“The time remaining for the preparation phase is about to end.”
Phoenix observed the distant sunset and turned to check the watch on her hand. There was less than 10 minutes of the 24 hours of preparation time left.
Their group was hiding beside a clump of rocks, located at the edge of a forest of stones. There was a large stone covering their backs.
Monster stood atop the large stone. He was responsible for keeping watch.
Phoenix and the others were standing below. Sawakita Mitsuo and the others were standing together behind Phoenix.
The old man was in fact, holding onto a cup of hot tea, which he slowly sipped.
His subordinate, the middle-aged man had produced a red clay pot to cook tea.
“Drinking a cup of fragrant tea in such a cold weather is a magnificent form of enjoyment,” said Sawakita Mitsuo who put down the cup of tea. He fanned himself and said, “Guild Leader Phoenix, do you want a cup?”
Phoenix looked at the old man and pursed her lips before saying, “Thank you for the offer, Sir Generalissimo. However, I do not like to drink tea.”
“Ah, that’s right. There are too few among you youngsters who like to enjoy tea.” The old man lamented and sighed.
Phoenix narrowed her eyes and silently looked at the old man. The bewilderment in her heart gradually increased.
Although they had formed an alliance, Phoenix had been secretly observing Sawakita Mitsuo since they first encountered each other.
This infamous ‘Shogunate Generalissimo’!
Truth be told, this was quite an awkward situation. This Sawakita Mitsuo was indeed someone with quite some fame within the world of Awakened ones. When the name ‘Shogunate Generalissimo’ was mentioned, the ones who would recognize the name were not limited to those in Asia. His name was quite well-known even in Europe and the US.
The bewildering thing was, his reputation was not some glorious one.
In terms of strength, this old man was not weak at all. Phoenix judged that he was quite extraordinary in that regard.
However, the reason for his fame and reputation was extremely peculiar!
The name ‘Shogunate Generalissimo’ was a very well-known name within the world of the Awakened ones. However, it was not because he was known to be someone with overwhelming power. Neither was it because he had successfully completed some instance dungeons that were exceptionally difficult to complete. Even more so, it was not because he had defeated some incredibly famed experts. Naturally, it was also not because he had a remarkable battle record.
The reason was…
He had survived for a long time!
Too damned long!
Most importantly, this old man was famous because he was…
Cowardly and averagely weak!
No one had ever heard of him becoming enemies with anyone within the world of Awakened ones. Naturally, no one had also heard of anyone being particularly good friends with him.
When famed experts hear his name ‘Shogunate Generalissimo’, they would laugh and say “Oh, that old tortoise.”
Or “Oh, that slippery old man who cherishes life a lot.”
Indeed, fearful of death, vigilant, slippery, never to take risks, never to offend people and long lived.
Those were the most outstanding traits of his reputation.
Even his nickname ‘Shogunate Generalissimo’ was derived from those traits.
The one who founded the Tokugawa Shogunate in feudal Japan, Tokugawa Ieyasu!
This old tortoise from the Sengoku Era in Japan was famed for his ability to tolerate, his vigilance, his love for life and his longevity!
He outlasted the various heroes of the Sengoku Era of Japan. All the warlords who were his contemporaries like Oda Nobunaga the Demon King died before him. Thus, Tokugawa Ieyasu was left to fill the vacuum and obtain the world. He established the Tokugawa Shogunate and became the Shogunate Generalissimo.
That was how Sawakita Mitsuo’s nickname came to be.
Calling him Shogunate Generalissimo was in fact, their way of making fun of him for being a cowardly tortoise. His ability to tolerate, his love for hanging onto dear life and his longevity; excluding all those, there were nothing else of note about him.
Yet, Phoenix did not share those thoughts.
In her opinion, for this old man to be able to survive this long… in the world of Awakened ones, although the Awakened ones would sometimes look upon him with disdain for not having any prominent list of accomplishments…
There was one thing of note for Phoenix. Not a single Awakened was hostile toward him!
He survived for so many years. Yet, none regarded him as an enemy!
Putting that fact into consideration, this old man was more than meets the eye!
So what if one person looked down on him? So what if a whole group of people looked down on him?
However… it would appear that everyone had come to the tacit agreement that he was useless and was one without any special abilities.
Yet someone like him could survive this long within such a dangerous game!
This… this was a skill in itself!
The more she observed, the more Phoenix felt that there was more to this old man!
…
Sawakita Mitsuo gulped down the last cup of tea and rubbed his stomach in content.
The middle-aged man knelt down beside him and said while bowing his head, “Great Teacher, for our next move…”
“We’ll just follow Guild Leader Phoenix’s arrangements. I’m old now. It would be best to let the young deal with these matters. Besides, although Guild Leader Phoenix is young, I think she is quite the outstanding character.” Sawakita Mitsuo stretched his waist and continued, “As for what to do next, just listen to her. There is no need to ask me.”
It appeared the middle-aged man was used to this situation. He nodded his head in a respectful manner.
