Chapter 844
Chapter 844 - 830: The Hunt Begins
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"How was I supposed to know that fat toad was such an outrageous big boss? I thought it was just a toad with a bigger size..."
Lu Ping’an grumbled a few words and then couldn’t be bothered to explain further.
He knew he must have gotten something wrong... Perhaps, he had stumbled upon a great treasure.
Clearly, that "True Word Stele" on the altar was much more precious than he had anticipated.
The giant toad hadn’t expected someone to dare raid its home, let alone digest the treasure that, theoretically, couldn’t be taken away.
After all, as soon as the altar was touched, she would immediately rush back. Offending an Abyss Layer Master in the Abyss is something not even the slightly wise native life forms would do.
Contrary to what Lu Ping’an had guessed before, the "True Word Stele" was an extremely valuable treasure even among the natives of the Abyss. It was a product that Anlijie had traded with a real Abyss Lord after spending a lot... She intended to use it to borrow the power of the one-eyed Duke to target her arch enemy, the Snake King!
All three chances were originally intended for her own use. Now that only one had been used (and a trash one at that), both the treasure and she herself were still in a period of recovery, yet the little thief had taken everything, sending her into a frenzy.
This time, she was actually excluded from the "allied army"... because the Snake King knew that if she came, she would definitely be the first to take out her own people.
She went there on her own, hoping for an opportunity to take a shot at the Snake King. Instead, her home was raided... Uh, in a way, she was also quite unlucky.
"Mortal! Gugu! Thief! Die!"
All her angry mutterings, due to her outstanding ’lung capacity,’ often turned into a hurricane, making it impossible to hear what she was saying.
In a way, her roar was a physical attack in itself.
The giant six-legged toad, like a lit keg of gunpowder, pursued in a frenzy, destroying countless kittens and puppies along the way.
But what was the point, regarding her target...
"This thing, seems to have a bit of a deficiency in intelligence?" watching the super-sized toad that had clearly gone the wrong way, Lu Ping’an rolled his eyes.
As long as Lu Ping’an held the "Ability Contract Scroll" in his hand, with Meow’s ability of Spiritualization, and the always available retreat to the "Courtyard," unless his luck was disastrously bad, that huge toad was unlikely to catch up with him.
"Indeed, otherwise, why would it be called a fool. But its power is absolutely sufficient, even a bit over the top."
That such a beastly creature could become an Abyss Layer Master showed just how forgiving the Abyss was.
The arrival of the Giant Beast brought no changes... at least not until she locked on to Lu Ping’an again. Before that, nothing would change.
In fact, after Lu Ping’an took off that suit of armor, even if he stood in front of her, she might not recognize him.
Now she was probably keeping up by relying on those with the ability to divine or prophesy. Such pursuit is definitely intermittent, needing a break between tracking attempts, and still not able to identify the specific form of the target, which really was too inefficient.
But if she had enough rationality, she would not be called a fool.
After a brief discussion, the temporary team continued deeper into the swamp. This time, with a big boss leading the team, Lu Ping’an had an easier time.
Looking at the trio ahead, he pondered.
"What exactly are they here for? It doesn’t seem as simple as just barging through an empty place."
Lu Ping’an didn’t think they had lied, but he also didn’t believe they had told the whole truth... That wasn’t surprising. If he himself were carrying out a mission of such importance, he certainly wouldn’t confide everything to a "familiar face" he came across.
After all, nobody knows if their "familiar person" might have joined the Abyss due to power or something else, becoming the so-called degenerate.
If Kun Ba really had said everything, then Lu Ping’an would doubt their sincerity even more... If it wasn’t just immature, then most likely they would be looking to silence him.
"The key question is, if shattering a so-called core of the Abyss is just a smokescreen, then what exactly is their real mission."
After thinking it over for a while, Lu Ping’an shook his head. With too little information at his disposal, there was no need for him to involve himself in this level of high-stakes politics.
Cats maybe cannot die of curiosity, but Lu Ping’an could die because of it.
"...We’ve arrived, it’s just ahead."
The cloaked figure, who had been silent all this time and holding a compass, spoke for the first time.
Noticing Lu Ping’an’s expression, the middle-aged man with the stiff face managed a smile, a forced one, and nodded.
"...Changping Wang Sikè, architect."
