The Appearance of the Heaven's Heart Stone, Entering the Imperial City

Gao Linzhi nodded.

He crept along and observed the entire process.

This woman in ancient costume was clearly very familiar with those things.

At this moment, one of the players gratefully asked the woman in ancient costume:

"Thank you so much! May I ask your name?"

"We will definitely reward you handsomely."

"No need for repayment," the woman in ancient attire shook her head. "My surname is Cheng, and I come from the Daoist Academy."

"So it's Miss Cheng. May I ask where this Daoist Academy is? Why haven't we heard of it before?" several players asked in confusion.

"The Daoist Academy is not well-known now, which is why you haven't heard of it. You can think of it as the Imperial Observatory of the previous dynasty." After Miss Cheng said this, all the players understood.

Gao Linzhi understood.

So that's how it is; this is clearly due to suppression by the imperial court.

That's why the players didn't know.

Now that the players are gaining momentum, the Daoist Academy no longer wants to remain in seclusion.

It is quite common for remnants of the previous dynasty to attempt to revive it.

"See you again, everyone." Miss Cheng smiled, then turned and left.

The players assumed the other party was trying to sell something, either an idea or an item.

I never expected him to leave like this.

Sure enough, those who rush to buy are not the ones who make a sale.

One player quickly stepped forward to stop her, saying, "Young lady, we extraterrestrials are newcomers and don't understand many things. We need someone as knowledgeable about the ways of the world as you."

"I wonder if the young lady would be willing to condescend to this position?"

"We are the Xingzhou Association, and we are willing to pay a high price to hire girls."

Then Miss Cheng smiled slightly, "If we let you do whatever you want, trouble is bound to follow."

"Very well, I'll take a position in your organization for a while."

"No need for payment, I'm just reminding you to be extra careful."

"How can that be? What's due must be given."

The Xingzhou Association then invited Miss Cheng to the center of the shantytown, where a row of wooden houses had been built. Although simple, they were quite charming.

Gao Linzhi followed closely, stealthily trailing behind.

After Miss Cheng was invited inside, the group began to chat.

"Everyone, you may think that our Daoist Academy has ulterior motives."

"That's not actually the case."

"The Imperial Observatory and the Daoist Academy, in their early years, actually shared a common origin and both belonged to the 'Yuanshi' people."

"Yuanshi?" the players wondered.

"Yes, the organization exists solely to quell the strange phenomena and save humanity."

"Later, however, some people had different ideas. Those people only wanted to Immortality, and they wanted to treat all the people in the world as playthings."

"But we were thinking about saving the world, with great love in our hearts, and so the two separated."

"We initially emerged from seclusion to assist the ruler, establish Daoist Academy, pacify the islands, and govern the world, while they secretly watched and ultimately seized power during a period of great chaos."

Upon hearing this, all the players were immediately taken aback.

How could this be?

Gao Linzhi, however, smiled.

He knew that those who spoke in this way would often eventually fall into evil.

Because they were aiming too high.

True human nature is actually quite limited.

Setting your goals too high will lead to unrealistic expectations.

Setting goals too high will make them unattainable.

Because he couldn't do it, he became a habitual liar.

A place that uses lies to deceive people becomes incredibly evil.

Gao Linzhi had seen this kind of thing many times before.

However, he didn't care about any organization; he only cared about the knowledge the other person was talking about.

Since the other party has revealed their true intentions, they clearly have something on their mind.

To achieve their goals, they will use bait.

For players, the biggest lure is knowledge and power.

Sure enough, this Miss Cheng quickly produced her own unique and valuable insights.

"You're building ancestral halls; I think you're trying to achieve Incense Longevity Path, aren't you?"

"Yes, we've heard that the people here have souls, and that after death, they can be protected by incense offerings and thus Immortality," one player exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes, this is a rare Longevity Technique; we've never encountered it before!"

"That's right, if we could Immortality, that would be a wonderful thing!"

"Although we modern people live well, we only live to be 80 years old, which is too short!"

The players all chimed in with their opinions.

Miss Cheng smiled and looked at everyone, "Your thinking is correct."

"In our area, we did indeed research a Longevity Technique '."

"Indeed, the practice of burning incense for Immortality does exist!" The crowd immediately became excited.

