It Fell to Its Death

Looking at the key in his captain's hand, Ta Mi suddenly clapped his hands, as if struck by a flash of inspiration, and said, "There must be other treasure vaults and other keys, and the rewards will definitely be better than the treasure vaults that the key we have now can open! We need to find the remaining keys!" Everyone looked at him calmly, without any extra emotional change. Because his conclusion was obvious. If they couldn't even guess this much information, they wouldn't be a Strategy Team. Ta Mi noticed the atmosphere gradually cooling down, feeling a bit lost, like he had just sent a "Hello everyone" in a chat group and then the chat had fallen silent. Someone should praise him! Lu Lu Wo was even planning to do it herself. "Wow, you're so amazing! I didn't even think of that!" Just then, Fudolin suddenly approached Ta Mi with sparkling eyes and said this. This made Ta Mi pout, and he kept scratching his head shyly, saying, "It's nothing, it's nothing." "Fudolin, you really are someone who cares about your teammates!" Lu Lu Wo's evaluation of the newcomer rose another point. Things were developing in the direction Fudolin hoped for. Would she be even happier if she knew Lu Lu Wo's thoughts? However, praising Ta Mi wasn't something she did intentionally. She genuinely lacked common sense about adventure and truly hadn't expected a single key to trigger such a series of events! "There are so many runes after their deaths." Although she hadn't calculated it precisely, the number of runes produced by the Blood Dynasty's Blood Noble was undoubtedly at least on par with, and even greater than, the Giant Guards of Anor Londo. No wonder they felt like Elite Monsters in combat. After dealing with the enemy, the group began walking along the unexplored cave, of course, burning the pools of blood beforehand. Even after burning them, other monsters still appeared, all resembling those from other areas. For example, Bat Monster, giant ants, and other monsters found in other regions. The only two differences between them and the original monsters were probably that they were much stronger and their entire bodies were a deep red, as if they had been soaked in blood. "Actually Aisi and Aimu came too," Ta Mi said, sprinkling Repair Light Powder on his one-handed sword, "But they were accidentally beaten to death by the rampaging Platinum Child. Before they died, they said they wanted to go back and rest." "The Platinum Child here are indeed strange. It's not a big deal that we fell into their hands," Lu Lu Wo nodded. It wasn't just the Platinum Child were strange. Rather, all the monsters in the Blood Dynasty were strange. After successfully reuniting with Ta Mi and the others, the group formed a standard Exploration Team for the Skyrim Strategy Team, exploring the entire Blood Dynasty according to their usual routine. The entire exploration process emphasized "steady progress," absolutely avoiding greed and rash advances, absolutely not taking the initiative to attack, and absolutely not venturing into anything suspicious. Once adventurers learn this method, they can avoid most traps, and even mountains of gold and silver wouldn't shake their resolve. When adventurers' explorations produce such results, the Zane Dungeon will also change accordingly. The dungeon records the adventurers' exploration styles and adjusts accordingly the next time they enter. For example, when dealing with teams like the Skyrim Strategy Team, who have already overcome their arrogance and impatience, thoroughly exploring the entire map before looking for shortcuts, the dungeon will reduce the appearance of some traps, redistribute the difficulty represented by these traps to monsters, increase the probability of adventurers encountering monsters head-on, and fine-tune the distribution of monster group types. These are all pre-set by Gong Qiying; he doesn't need to actively check, the Zane Dungeon will automatically act according to these standards. "Finally out." After emerging from the cave safely, even the light of the night sky outside was dazzling. After truly exiting the dark cave, the scene that everyone saw could finally be considered a "spectacle." "Are those buildings... prototypes?" When their vision penetrated to the end of the cave, they saw a vast Blood Lake before them, a giant lake formed by the accumulation of blood! The lake, gleaming with an eerie light like a deep ruby, exuded an ominous aura. What creature could have produced such a massive amount of blood? A broken cliff separated the group from the lake, leading to a bottomless abyss. The blood formed a waterfall cascading into the abyss; any creature that fell in would die instantly. Where did that lead? Looking towards the end of the Blood Lake, towering mountains rose again. But this time, the mountains bore signs of human intervention. A palace built of massive stones, clearly unfinished, sat atop the mountain, radiating an eerie aura as if concealing a great secret. "Could that be the residence of the so-called Blood Monarch?" "According to White Mask, that guy is currently spending the night with his mate?" "Do you have binoculars? I need to see! I need to