Chapter 61: Black Knights Guild

Walking through the passageway, Chen Xiaolian gradually became convinced of one thing: This was obviously a gigantic labyrinth.

Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that it was an underground mausoleum, also known as a burial mausoleum!

As to who was the owner of this mausoleum, do you really have to ask?

The passageway through the mausoleum was very flat. Walking through the darkness, Qiu Yun and Chen Xiaolian wore wearing hats with searchlights affixed onto them.

After walking for about 10 minutes, the passageway opened up before them!

They found an accompaniment tomb.

A square shaped tomb with a size that far outstripped a basketball court opened up before them.

Gold plated copper statues stood around the tomb. Their shapes were ancient, plain, and their faces emanating silence. Those copper statues replaced the role of pillars and stood around the tomb.

Before them stood several rows of Qin terracotta soldiers. The terracotta soldiers were armed with bronze swords, each looking different from the other. Behind them, there were also two war chariots. The horses were carved out to exhibit extreme livelihood, its body prancing with its hooves raised up to the skies. The terracotta soldier standing atop the war chariot held onto a pole arm. There was also terracotta soldiers equipped with crossbows in the surrounding area. The edge of their arrows still seemed sharp, seemingly free of corrosions.

Chen Xiaolian noted that all the weapons held by the terracotta soldiers were directed towards the outer passageways of the tomb.

A terracotta general stood upon a platform, one hand placed upon his waist while the other held onto a sword, releasing an aura that rose to the skies!

Walking by these terracotta soldiers as he moved through the tomb, a feeling of unease welled up within Chen Xiaolian. He subconsciously gripped Soo Soo’s small hand tightly only to find that Soo Soo’s hand was cold and seemingly steady. He turned around to look at the little girl and saw that she was using a tranquil expression to gaze at the terracotta soldiers beside them.

The abnormality of her steady state caused Chen Xiaolian to finally realize that something was wrong. He frowned and pulled Soo Soo to his side. Then, he whispered. “Soo Soo? Are you all right?”

Soo Soo’s small face remained calm as she pointed towards the Qin terracotta general that was standing on the platform situated some distance away. The little girl spoke with a calm, soft and delicate voice. “Xiaolian oppa, they… seemed furious.”

Furious?

Hearing those words, Chen Xiaolian became shocked.

It was at that moment that Qiu Yun who was leading them suddenly raised his hand, forming a stopping signal.

Several beams of light suddenly swept over from the frontal left area of the tomb. It was from another entrance. Accompanying those lights were faint sounds of footsteps.

“There are people?” Chen Xiaolian frowned. “Why didn’t the radar reveal them?”

Qiu Yun lowered his voice. “This types of instances will generally limit items of the technology type, the system radar is also considered a technology type…”

He quickly bent his body and the three of them immediately hid under the platform situated in the centre of the tomb. At the same time, the searchlights on their heads were turned off.

As the three of them bent down to hide, Chen Xiaolian did not notice that the Qin terracotta general that was standing upon the platform… the general’s right foot that was moulded onto the stone platform gave a seemingly light nudge…

…

“Hurry!”

“Ah, there is a door in front!”

“Charge in! Luke, cut off the rear and close the door! If you can’t, then use bombs!”

“Damn it! Where did Naves go to?”

“He fell behind! I saw him get killed! Do not worry about him, run fast!”

The miserable sound of staggering footsteps came forth from beyond the door of the passageway. Then, they saw a few beams of shaking light as four people wearing strange clothing madly rushed inside!

The last person to enter was a black man with a fat stature. He gasped intensely for breath; just as his right foot stepped in through the door, an air piercing sound could be heard closing in from behind! “Xiu!”

A sharp arrow pierced through his body. The black man’s body trembled, his eyes turned upwards and he cried out miserably before falling down onto the ground!

“Luke!”

The one in the lead was a young woman. Hearing the sound, she turned her head around. Seeing the black man lying on the floor, she cried out in a sharp and mournful voice. Her companions quickly pulled her out of the way as two bronze arrows pierced the spot that she was standing upon earlier!

“Close the door! Hurry and close the door!”

