Unknown Intrusion

Chapter 100 Deep Palace
"To be fair, this curse has some merit."

"Their home was broken into by tomb raiders; the curse was self-inflicted."

"However, as someone directly involved, I naturally don't see it that way."

Su Yu stepped out of the tent, glanced at the sky, and quietly left without making a sound.

"What's that sound?!" Hu Lun sat up abruptly, as if suddenly awakened from a nightmare.

He was sleeping alone in a tent when his ear twitched slightly, as if he had caught a faint footstep. He touched the pendant, and with just a flick, the pendant hummed and emitted a pale white light.

As soon as the tent was pulled open half an inch, a thin layer of night mist seeped in through the gaps, carrying a rotten smell.

Stepping out of the tent, the fog remained, causing Hu Lun to frown.

The main hall was bathed in a faint white light, as were the tents where the troops were stationed. The two looked similar at first glance, but upon closer inspection, they did not blend together harmoniously.

However, they are of the same nature; they both drove away evil spirits and purified the fog.

"A curse is normal."

"But it's a bit surprising that there are nearby temples and palaces providing protection!"

"And although I'm not a priest, judging from this brief look, the island's civilization is quite sophisticated, with hints of a small exorcism array..."

"Even after the extinction of a civilization, who knows how many years have passed, it can still exert its effects."

"It's a bit scary... but the fact that such a civilization still perished makes it even scarier..."

Hu Lun muttered to himself, realizing something, and thoughtfully said, "Hopefully, nothing else goes wrong."

"However, this island still retains vitality, and it's likely to be drawn into development."

"Perhaps this will activate an even greater curse."

Hu Lun didn't think about it anymore; ordinary adventurers would just pick up gold, jewelry, and other supplies.

But the most crucial element is territory; if an island dies, it loses its value.

But if the island were alive, its value would be completely different.

As the chief mage, my job scope is limited to a few areas, and this is the most important of them all.

"If I submit the report, I'll receive a large amount of merit, both in terms of magic and resources."

"Right now, just don't let anything happen."

After a day of fighting, the recovery of mental and magical energy is undoubtedly very important; if this continues, auditory and visual hallucinations are possible.

Looking around, the entire hall was dimly lit, and each tent was quiet and made no sound.

A shadow drifted by in the distance, but that was normal. Even if it had been purified, there were always some that slipped through the net. Hu Lun hesitated for a moment: "Could it be... that I had a nightmare?"

He pursed his lips, retreated into the tent, zipped it up, and everything became quiet.

Further away, wisps of white mist emanated from the badge on Su Yu's chest as he approached a pillar in the corridor.

"..."

A faint golden light, like mist rising before my eyes, gradually condensed into a phantom-like, transparent golden hourglass. Within a red frame, pale white characters floated before my eyes.

[Find the princess and break the curse]

"Princess?"

Princess

"Princess, where are you?"

Just then, it seemed that many people were calling out, their voices layered and ethereal. Su Yu pursed her lips.

This task was generated after hearing the sound, and Su Yu asked the system but received no answer.

Su Yu didn't care.

"The princess's curse? I guessed right, the curse does indeed come from this island, and the source should be in the palace."

"I just don't know, what kind of princess is this so-called princess?"

"This island was once a kingdom?"

However, this is not surprising.

The island is enormous, with clusters of buildings; it must have been inhabited by many people before it was abandoned.

The buildings on the island are also very well constructed. If this place was once an island kingdom, it must have been a very wealthy country with a large population.

The nobles were wealthy, but the common people were not poor either. The architectural style carried a peculiar charm.

However, unlike the architecture of Ying Kingdom, which has a somewhat mythical feel, Su Yu had already discovered it during the day as he walked along.

The island has an astonishing number of stones and porcelain, giving it a surprisingly un-primitive feel.

It's hard to describe the feeling. Recalling the rock giants and terracotta soldiers from before, these two movable puppets were not only movable, but also very lethal. What kind of country was this island when it still existed?
Are the rock giants and terracotta soldiers really just mechanical relics from an ancient, deserted island civilization?

Su Yu had thought the same thing before, but now he was a little uncertain.

However, despite feeling uneasy, they did not back down.

"The courtyard games were developed with my help..."

"The hints about the difficulty of the mission are actually quite obvious, namely the handwriting and bloodstains."

"White writing is relatively safe, blood-red writing is relatively dangerous, and distorted writing is even more terrifying!"

"Red box with white text means the risk is controllable."

"Most importantly, in order to increase interactivity and participation, the tasks in the courtyard game will block the flow of the game. If you don't complete them, it will be difficult to move on to the next task. So unless it is too dangerous, try to solve them one by one!"

"Furthermore, the curse is tying down the power of the courtyard, and we must resolve this quickly. Otherwise, I'm really just a fragile level 0 mage, and I'll have trouble even dealing with a few evil spirits."

Inside the courtyard, the curse and the power were still intertwined, vaguely pointing in the direction.

Su Yu continued walking, and only slowed down after a long while.

Looking up, I saw that this building was even more magnificent than the ones I had seen before. The heavy doors were tightly closed, and it was impossible for me to break them down with my own strength.

But it's not easy to break in. If the door isn't locked, it shouldn't be too difficult to pry it open through a crack.

Su Yu walked over and tried to push it.

squeak--

"The door was actually pushed open a crack?"

Su Yu had expected this, but the process went so smoothly that he hesitated for a moment for some reason.

But it was only for a moment.

Even if there's a trap involved, are we really going to give up just to solve the problem in the courtyard?
impossible.

Su Yu shifted his body slightly and easily slipped inside.

With a creak, the heavy door closed gently behind me.

The already dim light suddenly turned pitch black, so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

Su Yu carried a flint and a light spell, but he did not immediately illuminate the area. Instead, he held his breath and allowed his senses, heightened by the darkness, to perceive everything around him.

"Nothing seems amiss?"

"The rock giants and terracotta soldiers aren't here?"

Su Yu's eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, and everything around him gradually began to appear in a blurry outline.

Deep within the palace, a faint light flickered.

anyone? !
Su Yu became increasingly cautious and headed towards the light.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the light came from a lamp hanging on the stone wall.

Deep within the vast, empty palace, there are downward stone staircases. Lamplights adorn the stone walls, which, while showing the length of the staircase, do not provide a sense of security.

A gentle breeze was blowing from below, carrying a slightly damp smell, indicating that there was water beneath the stone steps.

Aside from the damp smell, the air was relatively clean and not polluted. Perhaps the environment down there is not harmful to the human body?
Su Yu stepped down, the sound of his footsteps echoing.

He appeared calm, but his body was tense, ready to fight at any moment.

But even after finally reaching the end of the stone steps and landing on flat ground again, the enemy from the darkness did not appear.

This place is clearly underground, but the light is much brighter than above.

What hangs on the stone wall is no longer a lamp, but a bead with a dazzling light.

Large beads were thus adorning the stone wall.

The vibrant colors gave everything around them a dreamlike quality.

(End of this chapter)