Chapter 358: Chapter 339: The Mysterious Elder of the Winged Race
"You’re here!"
Just these short three words make Lin Yi feel a shiver run down his spine when he recalls them now.
It’s like a summons from Death itself, a fear that rises up from the heart, completely beyond Lin Yi’s control.
If this weren’t a game, Lin Yi would have definitely turned around and run without any hesitation—it’s terrifying as hell.
At this moment, the passageway only had a single torch emitting a faint glow, and Lin Yi could only cautiously head towards the end of the passage.
After walking nearly fifty meters, Lin Yi saw an old, decaying wooden door in front of him.
It’s hard to imagine such a cobweb-covered, partially rotting door appearing in the pristine and shiny City Lord’s Mansion.
Is it because there’s no money to replace it with a better one?
I suppose anyone with a bit of sense wouldn’t think that, right?
But Lin Yi’s purpose here isn’t to do ’archaeology’.
Suppressing the fear in his heart, Lin Yi trembled as he knocked on the door twice:
"Knock, knock,"
"Excuse me, is anyone there?"
Lin Yi didn’t dare to knock too hard, fearing that a bit more force might break the door apart.
At this moment, Lin Yi was desperately trying to convince himself: This is a game, this is a game...
How can a player be scared by a character in the game?
That would be embarrassing for any player.
Soon enough, that hair-raising voice reached out again from inside:
"The door’s not locked, come in."
In this dim Illusion Realm, feeling the flickering firelight and hearing this nerve-grating voice, Lin Yi couldn’t help but shudder:
"Namo Amitabha Buddha, may the Buddha bless me~"
Summoning his courage, Lin Yi pushed open the decrepit wooden door.
"Whoosh~"
At the moment the door was pushed open, a layer of thick dust suddenly fell:
"Cough, cough, cough~"
Lin Yi, caught off guard, inhaled a large amount of dust and began coughing violently until he finally managed to stop:
"What the hell is this!"
How long has it been since someone last touched this door?
Otherwise, how could so much dust have gathered?
This alone convinced Lin Yi that the presence inside must be a ghost.
Other than a ghost, no one could possibly stay underground in such darkness for hundreds of years without ever leaving.
Thinking of this, Lin Yi couldn’t help but shiver.
Even though he was frightened, having come this far, there was no reason to turn back now.
When Lin Yi pushed open the wooden door and stepped inside, what surprised him was that it was not only incredibly spacious, but also extremely clean.
There was none of the chaotic scene Lin Yi envisioned in his mind.
In front of Lin Yi, a figure whose features couldn’t be seen clearly was lying in a rocking chair, swaying back and forth.
This scene was eerily reminiscent of a horror movie scenario, causing Lin Yi to shiver again: "Namo Amitabha Buddha, may the Buddha bless me~"
When Lin Yi saw the person, he was startled to discover that this was not the ghost Severen had spoken of, but an old man who seemed desolate and had astonishingly high power level.
The identity of this person was displayed above their head:
Reinhardt Feri Lv73
Winged Race Elder
Lin Yi was instantly captivated by the old man’s title, staring in bewilderment at the display above the old man’s head: Winged Race?
Is there such a race among the Hundred Races?
In the past life playing this game for three years, Lin Yi could name almost half of the Hundred Races, but this Winged Race was the first he’d heard of, let alone seen.
Of course, it could also be due to some reason that led to the extinction of this race, so everything about the Winged Race was erased from the official sources and the Rafam Continent, hence Lin Yi wouldn’t know about them.
However, no matter the identity of the other party, Lin Yi still bowed respectfully:
"Greetings, senior."
"Creak~"
The rocking chair suddenly stopped as the figure on it stood up.
With a hunched back, the person’s height was only about 1.6 meters now.
White hair like a messy unwashed nest hung upon the head.
A strand of withered-looking white hair drooped down, covering most of the face, so Lin Yi could only see one emotionless eye.
The clothes on the body seemed not to have been changed for a long time, appearing dirty and shabby.
