Cataclysm King

 Chapter 174 Weird traceback

Looking at Old Man Xu trotting from a distance, Ji Xun instinctively thought it was some kind of monster that had transformed into a disaster, and he was ready to take action.

 But when he glanced out of the corner of his eye, he was surprised to find that Old Man Xu behind him was missing!

"Huh?"

 Ji Xun then realized that something was strange.

 Teleport through the air?

 Che Er next to him also discovered this.

He knew his grandfather better than anyone else, and after confirming that it was him, he exclaimed: "Grandpa, why did you suddenly run over there?"

"What?"

Old man Xu looked even more confused. He looked at Ji Xun and the others and asked, "I also want to ask why you disappeared and came here without making a sound, so that I can find the old man easily."

　　　　???”

When Ji Xun and the other three heard this, their expressions all showed confusion.

 We didn’t just get off the bus together, why can’t we run?

When old man Xu walked up to him, Ji Xun also observed carefully, and then he was sure that this was the wretched old man and not some monster.

 But now that it’s confirmed, it’s even more puzzling.

 The four people looked at each other with big eyes and small eyes.

However, after thinking about what he just said, Ji Xun vaguely realized that it might not be the problem with the people, but the problem with the ruins of Xia Mu City.

He looked at old man Xu in front of him and asked, "Senior, were you in the ruins before?"

Old man Xu obviously didn't understand what happened, and said, "That's right. You guys suddenly disappeared, and I looked for you everywhere. Then I watched the train enter the station, and sure enough, I saw you three here."

  Ji Xun: “.”

Katrina: "."

 Che 2: "."

When the three of them heard this, the creepy feeling came back to their hearts.

But after experiencing the weird time realm on the train, some things can be understood.

 Have you been looking for them before?

Ji Xun vaguely guessed something and asked tentatively: "Senior, when did we arrive at this ruins?"

Hearing this question, Old Man Xu looked confused as to why he asked this, but he casually responded: "Yesterday. How come you are more forgetful than the old man?"

While responding, he looked at the strange expressions of the three people in front of him with their eyes twitching, and he did not forget to complain: "Why do you look at me like this?"

yesterday?

 But it was obvious that they had just gotten off the car!

Hearing this, Ji Xun immediately realized what the problem was, and a word came to his mind: go back in time!

If what Old Man Xu said is correct, the four of them should have arrived at the ruins of Xia Mu City yesterday and had already spent a day wandering around the city.

 But in the memories of Ji Xun and the others, they were the ones who got off the train just now.

 The most likely explanation at present is that the time of the three of them has been traveled back.

 But because there is old man Xu, there is not.

 It was because of the general existence of this BUG that they realized the problem.

Ji Xun took a deep breath and glanced at Catalina beside him out of the corner of his eye.

Both of them saw the shock of the unknown in the other's eyes.

They then realized that the ruins looked harmless from the time they came down to now, but in fact they were full of murderous intent.

　　The previous Netherworld Train, that weird accelerated time field.

And the current Xia Mucheng can actually go back in time?

Without Old Man Xu, Ji Xun felt that he would not even have discovered that they had been traced back.

In other words, they may spend the rest of their lives repeating this day.

No.

 There may also be other, worse dangers.

 It's just that their memory was recalled and they didn't notice it.

Ji Xun and the three of them all realized the strangeness of this ruins.

 But they are already here.

In other words, from the moment they got off the train, they had entered another "time-travel realm".

“At present, it seems that the time to go back is one day. In other words, we must find a way to break the cycle within this day.”

Ji Xun suddenly figured something out in his mind.

 They are not Old Man Xu and are not affected by retrospection.

 So if you want to break this dilemma, you have to find some breakthroughs.

 But then I thought about it.

Since you walked around the ruins all day yesterday and are still alive, that is to say, at least you are not dead?

 Or can you resurrect after death?

 This is barely good news.

 The four of them left the platform and walked towards the ruins.

 He felt that the key to solving the puzzle might be hidden somewhere in the ruins.

Ji Xun is now not entirely sure whether his conjecture about going back in time is correct. He can only place his hope on Old Man Xu.

