American variety show world begins with subduing Jason

He continued, "The official way to enter Teotihuacan was through a ritual artifact left behind by Aztec priests, not through normal means, so it's understandable that there were restrictions."

He held out two fingers.

"The first rule is that the strength of those who enter must be below the [Lord Rank], which is the Golden Core Realm!"

The second rule is that applicants must be under thirty years old!

Henry Lai's eyes shone brightly, and his tone became serious.

"There aren't many people in the chamber of commerce who meet both of these criteria, have high strength, and are skilled in actual combat."

Besides the two of you, Qi Yue, a student of Brother Zhou, will also be participating this time. This is a very rare opportunity, so be sure to seize it.

Chapter 176 Fee for Hard Work, Treasure Bag

I see……

Zhu Mingyao nodded to himself.

On the surface, there are only two restrictions: cultivation level and age. In reality, in addition to meeting the first two requirements, the candidates must also be as strong as possible and be capable of actual combat. With all these factors combined, even established large organizations will not have many people to choose from.

After all, you can't really send a few newbies who have never even seen blood to explore mythical ruins, can you?

Below the Lord rank is the Knight rank, which corresponds to the Innate Realm.

Talented individuals under the age of thirty are not exactly a rare breed!

Don't be fooled by the fact that Bai Ziyuan and the two little ones from the Witch Sisters are included; that's because they are the rising stars cultivated by various organizations.

In a smaller faction, you'd probably have a hard time finding even one.

As for whether I will participate, that goes without saying.

A man cannot get rich without unexpected wealth, and a horse cannot fly without night grass!

More than a month has passed since he returned from Lake Victoria, and his desire to grind monsters has been burning ever since.

Furthermore, regarding safety, he believed that the bigwigs would not risk the lives of their own children.

Seeing that he indicated he would follow instructions, the expressions on the faces of the three men, including Lai Hengli, softened, and they began to explain the things to pay attention to.

"After several inquiries with the Special Investigations Bureau, that old fox Davis finally revealed some information. According to their preliminary investigation, the area we entered this time should be the outer edge of the secret realm, which is not too dangerous. The main enemies are some mutated magical beasts that have been blessed by divine power."

He picked up the purple clay teapot and poured tea for everyone.

"Your main task this time is to take specially made magical artifacts and set them up in the secret realm according to certain rules, so that the outside world can determine their specific coordinates in the spatial rift, and then enter in large numbers when the time is right."

In addition, we should try our best to explore the terrain, routes, and distribution of resources to provide data for subsequent operations.

“Of course…” Henry Lai paused for a moment, giving him a knowing look.

"If we discover any valuable secrets, we should definitely keep them for ourselves."

The group exchanged knowing smiles, and the atmosphere became a bit more relaxed.

"The joint exploration is scheduled for October, which is more than two months away. You guys need to seize the time to sharpen your skills and study hard behind closed doors. Also, we old guys have found some useful gadgets for you as a token of our appreciation, so you won't feel like we're using you for nothing."

Henry Lai took out a black silk pouch, placed it on the table, and pushed it over.

The black silk pouch has a plain and unadorned surface, with a red rope tying the opening, making it look no different from an old-fashioned purse.

Zhu Mingyao took it with great care, and after channeling a little bit of his magic power into it, he felt a sudden sense of enlightenment.

"Although this portable treasure bag is only seven or eight feet in size, it is still quite precious. For now, it is being lent to you temporarily on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce. If you have any good finds in the secret realm, it will be given to you as a reward."

Zhu Mingyao readily agreed, playing with the silk pouch with obvious delight.

The implication was clear: even if it was nominally a temporary loan, the artifact would actually be given to him after the mission was completed.

Having been here for several years, he knew perfectly well the value of a spatial artifact; the reward alone was worth the price.

Lü Hetong also took out a wooden box, opened the lid, and revealed a bronze bull-head talisman with a mottled patina and silver inlay on one side, about half the size of a palm.

"Didn't you say you wanted to pay in installments to get the Yaksha Demon General back? The prosthetic eye and the blood essence stone egg that were sent are enough; you don't need anything else."

This Ox-Headed Yin General Talisman can contain ghosts and spirits. I've reforged it, so I'll give it to you along with this one.

Stroking the cold talisman, Zhu Mingyao sincerely expressed his gratitude.

With this item, you can easily carry zombie soldiers around. If you encounter suitable undead or vengeful ghosts, you can also store them inside and subdue them as guardian soldiers.

Bai Ziyuan, watching from the side with envy, shamelessly asked:

"Uncle Lai, what about mine? You can't be biased."

Lai Hengli flicked his finger, sending a gust of wind whistling across Lai's head, half-jokingly and half-reprimandingly saying:

"You'll get your share, kid. Yours has already been delivered to your house. Just focus on your studies and stop hanging out with those girls."

Turning his head, he said to Zhu Mingyao in a serious tone:

"Your master has already informed you about this expedition. He plans to ask his fellow disciples for a few more talismans while on the mountain."

In addition, I obtained a 500-year-old piece of Azure Dragon Wood from the Special Investigation Bureau, which is actually peach wood, as compensation for the last piranha incident.

"We four old guys will work together to refine it into a staff for you, and I guarantee it'll be much better than the original."

The so-called Azure Dragon Wood he mentioned is a general term for a type of material, referring to precious spiritual wood that grows from the remains of a dragon. Different tree species have different natures and wonderful uses.