Even Gao Linzhi, who was in stealth, was somewhat excited.

They stared intently at Miss Cheng, their eyes filled with anticipation.

"The purpose of 'incense Immortality's is to merge one's own soul with the beliefs of others, creating a mutual bond," Miss Cheng said.

"As long as the race survives, the soul will Immortality."

"Of course, the biggest difficulty lies in the fact that you have to resist the other side's encroachment at all times."

"Moreover, the soul itself experiences no enjoyment; it is extremely lonely and isolated, like being locked in a dark room."

You must ensure that your will is not eroded by the other party.

"The most important thing is not to be corrupted, not to break down because of loneliness."

At this moment, everyone fell silent.

One young man said, "As long as I can Immortality, none of this matters."

The others shook their heads and looked at him.

Miss Cheng shook her head and smiled, "Before you say that, please do a dark room experiment first, and then speak with confidence."

"Can you endure 30 days of darkness, emptiness, and loneliness?"

"Can you endure not having sight, hearing, or taste?"

"There was no entertainment whatsoever, and I felt no excitement whatsoever."

"We have discovered that human happiness comes from hormones in the body, and this is knowledge brought to us by you players."

"If all that's left of a person is a soul, then all this joy is gone. I remember depression alone has caused many deaths."

"Depression is the loss of the ability to find happiness."

Hearing this, Gao Linzhi nodded.

What they said is very true; that's the reality.

At this point, someone asked urgently, "Is there any way?"

"Yes, is it possible to let the soul also feel joy?"

"Yes, can it protect the soul?"

Is there any way?

Miss Cheng smiled and said, "Of course there is a way."

"That means finding some treasure."

"There are some treasures that are naturally Divine Anomalies; they can protect your spirit and bring you joy to your soul."

"Just like tobacco, cola, and tea, they can stimulate your excitement."

"Although the body doesn't secrete hormones, it contains substances that can make you happy."

"Moreover, this treasure can also filter those thoughts, ensuring that those poisons are filtered out before they enter your soul."

"In this way, your soul will not be polluted, or it will be very difficult for it to be polluted."

"There are also some purifying treasures that can remove the pollution from the soul."

Upon hearing this, the players immediately became excited.

"I see."

That's great.

"But where can we find this treasure?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Linzhi nodded slightly, understanding the other party's true purpose.

If nothing unexpected happens, then something unexpected is about to occur.

Sure enough, one player asked, "What are these kinds of treasures called? Where are they?"

"I only know of a type of treasure called the Heaven's Heart Stone."

"This Heaven's Heart Stone can use the power of heaven to protect your heart."

"It can protect your soul, while also allowing it to retain its five senses, taste the sweetness of incense, and continue to experience the joy of games."

Hearing this, Gao Linzhi smiled.

Just as I expected.

Clearly, the other side wants to incite the players to seize this thing called the "Heaven's Heart Stone".

"Is this thing really that powerful?" someone asked doubtfully.

"Yes, it's perfect for you."

"Because its holder must be able to take the people's will as their own, and their own will as the will of Heaven, and thus receive the protection of Heaven."

"This is a treasure that only virtuous people can enjoy."

"And your actions should be protected by Heaven."

The players were immediately excited.

"Yes, we are just very kind."

"That's right, we never do evil."

"Our game guide always follows the proper path."

"In that case, the Heaven's Heart Stone can protect your souls and prevent you from being bewitched by that monster."

"In this way, you can solve the problem of incense offerings that you encountered before."

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement, filled with excitement.

"And this Heaven's Heart Stone is currently inside the Imperial City," Miss Cheng dropped the bombshell at the end.

"What? It's in the imperial city?"

The players were immediately taken aback.

That's the imperial city.

Heavily guarded.

Going there to steal treasure is tantamount to suicide, isn't it?

And at this time...

However, a game prompt appeared in Gao Linzhi's mind.

"Ding! Congratulations, player, you have successfully triggered a temporary quest."

"Seize the Heaven's Heart Stone."

"You can act alone, or you can form a team of five."

"Navigation will be provided during task execution."

Players, please accept the quest as soon as possible.

The other players also beamed with joy.

They had clearly heard the same message.

Gao Linzhi naturally chose to accept.

