The steam train burst out of the dark void, its whistle sounding grand and broad, with thick smoke billowing from the chimney at the front.

The black smoke in the sky seemed to pull out a black ribbon.

As it passed through the forest, it startled flocks of birds.

With no tracks and no driver, it awkwardly cruised through the wilderness, thus this taboo object originally meant for touring the wild landscapes, became a sight itself.

"Hold onto my neck!" Qing Chen shouted loudly. He was hanging onto the steam train, while Xiao Mengqiu was hanging around his neck, the wind nearly distorting both of their faces, with the cold air pouring straight into the little boy’s mouth...

Zhang Mengchan could never have imagined that the trip his boss talked about would be this sort of experience...

Isn’t this suffering?

At this moment, Qing Chen freed a hand to twist the door handle, and with a click, the door opened in response.

At some point, amidst the steam train’s whistle, there was a hint of anger.

He quickly brought Xiao Mengqiu into the carriage, then rushed to the carriage at the back of the steam train to open the door, letting Yang Yang and Qing Zhun in as well.

He shouted, "Qing Zhun, don’t lose the climbing bags!"

Qing Zhun: "..."

Qing Zhun had one climbing bag clamped in his mouth and another in his right hand, and he could only use one hand to hold onto the handrail outside the door.

Yet he slightly exerted his arm and jumped into the door.

As soon as he got in, he lamented bitterly, "Aren’t you considered a rich man now? The Spy Bureau pays you hundreds of thousands every month. I’ve heard you’re soon going to be listed on the dividend distribution list of the Qing Clan trust. Is it really necessary to save this little bit of money? One Gold Coin amounts to just over ten thousand bucks!"

Yang Yang hurriedly helped him take the climbing bags...

Qing Chen chuckled cheerfully, "Getting something for free is a joy on its own! Don’t always question your boss!"

Qing Zhun: "...Alright."

The steam train probably never thought there would be a day when someone would freeload off it like this.

However, Qing Zhun was quick-witted and he soon realized that the steam train wasn’t avoiding Qing Chen because he could dodge the fare.

It was because once Qing Chen had the ability to open the train door at any time, it meant that the carriages full of Gold Coins behind it would be at risk.

This was the real reason the steam train was avoiding Qing Chen.

Qing Chen looked at Qing Zhun and asked with a smile, "You’re pretty fast, weren’t you just saying you’re only D-Class back at Intelligence Department One? D-Class shouldn’t be this fast."

Qing Zhun replied, "I was sent by Mr. Shadow to secretly protect you, of course, I can’t reveal my true skills."

"Oh, I see, Mr. Shadow is truly a good person!" Qing Chen praised.

"Mr. Shadow is, of course, a good man." Qing Zhun curiously went to explore the carriage, especially the last carriage full of Gold Coins.

Yang Yang whispered, "I’ve seen this Qing Zhun’s force field...shouldn’t you be a bit more polite to him?"

"Shh!" Qing Chen hurriedly said, "Of course, I know who he is, but you can’t let him know that ’I know,’ otherwise how can I make him work! He likes fooling around, so let him have his fun!"

Yang Yang glanced at Qing Chen, "You’re really bold, but I can’t pretend not to know, that’s an elder..."

At this moment, Qing Zhun returned, Qing Chen stuffed both climbing bags onto the luggage rack above, found a seat, and looked outside the window.

Only at this moment did he feel completely detached from the previous struggles and began to enjoy the real life in the Inner World.

Qing Zhun asked, "Where is the destination?"

"There is no destination," Qing Chen replied with a smile, "when you see a place you want to go, just get off the train, explore enough and get back on, no set plans, no mapped-out journey."

He smiled at Qing Zhun, "Don’t you find this type of travel interesting? No longer anxious, going with the flow. No need to think about how to deal with power and conflicts, nor the complexities of human relations. Learn to become friends with the world, the world never rejects anyone."

Qing Zhun seemed quite interested as he stood by the window, watching the scenery and snow mountains retreating along the way.

He watched the herd of horses running across the snowfield, a brown stallion leading the pack across the plain.

He looked at a few wolves left alone in the distance, cautiously and calmly sizing up the steam train.

At some point, he had become quite distant from such a lifestyle.

Those who enjoy drifting through life unconsciously become trapped in power.

Qing Zhun opened the train window without concern for his image, shouting loudly, scaring away the observing wolves.

