Chapter 15: Unexpected
The pen scratched across the paper, producing a rustling sound. Liss, who was reviewing documents, had transformed into an emotionless approval machine, wearing an expression that said she knew nothing and saw nothing.
"Not even two months apart, and you've already gotten yourself a little secretary?"
Zuiyasi, who had tossed a dried fruit into his mouth, spoke up. This guy was as natural as if he were in his own home, after all, his face was thick enough.
"Bai Ye, what did you call me here for this time?"
Zuiyasi began to play dumb, and beside him, Wude did the same.
"..."
Su Xiao didn't answer, and for a moment, the atmosphere was a bit awkward. It was worth noting that Bubu Wang, Amu, and Baha seemed to have anticipated this, so they had slipped away early.
"Don't make it so tense. Wude, this is your fault. Bai Ye has been looking for the location of Dead Silence City the whole time, yet you were hiding in the shadows. Is that really okay?"
Zuiyasi looked at Wude with a hint of disdain and contempt. Wude didn't speak, but his inner thoughts were: when it comes to shamelessness, compared to you, I concede defeat.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm not like you. I was hiding in the shadows to find an opportunity. Earlier, I even sent my daughter to assist Bai Ye. If you don't believe me, ask him."
"..."
Su Xiao didn't say anything. He was already used to Zuiyasi's style of doing things.
"You're truly shameless."
Wude couldn't help but blurt out.
"Bullshit! I call that a plan."
Zuiyasi remained composed. Anyone listening would think he had made a huge contribution to finding Dead Silence City.
"The past doesn't matter. Let's turn the page and discuss what comes next."
Zuiyasi changed the subject. He dropped his half-joking tone, and his expression gradually became serious. He first turned his head to exchange a glance with Wude. After a silent communication, they both looked directly at Su Xiao. Zuiyasi said:
"Bai Ye, this time, the two of us are here—one sent by an elder, the other representing the interests of our clan. You must already know our purpose. There are rumors that a Black Maple Tree has appeared in the Origin: Dead Silence City."
Saying this, Zuiyasi paused, tapped the table twice with his finger, and continued: "Now, it's not just Doom Star and the Devil Clan. Arcane Eternal Star, the Feather Race, and the Night Temptation Witch Guild have all sent people. The purpose goes without saying."
At this point, Zuiyasi looked a bit strange and said: "I've read all the intelligence on this matter, but I feel... this has a familiar ring to it. No, not just a little familiar—very familiar."
Zuiyasi rubbed his chin, looking thoughtful.
"In the Treeborn World, we lured people to Bay City to die for us, helping us share the risk."
Wude hit the nail on the head. Zuiyasi casually slapped the table and said: "Right, similar methods, only this time it's more thorough. Bai Ye... this wasn't your plan, was it? I remember that bracer you always wear came from Dead Silence City."
"..."
Su Xiao twisted the [Sacred Divider] in his hand, studying this wondrous object, as if he hadn't heard a word Wude and Zuiyasi said.
Come out and confess everything? Of course not. Wude and Zuiyasi—one represented the Devil Clan, the other was sent by an elder. If he admitted it outright now, they would definitely be in an awkward position. What would they do then? They had already consumed resources to enter this world, only to find out it was a setup by their "good teammate." How would they account for the loss? How would they explain it to their clan or elders?
But if he concealed everything, there would be no chance for cooperation later. Cooperating with these two "good teammates" meant they could scheme against each other and even fight over the spoils in the end, but at the start of the cooperation, key information absolutely could not be hidden.
Therefore, Su Xiao had to make Wude and Zuiyasi understand in their hearts that this was his plan, similar to the one the three of them had set up in Bay City, without explicitly stating it.
Su Xiao took off the Black King Bracer and placed it on the table with a clang. Seeing this, Zuiyasi picked it up and examined it for a moment. He only sensed the Dead Silence characteristic on it, but it didn't seem directly connected to Dead Silence City.
This was the Gloomy Continent, the origin of Dead Silence City. Sensing whether an item was related to Dead Silence City wasn't too difficult, especially for an Ancient God System like Zuiyasi.
Realizing this, Zuiyasi looked suspicious. He handed the bracer to Wude. Wude examined it for a moment, his pupil flame condensing slightly, as if he too was a bit puzzled.
