Chapter 515: The Dungeon Begins (Two-in-One)

"Three paths. Choose one."

Chen Nian set down his wine glass and looked at Yan Jing.

This was not a simple question.

Or, to put it another way.

It shouldn't have been a question at all.

None of these three paths were what he had originally intended to offer Yan Jing.

Yan Jing tapped his fingers lightly on the tabletop. A few seconds later, he spoke softly.

"Old Chen, these probably weren't what you originally planned to discuss with me."

"Originally, there was only one path for Old Sin City: find a domain and attach ourselves to it as an incomplete one."

"You might have even had some suitable targets for attachment in mind."

Chen Nian laughed.

"Situations evolve."

"I'm not trying to pressure you. I'm just offering some more reasonable possibilities based on what you've shown me."

"I knew you wouldn't choose the original path, so I just laid out all the possibilities in advance."

"How long until the return?" Yan Jing asked, looking at him.

"A little over two months," Chen Nian gave a rough estimate.

"All right. I'll handle it as soon as possible."

Yan Jing nodded.

"Old Chen, do you have any plans to go home?"

Chen Nian shook his head.

"I'm doing fine in Old Sin City."

"I need to handle some matters over there anyway."

He paused, as if thinking of something, and looked at Yan Jing.

"You want me to go to Heavenly Kingdom?"

Yan Jing nodded.

"Your car is still over there, Old Chen."

"My friend had someone find it last time. Unfortunately, it's totaled. But if you can fix it..."

"I would be able to return to Old Sin City."

Yan Jing said softly.

Chen Nian lowered his head in thought for a moment before looking back up.

"I can't go back to Heavenly Kingdom."

"My situation over there is complicated."

"Too complicated to explain in a few words."

"If you can bring the car to Minhu, I can probably fix it in about a month."

"But Old Sin City is still moving right now. You'll have to pinpoint the coordinates yourself."

"Thank you," Yan Jing said sincerely.

Chen Nian smiled.

"No need for that between us."

"Everyone has days when they need help."

"If there's ever a day you need help, I'll be there no matter what," Yan Jing said, looking at him.

"Just don't get weak in the knees if that day really comes," Chen Nian chuckled.

"No matter who we're up against, I'll be there."

Yan Jing said softly.

Old Sin City.

Inside a room the size of a palm.

A figure wearing an electric vehicle helmet sat at a desk, earnestly reading a book.

As she read, she struggled to read aloud:

"The Divine... Assembly... Law... num... number..."

She read very slowly, doing her best to control the muscles around her mouth to enunciate every word clearly.

This was the daily training task Chen Nian had assigned her.

There were only two crucial points.

First, she had to be as clear as possible so others could understand her the first time.

Second, she could not repeat herself.

Regardless of whether she pronounced a word clearly, she had to move on to the next one.

Clearly, she had just repeated herself.

Mantou slapped her own head in frustration. She moved her gaze back to the first word, ready to start over.

"He walks fast."

"If you keep walking this slowly, one day he'll leave you so far behind you won't even be able to see him."

"Maybe he'll turn back to look for you, Mantou Girl, but that would just make you a burden to him. You probably don't want that day to come." That was what Chen Nian had told her.

Come on, Mantou. You can do this.

Mantou silently cheered herself on.

"The Divine... Assembly... Law... number... sixteen..."

Mantou read it out, word by word.

"Iya, iya~~"

Xiao Xin's voice rang out from above her.

Mantou paused, looking up in pleasant surprise.

"Xiao Xin... you're... here..."

"Iya, iya~"

Xiao Xin burrowed into Mantou's embrace and squeezed tight.

"Hello, big sister. Zhu Leng asked me to deliver a letter to you."

Xiao Xin said.

Mantou smiled happily.

In her last letter, she had mentioned hoping Yi Ji would write to her more often, and Yi Ji had actually done it.

But when Xiao Xin dug into her pockets, she didn't pull out the usual envelope. Instead, she took out Mantou's favorite new model of Video Camera. "Ta-da! Zhu Leng has a vid-yo for you, big sister!"

Hearing this, Mantou's large eyes instantly lit up.

Would she be able to see Yi Ji's face?