It’s hard to imagine someone with a level high in the seventies, bearing the title of a Saint, could look so disheveled.
When the person staggered away from the rocking chair, the chair, no longer held steady by the elder, resumed its rocking.
Seeing the elder’s wobbly walk, Lin Yi wanted to step forward and support them, but an inexplicable pressure kept him from moving forward, forcing him to watch as the elder approached step by step.
The distance of less than five meters, yet it took the other party nearly two minutes to reach Lin Yi’s face. Lin Yi was the first to speak:
"What did you mean by saying ’You’re here,’ earlier, senior?"
But the elder in front of him replied with an unrelated question, looking at Lin Yi:
"You’re here for the Spirit Awakening Pearl, aren’t you?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Yi’s heart stirred: It’s indeed here.
Lin Yi nodded eagerly:
"That’s right, I came here specifically to find the Spirit Awakening Pearl."
The elder then slowly turned around:
"Follow me."
Facing this strong yet strange old man, Lin Yi could only respond cautiously:
"Okay."
But when the old man turned around, Lin Yi happened to see his back, and his pupils instantly expanded: "This..."
Through the flickering firelight, Lin Yi clearly saw two hideous wounds on the elder’s bulging back.
Looking closely, you could see:
There were two protruding bones there, and the uneven wound looked as if it had been crudely broken by some force, making one’s heart shiver.
Moreover, the clothes around the wound had turned into patches of dark purple, making it not hard to imagine that these patches were dried blood.
Lin Yi was very curious about what kind of grand or unknown stories had happened to this old man.
Just as Lin Yi was puzzled by this, the elder, leading Lin Yi further into the storeroom, spoke in a hoarse but emotionless voice:
"Sorry, did I scare you?"
Lin Yi quickly swallowed and said, contrary to his true feelings:
"No, no."
"Hmm."
The elder seemed indifferent about whether he actually scared Lin Yi and had no intention of explaining further, simply nodding without speaking more.
What a strange person.
Since the other party said nothing, Lin Yi didn’t dare to ask more.
The two of them, in silence, slowly moved in one direction.
After about ten minutes, the elder finally brought Lin Yi to a wall.
The elder then turned to Lin Yi and asked:
"Are you afraid of death?"
Lin Yi didn’t react immediately:
"Hmm?"
"What do you mean?"
At this moment, the elder unexpectedly grabbed Lin Yi’s hand. Lin Yi felt a sudden daze, and the next moment, he appeared in another unfamiliar place.
Before Lin Yi’s eyes, a Teleportation Array stood there, exuding mysterious light.
Lin Yi’s eyes widened, feeling his head buzzing:
"This!"
What does it mean?
Is this Teleportation Array leading to the location of the Spirit Awakening Pearl?
Severen took him around the City Lord’s Mansion for half a day, and he had painstakingly looked for clues like some kind of detective.
Unexpectedly, the result was so straightforward; had he known, he would have come here directly.
Didn’t Severen mention that Babylon had also searched here but found no task clues?
Then what does the scene before him mean now?
Just as Lin Yi was confusing himself, the elder finally spoke to explain:
"There is a restriction around this Teleportation Array, which will take your life the moment you touch it."
"If you can survive by a miracle, you can pass through this restriction and enter."
The elder then slowly clarified for Lin Yi:
"Back then, Lord Babylon discovered this place, but because nobody could ensure survival after touching the restriction, this matter was suppressed."
"And I am here, according to an agreement with that man, waiting for someone who can break the restriction."
At this moment, Lin Yi finally understood:
This is because the original inhabitants have only one life, so no one dared to try easily; or perhaps someone tried but all ended in failure, eventually giving up.
But players can be resurrected through the Resurrection Divine Hall, so this restriction is almost non-existent for players...
Is this why no one has been able to retrieve the Spirit Awakening Pearl after so many years?
But what puzzled Lin Yi was:
Who is this elder?
What is the Winged Race?
And where does this Teleportation Array lead to?