Xuan Jingyuan was not in a good mood.
He checked the time; it was already 11:05 PM.
This meant he didn't have much time left.
Furthermore, he had lost a massive number of men in tonight's Scarlet Dream. When they first entered the dream, they had a total of about two hundred and thirty people, and roughly a hundred of them had yet to complete the task of repelling a specter.
Putting everything else aside, after just an hour of hunting, the death toll had reached a staggering seventy people!
Yes, seventy people had died in a single hour!
Only about thirty of those deaths had occurred while they were hunting specters together; the remaining forty had all perished while searching for the specter principal.
Because he didn't know where the principal was hiding, he could only send his subordinates out in search squads. Each squad was equipped with either a player who possessed Spirit Vision or one or two players with Perception.
Yet, despite the heavy casualties after all this time, there was still no sign of the specter principal. Meanwhile, twenty-six of his subordinates still had not completed their task of repelling a specter.
Xuan Jingyuan was deeply troubled.
The losses were simply too severe!
He was now debating whether to continue sending squads out to search.
After all, only twenty-six people had yet to complete the main quest, but sending squads out earlier had already cost him nearly forty lives. If he sent out more...
He had a gut feeling that his losses would only multiply.
Thus, the most logical choice to cut his losses was to give up right now.
However, those twenty-six people had only put off completing their quests to protect him, the Emperor, during the first two Scarlet Dreams. They had done so because they trusted him.
If he were to abandon them now...
Although he knew no one would dare voice their complaints even if he did abandon them, this was clearly not how a wise ruler behaved.
Moreover, such an action would undoubtedly plant a seed in their hearts.
A seed of doubt.
Once planted, it would inevitably take root and sprout in the future.
So... what should he do now?
Xuan Jingyuan didn't ponder for long. After all, time was of the essence.
This was already their third time entering the Scarlet Dream. Even if they wanted to return later, they wouldn't be able to. Therefore, they only had the next hour left.
No, actually, only fifty minutes remained.
Xuan Jingyuan made his decision.
“Continue the search!”
“The two-headed specter that the school principal transformed into is crucial. Whether the remaining people can complete the main quest depends entirely on finding him.”
“However, our previous approach isn't working. The losses are too high!”
He looked down at Tang Zhen, who was still kneeling on one knee before him.
“Tang Zhen, convey my imperial decree. Order everyone to surround the areas we haven't searched yet, and then advance forward step by step.”
“Search every single inch of this school!”
“If you encounter other players along the way, record their identities for unified management. But if you encounter the two-headed specter or any other specters, repel them all!”
“Once the two-headed specter is repelled, everyone must return here immediately.”
Tang Zhen immediately complied.
“Yes, Your Majesty. This servant shall go at once.”
Tang Zhen quickly took his leave and began executing Xuan Jingyuan's orders.
After he left, the office fell into a dead silence. The atmosphere was tense and suffocating, and many didn't even dare to breathe too loudly.
After all, anyone could see that their Emperor was absolutely furious.
Just then, someone stood up.
“Your Majesty, this minister has some good news.”
Xuan Jingyuan raised an eyebrow and looked at the man standing below.
Good news?
What good news could there possibly be at a time like this?
“Oh? What good news is that?”
“Your Majesty, this minister possesses a specter item. When used, it can pinpoint the exact location of an ownerless specter item. The guidance lasts for five breaths.”
One breath was about three seconds, so five breaths would be around fifteen seconds.
“This is the principal's office, so there is a very high probability that a specter item is hidden here. Why not let this minister give it a try? In the event that we find one...”
Xuan Jingyuan glanced around the somewhat messy office.
“This place has already been searched. Even if there was a specter item, it has likely been taken by others.”
In the face of the Emperor's skepticism, the minister wore a highly confident smile.
“Your Majesty, how will we know if we don't try?”
Seeing his expression, Xuan Jingyuan suddenly chuckled and scolded him playfully.
“Looking at you, it seems you have already used the specter item and confirmed that an ownerless specter item is indeed here?”
Seeing that the Emperor's mood had significantly improved, the minister breathed a sigh of relief.
“Your Majesty is wise.”
He then picked up a book—or rather, a notebook used specifically by the principal—from a corner of the office.
He casually flipped through it after picking it up and found a card inside.
The moment he picked up the card, he immediately understood the specter item's function.
【Lingyang First High School Pass: Permanent specter item, active use. This is the exclusive pass of the principal of Lingyang First High School, which comes with a special effect. As long as you are in a dungeon with a quest to find the path of survival, you can directly leave the dungeon without going through the path of survival, provided you have completed all other quests. Cooldown: One year.】
The minister handed the card to Xuan Jingyuan.
“Please have a look, Your Majesty. It is actually a permanent specter item. Although the cooldown is a bit long, it is still an excellent life-saving tool.”
Xuan Jingyuan took it and looked at it, a delighted smile instantly breaking out on his face.
“Excellent!”
“Very good! Once we clear this dungeon, I will surely reward you handsomely!”
Hearing this, the minister immediately bowed with clasped hands to express his gratitude.
“This minister thanks Your Majesty!”
However, his heart was aching with regret.
Had he known it had such a special effect, he would have quietly kept it for himself. How could he have been willing to give it away?
Even if it was to the Emperor.
The specter item he owned was called the 【Magnifying Glass】. It was a consumable specter item, and its special effect of searching for ownerless specter items could only be used three times in total.
He had obtained it in the previous Daily Dungeon. Before this, he hadn't even been willing to use it himself, but he had just spent one of its charges.
Although it was a bit of a pity, at least it hadn't gone to waste.
This single use had, at the very least, secured him a bright future.
He didn't believe for a second that he would die in this dungeon. With His Majesty and so many of their own people around, it would be difficult for him to die even if he wanted to.
Xuan Jingyuan toyed with the specter item, unable to put it down. His heart felt much more at ease, and his mood improved significantly. The atmosphere in the office was no longer as tense as before.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the campus.
Just as Tang Zhen was leading a grand, sweep-style search of the campus, Zuo Lin'an and Xu Youyou, who were looking for playing cards inside the campus shop in the dormitory area, suddenly felt a familiar specter aura.
“Huh? The principal?”
Xu Youyou looked at the principal, who was slowly materializing before them, and found it rather strange.
“Why are you here? I thought you had been repelled and were currently being spawn-camped by the players at the administrative building.”
“I didn't expect you to be so good at hiding.”
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