"Dream Jia, look at those electric light fish. According to the records, they are bred by the royal family and only found here in the dark passage. They serve as sentinels, responsible for both illuminating the passage and maintaining vigilance. If they detect hostile forces, they won't lazily roam like they are now. Instead, they'll release electrical charges stored in their bones to attack enemies. Their sheer numbers can quickly relay any disturbance caused by intruders back to the Eternal Star Palace. The guards monitoring the fish will then alert us and set up a perimeter to trap any invaders from the passage," Captain Tie Zhu explained.
"So these fish are quite fierce! Old Jones, you better steer carefully! If we accidentally hit them, it could provoke them," Hao Yun cautioned upon hearing about the electric light fish's defensive capabilities.
"Don't worry, Hao Yun. These fish can distinguish friend from foe. That's why they're so docile right now. Even if we accidentally harm them, they won't turn on us," Captain Tie Zhu reassured.
"Ah, I see. But how do these fish survive here? I don't see any other life forms besides them. Do they feed on each other for sustenance?" Dream Jia asked.
"Of course not. It's said electric light fish feed exclusively on lithophytes. The stones used to build the passage walls are special and can grow lithophytes underwater. That's how I can confirm this is indeed the passage described in the records!" Captain Tie Zhu replied.
"No wonder these stones are so smooth. It's not from the river's erosion but from the electric light fish constantly licking off the moss," Dream Jia realized.
Captain Tie Zhu nodded, then continued, "The electric light fish follow relatively fixed swimming routes. Their large groups swim continuously from one end of the passage to the other. So, if we follow their route, we should be able to reach the entrance to the underground passage of the Eternal Star Palace!"
"That would be ideal! But do we have enough energy left in the escape pod?" Hao Yun nodded in understanding, then voiced his concern.
"Since entering the Eternal River, the escape pod still retains some energy. After entering the passage, I followed Dao Lao's orders and only used minimal propulsion, relying mainly on the water flow to move the escape pod. So, considering the current rate of energy consumption and reserves, barring any unforeseen events, we should have enough energy to navigate close to the Eternal Star Palace!" Old Jones calculated and replied.
The escape pod continued smoothly through the passage without further trouble. Gradually, everyone relaxed their guard and focused on preparing for the imminent challenges ahead. After a while, the escape pod navigated a slightly upward section of the passage and finally entered a relatively narrow stretch. Ahead, they encountered a metallic gate and had to halt their progress.
Once the escape pod stopped, Captain Tie Zhu woke up several Eternal Star soldiers who had been on watch duty, as well as Hao Yun and the others who were resting. Then, pointing ahead at the metal gate adorned with a deer head emblem, he declared, "Everyone, we've arrived! Ahead lies the underground passage leading to the Eternal Star Palace!"
"Why another gate? Tie Zhu, do you know how to open this gate?" Hao Yun withdrew from his thoughts and rubbed his eyes, asking.
Captain Tie Zhu nodded and replied, "If the records are correct, there should be a mechanism hidden beneath this gate to open it."
He added somewhat sheepishly, "However, considering the divine power the Spirit Realm bestowed on the previous hidden door, I think it's best if you join me in finding the mechanism this time. It's possible we'll need your divine power to open this gate smoothly."
"Naturally! Let's go!" Hao Yun thought ahead as well, so upon hearing Captain Tie Zhu's request, he immediately, like a large hot pile, was expelled from the escape pod.
("If you describe me with a hot pile again, I swear I'll make you eat your own hot piles!" Hao Yun cursed. But the author remained silent.)
Captain Tie Zhu once again successfully located the mechanism hidden beneath the metal gate, and Hao Yun once again resonated with the divine energy runes placed by the Spirit Realm's priests on this mechanism, successfully opening the gate. Inside the passage beyond the gate, besides being narrower, it was no different from outside. Fortunately, despite the narrower passage, the escape pod could still continue its journey here. However, since this was what Captain Tie Zhu referred to as 'the other end of the passage', upon entering the gate, Hao Yun and his group discovered that the electric light fish that had swum here previously would no longer continue forward. Instead, after hesitating near the gate for a while, they turned and swam back in the direction they had come from.
With the loss of the electric light fish's illumination, visibility in the passage immediately plummeted. However, now that they had entered the area of the Eternal Star Palace occupied by the Mastanians, opening the escape pod's searchlights could easily expose their presence. Thus, Hao Yun and his team decided to continue cautiously in the darkness.
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"Hey? There's light ahead!" After navigating in darkness for a considerable time and carefully maneuvering through several bends, an Eternal Star soldier suddenly exclaimed with excitement in a hushed voice.
"An exit! There's an exit ahead!" Captain Tie Zhu, noticing the soldier's excitement, also exclaimed enthusiastically while instructing Old Jones to steer the escape pod towards the light ahead.
"No more path ahead!" Upon approaching the brightness ahead, Old Jones immediately reported.
