Seeing You Siqi's certainty, Liu Buli felt a bit curious. He blinked and said, "Why are you so sure? Is this something you plan to write about later?"
"Not at all, I haven't thought that far ahead yet," You Siqi replied. "But this dead land is a great area. During the first exploration, you'd only need to go to the periphery. Deeper exploration is a foreshadowing for later. Otherwise, if you reached the end of such a large area in one go, wouldn't that be too wasteful?"
You Siqi's words were delivered with righteous indignation.
Liu Buli's mouth twitched twice.
He shouldn't have asked the question.
However, from a certain perspective, he had to admit that You Siqi's reasoning was indeed logical. Based on his writing habits, the dead land was definitely an excellent dungeon. Whether written now or as a side story later, there would be no shortage of things to explore within it.
If that was the case, their current operation might indeed be a bit easier, just as You Siqi suggested.
Mulling over these thoughts, Liu Buli took a couple of deep breaths. Although he had a false sense of victory being within reach, he was still a sufficiently calm person. This thought did not cloud his judgment. Instead, he calmly observed their surroundings.
He then stood still, gestured with his chin towards the people around him, and said, "Let's rest here for a while. No need to rush forward. We don't know what we'll encounter ahead, but what's certain is that the monsters' abilities will definitely get stronger. So, for safety's sake, we need to ensure we are in the best possible condition. Otherwise, we won't stand a chance against the monsters."
Everyone fully supported his arrangement.
As for Shen Muzhi and You Siqi, they were willing to help. However, Shen Muzhi's current condition was difficult, requiring time to recover. Now that they had entered the ghost realm and left the ghost city, there was no need to worry about being discovered by others. Having an opportunity to rest properly would be even better if Shen Muzhi could recover to his normal state.
Similarly, Lu Wuming had absorbed too much resentment and also needed time to digest it properly.
The group remained quietly in place. After a while, the monsters that had been staring at them menacingly didn't seem as terrifying as they had initially appeared.
Liu Buli was in the best condition among them, so he had time to observe the surrounding terrain. He also pulled the king of armchair strategists to his side, having him observe the surroundings together. Even if he hadn't written about these things yet, perhaps looking at them might spark some helpful ideas.
Liu Buli thought this, and You Siqi naturally understood his intention. After observing the surroundings carefully for a while, he finally pointed in one direction and said to Liu Buli, "We should head that way later. I believe what you're looking for is definitely in that direction."
Liu Buli raised an eyebrow.
Following the direction You Siqi pointed, it was indeed the weakest point where monsters were gathered. From this perspective, passing through that direction would indeed be the easiest choice. However, logically, wouldn't places with more monsters be more likely to yield good things?
Liu Buli thought this and voiced his question directly.
Upon hearing his thought, You Siqi smiled and waved his hand. "Think about it for a moment. Our current state is different from what's usually written in novels. After all, we are prepared, with strong abilities and techniques. But in novels, aren't they always fighting above their level? And when fighting above their level, there are bound to be situations where they can't win. If they can't win, of course, they need to choose a suitable escape route, like the direction I just mentioned."
Liu Buli, who had been so clever for so long, was rarely told he wasn't thinking. However, after hearing You Siqi's explanation and looking intently in the direction he pointed, Liu Buli suddenly had an expression of sudden realization.
You Siqi was right; this time, he had indeed been a bit slow-witted.
In novels, the protagonists were always suppressed by their opponents in the early stages of every battle, only able to survive by fleeing and resisting.
Although this sounded a bit pathetic, they were still blessed with protagonist's halo. Therefore, no matter which direction they fled, they would find opportunities for self-improvement upon arrival.
After absorbing and utilizing those resources, their level would rise to a new tier. And by then, they could face their previous oppressors without any suspense and achieve victory.
A build-up followed by a triumphant conclusion, with a beautiful finale – this was indeed the kind of content You Siqi enjoyed writing.
From this perspective, You Siqi was indeed not wrong. If they followed the route a protagonist might take, the possibility of finding what he wanted would be the greatest.
After reaching this conclusion in his mind, Liu Buli couldn't help but pat You Siqi on the shoulder. He praised him sincerely, "You Siqi, I'm increasingly feeling that you're quite useful."
"I'll take that as a compliment," You Siqi rolled his eyes at him and added, "But the help I can offer ends here. At most, it's just a general direction. If you ask me for any specific details, I definitely won't be able to provide them."
"Having a general direction is already great," Liu Buli smiled and said, "I'm a person who is easily satisfied, so I'm very pleased."
As he said this, the two looked at each other and smiled together.
Perhaps this was what was meant by finding joy amidst hardship.
Lu Wuming was still meditating and adjusting his breathing, indicating that his absorption was not yet complete. Therefore, Liu Buli and You Siqi naturally did not rush to speak about leaving.
After a moment of silence, You Siqi suddenly spoke, "If we can really find a way to leave this time, I've been thinking, and unless it's absolutely necessary, we don't plan to leave in such a hurry. We'll stay here for a while longer to help you resolve all your problems. How about it, am I a good friend?"