Firelink Shrine

Breaking news! Another large-scale anomaly has occurred in the Zane Dungeon!

Everyone was shocked by the news, and then said:

"Isn't this normal?"

People had a premonition of the changes in the Zane Dungeon, or rather, they felt that the changes came too late.

Ever since Sion went berserk, everyone thought that the dungeon was going to become even more dangerous and sinister. However, that didn't happen. Instead, Sion went quiet for a while and basically didn't change.

Some were disappointed, thinking Sion was doomed, while others were hopeful, believing Sion was definitely planning something big.

As it turned out, the latter won.

"The guild is not planning to form Exploration Team for the time being?"

Malu, squatting at the guild's entrance, was stunned when she heard the news brought by Delu.

"The Guild Master means that the Exploration Team should play a decisive role. At this stage, with the mutation just beginning, there is too little information and the exploration efficiency is not high," Delu said.

"What kind of logic is that? Shouldn't the Exploration Team be at the forefront?" Malu retorted.

Delu shook his head and pointed to the notice board in the town center.

"Look down at the street, what do you see?"

"What do you see? Aren't these all people?" Malu stared at the street for a while.

Indeed, the streets were packed with people, and at three or four in the morning, it was still as noisy as daytime, as if the whole city had suddenly woken up.

Moreover, these were not all adventurers; there were also a large number of civilians, men and women, young and old, all of whom were excited by the news of the anomaly.

The crowd was filled with excitement and rushed toward the city gate. It was obvious that they were heading to the Zane Dungeon!

"This," Malu's mouth dropped open, "When did the dungeon become so popular?"

The level of sensation was even greater than when the Gourmet Area was discovered.

Delu shook his head and said, "Because of the bulletin board, everyone's enthusiasm has been mobilized. Now that the dungeon has undergone an anomaly, it means that a lot of new things are surfacing. Of course, the guild should consider giving people the opportunity to discover new things. It's only when everyone participates that it's truly vibrant."

Monopolistic practices are bad, and the consequences can be seen in the case of Count Philip.

"Well said, but actually it's just because people like to watch the excitement," a flippant voice came, and everyone turned around to see the long-unseen Magician Luo Jieer.

He raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Are you guys going to join the fun? Take me with you, I can even call some teammates over for you."

"So you didn't leave! Let's go together then!" Malu leaped onto Te Er's shoulder and pointed to the city gate, saying, "Let's hurry up, or we'll have to wait in line!"

The remaining three members of the Strategy Team hit it off with Luo Jieer, and they entered the dungeon with the idea of testing the waters and seeing what changes had occurred.

As for the real strategy, let's wait until Boss Leon returns.

As for Luo Jieer's teammates, Malu initially thought they would be Si Telan, Albuquerque, and the others, but...

"Hey buddy, wanna come in with us? Look, our names are engraved on that Clearance Stone Tablet over there. We're all set!"

As a result, Luo Jieer casually picked up a few people on the street and they joined him.

Malu was speechless, feeling that the future of this hastily assembled ten-person team was not looking good.

"There are more portals now, one more!"

As soon as they arrived in the ancient city, they heard cheers from the people. Upon closer inspection, they found that there had indeed been one more portal to the Zane Dungeon.

This is definitely a good thing. The pressure of queuing has been reduced immediately, and even Delu is usually the most composed, has a smile on his face.

"Look, isn't that Earl Ka Rong?"

Near the portal, Ka Rong was surrounded by guards. His hair was a bit frizzy and his clothes were disheveled, clearly indicating that he had been woken up by the news and rushed over.

But what is he doing here?

The adventurers still had a bad impression of the Bede Family, and they all stared at Ka Rong expressionlessly.

Ka Rong exchanged a few words with the guards, and a large number of guards immediately began unloading boxes of goods from the carriages and opening them to take a look.

"Wow, they're all Teleportation Crystal?"

The guard announced loudly, "To support everyone's adventures, His Excellency the Earl has issued a new decree: anyone who enters the dungeon will receive a free Teleportation Crystal every day for one month!"

Upon hearing this, the adventurers' expressions changed.

"Long live the Earl! Long live the Earl!"

"Ka Rong has really gone all out," Luo Jieer said. "He seems to be planning to completely revolve the future of Bede City around the underground city, making Sain the city's flagship."

"It's never too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost, but how do you know so much inside information?" Delu looked at him strangely.

Luo Jieer smiled mysteriously and said:

"I've taken on a new apprentice who shares the same interests; he holds quite a position in the Bede Family,"

"Nobody wants to listen to your suspense," Malu patted him on the back. "Get in line!"

Under the night sky, the ancient city was brightly lit and bustling with noise, and everyone's face showed anticipation for the unknown.

Two teams continued to enter the dungeon, yet the number did not decrease at all, with a steady stream of people arriving.

"Phew," looking at the teleportation portal that was so close at hand, the members of the Strategy Team took a deep breath and resolutely stepped inside.

"."

The teleportation caused people to feel dizzy and disoriented, and when they came to their senses, all they saw was darkness.

Just as everyone was wondering, a strange melody suddenly rang in their ears.

This scene, so familiar, made Malu's expression strange. Could it be that another video was about to be broadcast?

Unfortunately, no.

The brief musical note vanished instantly, sunlight pierced the darkness and shone on everyone's faces, and the world changed in a flash.

A clear sky, a dilapidated square, and buildings covered in moss.

An ancient atmosphere permeates this place, and the architectural style is completely different from current trends. It can almost be concluded that this is architecture from a lost period of history.

