Chereads / Cataclysm Card King / Chapter 50 - Chapter 58: Maze Settlement

Chapter 50 - Chapter 58: Maze Settlement

Nan Jing woke up abruptly.

She looked around and recalled the last scene before she fainted, urgently asking, "Mr. Ji Xun, where's Sister Chu Jiu?"

Hearing this, Ji Xun glanced at his pocket watch and said calmly, "Eight hours ago. She went out first."

Eight hours?

Nan Jing felt a surge of anxiety, her eyes trembling with worry. "But..."

Though she was a bit slow to react, she quickly understood why Chu Jiu had chosen to leave alone.

It was to avoid implicating her.

Ji Xun didn't bother to explain further. He stood up and said, "Since you're awake, we should prepare to leave too."

Chu Jiu had gone out early, so at least those targeting her outside should be gone.

The danger had lessened somewhat.

As for whether that old friend could survive, Ji Xun didn't know.

Now he had to think about what to do once they got out.

They had already been in this Great Graveyard Maze for nearly seven days.

The outside must be bustling.

Thinking of this, Ji Xun reminded her, "The situation outside is very complicated. Be careful when we go out."

He himself had the ability of "Shadow Navigation," allowing him a good chance to escape in the dark wilderness of the Great Graveyard.

But this might not be the case for her.

Though she was a formal curse card master, spirit summoners weren't skilled in stealth or escape.

Nan Jing was still preoccupied with Chu Jiu's situation and replied absentmindedly, "Oh."

Ji Xun looked at the looter outfit Nan Jing was wearing and thought of something. He took out a set of black clothes from his storage ring and said, "Change your clothes. Your current outfit is quite troublesome. Also, swap the gas mask and wear a leather hat to cover your hair."

This was a coroner's work uniform.

Though Nan Jing's attire looked like a hunter's outfit, the punk-style leather jacket under the burlap cloak made her look more like a looter. With the Governor's people dead in the maze, anyone leaving would be suspected.

However, coroners from the Golden Oak Security Company belonged to a neutral force, and generally, no one would trouble people in this profession.

If they were discovered upon exiting, they would at least have some reaction time.

Nan Jing thought it over and understood Ji Xun's intention. She accepted the clothes and said, "Thank you."

The coroner's work uniform was like a hazmat suit, a black one-piece suit that could be worn over other clothing.

Nan Jing put on the clothes and didn't avoid Ji Xun while removing her gas mask.

She had a pretty face.

Ji Xun glanced at her, as expected, she was a cute girl with a bun, fair skin, and shallow dimples at the corners of her mouth.

Once she put on the full-face gas mask again, her gender became indiscernible.

Ji Xun had a lingering question and asked, "Miss Nan, do you know who wants to kill Chu Jiu?"

Nan Jing hesitated, her crystalline eyes wavering.

But looking at Ji Xun, she decided to speak, "It might be... her family."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Ji Xun didn't ask further.

He had already guessed it earlier.

The only thing that could make Chu Jiu so dejected was likely a very important close relative.

As for why they wanted to kill her, it was quite puzzling.

Ji Xun didn't dwell on it.

He also put on an exceptional leather armor he found in the Frost Knight's storage ring and said, "Let's go, it's time to settle and leave."

As they approached the distorted light gate, the prompt appeared.

"Congratulations on clearing the 'Great Graveyard Maze'"

"Exploration rate 57%, achieved an A-grade evaluation, fixed reward 100%"

"Puzzle Master: Random card reward +50%"

"BOSS Slayer: +0%"

"Completed core hidden plot exploration *1, treasure chest draw rare probability +35%"

"Overall evaluation A-, received 2 clearance treasure chests"

Even after clearing it, they only got an A- rating.

This was also within Ji Xun's expectations.

There were some critical clues they hadn't found, and they had hardly killed any monsters.

The main reason Ji Xun and his team could clear the maze was due to the path the Governor's people had forcefully created. This missed a crucial mainline task, which was finding a safe way to avoid the guardians of secrets.

In "puzzle mode," this was considered a shortcut.

Moreover, high-level card masters participating in low-level instances would naturally receive significantly lower ratings.

Overall, though, it was acceptable.

The lottery probabilities displayed by the prompt were also decent: "55% chance for a common reward, 35% for a black iron reward, 9.5% for a silver reward, and 0.5% for a special rare reward."

Ji Xun looked at the cards in front of him and casually chose two.

His luck was good; the first card revealed a silver glow.

Although the clearance rating wasn't high, his "clearance master" hidden lottery bonus was substantial, so drawing a silver card wasn't surprising.

**[Rare Silver Skeleton Bone]**

*Quality: Silver*

*Details: Hardness +8; a rare dark-type bone material with exceptionally strong necromantic properties and extraordinary strength;*

The maze's most common material was various bones. Seeing the white skeleton bone before him, Ji Xun was already very satisfied.

For a D-level instance, silver was the best possible material.

This was exceptionally lucky.

The bone was also a common material for melee job advancements, and such high-quality materials were rarely seen on the market. Ji Xun thought it would be great for his own use.

However, after looting the Frost Knights' trophies earlier, he didn't feel much excitement over this rare material.

