Chapter 20. Ghost Cave ③: Altar...
The flying car quickly arrived above the altar, and when everyone looked down, their eyebrows unconsciously frowned.
The area above the altar is quite large, and when viewed from above, it has an irregular polygonal shape.
The surface was covered with strange red patterns, forming a huge circular array. The bright color looked as if someone was constantly touching it up with red paint. There were also twenty-eight unlit torches on the side.
Chen Feng turned his head, frowned, and asked Xiao Weizhi, who was deep in thought, "Go down?"
Xiao Weizhi observed carefully for several minutes, then commanded in a deep voice: "Go down, Junxuan will activate his shield as soon as we land; Jiang Tao will immediately enter stealth mode; Chen Feng will keep an eye on Cheng Cheng; Huihui, keep an eye on Yi Jin."
The flying vehicle slowly landed on the altar, and all members of the Dragon Fang Squad quickly entered combat readiness.
As combat professionals, Chen Feng, Li Junxuan, and Liu Huihui, armed with weapons, formed a circle, protecting Cheng Cheng, Wang Hao, Chen Yijin, Xiao Weizhi, and Lin Xiaoxiao in the center.
As for Jiang Tao, after landing, his figure quickly vanished from the spot and disappeared into the darkness.
After standing still for ten minutes without noticing anything unusual, Xiao Weizhi and the others, armed with weapons, cautiously began to search for information everywhere.
Lin Xiaoxiao tugged at Xiao Weizhi's belt and followed him slowly.
Until her feet stepped on the strange red patterns on the altar, the twenty-eight large torches beside her suddenly ignited automatically.
Xiao Wei subconsciously straightened his body, moved his body to block Lin Xiaoxiao behind him, and his eyes scanned the surroundings like sharp arrows.
As soon as any monster appears, the skill will appear and be unleashed without hesitation.
The entire altar was silent. Apart from the crackling sound of the torches burning and the oil frying, even the breathing of the people present was very shallow.
The sound of wooden sticks striking the shields in unison echoed throughout the altar.
Then came some eerie chanting, followed by a gust of wind carrying a putrid stench that extinguished the torch for a few seconds before it reignited.
The moment the surroundings were illuminated, many small, masked monsters appeared.
These monsters had purplish-black skin, were small in stature, about 60 centimeters tall, had nothing on their upper bodies, and wore pants that looked like short skirts on their lower bodies.
The head, covered by a blue-faced, fanged mask, was unusually large, a meter in size, and had countless small braids tied around it.
They held two fist-sized wooden shields in their left hands and a short spear, about 50 centimeters long, with sharp stones tied to it, in their right hands.
They spun and jumped around the entire Dragon Fang Squad, rhythmically striking the strings while chanting in a language incomprehensible to humans, sometimes high and sometimes low.
But Lin Xiaoxiao is an exception; possessing the ability to hear the voice of all things, she can understand:
'God, thank you for not forgetting your believers. In this time of despair, destiny has guided us to meet *****.'
'Today we will reopen the celebration to commemorate the arrival of *****.'
Let us sing our hearts out, let us revel in this moment before despair arrives!
...
As these masked monsters sang and danced around them, the red patterns on the altar beneath their feet began to emit faint red light.
Xiao Weizhi sensed something was wrong. He felt that these masked monsters were summoning something, so he immediately shouted, "Junxuan, set up your shields; everyone else, attack with me!"
Except for Lin Xiaoxiao, the entire Dragon Tooth team, including Cheng Cheng and Chen Yijin, were giving their all.
No matter how many skills were unleashed, they seemed to be swallowed up by thin air when they landed on these masked monsters.
It was even as if the light emanating from the array beneath their feet was growing brighter and brighter because it was absorbing the attacks from Xiao Weizhi and the others.
As the light from the array beneath their feet shot into the sky, countless bubbles carrying memories appeared out of thin air and slowly floated around the altar.
Lin Xiaoxiao looked up and noticed something rather strange.
The first bubble: It is a middle-aged woman with dark skin and several white body paint marks on her face. She has a silver coin that is slightly blackened and hangs between her eyebrows. She is holding a child in her arms and smiling as she points to the sky, as if she is telling a story.
The second bubble: It is a man with a rough appearance, covered in grass, with a stubble beard, and only his eyes are visible. He is hunting with a stone spear in his hand. With the movement of his spear, a pendant tied to the end of his hair is revealed. It is a silver coin.
The third bubble: It is a little girl wearing a loose robe. She is setting up a stall, and in one corner of the stall is an inconspicuous silver coin.
The fourth bubble, the fifth bubble... There is a silver coin in every bubble, either obvious or in the corner.
'Boom—' A fireball, half a meter in diameter, landed where the masked monsters were the most numerous.
Moments later, the masked monsters emerged unharmed from the flames of the explosion, singing and dancing in their original rhythm.
