I have a city in another world

Chapter 6984 The Cruel Reality

A set of bronze runes on the workbench slowly lit up under the glow of the pale blue phosphorescent light, illuminating Olivia's fair face.

She knelt down, her fingertips holding a silver pen made from moonflower juice, the nib hovering above the rune groove, her breathing barely touching the surface.

Cracking the code of a locked room is never an easy task.

Her cloak was covered in mud, and the cuffs still bore the scorch marks from the energy backlash three months ago. She had accidentally triggered the defense mechanism of the secret chamber, which resulted in her left arm being burned by fire patterns, almost causing her to lose the strength to hold a pen.

"The thirty-first step is that the energy trajectory must be aligned with the cipher runes; even the slightest deviation is absolutely unacceptable."

Olivia murmured softly, her voice trembling slightly.

This was her seventy-third attempt to break through the secret realm. The previous seventy-two attempts either resulted in energy explosions caused by rune disorder or misjudgments at key points, leading to the failure of the entire deduction.

When they were closest to success last time, a sudden blast of cold air rushed out from the doorway, causing the temperature in the cave to drop by more than fifty degrees.

The energy circuit that was about to take shape collapsed, freezing Olivia so badly that she shivered and it took her a long time to recover.

That day, she sat in the secret room for a long time before she gritted her teeth and mustered the courage to persevere.

Feeling thirsty, Olivia opened her multi-functional backpack, which contained all her belongings.

Half a hardened rye bread, a worn-out sheepskin water sac, and a stack of scrap paper covered with calculation formulas.

The writing on the scrap paper was dense and indistinct, with some parts blurred by tears. She then wiped it clean with her fingertips and rewrote it with more precise derivations.

The prices of items in the secret realm are ten times higher than those in the outside world, and may even be dozens of times higher.

"Hang in there a little longer, Olivia, you can do it."

After taking a sip of water, Olivia raised her arm and looked at her wrist, where she saw an ornament woven from multiple strands of leather cord.

This is a talisman given to her by the clan chief. The stone with a hole in it is engraved with peace symbols, and she has rubbed it until it is smooth and shiny.

The thought of her people being whipped by the mine owners and struggling to survive always weighed heavily on Olivia's mind.

Since awakening to transcendence, Olivia has had a clear goal: to become a high-ranking wizard, establish her own wizarding academy, and free her people from the fate of enslavement.

Her dream was like a glimmer of light, supporting her through countless nights of despair.

A soft "click" sound came from afar.

The thorny traps set up at the entrance to the secret realm were triggered by outsiders, causing Olivia's mood to sink.

The silver pen in her hand trembled. Olivia held her breath, listened intently, and noticed that the footsteps were getting closer and closer.

In the blink of an eye, a sound rang in my ears.

"Boss, look at how serious she is. Does she really think she can crack the secret room code?"

"A high-level apprentice wouldn't have that kind of skill!"

A shrill voice rang out from not far away, accompanied by a lewd laugh, causing Olivia to turn around abruptly.

Five explorers in long robes slowly emerged from the shadows. The man in the lead had a scar on his face and stared at the workbench with the eyes of a hungry wolf. The scimitar in his hand gleamed coldly in the phosphorescent light.

"We shouldn't have alerted her. If we had waited for her to finish cracking the code, we could have just taken what was already there."

The scarred man licked his lips, his gaze sweeping over Olivia's backpack. "This little girl is all alone; she probably has a lot of good stuff hidden away. Now it all belongs to us."

If she knows what's good for her, I'll spare her a proper burial; if she dares to resist..."

He made a throat-slitting gesture, and the explorers behind him burst into a savage laugh.

Olivia's fingers were icy cold. She quietly hid the silver pen in her sleeve and reached for the dagger at her waist with her right hand.

"That's enough, boss, this girl is useless now!"

A short, stout explorer rubbed his hands together, ignoring Olivia, and looked greedily into the secret chamber. "Do you think there might be a secret manual in this chamber? If we get it, we won't have to wander around this lousy place anymore!"

The scarred man waved his hand impatiently: "Don't have too high expectations, or you'll only be more disappointed. But this girl seems pretty stubborn, maybe we should teach her a lesson."