Relying on the Black King Bracer to glimpse the causal link between Su Xiao and the Origin: Dead Silence City was, of course, impossible. The Black King Bracer was at most a link. What truly created this causal connection was Su Xiao's repeated use of Dead Silence Descent.
Previously, even entering a branch of Dead Silence City required carrying a [Sanctuary Stone] to slowly consume it and avoid being invaded by Dead Silence.
The ability of the Black King Bracer, "Dead Silence Descent," essentially dragged part of the environment of Dead Silence City over to invade enemies with Dead Silence energy.
In other words, entering the Origin: Dead Silence City without a [Sanctuary Stone] was no different from entering the domain of "Dead Silence Descent."
"Dead Silence Descent (Set Ultimate Ability: Active): Upon activating this ability, the surrounding 600 meters will be rapidly assimilated by Dead Silence City, dealing 5% to 23% of maximum health as erosion damage per second. If an enemy unit moves within the Dead Silence Descent coverage area, the erosion damage and erosion speed will be greatly increased (erosion damage and speed increase by 2 to 6 times, depending on the enemy's stamina attribute and movement speed)."
At the moment, Wude and Zuiyasi only examined the Black King Bracer, so of course, they couldn't see the trick.
"Could it be that you were also lured here by the intelligence?"
There was still a hint of suspicion in Zuiyasi's eyes.
"Yes."
Su Xiao took out a photo—the one he had taken. It showed many People of Death seemingly holding a black tree seed aloft across the void. However, this wasn't a copy; it was the original photo.
With the original photo, the implication was extremely clear. It was practically saying that the photo best proving there was a Black Maple Tree in the Origin: Dead Silence City was personally created by Su Xiao.
Zuiyasi reached out to take the photo, but Su Xiao raised his hand and gave the photo to Wude instead. The reason was that Doom Star, where Zuiyasi was from, wasn't known for technology, while the Void, where Wude was from, had extremely technologically advanced races. With Wude's experience, he could probably see the difference in this photo at a glance.
Wude took the photo. As soon as it touched his hand, his movements paused. He casually said: "Bai Ye really has methods, getting the original version of the photo."
Hearing this, Zuiyasi understood everything. His smile at that moment was a bit strange, as if he wasn't feeling too good.
"This Black Maple Tree in Dead Silence City... I personally feel it's not very reliable."
Wude seemed to let out a low sigh as he spoke.
"Whether it's reliable or not, we're already here. If we don't get some good stuff from Dead Silence City, we'll be at a huge loss. But I heard Dead Silence City has many secret treasures from the Age of Gods."
Zuiyasi's words were actually revealing that he already knew the Black Maple Tree in Dead Silence City was fabricated by Su Xiao. But since they were already here, and Su Xiao hadn't hidden the false intelligence about the Black Maple Tree, under this premise, they should of course join forces and get something out of Dead Silence City.
Wude's thinking was: since things had come to this, dwelling on the loss of being tricked into coming was meaningless. Even if he pursued it, what could he do? Fight Su Xiao? And then what? What profit would that bring? It was better to find a way to get something from Dead Silence City and then split the spoils back to the clan. That would bring tangible benefits to the elders and juniors in the clan.
As for the uneven distribution of spoils in the end, that would be discussed after the plan succeeded.
Kaisa, sitting to the side, had remained silent the whole time. This guy was cunning. He was also one of the planners of the "Fake Black Maple Tree Incident," but he pretended nothing had happened.
Now that the foundation for cooperation had been laid, the focus was on how to proceed.
"Baha."
As soon as Su Xiao finished speaking, Baha suddenly appeared and landed on his shoulder. "Here's the situation. You should both know about the Wadi Family incident. Do you need me to introduce any inside information?"
"No need."
"We already know the important intelligence."
Both Wude and Zuiyasi expressed their stance. Seeing this, Baha nodded and continued:
"After that old monster died, part of the situation in High Wall City became clear. Now, to find the entrance to Dead Silence City, we must satisfy two conditions: 1. Get the exact location of the entrance from the Academy Faction. 2. Figure out the method of entry.
The second point is already prepared. The Holy Maiden is upstairs. When we have time later, we'll ask her about the method to open the entrance to Dead Silence City."
