Chapter 84

Half an hour later.

In the long corridor, Pei Xi followed behind the youth and secretly sighed in relief. Luckily their team had Zhao Mei, otherwise this journey would not have been so easy.

Under Zhao Mei’s guidance, they had opened another doors. This was the fourth door they had opened.

Pei Xi stepped into the new palace and looked around.

This time the palace they entered was grand and luxurious. The dome was painted with blue skies and angels. In the center of the hall, a fountain still operated. The pool was cluttered with angel statues with wings. Around the pool stood potted rose bushes, filling the air with fragrance.

Besides that, the palace contained neatly arranged long tables and high-backed chairs. The tables were covered with long red cloths, as though preparing to host a banquet for guests.

Lu Qi leaned close to the rose pots. One of her butterflies flew out, circling the blooming roses up and down. Lu Qi stared distractedly, then suddenly exclaimed, “These flowers are real! They are alive!”

The curious youths immediately gathered around the flowers and sniffed their fragrance.

“This doesn't make sense at all. If this maze was built long ago, the plants inside should have died long ago too. Could this place really be... a miracle?”

Roy said half-believing, half-doubting.

“It could also be aberrant plants. Everyone be careful.”

Pei Xi said as he could not resist reaching out to touch the beautiful petals. Though aberrant plants were possible, these flowers truly looked like ordinary roses.

“Wait, there are no doors here?”

Kyle shouted in disbelief. Everyone immediately scanned the circular palace and realized even the door they had just entered through had vanished.

The youths’ expressions turned vigilant at once. They gathered together, except for one person still lingering at the front.

“Fountain, angel statues, rose garden... this is the place recorded where the God of Hope first formally met with the imperial family.”

The black-robed youth walked at the very front. From behind, he seemed to have his head lowered in deep thought.

Hearing the reassuring voice, everyone quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Zhao Mei always had a way.

The Cloud Soarers team members did not want to disturb him. Even the most reckless Lu Qi gave him space. They spread out again, trying to find other clues in this luxurious palace.

Lu Qi released her butterflies. These little creatures were often more attentive than she was.

The butterflies flew out, circled in place for a moment, then suddenly headed in one direction, under the long table covered by dark red tablecloth.

Lu Qi’s heart jumped. She approached the long table, squatted down, and lifted a corner of the red cloth that concealed the space beneath.

Behind the cloth, a pair of terrified eyes stared at her. Her butterfly rested on the corner of his eye, fluttering its wings.

Lu Qi was so startled she fell backward. She called everyone over. “There is a dead person here!”

Dead bodies were common in aberrant realms. They had already seen several along the way. But the corpse under the table was truly strange. It was charred black all over, clearly burned to death. Yet both eyes remained intact, terrified eyes that seemed to warn those who came after.

“They were burned to death, or rather, executed by fire.”

The youths looked at the calm-faced Zhao Mei in confusion.

“After the imperial family’s first formal meeting with the God of Hope, a traitor appeared. He exposed the God of Hope’s whereabouts, causing the God to fall into a bitter battle. After being discovered, the traitor was executed by fire.”

Lu Qi frowned and asked, “Didn’t the God of Hope help humans eliminate aberrant realms? Why would someone betray Him?”

“The arrival of aberrant realms was a catastrophe for some, but for others, it might have been a long-awaited opportunity.”

Lu Qi nodded with partial understanding and pointed at the charred corpse. “So he was a traitor who defected to the aberrant realms?”

The black-haired, green-eyed youth suddenly chuckled and replied, “He was probably not a maze prop, but one of the previous people who entered this palace.”

“There is a note under the table!”

Kyle crawled out from beneath the table, holding a slip of paper. Because his body was too tall and sturdy, he struck the long table heavily.

Pei Xi took the note, his expression growing even graver.

“This is a saints’ flyer. He was a saint.”

Everyone first showed surprise, then sudden realization. A saint appearing here was not strange at all.

Because in recent days, the saints had used violence to drive out all “heretics” around Sieg Square.

The saints, who had originally been an inconspicuous force, became unusually active after gaining a “divine daughter.” Just three days ago, they had set fire to Sieg Square, declaring that they would execute all heretics there. Everyone feared they might be “executed” like the Saintess last time. Residents and merchants around Sieg Square had fled overnight.

Roy sighed. “Those people really are lawless. The security officers are all useless. I heard the first to arrive on the scene and drive away the Saintess's were the female knight order.”

“Female knight order? Could it be the one the Saintess newly established? They are really impressive. The empire has never had official female knights before.”

Lu Qi said with envy. Before coming to the city from her rural western district hometown, she had studied city knowledge diligently. Learning that even in the city there was little room for female ability users to shine had disappointed her greatly.

“Ahem, back to the main topic. Why did this person die here?”

Pei Xi asked.

Now it seemed that this group of violent thugs had accidentally done something good. If large numbers of ordinary people had entered this maze aberrant realm, it would have been very difficult to save them. Even these ability users were barely managing themselves.

Lu Qi showed another sudden flash of cleverness. “I get it. Because he was a saint, a heretic, so he was burned to death after entering.”

Pei Xi shook his head. “That does not seem quite right. If this maze could automatically judge whether someone was loyal to the God of Hope, it would not need to set so many checkpoints.”

“It's more likely that this saint did not make the choice loyal to the God of Hope. He might have entered through the wrong door, or perhaps he failed to find the correct way to leave.”

“But did he come in alone? Or did the others escape?”

Pei Xi analyzed the situation and realized that this saint’s death brought him no useful clues, only greater anxiety. If they could not find the correct way out, they might suffer the same cruel punishment as this saint.

