I handed over the game to the gaming industry, and the government gave me a hacked version.

Chapter 479 Old Stories

Chen You put away the yellowed, tattered page of his journal.

The ancient ice beneath their feet suddenly trembled violently.

"Rumble, rumble—"

A dull thud came from underground.

The ice in the center of the pit slid apart to both sides, revealing a dark and deep passage.

A biting chill, mixed with a musty smell, hit us.

Chen You stood on the edge and looked down.

The passageway was covered in frost, and a crystal-clear ice staircase spiraled downwards, its bottom invisible.

"Hill didn't seem to mention this," Chen You muttered, carrying the Jade Emperor Sword as he walked down the stairs.

The stairs were long and dark.

However, the Jade Emperor Sword with +16 enhancement is brighter than a regular lamp.

After walking for about ten minutes, an open space appeared ahead.

[System notification: You have entered the hidden area—the Eternal Cage.]

Chen You stopped in his tracks.

This is a huge underground ice chamber.

The surrounding ice walls emitted a faint blue light, and in the center of the ice chamber, a huge diamond-shaped block of solid ice floated.

Inside the solid ice, the figure of a woman is sealed.

She wore a gorgeous and elaborate court dress, her hands clasped in front of her chest, and her eyes closed.

She has an exquisitely beautiful face and a cool, aloof demeanor.

Like Bingbingde, a small snake also had coiled on her head.

Chen You gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.

If this thing comes back to life, he will definitely chop it down immediately.

Cracks suddenly appeared on the surface of the rhomboid-shaped ice.

"Click click click..."

The cracks spread rapidly.

The solid ice melted into countless icy blue specks of light and dissipated.

The woman opened her eyes.

She has no physical form; her body is a translucent, ghostly blue, and her feet dangle half a meter above the ground.

[Lady of the City Lord - Mary Alice (Soul Form), Level: ???]

Chen You took a half step back.

Alice slowly turned her eyes and her gaze fell on Chen You.

She looked him up and down, her gaze lingering on Chen You's outfit—the Ink Abyss Star River Robe—for a long time.

"Your outfit has terrible taste," Alice said.

The voice is ethereal, yet the content is extremely down-to-earth.

Chen You was stunned.

A flash of lightning appeared at his fingertips, almost causing an accidental discharge.

Is this opening line appropriate?

Shouldn't she be shouting "You old scoundrel Meng, prepare to die!" or asking in a sinister tone, "Are you here to keep me company?"

"Big sister, you've been locked underground for hundreds of years, and you still know how to dress?" Chen You retracted his lightning and asked in return.

"Women care about beauty until they die," Alice said confidently, raising her chin.

She floated two steps closer and circled Chen You once. "Who are you? A descendant of the Meng family? Doesn't seem like it."

"The Meng family members are very ugly, with very wide foreheads; they're disgusting to look at."

Chen You sheathed the Jade Emperor Sword.

"I'm just a helpful player passing by; the Meng family ancestors have long since turned to ashes."

Alice's eyes lit up instantly.

She leaned close to Chen You, almost touching his nose.

"Dead? How did he die? Was it a terrible death?"

"I struck him down," Chen You said calmly. "His ashes were scattered by the heavenly lightning."

"Well done!" Alice clapped her hands loudly, her semi-transparent body swaying with the movement. "I knew that old bastard wouldn't have a good ending."

"You tricked me into coming to this godforsaken place and freezing me up back then. What a jerk!"

Chen You pulled over a flat piece of broken ice and sat down, then took out a handful of Qi-Nourishing Pills from his backpack.

"Let's talk about this scumbag in detail." Chen You adopted a gossipy, spectator-like posture.

Alice followed his example, sitting in the void opposite him and beginning to pour out her grievances.

Years ago, the Meng family ancestor had a secret rendezvous with her, which was discovered by the former city lord.

To protect themselves, the Meng ancestors pinned all the blame for seduction on her and even suggested sealing her at the bottom of the Aurora Borealis as a way to show their loyalty to the city lord.

"He said it was a sacrifice for the greater good of our future," Alice sneered. "Greater good my ass, he just wants the city lord's treasure."

Chen You nodded in agreement.

"This kind of person is a boss who makes empty promises, expecting you to be grateful even though they don't pay you."

"So what do you want to do now? Reincarnate or seek revenge?"

"Revenge? He's all ashes now, who am I supposed to take revenge on? His ugly descendants?" Alice waved her hand, her face full of disgust.

"It's pointless, it makes my hands dirty."

"Aren't you cold staying here?"

"I'm used to the cold, and it's mainly because I'm bored." Alice looked at Chen You. "Since you were able to come down, it means you took care of that stupid dragon up there, and that stubborn knight too."

"Just a quick thing." Chen You took out the [Frozen City Lord's Seal] and tossed it in his hand. "Is this thing useful?"

Alice glanced at it and scoffed, "A piece of trash."

"Who is the current city lord? Does he treasure this thing?"

"His name is Bingbingde, a penniless wretch," Chen You said.

Alice laughed so hard she almost fell over, her translucent body trembling violently.

"She wouldn't be trying to get you to get the vault key, would she? Too bad, the real vault key isn't this broken seal at all."

Chen You sat up straight, his eyes becoming sharp.

"Where's the key?"

"Inside my belly," Alice said, pointing to her abdomen.

Chen You stared at her translucent belly.

"You're just a soul, where did you get a belly?"

Alice rolled her eyes. "The key is bound to my soul."

"If you want to take the treasure from the vault, you'll have to take me out."

Chen You couldn't help but become wary.

That doesn't sound quite right.

"Take you out? You're not going to possess me, are you? I'm very protective of my life."

"Possess you? You're not even a woman, why would I possess you? To scrub your back in the men's bathhouse?" Alice floated back a distance with a look of disgust on her face.

Chen You thought it made sense.

"How can I take you away?"

Alice pointed to the spot where she had been trapped.

A bead emitting a soft white light floated in mid-air.

"That's my soul pearl. If you keep it with you, I can follow you."

Chen You walked over and reached out to grasp the bead.

[System Notification: You have obtained the special item "Alice's Soul Orb". With this item, Alice's soul will accompany you.]

Chen You stuffed the Soul Pearl into his backpack.

Alice transformed into a streak of light and disappeared directly into Chen You's backpack.

The next second, Chen You heard her voice in his ear.

"What kind of junk is in your bag? So many pills, are you in poor health?"

Chen You's forehead veins throbbed.

"Shut up! If you say another word, I'll throw you back into the ice pit."

"Fine, fine, then hurry up, I'm afraid my body scent will turn into a medicinal smell if I stay too long." Alice's voice was full of undisguised disgust.

"..." Chen You turned around and walked up the icy steps.

……

Aurora City, City Lord's Mansion.

Bingbingde sat on the city lord's throne, looking at the treasury ledgers with a worried expression.

The door was kicked open.

Chen You strode in and slammed the [Frozen City Lord's Seal] onto the table with a "bang".

Bingbing was jolted awake and suddenly stood up.

She stared intently at the seal, her hands trembling.

"Warrior! You really did it! You saved Aurora City!" Bingbingde was so excited that she couldn't speak coherently.