ATPnovel Chapter 14 Explorers' Headquarters
Chapter 14 Explorers' Headquarters
A hyperlink deliberately hidden at the bottom of the page.
Yu Jing's intuition told him that something fishy was going on here.
The Explorers' Headquarters' official website is not some shady site; they know very well that anyone who finds it here is no ordinary person.
With a mix of trepidation and excitement, I clicked the link and watched the webpage slowly refresh.
Suddenly, a wisp of gray mist surged from both sides of the screen, engulfing the burning torch in the center.
A few sparks rose from it, piecing together three short lines above the emblem:
We explore.
We keep records.
Our strategy.
—Explorers' Headquarters (M·E·G)
A few seconds later, the words vanished into gray mist, and new words began to appear.
This time, there are no fancy special effects, only the simplest black background and white text introduction:
Hello, wanderer, welcome to the Explorers' Headquarters website.
This organization was founded by the Wanderer's Guild and has now established partnerships with governments and NGOs in multiple countries. Considering that you are not a member of the organization and cannot access the official website, we will share some information with you for your reference.
The following basic information comes from the generous sharing of official organizations and private individuals from various countries, some of whom are pioneers who have passed away.
[We express our gratitude for their sacrifices in exploring distant lands and for the future of humanity, and pay tribute to all those who have died and those who went to their deaths.]
Although he had guessed beforehand that the Explorers' Headquarters was no ordinary organization, Yu Jing still couldn't help but widen his eyes when he saw its "self-introduction".
Have you reached cooperation agreements with governments and NGOs in multiple countries?
Such a boastful tone gave Yu Jing a new understanding of the scale of the Explorers' Headquarters.
Does this mean that the existence of other realms is no longer a secret, and that governments and even civilian forces around the world have begun to explore them in secret?
As the words above faded away, a new layout appeared before our eyes.
Perhaps for ease of understanding, the visitor information section uses a question-and-answer format to educate people like Yu Jing, who are new to foreign lands and are considered "wanderers."
Q: What is a foreign land?
[A: If we call the world we currently inhabit the real world, then the alternate realms are fragments of other worlds or various alternate dimensions outside of reality. Before truly stepping into one, no one knows the exact location, internal environment, or special rules of the alternate realms.]
Q: Why did we end up in this alien land?
[A: There are narrow passages or holes between the alien world and reality, such as non-existent strange rooms, platforms that appear out of nowhere at midnight, narrow hidden doors in wardrobes, etc. Most ordinary people cannot see them. Only some people with special abilities will be sucked into these holes after encountering them, and forced to wander in the alien world, exploring and trying to find a way back to reality.]
Q: What should I be careful about after being stranded in a foreign land?
[A: Observe more, listen more, and think more. Avoid acting rashly. Most alien worlds have their own unique ecological environment and are home to a large number of monsters that can pose a death threat to wanderers. Some alien worlds even have extremely strange rules. Be sure to understand the rules before taking any action, otherwise any reckless action may lead the wanderer to an abyss of no return.]
Q: How can I escape this alien world and return to the real world?
A: Most otherworldly realms offer a way back to the present world. The method of return varies depending on the nature of the otherworldly realm, but currently there are three most common methods:
First, find spatial passages existing within other realms. These are no different from holes in the real world, often appearing as oddly shaped doors, upward passages, or ropes, which wanderers will notice when they get close.
Secondly, find and kill specific monsters within the alien realm, which are the very things that sustain the existence of the alien realm. Killing them will cause the alien realm to collapse on its own, allowing the wanderer to return.
Thirdly, completing major events in the foreign land is crucial. These events often provide hints when the wanderer first arrives, so the wanderer needs to carefully observe their surroundings and avoid missing any key information.
Upon seeing this, Yu Jing couldn't help but recall the tower where he returned to the present world.
When he stepped into the tower, he did vaguely sense something unusual inside, but because there were monsters chasing him and he was thinking about how to fight back, he quickly put it out of his mind.
The advantages of the Torch watch are fully demonstrated here.
Other wanderers must find a way to leave the alien world, but he is different. With sufficient warp energy, he can return to the real world at any time, which is undoubtedly the strongest life-saving trump card in the perilous alien world.
This concludes the information sharing regarding other regions.
Although I was eager to learn more about the situation in this foreign land, this was, after all, open-source information provided by the Explorers Agency to "tourists".
It was already quite remarkable that they were able to explain the general situation of the foreign land. Next, the Explorers' Headquarters introduced itself.
Q: What is the Explorers' Headquarters?
[A: The Explorers' Agency is the world's largest organization for exploring otherworldly realms. Our mission is to explore, record, and strategize to help wanderers find their way out, establish safe zones in border areas, and tackle supernatural events in the real world.]
We have now joined forces with governments and NGOs from multiple countries to establish safe zones in several border areas (special regions where the real world and otherworldly realms intersect) specifically to serve homeless people, so that they can exchange information, purchase supplies, and sell high-value items they have found in otherworldly realms.
Our ultimate goal is to develop certain valuable exotic realms that can serve the present world, providing abundant resources to alleviate the imminent crises such as increasing resource scarcity and large-scale environmental degradation.
"Looks promising. Could it really be a large-scale lawful organization?"
Based on the explorer he had seen in the tavern clinic not long ago, and combined with the information on the screen, Yu Jing felt that the Explorers' Headquarters' self-introduction was somewhat credible, and couldn't help but develop a strong interest in the organization.
Putting everything else aside, Yu Jing was particularly interested in the "border area" mentioned by the Explorers' Headquarters, which was a place where wanderers could exchange information, purchase supplies, and sell exotic items.
Given his current situation, it's impossible for him to earn money in a short period of time by working.
Exploring exotic lands is undoubtedly the most suitable path for him at present.
You can hunt exotic monsters to level up and even activate new talents, and you can also sell items to make money, killing two birds with one stone.
Of course, the prerequisite is that he has to find a way to get the Explorers' Headquarters' approval and obtain the permit to go to the border area.
It was as if they had anticipated that the homeless people who read the above information would have similar thoughts to Yu Jing.
The last section of the visitor information is precisely where you find the specific instructions on how to join the Explorers Authority.
Q: How do I join the Explorers' Agency?
[A: The Explorers' Headquarters is always open to all wanderers and welcomes anyone interested in exploring exotic lands. However, considering the inherent dangers of such work, we conduct assessments when recruiting. Those interested can find the registration area at the bottom of the Visitor Information page.]