However, the reality was far from what Zhou Niannian had imagined. After all, even finding the core now was an extremely difficult task.
The core was currently with the King. Obtaining it from him would be harder than dreaming.
But Jiang Fan didn't want to dampen Zhou Niannian's spirits. If he did, she would likely fall into despair again.
"What should we do now? Jiang Fan, how are we going to find that core? It doesn't seem easy to find it right now."
Jiang Fan knew very well that the core was in the King's hands.
Although he had approached the King before, the King was not easy to control. This fellow was extremely cunning.
Jiang Fan slowly shook his head and then spoke to Yao beside him.
"It's hard to say. If we want to get the core, we need to make a long-term plan. It's impossible to get the core from the King. We can only try to find out its location and then retrieve it ourselves."
Yao strongly agreed with Jiang Fan's idea. Going to the King would be like walking into a trap. It was better to search for the core elsewhere.
Suddenly, Jiang Fan looked at Zhou Niannian and noticed that the joy had vanished from her face.
After all, she had just found hope of escaping from the extreme east.
But after a brief moment of happiness, Zhou Niannian had returned to this state, which Jiang Fan found unbelievable.
"What's wrong, Zhou Niannian? Didn't we just find out where we can leave? Why are you suddenly so pessimistic?"
Hearing this, Zhou Niannian slightly raised her head and looked at Jiang Fan, tears welling up in her eyes.
"It's impossible. We can't get out. We've arrived in a place full of dead people. We're probably doomed to die here."
Jiang Fan was incredulous. This wasn't like Zhou Niannian. She was usually very energetic. Why was she like this now?
Jiang Fan looked at Dai Xiaomei, only to find her in the same state, hugging her knees and sitting there tearfully.
"What on earth is going on? Why is everyone so pessimistic? The situation is fine now, and they don't know what we know."
Yao was also speechless. Why had these two girls suddenly become so desperate? Had something happened to them?
"I don't know. The best-case scenario is that they're fine. If they're sick or something, it'll be a problem."
"If one gets sick here, we won't find any medicinal herbs. The only medicinal herb we have is the Other Shore Flower."
Jiang Fan was quite troubled. Listening to Yao's words, he felt helpless.
It was true, as Yao said. It was hard to find any medicine here. It was good enough to survive. Where else could they find medicinal herbs?
At this moment, Jiang Fan suddenly saw a family passing by him.
The family wore fake smiles, but Jiang Fan could easily tell that they were distressed.
Jiang Fan thought about going up to ask if they had any medicine that could make one feel a little better, as they must be more familiar with this place than he was.
However, when Jiang Fan approached them, he overheard their conversation.
"Son, we won't be able to live long after coming to this world. This world controls us with negative emotions. If we stay here for too long, we'll inevitably feel this way, so get used to it."
The three figures were walking, and suddenly the mother spoke to her son.
Her son's face was filled with the same expression as Zhou Niannian and Dai Xiaomei.
Clearly, he had encountered the same situation as Zhou Niannian and Dai Xiaomei.
"What is going on? Why am I here after dying?"
"I want to go back. Even if I become a ghost, I want to return to that world. I don't want to stay here."
Evidently, the son's expression was very different from that of the couple. The couple seemed to have better control over their emotions.
"Look, everyone here maintains a smile, not because they are happy, but because they know they cannot forget joy. This world makes us feel pessimistic, so we cannot be defeated by it."
Hearing this, Jiang Fan finally understood. Even they themselves couldn't help it. This world possessed such emotions, and anyone who stayed here with sincerity would be infected by pessimism.
At this moment, Jiang Fan finally understood why they looked cheerful on the surface but were so gloomy underneath.
When they encountered people from the real world, they would draw their swords and try to kill them. It turned out to be entirely due to these pessimistic emotions. After receiving this news, Jiang Fan no longer bothered to look for any so-called medicinal herbs. The best medicine now was to quickly find a way out of here and return to the real world.
"What's wrong, Jiang Fan? Did you find the antidote?"
Jiang Fan slowly shook his head and recounted what had just happened to Yao. Yao was extremely incredulous upon hearing the news.
"Something like this exists? As long as you're here, you'll feel pessimistic?"
"Then why don't we two feel that way?"
Jiang Fan and Yao were both puzzled. Not only them, but even Gun Gun seemed to be having fun.
"Forget it. Let's not dwell on these matters. What we need to do now is to find the exit quickly."
"Take the core and return to Atlantis quickly."
"Otherwise, seeing the state they're in, I'm worried something might happen to them. They're so pessimistic, they could do anything."
Yao nodded in agreement and followed Jiang Fan, leading Dai Xiaomei and Zhou Niannian.
Fortunately, Gun Gun was not affected and his mood was good. In fact, he seemed to quite like this place.
"Gun Gun, let's go, quickly."