Arriving in front of the City Lord’s Mansion, Mu Xuan realized that it was actually quite easy to find.
Just like the Mage Tower, one was the tallest building in the whole town, and the other was the largest.
Looking at the two rows of Guards standing at the gates of the City Lord’s Mansion, Mu Xuan found himself at a loss for a way in.
He showed no intention of entering the City Lord’s Mansion, nor did he linger in front of it. Mu Xuan simply acted as an ordinary passerby and quickly left the area.
Finding a secluded corner, Mu Xuan took out a Fragment. This had been given to him by the Shepherd before he entered this town, and it was also a Fragment of that Divine Artifact.
When he had just passed by the City Lord’s Mansion, the Fragment trembled ever so slightly. Perhaps there was no Divine Artifact in the City Lord’s Mansion itself, but there was definitely some connection to it.
Wait a minute…
A bold idea formed in Mu Xuan’s mind.
What if the Guards at the gate would let him in because of this Fragment? Was it possible that, since he brought this Fragment into the town, it had become a symbolic object in itself?
Thinking this, Mu Xuan’s feet seemed to move of their own accord as he turned around and walked straight back toward the City Lord’s Mansion.
Very soon, Mu Xuan found himself once again at the gates of the City Lord’s Mansion.
Upon seeing Mu Xuan approach, the Guards immediately extended their swords, blocking his path and eyeing him with suspicion.
Mu Xuan took a deep breath, then slowly pulled out the Fragment of the Divine Artifact, holding it before him. Whether this would work or not depended on whether this Fragment was what he thought it was.
As he expected, the moment the Guards saw the Fragment, their expressions changed in an instant—their suspicion melted away, replaced by astonishment and reverence.
One of the Guards stepped forward, carefully inspected the Fragment, and then bowed respectfully to Mu Xuan, saying, “Please, come in.”
With that, all the Guards sheathed their swords and stood aside.
It had to be said, the Guards at the City Lord’s Mansion were much more capable than those at the city gates—one could call them elites.
After entering the City Lord’s Mansion, no one came to guide Mu Xuan. Perhaps in their minds, he already knew his way around.
Well, that worked out just fine—without anyone leading him, he was free to look around as he pleased.
The interior of the City Lord’s Mansion was lavishly decorated. Exquisite murals adorned the walls, and soft carpets covered the floors. However, it was eerily quiet inside, with hardly anyone around.
Far above, the ceiling was etched with intricate patterns, and the hanging wall lamps cast a cold, pale light.
It was strange. For a place as large as the City Lord’s Mansion, it was impossible that there would be no servants at all.
Suppressing his doubts, Mu Xuan knew he couldn’t just wander aimlessly. The Fragment in his hand trembled lightly, so Mu Xuan stretched out his hand in all directions to test the response.
In most directions, the vibration was faint, but when he pointed it toward the innermost great door, the Fragment shook violently.
Staring thoughtfully at that great door, Mu Xuan quietly layered himself with an extra shield of Light Power. Only then did he walk toward it.
The door felt incredibly solid. Giving it a gentle push, it didn’t budge at all. Pushing harder, it remained unmoving.
Seriously, why make such a heavy door? Was this really meant for normal people to open?
Grumbling to himself, Mu Xuan mustered more strength to push the door open. But it felt as if it had been welded shut—it didn’t move a bit.
Tsk…
He had at least reached the Shallow Water Layer. Even if he didn’t specialize in physical strength, his body had been enhanced by Light Power—he shouldn’t be unable to open this door.
As he puzzled over this, the Fragment in his hand suddenly vibrated more violently. If he weren’t gripping it tightly, it might have flown right out of his hand.
This only made Mu Xuan even more determined to get the door open.
Feeling out how much Light Power he had left, Mu Xuan channeled some into his hand and gave the door his all once again.
Finally, with a loud creak, a sliver of the door opened—only to come to an abrupt halt, as if some massive resistance had stopped it.
Unwilling to give up, Mu Xuan pushed again with all his might. This time, the door shook violently, and, to his astonishment, there was a sudden clang from the side of the door.
A gap appeared out of nowhere.
Looking at the small door now swung inward at the side of the main doors, Mu Xuan felt a bit embarrassed.
So all that effort—what was it for!? Turns out the main doors were just for show! The real entrance was at the sides all along.
Thank goodness no one was around. Otherwise, Mu Xuan would have to find a way to erase the witnesses’ memories.
Rubbing the Fragment in his hand to calm his embarrassment, Mu Xuan glanced around like a thief, then hurried toward the gap.
Because he had pushed so hard, the small door had fallen flat on the floor. Muttering apologies to himself, Mu Xuan tiptoed over the small door and entered a vast, dimly lit space.
There were no lamps here—only some unknown things attached to the walls, emitting a faint blue glow.
Standing directly before Mu Xuan were two rows of humanoid statues, dressed in what resembled butler attire, standing silently. Without exception, every statue stared ahead with a vacant gaze.
When the blue glow slowly shifted to a warning red, Mu Xuan suddenly noticed that, not far from him, there was an enormous head.
The head’s mouth was open in a silent scream, its face frozen in terror. Behind it, countless chains held it tightly in place.
What in the world…
Confusion gnawed at Mu Xuan, the trembling Fragment in his hand stirring a deep unease, as if something unspeakably terrifying was lurking here.
Suppressing the urge to linger, Mu Xuan quickly turned, intending to leave at once.
Whatever was happening here, it was clearly beyond his ability to handle.
However, just as Mu Xuan reached the entrance, the gap he had come through vanished.
Damn, just as I thought!!!
Slamming to a halt, Mu Xuan cursed inwardly as he stared at the vanished exit.
It always seemed that good fortune was hard to come by, but trouble was inescapable! As if a pair of invisible hands had arranged everything behind the scenes.
There was no help for it. Bracing himself, Mu Xuan turned to face the enormous head.
Those blue-glowing objects had turned entirely red, and the two rows of butler-like statues began to move, their mechanical limbs scraping with the harsh sound of rusted iron doors.
Meanwhile, the head’s expression changed from terror to agony. The chains behind it were pulled taut, producing thunderous noise.
Mu Xuan frantically looked around, considering how to respond. He didn’t have much Light Power left—dealing with these statues was not impossible, but realistically, he had little hope.
It was far more practical to focus on buying time and finding a way out.
A faint halo of light gathered in Mu Xuan’s hand as he gripped the violently trembling Fragment. When the statues, moving like machines, staggered up to him and Mu Xuan prepared to fight—
Every statue bent at the waist, bowed to Mu Xuan, and cried out in unison, “City Lord!”
Σ(っ °Д °;)っ What the hell!?