This assassin is upright

Chapter 248 The Legend of the Bard and the Tower (Two in One, please give me a monthly ticket!)
The clear and bright moon cast a hazy glow. On the sand dunes shrouded in moonlight, two figures walked side by side. They were Yu Zhun and Yu Zhu who had entered the [Tower of Eclipse] dungeon.

At this moment, the two of them had walked over a thousand meters, experienced hundreds of map changes along the way, and finally arrived at the first sand dune that was closest to them.

However, after walking around the sand dune, the brother and sister couldn't help but look depressed.

Initially, they thought that the sand dunes in the desert might hide secrets and would be the key to breaking the deadlock.

But when they actually arrived at one of the sand dunes, they discovered that the sand dunes here were no different from the surrounding desert.

"It seems that I guessed wrong." Yu Zhu sighed, a helpless look on his face, "What should I do now?"

"The desert and sand dunes are all normal. Apart from teleporting once every step, we haven't discovered anything else so far."

Yu Zhun was silent for a moment after hearing this, then he squatted down, took out a dagger, and drew horizontal and vertical lines of equal distance on the sand under his feet.

These lines form grids, like a chessboard.

With just one glance, Yu Zhu understood what Yu Zhun was drawing.

What he drew were the rules that the two of them discovered in this copy.

"This instance looks like the desert right now, but there is actually an invisible chessboard map." Yu Zhun said slowly, "When you walk out of one square area and reach the next square area, you will be teleported to a completely new desert that is almost identical."

"And we have tried it. After leaving a grid area, no matter which direction or route you take to return to the same grid area, you can return to the same map."

"It means that the fixed grid area corresponds to the map."

"That's right." Yu Zhu nodded.

"Now, I have a new guess." Yu Zhun showed a thoughtful look, "The clues to the strategy may only exist in a certain map."

"So, we need to find the corresponding square on this map, and then we can find the key to the copy."

"But this is too difficult, isn't it?" Yu Zhu looked around at the endless sand dunes. "We have to step on every corner of the dunes to make sure we find that specific square."

"It's indeed troublesome." Yu Zhun frowned slightly.

The moment he made this guess, he realized the difficulty. He wanted to visit every corner. Not to mention whether it was feasible, the time required to verify it was too much for him to accept.

After all, there are more than just two players attacking the [Tower of Eclipse] at this moment.

Every minute and every second is precious.

Thinking of this, Yu Zhun frowned.

Is there something they haven't discovered yet?

While thinking, Yu Zhun walked forward aimlessly.

The brother and sister have already cooperated very well, so he doesn't need to worry about losing Yu Zhu.

After walking for a distance, Yu Zhun suddenly heard a scream.

"Remain…"

It was Yu Zhu’s voice.

His footsteps came to an abrupt halt, and when he looked around, Yu Zhu had disappeared.

After thinking about it, Yu Zhun took a step back, and Yu Zhu indeed reappeared beside him. However, at this moment Yu Zhu did not look at him, but looked straight in another direction in the desert.

There…

Yu Zhun followed Yu Zhu's gaze and his pupils suddenly shrank.

A man wearing a black veil that covered his head and left only his eyes exposed was walking slowly in the desert.

Unlike Yu Zhun and the other two, he did not disappear as he walked, but left long footprints behind him.

This is…

Copy of the natives!
Realizing the man's identity, Yu Zhun and Yu Zhu's eyes flashed with surprise at the same time.

"Stop him!" Yu Zhun spoke quickly.

The other party's walking will not be affected by the teleportation, but if the two of them approach each other, they will directly leave the current map in the next step.

Therefore, I can only try to attract the other person's attention and see if I can get him to come over.

Yu Zhu also realized this, and put his hands on his cheeks to make a trumpet shape and shouted with all his might.

"Brother in black veil over there, can you come over and have a chat?"

The sound was carried away by the wind and sand of the moonlit night and soon disappeared. The man in black veil, who was hundreds of meters away from the two men, did not hear a word and continued to walk away from the two men step by step.

This is not good...

Yu Zhun frowned slightly.

Only at this moment did he realize the effect of the wind and sand that had always shrouded this copy.

