Chapter 34: The Key
This sudden turn of events caught everyone off guard. In Su Xiao's perception, that small hand was neither dangerous nor extremely dangerous—it possessed spatial abilities of a very high rank.
It felt like a symbiosis of good and evil, sometimes kind, sometimes utterly malevolent.
"Little birdie, so cute..."
"Damn it!"
Before Baha could finish, it found itself crouching in the flowerbed, utterly bewildered. It exchanged a sidelong glance with Bubu Wang, and beside them, a small hand was grabbing Bubu Wang's tail.
"Little cow, so cute..."
"Moo?"
When Amu came to its senses, it too was crouching in the flowerbed. One dog, one bird, one cow—they were all neatly lined up, with only Su Xiao missing. If Beini had been there too, it would have been a full family set.
Seeing this, Su Xiao realized that the thing in the flowerbed had no strong malicious intent. Its ability was nearly impossible to counter in Doom Town, but it wasn't truly frightening.
"Big brother, so..."
*Clang~*
Su Xiao drew the Dragon-Slaying Flash from his waist, and the childish singing stopped.
"Big brother, you're mean."
The voice from the flowerbed sounded a bit sulky, and then Bubu Wang, Amu, and Baha all tumbled out of the flowerbed as if they had been kicked.
Vines extended, helping Bubu Wang, Amu, and Baha back up. A bare root whipped out and struck the pale little hand.
This plant boss was a relatively neutral type. The spatial ability belonged to it, while the owner of that pale little hand was a troublemaker, bored every day in Doom Town. Finally seeing outsiders, it had used the plant boss's ability to greet Bubu Wang, Amu, and Baha.
The vines twisted together, forming three pointers, each pointing to one of the three directions at the crossroads. Two of them were stained with a faint red liquid, while the one pointing toward the inner part of Doom Town was a vibrant green.
"Where is the Redemption Church?"
As soon as Su Xiao spoke, all the vines retracted into the soil. Gray mist drifted, and the plant boss vanished, along with the pale little hand. The fountain stopped flowing with the faint red liquid.
"Woof?"
Bubu Wang was still a bit shaken. The ear-cutting nursery rhyme had scared it badly.
"This is the final form of the Wood Vassal Clan. A species born after the World Seed was corrupted by ancient god power."
"Woof~"
Bubu Wang suddenly understood. It had been wondering how such a gentle boss could exist in a hellhole like Doom Town. If it was born from the World Seed, that made sense, and the high-rank spatial ability was only natural.
The plant boss was connected to the World Seed, but there was nothing to explore there. As for killing it for a treasure chest, forget it. Once this thing entered combat mode, it might be even stronger than the "Resentful Orphan."
Three forks in the road—left, right, or straight ahead. This was a question worth pondering.
This was the front section of Doom Town. The left side was very dry, with cracked streets and buildings, while the right side was damp, with a faint mist of water vapor.
Having just fought the Immortal One, neither left nor right was a great choice. Both sides likely held powerful enemies.
Doom Town was a vast place, with powerful enemies everywhere and plenty of opportunities to gain benefits.
The consumption of the Light and Dark Talismans couldn't be ignored. They needed to be recharged every 24 hours, costing 10 Soul Coins each time. Su Xiao's team had to spend 40 Soul Coins daily. If their daily earnings fell below this amount, they'd be at a loss.
Following the crossroads, Su Xiao chose the street straight ahead. The buildings ahead were denser, and the sky was a hazy gray, making it impossible to tell day from night. Both the moon and the sun hung in the sky, but neither emitted much light. Combined with the drifting thin mist, one could only vaguely make out the distant buildings, which loomed like monsters crouching in Doom Town.
The street narrowed significantly. After walking several hundred meters, Su Xiao encountered no enemies. The townspeople had either fled somewhere or were already dead.
*Creak~*
The sound of stepping on a wooden board came. Su Xiao looked toward the source, ready for battle.
"I mean no harm, outsider."
A weak voice came from a window boarded up with crisscrossed planks. This was a resident of Doom Town.
"Come closer, outsider. I don't have much strength left. I didn't go to worship the god. I'm not one of those mindless monsters."
The weak man was just behind the window. After a moment's hesitation, Su Xiao stepped forward.
"Could you give me some water? I've forgotten how many years it's been. I'm very thirsty. My body feels like it's about to burn."
The weak man's hand reached out from the gap at the bottom of the planks. It was a bony hand, covered in cracks, with faint sparks flickering inside. The yellowed nails were caked with grime.
Su Xiao took out a bottle of water and poured it onto the cracked hand.
*Hiss~*
Steam rose. The hand retracted, followed by the sound of licking.
"Ah~, the taste of water. It's been so long. You made it here, so you must have killed Arus Lake, right? That executioner is worthy of respect."
"The Immortal One?"
"Yes, that's right. He later became the Immortal One. He was a pure warrior. Originally, he would obey orders unconditionally, a killing machine for the Redemption Church. He felt guilt when he killed. Conscience, honor, and duty struggled within him."
The weak man sighed softly and continued:
"Since you killed him, remember this: his name is Arus Lake, a pure warrior."
The voice from the boarded window faded, and soft snoring came through.
*Thump, thump, thump~*
Su Xiao knocked on the boards. The weak man inside was startled awake.
"Are you an outsider? Please give me some water. I'm so thirsty I can barely breathe. My body feels like it's about to burn."
The same words repeated from behind the boards. In just a few seconds, the weak man had forgotten their previous conversation.
"Where is the Redemption Church?"
"What a miser. Fine, I'll tell you. Head deeper into town. It's not far. Watch for the golden mist above. Only the Redemption Church is a safe haven for outsiders, but you need the key. The key should be with Arus Lake. Don't go looking for him. He's very strong."
Snoring came from behind the boards again. Though this town resident hadn't turned into a monster, his mind was clouded. Once he fell asleep, he couldn't remember what happened even seconds ago.
Su Xiao poured the remaining water from the bottle onto the boards. The snoring inside stopped, replaced by very faint sobbing. After a while, it turned into low laughter.
Su Xiao continued forward, this time leaping onto the rooftops. Sure enough, several hundred meters away, golden mist slowly drifted from a pointed church roof.
Moving between buildings, Su Xiao arrived at a small square littered with bones. At the inner edge of the square was a wide stone staircase leading upward.
The staircase was about several dozen meters long, scattered with skeletons in armor. A fierce battle had taken place here.
Climbing the steps, Su Xiao reached a massive metal door at the top. The left side of the door was engraved with a pitch-black sun, and the right side with a silver-white moon.
About a meter below the center of the door was a keyhole. Su Xiao inserted the key he had obtained from the Immortal One.
*Rumble~*
The two halves of the metal door trembled and slowly swung inward, stopping when the gap was about two meters wide.
[Prompt: The Hunter has opened the Redemption Church. This is the only safe location in Doom Town.]
[The Hunter has successfully opened the Redemption Church. Contractors from other factions cannot enter the Redemption Church.]
[Prompt: The Hunter has replaced Contractor 12059 in completing the main mission. You will receive their main mission reward.]
...
Seeing this series of prompts, Su Xiao realized that the female contractor from his faction had only been there to open the door. Her mission process should have been to deal with the Immortal One, then open the Redemption Church's door. That would have completed her mission. After that, Su Xiao would take over, as he had the rechargeable Light and Dark Talismans.
Su Xiao didn't think he would get such favorable treatment just for completing the 150-point barrier assessment. That meant before triggering the barrier assessment mission, the second-to-last step of his main mission required him to seize something for the Reincarnation Paradise.
Reincarnation Paradise
Reincarnation Paradise