Chapter 45: Chance Encounter
Ovia raised her hand, signaling all the clergy hidden within the secret door to withdraw first. The injured woman with red eyes also retreated.
Zzzt~
Su Xiao retracted the Realm Severing Thread. The moment he landed, Amu landed behind him with a loud thud.
Shenfu, Guild Leader Rogge, and Hugh Xiro approached from the front. As for whether Death Shadow Ovia was the fifth member of the Sun Gate team, that remained to be verified.
"Ovia, as a token of sincerity for joining us, we need to see the Sun Disk and proof that you are qualified to use it."
Shenfu was playing the role of the good-natured old man. When he wasn't fighting, he indeed resembled a kind elderly person.
"Of course."
Ovia walked toward the inner side of the grand cathedral, her black smoke skirt dragging across the floor. Soon, she stopped before the innermost wall.
This grand cathedral was where Shenfu had tricked over 200 contractors to their deaths. On the innermost wall, there were five stone carvings half-sunken into the wall, all in human form. Some had single horns, others embraced the sun. The only thing they had in common was the ring-shaped mark on their chests.
Above the five half-sunken sculptures was an engraving of five keys: the Scepter of Judgment, the Thorn Whip of Penance, the Sun Disk, the Ouroboros Stone Tablet, and the Heart Flame.
The Sun Disk was at the center. Ovia stopped beneath this engraving. Black smoke lifted her up, and her slender fingers pressed against the edge of the Sun Disk engraving, twisting it.
Click~
A stone disk the size of a bowl was twisted off. In the next instant, the gazes of Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, Amu, Baha, Guild Leader Rogge, and Hugh Xiro all focused on Shenfu.
"Ahem~, Ms. Ovia, may I ask bluntly, has the Sun Disk been here all along?"
Shenfu squinted as he spoke.
"Yes, it's always been here. After you killed people here last time, I rushed over immediately, thinking you had cracked the mechanism here. I worried for a long time. After that, we all suspected you were from the Fate Church, because only they would do such inexplicable things."
Ovia confirmed Shenfu's suspicion. Shenfu's face went expressionless.
"Pfft~"
Baha couldn't hold it in and turned his head away. Normally, he could suppress his laughter, unless it was truly irresistible.
"Hahaha, it's been here all along, hahahaha, let me laugh for a while."
Hugh Xiro was laughing so hard he was stunned. Shenfu had schemed and searched tirelessly, finally learning that the "Sun Disk" was in the hands of the Healing Church. Then he killed a bunch of people right at the Sun Disk's resting place, completely failing to discover it.
"..."
Guild Leader Rogge glanced at Shenfu but said nothing, seemingly a bit disappointed.
Shenfu's face darkened. Ovia's move had truly outplayed him. He had tried prying off those engravings one by one, but found nothing unusual.
Ovia wiped the Sun Disk in her hand. In reality, the Sun Disk hadn't been here before. This time, it was placed here as bait. The "keys" weren't afraid of being lost. As long as one was acknowledged by a "key," even if the key was lost, the recognized person could sense its location.
Half an hour later, in the third-floor meeting hall of the Magic Association.
A large round table stood at the center of the hall. Su Xiao, Shenfu, Guild Leader Rogge, Ovia, and Hugh Xiro all took their seats. The Sun Gate team was fully assembled.
"Ovia, show us your cards."
Shenfu's hostility toward Ovia was strong. Though he didn't show it, the sharp-witted Ovia sensed it. It was clear she was a very sensitive woman, often inferring many things from others' casual actions.
Ovia looked around at those present. Her head throbbed, throbbing with pain. There was no doubt she had to appease these people, even accompany them to the Sun Gate and enter it. Otherwise, she couldn't determine what these people might do.
"Do you know how to brew Sun Potion? Without Sun Potion, anyone who goes to 'that place' will die. Maybe in just over ten seconds, they'll become part of it."
"Sun Potion?"
Shenfu had never heard of such a thing. He hadn't been in this world for long and hadn't gathered all the intelligence.
"Do you have it?"
Guild Leader Rogge's emotions stirred slightly. He had drunk Sun Potion before; otherwise, he couldn't have touched the Dark Mask. Back then, he was just a very ordinary secret arts master.