It can affect the propagation of sound to a certain extent, bringing greater obstacles to the current situation.

Fortunately, the wind and sand did cause some trouble, but they were not completely unsolvable.

"Let me do it." Yu Zhun signaled Yu Zhu to stop, and then took out a flashlight from his backpack.

Props produced by Sarath, [High Power Flashlight].

Its usage and functions are not much different from a normal flashlight, but the light is particularly bright and is divided into two modes: scattered light and focused light. The scattered light can instantly make the darkness in the nearby area as bright as day, while the focused light can be projected thousands of kilometers away.

After adjusting the mode to focused light, Brigadier General Yu turned on the [High Power Flashlight]. A clear beam of light shot out from the [High Power Flashlight] in Yu Jun's hand, passed through the wind and sand, and landed at the feet of the black-robed man in the distance.

This clear scene made the man in black robe pause suddenly.

Then he turned around and looked in Yu Zhun's direction!
It worked!
Yu Zhun and Yu Zhu were delighted.

Guided by the light source, the other party turned around and walked towards the two of them quickly. Soon he came in front of them, his eyes full of surprise.

"Oh my God."

"I didn't expect that there are still remnants of this deserted land for thousands of years..." The man glanced at Yu Zhun and the other man, with a little more doubt in his eyes, "But the clothes seem to be different from the records..."

Survivors?

There was a gleam of light in Yu Zhun and Yu Zhu's eyes.

The other party's simple words contained a lot of information.

It’s not clear what the situation is at the moment, so just go along with what the other party says and see if you can get more information!
The decision was made in a flash and Yu Zhun smiled.

"We are indeed the remnants of the people." He spread his hands. "After such a long time, it is natural that our clothing has changed."

"That's true." The man nodded in understanding, then smiled, "Let me introduce myself first. My name is Croesus."

"It's a bard."

"Bard?" Yu Zhu showed a curious look, "What is that?"

“It’s the people who travel to different places, pursue the past, history and legends, and then write them down in the form of poetry.”

Croesus smiled and put down the black veil covering his face, revealing a face that was about thirty years old, and then carefully took out an exquisite book from his arms.

“This is the book where I record the poems I write.”

"Can you let me see it?" Yu Zhu blinked his big eyes and asked curiously.

"Of course." Croesus straightened his chest. "It is a bard's honor to share his poems with more people!"

"Thank you!" Yu Zhu carefully took the notebook, gave Yu Zhun a look, and then started reading it carefully from the first page.

The other party is the only native of the dungeon they have encountered so far. As a bard, he seems to be able to quickly understand the worldview of the current world. His poems may contain a lot of important information.

Yu Zhun understood what he meant, patted Croesus' shoulder and said with a smile, "I have some food and water here, maybe you will need it."

"Food! Water!" Croesus' eyes lit up, and a look of joy appeared on his face. "My God, thank you so much."

"I have been in the Sighing Dunes for three days, and the food and water I brought have all been used up." He shook his empty backpack. "In fact, I was ready to leave this desert, but I didn't expect to meet you before I left."

"May the God of the Eclipse bless you!"

God of the eclipse?

Yu Zhun's heart moved.

This copy is called [Tower of Eclipse], and the God of Eclipse is probably a very crucial existence.

But he didn't ask in a hurry.

When Croesus lifted the veil, he discovered that the other person looked tired and weak, his lips were cracked, and his steps were a little unsteady.

This is obviously a sign of being in the desert for a long time, feeling thirsty and hungry.

Use food and water to build a good relationship with the other party, and the other party will be more cooperative in answering their questions later.

He quickly took out some water and food from his backpack and handed them to the other person. Yu Zhun smiled and said, "You're welcome. If it's not enough, there's more."

The food that Yu Zhun could put into his backpack was all prepared in advance by Su Yue and other chefs in the guild, so the taste was naturally excellent.

As soon as the food was brought out, Croesus sniffed and his eyes widened instantly. Without even saying thank you, he took it and started to gobble it up.

It was not until he finished eating all the food prepared by Yu Zhun that he realized his gaffe and scratched his head in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, I..."