But regardless of which one, the quality far surpasses the walking stick passed down by Zhang Shouzhong.

"Alright." Henry Lai clapped his hands.

"As for other talismans, paper, cinnabar, and other consumables, as long as the quantity is not excessive, you can come to the Chamber of Commerce to collect them."

For the next two months, you two should stay home and try to master some powerful Taoist techniques, and also study the legends and information related to Teotihuacan.

……

……

"You will be staying at the witch school from now on. You are not allowed to go anywhere else. You will be undergoing training and studying the materials diligently. Do you understand?"

The office door behind him slammed shut, leaving two anxious-looking girls standing in the doorway.

The thick wooden door blocked the president's stern gaze, and Madison finally breathed a sigh of relief, winked at his companion, and returned to his dormitory.

She shed her ladylike act, along with her sandals, and climbed onto the bed, clutching a jar of assorted chocolates. She then sat cross-legged against the pillows.

"Ugh...it's really going too far to force us to do something so dangerous." The blonde witch mumbled, stuffing a piece of candy into her mouth.

Two delicate fingers reached out and skillfully picked up a handful of macadamia nuts coated in chocolate sauce.

“We can’t go against what President Fiona has decided.” Zoe licked her fingertips, carefully chewed and swallowed the snack, her expression much calmer than her best friend’s.

"Since things have already come to this, let's not think too much about it. Anyway, the government and other major organizations will send people to go together. Just follow them and adapt to the situation."

"We must send people along..."

Madison felt the silky, bitter aroma turn into a liquid and flow into her throat, her pair of pale blue, cat's-eye-like eyes darting around.

That guy's going too...

"Phew." A stack of messy books and notes landed on the bed, interrupting her reverie.

"Don't waste time, there's still a lot of information about the secret realms we've collected that we haven't looked at yet!"

The girl opposite her swept her long hair back and pulled out a yellowed old newspaper.

"Let's start with the interview records of eyewitnesses from seventy years ago!"

Chapter 177 Diary from Years Ago

In the basement, the long incandescent light tube flickered slightly a few times before suddenly dimming, clearly indicating a short circuit.

The person buried in their studies at the desk under the lamp looked up, glanced at the dying light bulb, too lazy to get up and replace it, only letting two bright white lights, about the size of basketballs, float on the ceiling, and then continued to open a blank page in their notebook to copy things down.

The large wooden table was piled high with books, thick chronicles weighing down two volumes of ancient Mexican artifacts, and a book explaining Aztec mythology, which was supported by several scholars' papers.

Zhu Mingyao checked the page numbers on the cover, found a few photocopies from a stack of bound A4 white papers, and carefully read them word by word.

"...October 4, 1933, moderate rain, wind direction... well, who knows what the wind direction was..."

Since the Thomas entered this area, the wind and rain, sometimes strong and sometimes weak, have lasted for three days and three nights. The wind direction can change more than ten times a minute, changing as fast as a money-grubbing dancer on Broadway! Even Captain Ho of England has no idea where we are now.

...The constant, violent shaking caused half the crew to vomit, and I started to regret taking on the screenwriting job..."

"October 7, 1933, light rain, wind direction... still the same."

The Thomas has been stuck in this damn storm for seven whole days! According to the schedule, we should be arriving in Sumatra now to prepare for filming!

The continuous dark clouds obscured the sun, and the navigation equipment seemed to be affected by the magnetic field, swaying erratically. The captain still couldn't determine the exact location. First mate Ivan reassured everyone that at least they were still in the Indian Ocean and hadn't drifted to Antarctica. Haha, what a lame joke...

Director Carl remained as confident as ever... or rather, ambitious, claiming that this was just a small test, and that they would definitely make a blockbuster film, making everyone rich...

After hearing his rosy description of the future, Miss Anna, the protagonist, felt somewhat better. However, I privately expressed my skepticism. Karl's passionate speech reminded me of Germany's new Chancellor this year—enticing, but somewhat hollow.

October 11, 1933, rain, wind

I started to lose my will to write. An uneasy atmosphere spread across the ship. Fortunately, the endless rain kept replenishing the fresh water we were using, otherwise the situation would have been much worse...

There was enough water to drink, but what about food? No one dared to ask the captain directly; they could only tell from his serious expression that the situation was not optimistic. The crew tried fishing with their gear, but to no avail. The emptiness of the sea was unsettling…

October 15, 1933, cloudy, no wind.

Aha, praise be to Almighty God! We've finally emerged from that eerie storm. I swear that after finishing this film, I'll stay in New York for the rest of my life. Compared to adventure, the Great Depression isn't so scary. I can even switch careers and write scripts for stage plays and not starve...

Huh? What are those people outside shouting? Island? Mainland…”

The text on the photocopy is clearly damaged here; judging from the image, the original diary appears to have been roughly torn out.

Zhu Mingyao gently turned to the next page, where the writing had become sloppy.

"October 18, 1933..."

I feel like I'm having a nightmare... or rather, everyone is having a nightmare. It's been three days since the Thomas hit the reef, three days... ten people have died... Haha, I must be dreaming...

We just want to find some materials to repair the ship!

How could there be such a terrifying place?

Cannibals!

A swamp catfish the size of a blue whale, with a mouthful of fangs!