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墨書 Inktalez
In the haze, he stood unwavering.
After running for a long time, we finally stopped when we were sure the guards had not caught up with us. He handed me a map that appeared to be a Human Skin Map. I unfolded it completely, but found it chaotic and disorganized, not resembling a complete map at all.
Mary said, "This map doesn't show anything; how are we supposed to find anything?"
I frowned, examining it from different angles. "If this is a map that can lead us to the rebels and he carried it with him, it must not be straightforward enough to reveal the location at first glance; otherwise, that would be too dangerous. It should be something that can be pieced together into a complete map."
The Human Skin Map was thin and surprisingly depicted roads and rivers on both sides. Suddenly, things became clearer in my mind. I folded the map in half and discovered that the landmarks on both sides overlapped, creating a double image. I shook my head and folded it several times, but they continued to align perfectly.
Was it not based on this principle? As I tried folding the map along the diagonal, the landmarks completely formed a coherent map—a complete one. The location of the rebel army appeared on the map. I pointed at it and said, "No wonder the Demon King's Guard couldn't find them; this isn't a surface map."
"This is an underground map!" I exclaimed.
Following the map, we hurried toward the underground military camp of the rebels. We jumped directly into a river and submerged to a depth of four or five meters, entering through an opening. When we emerged from the water, we saw stone steps laid out before us; it seemed that the entrance to the underground palace was right here.
As soon as we reached the shore, people on both sides quickly pulled us up. We looked around and saw that these individuals were dressed in yellow robes and wielded steel knives and long swords. A person who seemed to be their leader stepped forward and asked, "Who are you? How did you find your way here?"
They appeared quite tense, so I hurriedly replied, "We are mercenaries from outside, here to kill the Demon King. With just the four of us, we cannot accomplish this; I need your strength. This map was given to me by one of your people; he said it was foretold by a prophet."
Upon hearing about the prophet, their expressions turned incredulous. The leader said, "Wait here; I'll report to my superiors." With that, he rushed off. After a short while, he returned and told us, "Our leader invites you inside."
We continued up the steps until two large iron doors appeared before us. The doors stood seven or eight meters high and were studded with nails. The leader approached the door and lightly knocked three times before knocking heavily three more times. At that moment, a small door at the bottom of the large door opened.
We followed the leader inside, where soldiers were stationed at guard. The interior was brightly lit, contrasting sharply with the world above. The leader informed us that they used Luminous Pearls for illumination. Luminous Pearls were something the Demon King feared most; they were accustomed to darkness and could not bear bright light.
Arriving at Shadow Maze, it was our first time seeing such a bright world; for a moment, we found it hard to adjust. A carriage was already waiting for us as we boarded. The carriage galloped forward. The leader apologized, saying, "For safety reasons, we have to do this." He then covered our eyes and ears completely.
In darkness and silence, we lost track of how long we traveled. When the carriage finally stopped, we got out and found ourselves in a small town with a modest palace in sight atop a mountain. Surrounding us was brightness without any sun overhead. This made it clear that we were still underground and had not reached the surface.
The town had many residents and markets; their expressions were noticeably different from those of people we had encountered above ground. The surface dwellers seemed like living corpses—numb and indifferent—while these underground residents exhibited something absent in those above: hope. Upon seeing us arrive, they greeted us with smiles or nods.
"How many people live here?" I asked as I walked alongside the leader toward the palace. "And how many rebels are there?"
He pondered for a moment before saying, "This town is home to the families of our soldiers. Including the soldiers, there are probably tens of thousands of us. However, these people are no match for the Demon King's army. Otherwise, we wouldn't be huddled underground. But now we have tens of thousands, and in the future, there will be hundreds of thousands, even millions. One day, we will bring light back to the surface."
I nodded. He continued, "And now you have come. The prophet once said that a group would arrive to lead us in defeating the Demon King. It has been many years; we had almost forgotten about it. Yet here you are. Perhaps the day we defeat the Demon King is drawing near."
