NOVEL NEXT Chapter 429 Heavenly Master 136
Afterwards, the two of them pondered for quite a while about how to find the thing that brought them in, but they still had no clue. Finally, Situ Shuangshuang decided to walk straight ahead, as this place was only so big—searching thoroughly should lead them to find their target.
Once their goal was set, they immediately took action. After just a few steps forward, they saw a row of glowing vortexes on the ground, each marked with words. As they approached for a closer look, they found names like "Main City," "Dark Forest," "Bright City," and so on.
While Situ Shuangshuang and Dong Wentao were observing these glowing vortexes, a transparent hovering panel suddenly appeared in front of them, displaying a task: "Go to the Main City." Accepting the task rewards 300 experience points and a Basic Dagger!
Situ Shuangshuang raised an eyebrow, confident in her abilities. She directly reached out to press the accept button and then, pulling the hesitant Dong Wentao, they stood within the vortex labeled "Main City."
Upon stepping inside, Situ Shuangshuang and Dong Wentao felt the scenery around them change. Instantly, they appeared in an ancient, classical city full of cultural charm!
Unlike the previous emptiness, this city was bustling and noisy. Here, every man wore ancient-style wide-sleeved robes, and every woman was dressed in floor-length skirts, each one stunningly beautiful!
As Situ Shuangshuang and Dong Wentao stepped away from the glowing vortex, a man in ancient attire approached them, a warm smile on his face, saying, "Are the two of you newcomers? If you're unfamiliar with the city, I can take you on a tour for just two silver per person!"
Since entering this bizarre place, Situ Shuangshuang's Dharma Eye had been opened continuously, allowing her to clearly feel that although this city seemed bustling with people, none of them had souls! They were similar to mindless zombies.
Situ Shuangshuang looked at the man soliciting business. Clearly, he also had no soul, yet he could talk, laugh, and think, making it impossible to tell he was an empty shell without a soul!
Curious about the depth of this place, Situ Shuangshuang nodded and agreed to the man's request. She knew she had money on her attribute panel but wasn't quite sure how to use it. Whether she spoke or touched the one-hundred-silver mark, she couldn't produce any money!
Fortunately, Dong Wentao, being an avid gamer, figured it out after a while. He tapped around some virtual images below and finally found an icon resembling an ancient purse. With a tap, a money bag appeared in Dong Wentao's hand. Upon opening it, he found ten small silver ingots, each worth one silver.
Dong Wentao handed two small silver ingots to the man, who immediately beamed with gratitude, then clapped his hands to summon a massive white elephant, inviting Situ Shuangshuang and Dong Wentao to climb aboard.
The term "massive" was no exaggeration—the white elephant was about the size of the legendary Mammoth, according to Situ Shuangshuang's estimates!
On the back of this enormous white elephant was a beautifully crafted small house, complete with bed, table, chair, and stool, as well as a teapot and refreshments!
Situ Shuangshuang jumped directly into the house on the back of the white elephant, while Dong Wentao, using a soft ladder on the side of the elephant, climbed up awkwardly into the small room, seated himself beside Situ Shuangshuang.
Once Situ Shuangshuang and Dong Wentao were seated, the man patted the elephant's trunk and was lifted onto its head. Once comfortably seated, he patted the elephant's head, directing it to move forward!
The two silver pieces spent were truly worth it. The man showed Situ Shuangshuang and Dong Wentao every corner of the city, from lively places to quiet ones, including a task center and equipment recycling center not found in reality. Dong Wentao was particularly envious when they passed through a snack street, where a variety of unheard-of, delicious-smelling foods made his mouth water!
However, the situation was unclear, so Situ Shuangshuang didn't dare let Dong Wentao eat. After circling around the city on the white elephant, they both settled in an ultra-luxurious inn.
Sitting in their room, Dong Wentao was still lost in fascination, while Situ Shuangshuang wore a serious and grim expression.
During their tour of the city, Situ Shuangshuang discovered at least a dozen people with souls; the rest were all soulless shells. Those with souls were likely the spirits of comatose patients from the real world!
Situ Shuangshuang discovered that those dozen or so people were probably ensnared by this world, lost in its allure because the world was just too desirable!
The inhabitants of this world refer to anyone with an external soul inhabiting a body as "Master," and everyone treats these "Masters" with a mix of fear and flattery, always speaking with a smiling face, never refusing requests.
These soulless individuals and those with souls mainly spoke in flattery, providing impeccable service. If anything was unsatisfactory, they would apologize fearfully and beg for forgiveness.
This feeling of being elevated to an important figure, pampered and served everywhere, was truly wonderful! No wonder these comatose individuals wore strange smiles, as this feeling of being the center of the world was irresistibly alluring!
What's even more tempting is the wealth. This place, like real time, requires money to afford a good life, yet those without souls struggle for survival like ordinary people in the real world.
But everyone who entered this world was different. Their attribute panels showed an increase of one hundred silver every hour. Easy small tasks yielded loads of silver and gold rewards. Here, there's no need to work hard—just have fun and there'll be a fortune to squander in luxury and indulgence! No wonder they're so engrossed and unwilling to wake up!
The master and apprentice duo spent a night in the Main City, their character panels alerting them of more task information, which Situ Shuangshuang and Dong Wentao ignored. They weren't truly participating in this eerie world's walkthrough game, so completing tasks was irrelevant.
Early the next morning, Situ Shuangshuang and Dong Wentao set out, continuing to stroll. Of course, despite calling it a stroll, their main goal was still to find the lair of the harmful entity.