He used a containment card to store the skeleton bone.

The second chest yielded some black iron materials.

His luck was still pretty good.

But at this moment, Nan Jing beside him seemed to have seen something troubling. She turned her head and said, "Mr. Ji Xun, I got a map from my clearance settlement."

Saying this, she handed over an old-looking map.

**[Tomb Passage Map of the Mad King Augustus]**

*Details: The craftsman who built the Mad King's tomb knew he wouldn't survive, so he cleverly left an escape passage. Following this passage, you can enter and exit the legendary tomb.*

Ji Xun looked at the map; it seemed to point to the ancient king's tomb mentioned by the maze.

But it didn't say where the tomb was.

Maybe it would be useful in the future.

For now, he was more curious about something else, so he asked Nan Jing, "What was your hidden draw probability?"

Nan Jing said, "10%."

Ji Xun's eyebrows raised inexplicably: "..."

Sure enough.

In a probability-based card game, there were always the lucky and the unlucky ones.

He didn't need to ask to know that Nan Jing's clearance rating wasn't high, probably a C.

But she still managed to draw a hidden reward...

Ji Xun suddenly felt that his silver material wasn't as impressive.

While he was still thinking, Nan Jing handed him the map, bowed slightly, and politely said, "Thank you. Without you, Mr. Ji Xun, I wouldn't have survived the maze. I don't have much to offer in thanks, but this map is more suitable for a puzzle master like you."

"..."

Ji Xun looked at the map now in his hand, his expression slightly odd.

This thank you left him a bit at a loss.

Though, looking back, this spirit summoner indeed played the role of a burden in their three-person team.

So earlier, Ji Xun had felt justified in taking the six Frost Knight trophies and that jar for himself.

Thinking any debt would be owed to Chu Jiu.

But unexpectedly, Nan Jing's "thank you" made him feel a bit guilty.

Regardless of the map's value, her sincerity was clear.

Ji Xun chuckled softly, not lingering further, and put away the map before activating his clown mask.

Without exchanging more words, the two stepped into the twisted light gate.

...

The scenery around them changed. Ji Xun found that they were now on a small hill shrouded in fog.

The light was dim, and there was a thick mist everywhere.

The name "Eastern Suburb Cemetery" referred to a large area of mass graves, spanning several kilometers.

The entrances and exits of this dimensional space were random fog clusters drifting over the cemetery.

So even if they were surrounded, Ji Xun doubted the Governor's mansion had that many people.

The most important point was that this was the underworld, with no sun or moon. Only steam-era lighting devices provided illumination, which was far from enough to cover such a vast area.

The situation upon emerging was much better than expected. Not having guns pointed at their heads was a relief.

Both Ji Xun and Nan Jing sighed in unison.

But there were lights flickering all over the desolate hills, indicating many people were around.

Just as they came out, someone suddenly shouted, "Look! The entrance to the 'Grand Cemetery Maze' has reappeared!"

This shout was like a spark igniting a powder keg.

Lights flashed everywhere.

"Hahaha, let's go in and make a fortune..."

"The Governor's people are here too, be careful!"

"Call for reinforcements, Battle Bear Hunter Group, charge with me!!!"

"Damn it, hurry up, the space door is closing."

"..."

These weren't the Governor's men; they were hunters.

Hearing the cacophony of yelling, Ji Xun immediately understood what was happening.

Almost seven days had passed, and news of Governor Cao Sihai's ambush had likely spread throughout Innocence City.

For hunters, conspiracies meant nothing.

Everyone knew by now that Governor Cao Sihai and an elite Frost Knight regiment were trapped in the maze.

Since it was an ambush, the plotters must have been confident in their success.

The "Grand Cemetery Maze" was an untimed dimensional space.

For it to reopen, either everyone inside had to clear it, or they all had to be dead.

The fact was clear: not a single Governor's man had come out.

They were likely all dead.

And these weren't paupers from the lower city but a well-equipped noble regiment!

Hunters were well-versed in such situations.

This meant that the elite gear on the Frost Knights' bodies was probably left in the maze.

Finding a piece of noble equipment would guarantee overnight wealth.

This was a far better return than clearing some high-difficulty dimensional spaces!

...

Even Ji Xun felt a bit tempted.

But he quickly dismissed the thought.

His haul this time was already enough. The jar was too sensitive, and unpredictable supernatural methods were hard to defend against. Escaping promptly was the wise choice.

Not only would hunters want to go in, but the Governor's men would surely want to go in to find Cao Sihai or clues to the ambush.

So there would definitely be clashes between the two groups.

The cemetery suddenly became lively.

After someone discovered the maze entrance again, gunfire immediately erupted.

Elsewhere, no one would dare to offend the Governor's men.

But this was Innocence City.

The exiled criminals had no qualms, regardless of noble status.

One word: fight!

In this dark, chaotic suburb, whether killing monsters for loot or killing people for loot, the result was the same.

The fighting grew more intense, with gunfire and explosions booming.

This chaos provided cover for Ji Xun and Nan Jing.

Taking advantage of the darkness and confusion, the two slipped away quietly.