After listening to Baha's brief account, Wude and Zuiyasi understood the current problem. Once they dealt with the Academy Faction, they could focus on the Origin: Dead Silence City.
"Give me... two days."
Zuiyasi suddenly spoke. Su Xiao and Wude, who were about to discuss a plan to make the Stigma Academy wear a "pain mask," were both surprised.
"What kind of assistance do you need?"
Su Xiao looked at Zuiyasi suspiciously. He really couldn't guess what this guy was planning.
"I don't need any assistance. Just wait for my good news..."
Before Zuiyasi could finish his sentence, a shout came.
"Where is the Holy Maiden!!"
A voice, sharp and more angry, rang out. Then—
Boom!
The office window shattered. Amidst the flying glass shards, a young man with a single ponytail and a sharp aura... no, it should be a young man, leaped in, landing in a half-crouch. This young man's looks were on par with Liss.
This person was one of the Holy Maiden's guards. They had agreed to wait at the tea party to complete the guard handover, but after waiting a long time without seeing the Holy Maiden, they later learned she had been taken away by the Treatment Institute.
Egg on by several Stigma Academy mentors, this young man, Zekaya, came to rescue the Holy Maiden.
Zekaya came to rescue the Holy Maiden, naturally relying on something. According to his companion's lock-on, the Holy Maiden was nearby, so they split up. He would charge into Kukulin Bai Ye's office to stall him, while his companions would take the opportunity to rescue the Holy Maiden. Perfect!
Although Zekaya didn't think he was a match for the Deputy Dean of the Treatment Institute, stalling him for a while shouldn't be a problem.
Inside the office, Zekaya stood up, his gaze fixed on Su Xiao. As the saying goes, plans never survive contact with reality. Zekaya was a bit curious about who the other three people sitting around the desk were.
Zekaya's perception was fully open. The next moment, he saw an unforgettable sight. Opposite him, a huge, pitch-black skull burning with eerie green flames grinned at him. It felt as if it were about to tear his soul out and sink it into an eternal, dark, confined abyss.
And beside it, there seemed to be a humanoid tentacle monster. The profound sense of eeriness and darkness emanating from the depths of the soul—just one look made one feel as if they were suffering spiritual erosion. It seemed that in the next second, he would burst out with countless black tentacles from within his body for having looked at this existence, ultimately screaming as his sanity evaporated.
A bit further back, a massive Blood Beast seemed to be half-hidden in the darkness, appearing cold and sneering. Zekaya felt this was the most dangerous one.
And on the far right, turbid yellow and deep black were intertwined. Half of this existence gave no sense of threat, while the other half made one's body and mind tremble.
Gulp. Zekaya swallowed his saliva. His thought at that moment was: where was the promised one-on-one fight?
A moment later.
"Woo! Woo!!"
Zekaya was tightly bound by black tentacles sprouting from his own back. He twisted on the ground like a caterpillar, his gaze angry.
A spatial fluctuation flickered, and Su Xiao appeared. He had just been to the fourth floor. The attacking Zekaya was just a diversion; someone else was rescuing the Holy Maiden.
With a thud, Su Xiao threw a masked woman bound by Realm Severing Thread onto the floor.
Black smoke rushed into the window. The next second, Wude appeared, also holding a bound masked woman. Judging by their builds, the two masked women were very similar, perhaps twin sisters.
Soon, Ms. Marina knocked and entered, carrying a man on her shoulder. It was the driver and guard who had driven the Holy Maiden earlier.
As the saying goes, the whole family is together. This was similar to the Holy Maiden's situation. Her four guards were all neatly captured.
"Which side are these people from? So reckless?"
Zuiyasi laughed, not mockingly, but because this so-called rescue plan was truly baffling.
The four captured were all sent to the dungeon on the third underground floor of the Treatment Institute. The dungeon had been empty recently, but now it had a new batch of residents.
Regarding the current situation, Su Xiao roughly understood the attitude of the Holy Maiden lineage. On the surface, they sent people to rescue her, but in reality, they sent three fools and one who deliberately threw himself into the trap.
It could be seen that the attitude of the Holy Maiden lineage was: they neither wanted to offend the Treatment Institute nor provoke the Academy Faction. As long as the Holy Maiden was safe, everything else was negotiable. However, if the Holy Maiden suddenly became determined and refused to reveal the method to open the entrance to Dead Silence City, and Su Xiao's side took some measures, the Holy Maiden lineage was willing to turn a blind eye, but they absolutely couldn't kill her.
