Chapter 3: The Secret Realm

After a while, when he looked up and saw the antique Mercedes-Benz, Jian Heng's interest was rekindled

If this scene were to be witnessed by literati and poets, it is likely that a timeless masterpiece would emerge. However, Jian Heng is not a poet; he is far from being a cultured individual. Most of his limited intellect has been devoted to making money, living well, and marrying a beautiful wife. He cannot even be said to possess literary talent, as he has not even brushed against the fringes of literature. The few phrases of classical Chinese he can recite were learned from textbooks when he was around ten years old.

No matter how fast he was going, no matter which direction he was heading, even if the car was moving so quickly that the wind made his ears ache, Jian Heng discovered that he was at most only about 30 to 40 meters away from the pond or the large bare tree, as if the vehicle were running on a super treadmill, which was quite miraculous

Muttering a few words, Jian Heng sat cross-legged on the mat, bare-bottomed, placing the notebook on his lap and began to read.

After watching for a while, Jian Heng felt that there was no way out, so he continued to roll it

After flipping through all the ancient books, Jian Heng found that they were all written in incomprehensible characters. Besides the ancient texts, there was a notebook nearby, which was quite conspicuous due to its substantial thickness and modern design. The leather cover featured a button, and upon casually opening the notebook, Jian Heng discovered that he could understand the contents, which were entirely handwritten in English, with the letters being quite neat!

Upon discovering this, Jian Heng immediately became interested, continuously going in and out, playing for dozens of times, until he nearly made himself sick before finally stopping

Sitting on genuine leather with bare skin, it feels quite cool without any pants

After clarifying that all of this was not a dream, Jian Heng shook off the gloom of the day, as if he had been invigorated, and locked himself in his room, beginning to delve into this peculiar "dream" space, carefully examining this magical place.

After contemplating the scene he had just witnessed, Jian Heng remarked, "Is this for real? It can't be this vivid in a dream, can it?"

Jian Heng discovered that the water in the pond began to stir slowly. Not only the water in the pond, but the once barren land also started to show signs of greenness. Unbeknownst to him, several tender little sprouts emerged from the ground, weaving through the gaps between Jian Heng's toes, growing at a visibly frantic pace.

Jian Heng felt that his eyes were insufficient; suddenly, his entire vision seemed to be filled with countless indescribable colors, so beautiful that it was intoxicating.

This left Jianheng somewhat speechless, unable to recognize Chinese, yet able to understand English. What kind of situation is this for a Chinese person!

Jian Heng began to doubt whether he was dreaming again

According to what is stated in the notes, this thing is called a surreal place. Just hearing this name, it seems that this translation by the foreigner is somewhat absurd. Chinese people would never use a name like surreal place to refer to such a location

Clap! Clap!

I fork!

As soon as Jian Heng thought of this thing printed on his chest, he immediately began to rub it with his hand incessantly. After rubbing for a while, his chest skin turned red, yet the color did not fade. He then dipped his finger in a bit of saliva from his tongue and continued to rub, but unfortunately, no matter how much Jian Heng rubbed, the pattern on his chest not only did not weaken but instead became increasingly clear.

Having seen many strange things, what is not strange has become strange instead. The only constant in this peculiar place is the car that originally stood between the tree and the pond. Although Jian Heng has no particular research on vintage cars, he happens to know this one.

Genuine leather is indeed genuine leather

Whoever knows, with such an unconscious remark, Jian Heng felt a flash before his eyes. When he once again saw the surrounding scene clearly, he found himself back in front of the bathroom mirror, and he could still hear the continuous sound of water flowing into the drain, making a splashing noise.

Suddenly, such a thing emerged, and Jian Heng couldn't help but start examining himself in the mirror. He quickly discovered that as he increasingly wanted to see the patterns more clearly, the tattoo seemed to become more and more vivid. Gradually, an endless horizon appeared, with a bald tree on the left and what looked like a circular pit dug into the ground on the right, in the center of which floated a round, smooth ball

What should be done about this

These correspond to the patterns seen earlier! In an instant, Jian Heng's mind, like a tangled mess, became even more chaotic. What is even more outrageous is that there is an old Mercedes-Benz car placed between the tree and the pond, what on earth is that?

