V3: Chapter 73: The Golden Key
The old woman rambled on and on, recounting her childhood and youthful experiences until her throat was dry. She grabbed the teacup on the table and gulped down two mouthfuls before finally stopping her rapid-fire speech to catch her breath.
Liang Lin was growing impatient.
She was there for important clues, not to hear other people's stories.
"Grandma, is there anything else you want to say? Is that all? And then it's over?"
She'd always been impatient, but this experience had tempered her. Before, she couldn't stand two or three minutes of the old woman's rambling, but now she could endure an hour.
"Hehehe..."
The old woman chuckled twice.
"Getting impatient, aren't you, Miss Langwendi?"
Huh?
This old woman actually...?
A ruthless glint flashed in Liang Lin's eyes.
The next second...
Clang!
The sword was drawn, the precious blade pressed against the old woman's neck.
The old woman, however, casually took another sip of tea.
"I truly meant no harm. I just noticed the family crests on your arms. Most residents here probably don't recognize the royal city's noble crests, but I do. As I mentioned earlier, I spent my youth in the royal city, so naturally I know the Langwendi family."
Who wouldn't know the renowned Langwendi family?
Hearing this, Liang Lin glanced down at the crest on her arm, her tense nerves relaxing once more.
While the old woman was recounting her experiences, Liang Lin had been completely absorbed, almost falling asleep on the table.
"Uh."
Liang Lin sheathed her sword.
"Continue, tell me some important things."
Although she was requesting someone to tell her, her words carried a strong undercurrent of threat. Liang Lin was like this; she didn't even realize her own words were off, and even thought she was much gentler than before.
"Okay."
The old lady finally put down her teacup and sat up straight again.
"I'll tell you the story again. I had something to give you beforehand."
The old lady rummaged in her pocket, rummaging and rummaging, but couldn't pull anything out.
What is she taking out?
Liang Lin and Liang Di became alert again, fearing the old lady would pull out some kind of deadly weapon. The two held their breath, in perfect unison, craning their necks to see what the old lady was holding.
Time passed, minute by minute. After about two minutes, Liang Lin and Liang Di's necks ached from craning their necks, and their eyes were sore from staring, when finally, the old lady's trembling hand pulled something golden from her pocket.
Huh?
Liang Lin and Liang Di held their breath again.
What is that? Is it some kind of terrifying monster, or a weapon?
In the end, it was neither.
The old woman opened her palm, revealing what was in her pocket to Liang Lin and Liang Di.
"A key?"
Yes, it was a gleaming gold key.
Why give us a key?
Liang Lin and Liang Di didn't reach out to take it. They looked at the key in the old woman's hand, then at the old woman herself, puzzled, and remained silent, waiting for the old woman's next words.
"Sigh, just take it."
The old woman spoke slowly.
"From the moment you spoke to me, I knew why you came."
The old woman pushed the key forward further, almost touching Liang Lin's face.
"Because, just a few days ago, I had a very strange dream."
Another dream?
Liang Lin and Liang Di exchanged a glance.
Laura also often had strange dreams, and each time she woke up, she would gain unexpected insights.
So, could this old woman also have a dream about the weaknesses of monsters? Then the breakthrough was… that gleaming golden key in her hand?
Thinking this, Liang Lin finally reached out, pinched the key between her index finger and thumb, carefully placed it in the palm of her other hand, and then gripped it tightly, as if afraid the key would grow legs and run away.
Seeing Liang Lin take the key, the old lady finally felt relieved. She withdrew her hand and sat back down in her chair.
“This key, I found it on the beach when I was young and vigorous. I was probably seventeen or eighteen years old. Back then, I could kill several monsters all by myself.”
Ah?
Looking at the old lady in front of her, who looked incredibly old, even speaking a single sentence was labored and difficult. It was hard to imagine her as a fearsome monster-slaying woman in her youth.
Thinking of this experience, the old lady smiled even more happily.
"That's when I slipped back over the wall, gazing at the boundless sea, lost in thought. At that moment, I thought, if only there weren't monsters on the beach, then everyone could see this beautiful sight."
"They were all too afraid to come to the beach, the soldiers wouldn't allow it either, so almost no one had ever seen the sea. I truly felt sorry for them."
"Okay, I've gone off-topic again. Let me get back to the important part."
"While I was admiring the scenery, another tentacle appeared. This tentacle was even more terrifying and disgusting than the ones I had killed before."
"I felt a surge of powerlessness. I wanted to run away, but I had no strength left."
"Just then, I saw several beams of light suddenly flash from the dark tower on the beach, flying straight towards me. I didn't care anymore; I didn't care who they were, as long as they could save me."
"They claimed to be magicians. They surrounded the monster, and in no time at all, killed it. It was at that moment that I saw something golden inside the monster's stomach. When the monster collapsed, a large hole appeared in its belly, and the golden thing fell onto the beach with a plop into the sea. I thought it was gold; my family was so poor, and if we could get that gold, we could survive for a long time."
"So, in an instant, this thought overcame reason, and I secretly went over there, intending to retrieve the gold from the sea."
"Just as I approached the shore, the group of magicians came towards me, wanting to say something."
"At the time, I didn't know they meant me no harm. I thought, I thought they would kill or capture anyone they saw that had mutated. I was so terrified that I jumped into the sea."
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