A Caucasian man rushed to the side and forcibly pushed the stone door shut. With a “boom” sound, the stone door was closed. He also picked up a stone seam from the ground and placed it on the door's latch.

Boom!

A muffled bang suddenly resounded from beyond the door! The door could be seen shaking a little while no small amount of stone chips and dust fell down!

The three survivors cried out and subconsciously retreated. The woman gritted her teeth. “Prepare for combat!”

As she spoke, she produced a western styled long sword which she gripped using her hand. Of her two companions, one was a Caucasian man who wielded a shield and a short axe while the other was a thin man dressed completely in black and had a flustered expression – his hands held onto a curving wooden stick.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Beyond the door, a certain force hammered against the stone door. After a few moments of hammering, the sounds slowly faded away.

The three people panted and stared anxiously at the stone door for a long time. After they determined that the sound had faded away, they let out sighs of relief.

“They… seemed to have left?” The thin man in black placed down the wooden stick in his hand. After turning around however, he suddenly became no different from a cat that just had its tail stepped on and screamed sharply. “Damn it! There are more here!”

All three of them immediately turned around. Seeing the rows of terracotta soldiers arranged within the tomb, they anxiously raised their weapons.

“Don’t do anything! Damn it!” The woman suddenly shouted out loudly. “Can’t you people see? They are not alive! They haven’t come to live yet!”

“Not… alive?”

The thin man in black jumpily observed the tomb’s contents, his body contracting into one mass.

The shield wielding Caucasian man looked at the thin man with disdain. “Mars, can you stop being so cowardly all the time? Don’t you know? In the battlefield, the ones with the smallest guts are the one to die first!”

“Thank God!” The thin, black dressed Mars exhaled. “I am just an ordinary high school teacher! Damn it! Why did I get caught up in this terrifying world? Charlie! I am not like you who is originally of the military!”

The shield bearing Caucasian, Charlie sneered. “Head, what do we do now?”

The young woman spoke in a very gloomy tone. “What else can we do? We came in with 6 people. In just a short span of time, half has died! Damn it! Why is this time’s instance dungeon so hard?”

She inhaled deeply. “Be extra careful and do not touch these terrifying statues! Back then, Luke was touching around everywhere, Heaven knows if he might have triggered a magic of some kind! For the sake of safety, none of us should touch those terrifying statues!”

Charlie held up the shield and examined the tomb. “There are several passageways here. Let us find a path out of here.”

“I feel that we can no longer move forward,” The timid Mars spoke out in a quivering voice. “We have already lost 3 people… if we continue moving forward, all of us will die here!”

Charlie who was at the back gave a grunt and abruptly moved forward. He gripped Mars’ neck and lifted him up before throwing him down the ground with force. He then extended his foot to stamp down on his chest. “Coward! Listen carefully! This is not a game and not an act! No one will come save you! And no one will give you the right to drop out! If you want to live, then pluck up your courage!”

“Charlie, let Mars off,” The young woman sighed. “This is only his second instance dungeon after all. He is still just a rookie.”

“Bah!” Charlie spat out. “A coward. I really do not understand why you would accept such a coward into our guild.”

“He is very useful,” The young woman shook her head and frowned. “We are all of the fighting type… don’t you know how rare it is to get a magic type of team member amongst Awakened ones these days?”

The young woman walked over and pulled up the timid Mars. She patted away the dust on his body and smiled. “It is fine, Mars. This is just Charlie’s nature, he won’t really hurt you.”

“Leader, Guild Leader,” Mars quavered. “Maybe, maybe we can find a place to hide… then hide until the end of the instance dungeon?”

“Idiots,” Charlie grunted. “No small amount of time has passed. Conventionally speaking, the Players will be arriving soon! Hide? Stop joking around! I will not gamble my life away on a bet and hope that those fellows do not find me!”

At that moment…

The young woman’s eyes suddenly widened and she shouted out in a low voice. “There is someone! Who is it?”

Charlie’s reaction was fast. He immediately raised up the shield, holding it before him – despite saying those blunt words, he was still a dutiful person. His shield not only covered him, but also the timid Mars.

Qiu Yun walked out from behind the stone platform with a smile.