The most astonishing sight is the sphere floating above the pond, originally a transparent crystal ball the size of a basketball, now resembling a bright "crescent moon" hanging in the air above the pond. At this moment, the water in the pond also begins to surge towards the sphere in the sky, as if an invisible force from the sphere is drawing the water from the pond.

Oh my goodness!

Soon, Jianheng realized that there was indeed a way to it

Thus, Jian Heng's exclamation was very direct and quite crude, expressing his shock with a single word—damn!

This is quite astonishing

Jian Heng subconsciously thought that the defective goods he had purchased had stained his chest. As for how the items in his pocket ended up on his chest, with his mind currently in a muddle, he wouldn't even think to consider such things, and even if he did, he wouldn't be able to figure it out.

Thus, Guanghuashua's Jianheng stood there with a foolish expression in a desolate scene reminiscent of the yellow earth plateau, openly exposing himself. Although no one could see, the sight was truly unbearable and blinding to the eyes

Setting aside the uncultured and thieving nature of the British, Jianheng continued to read on, becoming increasingly astonished. It was surprising to discover that the water in the pool had a special use. When the spherical object at the top of the pool was fully illuminated, the water was abundant, and drinking from it caused the animals or humans to swell in size. However, when it was completely dark, the water was diminished, and drinking from it caused a drastic reduction in size. When the sphere was halfway illuminated, the water was neither abundant nor diminished. Based on the literal meaning of the English words, it seems somewhat similar to what is referred to in Chinese as "solidifying the foundation and nurturing the essence." When the spherical object at the top of the pool was fully illuminated, the water was abundant, and drinking from it caused the animals or humans to swell in size. However, when it was completely dark, the water was diminished, and drinking from it caused a drastic reduction in size. When the sphere was halfway illuminated, the water was neither abundant nor diminished. Based on the literal meaning of the English words, it seems somewhat similar to what is referred to in Chinese as "solidifying the foundation and nurturing the essence."

Retracting his gaze, Jian Heng couldn't help but think: "If only I could go back and get a pair of pants!"

He sat in the car, and after rubbing his bare bottom against the genuine leather a few times, he felt that his buttocks had adapted to the temperature of the leather seat. Only then did he lower his head to look around, fiddling and exploring for an unknown amount of time before finally starting the car.

Seeing the car, Jian Heng walked straight over with curiosity

When the entire pond's surface became bright and shiny like a luminous disc, Jian Heng discovered that the water in the pond was forming a peculiar phenomenon resembling a waterspout. The water in the pond was reaching towards the 'disc' in the sky from the center of the pond, and this reaching was strangely calm. The water no longer resembled water; it was as if an invisible hand had lifted it to a height of four to five meters, presenting a colorful conical shape in a transparent jelly-like form above the pond.

Wishing to return and take another look, with a swish, Jian Heng found himself once again in that strange space, where the original antique Mercedes-Benz, the trees, and the eerie pond were all present

What is this thing

Soon, Jian Heng discovered several places that he had not noticed earlier. Around the pond, there were eight small, perfectly round circles without grass, resembling small platforms for certain objects, though they were quite low. At first, Jian Heng had not paid attention to them

Jian Hengqiang endured reading a few pages of the nonsensical translation, feeling dizzy, and directly tossed the booklet aside.

As he gazed, Jian Heng became somewhat entranced; the information in the notes was a translation of ancient texts by a British individual, who was the previous owner of this item.

It is said that there are only four or five surviving Mercedes-Benz 770Ks, and the one that is about to be auctioned is reportedly the very car that old Hitler drove while parading through the streets of Germany after capturing Paris. The historical significance of this is undoubtedly immense. As for the other statements from the auction house, whatever nonsense they may be, it is of no concern to Jianheng.

This time, he no longer cared about whether he was exposed or not. After figuring things out, Jian Heng also realized that apart from himself, no one else would appear here; being exposed or not made no difference!