"But... machines... don't seem... to work... well... here..."

As if remembering something, Mantou's gaze gradually dimmed.

This was Old Sin City; machinery was restricted.

"It's okay! Zhu Leng's friend said we're very close to the return location now. It will get better!"

Xiao Xin said, pressing the play button.

Sure enough, Yi Ji's figure appeared on the Video Camera's small screen.

Though the image still flickered with the occasional dashed line cutting across the screen, it was clearly more than enough for Mantou right now.

"Mantou, how have you been lately? Everything is fine on my end. I'm in Minhu now. Look, these are the tables and chairs in Minhu, the decor. Let me show you outside..."

"...I need to keep Old Chen here in Minhu for a while to handle something. The resources here are more abundant, and there are high-tier existences who can help."

"Without Old Chen around, you need to play it safe, Mantou. I'll have Xiao Xin go to your place every morning at eight. If there are any problems, you can tell me through her at any time."

"We should be seeing each other soon."

The ten-minute video ended.

Mantou's eyes were wide. After checking with Xiao Xin, she pressed the replay button.

Then.

She watched it again.

And again.

It wasn't until she had watched it four times that Mantou finally looked up at Xiao Xin.

"Can... I... use this... to reply...?"

"You can!"

Xiao Xin nodded.

"Then... wait... for me... a moment, Xiao Xin... I'm going... to tidy... myself up..."

With that said, Mantou's figure flickered, and she vanished from where she stood.

Xiao Xin scratched her head.

"I could have just gone with you..."

Surface World.

First Ring Domain, First Building.

[Recent Schedule]

[Old Sin City: Choose one of three paths, establish contact with a Second Level Domain or First Level Domain — slightly over two months]

[Minhu: Conquer after reaching the Summit — no time limit?]

[Mao Si: Great Prison destroyed, build a Ship — less than a month]

[Wen Zhao: Long-cherished wish, safety officer???]

[Surface World: Enter the central zone — one to two months]

[Personal matters: Dungeon mission, reach the Summit to save people???]

Yan Jing looked at the schedule he had written down and frowned. Weird energy surged in his palm, completely devouring the paper.

There were too many things to do.

So many that he had to sort through them to determine their priority.

But after listing them out, he realized he hadn't managed to separate the important from the trivial, nor the urgent from the non-urgent.

Everything was urgent.

"At least I've found the key to it all..."

He muttered softly.

Reaching the Summit...

Many things seemed difficult primarily because his current level was too low.

Just like when he looked back at the past now, he could see that the problems back then weren't actually problems at all.

But right now, his problems were still problems.

"It's time to prepare to enter the Dungeon."

Yan Jing murmured. He picked up his phone and dialed a number.

"Teacher Shen, prepare for a meeting."

"Four people were expected at this meeting, and four people are present. The meeting's recorder is Shen ??ran."

Shen ??ran stood up and read aloud to the group gathered around the round table.

Across the table, Wang Yu and Long Quezhou looked at the boxed lunches beside them with a hint of resignation.

"Although the timing is a bit better than the middle of the night like last time, Domain Lord Yan, isn't having a meeting while eating a bit..."

Wang Yu glanced at the contents of her boxed lunch.

It was still the chicken salad paired with whole wheat bread, specially prepared just for her.

"Well said."

Yan Jing stood up and smiled.

"But it seems you two domain lords haven't grasped my good intentions at all."

"What good intentions?"

Long Quezhou leaned back in his chair and glanced at the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall soup in his hands.

It was warm.

And it didn't contain the sea cucumber he hated.

He had to give credit where credit was due.

"My good intentions are that I specifically chose a time when the other domain lords absolutely wouldn't be suspicious to call you two over,"

Yan Jing said.

"Because this is a matter I can only discuss with the two people I trust the most-most-most-most-most."

At those words, both Wang Yu and Long Quezhou froze.

Wang Yu asked tentatively, "What is it?"

"I'm preparing to enter a Dungeon," Yan Jing said.

"First, I wanted to ask how much you two know about this Dungeon."

"Second, just like last time, I want to ask you two to keep an eye on the other domain lords for me. I don't want them causing trouble while I'm away."