"If the Sun Gate can truly be opened, anyone entering that place will need to drink a bottle of Sun Potion roughly every two hours."
"Do you have any finished product?"
Su Xiao knew of the Sun Potion's existence. After completing the first part of his promotion mission, the reward was Sun Potion.
"Of course... not."
Ovia smiled, leaning back in her chair to rest. This was her biggest bargaining chip. If they truly entered the Sun Gate, she would at most give each person one bottle of Sun Potion, then another bottle each two hours later. She wasn't now dealing with a tiger's skin; she was dancing with a swarm of demons.
Ovia's goal was simple: if they could truly find the Dark Mask, she would destroy it without hesitation. That thing was the source of calamity. Without it, the Western Continent wouldn't be so barren, and the world would become different.
What was the Dark Mask? The only known intelligence from all factions was that Soul Energy came from the Dark Mask.
It wasn't that the Dark Mask produced Soul Energy, but that it absorbed all naturally generated Soul Energy in this world—the world's supernatural power.
The Black Tide phenomenon occurred when the Dark Mask absorbed all naturally produced Soul Energy, reached a temporary saturation point, and then spewed Soul Energy in random areas of the Western Continent.
The Dark Mask wasn't simply a massive accumulation of Soul Energy. Even a slight touch would leave an indelible mark on a person. As for wearing it, the king of the Ganglu Dynasty had once worn the Dark Mask.
What was the result? No one knew. 137 years later, the Ganglu Dynasty rapidly collapsed without powerful enemies, natural disasters, or internal strife.
That day was also the day the king who had worn the Dark Mask died. No one knew the cause or process. That was what made it most chilling.
Though the Dark Mask was an inanimate object, it constantly tempted one strong person after another, causing them to disappear forever within the Sun Gate.
"Give me three days. In three days, I'll bring enough Sun Potion."
After saying this, Ovia was enveloped in black smoke. When the last wisp of smoke dissipated, Ovia's aura vanished. This woman was cautious, preventing anyone from following her.
"Well then, see you in three days."
Shenfu walked out of the meeting hall.
"What if that woman doesn't keep her promise?"
Hugh Xiro also walked out, not wanting to share a room with Guild Leader Rogge.
"Then let the Healing Church disappear from this world."
Guild Leader Rogge looked at the seat Ovia had just occupied. A wisp of black smoke hidden in the crevice of the seat dissipated.
After leaving the meeting hall, Su Xiao headed straight for the twelfth-floor library. That was a good place. He had previously found an area there storing technique masters' notes and life records, worth investing time to read carefully.
Three days passed quickly. Hugh Xiro was so bored he was practically aching, eventually choosing to "hang himself" at the library entrance. From Guild Leader Rogge's occasional frowns, it was clear he was displeased with Hugh Xiro's behavior.
Shenfu, maintaining his divine stick habits, often prayed. Now he no longer believed in gods, having switched to believing in himself. After all, he himself had divine traits. Praying to himself was an operation that left Baha and Bubu Wang somewhat bewildered.
Guild Leader Rogge maintained his usual habits, reading various books.
Su Xiao was at the innermost part of the library, flipping through technique masters' notes, gaining considerable insights.
When the morning of the third day arrived, Ovia brought the red-eyed woman to the Magic Association.
"Everyone's here. Let's set out."
"Where to?"
Hugh Xiro snapped his hanging rope. He hadn't slept well last night, having "died" several times.
"The ancient capital of the Ganglu Dynasty, the Sun Ladder."
Shenfu tapped his chest a few times, and the group set off.
Rumble...
The sky suddenly darkened with clouds, and a bolt of lightning struck the Magic Association headquarters.
...
A few hours later, inside the ancient capital of the Ganglu Dynasty.
A girl in sportswear stood atop the Sun Temple. She stretched lazily. For some reason, sleeping here last night felt very comfortable. It seemed that being here allowed her to resonate with the surrounding environment, even the world. Unfortunately, she couldn't perceive anything.
"Matcha, where did you run off to again?"
A shout came. Hearing this, the girl in sportswear looked down.
"I'm here, Wild Fox. You're drinking again? In a Primordial World, you still dare to drink? I'll tell Divine Emperor later."
"Matcha, is the boat of friendship capsizing just like that?"
