The world has turned into Hell's Game, why should I stay human?!-Chapter 1171 - 732: Black Mountain Goat in Favorable Times, Sewer in Adversity

Chapter 1171: Chapter 732: Black Mountain Goat in Favorable Times, Sewer in Adversity

Liu Zheng prepared himself and stepped into the Bronze Gate.

As soon as he entered, his vision widened.

Inside was not a narrow tomb chamber or a grand mausoleum, but a vast expanse of land.

Water flowed gently, paths crisscrossed, countless houses were lined up neatly, and there were faint sounds of roosters crowing and dogs barking—a perfect scene of rural scenery.

However, strangely enough, although the fields were filled with various crops, Liu Zheng didn’t notice any signs of life.

At the end of the settlements was a small but still grand city, with a high platform rising in its center, standing at least three or four hundred meters high from afar.

"Halt!"

As Liu Zheng was about to move forward, a voice suddenly stopped him.

Looking down, he saw a short, stout old man with a white beard and hair, dressed in a cloth robe and holding a Peach Staff, emerging from the ground.

"Who are you? How dare you trespass here?"

The old man questioned sternly.

"Greetings, elder. I salute you."

Facing the questioning, Liu Zheng was not angry, rather he greeted with a broad smile.

"You’re quite courteous for a youngster. Since you’re so polite, why are you trespassing in someone else’s mausoleum?"

Seeing his good manners, the old man’s expression softened a bit, but he still questioned him.

"Elder, you’ve wronged me. I entered the tomb by the cemetery’s order, offering a Dragon Egg, how could this be considered trespassing?"

Liu Zheng defended himself.

"Offering a Dragon Egg? So that’s how a demon like you got in, spending a fortune."

The old man said, suddenly understanding.

"Uh, I’m not actually of demon blood, never mind..."

He didn’t bother explaining further.

"With so much money, why come tomb raiding? Is it that Dragon Eggs are worthless outside?"

The old man asked, puzzled.

"Ah, there’s no one else, so they forced me to fill in. Speaking of which, what is your honorable name, elder?"

Liu Zheng shifted the topic.

"My name is Huang Sheng, and I’m the Earth God of this place."

The old man introduced himself.

"So it’s the Earth Spirit. I’m Liu Zheng, a delivery person from the Bloody Restaurant."

He introduced himself as well.

"What is the Bloody Restaurant? And what is a delivery person?"

The Earth God asked.

"Didn’t you hear about the Bloody Restaurant before coming in?"

"I was honored to be buried with the king and assigned by the king to manage this land and its ghostly citizens, never having ventured outside. All I know of the outside world is told by the occasional visitor."

The Earth God shook his head.

"The Bloody Restaurant is akin to the Ministry of Revenue, and the delivery person is like a Tax Officer."

Liu Zheng explained after thinking.

"I see, I initially thought it was the Imperial Kitchen, thinking what an awful name."

The Earth God commented.

"Uh, the Supreme Councilman probably won’t dine at the Bloody Restaurant, I guess."

He said uncertainly.

After all, he didn’t know where the cashier’s collected "taxes" went.

"Since you’re a high official with the Ministry of Revenue, it’s no wonder you can afford to use a Dragon Egg as an entrance fee. After all the effort to get here, what do you seek?"

The Earth God asked, turning his eyes.

"I’ve heard the tomb owner here loves all things related to dragons. I wonder if there are any True Dragons?"

Liu Zheng probed.

"A True Dragon shows its head but not its tail, can be large or small, and can ascend or hide; large, it summons the clouds, small, it conceals its form; when it ascends, it soars between the cosmos, when it hides, it lurks within the waves. Also, it is proud, even if captured, it would rather perish than be tamed. There are naturally no True Dragons here."

The Earth God shook his head.

"Then is there a True Dragon’s remains?"

He asked again.

"So you’re here for the True Dragon’s remains."

The Earth God stared at him, saying.

"Not at all, not at all."

Liu Zheng promptly denied.

Anyone could guess that stealing a True Dragon’s remains is much more difficult than stealing a dead dragon entombed in a coffin.

Moreover, he suspected that the so-called True Dragon’s remains might just be the tomb owner himself.

"Really?"

The Earth God was a bit doubtful.

"Really. If the Earth Spirit doesn’t believe me, you can test me in any way."

Liu Zheng said with righteousness.

"That’s not necessary. Whatever you seek, you must first pass three challenges."

The Earth God said.

"What are the three challenges, may I ask?"

He inquired.

"The first challenge is a game of chess."

The Earth God pointed with his Peach Rod, and a chessboard with two boxes of pieces appeared on the ground.

"As a guest from afar, I’ll let you play white first."

The Earth God said.

In Go, the first move advantage is significant, so modern Go has black compensate white by 7.5 points (6.5 points in Japan and Korea).

Since the Earth God said to play white first, he was using classical rules, where the first move didn’t require compensation, indeed a courteous gesture.

"How many games are to be played?"

Liu Zheng asked.

"Of course, it will be decided in a single game."

The Earth God replied.

"Hmm... The Earth Spirit must be thirsty after speaking so much."

He suddenly said.

"I... should I be thirsty?"

The Earth God was about to shake his head, but upon seeing the bottle of wine, he changed his mind.

"Indeed, I should be. This wine is from the Du Kang Wine Workshop, the best winery in the Metropolis. It’s valued at a thousand gold pieces per bottle, and it’s hard to procure even with money."

He introduced, holding the Silver Label.

"Is it really that good?"

The Earth God eyed the wine bottle.

"Whether it’s good or not, the Earth Spirit can tell by tasting it."

Liu Zheng opened the bottle cap, releasing the fragrance of the wine.

"Good wine, indeed it is good wine."

The Earth God sniffed and said repeatedly.

A true connoisseur can judge wine quality just by its aroma.

"Please."

He handed the wine bottle to the Earth God.

"Young man, chess is a gentleman’s game. Even if I drink your wine, don’t expect me to give in during the game."

The Earth God took the wine bottle, not drinking immediately, as he looked at him and said.