Placed outside, a vintage car like this naturally could not be approached by someone of Jian Heng's status. However, that is a different matter now. Jian Heng, looking smooth and polished, walked up to the car, opened the door, and sat down with a thud. As soon as he made contact with the seat, a chill shot up his spine to his forehead, and only then did Jian Heng remember that he was sitting there without any pants

First of all, it is too vulgar! Secondly, it immediately exposes the fact that one lacks sophistication and refinement! Given our Chinese nature, a restaurant named "Xian Ke Lai" is far better than something called "Surreal Place".

Jian Heng knows that this car is currently in high demand! A news report mentioned that a Mercedes 770 is about to be auctioned. It is worth noting that only a few dozen of these vehicles were produced, and they were manufactured during the time when Comrade Xi was in power in Germany. Behind each Mercedes 770K lies a historical figure and a historical story

The first ten or so pages are manageable for Jianheng, but as it progresses, the translation by this foreigner becomes increasingly off the mark. It resembles the way a Chinese person might directly translate English literary works, losing both the context and the cultural nuances. The entire output is so frustrating to read that one might feel like tearing their own hair out!

I am astonished

Feeling a slight itch on the soles of his feet, Jian Heng lifted his foot. As soon as he moved it away, he immediately saw the grass that had been pressed down by his step beginning to stretch out its tender shoots. Soon, the originally bent stems stood upright like the grass beside them, trembling slightly, boldly displaying the power of life before Jian Heng.

Jian Heng immediately recognized this object, recalling that the image was precisely the unorthodox pattern engraved on the worthless jade he had just purchased for 10,000 US dollars

After understanding it, Jian Heng directly started racing in this inexplicable space, just to verify what was mentioned in the notes about how vast and boundless this surreal realm is

What Jian Heng did not expect was that this thing could actually be driven, and the speed was quite decent. Aside from the steering wheel being a bit heavy and the handling being somewhat lacking, there seemed to be no other significant issues.

What on earth, is the color fading so severely

After a moment of exclamation, I turned to look around, but Jian Heng also did not find anything that could serve as a cover or cushion.

Jian Heng stood to the side, humorously covering his cheeks while bare-bottomed, watching. It was unclear how much time had passed, but the "crescent moon" in the sky above the pond gradually transformed into a full moon, just like the solar eclipse Jian Heng had seen before

Just as Jian Heng was rubbing his hands, suddenly his eyes brightened, and when he looked up, he found himself standing in a vast, desolate wasteland. As far as the eye could see, everything was a dusty yellow, resembling the Loess Plateau. Even more amusingly, to his left stood a gnarled old tree, and to his right was a depression that appeared to be about one mu in size, with a nearly transparent ball hanging above it.

Jian Heng gazed at the "landscape" on his chest, feeling somewhat at a loss. Truly, if it were more aesthetically pleasing, he could accept it, but this design was identical to one on a piece of jade. If it were to be revealed, others would surely think it was drawn on with a ballpoint pen, as if it were a joke. Each stroke had a somewhat Fauvist style—not that it was out of tune or unattractive, but rather it was outrageously ugly

Jian Heng understood after reading a few pages. Originally, these ancient texts contained an introduction to this place, somewhat resembling a manual, yet it also seemed to be something related to a certain doctrine or treasure.

After a moment of hesitation, it seemed that he felt this word lacked impact, so he added another sentence: "Today is a day for the dogs!"

The strange occurrences encountered at this moment are too numerous; Jian Heng has seen so much that he no longer finds it surprising. The main issue is that he cannot blame them, and if he were to blame them further, it is likely that his face would become three times rounder.

After two slaps, Jian Heng covered his cheek, licking the flesh that had been stung by his own slap with his tongue, and began to continue observing the situation around him

In addition to the trees and the pond, as well as the antique Mercedes-Benz, there is a mat behind the tree, on which dozens of books are placed. Jian Heng flipped through them and found that most were ancient texts. Although they were written in Chinese, the characters were twisted and turned, resembling small seal script. It might be recognizable to Jian Heng, but unfortunately, Jian Heng could not recognize it

He slapped himself twice and shouted loudly, "Wake up! Wake up, don't sleep anymore, I'm going crazy!"