He raised his eyes and subconsciously looked toward that black figure. Zhao Mei was lowering his head, one hand supporting his chin, lost in thought.

Sensing the intense gaze, the youth blinked his green eyes and smiled at his teammates.

“Do not worry. I already have an idea. Keep looking around and search for clues.”

Since Zhao Mei said so, Pei Xi could only suppress his anxiety and continue searching the palace for clues.

There was not even a single door here. Pei Xi pressed his fist against the wall. Did they have to smash through it to escape? He subconsciously metalized his arm, and a trace of astonishment crossed his face.

His ability was suppressed. He could only exert about fifty percent of his strength.

From this, it was clear that the place did not support breaking through with violence. It might even trigger harsher punishment.

Pei Xi sighed and reluctantly withdrew his fist, continuing to search while waiting for Zhao Mei’s conclusion.

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Ye Zheng already had an idea of how to get out. Now she was thinking about other matters.

A saint’s corpse appearing here meant that Sela was most likely in this place too. Besides her, there were also Bai Muqing from the Divine Academy team, Sykes and Yu Tianming from the royal team.

She wondered where she would encounter them.

Ye Zheng closed her eyes. If she wanted to obtain the divine sword and become the incarnation of the God of Hope recognized by the entire empire, she now had only two paths.

First, find the divine sword’s location ahead of the Cloud Soarers team and other teams, and draw it.

Second, let all teams fight over the divine sword, then seize the chance to draw it amid the chaos.

Ye Zheng suddenly opened her eyes. She currently leaned toward the first method. It was the safest and most reliable.

In the magnificent yet desolate palace, a crisp clapping sound rang out. The team members searching for clues turned toward the black-robed youth. He stood at the head of the long table, hands braced on the dark red tabletop, green eyes shimmering with light.

“I have found the way out of here.”

“Divine Revelation records that during the meeting, the emperor sat at the head of the table to receive the God of Hope, who had disguised Himself as a commoner. The divine cared nothing for secular formalities and sat to the emperor’s right. To the emperor’s left sat the empire’s general, and the second seat to the right sat the empire’s prime minister.”

“This meeting was crucial. It marked the beginning of the empire’s salvation.”

The youth pulled out the chair at the head position and beckoned to the high-ponytail girl. “Lu Qi, you be our emperor.”

Lu Qi’s eyes lit up. She sat at the head of the long table and looked up at Zhao Mei, feeling that he was like a graceful butler from a novel, arranging everything methodically.

Pei Xi understood. Zhao Mei was recreating the scene from back then. But without enough clues to confirm that this would get them out, there was still no harm in trying.

Pei Xi pulled out the first seat to the right, the position recorded for the God of Hope.

The remaining two boys also sat in their assigned positions as Zhao Mei instructed. Everyone faced each other across the long table.

“Is everyone seated correctly?”

“Do we need to do anything else? Like say some lines?”

“Zhao Mei would not be so perverted as to remember even the dialogue, right?”

“Zhao Mei is perverted enough to remember even the seats. How dare you call Zhao Mei perverted!”

The Cloud Soarers team members chattered noisily.

Pei Xi’s expression remained somewhat heavy. He looked around. The palace still showed no doors. Had Zhao Mei guessed wrong this time? Or had they failed to fully recreate the original scene?

He looked at Zhao Mei in confusion. At some point, the quiet youth had moved from beside the head position to a more secluded spot.

Pei Xi’s heart suddenly skipped a beat. He remembered that there was one more position they had not recreated.

“The emperor, the general, the prime minister, and the God of Hope are all in place.”

The black-haired, green-eyed youth let out a laugh. Under everyone’s puzzled and shocked gazes, he pulled out a chair, the thirteenth seat to the left of the long table.

“Only one position remains.”

“The traitor.”

The youth calmly sat in that seat.

“Get up. Do not sit there.”

Amid Pei Xi’s heart-rending shout, scorching flames suddenly swept across the entire magnificent palace. Even the dome painted with blue skies and angels turned completely red-hot.

In the firelight, the other youths realized something. They stood up and shouted their teammate’s name in disbelief. They tried to rush through the flames toward him, only to find their bodies gradually becoming transparent.

An ancient sigh echoed through the flames, as though the divine were praising the devout and clever youth.

Yet the Cloud Soarers team youths could only hear one sentence, a vague whisper carried by the hot wind.

“Keep moving forward. I will catch up to you.”

The calm, gentle green eyes burned even brighter in the flames. Surrounded by crimson torment, the youth gently waved his hand like a warm phantom bidding them farewell.

“No.”

Amid Lu Qi’s nearly shattered cry, the youths felt their bodies lighten. When they opened their eyes again, the burning heat was gone, and the red firelight had vanished.

That quiet, gentle youth was gone too.

Pei Xi covered his face. In suffocating silence broken only by low sobs, his voice trembled. “Zhao Mei will not break his word. He said he would catch up to us. He definitely will.”

✧✧✧✧✧

Sharing the Cloud Soarers’s grief were the readers of Throne of the Aberrant Realm.

When Li Yixin reached this point, it felt as though the sky were collapsing. She wailed inwardly. Author, do not take Zhao Mei away.

Better to take the author Uncle instead. Do not take Zhao Mei. Li Yixin’s hands trembled as she opened the forums. The entire screen was dominated by the two characters for Zhao Mei.

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Authors Note  

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Zheng Zheng says she does not understand tragic beauty or white moonlight, yet she herself perfectly embodies it.

Next chapter should be the last forum before the mask drop. I will heat up the atmosphere hard. After the mask drop, it will be even more dramatic hehe.