The logistics department soon arrived. With the middle-aged man's ability to restore the building, by the afternoon, everything seemed as if it had never happened.
Zuiyasi and Wude left at noon. What Wude was going to do was unclear, but Zuiyasi had completely taken on the task of dealing with the Academy Faction, which made both Su Xiao and Wude uneasy.
It wasn't that they thought Zuiyasi couldn't handle the Academy Faction, but they were worried that this guy still had some other plan in motion.
That afternoon, Su Xiao received a message from Bubu Wang: Zuiyasi had left the city, destination unknown.
This was even more puzzling. If he was going to deal with the Academy Faction, even if he didn't confront them directly, he shouldn't have left the city.
Considering that Zuiyasi had always acted this way, they could only wait and see for two days. If it really didn't work, they would adopt the old Yinbi siege tactic: everyone on their side would go all out, attacking the Stigma Academy from multiple angles until they doubted their own existence.
Thinking this over, Su Xiao took Bubu Wang and Baha upstairs. On the fourth-floor corridor, he saw Xiusi standing guard by a metal door.
Opening the door, the Holy Maiden, standing by the window lost in thought, came into view. Su Xiao took off his long leather coat and threw it to Baha, then rolled up his shirt sleeves. He took out a leather roll, which, when unfolded, revealed dozens of crystal needles over ten centimeters long. This thing was called the "Thorn of Mercy."
"You are the Holy Maiden. Torturing you would be beneath the dignity of both our sides. If you can withstand five of these, I'll let you leave later."
Su Xiao pointed to the bed, indicating for the Holy Maiden to lie down on it herself, so as not to lose the elegance and dignity of a Holy Maiden by being forced onto it.
Seeing this setup, the Holy Maiden immediately felt weak in the knees, as if her feet were made of cotton. If she were facing torture, she might grit her teeth and endure for the sake of her status. But facing this calm tone, as natural as if he were calling her to dinner, made her feel a chill run through her body.
"You... you should at least ask what you want to ask! I... I never said I wouldn't tell!"
The Holy Maiden's tone was full of grievance. She was deliberately playing pitiful. Baha had already asked her many times how to open the entrance to Dead Silence City, but she had been playing dumb.
"Then let's talk while we eat."
Su Xiao put away the roll. The door opened, and a food cart was pushed in. Soon, several delicacies were placed before the Holy Maiden. From being tied up yesterday until now, she had only eaten two pieces of bread, so she was famished.
The kitchen apprentice who brought the food made to pour a drink, but Su Xiao raised his hand to stop him. He took the bottle, sat opposite the Holy Maiden across the small table, placed a glass on the table, and poured a glass of red wine.
"Tell me, how do you open the entrance to Dead Silence City?"
Su Xiao pushed the glass over to the Holy Maiden's plate. She picked it up, took a small sip, and said: "Only I can open it."
"..."
Su Xiao didn't say anything. Seeing this, the Holy Maiden quickly added: "To be precise, it's the thing inside me that can open that entrance. You just need to take me there, and it's done."
"What's inside you?"
Su Xiao became interested. If the thing inside the Holy Maiden could really open the entrance to Dead Silence City, would it resonate with the object at the entrance? If so, they wouldn't need to bother with the Academy Faction; they could just find the entrance directly.
"It's my heart. Only my still-beating heart can open that sealed gate. It was the Academy Faction that sealed that gate back then. They know the location. As a check and balance, our lineage holds the method to open it."
The Holy Maiden chose not to continue hiding the truth but revealed everything. According to her, the method to open the door wasn't that mysterious. It used bloodline resonance. The original First Saintess had used all her secondary divine blood as a sealing lock. Only someone whose bloodline resonated with hers could temporarily open this sealing lock.
As for the Sanctuary Key Su Xiao had obtained earlier, it wasn't used to open this door but to open an important place inside Dead Silence City.
Back then, the Healing Church had played a leading role in sealing Dead Silence City. After that, the four departments under the Healing Church—the Workshop, the Holy Maiden lineage, the Stigma Academy, and the Treatment Institute—each held a key item or secret method.