Qing Chen watched silently, perhaps this is why the other insisted on coming out with him.

He said to everyone, "Next, the steam train will pass through the southern misty hills of Yun Mengze, shock plains, passing through 7 Taboo Lands, then heading west, passing through Suchuan Forest, along the waterfront from west to east, crossing Hengchuan Mountain, and arriving at Southwest Snow Mountain and plateau... finally turning back in front of Taboo Land 001."

Sitting across from Qing Chen, Xiao Mengqiu’s eyes were bright, full of longing.

At this moment, Qing Zhun also smiled, "It sounds interesting, a life without desires is something everyone pursues, but not everyone can achieve."

Letting go of money and fame, it’s something many love to say but can never truly do.

Qing Chen suddenly asked, "Qing Zhun, have you heard of Whale Island? The Hu’s Information Agency only has one sentence about it, with nothing else recorded."

"Taboo ACE-013 Whale Island?" Qing Zhun pondered, "Within the Qing’s Family, there is only a small story recorded about Whale Island."

"Is there no information on containment conditions internally in the Qing’s Family? What’s the story recorded within the Qing’s Family?" Qing Chen paused.

"A crew once said it suddenly appeared on the sailing route one day when the Forbidden Sea wasn’t yet the Forbidden Sea, and there was trade on it," Qing Zhun said, "The first crew to discover Whale Island sailed that route for decades, one day while sailing. There was clearly nothing ahead of the ship, with an extremely vast view, yet suddenly a vast maritime mountain appeared blocking the ship’s path, and the ship was damaged as it couldn’t evade in time. All 127 people on board escaped onto Whale Island."

Qing Chen pondered, "On a route sailed for decades, encountering an island never before seen..."

Qing Zhun continued, "Later, the crew lived on Whale Island for a while. They said it was astonishingly fertile, where a grape seed would grow into a grapevine by the next day, with grapes growing in seven days. Crabs would climb in batches to the island’s edge and graze the algae off reefs, making starvation near impossible. The island had springs with extremely sweet water."

Qing Zhun said, "Back then, the Federation also had satellites, but the rescue teams couldn’t find the ship, and the crew’s communication devices fell into the water, making cries for help impossible. Later, the crew grew tired of the affluent yet entertainment-less life on the island, so they cut trees to make rafts and drifted back to the mainland with the monsoon and currents, landing at today’s 7th city."

Qing Zhun said, "Some crew members narrated that the island was so large, they walked for ten days and nights without reaching its end. Interestingly, not long after discovering the island, the Federation encountered The Giant Whale’s skeleton on the seabed beneath... which is the origin of the Forbidden Sea. So, within the Federation, some suspect the island might be the Taboo distilled from The Giant Whale."

"Wait, can non-human entities also distill Taboo?" Qing Chen asked.

"Of course," Qing Zhun laughed, "For example, the Taboo ACE-021 ’Bull Pattern Horn’ is the Taboo distilled by a divine cow near Fire Pit, and is now held by The Grand Elder of Fire Pit, said to boost group adrenaline. The containment condition is quite odd, needing two taels of alcohol every day, but any kind will do."

Qing Chen paused; he had been wondering who could distill such a massive Taboo, perhaps a God.

But now he discovered supernatural entities aside from humans could also distill Taboo!

And the Federation’s conjecture about Whale Island might be true; who else could distill such a miraculous Taboo?

"Has the Federation not tried to find Taboo ACE-013 Whale Island afterward?" Qing Chen asked.

He was curious, Zheng Yuandong leading the Observer organization clearly had no presence within the Federation, yet wielded Taboo like ACE-004 Eye of Truth and ACE-013 Whale Island.

How many members does the Observer have, and what kind of power do they possess?

Are there entities like Wizards within the Observer, or perhaps, besides unrivaled swordsmanship, Zheng Yuandong holds even greater means?

"They did, fleets were dispatched at the time," Qing Zhun laughed, "But no one found it; Whale Island seemed to vanish into thin air; some suspect it keeps moving. Later, others tried to find it, but with the emergence of the Forbidden Sea, the sea route was cut off. By the way, why did you suddenly ask about it, boss?"

"No reason," Qing Chen shook his head, "Don’t inquire into things that shouldn’t be inquired."

Qing Zhun: "..."

Yang Yang suddenly felt deep respect for Qing Chen; he truly was testing the boundaries of life and death!

He had a certain dignity of transcending life and death.