The polar bear crouched at the edge of a giant pit, holding a crystal ball that he carried with him, his eyes fixed on the image on the ball. On the other end of the crystal ball was connected to the talisman hanging around Mewo White's neck; the talisman itself was a magical item with two functions, including "displaying images." Without this little gadget, the polar bear would not be able to know about Wang Xiaole's every move nowadays. Meanwhile, a figure quietly appeared and walked up behind the polar bear.
"Has the queen arrived? I thought, Your Majesty, that you were unwilling to leave that palace," a voice said. The polar bear recognized the visitor by their aura; at the level he had reached, he could do such a thing. And the subsequent development proved that this judgment was not wrong. Behind the polar bear, a childish voice rang out, "I did not leave the palace, but used a little trick to come and have a look here."
Engaged in conversation with the polar bear was the former queen, White Sachet; she stood behind her son-in-law, looking askance at the crystal ball he held in his hands. The polar bear didn't need to turn his head specially; he could guess that at this moment, there was no shadow at his mother-in-law's feet.
This means: the "White Sachet" who appeared here is, in fact, a phantom created with power, while her true self still remains in the palace. The reason for White Sachet's appearance here also seemed familiar. Like Mewo White, she had come to this place specifically to pursue a particular object. The only difference was: while her granddaughter came with a man, she came with her granddaughter. If her granddaughter had bid a clear farewell and stated where she was going (the military camp) before leaving the palace as she had done last time, White Sachet wouldn't have been so worried.
This time was different, and that's why she was concerned. Why did her beloved granddaughter, who valued words so highly, leave without saying a word? Following the scent of her granddaughter, White Sachet arrived here, also sensing the presence of the young man. Then, with a glance at the image on the crystal ball held by her son-in-law, everything became clear to her.
"You traitor (polar bear), you've gone to great lengths to bring that human here just to deal with him!" Wang Xiaole was an outsider, and Mewo White was too young, so neither of them understood what the ancient city ruins meant in the orc kingdom. As White Sachet said, "From my mother's era until my rule, the ancient city has indeed been a place of danger and opportunity, where many good things can be found."
However, the treasures in the ancient city ruin were limited in number. Every time an outsider took something, there would be less left. Even though each treasure hunter didn’t take much, over time, the outskirts and middle layer of the ancient city would be emptied. The deep layers that remained were beyond the reach of ordinary strong individuals; only two people had successfully entered that area from ancient times until now. With most treasure hunters unable to reach the core area, the function of the ancient city itself changed under human manipulation...
"Traitor, ever since your generation, the ancient city's main purpose for the royal family has been reduced to just executions. The targets for executions include any forces or individuals who do not submit to or directly oppose the royal family. For example, the well-known Golden Bimon branch that once openly opposed the royal family and the infamous Gold Bimon tribe had to face the White Bear's military retaliation.
After the defeat of the Golden Bimon tribe, most of the members were exiled, and only a few key instigators were punished with the 'expedition to the ruins' penalty. According to the established rules:
Anyone committing a serious crime must delve deep into the ancient city and overcome at least four difficult challenges in a row to gain forgiveness.
Bashi, relying on his good memory, remembered that there were a total of seven major challenges within the ancient city.
The former leader of the Golden Bimon tribe, who was undeniably strong and in his prime at the time, tragically lost his life midway through breaking the fourth challenge.
'You definitely have a cruel streak sending young people to that kind of place,' White Water remarked, giving his son-in-law a sideways glance.
In response, the son-in-law said, 'Dear Queen-mother, my husband would not show such concern for someone of a different race and gender.'
'He helped our granddaughter and is her friend, which sets him apart from ordinary humans.'
'But he is still a male! Right now, he is just considered a friend to our daughter, but who knows what may happen in the future.'
'Is that your excuse for putting young people in danger?'
'Excuse it may be, but from that young man, I see shades of my past self, and because of that...'
'You particularly dislike him, then?'
Hearing his mother-in-law's preemptive response, White Bear didn't say anything more, just nodded in agreement.
In the conversation between the two that just unfolded, one glaring omission was the absence of Mewo White being mentioned.
From their doting natures, this kind of reaction was clearly unusual.