As he walked, he asked: "Senior, what did we do in this ruins yesterday?"

 If the time loop only has one day, this is equivalent to a countdown.

 They did not crack the secret of the cycle yesterday, so if they want to improve efficiency, it is best to avoid the useless work they did yesterday.

 “What did you do?”

When Old Man Xu heard this, he showed the embarrassment of remembering fragments after drinking: "We just walked around the city. Hey, why did I forget what we did yesterday?"

Hearing this, Catalina, who was originally full of expectations, twitched her eyes.

Ji Xun and Che Er are used to it.

This old man's forgetfulness is getting worse and worse. Not to mention what happened yesterday, he often forgets even what he did just now.

 It’s more serious now.

Ji Xun also understood some patterns. The old man's body was not affected by time, but his memory was.

Perhaps only after entering the city and feeling emotional about the scene, the old man could think of something.

Ji Xun could only think so.

He thought about it and reminded: "Senior, if we disappear again next time, when you find us, please tell me the four words 'time back' as soon as possible."

 Old man Xu cast a confused look, "Huh?"

Ji Xun didn’t want to say anything complicated.

This old man's memory is not easy to remember four words.

As he walked, he repeatedly deepened Mr. Xu’s memory: “Remember to say ‘back in time’!”

 Old man Xu couldn't understand, but he complied with his lips.

 Woo woo woo.

 The roar of the train sounded.

Ji Xun and the four of them got off the train.

 Finally, the water in front of us is no longer an endless stretch of Styx water.

 There seemed to be many ancient buildings in the dark mountain shadows in the distance.

 “Ah, we’ve finally arrived.”

“Yeah, I didn’t expect to take a train.”

ˆ “.”

After getting out of the car, Ji Xun held the bronze snake in his hand, but he didn't have time to sigh.

A few people were just chatting when, not far away, a voice that looked like a male duck quacked: "Go back in time! Go back in time!"

Ji Xun and the others saw a guy with a very obscene posture running towards him from the darkness in the distance, and they were immediately alert.

There has been no living person in this ruins for thousands of years, and 80% of those who came here are not human beings.

 But the voice is very familiar

However, before a few people were about to take action, they were surprised to find that not only did the voice sound familiar, but the guy with the gaping front teeth running from a distance, who could he be if he wasn't Old Man Xu?

Ji Xun and the others' scalps instantly went numb.

 But at first glance, there was no trace of Old Man Xu behind him!

But we obviously got off the car together just now?

Before the three of them could figure out what was going on, Old Man Xu ran up to them and said, "Boy Ji Xun, you asked me to tell you 'time back'!"

As he spoke, he muttered to himself: "This **** place has changed back again. Why did I say 'again'?"

Ji Xun was confused when he first heard these four words.

 But when he looked at Old Man Xu who suddenly emerged from the ruins, he thought about it for a moment and instantly understood something.

 If struck by lightning, stand still on the spot.

 He realized that they might be trapped in a strange time realm!

 Only Old Man Xu, a bug that is not affected by time, can deliver the message.

 Various thoughts flashed through his mind, but he still confirmed: "Senior, are you sure. Is this what I asked you to say?"

Old man Xu's tone was unprecedentedly positive, and he said, "Yes! You said that when you disappear again, I would say these words to you when we meet."

Again?

Ji Xun’s eyelids twitched when he heard this.

 I always feel like there is something wrong with me.

 But what he said himself was naturally understandable.

 These four words contain a huge amount of information!

Katrina and Che Er on the side reacted a little too slowly, and they only had a creepy feeling in their hearts at the moment.

In the end what happened? !

 They want to know urgently.

The four of them walked towards the depths of the dark ruins.

 After asking a few more questions, Ji Xun roughly understood what happened.

 They had actually arrived at the ruins of Xiamu City three or four days ago.

 But because of "time retrieval", their memories and plot were flashed back to the moment they got off the bus.

It's like a story. You have turned several pages, but suddenly you turn back and start from the beginning.

 Ji Xun and the other three are all characters in the story.

 The pages of the book were turned back, and their story began again, remembering nothing.

 Old man Xu is an exception.

