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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 7: The Living Stone
As the sun set, its rays illuminated the window sill, casting a warm glow on Lin Chuyu's face. Outside, the sound of hooves echoed along the road as a carriage pulled by four horses approached. The carriage carried a large stone that resembled a rock formation, tightly bound with ropes. The driver called out to the four men following the carriage, "Brothers, once we secure the stone, we can finally eat."
One of them looked at the stone in confusion and asked, "Isn't this just a rock? Why are we bringing it back from the Western Ruins?"
The driver replied, "What are you talking about? Just follow orders."
As the carriage moved away, Lin Chuyu sighed softly, "I really have come to a faraway place."
Young and full of energy, Lin Chuyu felt little fatigue despite her long journey. Finding herself bored indoors, she decided to take a stroll outside.
Unfamiliar with her surroundings, she returned to the square she had visited earlier and approached a table filled with various magical artifacts. After scanning the items for a moment, she looked around but did not see Ji Zichen. She asked a man sitting across from her, "Excuse me, have you seen the Grand Envoy?"
The man was polishing an artifact that resembled a broken wooden stick. He replied, "The Grand Envoy went to the Eight Cities Order with the others." He pointed straight ahead to an Arched Side Door. "It's right there. If you go through that side door and turn left, you'll find the Great Garden. Straight ahead is the Council Hall, and to your right is the Lord's residence. You'd best avoid going right."
With that, he continued to carefully polish the artifact. Lin Chuyu thanked him and entered through the side door.
She chose not to head right since that was where the Lord's residence was located—definitely off-limits for outsiders. Instead, she walked left toward the garden. The garden was lush with greenery, and in the center stood a pavilion where someone sat with their back turned. From this angle, it looked very much like Meng Hai.
Lin Chuyu approached the pavilion and softly called out, "Uncle Meng."
Meng Hai turned to look at her and smiled lightly. "Lin Chuyu, what brings you here?"
Lin Chuyu smiled back and said, "I was just wandering around."
Meng Hai gestured for her to sit down.
Lin Chuyu took a seat across from him. On the table lay a bowl used by monks for meals; however, this bowl had intricate Sanskrit characters etched into it that Lin Chuyu could not decipher. Inside the bowl floated a string of prayer beads in blue water. Lin Chuyu recognized them immediately. "These look like Brother Ji's Five Elements Pearl."
Meng Hai beamed with pride and said, "That's right! It's his Five Elements Pearl. He finally had his breakthrough and let me upgrade it."
Lin Chuyu asked in surprise, "Artifacts can be upgraded?"
Meng Hai carefully explained, "Not every magical artifact can be upgraded; it depends on the artifact itself."
Lin Chuyu looked at the blue water in the bowl and asked, "So just soaking it like this will allow it to upgrade?"
Meng Hai replied, "In simple terms, yes. But this water is Sumeru Water, which can only be found deep within the Eagle Rock Ruins. The Eagle Rock Ruins are guarded by many Divine Eagles, making the water quite rare. I went in once and almost didn't make it out."
Lin Chuyu stared at the bowl, which was filled with half a bowl of water, and asked, "Is this much Sumeru Water needed for one upgrade?"
Meng Hai chuckled, "Much? This is just a drop."
Lin Chuyu exclaimed in surprise, "But there’s clearly half a bowl of water here! How can it be just a drop?"
Meng Hai slowly explained, "This is indeed just a drop. Just one drop can yield half a bowl of water. Although entering the ruins is dangerous, it becomes easier once you get used to it. You find artifacts in the ruins, test their effects, sell the good ones, and figure out how to repair the bad ones."
Lin Chuyu curiously gazed at the Five Elements Pearl soaking in the blue water and asked, "Uncle Meng, do you know the origin of the Five Elements Pearl?"
Meng Hai laughed heartily, "That question is something no one in The Divine Alliance Under the Covenant could answer. The artifacts from the ruins were left behind by the Ancient Divine Clan. No one can verify which deity used which artifact, but one thing I can tell you is that those from the divine clan are very skilled at creating deadly weapons."
Lin Chuyu gasped, "Deadly tools?"
Meng Hai nodded, "Yes. Some artifacts from the ruins can subdue demons and monsters, while others are lethal weapons. Of course, we only sell those meant for exorcism; all lethal artifacts are sealed away. If those deadly weapons were to enter the world, disasters would surely follow."
Lin Chuyu questioned, "Sealed away? Why not destroy them?"
Meng Hai's voice suddenly grew somber and authoritative as he said, "Water can capsize a boat as easily as it can carry one. Do you understand?"
Lin Chuyu shook her head. "I don't understand."
Meng Hai smiled gently and replied, "These are not matters for you to concern yourself with. Rest assured that the sealed artifacts are safe and will not enter the world."
After a moment of silence, Lin Chuyu finally asked, "Uncle Meng, how is Brother Ji's master doing?"
A tremor ran through Meng Hai, disbelief etched on his face as he looked at Lin Chuyu. "He even told you about his master! It seems he trusts you greatly."
Lin Chuyu appeared hesitant, unsure of how to express that she had been spying on dreams using the Vermilion Bird Pearl.
Meng Hai sighed, "His master is still the same."
Lin Chuyu didn't know why she had asked that question. She quickly changed the subject, "Uncle Meng, what kind of person is Brother Ji? As I traveled with him, just when I thought I understood him, I suddenly found myself completely lost. I initially thought he was greedy and indifferent, that everything he did was tied to some reward. But sometimes, his actions have nothing to do with compensation at all."
