Scourge Messenger

Chapter 214 I disagree
Ying Ru glanced back and forth between Yao Shiyuan and Yan Qing, and suddenly said, "I really didn't realize before. I didn't expect Black Wolf to have such a nice voice and such an enviable figure."

These words were like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing the raging flames in Yaoshi Yuan's heart. She realized that she shouldn't have reacted this way in this situation, took a deep breath, sat back in her seat, and calmly replied, "You're not bad either."

Although his true identity had been completely exposed to Huang Quan, and Huang Quan probably knew that the Red Serpent who was with him also knew, how could someone like Huang Quan, who was obsessed with women, keep a secret from women? But there was still a White Fox in the Thieves' House who didn't know his identity. It was always better if one less person knew his identity.

The pharmacist turned his head to observe the white fox and the red snake, and was completely certain that the woman the yellow dog had been holding in his arms was the red snake, or rather, the red snake had no intention of disguising herself.

Although the style and color have changed slightly, Red Serpent's outfit is still the same as it was three days ago. It is convenient for movement while fully showing off her charm. She is obviously the type who uses her looks to please people. No wonder she is with someone like Yellow Dog... Thinking of this, Pharmacist Yuan had to look away, otherwise she was afraid that she would not be able to control her emotions.

“Although we only have three days to prepare, we can still squeeze out a day of free time, especially since the operation is scheduled for midnight,” Ying said calmly. “I can leave now to give you the space, and we’ll meet again tomorrow morning—”

“No need.” The Pharmacist exhaled a breath of stale air and enlarged the projection of the sand table dungeon. “Let’s discuss the action plan… I know nothing about this secret realm, I’ve never even heard of it before, but the entrance to the secret realm is located in the Hundred Refinements Institute in Chang’an City, and the Hundred Refinements Institute is located in the deepest part of the Chang’an Military Prefecture. In Chang’an, the most heavily guarded place is the Chang’an Military Prefecture, and the number of messengers inside is ten times that of the Imperial Palace.”

"I can see that." Ying Rushi looked at the densely packed figures cultivating in the military headquarters: "But why are so many messengers not going to conquer the secret realm, but instead staying in Chang'an honing their strength?"

"Retirement and training"

In the past, Yaoshi Yuan would have hesitated, given that it concerned the military system of Zhou State. But now, she seemed to have broken free of invisible shackles, and spoke with far fewer reservations.

“The veterans whose blood and qi are declining in each military town will be sent to Chang’an to become instructors. At the same time, young people in the military towns who are worth cultivating will also be sent here for intensive training. Compared to skills and secret techniques, they exchange more about how to conquer the secret realms here. For example, if Military Town A comes up with a more ingenious way to conquer the secret realms, Military Town B can also use it. They will also discuss specific combat plans for the secret realms here, and in the end, they will all be transformed into the achievements of the military towns.”

Shang Xinlei couldn't help but ask, "Can the military town accept the leak of the secret realm strategy?"

The pharmacist glanced at her and said arrogantly, "Red Serpent, not all places are as backward and closed off as Liang Kingdom."

It's basically an offline forum, Yan Qing thought to herself.

MMORPGs are online games, not single-player games. In single-player games, the solution might be simple; even the most difficult problems will eventually be solved by the player. The player might experience a temporary mental overload, but once they discover the solution, everything becomes clear. However, online games are different. The correct key might be specific to a particular class or piece of equipment, and if you don't have it, you simply don't have it. The Shu Road Mountain is the best example. If it weren't for the fact that Prajna happened to have a Buddhist relic, they would have died there and never discovered the correct strategy for the Forest of Corpses.

Therefore, online games have an enormous need for communication; the solutions you can't figure out even if you rack your brains might be written in the pinned posts on the forum.

Given the aristocratic families' attitude of treating the secret realm as their own private domain, Yan Qing assumed they would endlessly reinvent the wheel. He hadn't expected there to be a place like this, similar to an offline forum. Just as the Pharmacist had said, the Zhou Kingdom wasn't as closed off as the Liang Kingdom. What Shang Xuanwen couldn't do now, perhaps Zhou Taizu had already accomplished through his prestige.

"In other words, if we are not careful in our operation, we may alert a large number of veteran soldiers and elite officers." Ying Rushi tapped the stone table: "This is not good news."

“But that’s not the worst news.” The pharmacist stared at the sand table. “There’s worse news to come. Look at the exact location of the entrance to the secret realm. It will definitely pass through the largest room in the Hundred Refinements Institute.”

Upon closer inspection, everyone discovered that the entrance to the secret realm was indeed in a completely enclosed room, and the walls of this room were incredibly thick, making it impossible to sneak in. In contrast to this heavy, almost prison-like room, there was a spacious living room next to it, complete with a study, a washroom, a reception room, and a bedroom, all luxuriously furnished. Although no one was inside at the moment, the owner of the living room would likely be living there at midnight three days later, rather than sleeping on the streets.

"Although we can only confirm it tonight, this room is probably the residence of Li Long, the commander of the Chang'an Military Prefecture and a third-level messenger known as 'Rising Dragon Hand'." The pharmacist said in a very serious tone: "It is said that ten years ago he competed with Emperor Ying Le of Qi for the Foundation Establishment Pill. He was defeated but escaped unscathed. He is one of the most promising third-level cultivators in Zhou who can establish their foundation on their own."