The reason for this was White Water's clear understanding:
Even if his son-in-law agreed to let their granddaughter go to a dangerous place, he would undoubtedly have taken precautions!
The secret lay in the talisman that Mewo White wore.
The talisman not only had the ability to reflect images on crystals but also served as a miniature teleportation array;
When Mewo White encountered real danger in the ancient city, the talisman would activate on its own;
At that moment, Mewo White would be instantly transported to a safe zone, inside the palace which connected to the teleportation array exit.
Both of them were confident in Mewo White's safety, knowing she would never encounter danger no matter what, allowing them to watch the changing scenes in the crystal ball with peace of mind.
At the same time, Wang Xiaole, who was closely watched by the two, was about to face the second challenge.
Soon after the five attackers were eliminated, a light appeared ahead of Wang Xiaole, revealing a stone path and at the end of the path, a palace, a mud-colored one that seemed to be made of yellow clay.
'The next challenge, right? Mewo White, follow closely behind me!'
Through his previous encounters with opponents, Wang Xiaole realized the uniqueness of this ancient city.
In the outside world, if five 'city-topplers' appear simultaneously, any country under the rule of the three empires would undoubtedly face destruction in a short period of time."
And now, Wang Xiaole and Mewo White have just entered the ancient city and encountered opponents of such magnitude;
it is easy to imagine:
as the two continue to delve deeper into the ancient city, what level of opponents they may face next.
However, despite the real difficulty of breaking through, there is not a trace of worry on Wang Xiaole's face or in his heart.
On the contrary, after the last battle, the seriousness that was originally shown on his face has almost entirely disappeared.
From the moment they entered the ancient city until now, Wang Xiaole's only concern has been Mewo White's safety.
Since passing the first checkpoint, Wang Xiaole has already figured out the best way to protect Mewo White;
the experience he has summarized boils down to personally acting as bait, diverting all attention and firepower of any obstruction towards himself.
He believes that as long as he does this, his only worry will cease to exist;
what he will have to do next is to confront opponents alone or in multiples.
Once passing through the checkpoints turns into a "single-player mode," this place will be at best just an entertainment venue for him if he doesn’t exert all his strength;
all the opponents encountered along the way will just be objects of his pastime.
With this mindset, Wang Xiaole soon arrived at the entrance to the grand hall;
the door opened automatically, revealing a yellow mist inside. Wang Xiaole led Mewo White as they stepped in, only to be transported once again.
In the next moment, they found themselves in a world bathed in golden light;
besides a vast desert stretching endlessly nearby, there was nothing else around, with the barren land and scorching weather.
Wang Xiaole glanced around;
not knowing where the opponent might be, he walked forward, but to be precise:
he just randomly chose a direction!
After all, in the desert area, directions are hard to pinpoint. Moving forward aimlessly might be the most suitable response at the moment.
After walking for a while, he noticed something on the ground, a massive leg bone several meters long, which he could tell came from some kind of beast.
Adhering to the principle of "go with the flow," while staying alert for any potential enemy, he reached out and touched the bone.
Swish!
Suddenly, a yellow hand shot out from beneath the bone, grabbing his ankle.
"The plan worked, sure enough, I've become the prime target!" he exclaimed, not feeling panicked but rather a bit excited.
The unidentified creature with the yellow hand that reached out naturally wouldn't know his "calm on the surface" thoughts; it was just a reflexive reaction pulling the target down.
Despite having the chance to react, Wang Xiaole chose to ignore it, letting the creature drag him down, plunging him instantly into the sand.
As he entered the sand, he could not open his eyes naturally;
yet Wang Xiaole could feel and understand more clearly:
numerous hands were reaching out from all sides, ready to drag him deeper, seemingly preparing for a burial.
He symbolically struggled a few times, but it seemed to have no effect; now, all his limbs were restrained, while the sand was as unstable as quicksand and couldn't bear weight; the more he struggled, the further he sank. Regardless of whether after being buried in the depths of the sand for thousands of years, there was a possibility of evolving into some "ancient artifact" like a mummy; at the very least, Wang Xiaole still harbored some aversion to such an outcome. So, he felt it was time to do something.
