Chapter 349: Elven Stone and Moonstone (1/2)

As the clearance holder for the first stratum, Eleena could be considered a human tool from a certain perspective.

In fact, Edward and the others were at first reluctant that she wouldn’t join them-no one knows what would happen inside, and if Eleena died out of some mishap, she would have to revive and rush to Crookes if more Players want to enter the Elven Synchronized Intellect Nation (SIN).

Still, Eleena managed to persuade Edward and the others to include her into the frontline with the condition of ‘not going to the deeper strata’, and to find her maternal grandfather.

And things proved to have gone well. “Eleena? You…”

The old man murmured in disbelief, staring in shock at the Players who were all well-equipped and spirited, and certainly were not looking ragged or exhausted. “How did you people reach this place?”.

When he first acquired the clearance of the Faint Crystal Stratum, it took him over a hundred years and the protection of two elite automatons to evade the rampaging automatons, feel around and finally map a trail to this place!

And these people had caught up to his hundred-year long progress in less than half a day!

In fact, the old man didn’t know that it was just 40 minutes between the moment Eleena opened the entrance and the Players reaching here—which was a lot shorter than half a day!

“I think it’s Mister Marni’s sudden death that ensured us finding the right trail so quickly.” Gou Dan muttered just then, with everyone showing looks of agreement, aside from Eleena who looked a little troubled and Edward who was staying serious as the leader.

The Pink Flatfish who was hanging behind even firmly flipped its tail to indicate his agreement.

“The light of the God of Games guides our path,” Edward said with conviction while his helm continued blazing away.

Moreover, Xi Wei had decided that the Faint Crystal Stratum was a level 5 area that even small-fry Players could enter. While the rampaging automatons were powerful enough to kill a first-rate, level 40 Player with a single blast, their bodies became exceedingly weaker after losing the protection of the Elven Sin, and even level 5 Players could hurt them effectively. To put it simply, the monsters of the first stratum were glass cannons in the truest sense of the term: it could indiscriminately kill newbie and veteran Players alike, just as newbies could kick their asses.

And originally, the greatest threat against the Players in the first stratum should have been various traps and Pyrocrystal Cannons, but those were either directly suppressed by Xi Wei or turned offline by Eleena’s clearance.

Indeed, the old man had the feeling that something wasn’t right, but decided not to ask.

Having lived two hundred years, he naturally knew that talking too much with strangers was nothing good-especially with devote zealots.

With that thought in mind, the old man glanced at the blazing helmet over Edward’s head: to his knowledge, anyone who would wear something like that were definitely cultists and zealots who would self-immolate for their faith.