In truth, after the "assessment" last time, this wasn't strictly necessary, but Yan Jing still decided to add an extra layer of insurance.

Put that way... the two of us really are the most trusted... Wang Yu blinked.

Before she could speak, Long Quezhou took the lead.

"No problem."

"..." Wang Yu shot Long Quezhou a speechless glare.

You're always the fastest to act like a sycophant. Always have to show off, don't you?

But she immediately nodded as well.

"I don't have a problem with it either."

"Teacher Shen, please brief the two domain lords on the contents of this Dungeon."

Yan Jing said.

"Understood."

Shen ??ran began.

"The location for this Dungeon is the Great Prison."

"The mission objective is 'Double Agent'."

"Specifically, it involves entering the Great Prison and either helping or not helping the warden."

"Of course, there's also a third option: helping an Inner World resident that you wish to assist."

"Further details about the Dungeon are currently unknown."

"It's worth noting that this is a Stage A mission, so it's possible someone has done it before. Have you two domain lords heard of it?" Long Quezhou shook his head.

"I can confirm we don't have any information on this Inner World Domain on our end."

"All Inner World locations in Tianzi are recorded in the Chronicle Canon. There has never been any mention of the Great Prison."

Wang Yu also shook her head.

"I haven't heard of it either."

"But..."

She hesitated for two seconds before saying to Yan Jing, "Ma Jiangyao might know."

"Ma Jiangyao..."

Yan Jing's gaze grew profound as he nodded.

"Who is Ma Jiangyao?"

You acted so deep and mysterious when you didn't even know?!

Wang Yu said helplessly, "...The domain lord of Wanli."

That jogged Yan Jing's memory. The image of a dark-skinned woman with a high ponytail and burning eyes surfaced in his mind.

He nodded and picked up his phone.

"Domain Lord Ma, could you make a trip to the First Building? Yes, as the domain lord I trust the most-most-most-most, I'd like to have a meeting with you. Yes, I know you were about to eat. It's fine, I'll prepare a meal for you here..."

So basically, everyone is the most trusted, huh?!

Wang Yu almost couldn't keep her composure.

Across the table, Yan Jing noticed the change in Wang Yu's expression and said, "Haven't you two realized just how deep my trust in you goes?"

"Where's the difference?"

"You two got five 'mosts'. Domain Lord Ma only got four."

Wang Yu laughed out of sheer frustration.

Knock, knock, knock!

A knock sounded at the door.

"Come in."

Yan Jing smiled.

The door was pushed open.

Ma Jiangyao walked in, wearing a tight black outfit.

Upon seeing Wang Yu and Long Quezhou, her eyes narrowed. Clearly, she hadn't anticipated this situation.

Show-off. Wearing a skin-tight outfit at dinnertime...

Wang Yu cursed internally, but on the surface, she smiled.

"Domain Lord Ma still loves exercising just as much after all these years."

Ma Jiangyao's expression remained neutral.

"Yes. I was in the middle of training. Since Domain Lord Yan said the matter was urgent, I didn't have time to change."

She sat down on the other side of Long Quezhou.

"Domain Lord Ma, it's like this. I heard you know about the Great Prison."

As Yan Jing finished speaking, Ma Jiangyao looked across the table at Wang Yu, her eyes turning somewhat hostile.

Obviously, she had guessed who tipped Yan Jing off.

This was exactly why Wang Yu had hesitated to bring it up earlier.

Noticing Ma Jiangyao's glare, she averted her gaze and pretended not to see it.

"Yes. The corresponding Inner World Domain on our side is situated quite close to the Great Prison."

Ma Jiangyao said.

"Sometimes, people from our territory get unlucky and are selected by that place."

Yan Jing was intrigued.

"Unlucky? Why do you say that?"

Ma Jiangyao explained slowly.

"That place consists of two parts: the cell block and the work area."

"The cell block takes up ninety-nine percent of the Great Prison's total area, and it houses the criminals, but we humans are never assigned missions in there. The work area is where the Great Prison's staff lives, and when we enter it, we're usually assigned tasks to assist with their work. They call them assistance missions, but in reality, it's just serving as a suicide squad."

