Upon arriving at the location, Chu Tian observed the valley to be a vast, flat expanse.
The ground was indeed dotted with numerous mounds and stone tablets.
"Is this the mission you were talking about?"
"Yeah, the reward for this mission is definitely amazing, a dark gold tier serendipity quest, hehe!"
Zhao Lei was extremely excited. It was his first time encountering a dark gold tier serendipity quest, so it was natural for him to be thrilled.
Chu Tian, however, rolled his eyes.
"Why does it feel so gloomy here? It looks like... a mass grave?"
After transforming into a lynx, Chu Tian's vision had an added bonus, but the valley was filled with mist, reducing visibility.
They stood at the entrance of the valley. While the mountain walls on either side weren't particularly high, it still formed a terrain of two mountains flanking a ravine.
In the distance, it was barren. Not a single blade of grass grew on the black earth, exuding decay. Through the mist, many small, protruding mounds could be seen.
The closest one to them was clearly a grave, but it had been dug open by something, with the coffins inside scattered and rotten.
"It's not like a mass grave, it's actually a mass grave," Zhao Lei said.
"Damn it, your mission isn't to dig up graves, is it?" Chu Tian's expression changed!
"Brother Tian, how can you say that? Digging up graves sounds so unpleasant!
I'm investigating ancient civilizations and exploring historical ruins!
Let me tell you, the woman who gave me the mission said there are countless treasures here, and anything I find is mine."
As Zhao Lei spoke, he took out a hoe, shovel, various spades, and chisels from his backpack – everything related to archaeology. He had two sets of each.
He handed one set to Chu Tian.
The latter accepted it with a wry smile, then looked at Zhao Lei and said faintly, "Didn't you say you didn't know the mission details? You're quite prepared, aren't you?"
"Hehe!" Zhao Lei scratched his head.
"Well... when I told Brother Kai and the others, they all looked disgusted and refused to come with me. So I... had to find a companion, you know, it's creepy and terrifying... right?"
It turned out Zhao Lei had been rejected by everyone else and had finally roped Chu Tian in.
He had even managed to trick him into coming.
Chu Tian was speechless, a few black lines appearing on his forehead.
He held the tools Zhao Lei handed him, while the other man smiled obsequiously.
"Boss, let's get started. There's a time limit, and the faster we complete it, the better the reward."
Seeing Chu Tian's silence, Zhao Lei rubbed his nose, thinking Chu Tian was angry.
He stopped talking and, carrying his hoe, began to dig into a nearby grave mound.
Before long, the small mound was dug open, and Zhao Lei pried open the coffin with a crowbar.
Then, wearing gloves, he rummaged inside.
Finally, he stood up in disappointment, having found nothing.
Chu Tian wasn't actually angry, he just didn't want to dig graves. Even though it was in a game, he felt uncomfortable digging up graves.
What kind of degenerate would do such a thing?
"What are you looking for?" Chu Tian moved closer and asked.
"A bead that emits a dim yellow light, it doesn't have a name. I'll share the mission with you."
Zhao Lei found nothing here and, carrying his hoe, walked towards the next grave mound.
He also shared the mission details with Chu Tian.
[Serendipity Quest (Dark Gold Tier) - Find the Lost Bead of the God of Wine]
Quest Information: Find the bead emitting a dim yellow light within the graves in Yin Feng Valley.
Legend has it that a disciple of the God of Wine stole it many years ago. It was a bead used by the God of Wine to suppress the wine's spirit during brewing.
The disciple initially thought it was a divine artifact used by the God of Wine to brew fine wines, but it turned out to be just an ordinary wind-calming bead.
Later, after the disciple died of old age, he was buried in a mass grave by his own disciple, and the useless wind-calming bead was buried with him.
Although this wind-calming bead was ordinary, it was an item passed down through generations of the God of Wine's clan.
It was said to be an item left by an ancestor and a form of inheritance.
After searching for many years, they finally obtained information, but due to the collision of Planet Ai and Planet Lan, Misty Island was separated from the mainland.
This prevented the retrieval of the bead.
The task is now entrusted to the brave warrior "Sword Pointing at the Heavens" to retrieve it.
Quest Reward: Unknown (The shorter the time taken, the richer the reward).
Quest Time Limit: Unlimited.
Quest Time Elapsed: 7 minutes 38 seconds.
...
Chu Tian finished reading the quest, and Zhao Lei had just finished digging up another grave, his backside sticking out as he rummaged inside the coffin.
By this calculation, it took about three minutes to dig open one grave.
However, he looked up and saw countless grave mounds in the valley. How long would it take to dig them all?
If he were unlucky and found it only in the last grave, wouldn't he cry?
If it took too long, the reward would be a few gold coins, which would be agonizing.
Chu Tian's experience told him that quests with time limits and better rewards for faster completion were never that simple.
"Leizi, you keep digging. I'm going to check inside!"
Zhao Lei saw Chu Tian coming over and stopped working, looking dejected as he dug at the third grave mound.
He was also frustrated. With so many grave mounds, which one contained the item?
He could only pray that the next one would have it.
Hearing Chu Tian's words, Zhao Lei straightened up, only to see Chu Tian transform into a giant eagle and soar into the sky.
A gust of cold wind blew, making Zhao Lei shiver involuntarily.
"Pah, pah, pah... damn game atmosphere. I've slept in piles of corpses, you think you can scare me? Dream on!"
After saying that, he ignored his surroundings and focused on digging graves.
Meanwhile, after soaring into the air, Chu Tian flew rapidly towards the depths of the valley.
However, Chu Tian's expression soon changed.
One kilometer... two kilometers... three kilometers...
Chu Tian flew a full five kilometers, but the scenery below remained unchanged.
Grave mounds, tombstones, broken coffins...
The valley was about fifty meters wide and five kilometers long, entirely filled with graves. This... he couldn't possibly finish digging them even by next year.
Zhao Lei probably hadn't expected there to be so many graves.
He likely thought it was only a hundred meters or so, and he could finish digging in two days.
Even if he found the quest item in the last grave, it would still be acceptable.
"Leizi... stop digging!" Chu Tian said helplessly, hovering in the air and sending a private message to Zhao Lei.
"What's up?" Zhao Lei grunted. He had already dug through more than a dozen grave mounds by now.
"What's up? Your damn mission is a scam. Forget about us digging, even if we called all the brothers from the Reverse God Alliance, we wouldn't know when we'd finish.
I've flown five kilometers, and the scenery below hasn't changed. Who knows how much further it goes.
I think this mission isn't that simple. Pack up and follow me, I'm going further ahead to look!
Be careful when you come over. Such a large open area with no monsters around is also quite abnormal!"
After giving Zhao Lei his instructions, Chu Tian flapped his wings.
He increased his speed to the maximum, creating a vortex in the mist.
He flew straight towards the innermost part of the valley.
Before long, Chu Tian's gaze shifted, and his body suddenly ascended, ceasing its low-altitude flight.
Because he had suddenly spotted moving figures in his sight.
And there were many of them...