Although he had participated in battles that defeated peak third-stage cultivators like Helan Que and Banruo, Yaoshi Yuan did not underestimate the strength of a third-stage messenger. Li Long's strength was by no means inferior to Banruo and Helan Que, and more importantly, he was right next to the Chang'an Military Prefecture, where he was the commander. Fighting him in such a place was as difficult as taking the head of an enemy general from among ten thousand troops.

"Entering the secret realm inevitably requires passing through his room. Unless we can quickly deal with him, our only option is to do everything we can to avoid alerting him." Ying Rushi couldn't help but rub her temples. "This is just the trouble before entering the secret realm."

“The good news is that once we enter the secret realm, it’s a smooth road, and we can go directly to the location of the rare iron along the vertical passage,” Yan Qing said, looking at the sand table projection in the secret realm. “The bad news is that the secret realm only has this one vertical passage, and no matter what we do, we can’t avoid the crowds, which will inevitably alert the people inside.”

The dungeon's interior was structured like a towering circular tower, filled with cells. Inside, it was unclear whether the inmates were laborers or torturers, but they were all bound in chains. With the guards' shouts, they gritted their teeth and pulled the chains to their limit. Hundreds upon hundreds of chains worked together, pulling a massive iron hammer weighing tens of tons to the top. At the top, there was a spring-like pressure storage module. Only when the hammer compressed the spring to its limit would the guards issue a second command. Simultaneously, everyone released their grip, and the hammer instantly unleashed a terrifying speed, like the sky collapsing!
Each floor of the dungeon is connected by stairs, but the stairs are all located near the center. Going down the stairs is no different from jumping down directly; you will be seen by people on every floor!
"Although we don't know the strength of these jailers, the force with which these prisoners pull the chains must be no less than a hundred pounds, right? This is a job that takes years to complete, and only messengers can endure such intense labor." Ying analyzed. "The jailers who can manage messenger prisoners must also be messengers, and it's highly likely that there are at least second-rank messengers among them, and it wouldn't be surprising if there were third-rank messengers—if the Zhou Kingdom values ​​this place."

“Compared to the military government, these prison guards are still manageable,” Yan Qing said. “As long as we block the entrance and prevent them from notifying the outside world, we can deal with these prison guards gradually.”

"So our action plan is to enter the secret realm, quickly defeat the jailers inside, steal the rare iron, and then return the way we came," Shang Xinlei summarized. "The key now is how to enter the secret realm without anyone noticing."

“It’s difficult, but not impossible.” Ying Rushi shrunk the sand table and refocused his attention on the military headquarters outside the secret area: “You can see that although the military headquarters has patrols and guards, they are all just formalities. There must be many loopholes inside. We can definitely find a safe route if we spend some time.”

Yan Qing reminded him, "Don't forget about the Divine Marquis's Mansion."

“Yes, and the constables of the Divine Marquis's Mansion,” Ying Ru said somewhat helplessly, “but we know nothing about them, nor how they might affect our mission. This mission has too many unpredictable factors; we can only prepare as many contingency plans as possible to deal with them—”

“My plan is not just to seize the rare iron.”

The pharmacist slowly stood up, and Ying Rushi and Shang Xinlei immediately turned to look at her, but her gaze went past the sand table illusion and was fixed on Yan Qing directly opposite her.

She held up three fingers to enlarge the sand table dungeon illusion, pointed to the huge prison at the deepest part of the dungeon, and said in a resolute tone, "I will rescue this person from inside in this operation."

She had no intention of hiding anything, nor did she plan to do it secretly. To act alone on such a dangerous heist mission, letting personal feelings interfere with the plan, would undoubtedly be a betrayal of her companions. Even wearing the Black Wolf mask, the Pharmacist would not tarnish the honor of the Ba River Pharmacist… nor would she become a sister who disappoints the Bunny Girl.

After a brief silence, Yingru didn't ask why, but instead posed an unavoidable question: "This prison is inside the molten lava, how are you going to get in?"

The rare iron is on a stone pillar platform surrounded by molten lava, and below the molten lava is the huge prison where Bunny Girl is located. The entrance to the prison is a waterfall of lava, which can be understood as a lava water curtain cave. To enter, one must jump into the molten lava and swim in the lava pool.

While defensive tokens are incredibly versatile, this is far beyond the environmental damage a third-tier messenger can withstand; the answer is obvious without testing.

"I will prepare an iron suit that can withstand the high temperature." The pharmacist said without hesitation, "You just need to help pull me up from the outside."

"What if the armor melts? Even if it's just a tiny crack—"

"I can take this risk; even if I die, it will only be me who dies!"

When the pharmacist said those words, Ying Ru knew there was no way to persuade her otherwise; continuing would only lead to a falling out. She was willing to take all the risks, even if it meant being buried in molten lava and being torn to pieces. Who in this world could stop someone so determined to die? In any case, Ying Ru couldn't stop her.

She paused for a moment, then said, "As long as everyone agrees, I have no objection."

The pharmacist looked at Shang Xinlei: "Red Serpent?"

"I..." Shang Xinlei glanced sideways at Yan Qing: "If everyone agrees, I also..."

"Yellow Dog." The pharmacist finally looked at Yan Qing: "No need to trouble you, I can manage myself—"

“I disagree,” Yan Qing said.

(End of this chapter)