[Firelink Shrine]

A line of white text appeared before everyone's eyes.

"Crackling and popping"

It's the sound of flames burning.

A bonfire burned slowly and steadily in the very center of the square!

Touching the campfire will still display everyone's attribute panel, but this time there are no images.

For some reason, everyone feels a sense of security whenever they see a campfire.

"Firelink Shrine"

The crowd pondered the name. Could it be that this was the place where the torch-lighting ceremony was held, where heroes would perform sacrifices?

"This map is so big, which way should we go?" Malu looked at the enormous Firelink Shrine, a little unsure of what to do. "Should we split up and explore?"

"But what if we encounter monsters?" one adventurer offered a completely different opinion.

"Don't worry, I didn't sense any monsters nearby. This place is safe, absolutely safe," Luo Jieer said confidently.

The adventurers who teamed up with them all held the Strategy Team in high esteem, so since Luo Jieer had said so, they decided to trust him.

So the group split into pairs and went their separate ways to explore the structure of the Firelink Shrine.

You won't believe it until you see it; there are just too many places to explore!

The original Firelink Shrine had a direct road leading to Undead Town, but Gong Qiying did not have the extra energy to design Undead Town while designing Farron Keep.

Moreover, if Undead Town is designed, its subsequent Undead Town Parish, Undead Town Lower Level, Darkroot Garden, and even the ancient Sain Ancient City would all have to be included. The design of these maps is an integral whole, and separating them would greatly reduce their appeal.

Therefore, under Gong Qiying's design, the Firelink Shrine was surrounded by insurmountable mountains, with the Swamp Area to the north and the Forest Area to the east.

These two main roads are the most obvious; anyone who isn't blind can spot them.

Through architectural cues, the path to Farron Keep becomes the most conspicuous in the eyes of adventurers, prompting them to instinctively choose to explore it.

"You can go down here," Te Er discovered a downward stone staircase at the edge of the sacrificial site, and the adventurers with him took the lead and went down it.

Below was an open space, but at the end of the open space stood a cylindrical stone building. The area beneath the building was pitch black, as if it connected to the underground, and a chilling air rushed straight to your face.

"I feel like I'll fall to my death if I jump."

This is an indispensable classic design element of Soul Wanderer – the elevator.

The elevator will only rise when someone steps on it or pulls a certain mechanism, allowing adventurers to use it.

Otherwise, it's just, "You're not qualified, you're not qualified."

However, the area below hasn't been designed by Gong Qiying yet, so it's impossible for adventurers to find the mechanisms there. For now, it's just a gimmick.

If it's to be designed in the future, this elevator door should lead to the New Londo Ruins.

"Is this place empty too?" Malu also found two elevators elsewhere. Unlike the Te Er found, one of these elevators was one that you could jump down from.

"I'll go first," the adventurer who was in her party jumped down and shouted, "No problem, you can come down!"

Malu jumped down as well, walked out of the narrow building, and appeared before her three treasure chests.

There was a wall there, and three treasure chests leaned against the base of the wall, looking very tempting.

Out of caution, she immediately threw several Flying Dagger.

"Ding ding ding—"

The treasure chest remained unmoved, so it doesn't seem to be Treasure Chest Monster.

"So many treasure chests, looks like we're going to strike it rich!" The adventurer rubbed his hands excitedly, glanced back at Malu, who nodded, before he went over and opened the chests.

[Return bone fragments x5]

[Able to immediately return to the campfire where you last rested]

Malu blinked, feeling that this gadget seemed pretty good. It could be used to escape danger.

However, it can only be used in the Zane Dungeon, which reduces its value. Hopefully, the other two chests will contain better items.

However, the other two treasure chests also contained return bone fragments.

"."

Malu and the adventurer exchanged a glance, then remained silent.

"Malu, come on up, we're leaving," Te Er's voice came from above.

"Coming right away!" Malu responded, then exclaimed "Eh!"

She noticed an exit in the wall, which was half-blocked by a treasure chest and easily missed if you didn't look closely.

She immediately became conflicted.

On one hand, there was her companion calling for help; on the other, there was a new area to explore. Which one appealed to her more?

"Of course we have to go on adventures in new places!"

Malu squeezed through the crack in the wall without hesitation, and the adventurers followed suit.

A desolate cemetery appeared before them, with scattered skeletons everywhere.

Their eyes were fixed on the light, because each tombstone was shimmering with a faint glow.

This is simply a treasure trove!

The unknown dead are about to explode with gold coins!

The adventurer excitedly rushed over, his face beaming with the joy of a bountiful harvest.

On the other side, Delu and the others had already gathered and were exchanging their findings from the exploration.

"It feels like things are getting more complicated here, which isn't good for some people," Delu said.

"No, I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing," Luo Jieer said. "Look, there are no monsters in Firelink Shrine. Whether you've just entered the dungeon or are exhausted from exploring, you can choose to come back here to rest. In the previous Zane Dungeon, you had to face dung as soon as you entered."

"Moreover, we haven't explored further yet, so we don't know how the other areas have changed," said a swordsman named "Da Er," who was also a Silver Rank adventurer.

Te Er suddenly felt uneasy, looked around, and said, "Why hasn't Malu come back yet?"

"Ah--"

No sooner had she finished speaking than Malu's scream came from not far away.

Te Er's cheek twitched; he knew something was wrong.

Hui Xin Ge, Fang Huo Nv, and others will appear in unexpected ways, but not now.