'Clang—' Liu Huihui gasped as he slashed at the neck of one of the masked monsters with his sword. It felt like he had struck a large piece of metal, and his hand went numb from the impact.
Jiang Tao appeared beside Wang Hao, panting, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead: "What's going on with these masked monsters? So many skills were thrown out, and they didn't even scratch a skin."
He had been mingling with these masked monsters, desperately throwing his skills at their necks and joints, but they were all nullified.
Normally, with so many skills, even a bronze-level boss should fall, but they have absolutely no effect on these masked monsters.
'God, your believers sing for you one last time; please listen carefully to this desperate lament…'
As the pitch of the masked ghosts' chants rose, they began to change their formation. A dozen of them put down their spears and shields and danced around the Dragon Fang team in exaggerated postures.
Several ghosts even used exaggerated movements to force their way into the center of the group.
Xiao Weizhi kept moving his body and making hand gestures, putting layers of protective shields on Lin Xiaoxiao behind him.
But those masked monsters seemed to be immune to all skills, and could always easily pass through the protective shields and get close to Lin Xiaoxiao.
Just as the masked monsters' song and dance were about to end, an unusually short masked monster silently approached, suddenly slipped a silver coin into Lin Xiaoxiao's hand, and then quickly left.
[Congratulations on obtaining: Destiny Silver Coin from the Seknor Clan (Level ?)]
[Silver Coin of Destiny: In ancient legends, fate is the most unpredictable thing. It is said that if one can obtain the Silver Coin of Destiny, one can use it to communicate with the gods and use it as a bargaining chip to change one's destiny.]
After the silver coins were stuffed into her hand, the masked monsters seemed to have completed their mission.
When a strong gust of wind blew by, the torches went out and disappeared from the altar.
If it weren't for the rest of the team, their hands would be numb and they would be lacking mana.
What happened just now was like a dream, like watching an absurd sacrificial ceremony.
The moment Lin Xiaoxiao touched the silver coin, her heart seemed to race uncontrollably, as if she were celebrating receiving something wonderful.
She subconsciously tugged at Xiao Weizhi's belt, held up the silver coin in her hand to show him, and said in a very soft voice, "A masked ghost just slipped this into my hand."
"Shh, this is an opportunity that belongs only to you, keep it safe!" Xiao Weizhi made a shushing gesture and lowered his voice to remind Lin Xiaoxiao to keep the silver coin safe.
Although his primary criterion for selecting team members is character, human nature is unpredictable.
The Dragon Fang Squad's rules clearly state that whoever gets the opportunity keeps it!
But even Xiao Weizhi herself couldn't guarantee that she wouldn't be tempted by such an opportunity.
Lin Xiaoxiao held the silver coin in her hand, watching Xiao Weizhi's handsome face turn slightly to the side as he made a shushing sound, and her heart inexplicably started beating erratically again.
That night, Lin Xiaoxiao had another nightmare.
His head, buried in the pillow, kept twisting and turning. His forehead was covered in cold sweat, and even the color in his mouth had faded, turning deathly pale. He kept muttering, "Why, no, why..."
Xiao Weizhi slowly opened her sleepless eyes, silently sat up, and took a few steps to cross the meter-long distance between the two small beds, standing in front of her bed.
After looking at her for a long time, he sighed softly, took out a tissue, bent down and gently wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, then gently placed his warm big hand on her forehead.
A faint light quickly appeared in his hand; the [Tranquility Spell] was activated.
A few years ago, Xiao Weizhi learned a level-less auxiliary skill [Calming Mantra (Level-less)] out of a collecting mentality, and he never expected that he would be able to use it one day.
[Calming Spell (No Level): It is said that children have nightmares and cannot sleep soundly all night. A certain wizard created this auxiliary skill to address this problem. With this skill, you will no longer be afraid of nightmares.]
With the blessing of the calming mantra, Lin Xiaoxiao's rapid breathing quickly calmed down, and she lay obediently on the small bed, no longer squirming or sweating.
Xiao Weizhi pulled the blanket, which had slipped down to her waist, up to her collarbone and covered her up, then turned around and went back to sleep.
The next day.
Xiao Weizhi, who had been using a calming spell all night and hadn't slept for more than a few hours, was full of energy; Lin Xiaoxiao, who had slept for ten hours, looked as if all her energy had been drained, with obvious dark circles under her eyes.
Cheng Cheng, looking curious, circled around Lin Xiaoxiao several times: "Xiaoxiao, what's going on?"
Lin Xiaoxiao yawned: "Don't even mention it, I had nightmares all night and didn't sleep well."
Cheng Cheng nodded. She understood that having a nightmare all night would indeed be exhausting.
Lin Xiaoxiao was about to go to breakfast with Cheng Cheng when, due to being groggy in the morning, the prosthetic leg on her right leg was not properly fastened, and it flew off when she lifted her leg.
At the same time, without the support of her prosthetic leg, she was thrown forward by inertia and was about to fall.
