Chapter 872: Once More into the Rift
[Whoa.]
[What the heck?]
[Frosttusk, why am I sensing your particular brand of Chaos but…angrier?]
[Think… Patriarch…Zhen…Shi…not…in…a…good…mood…]
[Oooh…should we wake the maestro up for this?]
[Nah, let him sleep. We got a big day tomorrow anyways.]
[Fair.]
…
In the dead of night, the Fourth Young Master of the Zhen Clan stirred from his sleep.
Not because he sensed something was wrong…but because he needed to use the restroom.
“Freaking a…”
That said, he did have an inkling that something was going on, but he was too damn tired to give a shit.
“Toilet to the right…”
Besides, he had to be somewhat cheerful due to tomorrow’s activities.
________Eight little hours later, because people actually sleep healthy in this world…___
“Father…”
“Hermit Zhong Wei…”
“Why do you guys have black eyes?”
<"No reason,"> both old men said in huffy tones of voice that were ill-fitting for people their age.
Then again, a lot of things got said last night…and someone might’ve been punched in the gonads at some point…so let it just be known that when old men argue about something kind of dumb…it’s best to let things go.
Back to the matter at hand though…
In the bright early morning hours at Stone Claw City, the Zhen Clan gathered in front of what was once a tapped out opal mine.
The mine used to be a source of income for the city, but like every mine, it eventually ran out of minerals and was converted to cheap real estate around the same time then Mister Zhen Shi and Miss Bai Hua first came into town.
They bought up the place, built up their home and the rest was history.
However, due to reasons beyond their understanding, that abandoned mine’s entrance had suddenly transformed into the telltale tear in space that were commonly associated with wandering ruins.
Unlike the one that was previously used for the Prospector’s Challenge not too long ago though, the energy emanating from this particular entryway felt significantly purer and a touch more formidable.
To the untrained warrior, this particular type of energy would’ve evoke feelings of elation and joy, as these were the signs that something truly formidable and rare was hidden on the other side.
To the informed members of the Zhen Clan though, this aura just reinforced that this was a really dumb idea. Then again, that could’ve just been the jitters talking…or the fact that Zhen Liu hadn’t summoned his overpowered puppets yet.
The Zhen Clan had opted to double check everything that they were bringing, supplies and equipment, just to make sure that they were prepared for what was going to come next. After all, wandering ruins had a tendency to be a little…weird. Evidently, one of those double checked items was Zhen Liu’s puppets.
“Hey Xiao Liu? I don’t mean to rush you, but would it be possible to…”
“Have the puppets summoned as a form of reassurance?,” Zhen Liu finished his cousin’s question before he could complete it. “Technically yes, but on the chance that this rift in the universe acts up, I’m going to wait until after we cross it to summon them all.”
“Oh. Okay…”
“Wait, didn’t you have that jade one summoned when we went through that one during the Prospector’s Challenge?,” Zhen Yue pointed out.
“That one wasn’t radiating a weirdly intimidating aura that makes me feel like I’m staring into the eyes of a soulless beast.”
“Fair enough.”
Eventually though, the prep work came to an end, and the Zhen Clan had to be on their merry way.
“Alright, if everyone’s ready. Let’s go,” Hermit Zhong Wei declared once he saw that everyone was more or less prepared.
This would usually be the part where he would give some sort of speech or a reminder to everyone on their tasks, but frankly speaking, he was still somewhat sore from the night prior and had little desire to talk until it was necessary.
Which would be rather soon.
…
As the Zhen Clan made their way through the rift to the wandering ruins, Zhen Liu turned inward as he did. He didn’t need to participate in as a friend though.
‘Double checking something, really quick, did grandpa and that hermit dude fought each other last night?’
[We think so.]
‘Okay…why didn’t you guys wake me up to tell me about it?’
[We figured you needed to sleep.]
‘Fair enough.’
_____One warp through reality and space-time later…________
‘Vlergg… I’m never gonna get used to the feeling of my stomach being my where heart is pumping after a warp, aren’t I?’
[Probably not.]
[Nope…]
[Once again, I am thankful I don’t have any real organs…I think.]
[Producer. We’re ready to be summoned whenever you are.]
‘Aye…’
…
“Whoa…”
“Damn…”
“This place is way bigger than I thought…”
“Ey yo! Xiao Liu, you good?!”
When the Zhen Clan crosses the rift’s threshold, there was a small anticipation that the entry was going to be anything but smooth.
Wandering Ruins were known to warp in their visitors in all sorts of situations, ranging from being underwater to in the middle of a nest of Scorching Hell Hornets. Granted, the most common means of entry had always been mid-air drops.
Much to the pleasant surprise of the Zhen Clan though, it was none of these.
Instead, as the scouts reported, the scions and elders of the Zhen Clan had simply appeared on the top of a large cliff overlooking a large tropical jungle and a mysterious stone temple that had a heavy monkey motif to it’s design.
That being stated, the temple wasn’t going to be their target…yet.
Funnily enough, it was at this point in time that Hermit Zhong Wei decided to do that debriefing that was meant for before they entered the place.
Better late than never though.
<
<
Nobody verbally said anything, but the Zhen Clan elders and scions did exchange looks suggesting they knew what he was talking about about on a personal level.
<
<
<
<
He didn’t have to do it like this, but he needed to play up that these accessories were puppets and not anything more… sentient.
“One, two…cool. Summon!”
With a flick of a wrist, and a toss of the accessories, five incredibly distinct puppets appeared one after the other, right next to their assigned groups.
As weird as it sounded though, the elders and scions of the Zhen Clan swore that they saw the puppets look oddly excited about their upcoming venture, despite not showing any facial movements.
…
[Finally, a real fight!]
[It has been a while since we actually got to go wild somewhere…]
[It’s…warm…here…]
[Having been born in the middle of a war, not really seeing the fondness for it.]
[I get you, I prefer the stage to the…huh?]
[What’s up?]
[Nothing major, but I get the feeling something amazing is about to happen.]
…
With maps distributed,goals reminded and “puppets” summoned, the groups of elders and scions proceeded to mingle with one another one last time before heading off in their assigned directions.
It was during this period that Princess Jinju Ren decided to sneak up on Zhen Liu, while he was in the middle of discussing their plan of action alongside his father, Jin Fang and Rianna.
“Hey, darling,” Jinju Ren said as she tapped on Zhen Liu’s shoulder, prompting to turn around.
“Hmmm? What’s up, Jinju-Mmmf?!”
*CHUUU!*
The next thing he knew, the dragon-blooded princess from the Pearl Scale Empire decided to boldly kiss him in front of everybody after grabbing his collar and pulling him towards herself.
A few cheers, jeers and exaggerated sounds of disgust quietly echoed through the groups at the public display of affection.
After all, in a place like this, it wasn’t unwarranted.
