Chapter 53: Long Time No See
In an extremely short time, dozens of Aisenla residents climbed the city wall, surging forward one after another toward Su Xiao.
As the enemies charged head-on, Su Xiao slightly lowered his body, his long blade angled toward the ground. These Aisenla residents weren't particularly fast, nor were they especially strong, but their bodies were tough to an unreasonable degree.
The battle ended quickly. Fragmented corpses lay scattered around Su Xiao as he stepped to the edge of the city wall. The moment he looked down, *whoosh*, an arrow shot straight toward his face.
Su Xiao caught the incoming arrow barehanded. Below the wall, monsters over four meters tall, their bodies pitch-black and rugged, stared up at him. Their frames were too large, their thick fingers ill-suited for climbing.
Su Xiao made a slashing motion toward the ground below. A pale blue blade aura cut through the air, instantly striking an Aisenla resident. The creature staggered back a few steps, a deep gash appearing across its chest. But the next moment, it ripped a square stone slab from the ground and hurled it at Su Xiao.
Dodging sideways to avoid the millstone-sized stone, Su Xiao quickly concluded that charging headlong into the Aisenla now would likely result in being surrounded and killed.
Picking up a withered arm from the ground, Su Xiao leaped down from another section of the wall and regrouped with Bubu Wang and Baha.
The most urgent matter now was not to charge into Aisenla, but to return to Helu.
Returning to Helu via the teleportation array inside Aisenla City was no longer possible. Su Xiao sent Baha to scout the area around Aisenla, searching for a medium or small city with a Wizard Guild branch.
Baha scouted for over three hours before finding a small town a few kilometers away. Su Xiao headed there immediately. Upon arriving at the Wizard Guild branch in the small town, he found the teleportation array already destroyed and the wizards inside slaughtered.
This came as no surprise. Su Xiao sent Baha to continue scouting. Finally, at four in the afternoon, Baha located a medium-sized city named Yizi. After reaching the Wizard Guild branch in "Yizi City," Su Xiao was able to use the teleportation array there.
The sensation of teleportation hit. Having used it many times, Su Xiao was long accustomed to this crude array. Xia, however, was not. She had just finished dinner, feeling cheerful, and nearly threw up.
"I can't take it anymore."
Xia leaned against the stone wall, pale-faced, panting heavily. Just then, a big boss walked toward her.
"Th-this is..."
Xia's mouth fell slightly open as she stared at the walking mass of black, rotting flesh ahead. She could tell that this big boss, in a low-tier world, would absolutely be a world-destroying-level existence.
"Laurent, you can leave the Old God Church now?"
"Mm."
A hoarse, deep voice, unpleasant to hear, came from the walking mass of black flesh. This was Laurent.
"Friend... no need... to fear."
Laurent's tentacle rested on Su Xiao's shoulder. He wasn't saying this to Su Xiao, of course, but to reassure Xia that he meant no harm.
"Mm!"
Xia forced a smile and nodded. Only now did she realize that the allies in this world were terrifying enough to be reassuring—yes, terrifying.
"Ku...ku...lin, enemies... attacked... Helu, but were... driven back... by the Blood Sail... from Bone Harbor."
Laurent's speech was even more grating than Shuguang's.
"Use gestures."
"Why?"
"You talk too slowly."
The moment Su Xiao finished speaking, Xia, standing behind him, tugged at his clothes, signaling that maybe he shouldn't provoke this ally—he looked far too terrifying.
"If it's... you... fine."
Laurent waved a tentacle.
"Mm. Go see them."
Su Xiao followed Laurent straight to the Old God Church on the thirtieth floor of the Wizard Guild headquarters.
The stone door of the Old God Church was wide open. The moment Xia stepped inside, a prompt from Reincarnation Paradise appeared.
[Worker has arrived at an ultra-high-risk hidden area. Due to the worker being four ranks below this area, you receive 5% World Source (this is a low-rank bonus).]
