Chapter 65: The Way Out
The newly acquainted Sherlock was a cave-dweller, later modified by an alchemist, with most of his internal organs replaced by machinery.
According to Sherlock, he required only a minimal amount of energy to sustain his daily needs, with the main energy source being a refined ore; one piece of ore could sustain him for half a year.
“Do you have a complete understanding of this place?”
Su Xiao needed to gather as much information from Sherlock as possible, and the route out required Sherlock’s guidance.
“Except for some classified locations, I know all the other areas. In short, leaving here is no problem. Wait a moment.”
Sherlock approached the test bench, pulled out a yellowed piece of paper from a drawer.
“This is a map of the ‘Bilumark Alchemy Laboratory.’ Our current position is here.”
Sherlock pointed to the middle-rear section of the map, and Su Xiao stepped forward to examine it.
He had already ventured deep into the ‘Bilumark Alchemy Laboratory,’ and moving forward would lead to the core area.
Su Xiao noticed a specially marked location on the map—that was the emergency passage.
“Our current location is ‘Cultivation Room Seven,’ which is primarily responsible for the creation of alchemical creatures. The emergency passage is not far from here; we just need to pass through this area to reach it.”
Sherlock pointed to a red zone on the map:
“This is?” Ville asked.
“This is the Birth Sanctum, arguably the most dangerous area of the ‘Bilumark Alchemy Laboratory.’”
“There are many alchemical creatures like me in the ‘Bilumark Alchemy Laboratory.’ I was created to assist alchemists in processing alchemical materials, so my combat ability is weak. Other alchemical creatures are different. I must say, you’re quite lucky. If you had gone to ‘Cultivation Room Two,’ you would never have left alive.”
As he spoke, Sherlock kept a firm grip on the map, only allowing glances, clearly on guard against Su Xiao.
“Birth Sanctum? What was born there?”
“A monster, one capable of destroying an empire. It’s laughable, really. Those alchemists poured their hearts into creating that monster, only to be feared by the royal family in the end, and were eliminated without a trace.”
Su Xiao felt a headache coming on. This unknown monster might be extremely powerful.
“How does this monster you speak of compare to the cave-dweller guards?”
Sherlock looked at Su Xiao in surprise.
“Those guards? Are you joking? Those guards weren’t created for combat. You know about the Supreme Imperial Artifact, right?”
Su Xiao nodded, and Sherlock continued:
“The Supreme Imperial Artifact is no match for that monster. At most, within five minutes, that monster could turn the Supreme Imperial Artifact into a pile of scrap metal.”
Su Xiao’s headache worsened.
“Such a powerful being must have strong perception, right? We can’t pass safely near it.”
“No need to worry about that. That thing is in hibernation; it hasn’t stirred in four hundred years.”
“Reliable?”
“Of course. I’m a cave-dweller who has lived for six hundred years—a legendary existence.”
Sherlock puffed out his chest, full of self-satisfaction.
“Then let’s set off. Get out of here as soon as possible.”
“Wait, I need to pack my belongings.”
Sherlock took out a gray cloth bag and began gathering items in the room. A piece of parchment was stuffed into the bag, and Su Xiao vaguely saw a flash of purple light on it.
Slinging the bag over his back, Sherlock strode out with a swagger.
“Just follow me. The guards here only patrol three times a day; it’s safe now.”
Su Xiao said nothing, but he didn’t let his guard down.
Sherlock walked ahead confidently, looking in good spirits.
As Sherlock had described, ‘Cultivation Room Seven’ had no other alchemical creatures appearing.
A thousand years ago, this place had been glorious, but now it lay in ruins.
Once, every compartment here housed an alchemist. They conducted experiments here, lived here, and died here.
The royal family poisoned the alchemists’ food, killing over ninety-five percent of them.
After that, the ‘Bilumark Alchemy Laboratory’ became a forbidden zone for humans. Except for royal family members, anyone entering would be attacked by alchemical creatures.
After the monster in the Birth Sanctum was created, the royal family grew wary of the alchemists’ abilities. The alchemists’ doom arrived as they were hunted down by the empire’s army; only a few in remote areas survived.
With no alchemists left, the ‘Bilumark Alchemy Laboratory’ gradually faded from the royal family’s memory.
The royal family didn’t destroy the monster; they couldn’t bear to part with such immense power. Of course, there were other reasons as well.
With Sherlock leading the way, the journey went smoothly. In less than ten minutes, the group exited Cultivation Room Seven, with the Birth Sanctum right next to it.
After passing through a corridor filled with large test tubes, Su Xiao arrived at the Birth Sanctum.
It was different from what he had imagined. There were no experimental instruments, no powerful alchemical creatures—just a cold metal room covering several thousand square meters, completely empty and vast.
“This is the Birth Sanctum. Where is the monster?”
Su Xiao looked around but couldn’t see where a monster could hide. If possible, the only place was...
Sherlock pointed at the ground.
“Right beneath our feet. Don’t make too much noise. Although it’s been dormant for centuries, no one knows when it might wake up. If we’re unlucky, it could wake up any moment.”
Hearing the key phrase ‘unlucky,’ Su Xiao’s heart tightened. His luck... probably wasn’t that great. He instinctively quickened his pace.
As it turned out, the monster that had slept for centuries wasn’t so easily roused. Su Xiao successfully passed through the Birth Sanctum and arrived at a diamond-shaped metal door.
In the middle-lower part of the metal door was a face, complete with all features, its mouth wide open.
“This is the emergency passage. Kid, it’s your turn.”
Sherlock gestured for the young emperor to step forward.
“Me?” The young emperor pointed at himself.
“What... what do I need to do?”
The young emperor was reluctant, sensing Sherlock’s hostility.
“Stick your hand in.”
Sherlock pointed at the wide-open mouth on the metal door, and the young emperor immediately shook his head.
Su Xiao wouldn’t bother asking for the young emperor’s consent. The emergency passage was right in front of them, and this guy was backing out. He walked straight toward the young emperor.
“Hey, don’t come any closer! If you do, I’ll run!”
“Shut up.”
A shadow flashed in the young emperor’s eyes, and Su Xiao was already in front of him.
“Don’t kill him; he needs to be alive.”
Sherlock said urgently.
Five seconds later, Su Xiao covered the young emperor’s mouth to prevent him from screaming, and shoved one of the young emperor’s hands into the metal door’s mouth.
“Mmph... mmph...”
The young emperor struggled fiercely, but it was useless.
Click.
The eyes on the metal door’s face opened, each eye having hundreds of scales that could rotate.
“Leave the rest to me. I’ll handle it in thirty seconds.”
Sherlock’s hands were trembling; before him was the door to freedom.
Realizing there was no danger, the young emperor stopped struggling. Su Xiao released him; the young emperor was no longer useful.
Boom!
The ground suddenly shook, numbing Su Xiao’s feet. Sherlock collapsed to the ground.
“What’s happening?”
“Th-th-th-that monster might be waking up!”
Sherlock was shaking like a leaf.
“Hurry up and open this door!”
“Right, survival first!”
Sherlock quickly rotated the eyes on the face.
Crack.
The metal door slowly opened, but that wasn’t the sound of the door opening—it was the sound of the metal floor beneath them cracking. Something was coming out.