Then everyone immediately began to take action.

One by one, the players began to prepare.

Team up, call for help.

At that moment, a strange smile appeared on Miss Cheng's face.

Gao Linzhi naturally knew that the other party had ulterior motives.

It's clear that the other side wants to incite these players to attack the imperial court.

Gao Linzhi also wanted to see just how much of a gap there was between the players and the imperial court.

The players quickly formed two teams.

However, shortly after the team was formed, some members chose to leave after some discussion.

"I don't have Revival Stone, so I won't participate this time. I'll do logistics."

"Those of you with Revival Stone, you shall be the vanguard."

"Damn it, you won't get a share of the treasure!"

"Exactly! My Revival Stone didn't just fall from the sky!"

And so, in the end, the players only managed to gather three people who had Revival Stone.

The others thought about it for a moment, but still didn't go.

After all, while the Heaven's Heart Stone is valuable, it is also extremely dangerous.

To enter the imperial city, one must be aware that the imperial city is heavily guarded.

However, Gao Linzhi knew that even the imperial city had its limits.

Sometimes, even ordinary small merchants could enter the imperial city to sell goods during the final years of a dynasty.

At that time, the soldiers, eunuchs, and palace maids had absolutely no intention of protecting the imperial city.

The emperor's authority also declined significantly.

You can't even kill someone if you want to.

Those below them also became deceitful and lazy, hiding their true intentions from their superiors.

The same applies to the guards in the imperial city.

Players are clearly unaware of this.

They did not experience the end of a dynasty.

A Revival Stone costs 100,000 points, so it's not easy for three people to collect one.

At this moment, Miss Cheng frowned.

She sighed and said, "There are only three of you."

"I'm afraid there's little hope of even entering the capital."

"The imperial city is heavily guarded, and even the weakest among its inhabitants are at least level 35."

"Even a single soldier could stop you, so how could you possibly get in?"

At this moment, one player confidently stated:

"Don't worry, we still have a way."

"I know people in the capital."

"That imperial city may look grand and imposing, but it's actually quite ordinary."

"Eunuchs and palace maids also need to buy groceries and eat."

"They also need to drink and transport water."

"Nobody grows vegetables specifically for them."

"We went in via the waterwheel at dawn."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Subsequently, under the player's arrangement, these people actually took action at four o'clock in the morning when they were transporting water into the imperial city.

Water had to be transported from the outside to the inside of the imperial city very early.

Otherwise, I wouldn't have time to wash my face and boil water.

They were hiding inside the waterwheel.

These three people managed to sneak in like that.

Gao Linzhi also followed and sneaked in.

This opened his eyes.

Unexpectedly, a makeshift group of robbers managed to enter the heavily guarded imperial city.

In fact, Gao Linzhi noticed that the guards of the imperial city did not actually inspect the water carts; they just came up to see if there were any smuggled goods on them.

They didn't even notice whether there was anyone inside the water tank.

Gao Linzhi followed along, stealthily making his way inside.

It could be said that fate is on the players' side.

Once they enter the imperial city, the game already provides navigation to the treasure's location.

A brightly lit treasure chest symbol appeared on the map.

This was completely unexpected for Miss Cheng.

This Miss Cheng even considered providing information herself.

As it turned out, these people didn't want it at all.

They can just use the map for navigation.

The treasure is in the northeast corner.

They just need to navigate to the northeast.

They only need to bypass a few mansions.

Some powerful and wealthy people lived in the imperial city.

These were all true confidants of the emperor.

After entering the imperial city, these three players began to wander around inside.

The imperial city has a complex design.

It's just inconvenient to walk there.

A single road often leads to many mazes.

It's practically a version of the Legend of Chinese Paladin Maze: The Skyfall.

I walked it once, and then walked it again.

If the plot isn't enough, a maze will do the trick.

They walked along Vermilion Bird Avenue, with its vermilion city walls, stone slabs in the middle, and red brick roads on both sides.

They were walking on the red brick road.

Along the way, they avoided countless eunuchs and palace maids.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, they finally saw where their target might be.

They saw a garden.

On the Minimap corresponding to that garden, there is a huge treasure chest mark.

The treasure chest is obviously inside.

There should be Heaven's Heart Stone inside.