by Feng Yue
This thing was activated by the slightest touch. Without using help from aether, he took out a small shovel and carefully drew some circles on the ground.
“Come over one by one and follow me,” he turned around and said seriously. “Step in the circles, alright? There are three layers of traps buried here. One layer is mechanic, one is an aether trap, and the last should be some parasitic phantom beast. It won’t be good if it gets onto you. If you take a wrong step, the entire tunnel might collapse from the chain reaction.”
The others were stunned. They gulped. Buried under hundreds of thousands of tons of dirt, meters under the ground…no one would be able to survive.
Soon, they passed through the trap safely under Ye Qingxuan’s guidance. The pissed off Baro raised his hand, ready to destroy the trap, but Ye Qingxuan stopped him.
“What are you leaving it for?”
“If you want to mess with others, you have to be ready to get messed with.” Smiling, Ye Qingxuan opened his bag and took out some tools. “I’ll change it a bit and add some new stuff. When the person who set this trap tries to go back, he’ll have fun.”
His hands did not stop moving while he talked. He quickly changed the activation requirements of the traps. By changing the positions of a few music notes, the intervals of the complex array were changed completely.
He connected the rhythms, changed the notes, edited the intervals…he did everything in one breath. Compared to changing Avalon’s vast enchantment, this was nothing. The outer appearance was still the same in the end.
“I just changed the activation requirement,” Ye Qingxuan murmured to himself. “It’ll be fun when that friend comes back, right?”
His three companions felt something evil and cold radiate from him and they took a step back in unison.
-
They soon started forward again. This time, Baro summoned a dark falcon to discern the direction and he froze. “Did we go the wrong way?” He looked from the map to Ye Qingxuan. “Why are we going south? The entrances are in the north and east…”
“Huh? Did you buy your map from a local?” Ye Qingxuan took Baro’s map and studied it with a nod. “Look at mine.”
He took a new map from his pocket. Comparing the two, Baro shut his mouth obediently. Yesterday, he had spent a sum to buy a layered map from a Romulusian engineer who had entered the mine before. However, the map drawn from memory was incomparable to what Ye Qingxuan had. God knows where the guy had gotten it from. It was detailed to the point of noting the width of the tunnels, situation, and even a scale and depth differentiation.
“Where did you get this from?” Baro asked after a moment of shock. “How much did you spend?”
Ye Qingxuan looked at him as if he was a retard. “The church’s archive has resources from the mine’s early days. Anyone can go look at it, and it’s easy to copy the map. Why would I spend money?”
Baro shut his mouth.
The saying was, ‘you do it if you can.’ Ye Qingxuan could so Baro had no need to embarrass himself.
In Baro’s map, there were three entrances to the second level. In actuality, there were five in total. One of the other two was made by early engineers and was abandoned now so few knew about it. The other one was cracked by earthquakes and had been buried. It was only recorded in the safety records.
“If we don’t want to get slowed down by fights, we should have gone by the path made by the earliest explorative engineers.” Ye Qingxuan raised his lantern and illuminated the darkness before him. However, the ones here did not need these tools. The lantern was just a prop.
“What do you mean ‘should have’?” Sam asked.
Gripping his chin, Ye Qingxuan smiled weirdly. “Because things seem to have changed.” Before he finished, there was a giant boom up ahead. Something seemed to be fighting intensely.
Ye Qingxuan studied the footprints illuminated by the lantern and realization flashed past his eyes. He was definitely not the only smart one. Others must have realized they could take advantage of church resources and discovered this place.
However, few knew why this path was abandoned.
“At first, I planned on barging in, but now someone has tested the waters for us.” Ye Qingxuan pulled out a chair and sat down. “Let’s wait for ten minutes. We can go and take advantage of things after they clear the way for us.”
Ten minutes later, Ye Qingxuan led the way, and the group entered a giant underground cavern. The ground was littered with carcasses of snakes as thick as a man’s thigh. The engineer who discovered this place had noticed the hibernating snakes. They were not big threats to musicians, but it would be bad news for miners.
