Chapter Fifteen: Alone, Boundless!

Li Xia stood at the doorway, staring blankly outside the room. The world beyond the door was engulfed in utter silence; the entire hall lay stretched out before him. Above, the sky was shrouded by a massive, eggshell-like thin membrane, its center marked by a vast, cracked fissure. It seemed as though it had once been shattered and barely repaired, evoking a constant fear that it might break again at any moment.

Within this membrane, the sky bore an unsettling dark yellow hue, reminiscent of twilight, yet also evoking the image of an elderly man nearing the end of life. As far as the eye could see were vast expanses of ruined buildings. Their forms were strange and varied, built from different materials—some composed of stacked bricks and stones, others gleaming with metallic luster. Some resembled animal shells, yet all were pockmarked with large holes or had collapsed into heaps of rubble.

The ground was littered with fragments of architecture and enormous craters. The air was thick with a pungent smell of scorched earth and dust, mingled with an indistinct stench of decay. With every step Li Xia took, dust billowed up, appearing especially murky under the dim yellow light.

Amid the ruins, half-buried objects caught the eye—faded, colorful signs crookedly embedded in piles of brick and stone. More numerous were shards of weapons, their styles ranging from exquisite to austere, including both cold steel arms and firearms, scattered in every corner.

Swallowing his shock, Li Xia pressed forward in silence until he reached the central plaza. The once magnificent statues and fountains now stood desolate, with dried-up pools. The sculptures of elegant figures or deities were blackened by smoke; their eyes hollowed out, gazing sorrowfully over this barren wasteland.

This hall... it was as if it were dead.

But who could have slain a seemingly omnipotent hall?

Li Xia silently activated the interface and posed his question:

“Can I have an explanation?”

[32 standard time units ago, the Halls of the Mountain of Light, Blissful Land, Divine Kingdom, Abyss of Demons, and Superstring Space jointly launched a war against the Detached Hall.]

[Battle lasted 1 standard time unit; the hall’s barrier was breached; ??? was plundered.]

[Based on ???, the hall cannot be completely destroyed, only forced into slumber.]

[Special item ‘Reserve Apostle’s Token’ triggered hall’s fundamental rule; hall awakening initiated.]

Li Xia: ...........

He could no longer hold back. If he was not mistaken, the ruins on the right along the way were the Attribute Enhancement Facility; on the left, the Skill Upgrade Warehouse; and diagonally behind, the Trading Hall...

All of them were ruins!

“What now?”

[According to basic rules, the hall reconstruction plan will commence.]

Reconstruction? A flicker of hope ignited in Li Xia’s heart.

[Connecting to hall’s proxy... Error, all proxy agents have perished.]

[According to basic rules, sequential replacement will be initiated.]

[Summoning all elite apostles... no response.]

[Summoning all ninth-rank apostles... no response.]

[Summoning all eighth-rank apostles... no response.]

...

[Summoning all second-rank apostles... no response.]

[Summoning all first-rank apostles...]

Li Xia was utterly stunned. He stared at the rapid-fire prompts before him and then at the stubborn floating box that abruptly appeared, hovering insistently above all other notifications.

Its priority was evidently very high.

[First-rank apostle, the Detached Hall summons you. This summons holds the highest authority. Refusal will result in erasure. Do you accept?]

You just said refusal means erasure, and now you ask if I agree?

How could I refuse?

With a complex swirl of emotions, Li Xia chose to accept.

[First-rank apostle has responded!]

[According to fundamental regulations, your rank will be sequentially elevated!]

[Your rank has increased; current rank: Second-rank Apostle.]

[Your rank has increased; current rank: Third-rank Apostle.]

...

[Your rank has increased; current rank: Elite Apostle.]

[Your rank has increased; current rank: Hall Proxy.]

[Your rank will now advance according to vacancy...]

[Salutations to you, esteemed First Proxy of the Hall.]

No... wait, what is this?

I’ve become the supreme leader of the hall???

Li Xia was completely dumbfounded, yet the hall’s prompts continued unabated!

[According to basic rules, the First Proxy is the hall’s highest honorary title.]

[Honorary title upgrading...]

[Esteemed Proxy, your honorary title has been elevated to the highest. Please select from the following familiar titles:]

[Kindergarten, Elementary School, Middle School... Academician]

[Private, Sergeant, Second Lieutenant... General]

[Baron, Viscount, Earl... Duke, Marquis, Prince, Royal Prince]

[Black Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold... Glorious King]

[Blue Eagle, Silver Eagle, Golden Eagle... Azure Dragon, Silver Dragon, Golden Dragon]

...

Already numb, Li Xia casually clicked on one, then saw a new prompt:

[Esteemed Proxy, your honorary rank has been elevated to Royal Prince. You have gained the exclusive title: Prince Xia.]

[In the hall’s war and battlefield, you have obtained the highest command authority.]

[Esteemed Prince Xia, may you defend the invincible honor of the Detached Hall in war.]

Invincible my foot! Royal Prince my foot! A one-man army???

Invincible? We lost once and nearly got killed, didn’t we???

Li Xia simply sat down on the ground, his eyes vacant as the hall’s screen kept flashing.

[Checking hall damage status...]

[Alert! Damage extremely severe; infrastructure disconnected!]

[Comprehensive assessment: hall loss exceeds 99%.]

[Formulating hall reconstruction plan... in progress.]

Suddenly, a brand-new mission appeared before Li Xia.

[Restore the Hall to Glory]

Difficulty: ???

Completion: 0%

Mission Summary: The once supreme hall longs for glory once more, seeking revenge upon all halls daring to wage war.

Mission Details: Do everything possible to complete the hall’s reconstruction and revival.

Mission Deadline: None.

Mission Reward: Rewards settled progressively based on completion.

Too... too generous, aren’t they?

Before Li Xia could react, the mission was automatically added to his task list, with no option to refuse.

He wondered silently if there was any way to transfer to another hall... He felt exhausted, wishing for a normal master space.

Everyone else happily undertakes missions, schemes in the Trade Street, enhances themselves...

But he knew this was destined to be a beautiful fantasy. If the hall knew, it would probably send him a message saying, “Your Majesty, why rebel?”

Though titles like ‘First Proxy’ and ‘Prince Xia’ felt more like the hall trying to keep him warm by giving him extra clothes...

They also meant he was now bound to the Detached Hall, unable to break free.

What is a proxy? One who shares weal and woe with the hall, bound by life and death—that is a proxy.

Li Xia rubbed his brows and asked softly:

“Is it not possible to recruit more apostles?”

If there were others, he thought, this daunting ??? mission might have a glimmer of hope. After all, strength lies in numbers; only with many can miracles happen.

[Esteemed Proxy, due to ??? being plundered and ??? missing, the hall cannot grant apostles the hall’s mark.]

Li Xia fell silent. In other words, if he died, the hall would lose all hope and be consigned to eternal slumber.

He was the last, and the only, apostle of the Detached Hall.

In this vast world...

Alone, infinitely alone.