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Chapter 364 - 361: ’The Prince and the Cursed Princess

Chapter 364: Chapter 361: ’The Prince and the Cursed Princess

The guard of the Royal City seemed less stringent. Taking advantage of the night, Su Ming’an and Nailuo stealthily infiltrated the Royal City. As he had already traversed this area once before, it felt like familiar territory on his return.

"I have no idea where the Treasury is, but I suspect it’s a very private place, probably not far from that nauseating Princess’s personal laboratory," Nailuo said, feeling along the wall as they walked.

"This way," said Ming’an, confidently choosing a direction.

As they approached the Royal City, a red dot suddenly appeared on his Pulaya map.

As if the system was guiding him toward the Treasury, he headed straight in the direction of the red dot.

"Here."

He crouched in front of a cluster of flowers.

The map’s guidance ended here, yet there was no path.

He carefully searched the flowerbed but found no other mechanism, and his Clue Insight skill gave no prompts.

He looked up.

By now, dawn was approaching, and it was gradually growing lighter. He could hear the orderly sound of clashing armor coming from the other side of the wall, as if a group of knights was about to patrol the area.

He drew the Amber Knife.

"What are you going to do?" Nailuo stepped back.

Ming’an paid no attention to her. He gripped the handle with both hands, knife point down, and aimed at the lawn below.

A faint sound of shattering whispered in his ear, and the calm grass began to move without any wind.

He stared at the lawn below, gripping the handle tightly, and suddenly thrust downward with force.

"Boom—"

Though it was a mere stabbing motion, it produced a violent tremor. The forceful wind blast swept past the sides of the knife blade, scattering the leaves and blowing Nailuo’s red hair about.

"Who’s there!"

Torches were raised on the other side of the wall, and the knights noticed the commotion. But there was still some time before they could make their way around from the other side.

Ming’an leaped down through the hole he had created.

Upon hitting the ground, he knew his guess was correct. The Treasury indeed was in this area, he just had to go underground.

The underground was dark and spacious. His landing produced a loud noise, echoing far like thunder.

Nailuo followed, leaping down after him. However, her usually graceful figure seemed strained this time. When she landed, there was a faint "crack" sound, like bones colliding.

Ming’an turned to look back at her; Nailuo shook her head, indicating she was fine.

"Is this the plot where the Prince searches for the treasure to lift the Witch’s curse from the Princess?" she said with a playful laugh. "I suppose I can’t be the sleeping Princess who holds you back."

"Quiet."

A light shone in Ming’an’s hand; he had turned on a flashlight.

The flashlight’s beam was much brighter than an oil lamp, quickly revealing the details of the underground space.

Even the vault built underground was especially elegant and well-appointed. It was a square hall with walls adorned with oil paintings depicting various landscapes—including a wintry scene with falling snow, a deer hopping through the forest, and a catastrophe with a tsunami approaching.

The underground air carried a burnt scent and the musty smell of aged wooden structures.

Ming’an quickly pivoted the flashlight, finding a closed door.

"Let’s move," he said, rushing over.

Nailuo followed, limping behind him. Clearly, that jump had caused an injury to her already aged leg bones.

She reached into the black bag on her back and pulled out a fiery red long spear.

"I can help you fight, Su boy, ineffective in both literature and martial arts," Nailuo joked half-seriously.

She looked at the hand holding the spear, the aged veins bulging on the back of her hand, her fingers cracked.

Her gaze quickly moved away from it, looking instead at the door in front of her.

"Bang!"

Su Ming’an kicked open the door, and a wave of dust assaulted his senses.

The sound of knights came from behind, their torches casting light underground.

Su Ming’an glanced back.

He was not afraid of Princess Tulip; to him, she seemed very easy to kill. However, he still remembered a piece of intelligence.

In Pulaya, there existed an SS-level Soul Hunter.

This SS-level Soul Hunter was stationed in the Royal City, rarely taking on missions, fighting only for the safety of Princess Tulip.

He had learned this on his first day in Pulaya.

Now, with Sevya not beside him and Archilev having lost contact, it was wiser to play it safe. Stealing treasures did not have to be a noisy affair known to everyone.

"Come on," he whispered, before plunging into the darkness.

The rounded light in his hand illuminated the path ahead, a long corridor filled with the smell of dust, looking as if no one had walked there for a long time, even sticky cobwebs hanging in the corners.