Xiao Weizhi, who was standing next to her, subconsciously put his arm around Lin Xiaoxiao's waist and pulled her up to prevent her from falling to the ground.
Cheng Cheng swallowed the exclamation that was about to escape his lips.
When she saw Xiao Weizhi pull Lin Xiaoxiao up and put her back to his chest, she smiled knowingly and slipped away quietly. She was going to tell Afeng that there was new progress between the boss and Xiaoxiao.
Lin Xiaoxiao pressed her back against Xiao Weizhi's chest. Because the position was too ambiguous, her cheeks couldn't help but blush, and a little pink bubble rose in her heart.
The next second, Xiao Weizhi's cold voice was heard: "Such a big person, can't even walk properly?"
The pink bubble in her heart dissipated, she pouted, and said with a hint of grievance in her voice, "The prosthetic limb wasn't fastened properly, and it wanted to fly away, and there was nothing I could do about it."
Xiao Weizhi helped Lin Xiaoxiao stand firm before reaching out to pick up the prosthetic limb two meters away.
Lin Xiaoxiao thanked Xiao Weizhi for picking up her prosthetic limb and then took it from him.
He found a corner, pulled a chair out of the space, slowly sat down, rolled up his trouser leg, and began to readjust the connecting buckles.
I tried for a long time but couldn't get it right. The more anxious I got, the more the position went astray.
Xiao Weizhi, who was waiting nearby, watched for a moment before sighing helplessly. He walked over to her, bent one knee and squatted, gently touching the ground with his other knee. Without rushing or slowing down, without touching her skin, he helped her adjust the connector buckle and put on the prosthesis.
For some reason, looking at Xiao Weizhi, who was half-squatting in front of me with a serious expression, I felt a strange urge to stay focused.
At this moment, Lin Xiaoxiao suddenly felt a sense of inferiority. She had lost a leg and her profession was also very special, with no combat ability to hold her back. She managed to get entangled with Xiao Weizhi by relying on a binding item.
She can still give some self-pua in the beginning. Xiao Weizhi is the villain in the book. He has a weird and stubborn personality and is not likable. She binds him and prevents him from harming the heroine, which is equivalent to doing justice for the heaven.
However, after spending the past few months together, Xiao Weizhi is not at all as bad as described in the book. At most, he may have some obsessive-compulsive tendencies in his personality, and he likes to worry about everything and arrange everything in a way that is perfect.
Such a good person, forced to be bound to her, his life intertwined with that of a stranger, wouldn't he feel wronged?
Xiao Weizhi, who was helping her pull down her trouser legs, looked up and saw Lin Xiaoxiao staring straight at him. Her voice was somewhat puzzled: "What's wrong?"
Lin Xiaoxiao smiled and gently shook her head: "It's nothing."
I made a decision in my heart: I must draw the unbinding item and set Xiao Wei free.
Then, she could sign a lifetime employment contract with Xiao Weizhi. Given his temperament, she could definitely live a life of luxury for the rest of her life.
After breakfast, Lin Xiaoxiao drew the same auspicious divination slip as yesterday, this time choosing the north.
Heading north, not long after, the Dragon Fang Squad discovered another special metal ore with dark attributes.
To completely excavate the mine, the group camped on the spot for three days.
The next few days were all ordinary visa applications, without too many surprises.
The entire Dragon Fang team instantly entered picnic mode, enjoying delicious food and drinks, occasionally fighting monsters, acquiring some items, and playing around.
Aside from the eerie and scary surroundings, it felt like stepping into a dungeon for a visit.
The unexpected happened a few days later.
Because Lin Xiaoxiao drew another extremely unlucky fortune slip:
[Extremely Ominous: The road ahead is fraught with peril and calamity. A swift and decisive act is necessary to escape. Fate has decreed your doom, and there is nothing you can do but pray to the gods to break free of this predicament and find a way out.]
The moment Lin Xiaoxiao saw the fortune slip, she knew that the ominous sign in the slip referred to Xiao Weizhi.
Her face was pale, and she unconsciously tugged at Xiao Weizhi's robe. Many words were stuck in her throat again, and her voice became hoarse, unable to make a sound.
She wanted Xiao Weizhi not to go, but to stay where he was and leave after the secret realm ended.
But Lin Xiaoxiao knew very well that as the captain of the pioneer team, Xiao Weizhi could not stay in one place for long once he entered the secret realm.
Xiao Weizhi felt her clothes being tugged, turned around and saw that Lin Xiaoxiao's face was pale. He thought that Lin Xiaoxiao was scared because she had seen a monster, so he comforted her in a deep voice: "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
The implication is that as long as he's there, she won't be harmed in the slightest.
A note from the author:
----------------------
Xiaoxiao, unaware that she was attracted to him, developed feelings of inferiority.
.
Xiao also gradually developed feelings for him during their daily interactions, though she wasn't quite aware of it yet.
.
The opportunity to be together is just around the corner! [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
