Edward looked up, staring at his apartment building from below, as if seeing it for the last time.
"Hope this building is still standing when we come back."
"Will it be gone, Master?" Fay asked.
"Not exactly. Maybe destroyed… maybe collapsed," Edward replied casually, then turned his body. "Come on, Fay. Let's go now."
"Understood, Master. Fay is always ready."
"Good. But…" Edward paused. "How are we getting there?"
"We can walk, Master."
"I'll be the one walking, Fay. It's not close. Far. Across the ocean." Edward exhaled, then reached into his pocket. "At a time like this, we need someone's help."
"Who, Master?"
"Uncle Tan."
Edward started walking while trying to contact Mr. Tan.
A few minutes passed. He was now sitting at a bus stop, waiting for someone.
"So many moving machines here, Master. This city is full of tall buildings," Fay said.
"Not like Valdora. That place is calmer," Edward said, standing and pointing at one of the skyscrapers. "I used to work in that building."
"What kind of work, Master?"
"Restoration."
"Restoring what?"
"Art pieces. Old artifacts. But I hated that job."
"Why, Master?"
"The artifacts I restored were all fakes. Not genuine. Yet they still sold them as if they were authentic."
Fay seemed to ponder. "It's the same as in Valdora. But Master was never fooled. You always knew which were real and which were fake. Fay never knew how you did it."
"That's not important, Fay. Back then, I didn't care if the artifacts in Valdora were real or fake… it was all the same. I couldn't own them in the real world anyway."
"But now?" Edward smiled widely. Just then, a small mini truck stopped in front of the bus stop.
"Brother Ed, sorry I'm late!" Chow's voice called out.
"It's okay, Chow." Edward glanced at the truck for a moment before getting in. "Can this truck get us there?"
"Don't worry, I'm taking Sister Brigette with this truck," Chow said as he pressed the accelerator.
"Your sister's Awakened. She can't just buy a new truck?"
"It's not that she can't. Dad forbade it."
"Forbidden? Her work is dangerous. She should enjoy what she earns before anything happens."
Chow sighed softly. "I don't know, Brother Ed. Dad told her to save money. Said she should retire early."
Edward stayed silent for a moment, finally understanding.
"How about the bag? Did you hand it over to the police?"
"Not the police. To the Awakened Department," Chow replied.
"Why?"
"After you left, we contacted the police, told them about you… I mean, about the Monkey King. But it wasn't the police who came. Officers from the Awakened Department came instead. They asked a lot of questions."
"Did you show them the pictures and the footage?" Edward asked.
"Yes. But they confiscated them. Such jerks. Luckily, I already saved copies on my laptop. After they left, I uploaded it to social media." Chow grinned. "Now our restaurant is famous. Thanks, Brother Ed."
"Fame means nothing if there are no customers," Edward said.
"We already got a lot of bookings for events. That's lucky enough."
"Good. Glad to hear that," Edward replied.
Chow drove on happily, but the journey to New York City wasn't easy. They had to stop three times for military checkpoints before reaching the bridge area.
"This is the new bridge," Edward said, looking out the window. The long metal structure was built low, almost touching the water's surface.
"The George Washington Bridge collapsed a long time ago. This one was completed just two years ago. Want to know something? This bridge can separate if there's a portal creature attack."
"Amazing… but deserted."
Chow chuckled. "Who would want to go there? Only soldiers and Awakened pass through. That's why there are three guard posts."
The truck slowly made its way across the bridge. From a distance, New York revealed its badly damaged face—cracked buildings, exposed steel frames, and streets littered with debris.
Before entering the city, they had to stop once more to show their pass at the previous checkpoint.
"Look… this city is almost destroyed," Edward whispered. "It's been hit so badly."
"Yes. The portal creature attacks were heaviest here."
"What about other places?"
"Besides New York, other cities were hit too. But most often… Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia."
"Do those countries have Awakened?"
"They didn't before. Now they do. They've formed combined Guilds. Going into the Tower isn't about climbing floors… it's purely to produce a new Awakened."
A soldier tapped on the truck's window. "You may proceed," he said after checking their documents.
Chow continued driving into the skeletal remains of the city.
The mini truck's engine roared as Chow pressed the accelerator, bouncing along the pockmarked concrete streets. Edward sat in the worn passenger seat beside him, observing the scene outside the window.
Edward tilted his head upward, his eyes fixed on the only colossal structure ahead, towering into the clouds.
"My sister's on the 11th floor now," Chow said, eyes focused on the road as he swerved to avoid a large pothole.
Edward turned to Chow, frowning. "Already the 11th floor?"
Chow nodded quickly. "Don't get me wrong. There are five Towers in this world. Only in this Tower have our Awakened reached the 11th floor."
