“Old Tang, I might need your help.” Lu Mingfei took out the safety rope and tied the brass pot to Old Tang’s back. “Brother, I trust you, that’s why I’m giving this to you. If you run off with this, I’ll be miserable, and you won’t escape either. Our principal is nearby.”
Old Tang nodded vigorously, promising he wouldn't run away.
After removing the brass pot, it was time to handle the bronze casket. This thing, when upright, was taller than Zero. Lu Mingfei decided to take charge of it himself. By the firelight, he saw the patterns on the casket wall.
“Ancient Latin,” Zero also saw the patterns.
“What does it mean?” Lu Mingfei asked. Zero, being knowledgeable, could recognize the origin of the text, so she should be able to translate it too.
Zero was silent for a moment before slowly speaking.
“All king’s blood, shall end with a sword.”
It was a chuunibyou-esque sentence to the extreme, but at this moment, it sounded more epic to the three of them.
Lu Mingfei reached out and brushed the wall of the bronze casket. After thousands of years, no rust had appeared. That layer of leather absorbed all elements, both inside and out. Now that he had this set of knife and sword, a faint sense of destiny appeared in his heart, as if he was meant to awaken this set of blade and sword to lead all the sin and punishment in the world.
“Sin and punishment…”
Lu Mingfei chewed on these three words. He still had no answer to Lu Mingze’s last question. Would there be one next time? He wasn't sure.
This set of blade and sword was quite heavy. Fortunately, Lu Mingfei hadn't been idle these past two weeks. After securing it to his back with the safety rope, he could still move. The weight of the casket was within his load-bearing capacity, and it would only get lighter once they entered the water.
The only thing Lu Mingfei found a bit regretful was not finding the Inspiration Lu Mingze wanted here. It seemed he really needed to go to the study.
“Is there a way out?” Lu Mingfei tilted his head and asked Zero.
“The remaining two mechanisms cannot be deciphered. We might have to rely on luck,” Zero said.
“My brother Old Tang has very good luck,” Lu Mingfei raised an eyebrow at Old Tang.
Old Tang scratched his head. Although he had never lost when relying on luck in life-or-death situations, Lu Mingfei’s trust still made him a little embarrassed.
“Okay,” Zero paused. “There’s a passage opened by a living spirit ahead.” She picked up a burning stick from the palace lantern and approached a wall. The inscription clearly stated that this was the normal exit, unaffected by the changes within the Bronze City.
Lu Mingfei didn't waste time. The ribbon loosened, revealing his wound, and a drop of fresh blood fell onto the head of the living spirit.
The magnificent fresh blood smeared onto the tree-like patterns on the wall. The gears inside the gate began to turn, copper rust fell, and a crack trembled open, then continuously widened.
Beyond the gate was the entire Bronze City, furiously operating. Immense force pushed a bronze wall and the living spirit gate, creating a violent grinding sound. A large amount of river water surged in, causing the three of them to float.
The ribbon desperately wrapped around the tear in Lu Mingfei’s diving suit, preventing any water molecules from entering.
It worked.
Lu Mingfei was delighted. It seemed he wouldn't have to tie a dead knot with the rope and abandon that half-finger after all.
They entered the space beyond the door, which was the Dragon King’s playground. Countless bones were piled together. Just by glancing, Lu Mingfei could see many bones of humans and animals intertwined. They had fought here in life, providing a faint amusement to the Dragon King, and when the Dragon King grew tired of them, they were casually discarded, crushed like ants.
They saw the exit of the playground, but Zero shook her head. A huge amount of calculation appeared in her mind. After a moment, she led Lu Mingfei and Old Tang towards the bronze wall on the right.
Compared to Lu Mingfei and Old Tang, who were each carrying heavy objects, Zero seemed to be carrying something even heavier.
Lu Mingfei had to support one of Zero's arms, cautious that Zero might suddenly lose strength, stop, and get separated from them.
The three continued forward, and halfway, Old Tang also supported Zero's other arm. The young girl looked like she was about to give out.
The golden light in her eyes was much weaker than when she had tried to kill him earlier.
Lu Mingfei was anxious. He vaguely felt that Zero had made some significant decision that might affect her future life.
Zero was about to be exhausted. He felt Zero's body temperature dropping, and he was now completely supporting Zero as she moved through the water.
No, this shouldn't be happening. Could it be…?
Lu Mingfei suddenly thought of something, a flash of Inspiration crossing his mind. “BlackSheepWall!” He whispered in a voice only he could hear.
Instantly, countless pieces of information converged in his brain: the map of the Bronze City, the interpretation of the inscriptions, the operation methods of the mechanisms—everything appeared in his mind. He suddenly understood the immense pressure Zero had been bearing all this way.
The enormous computational load was shared by the two of them at this moment. Zero immediately felt relieved. She gave Lu Mingfei a deep look, then began to advance with all her might.
They finally saw the 16 bronze snake statues from their way in.
“This is as far as we go.” Zero sighed, completely losing her computational ability, and collapsed weakly into Lu Mingfei’s arms.
“Old Tang, it’s up to you.” Lu Mingfei nodded at Old Tang. At this point, the only thing they could trust was the best fortune slip.
“Don’t worry, brother, I’ll guess carefully. After all, if I guess wrong, we all die together,” Old Tang’s voice trembled slightly,
but he still closed his eyes tightly and began to try hard to guess which way was the way out.
“This way, let’s go.” Old Tang’s gaze was firm. He turned and pulled Lu Mingfei, and the three of them moved forward again.
It truly was the chosen one of the best fortune slip; wherever Old Tang went, it was clear. Soon, he saw the huge World Tree pattern underfoot. This was the same sight he had seen when they first entered the Bronze City, and this sight was directly connected to the living spirit gate they would use to leave.
It was just that, probably because the entire palace had turned into a Rubik’s Cube, this path now appeared below, and they needed to go downwards all the way to leave the Bronze City.
Lu Mingfei inexplicably recalled the warning of the worst fortune slip.
Trust the best fortune slip!
Lu Mingfei cheered himself on in his heart and followed Old Tang downwards. The original ceilings and floors of the palaces on both sides constantly intertwined and combined to form new paths, but Old Tang consistently believed they should go down, so they continued downwards.
The hope of survival appeared simultaneously in Old Tang and Lu Mingfei's hearts. They both let out a sigh of relief. Zero, leaning in Lu Mingfei’s arms, blinked tiredly, using her last bit of strength not to be a burden to Lu Mingfei.
They stood before the painful human face that held a match in its mouth.
This time there was no dust-free area. Lu Mingfei had to undo the bandage to let blood flow.
After several deep breaths, Lu Mingfei gritted his teeth and, with the ribbon, pressed his finger to the living spirit’s mouth. The ribbon was ready to disintegrate and deliver the last of his blood.
But a few seconds later, he suddenly retreated back to Old Tang’s side, showing a look of error.
How could it be? The water there actually had a temperature. No, it wasn't just warm, but heated by something.
Something was waiting for them outside.