Chapter 64: Charlotte (Fourth Update, Extra Chapter for Alliance Leader 'Su Xiaochang~')
The flames in the furnace at the center of the clearing gradually died out, the nearby large machinery ceased operation, and the steam slowly dissipated.
Su Xiao wasn't sure what these machines were used for, but destroying them here might benefit subsequent actions.
With the sharpness of Dragon-Slaying Flash, damaging these machines was no problem. Soon, the steel machinery in the clearing was severely wrecked.
Surveying the surroundings, Su Xiao spotted a lift in a corner of the clearing. The lift looked old, with a simple structure—just a metal frame suspended by a steel cable, somewhat like an elevator.
Apart from this lift, there were no other routes in the clearing. Su Xiao entered the lift, followed closely by Bubuteni and the Little Emperor.
Inside the lift was a lever. Su Xiao pulled it hard. With a click, the lift first shuddered, then the sound of mechanisms working came from all around. A few seconds later, the lift began to rise slowly.
Creak, creak...
The sound of metal friction was harsh. Although the lift could barely function, Su Xiao felt it might fall apart at any moment. Bubuteni pressed tightly against his leg in fear.
As the lift ascended, the surrounding scenery changed, transitioning from black stone walls to a metallic texture.
Crack!
The lift suddenly dropped, and Su Xiao shifted his center of gravity to maintain balance.
A few seconds later, the lift returned to normal and continued rising slowly.
Below was now a bottomless abyss. If the lift malfunctioned now, the trouble would be immense.
Fortunately, despite its unremarkable appearance, this lift was exceptionally sturdy and didn't fail again.
After a few minutes, the lift stopped, having risen about a hundred meters. This was undoubtedly good news—Su Xiao was closer to the surface.
Outside the lift was something like a large factory. The factory looked old, covering a vast area, divided into numerous compartments that formed many intricate corridors.
Entering the large factory, the first thing that caught the eye was a row of several-meter-tall test tubes. Inside the tubes were bizarre animals, most of them dangerous species, with the occasional human visible.
These dangerous species or humans had strange appearances. Some dangerous species had two heads, others had over a dozen hands.
The extra body parts showed signs of stitching, and some were even connected with metal, rivets visible.
These dangerous species had no life aura, quietly soaking in the solution.
"Which direction next?"
Su Xiao walked into the factory, needing the Little Emperor to guide him.
"Probably that direction."
The Little Emperor pointed to the right.
"Probably?"
"My intuition disappeared once I got here."
Su Xiao stared intently at the Little Emperor, who stepped back several times.
"I'm not lying this time."
"..."
After a moment's hesitation, Su Xiao headed in the direction the Little Emperor pointed. There was no other choice now.
After moving through the factory for a while, Su Xiao suddenly heard footsteps in the distance, but he didn't sense any living being approaching. The footsteps grew closer.
Su Xiao quickly scanned the area. There were many compartments partitioned by iron plates nearby. He chose one at random and pushed the door open.
It wasn't just the Little Emperor's intuition that had vanished; Su Xiao's perception was also greatly weakened here. Something was suppressing his senses, reducing his perception range to less than two meters.
Inside the compartment was a small laboratory filled with various instruments and test tubes. This was likely a place where alchemists worked.
As soon as he entered the compartment, Su Xiao's pupils contracted sharply, and he gripped Dragon-Slaying Flash, ready for battle.
Inside the compartment was a strange Deep One. What made it strange was that this Deep One wore a yellowed white coat, had one arm made of metal, and was holding a test tube while adjusting something at a workbench.
Their eyes met. The strange Deep One looked at Su Xiao with surprise, neither attacking nor shouting.
"A human from the surface?"
The strange Deep One actually spoke human language, though with an odd intonation.
"Yes."
Su Xiao halted his forward charge. He didn't know the creature's background, and unknown enemies were approaching outside the compartment. If this Deep One suddenly shouted, it would be disastrous.
The situation was somewhat unexpected. The Deep One was looking at him with a delighted expression.
"Human... finally, a human has come here. Wonderful."
The strange Deep One put down the test tube in its hand and looked Su Xiao and the others up and down.
The footsteps outside grew closer. The strange Deep One's expression changed.
"Shh, don't make a sound."
Su Xiao was taken aback. It seemed the creature was afraid of being discovered by whatever was outside.