Wild Fox burped. Drinking wouldn't delay his business.
"You two, what are you arguing about so early in the morning?"
Divine Emperor walked out of the Sun Temple. Their adventure group had a total of 153 people entering this world, starting at the North Ring Island.
For higher returns, they had braved the journey to the Eastern Continent, paying a considerable price. However, their group had cultivated Charm-specialized contractors, who negotiated smoothly with the plot characters.
"Nothing much."
"Wild Fox was sneaking a drink."
"You guys..."
Divine Emperor pulled out a damaged map. He had already planned to first clear the surrounding supernatural beasts to obtain chests, then head toward "Baida City." As long as they followed the rules here, getting a big haul was possible, provided they didn't court death and weren't too unlucky.
"Captain, Captain! Big trouble!"
A thin, Perception-type contractor ran over quickly, sweat on his face from fear.
"What is it? Speak."
Divine Emperor's expression turned serious. On the Demon Spirit Star, the returns here were incredibly high, but it was also extremely dangerous, especially the rumored Western Continent. That place was practically a contractor slaughterhouse. No one could survive there, not even for a few hours.
"A big boss has come to the ancient capital."
The thin Perception-type contractor stopped, hands on his knees, panting heavily.
"Is that good news? A fifth-rank big boss? Or sixth-rank? Prepare to surround and attack."
Wild Fox's eyes lit up. His favorite thing to do was surround and attack big bosses—thrilling and exciting, with high returns.
"At... at least seventh-rank."
"!"
"Holy crap."
"Retreat immediately, everyone. Leave the ancient capital now."
Divine Emperor's heart raced. Even a seventh-rank elite unit could wipe out their group, let alone a seventh-rank big boss.
"Monkey, what direction is the big boss in?"
"It's not one, it's a group. A group of human big bosses."
"A group..."
Divine Emperor almost choked. Just as he turned to retreat, he sensed an aura coming from above. The next instant, this aura spread, enveloping all members of the Divine Emperor Adventure Group.
Malice, distortion, madness, trembling—various emotions invaded every member of the Divine Emperor Adventure Group from this aura.
"Where did all of you come from?"
Hugh Xiro crouched atop the Sun Temple, smiling at the crowd. Divine Emperor, Matcha, and Wild Fox all dared not move. After all, Hugh Xiro wasn't a seventh-rank big boss; even in the eighth rank, he wasn't weak.
"Hugh Xiro, where the hell did you run off to again? You're supposed to lead the way, but you're taking a curved path."
Baha's shout came from above.
"Wait for me a few dozen seconds. There are others in the ancient capital. I'll kill them all and then meet up with you, to avoid any accidents."
Hearing Hugh Xiro's words, Divine Emperor and the others' blood nearly ran cold. There was no doubt they had encountered a neutral-evil faction strong enemy, which was more terrifying than a pure evil faction strong enemy.
"Hurry up then... wait, isn't this Brother Divine Emperor?"
Baha swooped down from above, landing on Hugh Xiro's head. Hugh Xiro swatted Baha away.
"Let's go. These are allies."
"Huh? Oh~, then I won't kill them."
Hugh Xiro vanished instantly. The upper half of the Sun Temple shattered with a boom.
"Captain, this world... is too dangerous. I kind of want to go home."
Matcha stood in the wind, disheveled. Just moments ago, they had nearly died, wiped out by a passing ???-rank big boss.
Baha landed on the half-collapsed Sun Temple, waved a wing at Divine Emperor, and said:
"Brother Divine Emperor, head that way. There are six fifth-rank leader-level units and two sixth-rank lord-level units, all supernatural beasts. Here's a map.
Also, don't go to the Western Continent. Head south to 'Baida City.' Once there, take this thing and find the Steam Alliance faction. See you later."
Baha left behind a complete map of the Eastern Continent, a strangely shaped screw, and a medium-power explosive, then flew off into the distance.
It could be said that the Divine Emperor Adventure Group would be very busy afterward. Eight boss-level creatures they could defeat were waiting for them to surround and attack.
Divine Emperor was still in a daze. Danger had come suddenly, but happiness came even more suddenly.
PS: (Only three chapters today. These three chapters are all on the longer side. I can't manage a fourth chapter. I'll try harder tomorrow.)