"Other Towers?" Edward asked, curiosity creeping in.
"Some have already reached the 30th floor," Chow explained, keeping his attention on driving. "That's the tallest. Even the lowest is at floor 28. We're the only ones at 11."
Edward nodded, absorbing the new information. Their situation seemed far behind compared to other locations.
"We're almost there," Chow said.
Edward looked up at the magnificent Tower once more. "Wow… this Tower is huge," he whispered, awestruck.
"Didn't my sister tell you anything about the Tower?" Chow asked, smirking.
Edward shook his head.
"When you go in, you're definitely going to be surprised," Chow said.
"Why?"
"She said the first to fourth floors are enormous, like a world of their own. There's a Sun, there's a Moon," Chow said, his eyes shining with excitement, clearly thrilled by the wonders he'd heard about.
The mini truck finally stopped in front of a large building near the base of the Tower. The area was swarming with soldiers.
"Maybe it's better to just stay inside," Edward joked.
Chow's cheerful face suddenly turned serious; his expression darkened instantly. He lowered his voice slightly.
"Sorry, Brother Ed."
Edward looked at him, puzzled.
"Why are you apologizing?"
Chow met Edward's gaze squarely, his eyes heavy.
"When you get there, there's no guarantee you'll be allowed inside with your current body. If you turn into the Monkey King, that's a different story."
"You mean… the Tower chooses who can enter?" Edward guessed.
Chow nodded.
"My sister told me… back then, millions tried to enter, but only tens of thousands were chosen. And now… if a hundred people like you tried, only ten—or slightly more—would succeed. Never twenty."
Edward fell silent for a long moment, staring at his palms, shrouded in doubt. He drew a deep breath, gathering his resolve.
"I'll try with this body first," he said, determination burning in his tone. "If it doesn't work, I'll use Sun Wukong's body."
"Yeah… nothing wrong with trying first. Besides, we don't know what's going to happen anyway," Chow said, offering a faint smile.
"Come, I'll show you the registration area," he added.
Edward climbed down from the truck. His eyes immediately fell on the massive gate before him, shielded by a thin layer of light that rippled slowly, like the surface of water. Several people attempted to step through, but the light pushed them back without a touch, as if measuring their worthiness.
"Come on, Brother Ed," Chow called.
Edward closed the truck door but kept his gaze fixed on the gate.
"As usual… not many are registering today," Chow said.
"What do I need to do at registration?"
"Nothing much. You just need to show your ID card. After that, you can go straight in."
Edward frowned slightly. "That's it? I thought there would be a health check."
Chow gave a small smile. "This is just the registration area. You go ahead. I'll wait here."
Edward looked at the registration building—a wide, open space with a long metal table, guarded by a man in a black suit. The man sat calmly, scrolling through something on a tablet. The area was quiet, as if no one truly wanted to be there.
Edward took a slow breath and walked toward the man in the black suit.
He stood in front of the registration table, but the officer didn't notice him at all, his attention fixed entirely on the screen before him.
"Ahemm…" Edward cleared his throat softly, deliberately raising his voice.
The officer immediately looked up. "Yes? How can I help you?"
"I'm here to register for entry into the Tower."
"May I see your ID card?"
Edward reached into his coat pocket, pulled out the card, and handed it over.
"Edward Hale?"
"Yes, that's me."
The officer typed something on the tablet while glancing at the ID. After confirming the information, he stood and placed the card on a device that looked like a document scanner.
"This is just the initial registration," he said without looking up. "After this, you can try to enter the Tower through the gate over there. If you manage to pass the gate, there will be a special counter inside where you can receive an ID card as a Tower explorer. We will keep this original ID for now. You can collect it when you leave later."
He paused for a moment, then added, "One more thing—make sure you exchange your currency before you start exploring."
"Where do I exchange it?" Edward asked.
"At the same place where you'll pick up your explorer ID later. Good luck." The officer handed back the ID with a faint smile.
Edward took the card, then glanced at Chow and gave him a thumbs-up. Chow smiled in relief and hurried to catch up. They walked together toward the gate.
"Good luck, Brother Ed," Chow said softly.
"Thanks."
"I can only wait here for you," he added as they reached the wooden barrier.
"Drive carefully on your way back."
"All right."
"I'll go ahead first."
"If you succeed… I hope you find Eva."
Edward nodded slowly. "Thanks, Chow." He waved before stepping toward the gate.
"Think I can get through?" Edward asked quietly.
"Yes. Of course you can." Fay finally spoke after a long silence.
"How do you know, Fay?"
"Fay has no answer, Master. But Fay is confident you can enter."