The two moved swiftly through the corridor, Su Ming’an casually casting a Spatial Vibration behind them, and with a loud boom, the knights’ shouts were quickly buried by collapsing bricks.

"You sure are daring; what if this place had collapsed?" Nailuo glanced back at the sealed path, following Su Ming’an around several bends.

Su Ming’an did not respond to her; he was searching for the right path.

The underground passageways branched in all directions, and Su Ming’an tried to follow the less worn ones, paths that looked like they had been used. It was likely that the treasury would be cleaned, and not left without a trace.

As they walked, he focused on the red dot on the map in his hand.

They should have been very close by now; the map indicated that they were gradually overlapping with the location of the treasury...

Su Ming’an looked up.

In front of him was an exceedingly thick iron door.

The iron door, embedded in the earthen wall, seemed to have mechanisms behind it, looking extremely secure.

Next to the wall, there hung a lamp that was not lit. Resting against the wall was a bamboo broom covered in dust.

...This must be the so-called treasury.

After a series of turns, it fortunately came into their direct view.

A wild joy appeared in Nailuo’s eyes.

Su Ming’an was about to take a step forward when he suddenly heard a voice.

"—There seems to be a sound on the ground, those knights, did you hear it? Sherrod."

Su Ming’an abruptly stopped.

Ahead, around the corner, a sweet voice echoed like that of an oriole, and from the sound alone, one could imagine it must belong to an elegant and beautiful girl.

Indeed, that was the case.

Su Ming’an knew that the girl, hidden by the earthen wall at the right turn, ninety degrees from them, was none other than Princess Tulip.

It was her voice; he remembered it very clearly.

Nailuo also tensed up, the presence of Princess Tulip instilling deep fear within her.

What to do?

Nailuo looked at him with questioning eyes.

If they wanted to enter the iron door, they would certainly be exposed at that corner.

Moreover, listening to the voice, it seemed that Princess Tulip was heading this way...

"Yes, Princess, perhaps the knights just happened to pass by here," another clear male voice came through, that of Sherrod’s.

It appeared that Princess Tulip was on her way to the treasury, accompanied by Sherrod who had just been promoted to a Royal City Knight.

"The knights are to be pitied, patrolling diligently at this time," the Princess said.

"To protect your safety, Princess, it is our duty," Sherrod’s voice was tinged with a smile, which sounded quite approachable.

Su Ming’an turned around to see a very long corridor behind him; even if he started running back now, he would be instantly noticed by Princess Tulip as soon as she turned the corner.

At that moment, Nailuo was limping and obviously couldn’t run fast...

Su Ming’an pressed against the wall, his hand slowly raising the Sword of Yarman.

He was already thinking about what to do after killing Princess Tulip.

The Amber Knife’s space skills had been used, its lethal power not as great as the Sword of Yarman, so if the SS-ranked Soul Hunt wasn’t right beside the Princess, he could end her life with a single stroke...

"Sherrod, you truly are an excellent Knight of Light, I regret not having met you earlier," the Princess’s voice came through.

Su Ming’an edged closer to the corner, his footsteps slight against the wall, while Nailuo beside him held his breath, raising his long spear with its tip pointing in that direction.

At that moment, the halo of the lantern finally turned the corner, and a figure stepped out.

Just as Su Ming’an thought to draw his sword, he realized it wasn’t the Princess.

The tall and handsome knight, not wearing his armor, was now eye to eye with him.

Sherrod, holding the lantern, wore a look of astonishment; he had never expected to encounter Su Rin in the middle of the night here.

Su Ming’an hesitated, not sure if he should attack.

If Sherrod alerted her, the Princess behind him would escape immediately, and the treasury might also activate defenses, making it utterly impossible for them to enter.

Sherrod and he were now complete enemies, and the other party likely knew of his connection to the Soul Clan.

A Knight of Light who detested evil would not let him, skulking in the shadows, get away unreported.

In his hand, he began to prepare for a Spatial Vibration.

"...Princess."

But at that moment, Sherrod turned his head.

The halo of the lantern flickered at the corner and then floated back like a cloud.

"I heard the knight’s warning cry; there must be trouble above," Sherrod turned and walked toward the Princess’s direction.

"Above ground? But didn’t you just say they were merely passing by here?" the voice of the Princess came through.