We fell silent and walked up the steps into the small palace.
The palace guards seemed to know we were coming and did not announce us; we simply walked inside. The palace was not luxurious; there were no golden bricks or white jade floors, and even the pillars in the main hall were peeling paint. A man in his thirties sat directly in front of us; he looked like the leader of the resistance.
Upon seeing us, he immediately stood up from his chair and approached us. Without speaking, he scrutinized us for a long time before saying, "You are from outside? The Mercenary Group?"
We nodded.
He gestured for us to sit down before continuing, "I can't remember how long it's been since we've been waiting for you. According to legend, only you can defeat the Demon King. But to defeat him, you must first kill his five lords; otherwise, even if you kill the Demon King, as long as these five lords remain, he will be reborn!"
We had some understanding of this; our mission indeed mentioned it. To kill the Demon King, we first needed to eliminate his five leaders. However, who these five leaders were and where they could be found was not detailed in our mission brief; we would have to seek them out ourselves.
"Do you know where we can find them?" I asked.
The leader nodded and said, "Yes, I do know. The Five Great Lords are located in the five cardinal directions of the surface world, forming a pentagram shape. In the center lies the palace of the Demon King. Killing them is not easy; we have launched multiple attacks over the years without managing to kill even one lord, let alone the Demon King himself. For many years, we have been gathering strength for this day!"
"Waiting for your arrival!" he added. "The five demons exist in five different animal forms on the surface: a snake, a toad, a scorpion, a centipede, and a spider form. Each one is more venomous than the last, more cunning and more brutal."
As he spoke, he handed me a map and continued, "This map shows their locations. To be honest, even with thousands of us attacking at once, we struggle to defeat these monsters; you only have four people. Under normal circumstances, I would never believe it."
He paused before saying, "But the prophet has said that only you can save this world; we have no choice but to believe it. You should stay here for a day while we arrange other matters. Rest assured that our people will accompany you on your journey to slay the demons and ensure your safety."
That night, we stayed there; even at night, it was still bright. Looking at this brightness made me feel somewhat unreal and hazy. The sensation in my mind returned again; everything felt overwhelmingly false. The more I thought about it, the more my head hurt. I shook my head and tried to drive this feeling out of my mind.
It's strange to think that on the surface—where sunlight should shine brightly—there was perpetual fog and gloominess. Meanwhile, underground—where darkness should prevail—there was now light. This stark contrast was hard to accept and difficult to believe.
"I don't know why I feel this way," I said to the other three members of the Mercenary Group. "I keep feeling that this world is somewhat void-like; it doesn't seem like a real existence. This mission feels different from what I imagined; it's not just about killing the Demon King being difficult—it's something else entirely—a feeling that's hard to articulate."
The feeling had arisen the moment I arrived at Shadow Maze, and as time passed, it grew stronger yet more elusive. It seemed that my Subconscious was telling me that one day this feeling would completely vanish, urging me to grasp it before it disappeared, or else I would forget it forever.
Yan Junde gave me a meaningful glance but said nothing.
Mary smiled and said, "We should be able to complete the mission. Our Mercenary Group has been established for a year now. Although we haven't been together for a few months, we've never failed, have we?"
"Right, we can succeed," Juan Juan said as she took my hand and gently stroked it. "Shadow Maze is a world shrouded in mystery. What is real and what is false? Remember why we came here and what we are meant to do."
"We cannot be deceived by the illusions of this world, but we also cannot completely break through the fog," Juan Juan said seriously as she looked at me. "Perhaps now is not the time, but our time is running out."
There was an unspoken understanding among the three of them that I could sense, but I couldn't grasp what they were trying to convey, which left me quite troubled.
Early the next morning, the leader of the rebels provided us with fresh drinking water, packed enough provisions, and even gifted each of us a warhorse. With everything prepared, we set off toward the territory of the Spider Lord, who was said to be the weakest among the leaders.
"Our people will assist you along the way!" the Rebel Leader said. "What happens next is up to you. Take care!"
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