 It is not like a story in a book, but more like an extra note written by a mysterious hand scribbling on the storybook.

 “Senior, when did we come?”

“Two, three, or four days ago? I can’t remember clearly.”

“So, senior, what did we do in the ruins yesterday?”

"I forgot. Anyway, I was just wandering around the city."

ˆ “.”

Along the way, Ji Xun also asked some questions.

As expected, Old Man Xu failed to give almost any useful clues.

Ji Xun also discovered that during the time loop, his symptoms of memory loss seemed to be getting worse.

However, this little information is enough.

Ji Xun knew that according to his personality, after discovering something wrong with this secret realm, he would definitely leave clues for him.

 Entering the city may leave some clues.

 But he still got vaccinated in advance and said: "If you go back in time again, senior, please be sure to tell me the words 'time back' as well."

This time Old Man Xu was much more accepting: "Oh."

Listening to the incredible conversation between Ji Xun and Old Man Xu, no one else could say a word in the whole process.

 else

Ji Xun felt calm.

Since the cycle has been going on for at least two days and he has not died, does it mean that there does not seem to be any direct fatal threat to this ruins?

But looking back every day, it seems to be a dead end.

 This is no longer a problem that can be solved by strength and ability.

Has been trapped, and his character will not struggle with the dilemma.

 Instead, he had strong expectations for the magic of this time cycle secret realm.

 “Senior, have I left anything for you?”

"No."

 “Think about it again?”

“I don’t even think about it. Hey, hey, don’t look in my trouser pockets, the old man has nothing but this little fortune.”

ˆ “.”

　　“His Jixun boy, why are you stabbing me?”

"So, senior, did I **** you with a needle yesterday?" "Hey, don't tell me yet! I remembered, you really pricked me! Oops, it hurts all the time. Hey, I forgot, you seem to What's the word on it?"

ˆ “.”

Ji Xun tried a few times.

 I understood it in an instant.

 According to his cautious thinking, if he discovers the problem, he will definitely find a way to remind himself to make some preparations for the next cycle.

 And the entire scene in the ruins should be traced back.

Those preparations must be left to Old Man Xu, the only person who will not be affected.

 I don’t want to think about written materials.

Ji Xun must have thought about this problem yesterday.

 But the fact is that in addition to his own body, old man Xu also seems to have things on his body that can be traced back. Clothes, backpacks and everything.

Ji Xun also tried the method of leaving tattoos on his body.

 There is also no one left.

Ji Xun gave up after trying several methods he could think of.

 His character must have considered everything that can be considered.

 The only thing that is definitely useful now is Old Man Xu’s unreliable memory.

 Try your luck.

Ji Xun and the four of them chatted all the way into the dark ruins.

 I saw a patchwork of buildings on the mountain from the platform before.

As the four of them walked up, they saw rows of exquisite wooden huts.

 The architectural style is a magical style that is older than the Talon Dynasty.

Almost all are pure wood buildings with a falcon structure, without steel and cement. Wind chimes of various shapes are hung at the door of every house, as well as paper lanterns one by one.

Walked up the bluestone steps.

Katrina also looked around again and asked: "Did you find a problem?"

Ji Xun knew what she was going to ask, and said softly: "I want to ask why these buildings have no trace of time? As if they are inhabited?"

Katrina nodded: "Yeah."

 From the former train platform, these houses now have no sense of ruin and ruin.

 But the strange thing is that no one was seen.

 There are no monsters either.

Just when the two of them were confused, Old Man Xu seemed to recall some fragments of memory and scratched his head, "No, I remember it was very lively."

At this point, Ji Xun and the other three looked at each other, and that numb scalp feeling came back.

 A lot of excitement?

The three of them carefully observed the buildings. They didn't see any ghosts. Where did the people come from?

 Old man Xu, is his memory confused?

Ji Xun was thoughtful.

However, at this time, a sudden change occurred.

 The entire dark mountain town lit up instantly.

The lanterns under the eaves of the small wooden houses all lit up with orange-red light, and the whole town became clear.

 The quiet wind blew, and the sound of wind chimes rang in my ears.

Like broken silver falling all over the ground, making people’s minds instantly clear.

