Chapter 84-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
Half an hour later.
In the long corridor, Percy followed behind the young man, sighing inwardly. Fortunately, they had Zhao Mei on their team; otherwise, this journey would not have been so easy.
Under Zhao Mei's guidance, they had opened another door, the fourth one so far.
Percy stepped into the new palace and surveyed his surroundings.
The palace they entered this time was large and luxurious. The dome was painted with a blue sky and angels. A fountain in the center of the hall was still running, its basin filled with a dazzling array of angel statues with wings. Around the fountain were pots of planted roses, exuding a fragrant aroma.
In addition, the palace was neatly arranged with long tables and high-backed chairs. The long tables were covered with long red cloths, as if a banquet was about to be held for guests.
Lucy leaned closer to a rose pot. One of her butterflies flew out and danced around a vibrant rose. Lucy stared in a daze, then suddenly exclaimed, "These flowers are real, they're alive!"
The curious young men immediately gathered around the flowers, sniffing their fragrance.
"This doesn't make any sense. If this labyrinth was built a long time ago, the plants inside should have died long ago. Could this really be... a miracle?" Roy said, half-convinced.
"It could also be a Mutant Plant. Everyone, be careful," Percy said, though he couldn't resist touching the beautiful petals himself. While the possibility of it being a Mutant Plant couldn't be ruled out, these flowers did indeed look like ordinary roses.
"Wait, there don't seem to be any doors here?" Caleb shouted in disbelief. Everyone immediately scanned the circular palace and found that even the door they had just entered through had disappeared.
The young men's expressions immediately turned wary. They gathered together, with only one person still lingering ahead.
"A fountain, angel statues, a garden of roses... This is the place where the God of Hope had the first formal meeting with the Royal Family, according to the records."
The black-robed young man walked at the very front. From behind, he seemed to be bowing his head, deep in thought.
Hearing the reassuring voice, everyone quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Zhao Mei always had a solution.
The members of the Cloud-Soaring Squad were reluctant to disturb him. Even the most impulsive Lucy gave him space. The group dispersed again, trying to find other clues in this luxurious palace.
Lucy released her butterflies. These little creatures were often more observant than she was.
As soon as the butterflies were released, they circled in place for a few moments before suddenly flying in one direction—underneath the long table covered with a dark red cloth.
Lucy's heart skipped a beat. She approached the long table, squatted down, and lifted a corner of the red cloth that concealed the space beneath it.
Behind the red cloth, a pair of terrified eyes stared back at her. Her butterfly was perched on the corner of his eye, fluttering its wings.
Lucy was so startled that she fell backward and called everyone over. "There's a dead person here!"
Dead bodies were common in Demonic Domains; they had already seen several on their way here. But the corpse under the table was particularly strange. His entire body was charred black, looking as if he had been burned to death, yet his eyes were perfectly intact, his terrified gaze seemingly warning those who came after.
"Burned to death. Or rather, by immolation."
The young men looked at the calm-faced Zhao Mei, confused.
"After the first formal meeting between the Royal Family and the God of Hope, a traitor emerged. He revealed the God of Hope's whereabouts, leading the deity into a difficult battle. After being discovered, the traitor was executed by immolation."
Lucy knitted her brows and asked, "Doesn't the God of Hope help humans eliminate Demonic Domains? Why would someone betray Him?"
"The arrival of Demonic Domains, for some, is a catastrophe. For others, it might be the opportunity they've always longed for."
Lucy nodded, seeming to understand. She pointed at the charred corpse. "So he's a traitor who surrendered to the Demonic Domain?"
The black-haired, green-eyed young man suddenly chuckled and replied, "He's probably not a prop in the labyrinth, but the last person who came to this palace."
"There's a note under the table!" Caleb crawled out from under the table holding a piece of paper. His tall and sturdy frame bumped the long table, making it shake.
Percy took the note, his expression growing graver.
