Chapter 80: Gia Fei Cat
Under the dazed and blank stares of several people, the candle seemed to tremble in place, then began to slowly rise…
"Ah!!!" A Dwarf girl in heavy plate armor beside them suddenly let out a scream and ran away without looking back.
Mo Tan, on the other hand, squatted down in place, staring silently for a long time at the bizarre creature in front of him with sparse fur, a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks, a candle on its head, a pale face, a lewd appearance, and blue light in its eyes. Finally, he asked with a complex expression, "Did you dig your way here?"
"No!" Cordova waved his underdeveloped arms, leaping out of the pit, and yelled indignantly, "My long-distance travel method on Tian Zhu Mountain seems to be having some issues!"
The surrounding onlookers immediately took several steps back, as Cordova's current appearance was truly not flattering. The candle on his head flickered with a faint blue light, and his mung bean-sized eyes also glowed with a faint blue light. For some reason, his particularly pale, long face was filled with resentment. At first glance, he looked three parts like a dog, two parts like a human, and five parts like a ghost!
What's more, he could even burst out of the ground in a place like Tian Zhu Mountain—just how much resentment must he have!?
Could the rumors that no one ever dies in the Grand Arena be false? Is this terrifying Dog-Headed Kobold the restless soul of someone buried here years ago!?
"What are you looking at! Get lost! All of you, get lost!" Cordova felt uncomfortable under the gazes that held a hint of fear in their astonishment, a touch of pity in their fear, and a large amount of imagination in their pity. He immediately waved the pickaxe in his hand and shouted angrily, "What's wrong! Haven't you seen such a handsome Dog-Headed Kobold? Hurry up and go do what you need to do!"
【It seems there's also a bit of a self-perception issue. We'd best leave first!】
The surrounding people exchanged glances, then each turned and left to do what they needed to do…
"You are…" The Dwarf lady who had been standing dazed until now finally came to her senses and cautiously asked Cordova, "What?"
Mo Tan was about to explain for Cordova when he saw the latter put his hands behind his back, look at the receptionist with an arrogant expression, and clear his throat: "Ahem, I am the Deputy Cordova."
"Cordova?" The Dwarf lady's face flushed slightly as she covered her mouth and a few inconspicuous whiskers. She was lost in thought for several seconds before coming back to her senses, looking at the Dog-Headed Kobold in front of her and exclaiming, "You are Lord Cordova?!"
The latter rolled his eyes: "Is there a problem?"
"But… but!" The Dwarf lady, who was two heads taller than the Dog-Headed Kobold in front of her, anxiously stood on tiptoe and gestured a silhouette, stammering, "Lord Cordova shouldn't be that tall! That big! That strong! And have such a magnetic voice…"
Cordova suddenly felt a chill, and after a moment's thought, he lowered his head: "Um, I'm just kidding. My name is Alpha Dog. I'm a trial model newly created by Lord Lu Wei. You go ahead and help this person with the procedures. I need to take him to the Seventh Outer Mountain."
"Tch, so it's just a dog…" The Dwarf lady pouted. "Who needs procedures?"
"Me." Mo Tan, who had been trying to minimize his presence, stepped forward and handed over the dark purple crystal: "Mr. Leisade gave this to me. He said…"
The Dwarf… lady immediately covered her mouth again: "Ah! Lord Leisade's token! Please wait a moment, I'll process it for you right away! Oh~ The strong Lord Leisade!"
Mo Tan chuckled dryly: "Then… I'll trouble you."
…
Five minutes later, in a corner of the Grand Arena's first-floor hall.
"I'm telling you, that person's head just now was definitely not normal!" Cordova squatted dejectedly beside Mo Tan, the flame on the candle on his head extremely dim. "Definitely not normal…"
Mo Tan, who had just received a lounge access card, thought for a long time and suggested in a low voice, "In short, I think it's best if you don't frequently enter this place in your previous normal form from now on."
"Nonsense!" Cordova muttered, then shrugged at Mo Tan. "Come with me. That old Undead Lu Wei wants you to go to the Seventh Outer Mountain to find him. Lord Leisade's idea of sending you to the Arena is good, but personally, I don't think you can even beat a goose here right now."
What kind of goose is that fierce!?
Mo Tan was immediately startled, then asked Cordova, "Then how do I get to that Seventh Outer Mountain?"