He winked at the tall, thin man next to him, who immediately understood, pulled an iron chain from his pocket, and wore a cruel smile.

Olivia's heart was pounding. She looked at the energy circuit that was about to take shape on the surface of the workbench, then at the approaching explorer, her teeth clenched until her lips turned white.

She knew she couldn't back down. If the secret chamber fell into the hands of these explorers, all seventy-three attempts would have been in vain, and the hopes of her people would be utterly shattered. She raised her dagger, ready to fight back.

"You fool!" The tall, thin man easily dodged, grinning maliciously as he lunged forward, the iron chain snapping shut as it wrapped around Olivia's wrist.

Olivia struggled, and the dagger slid out of her sleeve, but the scarred man stomped it under his foot.

With a "crack," the blade snapped in two, and Olivia's fingers ached from being stepped on, tears welling up instantly.

"Stop! I'll give you whatever you want!" Olivia screamed, her voice trembling with tears.

"The treasures of the secret realm, the clues in the ancient books—I'll tell you everything if you let me go!"

Unable to withstand the attack head-on, the only option is to feign weakness.

“It’s too late to beg for mercy now!” The scarred man squatted down, grabbed Olivia’s hair, and forced her to look up at him.

"Don't try to be clever. Hand over everything you know, or see how I deal with you!"

“But before that…” He reached out and pulled off Olivia’s cloak, revealing her ashen skin.

"Damn, so he's a lowly gray-skinned race. What a disappointment."

"But your lowly race, even if you crack the secret chamber, doesn't deserve the treasure!"

The explorers behind her burst into laughter. The short, stout explorer stepped forward and kicked Olivia in the knee. She fell to her knees with a thud, her knee hitting the hard stone slab, and she trembled in pain.

"Boss, stop wasting time talking to her, just kill her and we'll solve the secret chamber ourselves!"

As the tall, thin man spoke, he raised the iron chain and smashed it down toward Olivia's head.

Olivia closed her eyes, and despair overwhelmed her like a tidal wave.

She thought of her sister, the plight of her people, and her seventy-three acts of perseverance, and tears involuntarily streamed down her cheeks.

Just then, the workbench suddenly emitted a dazzling light, the energy circuit instantly took shape, and a loud "rumbling" sound came from the secret chamber.

The door was opened.

The secret room has been opened!

The short, stout explorer shouted excitedly and ran deeper into the secret realm, his eyes gleaming with greed.

The scarred man ignored Olivia and followed closely behind, leaving only the tall, thin man standing there, looking at Olivia with hesitation on his face.

"The boss told me to kill you, but seeing how pitiful you are, why don't you come with me?" He grinned lewdly and reached out to touch Olivia's face.

Olivia suddenly opened her eyes, a resolute glint in them.

Taking advantage of the tall, thin man's momentary lapse in attention, she suddenly stood up and stabbed him in the throat with a silver pen hidden in her sleeve.

Although the silver pen wasn't sharp enough, it still pierced the tall, thin man's throat, and blood gushed out instantly.

"Ah! You bitch!" the tall, thin man screamed, swinging the iron chain at Olivia.

Olivia dodged the chains and turned to run deeper into the secret realm.

She knew she was no match for these people, but she couldn't let them succeed. She would try, even if there was only a sliver of hope.

Behind her came the roar of the tall, thin man and the sound of chasing footsteps, but Olivia did not stop. She looked at the exit ahead, with only one thought in her mind: she must survive, and she must free her people from suffering.

But her stamina was ultimately limited, and after running only a few steps, she was caught up by the tall, thin man who grabbed her collar.

"Run! Why aren't you running anymore?" The tall, thin man grinned maliciously, pinning her against the stone wall and punching her in the face.

Olivia closed her eyes, waiting for the pain to come, but the expected fist did not fall.

A scream came from afar, followed by the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground, as if something enormous was moving.

The tall, thin man paused for a moment, then chained Olivia and ran quickly toward the secret chamber.

Olivia collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, but felt no joy at having escaped death.

Looking at the flickering light in the secret room, and then at her locked body, tears welled up again.