see!" "Captain, please watch your words. Besides, our binoculars can't see over there." Bei Er Tuo put down his binoculars, letting out a disappointed sigh. Although the telescopes couldn't see it, everyone immediately designated that place as their primary exploration target, followed by the blood-red lake. Around the lake grew withered, menacing black trees resembling ghostly claws, and perched on them were large and small blood-red crows, identical to the large crows on Caelid's side except for their color. Seeing these creatures sent chills down everyone's spines; they hated beast-like enemies the most. "With such a large chasm in between, the monster shouldn't be able to get here, right?" Ta Mi tentatively moved closer to the cliff edge. The next moment, a series of strange cries erupted. The largest crow closest to them let out a piercing scream, flapping its wings and swooping down on them! "Damn it, can it really fly over?!" Everyone instantly assumed full fighting stances. Fudolin even gently gathered her fist, ready to deliver a powerful punch if the crow dared to swoop down, giving it a taste of ping-pong! However, their fears didn't materialize. The next second, in the blink of an eye, the giant raven's body completely vanished. "..." Everyone exchanged bewildered glances. Finally, Ta Mi hesitated before speaking, "If I'm not mistaken, it just fell and died?" Lu Lu Wo looked at her increased runes and nodded in agreement, "It definitely died from the fall." Another silence fell. Bei Er Tuo, looking at the remaining giant raven, pushed up his glasses with trembling hands and said, "Is it possible—I mean, is it possible to repeatedly lure those giant ravens off the cliff to obtain enough runes?" As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Lu Wo threw several Flying Dagger at the other giant ravens, successfully attracting the attention of a group of monsters. However, apart from one giant raven being pushed off the cliff by its own kind rushing towards it, the remaining giant ravens lingered at the edge of the Blood Lake, staring at them with venomous eyes, refusing to fall. Seeing this, Lu Lu Wo shrugged and said, "Monsters aren't stupid; they wouldn't be foolish enough to jump off a cliff." What about that giant raven earlier? Bei Er Tuo didn't speak, but a thought formed in his mind. The giant raven seemed intelligent, but not very intelligent. Some had already jumped off the cliff, and others had been pushed off by their companions. If he could take advantage of the raven's volatile nature, could he make a giant raven jump off the cliff by being pushed off by its companions? He wasn't greedy; two or three giant ravens being pushed off would be enough. After all, these monsters were valuable, and who wouldn't want a chance to get two or three giant raven runes for free once a day? A mysterious, awe-inspiring white light flashed in Bei Er Tuo's eyes as he muttered to himself, "Finding shortcuts is indeed our strength." With the cliff as a natural barrier, they didn't need to worry about the giant raven crossing over and launching a surprise attack for the time being. They turned and walked along the only path beside the cave exit. Although the route was fixed, based on the overhead view, they would definitely reach the "palace" atop the mountain if they followed this path. Although no one said it aloud, everyone was incredibly interested in the Blood Monarch's supposed "pleasure night." The scene of meeting such a powerful figure in the Zane Dungeon was truly awesome! Look, even the innocent young boy Ta Mi, was blushing, seemingly lost in thought. "Speaking of which, were there any mentions of the Blood Monarch in the previous footage or intelligence?" he asked, trying to divert attention. "Wasn't that amulet just now?" Lu Lu Wo took out the [Blood Monarch's Delight], pointing to the image carved on it, and said, "This is probably what the Blood Monarch looks like." The image carved on the amulet was definitely not human, but a monster dressed in a magnificent robe, its head covered in ferocious horns, one of which was even stuck into its eye. A menacing aura emanated from it. What's even more puzzling is: "Why does he look a bit like the Ominous Demon?" "Who knows? Maybe they're the same race, or maybe they're brothers." Lu Lu Wo shrugged, indicating that none of that mattered. Because the topic of conversation was too profound, Fudolin, who knew almost nothing about the Zane Dungeon, listlessly looked at the surrounding scenery. Unfortunately, the stench emanating from the Blood Lake made it impossible for her to relax; she found it unbearable. Just then, she saw a faint golden light shimmering by the roadside. Golden light? This color was completely out of place in the Blood Dynasty. When she got closer, she discovered that the source of the light was actually a plant with a style quite incongruous with its surroundings. [Miquella's Water Lily] "Why Guild Master in a place like this?" Fudolin reached out to touch it, but the water lily suddenly vanished, and a sharp pain shot through her arm. She blinked, and saw a twig stuck in her hand, blood trickling from the wound. That twig was... the Bewitching Branch.