"It's okay, it's okay." Yu Zhun smiled and took out more food, "You want more?"

"Then... I'll have some more." Croesus took it shyly, but he ate it in a much more polite manner.

Apparently, with the food he just had, he was no longer that hungry.

Yu Zhun also took some food and stuffed it into his mouth. While eating, he asked casually as if chatting, "So, you came here this time to explore the past of this land thousands of years ago?"

This was completely Yu Zhun's guess.

After all, Croesus had mentioned before "this land that has been deserted for a thousand years", which means that the desert in front of us may have had a different past thousands of years ago.

“Indeed.” Croesus nodded, not realizing that Yu Zhun was trying to trick him. Instead, he became more convinced of Yu Zhun’s identity. “I’ve heard rumors about the Eclipse Tower.”

"So, I wanted to come here and see if I could find any traces of the Eclipse Tower from a thousand years ago."

"Oh?" Yu Zhun took a bite of the food calmly, but a huge wave of emotion was rising in his heart.

Eclipse Tower!

Croesus mentioned this copy by name!
Forcibly suppressing the surprise in his heart, Yu Zhun glanced at Yu Zhu, who was still carefully checking the poem with a frown on his face, and then smiled casually, "Speaking of which, although I am a survivor, the elders have not mentioned much about the past."

"I am also a little curious about what happened a thousand years ago."

"Can you tell me about it?"

"Of course, but I have only heard some rumors, which may not be true." Croesus smiled, "Thousands of years ago, this place was not a desert, but a vibrant oasis."

"In the oasis, there are seven prosperous cities built along the river. They all believe in the god of the lunar eclipse."

"The God of Lunar Eclipse is a very powerful god." Croesus looked up at the moon above his head with admiration. "It is rumored that he is the incarnation of the moon, controlling the rising and setting of the moon. The vitality of the earth is bestowed by him."

"Yeah." Yu Zhun nodded.

Honestly speaking, after going through the [Trial of Tianxu], he already had a full understanding of the various methods of the gods. Now, hearing these mysterious statements again, he felt a strange emotion instead.

"One day, the God of the Lunar Eclipse gave an oracle to the believers in the seven cities, asking them to build a tall tower at the nearest place to the seven cities."

Closest to seven cities…

The tower…

Yu Zhun's eyes moved slightly, and then he asked, "And then?"

"Then..." Croesus shook his head, "The believers obeyed the oracle of the God of the Lunar Eclipse and built a tall tower."

"However, on the day the tower was built, it suddenly collapsed."

"Immediately afterwards, the seven cities and all the believers within them mysteriously disappeared." Croesus' voice was low, and in the moonlit night, it gave people a creepy feeling.

"disappear…"

Yu Zhun frowned and his eyes became more serious.

"Of course, there are also rumors that they did not disappear, but because they built a high tower, they were taken to the moon by the god of eclipse." Croesus' tone suddenly became relaxed.

"Since you are the survivors, your ancestors may not have participated in the construction of the tower. If the believers who built the tower were taken away by the God of the Lunar Eclipse, then you will suffer a great loss."

Croesus said with a smile.

Yu Zhun smiled along, but his heart felt a little more solemn and doubtful.

After entering the copy, they did not find anything related to the tower. In addition, due to the special rule of teleporting after each step, Yu Zhun guessed that each map was a floor of the tower.

But now, according to Croesus' description, the Tower of the Eclipse really exists, but it existed thousands of years ago...

In this case, his guess is a bit untenable.

After thinking for a while, Yu Zhun tentatively asked Croesus, "Did you find anything special in the desert these days?"

"A special discovery?" Croesus scratched his head.

"I originally wanted to see if I could dig up the remains of the Seven Cities from a thousand years ago, or the remains of the Eclipse Tower."

He spread his hands, "No results."

"But..." Croesus paused, "My trip here is not in vain."

He smiled and took out a fist-sized stone from his arms.

“I found this.”

"What is this?" Yu Zhun looked at the stone in Croesus' hand curiously.

It was a piece of stone with an uneven shape. Its surface had become smooth due to erosion by wind and sand, but some traces of artificial carving patterns could still be vaguely seen.