Edward exhaled slowly, feeling a touch of relief. Without wasting another moment, he stepped toward the gate. White light, spinning slowly like glowing mist, filled the space. With full confidence, he stepped in—
—and his body passed through the light without obstruction.
Chow, watching from behind the barrier, froze. His eyes widened in disbelief, as if he couldn't quite grasp what had just happened. Edward… had passed through the gate with his normal body, without any transformation.
"I was just hoping to see Brother Ed use Wukong's body to get in… Argh…" Chow murmured, disappointment clear at the edge of his voice.
***
The moment Edward stepped into the Tower, his face froze, mixed with awe. The beauty around him far exceeded anything he had imagined.
"Inside… it's like Valdora," Fay whispered.
"Yeah…" Edward was still captivated, his eyes sparkling. "Exactly the same."
"Hey, you there!"
Edward immediately turned. A man clad in full armor was staring at him.
"Yes, that's me," Edward replied.
"Come here," the man called. Without hesitation, Edward hurried toward him.
"Please come in to collect your explorer ID," he instructed.
"All right, sir," Edward answered, his gaze falling on a three-story wooden building—the only structure in the area. When he glanced back, the gate behind him looked more like a dimensional portal than a real entrance.
"Just like in the games," Edward whispered, then climbed the stairs to enter the building.
Inside, the place resembled a traveler's guild in Valdora. Players normally had to register first before officially becoming adventurers.
Edward walked slowly toward a counter, where a woman in a black suit stood, her expression serious yet gentle.
"Welcome, sir," she greeted.
"Thank you," Edward replied politely.
"Please show me your ID."
"Yes, one moment." Edward quickly retrieved his card and handed it over.
"Edward Hale?"
"Yes, that's me."
"Please wait here for a moment."
The woman walked into a room. Edward turned his gaze to a wall lined with neatly pinned photographs of ordinary people.
"Missing persons?" he whispered.
"Those… are people who disappeared after entering the Tower, sir. If you notice, this place really does resemble a traveler's guild," Fay explained.
"Yes, Fay… I feel the same," Edward replied, staring at the photographs. His heart began to race, his mind drifting to his sister's situation, filling him with deep worry.
Not long after, the woman emerged from the room.
"Edward Hale?"
Edward turned, his expression troubled. He walked slowly toward the counter.
"Before that, I would like to know the purpose of your entry into the Tower?" she asked.
"I'm looking for my younger sister."
"Your younger sister… when did she enter?"
"Nine years ago."
"Please fill in your sister's information here. If you have a photograph, that would be even better."
Edward quickly pulled out a picture of his sister and handed it over. He then wrote down her name and other relevant information.
"Wait here a moment. Let me check first," the woman said as she walked into another room.
The room was quiet. Edward stood at the counter, his heart pounding with anxiety as he waited.
"You need to stay calm," Fay's soft voice whispered in his ear.
"I'm worried something might have happened to her…"
"I'm worried too, Master. But I hope… your sister is all right."
Edward exhaled heavily. "I have to find my sister… no matter what… alive or…" He trailed off, letting out a long sigh, regretting the weight he had been carrying all this time.
Half an hour passed before the woman returned, this time carrying a file.
"I've checked your sister's information… Eva Hale. She registered as a Tower explorer nine years ago. She was supposed to report her status every month. But… she never once reported to us."
Edward's heart raced, worry pressing heavily against his chest.
"What does that mean… my sister has…"
"Don't think that way, Edward. There is another place where you can search for information about your sister's whereabouts."
"Where?"
"Silversun City. There is a traveler's guild there. Before humans were 'awakened,' they had to register as explorers. That's where information about people from the outside world is kept. But… you'll need to pay to access it."
"Just like in Valdora," Fay whispered, only Edward could hear.
"How do I get there?"
"We provide a teleport item. You just need to purchase it."
"All right," Edward replied, his resolve burning.
The woman at the counter continued to assist Edward, giving him a map while explaining the currency system used within the Tower. Apparently, all transactions here were done using copper, silver, and gold coins.
Edward took out five thousand dollars, exchanging it into copper and silver coins to make transactions easier later. After that, he purchased a teleport item for three silver coins.
"Fay… this time I'm sure. Inside this Tower, it really is like the world of Valdora," Edward said as he stepped out of the building.
"That's true, Master. Fay feels the same. Only… up there… there's just one sun," Fay replied.
Edward looked up, gazing at the light hanging high in the Tower's sky. "It looks like a real sun… who could have created this place…"
"Do you want to teleport now?" Fay asked.
"Do you know the location we need to go to?"
"Don't worry, Master. Fay has already uploaded all the Tower map data into the system."
Edward exhaled in relief. "All right… teleport me now."