And so it happened—before Li Yang figured out what had happened, his entire self arrived into another place without any trouble at all. While he expected himself to be disintegrated or turned into dust.. the opposite had actually happened.

The Goddess may have told him that she never wished to see his face, but instead of actually killing him off.. he was still alive. The ache of the Goddess grabbing his face like he was nothing more but a piece of toy still lingered in his cheeks and jaw.

But he really was fine.

Unless he died.

Li Yang studied his hands and didn't find it having an ethereal or ephemeral sensation at all. He flexed his fingers in front of him and felt the way that his wrist relaxed now that the sword he used was even gone after using it to stab the Goddess.

"Unbelievable."

.

He really hadn't been dreaming at all as he looked up and surveyed his surroundings. The air around him was crisp and chilly and right now he was once again in a forest. Li Yang looked up and stared into the night-time sky and exhaled a little.

"Seems like a perfect time to do some moon or stargazing," He said to himself and then shook his head once more. Now wasn't the time to reminisce or wonder who exactly enjoyed this kind of activity when he was clearly in an environment that wasn't of his own.

He needed to get things into order.

As far as Li Yang was concerned, this wasn't the world that the Goddess Aurora lived in because simply changing his location from Mashiro Temple to just another part of their world was counterintuitive.

He concentrated on sensing the energy around him and found that it was less vibrant than what he experienced in Telriah. While it was possible for him to use the energy into the air and convert it into qi..

There was still a need to exert some effort. So Li Yang was finally back on earth or a place that felt like it. This was no energy-densed world for him to needlessly waste his energy on and it was best to preserve it.

But to figure out his exact location however—

Li Yang only needed to ask. "System. Location."

[ Welcome Back To Your Destined Homeworld, Earth. ]

[ You Are Currently in One of The Forests in Japan ]

The man's expression shadowed over for a moment as gloom got a hold of him. This wasn't necessarily that far to where he needed to be. It would be fine as long as he could get a way back to the city and even a flight back to Shanghai. But out of all the places?

"Why did it have to be here?" he asked.

He recontextualized his situation once again and checked everything on his person for anything useful. He had his Inventory, naturally. But unless he could trade in the Frost Feathers and other materials he gained while fighting monsters, there wasn't anything that substantial.

Li Yang's eyes widened as he saw something glittering in his inventory—

How could he have forgotten about that?historical

It would have been idiotic if the CEO didn't realize this any sooner. Even though he was starting to get caught up in how the world changed around him which seemed to fit a certain narrative that the Heavens liked—it didn't mean he could forget about what he still had.

Li Yang still lived in the modern age.

[ Smartphone XYZ ]

One of the latest brand models of smartphones available in recent years. This is a great communication device used to connect with the entire world at the touch of one's fingers.

Depending on other criteria and interaction, the Host may encounter other Individuals who can help upgrade one's phone to suit the universal standard. Certain Individuals have used theirs to achieve power-ups, gather hidden information and other uses.

He didn't quite pay attention but simply pulled out his phone and opened it up. The familiar white glow of his phone shone on his face as a mixture of relief crossed on his face. While he was never attached to his phone, it was still an important part of his everyday life—the battery died immediately without any reason.

Before it even reached the home screen, it turned off.

He frowned slightly. "Did its battery really die while I stored it here?"

Whether that was just bad luck or something else, Li Yang chose to focus on finding solutions. He needed to find a charger.. but could he really just borrow one out of nowhere? He was sure that the people were kind, right?

That was until Li Yang thought of something. It made the man grimace. Did he even want to just call or contact his family on the phone and honestly expect to receive an answer? What if they changed numbers?

No, it wasn't that kind of problem that made him hesitate.

The idea of simply calling them and telling them that he was in another country and expecting a ticket to return home—well, it was just going to be a little hard to talk with people here. He didn't quite pick up much Japanese and who was going to trust a complete stranger anyway?

That was what Li Yang concluded for himself.

And so the man started pacing in the woods all by himself and muttered to himself. As far as he could tell, it was just him and the System again so he was once again left to fend for himself.

Since he returned back wearing the same clothes as he did in Telriah, people would find him odd and turn him away. He had left his business attire in lieu of something that fitted the people in Mashiro Temple.

A portal suddenly rippled in front of him.

A vortex of dark blue and purple was torn into the very fabrics of space and Li Yang immediately tensed. The sword he stuck into the Goddess was gone and he was currently weaponless. A furry creature cannonballed its way out of the hole and started cursing.

Once again, Bao jabbed a furry faw into his face without any hint of remorse or even travel sickness.

"What the fucking hell! Didn't I tell you to consume the stone and then get the hell out before you died back there? Thank the heavens that she didn't actually kill you and set you back here. Wherever this place is?"

Since Bao didn't get caught up in the Goddess' area of effect, or rather she had only chosen to banish Li Yang.. it had to rush back to earth again. It was depleting its energy far way more than it looked compared to the man who got a one-way ticket back to earth.

Li Yang sighed and rubbed his face.

Who exactly did he hope to see chase after him from one of the portals? Setsuko or even Mitsuko? He didn't take it that they were capable of interstellar travel and neither could Ying Yue He and the others from his immediate circle realize that he ended up here.

Why did he even think of that?

He was used to being alone—no, that was a bit of a lie now. The thought of it made him shake his head. "I may have been fantasizing for a welcome a bit far more than I realized I was actually hoping for. This isn't my country and I'm currently garbed in clothes from Telriah.. I need to find a way back to society immediately. Map please."

[ The System Has Generated A Map To The Nearest Town ]

Li Yang frowned slightly at the screen and eventually shook his head. While he may have dreamed a little about immediately meeting the people he cared about, it only meant that he needed to find a way back to his home immediately.

"I need the exact spot in Tokyo..no, how far away am I from Shanghai?"

[ Host Is Currently 810km From Shanghai ]

[ Host Is Currently 1227km From Tokyo ]

Bao tilted its head at the CEO. It was used to being able to discern Li Yang's intentions and recognized that the man was already looking for a way back home. Once the man put his head into one thing, the CEO could actually get single-track minded.

If Bao were to pair it with the fact that Li Yang was fastidious and liked to adhere to the rules and contained a certain moral compass—this was what came across its mind. "Hey.. what are you trying to do? Aren't you going to go to Tokyo, attend some anime cosplaying convention and attempt to earn money to buy a plane ticket back to your country?"

Li Yang stared at the creature flatly. "Why the fuck would I do something like that?"

He didn't like cursing at all, but that was just idiotic even for Bao.

The Panda waved its paws and groaned. "The robes, the look—using your good looks to find a way back home? The two countries are separated by waters, a literal part of the ocean. Were you supposed to start running on water in an attempt to reach your city?"

"I could probably sneak into a ferry ship to do that. I wouldn't waste needless energy in an attempt to run on water to make it interesting for you guys and neither am I going to attempt to gain money by something ridiculous like that."

"Right."

The two of them suddenly heard rustling in the bushes. He tensed up and got into position—what were the odds that something nasty was lurking in the forest?