Everyone quickly left the escape pod and swam to the source of the light to see what lay ahead. As they approached, they realized the light ahead was shining through a passage only wide enough for two people to pass side by side. Therefore, they decided to temporarily abandon the escape pod and continue upstream along this passage to see where the light would lead them.
The group quickly swam to the end of the passage, where they found another grid gate equipped with water filtration capabilities. Similarly, this gate was inscribed with divine energy runes by the priests and was easily unlocked by Hao Yun and his companions. They were amazed to find that upon passing through this gate adorned with divine runes, they entered once again into an extremely spacious area. However, from the layout of this space, it did not resemble a mere passage but rather a large reservoir.
On the stone walls surrounding this reservoir, there were several water supply channels. Although these channels were also segmented by grid gates, these gates were quite ordinary. Therefore, if Hao Yun and the others wanted to force their way through, it would be a very simple task. However, at this moment, they were more interested in the top of this large reservoir. Dozens of beams of light were penetrating the water from above, indicating a connection to some area within the Eternal Star Palace.
Indeed, upon reaching the top of the reservoir, they discovered that the uppermost ten centimeters were not filled with river water. Moreover, at the very top of the reservoir, there was a sturdy metal grille encircling a ventilation duct. The light source they had seen earlier came from this grille. Furthermore, through observation of the environment outside the metal grille, they quickly identified their current location as directly beneath a large fountain-like structure.
"Are we really under a fountain? It seems this fountain must occupy a very special position," Hao Yun remarked.
"Mmm-hmm, yes! That's right!" Captain Tie Zhu, unable to speak underwater, awkwardly stretched his neck above the water surface to speak.
Despite the loud sound of the fountain outside, everyone could still hear Captain Tie Zhu clearly through their communicators. Pointing at the enormous emblem carved on the ceiling, Captain Tie Zhu continued, "You see, this emblem is the exclusive symbol of the royal family of Eternal Mu. It only appears in areas frequented by the king. What's unique is that this emblem itself is also a map!"
"A map?" Hao Yun queried.
"Yes, a map. These patterns represent the layout of the palace. According to the map, our current location is in the rear garden connecting the King's Hall and the King's Chamber. The vines below these patterns represent other branches within this passage, with the two most important branches leading respectively to the King's Hall and the King's Chamber behind it. Ah—let me see. We're at the Surprise Fountain right now. This path here should lead to the King's Hall, and that one should go to the King's Chamber behind the King's Hall," Captain Tie Zhu explained, pointing at the patterns on the emblem.
"The King's Chamber behind the King's Hall? Ah? Tie Zhu, is that the same as the King's Harem with the teleportation array you mentioned earlier?" Dream Jia asked.
"Yes, Lord Dream. Do you see this pattern that looks like a glowing seed? This pattern actually represents that teleportation array!" Captain Tie Zhu replied excitedly.
This was truly exhilarating news. They hadn't expected this mission to proceed so smoothly. According to the intelligence Captain Tie Zhu had received earlier, King Er and his party were supposed to be confined within the King's Hall. If that were the case, wouldn't it suffice to assault the hall, seize the king and his entourage, and then occupy the teleportation array located in the King's Harem to successfully complete the rescue mission and return to the Mu Star?
"If that's the case, then we need to check out the situation in those two passages! This is a secret passage, Hao Yun. We'll check out the passage to the King's Hall, and Dream Jia, you take the others to inspect the passage to the Harem," Hao Yun proposed, a plan Dao Lao naturally agreed with. Thus, after determining their current location, Dao Lao immediately gave the order.
Guided by Captain Tie Zhu, both teams quickly found their respective passages. The passage Hao Yun and Dao Lao entered looked no different from an ordinary water supply duct, and its end was also connected to a fountain pool. However, unlike before, there were multiple outlets at the end of this passage from which water could flow out. Furthermore, each outlet was accompanied by a space large enough to accommodate a hidden person. This indicated that these outlets were designed from the outset to harbor combatants inside to better respond to extreme situations.
Hao Yun and Dao Lao each hid beside an outlet and discovered that thanks to the intricate construction inside these outlets, they could observe most of the King's Hall through multiple windows with different designs that perfectly overlapped. Thus, as they observed the King's Hall for the first time, they saw over a dozen Eternal Mu individuals standing within a protective shield, surrounded by dozens of heavily armored Eternal Mu warriors and several diminutive yet fierce-looking Mastanians.
Hao Yun didn't need to think much to understand that those Eternal Mu warriors clad in heavy armor must have long been parasitized by the Mastanians. Now, beneath those armors were no longer lively beings but corpses resembling dried weeds, with ghastly faces.
Hao Yun and Dao Lao immediately recognized that the protective shield enveloping the Eternal Mu was the iconic shield of the Spirit Realm. At the same time, based on Captain Tie Zhu's previous descriptions, they confirmed without delay that these Eternal Mu individuals were the royal nobles whom Captain Tie Zhu and his team sought to rescue. Among them, the robust figure dressed in more elaborate armor and standing with his back to them amidst these dignitaries must undoubtedly be King Er of Eternal Mu.