CHAPTER 254: CHAPTER 64: CHARLOTTE (4TH UPDATE, EXTRA FOR ALLIANCE HIERARCH ’SU XIAO CHAN~’)

The flames in the furnace at the center of the clearing gradually extinguished, with the nearby large machinery coming to a halt and the steam slowly dispersing.

Su Xiao wasn’t clear on the purpose of these machines, but destroying them might aid future actions.

With the sharpness of Dragon Slash, damaging these machines was no problem. Soon, the steel machinery in the clearing was severely damaged.

Surveying the surroundings, Su Xiao noticed an elevator in the corner of the clearing. The elevator looked old, with a simple structure, only a metal frame suspended by a steel cable, somewhat similar to a lift.

Besides this elevator, there was no other route in the clearing. Su Xiao entered the elevator, followed closely by Bubute Ni and the Little Emperor.

Inside the elevator was a lever. Su Xiao exerted some force, and with a "ka" sound, the elevator first shook slightly, accompanied by the sound of mechanisms operating around them. A few seconds later, the elevator began to ascend slowly.

Squeak, squeak...

The sound of metal friction was harsh. The elevator could barely function, but Su Xiao felt that it could fall apart at any moment. Bubute Ni huddled closely against his leg, frightened.

As the elevator ascended, the surrounding scenery transformed from black stone walls to a metallic texture.

Crunch!

The elevator suddenly dipped downward, and Su Xiao steadied himself by shifting his center of gravity downwards.

A few seconds later, the elevator returned to normal and continued to ascend slowly.

The bottom was already unfathomably deep, and if the elevator malfunctioned now, it would be a major problem.

Fortunately, though the elevator appeared unimposing, it was exceptionally sturdy and encountered no further issues afterward.

A few minutes later, the elevator stopped after ascending roughly a hundred meters, which was undoubtedly good news, bringing Su Xiao closer to the surface.

Outside the elevator was something resembling a large factory. The factory appeared old, sprawling across a sizable area, segmented into individual compartments forming numerous corridors, complex and winding.

Upon entering the large factory, a row of several-meter-high test tubes came into view, containing bizarre animals suspended in them, most of them dangerous species, and occasionally humans could be seen.

These dangerous species or humans looked strange; some dangerous species had two heads, others had dozens of arms.

These additional parts had signs of stitching, while some were simply connected by metal, with rivets visible.

These dangerous species exhibited no signs of life and quietly lay immersed in the solution.

"Which direction should we go next?"

Su Xiao stepped into the factory, needing the Little Emperor to guide him at this point.

"Probably that way."

The Little Emperor pointed to the right.

"Probably?"

"My intuition disappeared upon reaching here."

Su Xiao’s eyes burned as he stared intently at the Little Emperor, causing the Little Emperor to take several steps back.

"I’m not lying this time."

"..."

After hesitating for a moment, Su Xiao proceeded in the direction indicated by the Little Emperor since there were no other choices.

After walking for a while in the factory, Su Xiao suddenly heard footsteps from afar but didn’t sense any creatures approaching. The footsteps grew closer.

Su Xiao quickly scanned his surroundings, noticing the many compartments sectioned off by iron plates, and randomly chose one to enter.

In fact, not only the Little Emperor’s intuition was gone; upon arriving here, Su Xiao’s Perception Force had also significantly weakened, suppressed by something, reducing his perception range to less than two meters.

The compartment looked like a small laboratory equipped with numerous apparatuses and test tubes, appearing to be an alchemist’s workspace.

Upon entering the compartment, Su Xiao’s pupils contracted, gripping Dragon Slash tightly, ready for combat.

Inside the compartment was a peculiar Cave Person, and what made it unusual was that this Cave Person wore a yellowing white coat, with one arm of metallic structure, holding a test tube while testing something at the experiment table.

Their eyes met, and the Cave Person looked at Su Xiao with delight, neither attacking nor yelling.

"A human from the surface?"

The strange Cave Person unexpectedly spoke human language, though the tone was somewhat odd.

"Yes."

Su Xiao halted his forward motion. He wasn’t sure of the individual’s origin, and there were unknown enemies approaching outside. If this Cave Person suddenly shouted, it would be troublesome.

The situation was somewhat unexpected; the Cave Person looked at him with pure joy.

"Humans... Finally, humans have arrived here, marvelous."

The eccentric Cave Person set down the test tube, eyeing Su Xiao and the others from head to toe.

The footsteps outside grew louder, and the Cave Person’s expression changed.