The Workshop originally held the secret method for making Sanctuary Stones. Unfortunately, due to the conflict between the Healing Church and the Steam God Church, the Workshop suffered heavy casualties. Not only were all the craftsmen who could make Sanctuary Stones killed, but the ancient texts recording this secret method were also destroyed. As a result, Sanctuary Stones became a finite resource; no one could make them anymore.
In the world introduction, Su Xiao had learned about this melee. Because of it, High Wall City's population had been reduced by a third, showing how brutal it was.
Because the Workshop could no longer make Sanctuary Stones, its status within the Healing Church plummeted. There were even calls to merge the Workshop into the Stigma Academy.
The Workshop subsequently developed like crazy, shifting towards crafting weapons, defenses, mechanical devices, etc., and eventually became one of the three "big daddies" of the Healing Church, unshakable.
The Stigma Academy, i.e., the Academy Faction, need not be elaborated on. It was under their leadership that the entrance to Dead Silence City was sealed. They had captured the First Saintess, who sought immortality, and used all her secondary divine blood to seal it.
Sealing the entrance to Dead Silence City undoubtedly made the tradition of the "Chosen One" a thing of the past. With the entrance sealed, even if a "Chosen One" was selected, they couldn't enter Dead Silence City.
The Holy Maiden lineage need not be elaborated on. Only the direct bloodline of the First Saintess could open the lock formed by the secondary divine blood.
Finally, the Treatment Institute held the Sanctuary Key. It had been lost not long ago but was now recovered. In terms of importance, even adding the secret method for Sanctuary Stones, the location of the sealed gate, and the method to open it, their combined importance wouldn't amount to one percent of the Sanctuary Key.
Why was that? Over eighty percent of the past Chosen Ones came from the Treatment Institute. When they ventured deep into Dead Silence City, they had to bring the Sanctuary Key. Even if the Chosen One ultimately fell, the Treatment Institute would spare no expense to retrieve this key.
The most tragic time was when the Treatment Institute was reduced to just the Dean. After bringing the key out of Dead Silence City, this Dean died without even leaving a final word.
After the Holy Maiden finished her lunch, Su Xiao left with peace of mind and ordered that she no longer needed to be guarded. As long as she didn't leave the Treatment Institute grounds, she could go anywhere.
That afternoon, the Holy Maiden secretly rescued the four guards from the dungeon. With their help, she successfully escaped the Treatment Institute.
At 6 PM that evening, the Holy Maiden, her face pale, was sent back to the Treatment Institute. After drinking a bottle of soothing potion, her pale face regained a bit of color. She then returned to the room on the fourth floor where she had been imprisoned and stayed there.
Clearly, after experiencing the slow-acting alchemical poison, the Holy Maiden had become much more obedient. Even if the four guards urged her to escape the Treatment Institute, she refused.
This left several Stigma Academy mentors, who had been preparing to make a big deal out of the Treatment Institute kidnapping the Holy Maiden and turning it into a target of public criticism, wearing "pain masks."
These mentors had everything ready. They had built up a full charge, ready to strike the Treatment Institute hard, but now the Holy Maiden herself refused to leave.
Hearing this news, the mentors immediately sought out another mentor specializing in alchemy. Unfortunately, as soon as this alchemy mentor entered the Treatment Institute, he was poisoned, foaming at the mouth and convulsing all over, and was carried away. No one had yet figured out how this alchemist had been poisoned.
It was obvious that in the matter of the Holy Maiden, the Academy Faction had been thoroughly beaten down by the Treatment Institute, battered and bruised. However, the Academy Faction held the location of the entrance to Dead Silence City. Dragging things out was clearly to their advantage; their goal was to maintain the status quo.
Time passed quietly. The next morning, Zuiyasi still hadn't returned. After leaving the city, he had vanished without a trace.
There was no news from Zuiyasi, but the Wraith brother had returned. Not only did he come back, but he had also... ahem, along with Little Flower, the Ancient Magic Mirror, and the Mirror Evil Spirit, he had "invited" the Beast Master back.
This was truly unbelievable. It was well known that the Beast Clan was notoriously xenophobic. Let alone inviting a highly respected Beast Master to High Wall City, even trying to set foot on their territory would result in being surrounded and attacked.