"Those are the patrol units. You're no match for them, trust me."
The strange Deep One ran to the door. Su Xiao sidestepped and stepped back a few paces. The creature's origins were unknown; caution was necessary.
The strange Deep One closed the compartment door tightly, very afraid that Su Xiao and the others would be discovered.
The footsteps outside gradually faded away, and the strange Deep One let out a long sigh of relief.
"Human... a human from the surface. Hahaha, this is great. I finally have a chance to get out, to leave this damn place. Six hundred years—I've been trapped in this hellhole for exactly six hundred thirty-one years, five months, and seven days."
As the strange Deep One spoke, it began to sob uncontrollably.
"Honorable humans, hello. My name is Sherlock. I was created by a damned alchemist to help him with his nonsensical research."
The strange Deep One, Sherlock, was very enthusiastic, as if meeting Su Xiao and the others was the greatest stroke of luck. But its darting, shifty eyes indicated that this creature was highly intelligent and had ulterior motives.
"Honorable humans, may I ask where you entered this place? Was it from the direction of the shrine or the alchemy gate?"
Sherlock's eyes were full of anticipation.
Su Xiao pondered inwardly. This Deep One named Sherlock clearly wanted to leave this place. Its origins were obvious—it was an alchemical creature.
If Sherlock's words were true, it had survived for centuries. Deep Ones only lived for thirty years; the only possibility was that it had been transformed into an alchemical creature.
One of Sherlock's arms was made of metal, and the gleam of metal was faintly visible inside its collar.
An alchemical creature desperate to leave, having lived here for centuries, would know this place like the back of its hand. A smile appeared on Su Xiao's face. The Little Emperor might no longer be important.
"We came from the direction of the shrine."
"Tu ba ba, pa a te... (unknown language)"
Sherlock cursed a few times in the Deep One language, and the flame of hope in its eyes died out.
"Isn't there an emergency passage here? Why didn't you leave through that?"
Su Xiao sheathed Dragon-Slashing Flash. Sherlock wasn't strong; he could deal with it barehanded within a minute.
"The emergency passage can only be used by the royal family. An alchemical creature like me... gets discarded after use. Damned alchemists, accursed royalty."
Sherlock's metal arm clenched with a cracking sound.
"Sherlock, come here."
Su Xiao beckoned Sherlock to a corner. Although he couldn't fully confirm the creature's motives, its desire to leave seemed credible. As for its personality, it was clearly extremely cunning.
Compared to the Little Emperor, who often played petty tricks but was actually somewhat foolish, Su Xiao preferred to cooperate with Sherlock.
In the corner, Su Xiao spoke in a low voice to Sherlock:
"My name is White Night. My goal is also to leave here. Let's cooperate and get out together."
Sherlock rubbed its chin with its hand, glanced at Su Xiao, and replied in a low voice:
"Then we have the same goal. But that big hole in the shrine is at least several hundred meters high. Getting in is easy—it won't trigger any traps—but getting out from there is hard. There are hundreds of different traps; even flying won't work."
Sherlock sighed as it spoke.
"I've been trapped here for centuries. I know how wonderful the outside world is. Can you understand this suffering?"
Su Xiao patted Sherlock on the shoulder.
"What a tragic experience. What did you mean earlier when you said only the royal family can use the emergency passage?"
"Oh, that. The door to the emergency passage was originally built by alchemists under the orders of the royal family. That door can use a special method to check the bloodline of whoever opens it. It's essentially a mindless alchemical creature, mainly made from refined gold, Karmason circuits, Bayazina elements..."
Sherlock rambled on. This creature's alchemy skills weren't low, having been trapped here for centuries.
"Stop. I don't understand. In short, can the royal family open that door?"
"Yes, but also no. The royal bloodline activates the door, and I know the method to open it afterward. But what use is that?"
Su Xiao felt a surge of joy inwardly but kept his expression calm. Sherlock was far more reliable than the Little Emperor.
"See that little brat over there?"
"Who is he?"
"A direct member of the royal family."
Sherlock was stunned, its eyes widening, a look of ecstasy spreading across its face, though the hatred in its eyes was undisguised.
"Friend, I must be your most reliable partner. Let's get out together."
Sherlock was trembling with excitement.
"Alright. Let's get out together."
Su Xiao and Sherlock turned their heads to look at the Little Emperor, who instinctively stepped back a few paces.