"Haven't I come to pick you up?" The latter said with a smile, his half-dog, half-human face revealing a particularly lewd expression: "Don't worry, whether we are Observers or Deputies, we all have the ability to move without restriction within Tian Zhu Mountain."
Mo Tan nodded. He recalled the conceptual path created by Long earlier and the spatial rift Leisade could tear open at will. Then he saw…
Cordova took a rusty shovel from his back and started digging the ground!!
And he dug quite fast!!
The seemingly extremely hard floor of the hall appeared to offer no resistance to this shovel. In a moment, a rather large pit was dug out by Cordova.
"Uh, I say…" Mo Tan twitched his mouth. "Is it really okay for you to just dig a pit so casually?"
Cordova shook his head and smiled: "Actually, this isn't digging a pit, it's just opening a 'shortcut' that is omnipresent within Tian Zhu Mountain. Look at where I came out earlier~"
"Hmm? This is…" Mo Tan looked back at the deep pit that had just been large enough to accommodate a Dog-Headed Kobold, and noticed that it was gradually shrinking. The surrounding ground also began to slowly return to its original state, and at this rate, it should completely disappear without a trace within a few minutes.
"Exactly~" Cordova clapped his hands. "Due to some restrictions and rules, I can't tell you too much, but Tian Zhu Mountain is a place that absolutely cannot be judged by common sense."
Mo Tan nodded, then pondered, "So, the spatial rules here are different from the outside world, and as 'locals' of Tian Zhu Mountain, you possess abilities and methods that outsiders don't. And being able to open these spatial passages is one of them, unrelated to individual strength, it should be a racial talent-like ability…"
"Uh…" Cordova was stunned, blinking his small eyes at Mo Tan for a long time, then turned his head and whistled: "I didn't tell you that."
【You have unlocked the illustration: "Conceptual Space", Civilization Attributes: Knowledge +1, World Collapse Degree +1%】
???
Mo Tan was immediately stunned. He couldn't understand why his realization of the spatial concept of Tian Zhu Mountain had any connection to the world's collapse degree. After all, he had only made a reasonable deduction based on Cordova's words. It was understandable that he had accidentally stumbled upon Tian Zhu Mountain's spatial rules, but…
"Don't space out~" Cordova suddenly jumped up and patted Mo Tan's shoulder: "Let's get going quickly. Lu Wei never likes to wait."
Mo Tan nodded. After all, with the information he currently had, it was almost impossible to find any clues. So he asked Cordova, "How do we go?"
"Jump down." The Dog-Headed Kobold pointed at the pit in front of them, which looked exactly like a grave, and said seriously, "Then we'll be there."
Mo Tan was naturally resistant, but he also knew that the other party had no reason to lie to him, so he closed his eyes and jumped down as if resigned to his fate.
…
Two minutes later, Tian Zhu Mountain, Seventh Outer Mountain.
Mo Tan, dizzy and disoriented, climbed out of the pit Cordova had just dug, then reached out and pulled up the latter, who couldn't jump out no matter how hard he tried. He felt that the previous teleportation with Leisade was incredibly comfortable…
He finally understood why Cordova's face had been so pale when he came out earlier. Those two minutes of experience were like being thrown alive into a tumble dryer and spun hundreds of times!
"If it were my previous body…" Cordova lay on the ground in an STO pose, shaking his head and humming, "It wouldn't be like this."
Mo Tan didn't complain, he just felt his tail was a little stiff…
The two were currently in a huge testing ground, surrounded by constantly shifting metal runes. Numerous light blue screens floated in mid-air, with incomprehensible texts flashing across them before quickly dissipating into the air and disappearing…
"The Seventh Outer Mountain is Lu Wei, the old Undead's territory; a small part of it is in the Inner Mountain." Cordova shook his head as he got up from the ground, looking around. "This is the Secondary Creation Testing Ground. I haven't been here much before. He just told me to bring you here… Where is he?"
Just then, a perfectly spherical, translucent orb suddenly descended from the sky, stopping steadily in front of the two. Lu Wei's voice came from within: "I've been called away by those idlers. I'm using this thing to communicate with you two remotely. That kid named Mo, I heard you're a Knight, right?"
"Yes." Mo Tan nodded. "Though only the most basic kind…"
"It doesn't matter." The sphere used for remote communication spun in place, then floated in front of Cordova: "Alpha Dog, activate the silver rune floating in mid-air to your left."