"That's why the mortality rate there is terrifyingly high."

After they finished listening, before Yan Jing could ask a question, Long Quezhou was the first to realize something was wrong.

"But didn't Domain Lord Yan have several people from our domains use selection tickets to choose the Great Prison a few days ago?"

"I recall it being a place similar to the cell block, right?"

"Correct. That's also the reason I revealed to Domain Lord Wang that I knew about the Great Prison." Ma Jiangyao looked at the slightly guilty Wang Yu, her gaze icy. "I found it very strange, too. In all these years, no one has ever been assigned a mission in the cell block of the Great Prison."

"Could Domain Lord Yan explain this to me?"

"Of course," Yan Jing nodded.

"I have someone on the inside."

"..." Ma Jiangyao said with a cold face, "If Domain Lord Yan doesn't want to say, he doesn't have to."

"It's the truth," Yan Jing smiled. He then shifted the topic, continuing, "So their attitude toward humans in the work area isn't very good?"

Because she still felt Yan Jing was brushing her off, Ma Jiangyao's expression remained sour.

"It seems to be because of the great warden."

"That great warden apparently summoned a few humans in the past."

"But something happened, and their performance left him quite dissatisfied."

"That's all I know."

With that said, Ma Jiangyao stood up, preparing to leave.

"Thank you for your help." A sphere of light materialized in Yan Jing's palm.

"This is a small gift to express my gratitude."

Staring at that sphere of light, Wang Yu's eyes widened.

Because inside it was a Divine Item.

Ma Jiangyao looked at the sphere of light floating in front of her. She hesitated for two seconds, but ultimately accepted it, her expression softening a bit.

"Thank you for your generosity."

After Ma Jiangyao left, Wang Yu nudged Long Quezhou with her elbow.

Long Quezhou didn't speak.

Wang Yu nudged him again.

Long Quezhou still didn't say a word.

Finally unable to hold back, Wang Yu smiled and looked at Yan Jing.

"Domain Lord Yan, then what about us..."

"Domain Lord Wang and Domain Lord Long's gifts have already been sent to your respective resting quarters. Three pieces each."

Yan Jing smiled.

Hearing the number three, Wang Yu's breathing grew slightly ragged.

It couldn't be helped. She was simply too poor.

If one wanted to reach the Ninth Tier.

They would need at least thirty Divine Items.

In a place like the Twelve Domains, let alone thirty items...

Just finding one was as difficult as ascending to heaven.

This was where the value of the God Storage Land truly showed. If it were a regular domain, you wouldn't be able to find a single Divine Item even if you dug three feet into the ground. "Thank you very much, Domain Lord Yan."

Wang Yu knew that Yan Jing was employing a carrot-and-stick strategy.

But she couldn't resist when the carrot was simply too delicious!

Once both Wang Yu and Long Quezhou had left, Yan Jing called out to Xiao Xin.

"Did you get it on camera?"

"I got it!"

Xiao Xin shook the Video Camera.

It had recorded the footage of Ma Jiangyao accepting the Divine Item.

Except the audio had been completely altered by Yan Jing.

"Rat is being extremely uncooperative, and Sheep and Monkey are wavering..."

Yan Jing smiled.

"There is only one root cause for all of this, and that is because I haven't reached the Summit. Until then, I can only resort to some underhanded methods."

"Teacher Shen, I'll leave this to you."

Yan Jing handed the memory card Xiao Xin had popped out over to Shen ??ran.

"Understood."

Shen ??ran put the memory card away and looked at Yan Jing, a hint of worry in her eyes.

"Be very careful in the Dungeon."

"I will."

Yan Jing nodded.

Five days flashed by.

Atop the First Building, Yan Jing listened to the long-absent system notification chime by his ear, his mood completely calm.

{Stage A of the mission is about to begin}

{The location for this mission is the Great Prison: Work Area. Your drop point is the highest-level core zone within the Work Area.}

{Please note that as the summoned ultimate weapon this time, your Mental Immunity Value is 0 points.}

{Please note that you will need to choose an identity within half an hour of entering the Dungeon. Different identities correspond to different missions.} {Welcome back, Lord player.}