256: Chapter 54: A New World with a Slightly Retro Style 256: Chapter 54: A New World with a Slightly Retro Style “Anchor failure!”
Wang Yunxiao’s feet halted, and he steadied himself.
Before him was a gray, overcast sky, but it was not the street and buildings at the school entrance.
Just moments ago at the school entrance, they could observe the streets and buildings outside the school, almost indistinguishable from the real world.
But once they pushed the door open and stepped out, a different scene unfolded.
“Door” held an unusual meaning in the Outer Dimension.
In the Outer Dimension, it was best not to rashly open any door, as that could transport you to an entirely unfamiliar dimension.
If it weren’t for the coordinates Nurse Liu had provided in advance, and the Chess Herald in their team calculating the precise time and direction using these coordinates, they might have been thrown into some unknown corner of a multi-dimensional space, and returning to the real world would not have been so easy.
Take this place, for instance, it did not quite resemble the style of recent modern times.
Bright red brick walls, bluestone floors, golden glazed tiles…
“This…
I’ve seen it in paintings…”
Youtiao moved closer to Wang Yunxiao and muttered softly, “Brother, it doesn’t seem like we should be here!”
“It might not be the place you’re thinking of.”
“How do you know what place I’m thinking of?”
Having his brothers together this time provided Wang Yunxiao a significant relief, but he thought Youtiao’s concern was quite valid.
This place was no joke.
This was the Imperial City.
Wang Yunxiao cast a suspicious glance at Gao Shan.
Gao Shan looked utterly perplexed: “Why are you looking at me?”
“I was wondering if you might be from the bloodline of the former dynasty’s Imperial Clan?”
“My ancestors for eight generations were all farmers!”
“Then how could we end up in a place like this?”
Wang Yunxiao was baffled.
Entering the Outer Dimension required not only a safe passage but also related clues.
Or rather, keywords.
Since they were all students before, their first entry into the Outer Dimension had taken place in a school.
So how had they now directly barged into the Imperial City?
As he was wrestling with these thoughts, three guards suddenly appeared around the corner ahead.
Their attire was identical to theirs.
This was the standard uniform of the former dynasty’s Brocade-Clothed Guard!
Wang Yunxiao instantly understood, it was not the keyword “Imperial Clan Bloodline,” but “People of Official Residence.”
But who had mentioned it…
It seemed like Nurse Liu had said that this outfit was just issued to the Brocade-Clothed Guard and was soon phased out.
“Nobody talk, let’s see how they react.”
Wang Yunxiao whispered instructions to his brothers behind him.
The three Brocade-Clothed Guards walked over and stopped a few steps from Wang Yunxiao.
The leader surveyed Wang Yunxiao’s team, nodded slightly, and asked in a deep voice, “Are you new here?
Who is the leader?”
It’s well-known, spawning wild police in a police station and wild Brocade-Clothed Guards inside the Imperial City was quite a normal occurrence.
Normal my ass!
Seeing that although the other party was gripping the handles of their knives, but not too tensely, Wang Yunxiao judged that incidents like his group suddenly appearing must be quite ordinary to them.
He thus stepped forward without any apparent concern, bowed with his fists clasped and said, “I am Wang Yunxiao!”
“Hmm, I am the Imperial Guard Commander, Shi Hu.”
The leader nodded and said, “Follow me.
When walking in the palace, make sure not to look around or wander randomly.
Once you disturb the nobles of the palace, it won’t just be your own heads you cannot keep, but you will drag me down as well.”
Those words carried a certain significance.
Wang Yunxiao quickly responded, “This official understands, we’re all brothers here, honest and respectable, and will definitely not cause any trouble for your lordship.”
“Good.”
Shi Hu said the word “good” and then turned to leave.
Is he just going to leave like that?
Doesn’t he suspect us at all?
Gao Shan hesitated, thinking that if he were the leader, he wouldn’t dare to follow these strangers.
Yet Wang Yunxiao was still able to deal smoothly with these people, clearly experienced.
Little did he know, Wang Yunxiao’s heart was also in turmoil.
This was everyone’s first time here.
Nurse Liu said there would be danger, but he felt that the danger was not here.
First of all, they were now genuine constables, regardless of whether they belonged to the former dynasty or the new government; this identity could not be faked.
Even if the other party did not recognize it, there was no need to deliberately act and set up a trap against themselves.
The group followed three Brocade-Clothed Guards, turning left and right, walking almost the distance of two streets before they arrived at a courtyard.
“This is where you’ll stay.”
Shi Hu pointed at the few empty houses in the courtyard and said to Wang Yunxiao, “You’ve just arrived and haven’t established any merits yet, so you can only be arranged according to the lowest standards.
If you want to be superior, you must work hard and establish merits, understand?”
Wang Yunxiao smiled and said, “The principle of not taking rewards without merits is naturally understood by this official, but I don’t know how to establish merits?”
Shi Hu looked at him deeply, pulled a folded map from his pocket, handed it to Wang Yunxiao, and said solemnly, “Your job is to patrol and guard this area, slay those who dare to spy on the Inner Court, and that is your merit.
As long as you survive tonight, I will reward your achievements tomorrow morning.”
Spy on the Inner Court?
Survive tonight?
Wang Yunxiao sharply caught the key points in the other’s words.
He wanted to ask more, but Shi Hu was unwilling to explain further and waved his hand before walking away.
It was only after he left that everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Gosh, this really is the Imperial Palace?”
Matuan couldn’t help but exclaim, “Who knows which emperor lives here, it surely can’t be the President, right?”
“It’s not the Imperial Palace, at least not the one in the Capital of the Real World.”
Wang Yunxiao asserted.
Although he did not have modern memories of visiting the Imperial City, he had seen enough internet dramas to have an idea of what the Imperial City roughly looked like.
The Imperial City was indeed large, but like the human body, each organ has its uses.
But the courtyard they were now in, as well as the complex surrounding architectural structure, didn’t feel like the Imperial City at all.
From the map that Shi Hu had pulled out—although it only covered the area around this courtyard, it looked more like a “Market” from the Tang Dynasty.
There were too many closely packed civilian houses, unsuitable for fending off assassins, and he spoke of slaying spies, while people could walk right past a couple of walls without being seen.
Of course, this is the Outer Dimension.
Unlike the Real World where everything must be rational, all irrationalities in the Outer Dimension are rational.
After all, Dreamland is an inseparable part of the Outer Dimension.
The remaining question now was…
Wang Yunxiao looked up at the sky.
This gray, cloudy sky, devoid of any brightness, how to distinguish between day and night?
And also, what are the standards for judging who is a spy?
Are we considered spies?
He had a vague premonition that this night might be extremely long.