Cordova shrugged and slowly walked to the semicircular rune Lu Wei mentioned, singeing it with his candle.
The latter immediately spread out at an extremely fast pace, then a silver light flashed…
A row of leopards lying on the ground abruptly appeared in front of the two. They were also not living creatures, and unlike Cordova and Alpha Dog No. 014, these leopards had very distinct mechanical features, exuding a metallic luster. Their joints were adorned with numerous crystal armors, and streams of light of various colors would occasionally flash across them, making them incredibly cool…
"Holy crap!" Cordova's dog eyes widened. "This thing is awesome!"
"This is my previous runic creation — Gia Fei Cat Version 8119." Lu Wei's voice carried a hint of pride: "High defense, extremely strong burst speed, capable of flight. It's definitely a good item. You, kid over there, aren't you a Knight? Go on and try it out."
"Uh, can I?" Mo Tan also really liked the row of incredibly cool Gia Fei Cats in front of him, but he wasn't very sure if he could handle such a 'high-tech' creation. After all, logically, the cooler something was, the higher its usage requirements should be.
"Don't worry." Lu Wei said confidently, "This was originally tailor-made for Cordova and doesn't have too many requirements. It's just that his main body is currently charging, so you can go ahead and…"
"For me?!" Cordova's eyes immediately lit up. Without another word, he leaped onto the nearest Gia Fei Cat and said excitedly, "Then I'll try it first!"
Lu Wei's voice paused, then he said helplessly, "Your current body is too small, but if it's just for trying it out within the testing ground, it shouldn't be a big problem. Mo kid, you also find one to ride. Cordova, press the green rune on the back of the Gia Fei Cat's neck…"
Whoosh!!
The Gia Fei Cat beneath Cordova immediately stood up, then green light began to flash on each of its four paws, and it actually started to rise, creating a breeze beneath its feet.
"Awesome!" The flying Dog-Headed Kobold was instantly thrilled, laughing heartily: "This thing is awesome!"
Mo Tan, meanwhile, also approached one of the Gia Fei Cats, carefully examining the artificial mount in front of him, which perfectly fit a man's romantic ideal.
Then…
【Gia Fei Cat Version 8119】
Category: Mount
Quality: Legend…ary trash
Riding: Increases movement speed by 150%, increases movement speed by 280% when flying.
Special Effects: Flight, Fortification
【Note: Lu Wei · Feizierban's proud work. Features: energy-saving, environmentally friendly, long lifespan, strong explosive power! PS: Run!】
When Mo Tan saw the four words after "Legend", he felt a bad premonition. This inexplicable unease had transformed into an extremely strong sense of crisis by the time he read the note!
Energy-saving, environmentally friendly, long lifespan… strong explosive power!?
How strong!?
"Run!" Mo Tan retreated seven or eight steps, then immediately looked up and yelled at Cordova, who hadn't noticed the note due to his excessive excitement, "Run! Run!"
Cordova, who was rising higher and higher, was trying to make the Gia Fei Cat beneath him accelerate. He was stunned when he heard this: "What did you say?"
"Get down! Get down quickly!! The note for this thing says! Energy-saving, environmentally friendly, long lifespan…!!"
"Isn't that great?"
"Strong explosive power!!!"
"Strong what?"
Boom!!!!
A powerful shockwave suddenly spread out, accompanied by the abrupt explosion of a fireball in mid-air. Mo Tan was directly blown away more than ten meters, and the deafening explosion almost created a resonance effect in the empty testing ground. Lu Wei's remote communication device also shattered amidst a series of desperate curses, and the Gia Fei Cat that exploded instantly transformed into thousands of parts that shot out from mid-air, its destructive power no less than an enhanced fragmentation grenade!
And Cordova heard a system prompt that was extremely familiar to him and not at all nostalgic…
【You have died.】
…
Tian Zhu Mountain Inner Mountain, Observation Chamber
"Damn it!" Lu Wei, who had seemed to be resting with his eyes closed, suddenly cursed.
"Quiet, Feizierban." A slightly aged voice sounded not far from him: "Let's continue discussing Fara's message…"
"It's already quite obvious, isn't it?"
"No, we still can't be sure."
"Can't be sure? The millions of souls in Banshee City are the best evidence!"
"Haven't similar things happened repeatedly over the past few millennia? Which time was it real?"
"So, will that really be…"
"apocalypse shadow…"
Chapter 77: End