Ji Xun and the four others were all shocked when they saw this sudden change, and the orange scene was reflected in their eyes.

　　The sight of this small mountain town was obviously very cozy, but several people got goosebumps.

After the countless lanterns were lit, an even weirder scene appeared.

Red light shines on the stone road, reflecting mottled and illusory light and shadow.

In those originally empty huts, pieces of furniture and bedding slowly emerged, and smoke rose from the roof chimneys.

Ji Xun also discovered that the stalls on the street where they were standing were full of all kinds of delicious food. Crispy fried chicken, golden roasted suckling pig, and soft and glutinous stewed meat were filled with a gluttonous aroma of meat.

 Just like a brightly lit night market.

Ji Xun frowned as he looked at it.

They then realized what the "many people" that Old Man Xu was talking about were about.

 Because not only did a bustling night market appear on the street, but dark shadows also appeared.

 One, two, three. Until densely packed.

 They are not humanoid, most of them are weird ghosts.

The whole street is bustling with people, and there are various ghost monsters everywhere that are revealed as "disasters of unknown levels"!

 Yes, it’s a disaster!

 Not a monster!

 The same ghost as the previous Rift Girl breeds disaster!

Even Ji Xun couldn't help his eyelids twitching when he saw this scene.

With so many disaster-level monsters, even the legendary strong ones might have to kneel down when they come.

 Fortunately, most ghost disaster enlightenments are "neutral".

Furthermore, Ji Xun has an aura of "Xia Mucheng Necromantic Affinity +15", and those evil spirits have no ill intentions towards him.

 Old man Xu was not affected at all.

However, Catalina and Che Er seem a bit eye-catching.

Those ghosts floated past, staring at the two of them as if they were looking at "delicious food".

There was also a greedy man who dragged his tongue to the ground and even licked Che Er's face.

 The second car is just about to take action.

 Old Xu suddenly remembered something and shouted: "No!"

He thought about it and explained: "Oh, don't do anything in the city. Otherwise, the ill will towards the indigenous people may attract very powerful evil spirits to come to the door."

 Can malice lead to hatred?

Ji Xun narrowed his eyes slightly after hearing this: "Tsk, tsk. That's interesting."

 Looking at the disasters all over the city, the ruins are really becoming more and more interesting.

Since he didn’t die yesterday, I guess there is a way to prevent the attack.

 And normally, disaster level monsters cannot be so dense.

 The explanation that the clues now point to is the remains of the angel.

 The puzzle is hidden somewhere in Xia Mu City.

It's like the power supply of the entire city. If you want to crack this time backtracking, you have to find a way in this direction.

 “We have to find clues as soon as possible.”

“Yeah. Otherwise, if we go back in time, we may be trapped here forever.”

ˆ “.”

Ji Xun and the four of them walked along the street, discussing countermeasures along the way.

Although there is a bug like Old Man Xu, his amnesia is not always reliable.

　　　They may have been trapped in this secret place for more than two or three days.

No one dares to say that there will be no other dangers if we stay trapped any longer.

 Must try to break the situation.

Ji Xun thought in his mind: "This Xia Mucheng is not big. According to my personality, I should have tried all the solutions that I should have tried yesterday. Now I am still in the time loop, and there are only a few situations: First, I encounter something that cannot be solved Factors such as resistance, lack of time, or missing important clues.”

Not only him, Catalina is also extremely intelligent. In theory, she should have done everything she can think of.

 It’s a pity that Old Man Xu doesn’t remember.

Several people were looking for clues on the streets.

The ghosts paid no attention to them. Occasionally, a few gluttonous monsters would take a second look at the two humans, Catalina and Che Er.

Ji Xun thought that he should have looked for the shops on the main road before, so the direction he chose to investigate this time was also some quiet alleys.

A few people were walking when they suddenly heard a "ding-ding-ding-ding" sound.

Looking up, he saw that it was a blacksmith shop with a sword hanging at the door. The sound of forging iron blocks came from the shop.

Ji Xun originally thought that such an obvious building must be inspected in the past.

I thought I would take a look around the city first and just take a look around.

However, when he walked into the alley, Old Man Xu remembered something again due to intermittent amnesia: "Wait a minute."