After all, no one wanted to wrestle with a bunch of poisonous snakes on their way to and from work. Therefore, they abandoned this path while exploring the mine. They even sealed off the center and put up warning signs so brash people would not come dig around. He could imagine how happy the musicians must have been to see so many little friends, starving and ready to prepare for hibernation, waiting for them.
“Should we collect some?” Ye Qingxuan looked back at Miller. “Snake marrow makes great chant consumables. They can act as live substances and help with many Choir scores.
Miller shook his head. “I can buy them in other places. No need to waste time here.”
“True.” Ye Qingxuan nodded and turned toward Sam. “It’s up to you now.”
For some reason, Sam felt goosebumps from the gaze full of anticipation. “Do what?” He stepped back subconsciously.
Ye Qingxuan stepped through the pulverized snake corpses and kicked aside the junk. After clearing out a circular space, he looked toward Sam. “Please make a hole here.”
“A hole?” Sam was dazed.
“Yeah, a hole.” Ye Qingxuan pulled out a map. “If I’m not wrong, we should be right on top of the relic. Instead of going around, why don’t we just make a hole and go down?”
“You can do that?!”
“Why not?” Ye Qingxuan waved. “If I say we can, then we can, even if we can’t! This is a great chance to get some experience. Pretend you’re digging a well for the people of Oz!”
After a long silence, Sam obediently took out a chant consumable that looked like white ash. He sprinkled it onto the ground while murmuring and humming something. He pressed down. A faint melody sounded in the next moment. It was gentle with a shade of sadness. The white cinder melted into the stone, softening it like water.
Under the calling of the melody, the stone gradually rose, increased, and wrapped around the others. They were enveloped in something rectangular like…a coffin? The coffin sank gradually as if bringing them into the ninth level of hell. Did this count as resting in peace?
Ye Qingxuan’s expression was strange. Smelling something decaying in the white ashes, his eyebrow arched. “Funeral March?”
The Funeral March by Saint Chopin was extremely widespread and widely used by every school. In the School of Illusion, it could create the illusion of death and the afterlife, such as dancing with skeletons. In the School of Choir, it could fake deaths. The musician could retain the sliver of life and enter hibernation.
It was much more aggressive for Modifications. Usually, they would stuff the enemy into a coffin and add fire for a cremation. The good thing was that it was efficient. They could burn the enemy into ashes which could be used as consumables for future use.
Ye Qingxuan began thinking wildly in the darkness. Suddenly, he chuckled. “We won’t disrupt any lost souls by playing this melody while entering the tomb, right?”
The downward motion abruptly turned into falling. Then, with a crash, the coffin landed on the ground. It seemed to have passed through the layers of rock and slammed onto the ground. Cracks appeared on the coffin. He did not feel much shock inside though.
Ye Qingxuan pushed the slabs aside and climbed up, taking a shallow breath. There was the smell of decay in the air but there was no poison, just as he had expected. This was a good
start—not just good but very good!
However, Ye Qingxuan’s beautiful fantasy quickly shattered. A stone hammer came whistling toward his face!
“F*ck!”
338 Native Specialty
“F*ck!” While cursing, Ye Qingxuan shot back instinctively, rolling out of the coffin and onto the ground. He had had so many near death experiences that his body could act on its own accord. This thought made Ye Qingxuan both happy and sad. Who wanted a talent that could only be had after almost dying too many times?!
Immediately after, the hammer shattered the coffin with a roar. The sounds of metal and stone clashing rose in the darkness. Ye Qingxuan scrambled back. Cautious of his surroundings, he snapped his fingers and the rune Light appeared, hovering over his head.
