The next morning, Mo Fan, who was still meditating, was woken up by the sound of gongs.
He opened his eyes groggily to see children running around, women starting their chores, and old people already strolling about early in the morning.
The empty, deserted scene of last night seemed to have never existed.
When Mo Fan came out, several snot-nosed children who hadn't seen many outsiders before gathered around the thatched hut, staring at him as if he were a foreigner.
"You're awake. Go to the village hall. The village chief said he wants to see you." The night watchman, who hadn't slept all night, was surprisingly energetic early in the morning.
He specifically took Mo Fan to eat breakfast before heading to the village hall.
The village hall wasn't large; it had a small courtyard with a large bronze basin filled with cool, clear water, its bottom covered with many pebbles.
If one looked closely, they would find red characters carved into the pebbles, resembling people's names.
"In our village, when people leave, whether young or old, their names are written down and submerged in this large bronze basin.
This prevents them from joining forces with those things outside," the night watchman casually explained.
Inside the village hall, several old men sat on wooden chairs, all looking very leisurely, showing no signs of panic or unease from residing in the Land of the Undead.
Perhaps in Ancient Capital, only those 'pure-blooded' individuals like them could reside so peacefully outside the Safe Zone.
At the head seat sat a middle-aged man with very prominent crow's feet.
A slight smile further revealed his weathered appearance, which even well-maintained skin couldn't conceal.
"I am the village chief here; you can call me Fang Gu."
Upon hearing the other party's name, Mo Fan paused slightly.
Speaking of which, if it weren't for another Wei Ju Village person colluding with the Holy See, they could have lived peaceful lives, couldn't they?
Even though Mo Fan took some of the spring water, in reality, it was what Ancient King had left for Little Loach.
Even if he took it all, he would only be taking back what originally belonged to Little Loach.
But Mo Fan knew very well that the people here needed this water to stabilize their inner selves.
Even knowing that the holy water here would eventually be depleted, he didn't take it all.
In case the well water wasn't potent enough to attract the Holy See's attention, they would still need it to live peacefully in the future.
"Thank you for your hospitality last night," Mo Fan said.
"Young man, you're not very old.
How did you end up here alone at night?" Fang Gu asked.
"Looking for a departed relative," Mo Fan said casually.
"Walking in this undead territory is still very dangerous.
Without the gray garlic, safety is even less guaranteed," Fang Gu said.
"I came in a bit of a hurry.
Luckily, your village was close by, otherwise, I might have met a terrible end," Mo Fan said.
Fang Gu didn't inquire further; frankly, he just considered Mo Fan a passerby.
The Land of the Undead was extremely dangerous, and people often sought lodging in this village.
Because it was not attacked by undead, staying here was the wisest choice.
Knowing that Mo Fan was going to continue his journey, Fang Gu gave him two more gray garlics when sending him off from the village, which provided him with even greater security.
Well, as long as it doesn't rain.
And the gray garlic, which was more expensive than gold in Ancient Capital, was given away for free here.
Damn middlemen.
Mo Fan didn't feel embarrassed.
After all, he hadn't taken all of the energy belonging to Little Loach, which meant that he still needed a certain amount of energy to advance.
Taking two gray garlics from them now was perfectly reasonable.
Of course, Mo Fan also wanted to give them money.
However, for such a 'paradise' that was detached from the world, money actually had little use.
They were completely self-sufficient.
Even if they needed something, the village chief would arrange for two representatives to buy it.
It was precisely because they had seen the situation in big cities that some people wanted to leave the village.
Of course, there were also those who adhered to their original intentions.
But if the situation here was exposed, it would definitely not be peaceful.
Half a month later.
In the last Wei Ju Village, Mo Fan obtained the final portion of energy from the well water.
After gaining sufficient energy, Little Loach completed another advancement that very night.
After advancing, according to Mo Fan's estimation, Little Loach should have directly reached the top tier among Star Cloud Soul-Nourishing Vessels, and it might even be Star River-tier.
That night, Mo Fan's Fire Element gained a new expansion, and his Thunder Element also directly broke through to the second level.
And that feeling of the star cloud growing stronger every moment truly felt refreshing!
On his way back to Ancient Capital, he didn't encounter any trouble.
After returning to Ancient Capital, Mo Fan didn't linger but instead headed to Pearl Academy.
He planned to register first.
He still intended to enter through the special recruitment for the Summoning Element; putting aside everything else, when it came to snatching resources, the Summoning Element was definitely the most suitable for him.
For others, the magic college entrance examination was the most important event in their lives, but for Mo Fan, it was just a formality.
Mo Fan didn't take the regular examination but chose the interview.
The interview location was inside Pearl Academy.
Mo Fan had already directly demonstrated his Summoning Element abilities.
After the five examiners from Pearl Academy individually asked some slightly in-depth magic knowledge questions, they had Mo Fan undergo a Star Dust intensity test.
"Very good performance.
Now, summon your summoned beast for us to see," Dean Xiao, wearing thick glasses, said.
Mo Fan responded, and as the Star Path connected skillfully, the Dire Wolf Beast directly sprang out.
The moment the Dire Wolf Beast appeared, sensing its advanced strength, the examiners were all very satisfied.
"Director Lu's side said they've taken an interest in an excellent Earth Element Magician in all aspects.
His use of Earth Wave is quite ingenious, creating an effect similar to quicksand to trap a trial beast," the male examiner with a tie said.
"So, that means they can only accept one of them?" the old professor with glasses said.
"Yes."
Dean Xiao paused, then said, "In that case, let's interview both.
If possible, we'll take both of them.
I observe that this student has a very good foundation."
"Oh, alright."
Since Dean Xiao had said so, he naturally couldn't say anything else.
After enrolling in Pearl Academy, Mo Fan didn't immediately stay there but went back to see Xin Xia once before returning to Bo City.
His father, Mo Jiaxing, had already returned to Bo City and was working.
As for Xin Xia, she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself.
She ordered some ingredients for delivery every day, so Mo Fan didn't need to worry about her.
After spending a day with Xin Xia and then bombarding Teacher Teacher Tang Yue with messages, who ignored him, Mo Fan finally returned to Bo City.
Teacher Teacher Tang Yue wasn't exactly ignoring him; she just always had a tone as if she was going to kill him.
How to put it, there was a kind of final stubbornness, which was her delicate and sweet red lips.