Chapter 357: Chapter 338: Mysterious Ghost
In the territory of the Blood Flag Guild, Cui Dongxu asked the man in front of him:
"So, this Spirit Awakening Pearl must be hiding an earth-shattering secret, and it’s currently hidden in our City Lord’s Mansion?"
"Yes!"
"Since Feng Hua is here for it, he must enter the City Lord’s Mansion to look for it, right?"
"By the way, President Cui, I discovered another thing while investigating this matter."
Cui Dongxu:
"Speak!"
The man hurriedly said:
"I heard that the City Lord will be leaving for half a day tomorrow."
Cui Dongxu was surprised:
"Such a coincidence?"
Then, Cui Dongxu’s eyes narrowed:
"Whether it’s a coincidence or not, start keeping watch at the City Lord’s Mansion entrance 24/7 from now on."
"Report any news immediately."
"Yes, President Cui, I’ll handle it right away."
...
Not a word was spoken all night. The next day, Lin Yi appeared at the agreed location with Severen after coming online.
At 8 o’clock, Severen appeared in the room on time:
"Here you are."
Lin Yi:
"Yes."
Severen nodded and said:
"Then come with me."
However, at this time, Lin Yi said:
"But it might be a bit troublesome."
"What?"
Severen looked at Lin Yi, puzzled:
"What trouble?"
"The City Lord will be back this afternoon, so we don’t have much time."
Lin Yi explained:
"I had a bit of a conflict with the Chosen Ones here; it might take some effort to get into the City Lord’s Mansion."
Where Lin Yi was standing offered him a perfect view of the front of the City Lord’s Mansion.
Since coming up, Lin Yi noticed that what appeared to be a calm activity square was actually hiding turbulent currents.
Under normal circumstances, no one would stay long in the activity square, but Lin Yi discovered that today, dozens of people were there, doing nothing but watching the square entrance.
And judging by their equipment, their levels weren’t low either.
Lin Yi had to be quite foolish to think it was normal for these people to just be sunbathing there?
Before Severen arrived, Lin Yi had already made an inference.
His search for the Spirit Awakening Pearl had been discovered, and they had gotten hold of the quest clues about it.
As for how they found out, it was likely when he asked a few people about the Spirit Awakening Pearl, and they became aware of it.
As local players, it should be relatively easy for them to collect clues about the Spirit Awakening Pearl.
They were probably waiting for him to take the bait.
Before Severen arrived, Lin Yi had already devised a strategy.
He planned to use a clone to lure these people away and hide himself among the crowd to enter the City Lord’s Mansion with Severen.
But just as Lin Yi was smug about his plan...
Severen tossed him a set of Soldier Armor disguise/limited-time use and said:
"Wear this and follow me, and no one will suspect you."
Lin Yi was instantly dumbfounded.
Staring at the armor in his hands in shock, he realized how redundant his earlier worries had been.
Lin Yi then disguised himself as a soldier and followed closely behind Severen, heading towards the City Lord’s Mansion.
While passing through the activity square, he heard people around talking:
"Did you see him?"
"No."
"Stay alert; always pay attention to the reactions of the City Lord’s guards (invisibility is ineffective against the City Lord’s guards) to prevent him from sneaking in."
"Yes!"
Seeing this further confirmed Lin Yi’s speculation that these people were indeed here to block him.
Fortunately, Severen had thought of everything, and they passed into the City Lord’s Mansion with no obstacles.
When there was no one around, Severen said:
"I’ll first take you to see where the City Lord usually stays."
Since neither of them knew where the Spirit Awakening Pearl was hidden, and there were no leads.
They could only search one place at a time for potential clues.
Next, Lin Yi followed Severen first to the City Lord’s office, then to his resting area, and finally all over the City Lord’s Mansion, but to no avail.
Lin Yi even began to doubt whether the Spirit Awakening Pearl was really in this City Lord’s Mansion.
Confused, Lin Yi could only open the task panel.
The task details only suggested that the clues to the Spirit Awakening Pearl were within the City Lord’s Mansion.
As for where it was or what it looked like, there were no hints.
People might make mistakes, but the system never could.
If the task suggested the clues were here, then they must be hidden within this seemingly ordinary City Lord’s Mansion.
Lin Yi asked Severen:
"Are there any other rooms in the City Lord’s Mansion besides the ones we’ve checked?"
"Like a basement or something."
Unexpectedly, Severen replied right away:
"Yes!"
Lin Yi was also surprised:
"There are? Where?"
Just now, this guy said he had searched the entire City Lord’s Mansion with him.
Severen continued:
"Your reminder just jogged my memory."
"There’s an ancient storage room beneath the City Lord’s Mansion, which used to be the grain storage for the City Lord, but no one has been there for centuries."
"There really is!"
Without a second thought, Lin Yi said:
"Take me to see it."
And at this moment, Severen hesitated:
"This..."
Lin Yi was puzzled:
"Is there a problem?"
Severen answered truthfully:
"It’s a forbidden area in our Xinquan City. Not even the City Lord dares to enter easily. Are you sure you want to go?"
"Moreover, centuries ago, Lord Babylon searched there as well, and found nothing."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yi became even more convinced of his suspicion.
By the game’s logic, nine times out of ten, this clue would definitely be hidden there.
Additionally, Lin Yi was surprised to hear the name of an old acquaintance:
"Babylon?"
Severen nodded and said:
"Correct, Lord Babylon."
"He is now the City Lord of Cyan Dragon City."
With a knowing smile, Lin Yi said:
"I’m familiar with him."
"Alright, let’s not talk about him now. Take me there first."
Seeing that Lin Yi had made up his mind, Severen no longer refused:
"Then follow me."
"But I must warn you, there is a terrifying ghost inside, whose power isn’t inferior to our City Lord."
"That’s the main reason it’s marked as forbidden."
"A ghost?"
Lin Yi was startled, hearing this term from a resident for the first time:
"Has anyone seen this ghost? What does it look like? Is it male or female?"
Severen chuckled awkwardly:
"To be honest, I’ve only heard about it from others. What’s truly inside, only our City Lord might know."
"We are forbidden from stepping inside."
Following Severen, Lin Yi navigated the intricate City Lord’s Mansion, eventually reaching a slightly dim passageway through an inconspicuous route.
Standing at the entrance, Severen said to Lin Yi:
"At the end of the passage is the storage room. This is as far as I can take you."
Lin Yi was a bit surprised:
"Aren’t you going with me?"
Severen shook his head in fear:
"It’s our restricted zone. No entry is allowed without permission."
"However, this rule doesn’t apply to you Chosen Ones."
"Whether you can enter the storage room is up to you."
But as Lin Yi took a step into the dim passageway, an aged voice suddenly echoed from the front:
"You have arrived."
Terrified, Lin Yi instantly recoiled:
"What the heck!"
Severen looked at Lin Yi, confused:
"What’s wrong?"
With a frightful look, Lin Yi asked Severen:
"Did you not hear anything just now?"
Severen was completely baffled:
"It’s just you and me here; where could other sounds come from?"
Looking at the dark passageway, Lin Yi’s hair stood on end as he gulped:
"Does it have to be this thrilling?"