Nagase Komi was seated beside them. She abruptly stood up with a cold expression on her face. She performed a light bow toward Sawakita Mitsuo before walking forward.
This bald girl walked until she reached the back of the large stone. That was where Han Bi was left, tied and on the ground.
She walked until she was beside Han Bi. Then, she suddenly extended her hand. Her fingernails transformed into a sharp blade, which she used to cut the cloth used to gag Han Bi.
Her actions surprised Han Bi. He exercised his mouth and tongue before asking, “You… what do you want?”
Nagase Komi narrowed her eyes and looked at Han Bi and his thick pair of eyebrows that were like brushes. “Your name Han Bi… I have heard of your name before.”
Han Bi was shocked and he replied, “My name?” He then shook his head and smiled bitterly. “I am just some nameless and minor character.”
There was a serious expression on Nagase Komi’s face and her eyes were cold. “I did not make a mistake. I have indeed heard of your name before. You come from Nanjing… as it so happened, the one who mentioned your name also came from Nanjing.”
“… eh?” There was a trace of surprise on Han Bi’s face.
“It was back in Tokyo, Japan,” said Nagase Komi who continued to observe Han Bi’s eyes. “The one who mentioned you… one of them is called Roddy. The other one… Chen Xiaolian. Back then, we call him Guild Leader Xiaolian. I think… you should be acquainted with them, right?”
Han Bi. “… … …”
…
“One more minute.”
Chen Xiaolian checked the time before stopping the SUV.
The SUV was presently travelling on the wasteland, away from the canyon.
He had not spent the earlier time sitting idle. Instead, he had driven into the wasteland. Since there was a need to wait anyways, he might as well use the time to map out more of the terrain.
When the countdown for the preparation phase was about to finally come to an end, Chen Xiaolian stopped the car.
He turned to Ta Wang and asked, “So… what next?”
Ta Wang said in a hushed tone, “Turn to face the west, facing the setting sun. Mm, do you have a compass? Get it out to measure the angle at which the sun is setting. You only have one chance.”
Mm?
Chen Xiaolian thought about it and pulled out a compass. Then, he turned the SUV to face the sun that was slowly setting.
The light from the setting sun was harsh and it stung their eyes.
When Chen Xiaolian inspected his compass, his eyes lit up!
Generally speaking, the ‘sun would rise from the east and set in the west’. Thus, the direction where the sun is setting should be in the west.
Naturally, it was possible for some discrepancies to occur due to differences in seasons. In some seasons, it would be slightly to the southwest. In others, it would be slightly to the northwest.
Generally speaking, it would be in the west.
At that moment however, the surface of the compass showed that the sun was setting in the…
North!
“North? Why is the compass showing north?” Chen Xiaolian frowned. “Could there be interference nearby? Or did the compass failed?”
Ta Wang hesitated before replying, “There is no interference. This happened because the setting for this instance dungeon is simply so.”
He sighed and quickly said, “Just think about it. Imagine the compass as a 24 hour dial. If so, the direction north would represent…”
“North is zero! And also… 24 o’clock!” Chen Xiaolian’s eyes lit up and he continued, “This is what you meant when you said that this instance dungeon’s safety zone would open after 24 hours?”
Ta Wang replied in a whisper, “Correct. That was surmised by judging the sun’s positioning.”
“You mean, the direction of the setting sun?”
“No, not the direction of the setting sun.” Ta Wang smiled wryly. “After all, we cannot be certain on when we entered this instance dungeon. What if the instance dungeon began in the morning? Or evening? Thus, it is not the direction of the setting sun. Rather, it is the positioning of the sun. When you first enter this instance dungeon, you will need to quickly measure the positioning of the sun. Then, put it on the surface of the compass and imagine that it is a 24-hour dial. That way, you can measure when the Player mode will begin. This is a hidden mechanism within the system.”
“What happens if we happen to enter at night?”
“In that case, look at the moon,” said Ta Wang after thinking about it. “Up till now, I have only encountered two punishment instance dungeons that began at night. Use the positioning of the moon and use the same method to determine the time.”
Chen Xiaolian felt himself becoming more curious. “This is new.”
Ta Wang whispered, “Don’t look away! It’s coming! Once the time comes, it will appear! We must be directly facing the setting sun without a single deviation! Once a deviation occurs, we won’t be able to see the guiding point!”
Chen Xiaolian’s heart grew tense and he carefully adjusted the position of the SUV according to the angle in the compass. Soon, he had finished adjusting their position.
The end of the countdown gradually grew nearer.
Three… two… one…
Suddenly, Chen Xiaolian saw a green light coming from the direction of the setting sun!
The green coloured light was similar to the green coloured curtain of light present whenever he entered an instance dungeon!
No, it was not similar! It was exactly the same!
The light suddenly shone out. Because they were at the right angle, Chen Xiaolian was able to see it clearly!
Ta Wang who was sitting beside him suddenly became excited. He shouted, “This is the light! This is the light! Follow it!”
This is the light?!
…