"This is a piece of rubble. It may come from the prosperous era a thousand years ago." Croesus stretched out a hand and gently stroked the rubble, then handed it to Yu Zhun.

"My friend, please accept it."

"…Give it to me?" Yu Zhun asked in astonishment, "This is the only thing you got in the desert. Are you going to give it to me?"

"No, no, no." Croesus smiled mysteriously, "Before I met you, it was indeed my only gain."

"But now, it's just a useless piece of stone."

After saying that, Croesus grabbed Yu Zhun's hand and put the stone into it. "My friend, please do not refuse my return gift."

Just as Yu Zhun was about to speak, a line of text popped up in front of him.

[Congratulations on obtaining [Ancient City Relics], you can leave the instance]

This stone... is a token for leaving the dungeon?!

Yu Zhun's pupils shrank slightly, and his eyes turned eager as he looked at Croesus. "Since you regard me as a friend, I naturally cannot refuse this return gift."

He pulled more food and water from his bag and handed them to Croesus. "Take these with you. You can eat them slowly on the way."

"Thank you for your generosity, and thank you to the God of Eclipse for letting me meet you." Croesus took the food and water with gratitude.

"Snapped--"

Yu Zhu, who was standing by, had already read all the poems recorded in Croesus's book. He smiled and returned the book to Croesus, saying, "Your poems are well written. I like them very much."

"It's my honor," Croesus' expression became more and more delighted when he heard Yu Zhu's praise. Yu Zhun raised his eyebrows slightly.

He could tell from Yu Zhu's micro-expressions that she had discovered something from the poetry.

But now is not the time to ask.

After the two chatted with Croesus for a while, Croesus stood up and said goodbye.

"It's a pity that I need to continue on my journey and cannot stay here for long." Croesus shook his head regretfully. "I want to write a new poem about our friendship. I hope I can meet you again. When I do, I will definitely show you this poem."

"I will." Yu Zhun smiled, and when he saw Croesus standing up, he suddenly said, "By the way, can you tell me where did you find this stone?"

"Go in that direction." Croesus glanced at the compass and pointed in a direction. "But I've already looked for it. There's only this stone in that location, nothing else."

"It's okay." Yu Zhun smiled, "I'm just asking out of curiosity."

"Well, goodbye then. I hope we'll meet again."

After saying that, Yu Zhun took Yu Zhu and took a step forward.

The two men suddenly disappeared in front of Croesus, which frightened Croesus.

"Oh my God." He widened his eyes and muttered, "Suddenly disappeared strangely..."

"Could it be..."

"Are they the believers who were taken away by the God of the Lunar Eclipse thousands of years ago?"

Croesus knelt down suddenly and made a gesture of worship to the bright moon in the sky, "Thank you, God of Eclipse!"

"I have an idea!"

He took out a notebook and a pen and wrote something quickly.

Soon, a new poem appeared in the notebook.

After taking a quick look at his new work, Croesus laughed, put away his notebook and pen, put on his bag, covered his face with a black veil, and set off again, his figure disappearing in the endless wind and sand.
-
Completely unaware that their disappearance had led Croesus to connect them with the believers who had disappeared a thousand years ago, Yu Zhun and Yu Zhu took a few steps forward, and Yu Zhu handed two pieces of paper to Yu Zhun.

"I heard your conversation."

"These are two poems about the Eclipse Tower that I sorted out from that book."

"Let me see!" Yu Zhun couldn't wait to take the recording paper, and what caught his eyes was a short poem.

[O God of the Eclipse who transformed into the moon! ]

[You give life to the barren land,]

【It makes plants grow stronger. 】

[You have mercy on the suffering ones who believe in you,]

【Grant him a favor.】

【You restore youth to the old. 】

【You make sickness and hardship disappear. 】

【Your power is unmatched.】

【Your kindness embraces all living beings. 】

[I would like to stand on the tower that reaches the sky all night long. ]

[Just to embrace the little afterglow you shed! ]

Yu Zhun: “…”

"This guy is really good at flattering people."

The entire poem praises the god of the lunar eclipse, and only the last sentence mentions the word "tower".

