It wasn't long before I received a message from Chaos Moon. "Lu Chen, I'm sorry I was a little late. Warsky Alliance has recruited Nongfu Spring, the Famous General Skill player who learned Bow General 10 seconds ago. Warsky sent a message to Nongfu Spring in Puyang City, Henan Province, and Warsky was very close to him. He drove straight to Puyang City with October Rain and said that he wanted to have dinner with Nongfu Spring tonight …"
I curled my lips. "Goddammit, Warsky Alliance sure is OP. It has to be October Rain again. Sigh, we've lost so many talents because of October Rain …"
Chaos Moon burst into a giggle. "Alright, there's no need to feel sorry. You can't recruit every expert in the game. Look, some people play games for their dreams, and some people play games for money. Nongfu Spring is one of them. He told me that Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls had to offer him an annual salary of 3 million if I wanted him to join their guild, so I told him to get lost. He's dreaming if he wants 3 million for a piece of trash like him. Once the new version comes out, his Famous General Skills will be weakened, and he'll be worthless ~ Of course, fans love to read:!"
I couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, Chaos Moon has a point. We need to be selective when it comes to recruiting people. Oh right, where is Diamond Dust right now?
It would be best if we could turn her into a professional player. That way, we'll be able to count on her. "
"Got it. I'll try my best to persuade her."
"Mn. Keep going."
"Oh right, what are you doing right now, Lu Chen?"
"I'm doing quests and leveling!"
"Oh, I won't disturb you any longer. I'm going to a high-level leveling spot with Lu Buyi and the others."
… …
I turned off the communicator and killed a few more Undead Roland Soldiers. Finally, a beam of golden light descended from the sky and sent me straight to Level 144. I was one step closer to Level 150!
I checked my bag and noted that I had collected 3 Roland sets. Their drop rate wasn't very high, and even with my super Luck, I could only get 3 sets in an entire day. The only person who could match me was probably Chaos Moon with her Plunder. Ever since she learned Plunder, Chaos Moon had become the most popular player in the guild, and everyone wanted to join her party. Her drop rate was increased by 160%, which was pretty much the same as my 38 Luck. These days, being able to grind and sell top-tier equipment at the same time was the happiest thing in the world.
Looking at the time, it was already past 5 pm. They had killed quite a few Undead Roland Soldiers, so it was time to complete the quest.
After collecting his spoils of war, he took the Cyan Netherworld Sword and circled around the Roland Empire's campsite. Then, he stepped onto the bluestone path and entered the capital.
Rustle rustle rustle...
The bleak autumn wind rustled the fallen leaves on the trees and made a sound that made people think deeply. Both sides of the path were littered with lone graves, and I could see that the gates of the capital had collapsed and its bricks were scattered all over the ground.
I leaped into the city with the Sky Obsidian Greedy Wolf following closely behind me. There were still a lot of undead in the city. Adventurers, bards, store clerks, guards and so on. They were all dead, but they still patrolled the city's streets dutifully.
I didn't say a word as I walked toward the city. To my surprise, no one stopped me.
There was a bakery at the corner of the street, and the owner was a withered old lady. She was only a skeleton and dressed in rags, but she was still kneading leaves, rags and earthworm-infested mud on the table. It looked like she was trying to bake delicious bread with these ingredients.
"Wuuuu …"
A familiar voice rang out. The big dog, Dada, was standing right next to the bakery. It tilted its head and stared at the old lady who was making bread. Its eyes were filled with passion and dependence. It was obvious that its master, Mengchuan, would often bring it to the bakery to buy bread for it when he was still alive. That was why Dada would follow its master's footsteps and wait here every day, hoping that its master would reappear and hug its neck to feed it delicious bread.
The old lady saw Dada and immediately whipped it with a rolling pin while cursing, "Get out of my sight, you greedy devil …"
Dada howled and ran away with its tail between its legs.
This time, I couldn't let it get lost again. I didn't know where Mengchuan was or where his corpse was, but Dada definitely knew. It could lead me to Mengchuan's corpse.
I gripped the Cyan Netherworld Sword and the Sky Obsidian Greedy Wolf as I chased after Dada and disappeared into the depths of the street.
After running madly for more than ten minutes, Dada finally stopped running and stopped in front of the palace gates. It wagged its tail and howled at the palace, its voice full of sorrow and sorrow.
A group of Roland Undead Soldiers was standing guard in front of the palace gate. The guard captain with the golden helmet walked forward with his sword in hand and sneered, "This stray dog is guarding here again. You dirty little thing, what are you waiting for?"
Beside him, a soldier said in a low voice, "My lord, this dog seems to be Guard Captain Mengchuan's beloved pet. It … it doesn't seem to know that the guard captain is dead yet …"
The chief of the garrison couldn't help but let out a sinister laugh. "What a pitiful thing. Mengchuan, that idiot who didn't know what was good for him has already been beheaded. Hmph, we are now Lord Thunder's most loyal subordinates. Hmph, men, chase this filthy thing away! Oh, no, call a group of archers over here and tell them that there are live targets here, hahaha …"
Immediately, Dada's eyes were filled with fear, but it was still barking and wagging its tail at the palace, as if it was calling its master, hoping that he could hear its voice again and take it home. The other book friends read it normally.