Everything looked normal in the long tunnel but two columns of three-meter-tall statues lined the two sides. They looked like armored warriors and held Romulusian swords and shields. However, their abnormal size was terrifying. Many of the weapons in the burlier statues were even more terrifying. There were long-handled stone axes and square-headed stone hammers. Someone even carried a fasces…
The statues looked extremely overbearing with beautiful intricacy. If it was any other time, Ye Qingxuan would study them closely and enjoy the art. However, he could not enjoy anything when the statues were activated by a foreign sound, their eyes flashed red and slowly walked toward the lower platform. He…had no tricks against these things.
Mind? Did these things have minds? He was not at the point that he could control everything in the world. It was impossible to control stone statues without being at least a Resonance musician!
Illusion? These things did not even have real eyes. Would they fall for illusions?
Revelations? Ha, what a joke. The School of Revelations did not lack anything other than combat abilities.
Ye Qingxuan did not know if the School of Abstinence was useful but he specialized in the construction of music theory. It could help him with controlling enchantments but was powerless against these soulless objects. He looked down at the amber gem on his black cane—Indrah’s Eye. Was electricity useful against these non-flammable things?
Before his thinking ended, something cold whistled past him. It brushed past his body and fell onto the gradually incoming statue. Cold frost instantly spread and giant ice crystals formed rapidly, swallowing the entire statue. The sudden coldness froze the statue in place.
It was Sam.
“What the f*ck is this?” Sam had just climbed out of his coffin. His reaction speed was only a beat slower than Ye Qingxuan. Baro and Miller crowded over as well. They looked around at the few giant statues that were advancing toward them.
In the distance, the statues that had slept for eternity were now shaking off the dust. There were enough of them to form two battalions!
Ye Qingxuan had a headache. “I think these are the clay puppets, sacrificial objects made by Romulusian alchemists for the nobles. They replaced live slaves to guard the tomb. These guys are replicated from the most powerful Romulusian warriors. They even have some techniques and know how to work together so be careful.”
Baro suddenly had a headache too. “How the f*ck are these things clay puppets?!”
“They’re made out of clay.” Ye Qingxuan had seen this with his Eye of Silence. “These guys have been burned to a ceramic-like quality and their durability is comparable to iron. Iron can corrode in a tomb but porcelain won’t!” Now, he was sure that Indrah’s Eye was useless. It would not have any effect other than raising the temperature. Porcelain did not conduct electricity.
“So what do we do?” Baro asked impatiently. “They don’t have weaknesses?”
“Don’t rush me!” Sweat beaded on Ye Qingxuan’s forehead. The Eye of Silence was getting hot too. He could see the alchemy arrays buried within the shells of the clay puppets. Those were the things controlling the objects. Ye Qingxuan manipulated his mercury threads to read the music theory within!
“The joints! The weakest parts are the joints and heads!” Ye Qingxuan said quickly. “Their observation loops are in the heads and should use old-fashioned heat and auditory sensors! Try not to use attacks with high temperatures. Otherwise…” Glancing at the two columns of warriors that stretched into the distance, he gulped. “Otherwise, it’ll be like attacking a beehive!”
“I get it. You’re annoying!” Baro spat. Beastly nature appeared in his eyes as he began murmuring in a raspy voice. Under the faint melody, the wind around him instantly grew wild. Dozens of tiny vortexes appeared. Bat-like things flew out with incredible speed.
Immediately after, cracks began appearing in the charging clay puppets as if a sword was hacking at them. The eyes of a thin and lithe warrior flashed red. It flipped in the air and took out two scimitars. Gashes formed in the air.
Slice! With a small sound, the beasts in the wind had their wings broken and were revealed. Two bat wings fell from the body, which also ablated into the wind. It was the phantom beast Flying Sycle!
If one died, Baro would add another one. Instantly, Ye Qingxuan could see around fifteen Flying Sycles hovering around them. They hid in the wind and continuously attacked the awoken clay puppets.
“Only fifteen? Make some more.” Ye Qingxuan pursed his lips. “I’ve seen musicians who could summon a pack of wolves and each one was realistic and powerful! They could even break through shields…”
“You think phantom beasts are mass produced? I’m not the kind to specialize in phantom beasts either. Raising fifteen of these aggressive things is already hard enough!” Baro’s face was beet red and he almost spat out blood. “Don’t compare me to those who had written their symphony of predestination and entered the Scepter level!”
