Chapter 49: Shia Sanctum
With a harsh grating sound of metal, Gosse once again vanished from Su Xiao's sight. As for why "once again," it was because a minute prior, Gosse had already disappeared from Su Xiao's view in free fall.
At this moment, Su Xiao had a string of items hanging from him, and Alisa Herbert, held in Amu's grasp, had become a genuine accessory. The group descended at a steady, unhurried pace.
About ten seconds later.
Boom!
A loud crash came from below, likely signaling Gosse's arrival at the bottom.
Soon, Su Xiao and his party reached the base of the metal shaft. Gosse wasn't injured; just before landing, he mimicked Su Xiao's earlier method by thrusting his knight's sword into the metal wall to safely touch down.
Upon reaching the shaft's bottom, Su Xiao surveyed his surroundings. At the base was a metal door engraved with indecipherable patterns. The door bore no rust, and at its center was a circular hole.
Using the light from a military-grade glow stick, Su Xiao examined the hole's interior. It was about fifty centimeters deep, containing a metal rod—likely the mechanism to open the door.
Su Xiao drew the Dragon-Slaying Flash from his waist and stabbed it into the metal door.
Clang.
Sparks flew, leaving only a shallow dent. The door was extremely sturdy, protected by some kind of energy.
Su Xiao could break it down, but brute force would take at least several hours, if not longer.
After a moment's hesitation, Su Xiao reached his left hand, clad in a metal gauntlet, into the hole while pressing the Dragon-Slaying Flash against his arm. At the first sign of trouble, he would sever his own limb. He didn't let Gosse test it because he didn't trust the man.
Su Xiao's hand grasped the iron rod inside the hole. A surge of energy enveloped his hand.
Bang!
The unknown energy within the hole erupted, forcibly ejecting Su Xiao's left arm.
Shaking his slightly numb arm, Su Xiao realized this door likely required royal blood to open. His gaze shifted to Alisa Herbert.
Alisa Herbert caught his look. She glanced at Su Xiao, then at the metal hole, back and forth a few times, before rapidly shaking her head, her small head wobbling like a rattle drum.
"Open it."
"No."
"You don't have the right to refuse."
"I won't."
Seconds later, Su Xiao, holding the Dragon-Slaying Flash, stood in front of Gosse, while Amu dragged Alisa Herbert toward the metal door.
"Princess!"
Gosse roared, his face shifting through various emotions. He wanted to stop Amu but was powerless—he was no match for Su Xiao's strength and dared not defy the royal family.
Su Xiao watched the "struggling" Alisa Herbert, realizing this wouldn't work. There might be many more mechanisms ahead requiring this naive princess's help.
He signaled Amu to release Alisa Herbert and had Amu and Bubu Wang block Gosse's view. Approaching Alisa, Su Xiao met her eyes directly. Her gaze began to waver.
Su Xiao grabbed her fair chin. Her skin was smooth and tender. "Look into my eyes," he said.
"It's... too dark. I can't see."
Truth be told, Alisa Herbert was not only useless but also quite cheeky.
"We need your help now."
As a master of psychological interrogation, Su Xiao naturally had ways to make Alisa Herbert comply.
"Re... really?"
Alisa Herbert's cheeks flushed with nervousness. She had never felt needed before, and the close physical contact with a man made her uneasy.
"Of course."
Su Xiao had prepared a series of speeches, but this ditsy princess was too easy to fool—he never got to use them.
Now Su Xiao understood the old king's feelings. Most princes and princesses were exceptional, even if lacking unique talents, they knew how to manage territories. Suddenly encountering something like Alisa Herbert was jarring—like a husky mixed into a pack of police dogs.
When the old king learned of Alisa Herbert's territory management, his first reaction was: "Is this really my offspring? How can my daughter be so useless? Did the queen cheat? Or did the fetus suffer a head injury during pregnancy?"
"Then... what are we here for?"
Alisa remained clueless, only knowing she was beneath the royal palace.
"We're here to... uh—"
Su Xiao couldn't exactly say he was searching for the [Annihilation Stone]. Though that was his goal, it didn't sound noble or righteous.
"Your father is dead."
As soon as Su Xiao spoke, Alisa Herbert and Gosse froze.
"Before he died, he entrusted me with a task: to find something beneath the throne. It's of utmost importance. I can't explain the details, but you only need to know one thing—your father trusted you, so he specifically asked me to bring you here."
The old king had indeed entrusted Su Xiao with a task and specifically named Alisa Herbert to enter beneath the throne. As for trust, spare this naive princess—the old king was just making use of a liability.
"Re... really?"
Alisa Herbert clearly believed it, but Gosse didn't. He wanted to roar, "Princess, don't believe this 'devil's' lies!"
"Since that's the case... there's no helping it."
Alisa Herbert clenched her small, fair fist, a sense of duty welling in her heart. Seeing this, Gosse's face showed despair. His mouth opened and closed—if he weren't her guardian knight, he would have shouted, "Are you brain-dead? You believe such suspicious words?"
Smiling, Su Xiao glanced at Gosse. Bubu Wang and Amu also looked at him. One man, one dog, one cow—their expressions turned icy, clearly warning: "Say one word, and you're dead."
Seconds later, they turned back to Alisa Herbert, their expressions warm. Bubu Wang's eyes practically showed... encouragement?
"I can do this."
Alisa Herbert took a few deep breaths. Her trembling hand reached into the metal hole and grasped the iron rod inside.
Energy surged within the hole. A sharp pain shot through Alisa Herbert's hand.
Click, click...
The mechanism behind the metal door activated. Alisa Herbert quickly withdrew her arm.
Rumble. The metal door rose, revealing a pitch-black corridor ahead.
"Well done."
Su Xiao patted Alisa Herbert's shoulder. She wore a grimace. Though her heart swelled with duty, opening the mechanism hurt, and unfortunately, this naive princess was very afraid of pain.
Su Xiao tossed the military glow stick into the dark corridor, dispelling some of the darkness. The corridor was built from dark red stone, stretching straight ahead. Despite being deep underground, the air wasn't thin.
Clang, clang, clang...
Faint knocking sounds came from far ahead.
Su Xiao stepped into the corridor first. As he entered, a notification from Reincarnation Paradise appeared.
[Notification: Hunter has entered a hidden area: Shia Sanctum/Undying Tomb.]
[Shia Sanctum is a high-danger zone. Rewards such as chests and World Source increased by 20%.]
[Due to Shia Sanctum being a hidden area, to enter Shia Sanctum (Outer Perimeter), the hunter must consume 600 Paradise Coins per hour. Insufficient coins will result in forced teleportation to the Shia Sanctum entrance.]
PS: (Two chapters today. The mosquito needs to organize thoughts and speed up the plot progression.)