Yet the Wraith brother had managed it. The reason was that before he became the Chosen One in his lifetime, his parents had been killed by Beasts and Frenzied Beasts. His mother was bitten to death by a Beast Clan member, and his father was devoured by a Frenzied Beast.
This had made the Wraith brother, in his prime, extremely hostile towards the Beast Clan and Frenzied Beast Clan, and he acted on it. He often went outside the city to hunt. After fifteen years of hunting, the overall population of the Frenzied Beast Clan had decreased by sixty percent, and the Beast Clan had lost seventy percent.
In that era's wasteland, whether it was the Beast Clan or the Frenzied Beast Clan, upon seeing a human, they would definitely let out a howl and then turn and flee. This was all because of the Wraith brother and the expedition team under his command.
In the past, when the expedition team encountered the Beast Clan or Frenzied Beast Clan, they would try to avoid them. But in the era when the Wraith brother was the captain of the expedition team, the first reaction of the expedition members upon seeing a Beast or Frenzied Beast was to draw their weapons, shout to their comrades, and charge straight at them.
Now, the Wraith brother had "visited" the Beast Clan. The Beast Leader personally received him, appearing calm on the surface, but was actually a bit nervous inside.
The Wraith brother gave the Beast Leader two choices: 1. Let the Deputy Dean of the Treatment Institute, Kukulin Bai Ye, come for a visit here. 2. Let the Beast Master go to High Wall City, guaranteeing his safe arrival and return.
Hearing these conditions, the Beast Leader pondered for a long time. If the Wraith brother was the god of death of the past, then Su Xiao was the living god of death of the present. In the end, the Beast Leader approached the Master of the clan and, under the pretext of exchanging combat techniques with the Treatment Institute, sent him to High Wall City.
Now, the Beast Master had arrived in the city. Su Xiao had Old Chaman and Ms. Marina go to pick him up, instructing them not to return directly to the Treatment Institute but to first drive the Beast Master to the scenic planting area in the southern district for a tour. After that, they would arrange lunch there and find a Beast Clan member in the city to host the Beast Master.
This time, Su Xiao had invited the Beast Master to consult him about meditation techniques. Seeking advice required the right attitude. Su Xiao didn't care about how the Wraith brother had initially negotiated, nor could he control it. Now that the Beast Master had arrived in High Wall City, he had to be properly entertained.
At 2 PM that day, at a farm in the southern district. Looking out, there were green mountains and clear waters in the distance. Nearby was a large expanse of trimmed grass, and behind it was a wooden cabin.
Under a large banyan tree, the canopy blocked the scorching sun. Su Xiao sat cross-legged under the tree, while opposite him was an old, aged wolf. This old wolf was the Beast Master.
"Dean Bai Ye, I've heard of you for a long time. I never thought we would meet. Fate is truly wonderful."
The old wolf spoke human language, adorned with Beast Clan ornaments. However, these ornaments looked quite old and worn.
"Regarding the meditation technique, it is the masterpiece of my life, so..."
Although the Beast Master had come, he was not prepared to fully teach that unique meditation technique. For this, he was ready to die here.
Su Xiao took out an ancient book, a gain from the Dragon Academy. This type of ancient book wasn't purely textual. One had to inject mental energy into it to read it. All ancient books from the Dragon Academy were like this. There was no need to understand the type of script on the pages; one could still read them fluently.
With a trace of mental energy injected, a few symbols appeared on the cover of the ancient book, their meaning being "Soul of the Beast." Simply put, this ancient book was a soul cultivation method that many Beast clans could master.
After the Beast Master took the ancient book, he also injected mental energy into it. After a moment, he seemed about to say something, but then he looked down at the ancient book in his hand and sighed. He knew he couldn't refuse this transaction. It wasn't because he was forced by others, but because his own heart couldn't refuse it.
"Dean Bai Ye, let me be frank. My meditation technique is an advanced method created from a basic meditation technique. Therefore, a solid foundation in basic meditation is necessary. I see that you are so young. If your grasp of basic meditation isn't solid, you won't be able to learn my advanced meditation technique."
The Beast Master spoke with a gentle smile, clearly trying to comfort Su Xiao in advance, telling him not to be discouraged even if he couldn't master the advanced meditation technique.
"..."
Su Xiao glanced at the Beast Master's data showing [Heart Meditation Lv.69], then at his own [Heart Meditation Lv.73], and said nothing.