"Warning and patrolling sounds are different. The sound insulation is too good underground; I heard it wrong before," Sherrod said, "Princess, perhaps we should go back and check. It’s the time of the Maritime Banquet, and we cannot tolerate outsiders who break the rules and enter our Royal City."

"Alright, in that case, let’s go back and check," the Princess said, "After all, maintaining the Maritime Banquet, a peaceful and stable event in honor of the deity, is my duty..."

The halo gradually receded,

After waiting a moment, Su Ming’an poked his head out to find that the long corridor to the right was now pitch-dark.

"Knight of Light?" Nailuo also followed close by, peeking over, "I’ve heard that damnable Princess mention him."

"What about it?" Su Ming’an moved to the front of the door, examining the lock.

Without a key and the iron door looking difficult to cut through, his only option was to switch to Shadow State and try to erode the lock with obliteration.

"They say he’s been the knight with the greatest affinity to the Element of Light in the past decades. That damnable Princess spoke of him with great joy," said Nailuo, "She said ’It’s a pity that I met him only now; he is the one mentioned in the Royal prophecy, the one most likely to become the legendary Brave. The Pope has delivered a treasure right to my side.’"

Listening to Nailuo’s words, Su Ming’an felt his tense nerves twitch.

"Brave," he said.

"Hmm," Nailuo replied, "It must be a local tale from Pulaya, akin to the reverent title for someone ’who could bring an end to calamity’? Watching how he acted just now, he does seem righteous, even covering for you. Seems like a good guy."

Su Ming’an withdrew his hand.

"Nailuo, you go back the way we came, wait for me at a spot where you can’t see here. I have some things to listen to," he said.

He no longer intended to use annihilation to break through the door.

He planned to teleport inside alone, then wait and listen to what the princess and Sherrod, this so-called "Brave," were up to.

"Alright," Nailuo shrugged, "Are you sure you don’t need my help? Remember my beautiful pearl."

"Go back," Su Ming’an said.

Nailuo turned around, spinning the Red Spear in her hand.

She limped back, moving with difficulty, her figure gradually disappearing from sight.

Su Ming’an focused on the iron door in front of him and instantly teleported inside.

With the unknown behind the door, he was somewhat worried. After all, if he teleported into a wall of dirt or a pool of magma, that would be extremely unlucky.

Fortunately, he landed on a flat surface.

He didn’t see piles of gold coins or gemstones or other treasures of coral and gems that should have been there.

...What he saw was a room littered with iron cages, iron chains, scrolls scattered across a table, and stacks of bloody cloths.

He saw many people.

They were emaciated, with sallow and thin muscles, looking like people in their eighties or nineties. They were lying in cages or with their collarbones pierced by iron chains, their bodies showing patches of blood.

At that moment, everyone seemed to be unconscious, not a single sound was heard.

The floor was stained with marbled blood, and there were blood-stained handprints dragged along the walls. The air was filled with the scent of dust and blood.

Su Ming’an quickly moved forward, and flipped through the scrolls on the table, finding that they were stories about ancient sea monster legends.

[Those favored by the sea monsters, apart from cultivating their ’substitutes’, can also attain the transcendence of their souls.]

[The ancient deity Aigushius told them, in addition to immortal bodies, these lucky ones might preserve their undying souls through the transformation of their brethren...]

Su Ming’an realized this was not any treasury.

It was what Nailuo mentioned, the lab where Princess Tulip extracted the life force from others.

He restored the scroll in his hand to its original place and was about to check on the unconscious people when he suddenly heard the sound of a lock getting opened from outside the door.

...They’re back so soon?

Su Ming’an immediately looked around until he found a cabinet.

He opened one of the doors, crawled in, and quickly closed the cabinet door.

No sooner had he entered the cabinet than footsteps were heard from outside.

Clearly, the princess and Sherrod had returned to this place.

"Clink clank clank—"

Chains jingled from outside, followed by a man’s wails.

"Please, let me go, I will tell you everything..." the man begged.

"Really?" came the voice of Princess Tulip.

Her tone rose at the end, seeming very elated.

"Really, I will tell everything. Just don’t metamorphose me, don’t... don’t turn me into one of those things. I’d rather you kill me..." the man pleaded.

"Then continue talking to me," the princess said, laughing while pulling the chain, like one would drag a dog by the neck.

"...About you and your so-called ’players’."

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