they wanted to stay in this world and have a body, had to devour the Power of Existence.

Next comes the focal point of the conflict.

To maintain their existence and strengthen their powers, Followers had to consume humans to draw out the Power of Existence. However, the mass disappearance of such power could overturn the world’s balance, leading to great disasters. Meanwhile, some Followers, disdainful of their kin’s whimsical misdeeds, sought another method. They formed contracts with those who had been harmed by the Followers and became Fire Mist Warriors to stop it all, trying to force their kin back into the Crimson Realm.

This was the genesis of the struggle between Fire Mist Warriors and Followers of the Crimson Realm.

And at the core of it all was the Power of Existence.

So, the question arises.

What exactly is the Power of Existence? Is it unique to humans, or do other life forms possess it? Why must the Followers consume humans to obtain the Power of Existence?

And after his “investigative visit,” Fang Zheng found that this world’s setup was actually quite similar to Immortal Hero novels he had read before.

If one were to use Immortal Hero as an analogy, then the Fire Mist Warriors would be the “Prestigious Sect,” since they did not need to practice “illicit methods” due to having a “legitimate approach” in forming contracts with the Demon Kings of the Crimson Realm. The Followers were more akin to enlightened Yokai, needing greater powers to adapt to the survival of the fittest; thus, they absorb humans’ Power of Existence to “refine their powers” and become stronger.

In fact, the refinement process for the Followers was not unlike that of Yokai. Each Follower possessed their own original form, and their human shape was just a result of using “Human Transformation Arts” after gaining power.

For instance, Tilia’s original form is a golden cape, which, from the perspective of a fantasy novel, clearly classifies her as a kind of spirit or living artifact.

Just as there are good and evil Yokai, where the evil ones thrive on sucking human blood and stealing souls, the good ones prefer to hide in the mountains, absorbing essence of the sun and moon, or gaining power through some Divine Artifact.

In this world, most Followers still live by consuming humans, but some have long abandoned this practice, or they selectively consume humans. Among the Followers Fang Zheng encountered on his journey, many of them belonged to the latter group. Most weren’t powerful but posed no real danger. These Followers liked to hide in obscure corners, sustaining themselves on the Power of Existence from schools of fish or even plants.

Of course, these sources provided very little Power of Existence, but those Followers themselves did not crave power so much. Others chose to act as “dark heroes,” covertly “exorcising demons for the people.” Fang Zheng had seen one such Follower who lived in the waters of a lake and was revered as the “Deity of Water.” The way they obtained the Power of Existence was by consuming those who polluted or dumped waste into the river—-from a certain perspective, one might consider them dedicated environmentalists.

These matters, however, were meaningless to the Fire Mist Warriors. Much like disciples of Prestigious Sects in fantasy novels, who were taught from birth to perform Demon Exorcism, most Fire Mist Warriors’ first instinct upon seeing a Follower was to attack outright. Their reasoning was straightforward and simple: all Followers depend on consuming the Power of Existence to remain in this world, and such consumption implies that the world might become distorted – a distortion that could lead to disaster. And as the source of disasters, the Followers must be eradicated.

Thus, the Fire Mist Warriors’ catchphrase became—-when there’s trouble, find a Follower. If it wasn’t their doing, then it must be because they didn’t have the time.

Put bluntly, the only good Follower of the Crimson Realm is a dead one.

However, they all seemed to neglect one fact—-that humans are…

“Elder Brother.”

“Hmm?”

While Fang Zheng was deep in thought, he suddenly felt a soft presence pressing tightly against his body, followed by Tilia’s approach with a smile, gently leaning against Fang Zheng’s side.

“I’ve sensed the presence of a Fire Mist Warrior.”

“It must be the next station, they really are impatient.”

Without Tilia’s reminder, Fang Zheng too had already felt the presence of the Fire Mist Warrior. It was clear that they were coming for him and his companions. This wasn’t surprising; ever since Fang Zheng had started traveling with Tilia, they often encountered Fire Mist Warriors who sought them out for trouble. Naturally, it was due to the aura of the Follower of the Crimson Realm that Tilia emitted, which attracted them. Regarding this, Fang Zheng wasn’t too concerned; after all, it was better if they came… in the end, matters would be settled with fists.

“Then, let’s prepare to get off.”

As he said this, Fang Zheng stretched out his hand and gently patted Tilia’s head before standing up.

“Let’s see which character dares to trouble us this time.”

Here they come.

The girl clenched her fists tightly, glaring at the steel monster that was speeding towards them from afar. She could feel the aura emanating from that steel monster. Without a doubt, that was the aura of a Follower of the Crimson Realm. Although she hoped the other was merely passing by, the unfortunate truth was that this was the terminal station. This meant that the Follower of the Crimson Realm’s target was here.

Does this mean it will prey, hunt, and feed on humans here?

I will never let those terrifying monsters have their way!

“Sanya, I’m going to begin the Sealing!”

“Wait, wait a minute!”

Upon hearing the girl’s declaration, the metal bracelet on her wrist emitted a weak voice.

“Are you sure it’s okay? Nanoka, this is your first battle with a Follower of the Crimson Realm since you left your master! How about we take cover and observe cautiously first…”

“No way!”

However, before the Demon King of the Crimson Realm in the bracelet could finish speaking, the girl interrupted.

“The other is a Follower of the Crimson Realm; who knows if they came here to hunt? If we wait for them to make a move, it would be too late! I will protect this city, I will protect everyone in this city. That is my mission and responsibility as a Fire Mist Warrior!”

“Whoo-whoo-whoo…!!”

The train whistle sounded, and the train gradually slowed down before slowly pulling into the platform. Afterwards, the stream of people began to move, heading out from the station. Seeing this scene, the girl tightened her fists even more, growing increasingly nervous.

What should I do, if the other starts the Sealing right at the train station… No, perhaps they have already fed on the train? In any case, I must release my own aura as a Fire Mist Warrior first, to lure the enemy to a less-populated area… Huh?

“Sanya, Sanya, it looks like that Follower of the Crimson Realm hasn’t moved?”

“Yes, Nanoka, it seems like they have been staying inside the train without coming out… Ah! She’s on the move now!”

By now, the surging crowd had already dispersed, and the entire platform had returned to its usual quiet. Soon enough, Nanoka saw a blond girl in a gothic dress stepping out from the station, accompanied by a young man with black hair.

“That’s a human… Why would he be with a Follower of the Crimson Realm?”

“Don’t know, maybe just a companion met on the road? Um… Nanoka, are we really going to take action?”

“Of course, this is a great opportunity. There’s no one else around, so we don’t need to worry about causing accidental harm. I’ll take the chance to move that big brother to somewhere else during the Sealing. So… let’s start!”

While saying this, the Fire Mist Warrior known as Nanoka suddenly swung her arm.

“Sealing!”