"This is a leaflet from The Disciples. He's one of The Disciples."
Everyone first showed surprise, then understanding. It wasn't strange at all for one of The Disciples to appear here.
Because just a few days ago, The Disciples had used violence to drive out all "heretics" around the Divine Plaza!
Originally an obscure force, The Disciples had become exceptionally active since the appearance of the "Daughter of the God." Just three days ago, they had set fire to the Divine Plaza, declaring their intention to execute all heretics there. Everyone worried they would be "executed" like the previous Saintess, and the residents and merchants living around the Divine Plaza had all moved out overnight.
Roy lamented, "That group of people is truly lawless. The peace officers are all useless. I heard it was the Order of Female Knights who were the first to arrive on the scene to drive away The Disciples."
"The Order of Female Knights? Is that the new team founded by the Saintess? They're really amazing. The Empire has never had official female knights before." Lucy said with an envious look. Before coming to the city from her rural home in the west, she had crammed a lot of knowledge about the city. She had been very disappointed to learn that there weren't many opportunities for female ability users in the city either.
"Ahem, let's get back to the main topic. Why did this person die here?" Percy asked.
As it stood, this group of thugs had inadvertently done a good deed. If a large number of ordinary people had mistakenly entered this labyrinthine Demonic Domain, it would likely be very difficult to save them. Even they, as ability users, were struggling to fend for themselves.
Lucy put on a clever, enlightened expression again. "I know! Because he's one of The Disciples, a heretic, so he was burned to death after coming in."
Percy shook his head upon hearing this. "That doesn't seem right. If this labyrinth could identify whether a person is loyal to the God of Hope out of thin air, it wouldn't need to set up so many checkpoints."
"It's more likely that this Disciple didn't make a choice loyal to the God of Hope. He might have chosen the wrong door to enter, or he didn't find the correct way to leave."
"But did he come in alone? Or did everyone else escape?" Percy analyzed, finding that the Disciple's death not only failed to provide any useful clues but also increased his anxiety. If they couldn't find the right way out, they might suffer a punishment as cruel as this Disciple's.
He lifted his eyes and subconsciously looked toward the black figure. Zhao Mei was looking down, one hand propping up his chin, lost in thought.
Sensing the intense gaze, the young man blinked his green eyes and smiled at his teammates.
"Don't worry, I already have an idea. You guys look around a bit more for clues."
Since Zhao Mei said so, Percy had to suppress his anxiety and continue searching for clues in the palace.
There wasn't even a single door here. Percy pressed his fist against the wall. Did they have to punch their way out? He subconsciously metalized his arm, then a hint of surprise crossed his face.
His ability was suppressed; he could only use fifty percent of its power.
It seemed this place definitely didn't support a violent breakthrough and might even invite a harsher punishment.
Percy sighed, dejectedly retracting his fist, continuing his search while waiting for the result of Zhao Mei's thoughts.
*
Ye Zheng already had an idea of how to get out. She was now thinking about other things.
With a Disciple's body here, Sierra was likely in this place too. Besides her, there was also Bai Muqing from the Divine Academy team, Sykes and Yu Tianming from the Royal Squad...
She wondered where she would encounter them.
Ye Zheng closed her eyes. If she wanted to get the divine sword and become the Empire's recognized incarnation of the God of Hope, she currently had only two paths to choose from.
One was to find the location of the divine sword before the Cloud-Soaring Squad and other teams, and pull it out.
The second was to let all the teams fight over the divine sword, and in the chaos, seize the opportunity to pull it out.
Ye Zheng's eyes snapped open. She currently preferred the first method; it was the safest and most reliable.
In the magnificent yet desolate palace, a crisp clap echoed. The squad members who were searching for clues looked toward the young man in the black robe. He was standing at the head of the long table, his hands resting on the dark red tablecloth, his green eyes shimmering.
"I have found a way to leave this place."
