Is the closed beta test of King of Loque over? The official release is here!

Mo Fan opened his eyes.

What came into view was a completely unfamiliar environment.

The surrounding area is covered with a large amount of tall and lush vegetation. Thick vines intertwine with each other, and layers of shrub branches and leaves form green barriers that are several meters high.

These green barriers divide the road into narrow passages.

The passage continued forward, then forked a short distance away. The view was obstructed, making it impossible to see what lay deeper inside.

The air was filled with the moist scent of grass and trees.

Although the sun was not visible overhead, a soft, pale golden light shone down from an unknown place, illuminating the entire area.

It looks like a giant maze made of plants.

Zhuang Xiao and Yan Liang were right behind Mo Fan.

Mo Fan glanced at the two of them and felt a slight sense of relief.

"Thankfully, it wasn't a random teleportation for a single person."

If the three of them are teleported to different areas, he must first find a way to reunite with Zhuang Xiao if he wants to help her.

Moreover, the size of this plant maze is unknown, and its internal paths are complex. Once separated, it would probably not be easy to find each other again.

Yan Liang was also observing his surroundings.

He reached out and touched the vines beside him, only to find that they were much tougher than they looked and could not be easily torn apart.

"So what should we do now?" he asked tentatively, seeking their opinions.

“Explore,” Mo Fan said.

His gaze swept over the several forks in the road ahead.

"There are no obvious clues in this kind of place, so if you want to find anything, you have to actively search for it."

"The eggshell fragments you have might react when they get close to certain special locations. Observe carefully."

Zhuang Xiao nodded and took out his eggshell fragment.

The palm-sized, pale gold fragment lay quietly in his hand, showing no signs of change for the time being.

Seeing this, Yan Liang also took out his own.

Mo Fan chose one of the paths and stepped forward.

Zhuang Xiao and Yan Liang followed behind.

The paths in the plant maze are uneven. Rippled tree roots and tangled vines are scattered everywhere on the ground, and you could easily trip over them if you're not careful.

The three walked for a few minutes and encountered several forks in the road.

At each fork in the road, Mo Fan would use his magic to subtly leave a faint charred mark on the wall while leaning against it, marking the route they had taken.

Speaking of which, Mo Fan learned this skill in Pandonog. Before, when using fire control, Mo Fan only passively used it to resist fire damage. Now, he has put it to good use and can actively mobilize magic power to convert it into a kind of fire magic damage.

Yan Liang followed behind, but his gaze kept involuntarily falling on Mo Fan.

Finally, he couldn't help but speak up.

"Mo Fan, are you and Zhuang Xiao from the same city?"

"Ah."

"So how did you two meet?"

"The Ancient Cocoa Tree Secret Realm from last time."

Mo Fan's answer remained brief.

Yan Liang, however, didn't pay any attention and continued to ask, "So what kind of pet do you have? What level is it?"

Mo Fan didn't stop walking, and casually replied, "They're all players from Yunhai City. As for the pets, you'll find out when the situation arises."

He doesn't have the habit of proactively revealing his personal information.

Especially in secret realms.

Players may have conflicts of interest at any time, so there's no need to reveal your hand to someone you've just met.

Moreover, Mo Fan didn't really like this kind of behavior of asking about other people's information right away.

Chapter 245 Altar? Key?

This wasn't because Mo Fan was overly wary, nor was it because he maliciously suspected them.

This is something that anyone with a bit of social experience understands.

When someone inquires about you, especially about your family background, the moment they ask, they are already testing whether they can take advantage of you later.

This is completely different from the common practice of fellow villagers asking each other where they are from.

When he inquires about your abilities, family background, and circumstances, he is assessing your value, and your value determines his attitude towards you.

Some might say, what if he didn't mean any harm? What if he was just asking a simple question?

This assumption does not exist.

Because most people wouldn't ask that question at all.

At this moment, Yan Liang keenly caught another piece of information.

"The Secret Realm of Ancient Cocoa Trees?"

His tone clearly showed more interest.

"Is that the secret realm that opened a while ago? You two went in?"

Zhuang Xiao nodded.

"Go in."

"Did you get a lot of good stuff?" Yan Liang asked immediately. "I heard that the secret realm is full of cocoa fruits and many rare resources that can't be found outside."

Mo Fan's expression remained unchanged.

"That's fine then."

A bland reply left Yan Liang speechless.

He originally wanted to ask Mo Fan how many cocoa fruits he had harvested in that secret realm and what rewards he had received.

Mo Fan clearly had no intention of continuing the conversation.

Yan Liang couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed.

He secretly glanced at Mo Fan a few times, then looked at Zhuang Xiao beside him.

In his view, Mo Fan's reluctance to elaborate was most likely because he hadn't received anything worthwhile at the time.

If they had really obtained rare pets, valuable items, or a large amount of cocoa fruits, how could they have acted so indifferently?

As for Zhuang Xiao—

Having traveled together for a while, Yan Liang had a general understanding of Zhuang Xiao's capabilities.

The two pets, namely Crossing-the-Bridge Rice Noodles and Meow Meow, are not bad, but they are far from being something to be wary of.

Since Zhuang Xiao and Mo Fan met in the same secret realm and kept calling each other "Captain," their strengths are probably not that different.

The claim that "the captain is very strong" is mostly just Zhuang Xiao's subjective evaluation based on trust.

Thinking of this, Yan Liang's initial fervor for Mo Fan faded considerably.

He had originally thought that if Mo Fan was indeed a powerful player, he might be able to benefit from his entry into the small secret realm.

Now it seems—

He's probably overthinking it.

However, Yan Liang did not show his thoughts on his face and followed behind the two with a smile.

The three continued forward along the passage.

The vine-covered walls on both sides grew higher and higher, pressing the narrow passageway down into a green corridor. Pale golden light filtered through the layers of branches and leaves overhead, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Ahead, a corner appeared.

Mo Fan suddenly slowed down.

He didn't speak, but slightly tilted his head, his gaze becoming more somber.

—There is some movement.

Faint voices came from the other side of the corner. There was more than one person. The voices were mixed and shrill, with obvious emotional fluctuations.

Mo Fan raised his right hand and made a downward pressing gesture behind him.

Zhuang Xiao immediately understood, slowed her pace, and became alert.

Yan Liang also stopped, his expression changed slightly, and he subconsciously lowered his breathing.

The three slowed their movements, quietly approaching the corner, close to a wall covered in lush green vines.

Mo Fan leaned against the wall, peeking slightly forward to look ahead.

After turning the corner, the passageway suddenly opened up considerably.

It was a small open space—about twenty or thirty square meters. It was still surrounded by a tall vegetation barrier, like a "room" in a maze. In the center of the open space, there was a low stone platform.

The stone platform was of a simple and ancient shape, light gray in color, and its surface was covered with some kind of unintelligible pattern. It was about waist-high, with a round base and a slightly concave top, forming a shallow, saucer-like groove.

It looks like some kind of altar.

At this moment, there were six or seven players around the stone platform.

Their expressions varied. Some were furious, some had shifty eyes, and some had already reached for their Gulu balls at their waists. The atmosphere was tense, ready to explode at any moment.

"Damn it, I found this summoning location first!"

A player with a thin build and a flushed face pointed at the stone platform, his tone angry.

"So what you found is yours?" Another man in a dark coat sneered, arms crossed, a look of disdain on his face. "Well, I saw it, so doesn't that mean it belongs to me?"

"You're just making excuses!" The thin-faced player trembled with anger.