Facing the dog that was wagging its tail, a group of archers appeared and brazenly drew their longbows. In the next moment, arrows rained down on the dog!
Fuck, I can't take this anymore!
I dashed forward and blocked in front of Dada. I raised my arm to block all of the damage, then unsheathed my sword and unleashed Thousand Ice Slash at a dozen or so archers. A bunch of damage numbers popped up above their heads, and the splash effect caused the archers to lose almost a third of their HP. They were standing too close to Dada, and more than half of them had been frozen by the Thousand Ice Slash.
I seized the opportunity to use Burning Blade Slash and cut through the archers like three flaming blades. The archers' HP instantly dropped to zero.
He brandished his sword and slashed at the archers, killing them one by one. In less than two minutes, all the archers were killed.
The guard captain was furious. He raised his sword and shouted, "Damn it, a human has invaded our Royal City. Men, kill him immediately!"
A group of Undead Roland Soldiers charged toward me, but I was prepared for this. I blocked them at the palace gates and attacked them with everything I had. This time, Dada didn't run away like a coward. Instead, it wagged its tail and looked at me from a short distance behind me. Clearly, it saw hope that it could find its master again.
After a full ten minutes, my HP dropped to 10% or so, and I finally killed the guard captain. I drank health potions, buffed myself, and even drank 400 Stamina and Strength potions. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have been able to kill him. A Level 165 monster was just too strong for me to handle.
The ground was littered with corpses. I picked up a Roland war boot and tossed it into my bag. Dada ran past me, wagging her tail and barking merrily as she ran into the back garden.
Hmm?
Guard captain Mengchuan is there?
My heart skipped a beat, and I hurriedly ran toward Dada with the Sky Obsidian Greedy Wolf. Dammit, I can't let Dada get hurt again.
… …
In the back garden, it was a barren land. In that overgrown execution ground, there was a huge stone wall. On the stone wall, there were carvings of mountains and rivers, flowers and birds, gods, and mortals. It seemed to be a kind of faith, but also a kind of curse. On the stone wall, there was a man who was horribly nailed there. His chest was pierced by two sharp swords, and on his neck, there was a battle axe, which had split his head in half.
Is he an undead?
Surprised, I activated Dark Pupils and saw a row of words floating above the man's head — Mengchuan LV-170, Guard Captain of the Roland Capital's Royal Knight...
"Uuuuuu …"
Dada wagged its tail and ran to its master's side. It looked very happy, but when it saw that its master's chest had been pierced by two swords, its happy cry slowly turned into a wail. It looked like it finally realized what had happened, and that its master had been killed.
"Roar …"
Dada whimpered and licked its master's skeletal palm. It also rubbed its head against its master's arm as if it was trying to fantasize about its master.
I walked forward and noticed that the battle axe was glowing red. It looked like it was sealing something.
Thud!
I grabbed the handle of the battle axe and pulled it out!
Suddenly, the battle axe was pulled out of Mengchuan's skull. His corpse immediately shuddered, and his withered eyelids slowly opened to reveal a pair of murky eyes.
Mengchuan saw Dada next to him at first glance, and his body shuddered. He stared at Dada and let out a hoarse growl, "Dada, my friend, I … I finally see you again …"
Dada wagged its tail and jumped around Mengchuan's body. However, it quickly ran to my side and rubbed its head against my hand. Its meaning was obvious. It was begging me to save its master. The other book friends looked at it normally.
I walked forward and grabbed the two swords. Then, I abruptly pulled them out.
"Ah …"
Mengchuan let out a miserable howl before collapsing limply to the ground. Dada hurriedly rushed forward and threw itself into its master's arms.
But Mengchuan looked at me and said in a hoarse voice, "Young adventurer, you should leave immediately. The battle axe you pulled out is a sealed artifact. That damned Thunder, the Blade of Death, must have figured out the situation here already. He will return to the human world from the purgatory, and when that time comes, you will die!"
I shook my head. "No, I want to save you and Dada. It has been waiting for you here for ten thousand years, day after day, year after year. I will not let it down!"
… …
"Ah … ha, another fool …" Mengchuan hugged Dada's head and looked up at the sky. He murmured, "The Blade of Death, Thunder, is about to return. Young adventurer, I'm sorry that I've dragged you down with me. If my soul can enter the purgatory, I will pray for you in the blood pond there."
It was at this moment that the earth suddenly shook. It was as if the entire Roland Empire was about to collapse.
Boom, boom, boom...
A dazzling purple light burst out of the earth and turned the majestic palace in front of us into rubble. The destructive power was so great that it looked as if the end of the world had arrived.
Gradually, a huge hole filled with lightning and red light formed in the ground. Is that … the entrance to the purgatory?