"The Divine Revelation records that at the meeting, the Emperor sat at the head of the dining table to receive the God of Hope, who was then incarnated as a commoner. The deity, indifferent to worldly formalities, sat at the Emperor's right hand. On the Emperor's left sat the Empire's General, and in the second seat to the right sat the Empire's Prime Minister."
"This meeting was crucial. It was the beginning of the Empire's salvation."
The young man pulled out the chair at the head of the table and beckoned to the girl with the high ponytail. "Lucy, you be our Emperor."
Lucy's eyes lit up as she sat down at the head of the long table. She looked up at Zhao Mei, feeling that he was like a very graceful steward from a novel, arranging everything in an orderly manner.
Percy understood. Zhao Mei was trying to replicate the scene from that time. But there weren't enough clues to indicate that doing so would let them out... Still, there was no harm in trying.
Percy pulled out the first chair on the right, the position of the God of Hope according to the records.
The remaining two boys also sat in their respective places as Zhao Mei had instructed. They all looked at each other across the long table.
"Is everyone sitting in the right place?"
"Do we need to do anything else? Like say some lines?"
"There's no way Zhao Mei is so perverted that he even remembers the lines, right?"
"Zhao Mei is so perverted he even remembers the seating arrangement—how can you call Zhao Mei perverted!"
The members of the Cloud-Soaring Squad started chattering.
Percy's expression remained somewhat grave. He looked around; no door had appeared in the palace. Did Zhao Mei guess wrong this time? Or had they failed to fully replicate the scene?
He looked at Zhao Mei in confusion. The quiet young man had, at some point, moved from beside the head seat to a remote position.
Percy's heart suddenly leaped. He remembered—there was one more part that hadn't been replicated!
"The Emperor, the General, the Prime Minister, and the God of Hope are all in place."
The black-haired, green-eyed young man let out a laugh. Under everyone's confused and shocked gazes, he pulled out a chair—the thirteenth seat on the left side of the long table.
"There is only one position left—"
"The traitor."
The young man sat down in that seat with a calm posture.
"Get up! Don't sit there!"
Amidst Percy's heart-wrenching shout, scorching flames suddenly engulfed the entire magnificent palace. Even the dome painted with the blue sky and angels turned fiery red.
In the blaze, the other young men also realized what was happening, standing up and shouting their teammate's name in disbelief. Just as they were about to run toward him through the flames, they found their bodies gradually turning transparent.
An ancient sigh echoed in the flames, as if it were a sound of praise from the deity for the devout and intelligent young men.
However, the young men of the Cloud-Soaring Squad could only hear one sentence, a muffled phrase carried to them by the hot wind—
"Go on ahead. I will catch up with you."
The quiet, gentle green eyes burned even brighter in the flames. Surrounded by the crimson torture, the young man waved lightly, like a warm, ethereal shadow, bidding them farewell.
"NO—"
Amidst Lucy's almost tearing cry, the young men only felt their bodies lighten. When they opened their eyes again, the burning sensation was gone, and the fiery red glow before them had vanished.
That quiet, gentle young man was also gone.
Percy covered his face. In the suffocating silence and low sobs, he said with a trembling voice, "Zhao Mei won't break his promise. He said he would catch up with us. He definitely will."
*
Mourning along with the Cloud-Soaring Squad were the readers of King of the Demonic Domain.
When Li Yixin saw this, her world felt like it was collapsing. She wailed inwardly, begging the creator not to take Zhao Mei away!
I recommend getting rid of the creator Old Uncle, not Zhao Mei!
Li Yixin's hands trembled as she opened the forum. The entire screen was dominated by the two words "Zhao Mei."
Author's Note: Zhengzheng says she doesn't understand things like the "beautiful, powerful, and tragic" trope or "white moonlight," but in reality, she perfectly embodies them... The next chapter should be the last forum discussion before the identity reveal. I want to really heat up the atmosphere, so it will be even more dramatic after the reveal, hehe.
Comments
Post a Comment