"Ancient city’s Lu Ping’an, a newcomer, please take care of me," Lu Ping’an responded with a smile, yet feeling increasingly uneasy within.
"Stiff gaze, skin-deep smile, a laugh forced out... How long has this guy been without seeing other people?"
The rigid expression on his face, akin to a zombie’s, was not due to unfriendliness or poor social skills; based on my own experience, it was the result of not having used facial expressions for an extended period.
And humans often only develop such changes after spending a long time in solitude.
His skin bore faint traces of scales, and his right hand seemed to have noticeable claw-like mutations, it appeared that this Big Boss had been stationed in the Abyss for a long time.
His profession was even more intriguing. As an "architect" or "Array Master", these are quite expensive and precious non-combat professions. They specialize in constructing battlefield fortifications, long-term buildings, Cave Heavens and blessed lands... Such a person could make money just by sitting in the rear, so why would they be dispatched for a long period? To repair houses for Abyss residents?
"Be careful, we are now within the warning range..."
But at this moment, Kun Ba stopped the giant python.
He hesitated, too. According to the original plan, my team and I were to wait here for the right moment before proceeding to the next step... But now, the mere arrival of that giant toad had thoroughly disrupted all arrangements.
If the giant toad followed us now, the whole plan would probably fall into chaos.
Kun Ba looked at Lu Ping’an, who pondered briefly and nodded.
"Do you want me to take that big guy around for a couple of loops and wait for your signal?"
The old ploy of driving a tiger to swallow a wolf, though cliché, worked consistently well, especially when there was already friction between the wolf and the tiger.
Perhaps in the eyes of that big toad, it would take advantage of my absence to steal my treasures and quickly use them up. The Abyss Species would be the prime suspects.
And Lu Ping’an’s demeanor, laden with heavy Abyss Aura, was clear evidence... And in the Abyss, those who would dare affront me and had the motivation to do so were naturally the Snake King.
It could very well be that without doing anything, simply the reality of fleeing to the seventh floor would prompt Anlijie to unhesitatingly choose to kick down the Snake King’s door.
"Thanks for your trouble. Safety first. Treat this gem..."
As he spoke, Kun Ba took out a black crystal, split it into two, and tossed half to Lu Ping’an.
"...when this crystal lights up, bring that thing over as fast as possible, the rest you already know."
Communication between old stagers is simple and direct, even without much explanation, an efficient communication mechanism and the tactic to drive the tiger to swallow the wolf had been established.
Everyone just needed to agree on their respective responsibilities, and no one would interfere with how things were done.
There was, however, a slight complication as Lu Ping’an was leaving.
"Lu Ping’an, I’ll follow you," said Xia Qin, hauling her "Raft" up to him just then.
"Sure, but these people..." Clearly, sticking with the Big Boss was actually safer for them.
"They’ll follow too. Find a place to settle them down."
Settle them down here? In a rush to die? Xia Qin’s seemingly nonsensical words were paired with a hopeful look in her eyes.
Lu Ping’an instantly understood. These people were likely not far from their end. They couldn’t be delayed and needed a little bit of help... now!
"Okay... Folks, catch. If there’s no other choice, try using these. They come with a remote teleportation ability, but it requires an extra price to pay."
Lu Ping’an threw out three Name Cards—it wasn’t time for secrecy anymore.
By adjusting the "Unique Ability" on them to "Reception Room Login," he ensured that the holders had an extra chance at life when in dire straits.
He also made three investment throws on the fly... Uh, three consecutive failures made it all the more curious to him.
Xia Qin was willing to drag the injured away, and Kun Ba did not stop her from her strange actions... He vaguely guessed much. Every professional has countless little secrets; as long as the stance is clear, outsiders will not interfere.
"Alright, let’s get started."
Once the "outsiders" had finally left, at Kun Ba’s command, Array-Master Wang began his work.
He crouched down, found the traces of formations left behind, and started to write and draw.
Watching the figure of the young man leaving, Kun Ba felt a growing expectation. This pair of newcomers might have a future that far exceeded his initial assessment.
Then, he took out a pocket watch, glanced at the time, and closed it.
"...It’s almost time to begin, the King-Hunting plan..."
In fact, it had already begun.
On the second floor on the front lines, Rule-level combat power was now entering the fray, and as the two sides collided head-on, all-out war erupted in full force.
— End of Chapter 844 —