Chen Tian looked at the white lines before him, then took out the silk ribbon the old man had given him earlier, hesitating for a moment whether to place it there.
After a period of contemplation, Chen Tian placed the silk ribbon into the recessed groove.
Instantly, the silk ribbon and the groove perfectly aligned. Simultaneously, the Zhen Ming Tree emitted a series of white lights before disappearing, fleeting like a blossoming orchid.
At the same time, within the center of the great tree, a diamond-shaped crystal slot began to glow with a terrifying light.
The young female NPC also stirred, and approached Wu Que Nan Fei, saying faintly, "Thank you greatly, Savior. The information regarding this town spirit is as follows: 'The flow of time, the object of time, time is in chaos, disordered in time, disordered in space, as if ethereal and illusory.'"
Wu Que Nan Fei scratched his head, what was all this? This clue was too difficult! kuAiδugg
Chen Tian also shook his head, then stated that he hadn't understood either. While quests in adventurer mode were always like this, the meaning of these few sentences was truly incomprehensible!
"The flow of time, the object of time, time is in chaos, disordered in time, disordered in space, as if ethereal and illusory. What exactly does this sentence mean?"
Chen Tian pondered in his heart. The four of them thought hard. Was the information for the first town spirit this profound?
Wu Que Nan Fei scratched his head again, what clues were there? He only felt restless and annoyed, wishing he hadn't accepted this quest from the start.
Chen Tian said faintly, "Shuzi, Wu Que Nan, open the map and let me see. This might refer to a place. The flow of time, the object of time, time is in chaos. The flow of time should be the direction of time's flow. The object of time should be an item. Time is in chaos should be the item's ability. Since it's an item, it won't move. It should be somewhere on the map."
Shuzi and Wu Que Nan both opened their maps. The three of them looked at the map together because the map before them was completely different from before. The world displayed on the map was entirely different from the world on the Anniversary event map.
Shuzi slapped his own head and exclaimed, "This is a hidden map quest! Wu Que Nan, if you complete this quest, the rewards will definitely be more than what's on the quest scroll, there will be bonus rewards too."
Wu Que Nan became excited upon hearing Shuzi's words. He hadn't expected this hidden class quest to have so many benefits, even a hidden map had appeared.
Hidden maps were the second characteristic of the game "Era of Time." Hidden maps were larger and wider than normal world maps. Players would only encounter them with a certain amount of luck. Within hidden maps, the rewards were said to be double that of normal maps.
And the map was marked: Entry forbidden outside of quests!
This meant that this hidden map was exclusive to this quest. Without Wu Que Nan's quest, the four of them would not have come to the hidden map.
Hidden maps represented unknown worlds, unknown rewards, and mystery. The rewards were immense.
Then, Chen Tian's expression changed slightly. He began to examine the map, looking at the vast expanse. Chen Tian looked at a few places, and based on his own imagined scenarios, this item was likely in one of these places.
"Wu Que Nan, Shuzi, Qing Ling, you two go to Wuying Canyon. Lord Dekai, you go to Liegu Plain. Qing Ling, you and I will go to this place!"
Chen Tian finished speaking and pointed to a whirlpool symbol on the map. Wu Que Nan and Shuzi were astonished. Why was there an indecipherable symbol on the map? What did this whirlpool symbol represent?
"Let's move! We'll regroup here the night after tomorrow. If we haven't found it, we'll come back and analyze it again."
Chen Tian became cautious. He looked at the location of the whirlpool symbol, he had a feeling that the end point of this world's quest was there. Something there seemed to be attracting Chen Tian, and he wanted to go and see.
Qing Ling followed by Chen Tian's side, ensuring his safety. Dekai, as a level seventy-five Holy Light Knight, was naturally not a concern. Wu Que Nan and Shuzi teaming up with full coordination would also be safe.
This was the optimal allocation for dividing routes. Then Chen Tian spoke, "Let's go! We'll meet back here tonight. Whether you find it or not, you must return here. Do you understand?"
"Okay!"
Wu Que Nan and Shuzi replied. Dekai leaped up, his wings of light instantly unfurling, and he flew rapidly towards the southeast.
Qing Ling, carrying Chen Tian, took a step and instantly floated into the air, like a fairy soaring through the sky, carrying Chen Tian towards the north.
Shuzi and Wu Que Nan watched with a tinge of sadness.
They could all fly, but only they had to run. This was unfair!
"How about we race to see who gets there first?"
"Okay!"
"I won't lose this time!"
Shuzi and Wu Que Nan locked eyes, sparks flying. They had been fighting in the game for over three years, and they weren't going to miss this chance for a competition.
Then, the two of them transformed into a gentle breeze and slowly headed towards the city gate, making their way west.
