Chapter 595
The silver runes on Xia'er’s wrist began to shimmer, sending a faint sting through her skin.
"Is it getting closer? The Anomaly?"
"It can come to the Realm of Death?"
She wondered how the Anomaly would approach her in the Old Days...
In truth, if the Anomaly didn’t draw near soon, Xia'er would have to start planning her escape from this prison herself.
...
"This is my credential."
"A student from the Tower? Of course, welcome... Do you need me to notify the Cardinal to come greet you... Do you have a destination? Ah? The dungeon?"
On the wide thoroughfare, two figures cloaked in red robes adorned with gilded runes rode on two black-maned two-headed lions, halting at the entrance to the city for inspection.
One of the inspectors quietly slipped away, hurrying toward the royal palace, seemingly preparing to report this news.
While they waited, a taller figure leaned down to whisper to the smaller one beside her, "Rei Mei De Si... what exactly are you planning to do... If the teacher finds out we came here, she’ll definitely be furious..."
‘Looking for food.’
The girl named Rei Mei De Si seemed to hear a voice in her mind, then slowly lifted her head to respond, "Research."
She didn’t seem to fully heed the voice in her head, instead offering a more reasonable answer.
"What’s there to research here... haven’t the scholars from the Tower already concluded that this place is..." The woman began, then abruptly fell silent, realizing that this wasn’t the Tower, and she couldn’t speak freely here. She could only sigh.
"Alas..."
Who knew she’d end up with such an unreliable senior? Whatever she did, as an apprentice, she had no choice but to follow along.
Noticing the woman’s downcast mood, the girl gently placed her small hand on her shoulder and solemnly delivered an important message:
"You’ll understand later, Sa Da Na."
"Yes, yes... I’ll become a knowledgeable 'Ascendant' like the esteemed Rei Mei De Si, as long as I study hard..." Sa Da Na sighed deeply, forcing a smile.
"And you need to eat well," Rei Mei De Si added.
"Right... I need to eat well... but not everyone can deconstruct 'seeds' into different paths and potions like you..." Sa Da Na shook her head. "Maybe you should publish a few papers to benefit fools like me."
"You’re not foolish," Rei Mei De Si shook her head, then seemed to think of something, nodding seriously, "I’ll consider it, the papers."
As they chatted, an inspector from the Realm of Death rode up on a skeletal warhorse, handing over two letters to them.
"These are your documents for passage in the main city. You scholars may stay here for seven days, but must reside in designated inns. If you need to continue your research after seven days, you must apply again in advance..."
"As for me, I’ll accompany you for the research."
Though he said he would accompany them, the inspector was merely there to keep watch.
"Thank you." Sa Da Na took the documents from the inspector and tucked them into her robe, knowing that if she handed them to Rei Mei De Si, they might vanish in an instant.
"Where to next... Miss Rei Mei De Si?" Sa Da Na turned, only to find that Rei Mei De Si had already ridden off on her two-headed lion. She quickly urged her own lion to catch up.
It wasn’t until they reached the outskirts of the main city that Rei Mei De Si brought her lion to a stop before a desolate underground entrance, unguarded and crumbling.
"This is the Silent Dungeon... Due to the low crime rate in the Realm of Death, it’s almost abandoned, with only a few serious offenders inside," the inspector explained to the two.
"Maybe we shouldn’t go in, Miss Rei Mei De Si... I’m afraid of the dark..." Sa Da Na’s heart sank at the sight of the deep dungeon ahead.
"Do you know, Sa Da Na?" Rei Mei De Si turned back, looking at her seriously, "The darker the place, the tastier the mushrooms."
After a moment, Rei Mei De Si added, "The poisonous ones need to be cooked before eating at the Academy of Life; they’ll save you."
Sa Da Na: "..."
Before Sa Da Na could muster a rebuttal, Rei Mei De Si jumped off the two-headed lion and walked into the dungeon.
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Chapter 305: My Name is Sa Da Na (5085 words)
Rei Mei De Si descended, with the inspector holding a torch leading the way.
Sa Da Na followed closely behind, visibly anxious in the dim, confined space, clutching Rei Mei De Si’s cloak and refusing to let go.
The further they went down, the colder the dungeon became. The temperature didn’t affect them much, but the odors were quite unpleasant.
"Do you smell that?" Rei Mei De Si asked seriously, glancing back at Sa Da Na. "That scent..."
Sa Da Na slowly closed her eyes and took a careful sniff.
Dust, rust, decayed bones... there was no foul stench, not even a hint of blood, but combined, these scents evoked a chilling sense of death.
It seemed there were no ventilation shafts down here, as if no one had considered whether the prisoners could breathe...
No, wait.
A faint whiff of blood pierced Sa Da Na’s nostrils, and she opened her eyes wide, exclaiming, "I smell it..."
"Right?" Rei Mei De Si nodded. "It’s similar to the meals the professor makes."
Sa Da Na: "..."
Wait, weren’t you supposed to have me analyze what was strange about this place’s scent?
‘Food... ahead...’
Suddenly, the ethereal voice echoed in Rei Mei De Si’s mind again. She glanced past the leading inspector, pondering for a moment before saying, "You can stop here; we’ll go the rest of the way ourselves."
"Uh... there’s not much further to go; let me take you in?" The inspector halted, but his body seemed frozen, as if bound by some invisible force.
"No need," Rei Mei De Si said, stepping past the inspector and deeper into the cell. As she passed him, she added, "Da Da, grab the torch."
"Oh, right..." Sa Da Na reached out and took the torch from the immobile inspector, then hurried to catch up with Rei Mei De Si, holding the torch in front of her.
Having the torch in hand eased some of her fear.
Soon, they reached the bottom of the descending staircase, and through the flickering light, they could see everything before them.
It was...
In the innermost cell, three green candles flickered, illuminating the "people" inside the three cells.
In the right cell, a woman wrapped in a garment resembling entrails leaned against the bars, her eyes devoid of any light.
In the left cell lay a body, nearly sliced into pieces, arranged according to anatomical principles, like some medical specimen.
And in the center sat a red-haired girl, who was now watching the two of them, her eyes reflecting the torchlight as she scrutinized them closely.
Rei Mei De Si quickly approached the left cell, resting her hands on the rusted bars to peer inside, then turned to the center cell and asked, "(Spirit Language) Dried meat?"
Xia'er: "Huh?"
Xia'er looked down at the golden-haired girl, wide-eyed. At first, she was puzzled by the language the girl spoke, but when she switched her language module to understand, she became even more confused.
Dried meat?
What dried meat?
Was this some obscure slang from the Old Days that she didn’t know?
"Isn’t it..." The girl nodded at the meat, relieved, "It doesn’t look very appetizing..."
As the girl withdrew her hand from the left cell’s bars, Xia'er caught sight of the silver runes on her right hand.
Was that... the Traveler’s Contract?
Is this the Anomaly???
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