Chapter 50: Drawing Lots
Upon seeing the notification from Reincarnation Paradise, Su Xiao paused mid-step.
"Shia Sanctum..."
Su Xiao muttered to himself. This continent was called Shia Continent, and a place named Shia Sanctum would certainly not be simple.
Compared to the name Shia Sanctum, Su Xiao felt that the title "Tomb of the Undying" was more fitting. Aside from everything else, the stone corridor he was currently in already had the atmosphere of a tomb. The environment here could be described in a few fitting words: pitch-black, damp, eerie, and deathly silent.
So far, this place had not given Su Xiao the feeling of a sanctum; instead, it felt more like a tomb.
Shia Sanctum was a hidden area in this Primordial World. In layman's terms, unless one received a special mission, it was very difficult to find this place through other means.
This was indeed the case. If Su Xiao had not received the hidden side mission, it would have been nearly impossible for him to find this place.
In this area, rewards such as treasure chests and World Source were increased by 20%. As a cost, when Su Xiao entered the outskirts of Shia Sanctum, he had to consume 600 Paradise Coins per hour.
Su Xiao currently had 199,000 Paradise Coins. At 600 per hour, he could stay here for about 14 days.
Of course, Su Xiao could not stay here for 14 days. He had less than 4 days left on his mission. He needed to find the Annihilation Stone within 4 days. If he failed, he would likely be forcibly teleported out of the Primordial World due to insufficient stay time.
Su Xiao had three main tasks to accomplish in this Primordial World. First, complete the main mission to obtain "4 True Attribute Points + the authority to upgrade any mastered skill by 1 level." The main mission was already complete.
Aside from the main mission, Su Xiao had two other things to do. The first was to enter the Law-Destruction Shadow ruins. Based on known intelligence, the Law-Destruction Shadow ruins were located within the territory of the Necromancer Clan.
As for the last thing, it was the somewhat troublesome Adventure Group promotion assessment. Su Xiao had already completed the main mission, but the Adventure Group promotion assessment mission had yet to trigger. Based on his speculation, he probably had the wrong approach.
Given the current situation, if Su Xiao could not find the Annihilation Stone, the likelihood of him completing the latter two tasks was slim due to insufficient stay time.
Thinking of this, Su Xiao quickened his pace. He walked at the front, with Bubu Wang following closely behind, then Goss and Alisa Herbert, while Amu brought up the rear.
The current formation seemed fine on the surface, but this was only suitable for the outskirts of Shia Sanctum. When they truly delved deep into the tomb, Goss would definitely be at the front. That was what a cannon fodder was for. As for whether Goss agreed, that was irrelevant. Su Xiao had many ways to make him comply.
Su Xiao walked through the eerie corridor. The corridor was about five meters wide and six or seven meters high. The surrounding red square stones were somewhat damp, filling the corridor with a musty smell.
Clang, clang, clang...
A knocking sound came from ahead. As Su Xiao ventured deeper into the tomb, the sound grew closer. It sounded like someone striking something with a hammer, very crisp.
"Woof~"
Bubu Wang, behind Su Xiao, let out a soft bark. This goofball was clearly scared. It was worth noting that Bubu Wang was not afraid of monsters or powerful enemies; the only thing it feared was "ghosts."
The ghosts in Bubu Wang's understanding were not wraiths or vengeful spirits, but the kind of monsters it had seen in horror movies. This goofball often watched horror movies, trembling in fear but unable to stop watching.
Who knew why Bubu Wang was afraid of ghosts? If judged by normal logic, ghosts were not really that terrifying.
Take Su Xiao, for example. He had killed countless people on the battlefield. If ghosts really existed, seeing the blood aura on him would make them tremble in fear and run faster than rabbits. Ghosts like Sadako, if they appeared before Su Xiao, he would simply step forward, deliver a side kick, then tie them to an alchemy lab table and study their structure. Within half a month, the so-called ghost would become pitiful.
Despite this, Bubu Wang was still afraid of ghosts. At this moment, the goofball had somehow gotten a Bagua mirror and hung it around its neck, while also holding a cross in its mouth—a fusion of East and West.
Bubu Wang was panicking, but Amu was completely unfazed. This guy was at the back of the group, looking around casually.
The knocking sound grew closer, and Su Xiao slowed his pace.
Clang, clang, clang...
By now, the knocking sound was very clear, no more than 100 meters away. Not only the knocking, but a wave of heat also hit them, and the surrounding walls were no longer damp.
There might be danger ahead. Su Xiao's gaze fell on Goss, whose expression changed slightly. He had already guessed what was coming.
"Someone needs to scout ahead now."
Su Xiao's gaze swept over everyone, including Bubu Wang and Amu, very "fair."
"I need to protect Princess Alisa."
Goss was already showing signs of refusal. He knew scouting ahead was dangerous, but he was more worried about one thing: Su Xiao using Alisa Herbert to threaten him.
"How about we draw lots."
Su Xiao took out four slips of paper. Seeing only four slips, Goss felt even more uneasy.
"Of course, Alisa Herbert doesn't need to draw. She only needs to open the mechanisms along the way."
Su Xiao would not let Alisa Herbert scout ahead; that would be a waste of resources.
"This..."
Although Goss wanted to say something, what could he say in this situation? Clearly, drawing lots was fairer than being assigned to scout.
"Among these four slips, one has a red mark inside. Whoever draws the red one scouts ahead. This is very fair, Goss. You shouldn't have any objections, right?"
Su Xiao had already set the trap, waiting for Goss to fall into it. As for Goss refusing to draw lots? No, he couldn't refuse.
"No... objections."
Goss gritted his teeth and agreed. For some reason, he had a feeling that no matter which slip he drew, he would end up being the one scouting ahead.
"You go first."
Su Xiao held his hand out flat. Goss took a slip first but did not open it immediately. He was guarding against the possibility that all four slips had red marks inside. If he opened it now, he would directly become the scout.
Contrary to Goss's suspicion, Bubu Wang used its nimble front paws to open its slip. The inside was white. Amu, due to his thick fingers, had Su Xiao open his slip for him. It was also white.
"So, it's just the two of us left. Who will scout ahead?"
Su Xiao held a slip between his fingers, while Goss clenched his tightly.
Seeing Goss's tense expression, Su Xiao flipped his fingers and opened the slip. The inside was white.
"That's impossible."
Goss quickly opened his slip. Inside was a striking red mark, seemingly foretelling danger and death.
"You..."
Goss was at a loss for words. He was the last to open his slip and had witnessed the entire process of the other three being opened.