After they left, the young female NPC slowly opened her eyes, a look of sorrow on her face. "Savior, please hurry."
As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes, and streams of bloody aura emanated from her skin. Her eyes flickered between scarlet and clear. The Zhen Ming Tree seemed to sense something and instantly burst into light, enveloping the young female NPC.
Then, the young female NPC closed her eyes motionless, like a wooden puppet.
In the sky, Chen Tian, held in Qing Ling's embrace, blushed. As someone with social anxiety, he had never been so close to anyone, especially a girl.
His whole body trembled uncontrollably. Although Qing Ling was his summoned creature and would obey his commands one hundred percent, Chen Tian, as someone with social anxiety, couldn't change. He dared not speak to others normally, and in this situation, he was trembling uncontrollably.
"Master, it's alright, Qing Ling won't let you fall," Qing Ling said carefully, seeing Chen Tian's trembling body, assuming her master was afraid of falling.
Chen Tian rolled his eyes, thinking inwardly, "Am I afraid of that? I have social anxiety! This close, I'm terrified!"
"Damn it! The accursed dark seal, the Great Sealing Technique, has locked up my attributes, abilities, and even my inventory. I'm completely like an ordinary person, like an NPC. Otherwise, it wouldn't be so difficult."
Chen Tian grumbled. Then, Qing Ling slowly landed.
Chen Tian found himself before a mountain. Qing Ling frowned and said, "Master, flight is prohibited ahead. We can only walk up step by step. Moreover, there are spiritual beasts inside, so be careful."
Qing Ling shielded Chen Tian behind her and walked beside him. Upon hearing "spiritual beasts," Chen Tian's interest was piqued.
Spiritual beasts were special beast races in the game "Era of Time." They possessed formidable intelligence, the ability to think and survive, and even their combat prowess was comparable to players.
However, they lacked the ability to transform into human form and could only act in their beastly bodies. But they had the ability to reproduce.
In any game, reproductive ability was something very few could achieve, but "Era of Time" had managed it.
The number of spiritual beast species was not fixed; it depended on their reproductive capabilities. The number of non-spiritual beast species, however, was fixed.
They were set from the beginning. For example, if an entire ordinary beast species were wiped out, that species would disappear and never reappear.
But spiritual beasts were different. As long as a few were left, they could continuously reproduce and grow. Moreover, the combat abilities and various attributes of spiritual beasts were on par with players.
However, due to their reproductive abilities and species, they lived in groups, and players rarely hunted spiritual beasts of the same level.
Chen Tian slowly stepped onto the mountainside. The whirlpool symbol stood above the mountain peak like a halo. As Chen Tian stepped onto the foot of the mountain, a beam of light descended from the sky, as if scanning the entire mountain.
Chen Tian watched in surprise, "It's a correction. This mountain's level is higher than my level. Without the correction, I might not have been able to get through!"
Correction was the third feature of "Era of Time." For overly powerful maps or locations, when players entered, the system would automatically suppress the settings of the entire map or location based on the player's condition.
Then, a red scanning light descended from the sky, scanning Chen Tian and Qing Ling.
Instantly, a page appeared before Chen Tian. Chen Tian glanced at it, and his face changed drastically.
"Ding! Detected beings exceeding the player's level, map's maximum level. The map has been forcibly upgraded to an eighty-five-level map."
"Shit!"
Chen Tian cursed as he looked at the interface. This meant that the level mechanics of this mountain were now based on Qing Ling's level and attributes.
He was suffering from two layers of seals, so the system couldn't scan his attributes and defaulted him as an ordinary NPC, an ordinary human. And Qing Ling was right beside him, so the system scanned Qing Ling.
Chen Tian was about to cry!
Was it necessary? Just running around, was it that difficult? Forcibly upgrading the map to level eighty-five, what kind of game was this!
"Qing Ling, I have a question. In the same realm, can you fight against or hold your own?"
Chen Tian became worried. If they couldn't win, they should give up.
Qing Ling said with a serene expression, "Don't worry, Master. Qing Ling is invincible in the same realm. Even against an eighty-level being, Qing Ling is not afraid. The abilities of the ghost race are special, and Qing Ling can fight above her level."
"Good! Then let's go!"
Chen Tian believed Qing Ling's answer and wouldn't lie to him. Since she said so, what was there to fear?
Then, Qing Ling and Chen Tian stepped into the mountain. At the same time, Chen Tian became nervous and cautious. Chen Tian had Qing Ling's protection, but once Qing Ling started fighting, who knew if any creatures would ambush them.
This was something to be careful about. Chen Tian adopted a defensive stance. Qing Ling walked beside him, like a little girl going shopping, looking around.