Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 975 - 968

Chapter 975: 968

Axia handed the pendant to Luo’er and then stared at him with furrowed brows, saying, "Why do I feel that Tana’s summoning has become more frequent lately?"

"Does everyone who has been called by Tana get summoned often?" Baiyue couldn’t help but ask.

"Not necessarily," Axia shook her head, then said, "I have worshiped Tana for over a hundred years, and I’ve only seen her about ten times in total. Moreover, I am of pure Elven blood, while Luo’er is of mixed Elven blood, which is somewhat abnormal."

"Is this why you are going to Xia Yue Island?" Talis asked Luo’er with a frown, her face serious.

"Yes," Tangmo glanced at her, and then nodded, saying, "Due to various reasons, Tana wants to kill Luo’er, so we must rid ourselves of her linkage."

"Tana is a deity, how could she specifically target an individual?" Talis asked, puzzled.

"Aren’t you also wary of Tana?" Tangmo countered.

"That’s different," Talis replied, "We are Night Elves, a race that Tana rejects; she will definitely not protect us."

"I have a question." Baiyue looked at her and asked.

"What question?" Talis asked.

"Since Tana rejects Night Elves, how do those living on the Continent avoid Tana’s persecution?" Baiyue asked.

"As long as there is no linkage established, there is no need to worry about Tana’s influence. We established a linkage with Xiapei Kam on Xia Yue Island, and so, after landing on the Continent, we will also be affected by Tana and must wear the Soul Summoning Bell to avoid her interference," Talis replied.

"I don’t quite understand." Tangmo said, shaking his head.

"It’s actually quite simple to understand," Baiyue nodded, then explained to Tangmo, "The linkage is somewhat similar to Earth’s WIFI. If the Night Elves turn on the WIFI, then they can connect to Xiapei Kam on Xia Yue Island, and once they land on the Continent, they will connect to Tana, similar to the concept of a service area."

"Oh, now with that explanation, I do understand," Tangmo said, as if a light bulb had gone off in his head, then looked at Luo’er and said, "So, we’re going to Xia Yue Island to turn off the WIFI in Luo’er, is that it?"

"You could put it that way." Baiyue nodded.

"What are you two talking about?" Axia and Talis watched their conversation without any clear understanding of the terms they had just used.

"It’s nothing," Baiyue shook her head and then lowered her gaze once more, falling into thought again, but she couldn’t help saying, "I always feel that Tana has become increasingly restless lately. Could it be that we are approaching something that is provoking her?"

"What could that be?" Tangmo asked.

"Not sure," Baiyue shook her head, but her gaze involuntarily concentrated on Talis.

Noticing Baiyue’s gaze, Talis guiltily shifted her eyes away, which only heightened Baiyue’s suspicions. There was definitely some unspeakable secret hidden in Talis.

After the brief interlude, everyone hastily refocused their attention on Cheng Ziang, who was diligently trying to unlock the door.

The Flying Head Monster was still gently guiding him to twist the dials; on the thick stone door, Cheng Ziang had almost turned five or six different locks and it seemed the door would open soon.

Not long after, as Cheng Ziang strained to turn the largest dial, there was a click, followed by the stone door starting to quiver violently. Everyone could clearly hear the grinding sounds of gears meshing and the scraping noise of hard objects rubbing against each other.

After completing the final rotation of the password disk, the heavy stone door, driven by the gears hidden within, slowly moved to the right.

Following a violent shake, the stone door’s movement finally came to a halt, and what lay before Cheng Ziang was a rectangular mechanism, embedded in the smooth stone door.

At the very top of the rectangle, which is the center of the stone door, there was an indent in the shape of a palm print, seemingly prompting Cheng Ziang to place his hand inside.

Upon seeing this mechanism, Cheng Ziang couldn’t help but feel apprehensive and turned his head to look at the Flying Head Monster uneasily.

Perhaps noticing Luo’er’s unease, she wrapped her hair strands around Cheng Ziang’s hand while another led him to place his hand upon the indent. Her movements were slow and gentle, like those of a patient mother, which made Cheng Ziang feel a bit overwhelmed by the tenderness.

After hesitating for a while, Cheng Ziang mustered the courage to place his hand on the palm print and, unexpectedly, it fit perfectly as if it had been tailor-made for him.

He tried pushing it, but there was no response, so he took a deep breath and pushed forcefully forward.

Accompanied by his action, the rectangular object embedded in the stone door was pushed in, sinking deeply into the door. Immediately after, the stone door began to shake violently again, and the familiar sound of metal gears meshing resumed.

This time there were no new mechanisms because the stone door started to slowly descend into the ground from the top down, revealing the pitch-dark passage on the other side of the door.

"It’s open!" Everyone exclaimed with joy, taking a deep breath only to be choked by the dust raised from the stone door, coughing incessantly.

As the stone door gradually descended into the ground, the group finally had the opportunity to peek at the scene on the other side. Unlike this side, the passage beyond the door was clean, devoid of skeletons scattered about, suggesting that probably only the Advance Team had ever had the chance to enter the deepest part of this tomb in hundreds of years.

As soon as the door finished sinking into the ground and stopped moving, Cheng Ziang took the lead, stepping into the area untouched by humans for centuries. The Flying Head Monster flew ahead of him, as if guiding him, and it was hard to believe that this creature had once killed countless people if one hadn’t witnessed its formidable attacks.

"Alright, the door is open, now listen to me," Fulajie’er said, turning around to face the group with a serious look, "Once we go in, don’t touch anything unless I say so. If you break the rules and upset her, she will not hesitate to kill us."

"Hmm, I understand, I’ll listen to you," Luo’er nodded earnestly.

"Actually, don’t worry too much, even if she really makes a move, I’ll protect you," Fulajie’er said, smiling knowingly after Luo’er became the first to express agreement, her serious expression breaking within a few seconds.

"Hey, you need to protect all of us for Luo’er to be happy, what good is it if you only protect him?" Tangmo said, frowning with a hint of jealousy.

"Hmph, you’re so powerful, bad woman, do you even need my protection?" Fulajie’er shrugged with a snort, crossing her arms and squinting her eyes.

"I am not a bad woman," Tangmo explained somewhat frantically.

"In my eyes, you’re all more or less the same," replied Fulajie’er, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Fine, from now on I’ll be a bad woman then," Tangmo said through gritted teeth.

"Come on, come on, let’s not argue, everybody. Follow Fulajie’er’s orders and remember not to act rashly," Luo’er intervened to calm things down.

Following the straight and neat passage, the group walked forward for about twenty meters before encountering another set of stairs, this time ascending. The surroundings of the passage also started becoming irregular, suggesting this section was yet another natural cave modified for use.

The slope of the stairs was quite gentle, and after walking for three or four dozen meters, Luo’er estimated that the difference in elevation from the lowest point of the passage couldn’t exceed three meters. Furthermore, the farther they walked, the wider the passage became, offering a sense of sudden spaciousness.

After walking about a hundred meters further, they finally arrived at a huge cave. The vertical height of this cave even exceeded twenty meters, wider than the hall they had entered, and so vast that their Magic Crystal flashlights couldn’t reach its boundaries.