“Really?” Ye Qingxuan chuckled. “Just say you can’t do it.”
Baro seriously was going to spit out blood as he glared. “Ye Qingxuan, if I really do reach the Scepter level, everyone like you will die!”
Pissed off, Baro was much more generous in casting the music scores in his instrument. The speed of the fifteen Flying Sycles instantly tripled. They broke through the air silently but when they attacked, they were like angry axes. They were so fast one could not process their speed.
With a roar, Baro played three accented notes. The Flying Sycles immediately grouped and transformed into a vortex of death, swarming toward the approaching clay puppets. With a muffled boom, even the cracks were cut off by their wings.
Four burly clay puppets broke apart instantly. They fell to the ground, the red light in their eyes dimmed, and they shattered. Ye Qingxuan’s eyes twitched as he saw the artistic statues be pulverized. His heart was in pain.
“Don’t do it too hard…ah, whatever!” Ye Qingxuan forced himself to stop. He never thought that he would do such a taboo thing. Romulus’s history had already been cut off. There were not many resources or evidence in the world. Their history was a mystery as well.
If the researchers saw them destroy these precious objects like this, they would probably get a heart attack. But for now, it was more important to save themselves than ancient relics. Otherwise, the relics would not be protected and they would be dead. They would probably be written into the next edition of “Dumb Ways for Musicians to Die” and be tormented in death.
His thoughts were muddled but the historical scrolls Caligula had given him flashed through his memory. There was an entry in it that suddenly shocked him.
“We can’t stay here for too long. Leave here first,” he called. “Hurry up…as fast as possible!”
“Huh?” Sam, who was constructing a shield array, looked back. “What’s wrong?”
“If I guessed correctly, it’ll be worse later.” Ye Qingxuan looked around at the gradually awakening warrior statues. More and more red eyes lit up in the darkness. He wiped at his cold sweat. “Do you…do you know what the Romulusian army is most famous for?”
No one replied. The three who did not know history at all exchanged confused g
lances.
Ye Qingxuan moaned and sighed dramatically. “Anyway, just hurry the f*ck out!”
What was the Romulusian army famous for? Was that even a question? Of course it was the Romulusian formation!
Boom! The giant boom was the sound of giant shields crashing onto the ground.
“Hoo ha!” Roars sounded amongst the clashing of metal and stone. Deep within the tunnel, nine statues stood shoulder to shoulder and put their shields together. On the ground, the metallic porcelain reflected the young musicians’ faces. Then, the wall of shields pushed forward.
“Hoo ha!” The ground shook and whistles shot through the air. Lances! They were two-meter long red lances! The giant lances shot from the wall of shields like a thunderstorm. They broke through the ground with terrifying booms.
The booms sounded one after another. Scars were left in their path. The red lances burned like lava and arced through the air like falling stars. They had not yet arrived but the pressed down on the air, asphyxiating them.
339 Snake of the Atrium
In the last moment, Ye Qingxuan pushed Baro behind him. He reached out to guard everyone. A hymn sounded.
“Holy! Holy! Holy! The god of all authority!”
Dozens of lances fell onto the shield and landed on the ground silently. However, more lances fell in other places and exploded instantly. Red fire and wild explosions shattered the walls and bricks. A violent current of air swept across. The entire tunnel shook to the brink of collapse.
After the fleeting hymn, all was changed. The area had been turned into a giant and empty crater. The land that they stood on was still whole but everywhere else was covered in lava…
Using Holy two times in a short period made Ye Qingxuan’s face stark white. He practically collapsed onto the ground. Behind him, Miller pressed onto the back of his head. A gentle melody accompanied the chanting of a saint, helping him recover.
“Two more rounds!” Ye Qingxuan exclaimed. “At least two more rounds!”