northernbook Chapter 455 An Incredible Title
Chapter 455 An Incredible Title
"Hey Xu Ning, you're not going to have someone block that place up right now, are you?"
Paimon was beginning to regret his bluntness in telling Xu Ning about this secret passage. Now it seemed that he and Kong might have to go back to the port to take a boat, taking a long detour and traveling a long way to reach Sumeru City.
Xu Ning could tell what Paimon was thinking just by looking at her when she heard her question.
"What? Are you afraid I'll cut off your route, or are you afraid I'll charge you exorbitant tolls?"
Paimon extended one index finger from each hand and whispered, "I'm afraid of both."
Xu Ning laughed and said, "It's nothing. We're just finding two people to stand guard over there to prevent any petty thieves from doing anything bad. Once the Seven Stars plan is finalized, we might even be able to open the shortest and fastest trade route from Liyue to Sumeru."
Hearing Xu Ning say this, Kong and Paimon were immediately relieved.
Kong glanced back at Haidifu's tent in the distance, confirming that he was already quite far away.
"Brother Xu, I have another question."
Xu Ning stopped and turned to look at the empty space.
"I don't know if it's just my imagination, but when we were talking about the Little Lucky Grass God, I felt that Mr. Haidif seemed to have some kind of strange distance from the Little Lucky Grass God. It's just that... it's not the same feeling he had when he mentioned the Great Tree King. Instead, he seemed to have a very dismissive tone. It seems that in his heart, the Order of the Church holds a higher position than the current deity of Mount Sumeru."
Hearing the description of "empty," Xu Ning became even more interested.
"What? Sumeru is actually ahead of us in Liyue? It broke free from the gods' protection and forged its own path much earlier?"
Kong shook his head. "I can't say for sure. I'm afraid I have to go there and see for myself before I can make a judgment. Although I'm now 80% sure that the Little Auspicious Grass King is not the god who sealed me, and I also know that Ying is not restrained, didn't she say that I should keep this world in mind? I think I still have to go and see for myself."
Xu Ning patted Kong on the shoulder, "You're becoming more and more mature."
Kong smiled sheepishly and asked, "Brother Xu, you've been here for almost two days now. Have you discovered something again?"
Xu Ning looked at the empty space, then suddenly remembered something. He took out a purple pearl from his pocket and tossed it to the empty space.
"These are from the bodies of a few Dark Shell Title Knights I killed here. My power can't penetrate them at all. Do you think you can purify the purple energy inside?"
Xu Ning already had three of these precious pearls in his possession. He also tried to activate the alcohol to dissolve the purple mist inside and see what other secrets lay within.
However, neither directly stimulating the aroma of the wine nor soaking the beads in the wine can diminish the purple aura within them in the slightest.
When Xu Ning saw Kong, this "humanoid self-propelled purifier," he naturally couldn't resist wanting him to try it out.
Kong stretched out two fingers and pinched the bead. Ming Shen looked at it calmly for a while, then shook his head and said, "No, this bead is made by someone. The outer material almost completely isolates all investigation measures. I don't have any good solutions for it."
Xu Ning nodded and put the pearl back. "I'll continue collecting them and see how many I can collect in total. Maybe once I collect them all, I'll have a new clue."
Kong asked with some curiosity, "Brother, what clue are you looking for?"
Xu Ning hesitated for a moment, but decided to tell Kong all the information he had obtained. After all, before going to Inazuma, the Emperor seemed to want him and Kong to witness the changes in Inazuma together.
Upon hearing the information Xu Ning provided, which concerned the legacy of Kanria from five hundred years ago, and realizing that his younger sister Ying seemed to have inherited Kanria's legacy, Kong immediately postponed his plan to go to Sumeru.
"Brother Xu, let me help you!"
Xu Ning had anticipated Kong's reaction when he decided to share the information here with Kong, so he naturally agreed.
"Today we have found three Black Serpent Knights with titles, and without exception, they all carry this bead. We will continue our search tomorrow, as long as Shadow Wolf Maru is here..."
Before Xu Ning could finish speaking, Kong interrupted, "If it's one of those knights with dark armor, Sister Jinwu knows where to find one. She even said she wanted you to deal with it when you're free. I originally wanted to help, but she seems to think I'm not reliable enough on my own..."
Xu Ning hadn't expected that Jin Wu also had information about the Black Serpent Knight. "Hopefully she's still awake. Let's go find her now."
Zhiqiong had been running around all day and was exhausted; she had already gone to rest.
Fortunately, Jinwu hadn't rested yet and was packing a water bottle and dry food into Zhiqiong's small bag. When Xu Ning and the others came over to ask, he placed the packed bag at the entrance of Zhiqiong's tent, feeling a little embarrassed.
"I thought Lord Xu Ning must be busy with important matters inside, and I was planning to ask you to help when you have some free time."
Jinwu gestured around his body, saying, "The reason our place looks so simple now is because these facilities were only put up after the changes that happened down here."
“Originally, there was a dedicated office here in the mine pit, right below where we are standing now. You can find it by following the road that has been paved here.”
Jinwu led Xu Ning and Kong down to the bottom.
Xu Ning had already caught what Jin Wu hadn't said aloud and asked, "Did a Black Serpent Knight break in?"
"Yes, it is said that several people were killed by that monster. The miners who managed to escape managed to close the gate and trap it inside."
Jinwu said bitterly, "Originally, we found purplish-black sludge seeping from that cave, and many people who accidentally touched it fell ill. We were going to abandon it, but because we didn't have time to organize some data, we were a few days late, and then that kind of thing happened..."
"I thought that once that monster was locked up there, it would die in the filth without food or water... But a few days ago, the Thousand Rock soldiers stationed there accidentally discovered that the monster was still alive. Perhaps they can survive by relying on that filth. Now I'm really at a loss, which is why I thought of asking you for help... Oh, it's this door in front."
Xu Ning stepped forward and peered through the wooden gate, but it was pitch black and he couldn't see anything inside.
"Sister Jinwu, after you open the door, stand a little further away and leave the rest to us."