"Shh, don’t make a sound."

Su Xiao was taken aback. The individual seemed very afraid of being noticed by the creatures outside.

"Outside is a patrol unit; you’re not their match, trust me."

The strange Cave Person rushed to the door. Su Xiao stepped aside cautiously, given the unknown background of the individual.

The Cave Person shut the compartment door tightly, genuinely fearing that Su Xiao and the others might be discovered.

The footsteps gradually receded, and the Cave Person let out a long sigh of relief.

"Humans... people from the surface, hahaha, excellent, I finally have the chance to leave, to escape this cursed place. It’s been six hundred years, I’ve been trapped here for six hundred thirty-one years, five months, and seven days."

As the Cave Person spoke, tears flowed uncontrollably.

"Honorable humans, my name is Sherlock. I was created by an alchemist deserving damnation, meant to assist in nonsensical research."

The peculiar Cave Person, namely Sherlock, appeared enthusiastic, as if encountering Su Xiao and the others was the best thing to ever happen. Yet those crafty eyes suggested a high level of intelligence and ulterior motives.

"Honorable humans, may I ask where you entered from? Was it from the direction of the Shrine or the Alchemy Gate?"

Sherlock’s eyes were full of anticipation.

Su Xiao pondered secretly; the Cave Person named Sherlock seemed desperate to leave this place. The backstory was apparent: Sherlock was an Alchemical Creature.

If what Sherlock said was true, then he had existed for several centuries. The lifespan of a Cave Person was merely thirty years. Other than being transformed into an Alchemical Creature, there was no other possibility.

Sherlock’s arm was made of metal, with glimpses of metal beneath the collar.

An Alchemical Creature desiring to leave here, having survived for centuries, must be familiar with this place. A smile appeared on Su Xiao’s face; the Little Emperor possibly no longer mattered.

"We came from the direction of the Shrine."

"Tupa Ba, Fresse Arte... (unknown language)"

Sherlock cursed in Cave Person’s speech, the hope in his eyes extinguished.

"Isn’t there an emergency exit here? Why don’t you leave through that?"

Su Xiao sheathed Dragon Slash. Sherlock’s strength wasn’t formidable; Su Xiao could resolve it unarmed within a minute.

"The emergency exit can only be used by the Royal Family. Creatures like me... would be discarded after use. Damn the alchemist, and damn the Royal Family to hell."

Sherlock’s metal arm creaked as he clenched his fist.

"Sherlock, come here."

Su Xiao called Sherlock to a nearby corner. Though the individual’s full intention wasn’t clear, the desire to leave seemed genuine. As for the character, cunning was written all over his face.

Compared to the often shallow, actually a bit silly Little Emperor, Su Xiao preferred to collaborate with Sherlock.

In the corner, Su Xiao spoke softly to Sherlock:

"I’m Bai Ye, and my goal is to leave here as well. Let’s collaborate and escape."

Sherlock rubbed his chin, gave Su Xiao a glance, and whispered back:

"We share the same goal. But the big hole from the Shrine is at least several hundred meters high. Entering is easy without triggering any mechanism, but exiting is difficult; there are hundreds of different mechanisms, and flying won’t suffice."

With that, Sherlock sighed.

"I have been trapped here for centuries. I know how magnificent the outside world is. Can you understand this agony?"

Su Xiao patted Sherlock’s shoulder.

"A truly tragic fate. You mentioned the emergency exit can only be used by the Royal Family; what do you mean by that?"

"Oh, that. The door to the emergency exit was originally crafted by an alchemist under royal orders. It uses a special method to verify the activator’s bloodline. The door is essentially a non-intelligent Alchemical Creature, made with Fine Gold, Carmen Circuit, Bayacinna Element..."

Sherlock rambled on, evidently with considerable alchemical prowess after centuries of entrapment.

"Stop, I don’t understand. Essentially, someone from the Royal Family can open that door?"

"Yes, but no. The royal bloodline activates the door. I know the subsequent method to open it, but what’s the use?"

Su Xiao inwardly rejoiced but maintained a stoic expression. Sherlock was much more dependable than the Little Emperor.

"Did you see the little kid?"

"Who is he?"

"A direct member of the Royal Family."

Sherlock froze, eyes wide, face showing immense delight but failed to conceal his resentment.

"Friend, I must be your most reliable partner. Let’s leave together."

Sherlock was so excited that his body shook.

"Alright, let’s leave together."

Su Xiao and Sherlock turned to gaze at the Little Emperor, who instinctively took several steps backward.