“Black Knights Guild?” Qiu Yun lit up a lighter in his hand and stood under the light, allowing the other party to see his features clearly. “It has been a while, Guild Leader Alice.”

“Qiu Yun?”

The young woman’s expression changed. However, her expression was one of pleasant surprise. “By the Gods! Guild Leader Qiu Yun! Thank the Gods, it’s actually you!”

Charlie too seemed to be relieved. He placed down the shield in his hand and looked at Qiu Yun with a friendly gaze.

Alice strode over and hugged Qiu Yun. “Our last meeting was in that instance half a year back. Guild Leader Qiu Yun, I still owe you a great debt.”

Charlie smiled and placed two fingers in front of his forehead in a military salute.

“That is enough, now is not the time to reminisce about old times. Let me introduce my new guild members.”

When Qiu Yun led Chen Xiaolian and Soo Soo out from behind the stone platform, the three of them were stunned.

The one called Guild Leader Alice stared at Chen Xiaolian for a while before looking at Soo Soo. “This… this is your new guild members, Guild Leader Qiu Yun? Two little kids?”

“Only one little kid,” Qiu Yun laughed. “The boy is already a grown man, he is already eighteen-years-old.”

“You are really getting more…en, in your words, is it Buddha-hearted [1]?” Alice gave Qiu Yun a look.

Chen Xiaolian observed that there were clearly some traces of fawning within the look that Alice gave Qiu Yun.

En… these two Guild Leaders seem to have a sexual relationship going on?

“Xiaolian, come,” Qiu Yun waved over to Chen Xiaolian. “Let me introduce everyone. These people are the Black Knights Guild members from New Zealand. This is Guild Leader Alice. The one carrying the shield is a valiant warrior, Charlie. Don’t be fooled by his friendly smile; this fellow used to serve as an elite soldier for the army. As for this one…” Qiu Yun looked at the timid Mars and smiled without saying anything.

“This is our new guild member, he is called Mars,” Guild Leader Alice laughed. “Do not underestimate him, he is a magician!”

Qiu Yun’s brows rose. “A magician? Congratulations are in order then, Alice. Magic type guild members are very sought after.”

As the conversation progressed, Chen Xiaolian did not say anything out of turn. He simply stood cautiously by the side and held onto Soo Soo…

It was at that moment the Soo Soo suddenly gave Chen Xiaolian’s hand a gentle tug. “Xiaolian oppa.”

“En,” Chen Xiaolian lowered his head, then his face suddenly changed. “You… Soo Soo, what did you call me?”

“Xiaolian oppa,” Soo Soo’s face remained calm as she looked up.

“You…” Chen Xiaolian finally realized where the source of the problem was!

The normal Soo Soo could absolutely never remain so calm and quiet… additionally…

Soo Soo in her normal state could not remember what she experienced in the 72 Demons instance dungeon! Thus, she would never call him ‘Xiaolian oppa’!

The only one willing to call him that was only…

“Soo Soo, you, again…”

“En, I came out,” Soo Soo’s second personality finally revealed a light trace of a smile. “Xiaolian oppa did not realize at all along the way. You are very slow.”

“…”

Just as Chen Xiaolian was about to say something, Soo Soo suddenly got up and spoke into Chen Xiaolian’s ear. “Xiaolian oppa, this place is very dangerous… I feel very uneasy, it is better for us to leave this place!”

“Dangerous?”

Chen Xiaolian’s eyes instantly narrowed. “Soo Soo, tell me about it in more detail.”

“I can ‘see’ that they are watching us. Also… they seem very angry, they are getting even angrier!”

…

1 ‘Buddha-hearted’, raw: ‘菩萨心肠’, pinyin: ‘púsà xīncháng’. Meaning: A kind-hearted person.↩

Name: Alice, raw: ‘爱丽丝’, pinyin: ‘àilì sī’

Name: Charlie, raw: ‘查理’, pinyin: ‘chálǐ’

Name: Mars, raw: ‘马尔斯’, pinyin: ‘mǎ'ěr sī’

Extra: A tomb is a large vault for burying the dead, while a mausoleum is an impressive building that houses one or more tombs. [Source: Wiki].