Xia was stunned. She had done nothing but follow along. Apart from the time she cleared the *Kill the Demon Girl* world using Su Xiao's guide, 5% World Source was equivalent to a third of the World Source reward she'd get from an entire world.
This gave Xia a feeling like a level 60-something, nearly 70-something big shot was leading her, a mere level 12 newbie fresh out of the starter village, through a dungeon. The feeling... was amazing.
"Little girl, don't just stand there—you're blocking the door."
A raspy voice came from behind Xia. She stepped aside just as another big boss walked past her. This one was wrapped in filthy bandages, stained with blood, and on his scalded skin, faint sparks of fire could still be seen.
"Oh, Kukulin, over here."
Kaisa sat on the stone chair belonging to Laurent. That guy was clever—sensing something was wrong earlier, he had immediately hidden inside the Old God Church.
"Everyone's here. Which of you three knows what's going on with Aisenla now?"
Su Xiao sat on the steps by the wall, lighting a cigarette.
"Now... Aisenla... and..."
Su Xiao looked at Laurent. Laurent's tentacles writhed, pushing Shuguang beside him.
"Mm, then... let me speak. Laurent's speech really is too slow, but it can't be helped, after all..."
"You shut up too."
Su Xiao rubbed his forehead. Shuguang cast a slightly puzzled look.
"You're too long-winded. Gus, you take over."
Su Xiao's exchange with the three Immortal-rank wizards made Xia's mouth twitch. In her view, dealing with these big bosses should have been dead serious. Why did the atmosphere feel almost cheerful?
"That's right. You two, shut up."
Gus, who had hung himself upside down again, cleared his throat and began:
"The current Aisenla is very similar to what Helu once was. The Wild Beast Plague has spread there. If I'm not mistaken, the Bronze Door has also been summoned. So far, it has appeared three times. The first time, the prosperous ancient dynasty was destroyed. The second time, Helu became what it is now, and then the Bronze Door was sealed by the Mad Prophet. Now it's appeared again."
From Gus's account, Su Xiao understood the situation. The Bronze Door was not created by Sfenk nor was it his possession. It was something the Old Gods brought to this world.
Behind the Bronze Door lay an indescribable terror. This terror wasn't a specific entity but the Wild Beast Plague—or rather, a kind of energy released that eroded the minds and bodies of Aisenla's residents.
"Keep it brief. Just tell me how to deal with it."
"..."
Gus, Shuguang, and Laurent all fell silent, their heads lowered.
"Holy... Silver."
Laurent spoke in a low voice. Gus and Shuguang both looked at him.
"I won't lie down in the furnace a second time. Never."
Gus's tone was resolute. He wasn't afraid of death, but lying in the furnace was more terrifying than death itself.
"I... won't either."
Shuguang shared the same attitude.
"I will."
Laurent's unpleasant laughter rang out.
"Ku...ku...lin, use the Holy Silver I refine... to slaughter... all of Aisenla."
Laurent approached the statue of Nia, his tentacles pressing a mechanism. Nia's stone sculpture began to rise, revealing a furnace five meters long and three meters wide beneath it. The furnace fire had gone out; it needed soul fire to be reignited.
"More allies than expected. Gentlemen, I'm late."
A man of medium build with slicked-back hair walked into the Old God Church, wearing a smile—or rather, a fake smile.
*Ding!*
A flash of blue light streaked by. The newcomer had barely made his entrance before he was pinned to the wall by Banishment.
"Long time no see, Jester."
Su Xiao looked at the red jester pinned to the wall—Mr. J.
"I should say, as expected of you, Bai Ye. To be able to contend with Sfenk to this extent. I miss the days when you were still a brute."
Mr. J grinned. This time, it wasn't a fake smile, because faking a smile at Su Xiao could get you killed. Mr. J had personally experienced how sharp Su Xiao's long blade was, and the searing pain of being cut—like having your soul torn apart.