I hadn’t realized during our conversation just now that Croesus was such a person.

"Well." Yu Zhu smiled strangely, "I took a look and found that many of his poems are in this style."

“Maybe this is what poetry is like in this world.”

"This one doesn't really have much to do with the Eclipse Tower, but the next one will be different."

"Let me see." Brigadier General Yu took away the first piece of recording paper and looked at the second one.

【The oracle ordered the believers to build a tower.】

【The tower is 36,500 steps high.】

【This is the closest distance to God. 】

[The bright moon rises in the east and sets in the west,]

【Time passes day and night. 】

【The believers in the seven cities,】

【Ten years of hard work.】

【Once the tower is completed,】

【One day the tower collapsed. 】

[The believers who built the tower are missing.]

【The prosperous past is buried in the wind and sand. 】

[Did God abandon everything here? ]

【Or did God take everything away? 】

【Nothing is known yet.】

"Thirty-six thousand five hundred steps..." Yu Zhun's eyes flickered slightly, and there was a hint of thoughtfulness in his eyes when he looked at the second poem.

The step here is a unit of length.

The length of thirty-six thousand five hundred steps is more than ten thousand meters.

You can imagine how difficult it is to build a tower of such a height.

Believers from seven prosperous cities worked together and it took a full ten years to complete it.

You have to know that these believers are definitely not ordinary people. There are also some quite powerful ones among them, but it still takes so long.

This second poem did give Yu Zhun some new insights. At least he knew the scale of the Eclipse Tower.

However, a new problem arises.

Yu Zhun looked towards the endless desert.

Is it really possible that no trace of such an unprecedented tower would be found after it collapsed for a thousand years?
"Yu Zhun, what are your plans next?" Yu Zhu looked at Yu Zhun and couldn't help but speak, "I feel that finding the Eclipse Tower from a thousand years ago should be the key to passing the level."

After all, the name of the copy is [Tower of Eclipse].

This can be said to be the most direct hint.

"I thought so too." Yu Zhun nodded slightly, "Just now I asked Croesus where he found the stone."

"I feel that the place where he found the stone is likely to be a key location." Yu Zhun paused for a moment, "The Eclipse Tower from a thousand years ago might be nearby."

"That makes sense." Yu Zhu nodded.

That stone is the proof of leaving the copy, so the original location of the stone must not be ordinary.

With a new plan in mind, the two of them headed in the direction indicated by Croesus without saying a word.

The two people who had already cooperated well gradually accelerated, but were still able to ensure that each other did not fall behind.

Their speed increased as they climbed over one sand dune after another.

"stop!!!"

Yu Zhu suddenly let out a low cry.

Yu Zhun's steps came to an abrupt stop. He turned his head sharply to look at Yu Zhu, but saw that Yu Zhu's expression was somewhat uncertain.

"I seemed to see a figure flash by just now?"

Figure?

Yu Zhun's heart moved.

Could it be the second native in the copy?
Croesus alone brought them so much key information. If they met a new native, they might gain even more!

Moreover, by comparing the information of the two indigenous peoples, we can get more real and accurate information!
"Let's retreat step by step!" Yu Zhun said quickly.

The fleeting figure that Yu Zhu saw should have been in a map they just passed by, but they almost ignored it because they moved too fast.

The two of them retreated step by step along the route they had just taken. After taking a few steps, they saw a figure in the distance walking towards them.

He was a man who, like Croesus, was dressed in a black veil with only his eyes exposed.

"It seems that the costumes of the natives in this instance are all similar." Yu Zhu smiled, "I almost thought it was Croesus."

"Indeed." Yu Zhun nodded slightly.

The figure of the black-robed man in front of him was very similar to Croesus. If he had not just separated from Croesus and knew that the two were heading in completely opposite directions, he would have really thought it was the other.

Because they were walking towards each other, Yu Zhun didn't need to use the [High Power Flashlight] this time. The man in black had already spotted them. He quickened his pace and ran towards them, speaking excitedly.

"I didn't expect that this land, which has been abandoned for thousands of years, would..."

"Creosus?!"

Hearing the other party's familiar voice and opening words, Yu Zhun and Yu Zhu exclaimed at the same time.

