"The previous owner of this ruin must have been an extraordinary figure!" Zhou Yan exclaimed, his voice filled with awe. The castle was magnificently grand, and around it stood numerous palaces, also imposing in scale. However, they appeared ancient and exuded a chilling aura.
Zhou Yan pressed onward and soon encountered a troop of cavalry. These riders wore white armor, though dark stains were visible through the gaps in their plating.
Zhou Yan immediately understood: these were undead knights. Undead knights could summon various undead beings, some of which attacked the living, while others obeyed their commanders. The undead knights were tasked with guarding these summoned creatures.
"Roar." The undead knight roared furiously at Zhou Yan.
"Hey, your master is already dead, so stop pretending. I know you can understand me." Zhou Yan said calmly. He had long suspected these undead could comprehend human language, but he hadn't expected them to understand Chinese. Truly, they lived up to the legacy of the former Europa Empire.
"Awooo~~" The undead knight let out a wild cry to the heavens.
Immediately after, the undead knights charged forward with a reckless abandon. They had clearly identified Zhou Yan as their target and were determined to slay him at any cost. Unconcerned for their own safety, they rushed forward.
"Since you seek death, I shall grant it." Zhou Yan declared, raising his spear to meet them.
As Zhou Yan swung his spear, several undead horses crashed into him, tumbling to the ground and overturning a carriage.
At this moment, the pursuing soldiers arrived, loosing arrows as they chased. Zhou Yan continuously parried with his wolf-tooth spear. The material of the spear seemed exceptionally hard; it remained unscathed even under the intense barrage of arrows and could even withstand the attacks of the archers.
After dodging several volleys of arrows, Zhou Yan gritted his teeth and leaped towards a nearby palace. On the second floor, he spotted a metal box. He flew up and snatched it.
The soldiers pursued him into the palace. Seeing the empty interior, they paused, exchanged glances, and decided to destroy the palace. However, they dared not advance recklessly, understanding that this palace was no ordinary place, especially since their king had died within its walls.
Zhou Yan searched the palace relentlessly and finally discovered a massive sarcophagus. It stood at least three meters tall, was a dull grey-brown, and was adorned with intricate carvings, resembling a colossal work of art.
Zhou Yan touched the sarcophagus and felt a faint warmth emanating from its surface, as if it still retained some heat. He surmised that this sarcophagus might have been the king's chamber.
He pushed open the lid of the sarcophagus. Inside, aside from a set of luxurious clothes, there was another item. Zhou Yan picked up a wooden box and attempted to open it, only to find it reinforced with a seal.
Zhou Yan examined the seal's runes closely. They were not magical arrays or incantations but ancient symbols etched from the bones of some animal. Zhou Yan inwardly cursed, wondering if the former owner had carved bones onto the box.
These symbols were entirely unfamiliar to Zhou Yan, and their purpose unknown. He had no choice but to keep the wooden box.
Zhou Yan then searched the rest of the palace thoroughly but found nothing of significant value. However, in a corner of one room, he discovered some gold and silver coins, likely the treasure hoarded by the undead knights.
"Damn it!" Zhou Yan could not help but curse.
He had expected to find vast amounts of gold and silver in this ruin, only to be presented with a mere pile of coins. What a waste of resources.
Still, Zhou Yan could only complain. He couldn't just abandon free loot. He decided to leave the area, as there was nothing else of value left after the coins had been taken.
Zhou Yan departed the ruins with the metal box. As he exited the main gate, he saw a group of soldiers galloping in his direction.
"These fellows are quite vigilant, to have caught up so quickly. Fortunately, I was swift enough, or I might have been trapped here," Zhou Yan muttered to himself, then continued his journey.
After proceeding a short distance, Zhou Yan suddenly stopped. On a large rock ahead, a smear of red blood indicated that an undead knight had met its end there.
Zhou Yan surveyed the surroundings and noticed numerous corpses. Most were killed by a single fatal stab to the throat, while others had been impaled. The battle appeared to have been fierce.
Following the trail of blood, Zhou Yan slowly advanced. He felt a chill underfoot and looked down to see a withered blade of grass. He was puzzled as to where it had come from.
Just then, he spotted a patch of withered yellow leaves. Following this trail a bit further, Zhou Yan saw a decaying, ancient tree ahead. Hanging from it was a skeleton, its hand clutching a dagger stained with blood, giving it an eerie appearance.
Zhou Yan frowned. The skeleton struck him as strange, but he couldn't pinpoint why. He then turned and continued onward. Before long, Zhou Yan encountered another skeleton. This time, he observed it carefully and discovered a rusty dagger embedded in its chest. Upon seeing the dagger, Zhou Yan's eyes widened. Its shape bore a striking resemblance to the skull scepter he held.
Could these two weapons have been crafted by the same person? Zhou Yan wondered. He then recalled that the knight he had wounded on the city wall had also carried these two items. It seemed highly probable that they belonged to the same owner.
Zhou Yan continued to follow the blood trail for a considerable time, eventually arriving at a vast square. At the far end of the square stood an enormous palace. Standing before it, Zhou Yan gazed at the majestic structure. It was so grand and magnificent. Though he knew this city was destined for destruction, the palace left a deep impression on him, for it was truly beautiful.