Ji Xun and the others turned their heads and looked over, expecting something: "???"

Old man Xu frowned and said, "Boy Ji Xun, you seemed to have stayed in this shop for a long time yesterday."

Ji Xun immediately became energetic when he heard this. He didn't even think about asking any more questions and went straight into the shop.

Beside the red-hot stove, he saw a Minotaur with an extremely strong upper body.

  【Forging Grand Master Malphas】

 Detailed explanation: A master craftsman who is good at forging extraordinary weapons, an unknown level of disaster; friendly;

Ji Xun immediately knew why he was here last time when he looked at the minotaur.

 He said directly: "Excuse me."

Before he could say anything, the bull-headed monster interrupted him: "%&*@￥#"

It didn't even raise its head as it spoke, and continued to beat the long sword embryo in its hand.

Ji Xun looked at the translator beside him, and Old Man Xu said: "It seems to say, 'This is not where humans should come'."

Ji Xun was overjoyed when he heard this.

This Minotaur is very intelligent!

Since it took a long time for him to come, there was no need to belabor. He directly took out a containment card and shouted softly: "Resolved."

 A piece of silver metal the size of a fist was placed in front of him.

 This is the [Rhiya Divine Alloy] that was exchanged at a huge cost in the last war mode!

 There was no craftsman in Innocence City who forged this kind of sensitive alloy before.

Even the forging masters in the entire federation have not heard of anyone who can forge a scalpel that meets his needs.

Now seeing the great master, Ji Xun immediately knew that he must have had the same idea last time.

He also took out the relic [The Plague Doctor's Scalpel], and then made some gestures: Can it be forged according to this scalpel?

 No need to speak, the tauren must have understood.

　　Probably because "Xia Mu City's undead affinity +15", the tauren didn't refuse and said a few words.

Ji Xun felt happy. Looking at its calm expression, he knew he could forge it!

Old man Xu translated: "It says it can be forged, but it seems to require you to pay something. Something."

Ji Xun asked: "What?"

 It is understandable that craftsmanship charges are charged.

 But he did not understand what these disasters required.

Old man Xu also frowned and said: "I don't understand either, but it seems to be something important, or it means 'cost' or something."

Ji Xun thought and nodded directly.

Judging from the situation of looking back in time, if you can't get out, you will be trapped and die here, and it doesn't matter what the cost is.

If you can get out, the angel's remains will most likely be found by then, and this secret realm may no longer exist.

 In short, agree first and then talk about it.

The Minotaur looked at Ji Xun and nodded, seeming to look at him with a slightly strange look.

But he didn’t say anything more. Instead, he threw the piece of [Rhiya Super Alloy] into the iron furnace and said something else.

Old man Xu translated: “It seems to say ‘come back and pick it up tomorrow’.”

tomorrow?

Ji Xun raised his eyebrows as he listened.

 If there is no breakthrough in this cycle, there will be no tomorrow.

 Don’t worry if things stay here, since they can be traced back.

Forging takes time, so the four of them walked out without stopping in the blacksmith shop.

At this time, they also knew that in a cellar in Xia Mu City, a group of people crawled out of the dark tunnel.

 The leaders were none other than Young Master Kake of the Lionheart family and Bai Wei of the Bai family, the great councilor.

“It’s really dangerous. If we don’t come down, we’ll have hunters come to test it. I’m afraid it will always be a ‘T-level secret realm’ that cannot be explored.”

"It's too early to say this now. It's hard to say whether we can get out alive."

"Miss Bai, it's really thanks to you this time. If you hadn't taken action, we might have been wiped out when we encountered the water of the Styx."

"It's a pity that the [Netherworld Python] my family has raised for hundreds of years, I hope the effort this time is worth it. By the way, where is the key clue to the seal recorded in your information?"

“Xia Mu City is a secret place that protects the seal, and the clue is said to be in the ‘Thirty-Third Ghost Building’ that can only be entered by a special method. Just so I know the method.”

"Um."

ˆ “.”

As soon as the group of people discussed it, they crawled out of the cellar and walked onto the brightly lit street.

 (End of this chapter)