The black-robed man stopped talking before he finished speaking. He blinked blankly and revealed his face hidden by the black veil.

Croesus' familiar face appeared in front of Yu Zhun and the others.

"It's really you!" Yu Zhun was extremely surprised. "Didn't you go in another direction? Why are you here?"

"I..." The confusion on Croesus's face became even more intense.

"You said you wrote a new poem and you'd show it to us next time you see it." Yu Zhu said with a smile, "Have you finished writing it?"

"I have written it down. You can read it if you want..." Croesus glanced at Yu Zhu's outstretched hand and carefully handed the book to Yu Zhu, "But..."

"Did we really know each other before?"

Eh?
Yu Zhun and Yu Zhu paused at the same time.

They suddenly raised their heads and looked at Croesus, but saw that the confusion in Croesus' eyes did not seem fake.

Yu Zhu didn't say anything, picked up the poetry book and began to read it.

Yu Junzi frowned and asked, "You don't have a twin brother with the same name, right?"

"Even if I have twin brothers, they can't have the same name." Croesus scratched his head helplessly, "Sorry, maybe my memory is not very good. When and in which city did we meet?"

"Give me a little reminder, and maybe I'll remember."

"No, we met here." Yu Zhun pointed to the desert under his feet, "and not long ago."

"This is impossible!" Croesus shook his head violently. "I have never met anyone in the past two days since I came to the Dunes of Sighs. You are the first time I have met other people."

"How could that be?" Yu Zhun frowned even more tightly, but then his pupils shrank slightly, "Wait!"

"You just said..."

"How long have you been here at the Dunes of Sighs?"

"Two days!" Croesus said with a confident look, "It is impossible for a bard to make a mistake in time and direction."

"Two days..."

Yu Zhun's pupils suddenly shrank.

If he remembered correctly, the last time he met Croesus, the other party had already entered the [Dune of Sighs] for three days!

With a trembling heart, he felt his sleeve being pulled.

It's Yu Zhu.

Yu Zhu was seen turning the book of Croesus's poems to the latest page with a serious expression.

On it was the second poem about "Tower of Eclipse" recorded by Yu Zhu, and the ink seemed not to have completely dried yet!
If three days or even two days might be a little joke Croesus played on them, then the poems in the poetry book had forced the two to believe it.

You know, the time from when Yu Zhu recorded the poems to now is far longer than the time when the poems were actually written!

This situation should not exist!

unless…

"That..." Croesus said weakly, "I don't know how you know me, but..."

"I still have to hurry, so I may not have enough time."

"You can go." Brigadier General Yu returned the poetry book to Croesus, thought for a moment, and then took out the food and water from the backpack and handed them to him.

"These are for you, too."

"This!" Croesus widened his eyes and was about to express his gratitude, but he saw Yu Jun and Yu Zhu take a step forward and disappear at the same time.

Croesus: "!!!"

"Oh my God." He widened his eyes and muttered, "Suddenly disappeared strangely..."

"Could it be..."

"Are they the believers who were taken away by the God of the Lunar Eclipse thousands of years ago?"

Croesus knelt down suddenly and made a gesture of worship to the bright moon in the sky, "Thank you, God of Eclipse!"

"I have an idea!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he quickly took out a pen, wrote a new poem in the poetry book, and then walked away laughing.
-
"What do you think?"

Yu Zhun took a few steps forward, took a deep breath, and looked at Yu Zhu.

"I feel that our previous guess was wrong." Yu Zhu's expression was somewhat solemn.

She squatted down and drew equidistant straight lines on the ground, dividing the sand into square areas.

"There are indeed countless grid areas here." She looked at Yu Zhun, "But the grid areas do not correspond to a completely new map."

"Because this speculation cannot explain why we first saw Croesus on the third day and then Croesus on the second day!"

"That's right." Yu Zhun nodded heavily and exhaled lightly, "Each square corresponds to a specific time."

"It seems we don't need to look for the remains of the Eclipse Tower."

“Perhaps, we can go directly back a thousand years.”

"Walk to the Eclipse Tower!"

(End of this chapter)