The first torso had been obtained so easily.
It had been much easier than Zong Shen had expected.
But where should they go next?
As soon as the question crossed his mind,
a golden marker appeared in each of the two corridors.
"Does that mean there's something on both sides?"
Zong Shen looked left, then right.
(Stop hesitating. I recommend going right first.)
Once the Strategy Module had given its advice, he decisively headed right.
Both sides of this corridor were lined with standard dungeon cells.
Rusty iron bars and damaged magic arrays
separated them into one cell after another.
The floor grew slippery.
From somewhere nearby came the steady sound of dripping water.
Eerie and still.
Zong Shen could even hear his own heartbeat clearly,
along with the panting of the three Giant Wolves.
The iron bars and magic arrays in every cell were damaged, and the cells were empty.
But the walls inside were mottled, covered with dark red symbols.
There were also countless abstract, frenzied scrawls,
depicting all kinds of twisted limbs
and snarling, roaring faces.
What exactly were these Blood-Burning Demons?
It seemed the Blood-Burning Legion that had destroyed the Elf city of Azshara had been made up of these Blood-Burning Demons.
(Blood-Burning Demons are invaders from a Different Dimension, extremely evil otherworldly fiends, and the culprits behind the destruction of the continent's main civilizations in the previous era.)
(After the end of the war between eras, the Blood-Burning Demons gradually disappeared. The human race began to rise on the continent, while the main civilizations of the previous era became extremely rare.)
These Blood-Burning Demons had quite a history.
They were invaders from a Different Dimension,
and had destroyed the major civilizations on this continent more than ten thousand years ago.
The Elf Race, for example,
as well as many other races Zong Shen had yet to encounter.
Those races still existed, but they were no longer the leading powers on the continent.
Zong Shen continued asking in his mind.
"Where are the rest of the body parts?"
"Is there anything valuable here?"
(The remaining body parts are at the end of this dungeon. There's a dark Execution Room there, but an unfriendly fellow is prowling around inside.)
(From your current position, there's a Black Iron Treasure Chest in the third cell on the right, and a lost package outside the fifth cell on the left.)
The Strategy Module really did make things easier.
It was a plugin in the Lord System, and it seemed to know almost everything about the world of lords.
Following its directions, Zong Shen first headed to the third cell on the right.
Sure enough, a Black Iron Treasure Chest sat quietly in the corner of the cell.
Zong Shen strode over and opened it.
The lid creaked open, and several glowing orbs representing rewards rose out. One of them was green and especially eye-catching.
[Black Iron Treasure Chest opened successfully]
[Tier 2 Dwelling Construction Blueprint ×1]
[Refined Wheat Bread ×6]
[Swift Leather Boots (Green) ×1]
[Primary Life Manual ×1]
There were only four rewards this time, but one of them was a Fine Grade piece of equipment.
Zong Shen then dismantled the chest, obtaining 10 units of iron.
"I'll check everything later."
He put the rewards away. None of his soldiers were injured, so there was no need to rest. He decided to save time and press on with the exploration.
The dungeon was too dark and cramped. Stay here long enough, and anyone would start to feel trapped.
They needed to finish the mission and get back to the surface. Colby had said a group of traveling merchants had taken over the Abandoned Outpost on the mountaintop.
Zong Shen wanted to meet the local people of this world, and see if the traveling merchants had anything he could buy.
After collecting the loot from the Black Iron Treasure Chest, Zong Shen headed left.
Outside the fifth cell, he found the lost package the Strategy Module had mentioned.
It really was just a ragged bundle.
The cloth wrapped around it had rotted away.
Zong Shen reached out and tugged at it. Several glowing orbs sprang out.
Among them was a purple one.
That meant the ragged bundle contained a Rare Grade item.
[Soldier Strengthening Bead (White) ×3]
[Primary Elemental Crystal ×6]
[Wild Mark ×1]
[Seed of the Ancient Guardian (Purple) ×1]
Another batch of rewards, including a Rare Grade item.
"Let me take a look..."
[Seed of the Ancient Guardian]
[A defensive Tree Spirit of the Elf Race]
[Plant it in soil and water it to grow a Tree Spirit. The Ancient Guardian can protect your territory and move slowly, allowing you to relocate it and establish it elsewhere.]
(With this, you'll be able to sleep easy.)
This thing was similar to an Arrow Tower: both were defensive.
But it seemed more versatile than an Arrow Tower. It could move slowly and be deployed in a different location.
Zong Shen put the rewards away again.
He had so many rewards now that he couldn't be bothered to sort them each time.
He planned to organize everything after the mission was over, once they returned to the surface to rest.
He had found quite a lot during this exploration.
The dungeon alone had yielded plenty of good items, not to mention the mission rewards.
Gripping his sharp Germanic Sword, he led the way toward the end of the dungeon.
By now, Zong Shen had more or less adapted to the pace of this world.
Just as the voice in that snow-white room had said at the beginning,
this was a world where everyone was a lord!
As for why Gaia's will had favored him, Zong Shen had no idea.
He only knew that he had to build a territory where he could make a life for himself, and survive—really live.
Zong Shen's thoughts drifted away,
until Tie Zhu, who was standing guard beside him, brought him back to the present.
"My lord, the Execution Room is just ahead. It's the last unexplored place in this dungeon."
Tie Zhu pointed ahead and spoke softly.
Zong Shen stopped.
The others stopped with him.
The Execution Room was pitch-black.
There wasn't a single candle burning.
But Zong Shen didn't dare let his guard down.
He turned and instructed Tasia.
"Tasia, summon two Skeleton Archers to scout ahead."
Tasia, the Necromancer, glanced at Zong Shen, seeming reluctant.
Her attitude was much like Tie Zhu and Er Gou's had been back then.
With a Loyalty of 70, she lacked enthusiasm.
But when she saw the meaningful look in Zong Shen's eyes, she began chanting.
A ball of black light shot from the Withered Wood Staff and landed on the floor of the Execution Room.
The floor bulged, and two Skeleton Archers climbed out of the ground, their eyes burning with faint red flames and white bone shortbows in their hands.
The next moment, blue light suddenly flashed inside the Execution Room. In its glow, everyone saw a skeleton clad in black light armor, with a curved horn on its head, slowly rise to its feet, gripping a massive cleaver.
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