She pulled out the Vajra and said, "He saved me in the Yellow Sand Plain. At that time, I thought he was a good person, but later he forced me to buy this."
Meng Hai took the Vajra and asked, "What have you killed with it?"
Lin Chuyu replied, "I've killed a Green Demon Eagle and some Sand Bandits."
Meng Hai then asked, "How much did he sell it to you for?"
Lin Chuyu answered, "Seven hundred taels."
Meng Hai threw his head back and laughed. "He actually sold it to you for seven hundred taels!"
Lin Chuyu realized Meng Hai was laughing at her for being fooled. She gritted her teeth in frustration. "It really isn't worth that much!"
Meng Hai laughed for a while before composing himself. He placed the Vajra back on the table and pushed it toward her. With a serious expression, he said, "Lin Chuyu, thank you."
Lin Chuyu was taken aback. "Thank me for what?"
Meng Hai sighed and said, "Thank you for being his friend. You are the first friend he has brought back to The Divine Alliance Under the Covenant."
Lin Chuyu fell silent, lost in thought.
At that moment, a piercing sound suddenly erupted—"Bang!"
Meng Hai immediately stood up in shock as the blue liquid in the bowl turned white, indicating that an upgrade had been completed. He exclaimed in surprise, "What a timing!" Meng Hai took out the Five Elements Pearl and urged Lin Chuyu, "You should go back to your room quickly!"
With that, Meng Hai leaped from the pavilion and headed toward the source of the noise.
Lin Chuyu was startled by the sound, immediately rising to her feet. "What happened?"
At that moment, a voice echoed from the void, sounding ethereal. "Come, I have been waiting for you for a long time."
Standing alone in the pavilion, Lin Chuyu felt a chill as the voice seemed to whisper in her ear. She scanned her surroundings but found no one there. "Who... who is talking to me?"
After a moment of silence, the voice did not return. Lin Chuyu, puzzled, murmured, "Strange, I clearly heard someone speaking. Did I mishear?"
Confused, she stepped out of the archway and suddenly stopped, exclaiming, "That voice seemed to come from the direction of the loud noise!"
Looking towards the square, she saw it was empty; the magical artifacts were still laid out on the table. Lin Chuyu stood there in a daze. "Where did everyone go? Did they all go towards the loud noise?"
Remembering the direction Meng Hai had jumped towards, she hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided to investigate further.
The sound originated from a large warehouse on the other side of the square, which appeared to be an enormous granary, about seven or eight stories high.
As Lin Chuyu approached the main road outside the warehouse, she noticed it was crowded with people. She pushed through the crowd and saw that a carriage had been blown apart, debris scattered everywhere. Four horses lay dead on the ground, their insides torn apart, and four others who had been nearby were also killed in the explosion.
Lin Chuyu recognized this carriage; it was the same one she had seen earlier from her window. Her heart sank as she exclaimed, "It's that carriage!"
The carriage was destroyed, horses dead, and where they had transported a stone resembling a fake mountain, there was now a large black hole exposed in its center. The hole extended through both ends; there was a large opening at the front and another corresponding one at the back. Strangely enough, no matter which side you stood on, you could not see through to the other side.
All that could be seen was a dark opening.
Lin Chuyu realized what had happened and trembled as she said, "This stone exploded on its own..."
Ji Zichen was also present at that location. He stood beside Meng Hai, wearing an upgraded Five Elements Pearl on his hand. Next to them stood a man clad in a red robe that billowed like an overwhelming force protecting The Divine Alliance Under the Covenant.
The wind blew.
His beard fluttered in the breeze as he raised his elegantly arched eyebrows; his eyes sparkled with intense light like stars in a deep night sky. This man exuded an aura of authority that seemed to push back against the wind itself.
Upon seeing him, Lin Chuyu couldn't help but feel awed by his presence. Her heart raced as she thought, "He must be the leader of The Divine Alliance Under the Covenant! I saw him in Brother Ji's dream."
Meng Hai stared at the shattered rock in shock and murmured, "How could this stone explode like this?"
Ji Zichen stepped forward, standing ten feet away, peering into the dark opening with caution. "This hole is strange. It’s clearly been blasted through, yet we can’t see who brought the stones here."
Lin Chuyu suddenly moved closer. "Brother Ji!"
Ji Zichen shot her a glare. "What are you doing here? Step back!"
As soon as Ji Zichen's words fell, Meng Hai shouted, "Heart!"
From the large hole emerged a black mist, and a slender arm broke through the fog, grabbing Lin Chuyu by her collar and yanking her inside.
The arm moved swiftly, and even though Ji Zichen was right beside her, there was no time to react.
Ji Zichen's heart sank! She cried out in panic, "Lin Chuyu!"
Ji Zichen's body tensed as she attempted to rush into the hole, but the leader stepped forward and blocked her path. He immediately ordered, "Everyone retreat ten feet and do not approach! Call everyone present here!"
The crowd complied and retreated ten feet; some hurried off to obey. "Yes, Leader!"
The leader remained unfazed by the situation. He said calmly, "The stones were brought back by the Three Cities Order. It seems there’s something alive within these rocks. After working in this field for so long, such occurrences can happen occasionally. It appears that the Three Cities Order has unearthed something in the ruins that shouldn’t have been disturbed."
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