“The Kong family welcomes you to beautiful China,” Xiu Ming said as the party left the plane, Chris staring at her in confusion for a moment, “Is something wrong, Mr. Sanders?”
“Wait…you can speak English?” he asked, the others looking at him strangely.
“Of course,” Xiu Ming nodded, “The translator from our original meeting was something of a…how do you say? Power play? By my father. He wanted to keep a distance between us should you not prove amiable to our offer.”
“Oh, okay?” Chris nodded as he looked past the woman at the limousine behind her, “Is that for us?”
“Of course,” Xiu Ming nodded, “There is more than enough space for all of us to travel in it together. The others with me are employees that will lead and follow in other cars. For our protection, you see?”
“Right,” Chris nodded, wondering what a Diver really had to fear in the world outside the Dungeons.
He paused at the strange thought, before shaking his head and forgetting it, following the others to the limo. The car was lavishly appointed, soft leather seats lining the sides and back, Chris noticing how thick the glass on the windows was as he got in. Jessica and Elizabeth were immediately enamored with the luxury vehicle, excitedly asking all sorts of questions about it, Xiu Ming happily answering them all.
“Sorry about them,” Chris said when the two girls had finally quietened down, “They’re a little over excitable.”
“It is quite alright,” Xiu Ming smiled at him, “I have younger siblings as well, I am somewhat used to their energy.”
“If you don’t mind me asking,” Ayla hummed, “How old are you?”
“Me?” the woman smiled, “I am nineteen as of last month.”
“L-last month?” Chris almost choked on his spit as he heard her say that, “Wait, so when you asked about marrying me you were-?”
“Still only eighteen, yes,” she replied, “A fine age to marry, at least in my country. Why, does that displease you?”
“N-no, not really,” Chris blushed as he cleared his throat, “It’s just…well, you’re practically the same age as my sister, so it was a little surprising.”
“What is?” Elizabeth asked, glaring at her brother.
“Miss Kong is just…” he tried to say, his sister’s glare intensifying, “She just acts a little more mature than you do, that’s all.”
“Oh? I can act mature as well,” the girl huffed, sitting neatly on the car seat, “Is this better, oh older brother, dearest?”
Xiu Ming couldn’t help but giggle at the siblings’ antics, her eyes straying away from Chris and more towards Elizabeth as the journey went on. Eventually, they arrived at the Kong estate, the others peering through the windows as the massive gates opened, entering the grounds. The limo pulled up in front of the mansion, the group all getting out as they stretched their legs.
“So, this is where you live?” Elizabeth asked, nodding appreciatively at the huge building.
“Oh, no,” Xiu Ming giggled, “This is simply the guest house. The main house is further into the estate, about half an hour by car.”
“Half an hour?” Elizabeth gasped, “How rich are you people?”
“Beth!” Chris hissed, grabbing the back of her head and making her bow, “Sorry, she’s not used to this kind of thing yet. I don’t think any of us really are.”
“That is quite alright,” Xiu Ming nodded, glancing at the girl as she pushed her head back up, quietly arguing with her brother, “Shall I show you all to your rooms now?”
“Sure,” Ayla nodded, “But Chris and I can share a room, if that’s fine. Seeing as we are dating.”
“Of course,” Xiu Ming nodded, her expression not changing at the words, making Ayla frown slightly.
“Then can we-?” Jessica started to say to Alan, before the older man cut her off.
“Sorry babe, but no,” he chuckled as she pouted, “Your folks made it very clear that nothing happen on this trip. And your mom is scarier than my old Drill Sergeant, so I intend to keep that promise.”
“No fair,” the girl huffed, “Well, as long as our rooms can be next to each other then.”
“Of course,” Xiu Ming said again, leading them into the building.
Like the limo, the inside of the building was richly decorated, an eclectic fusion of Chinese and European architecture giving it a unique look and feel. The group couldn’t help but stare as they were led to their rooms, just as amazed by the rooms themselves.
“That is such a big bed,” Jessica gasped as they looked inside, “You could fit our whole Science class on there lying down! That’s like thirty people!”
“Well, we do try to give our guests the best we can offer,” Xiu Ming nodded, “We do have simpler rooms available should you wish?”
“Nope, this is great!” the girl said excitedly as she rushed in, immediately jumping on the soft mattress, “So nice!”
“If you’re fine with it?” Chris whispered to Ayla, Xiu Ming glancing back at them as they talked quietly.
“Would you two prefer a simpler room?” she asked, Chris jumping slightly as she spoke, “It would not be a problem if you would.”
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Yeah,” Ayla nodded, “Chris is a little allergic to the glamorous life, so he’d be more comfortable in a simpler room.”
“And you?” Xiu Ming asked.
“I’m comfortable wherever Chris is,” Ayla smiled back.
“Very well, if you’ll follow me?” Xiu Ming nodded, leading them back down the stairs to another corridor of rooms, opening a door to reveal a much less ostentatious space, “Is this more to your liking, Mr. Sanders?”
“Yes, thank you,” Chris nodded as the two walked in, Xiu Ming following them.
“Your bags will be brought to your rooms shortly,” she explained, “There may be some delay, as you have chosen to use a room that we had not originally thought you would, but it should only be a few minutes.”
“Thank you,” Chris nodded, before bowing awkwardly, Xiu Ming giggling softly before walking out, “Dammit, this is really stressful.”
“Yeah,” Ayla muttered, watching the door after Xiu Ming had closed it.
“What’s wrong?” Chris asked, “You’re acting a little off. Are you okay?”
“What? Oh, yeah,” the woman nodded as she turned back to him, “Sorry, just a little…weirded out by her. She said that she was prepared to marry you, but she’s showing like, negative interest in you.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?” Chris chuckled, “I mean, you and I are together, and I’m happy with that.”
“Yeah, I don’t know,” Ayla sighed, shaking her head as she flopped down on the large bed, “Oh wow, this really is comfy!”
------
“So, this is the door to your family’s private Dungeon?” Chris asked as he looked at the ten-foot-tall object, the jade surface covered in carvings of flowers and plants.
“Yes,” Xiu Ming nodded, turning to the young man standing beside her, “And this is my elder brother, Chu Hwang Kong. He shall be joining our party on the Dive into the Dungeon.”
“Hello,” the man said curtly, looking over each of the five with cold eyes, his gaze lingering on Elizabeth a little too long for her comfort.
“Okay, what’re your Classes and Jobs?” Chris asked, the two siblings looking at each other, “Sorry, but I need to know what we’re working with here, so we can form a proper plan for fighting.”
“I am a Psionic,” Xiu Ming answered first, “And my Job is Alchemist.”
“I am a Swordmaster,” Chu Hwang replied slowly, narrowing his eyes at Chris as he spoke, “My Job is Samurai.”
“Samurai as a Job?” Chris nodded, “I would have thought that would be a Class, but okay.”
“You do not find it strange that I, a Chinese born man, have a Japanese named profession?” Chu Hwang asked, Chris just shrugging.
“I mean, my Job is Master Alchemist, and I barely know what that means, so not really?” he replied.
“Ah, then perhaps I could teach you some things about your Skills,” Xiu Ming nodded, “As we share similar Jobs, and so probably Skills as well.”
“I’d appreciate that,” Chris nodded, glancing over at Ayla as the women just shrugged, “So, when are we going in?”
“As soon as the porters are ready with our supplies,” Chu Hwang answered, “So tomorrow morning at the earliest.”
“Alright,” Chris nodded, before pausing, “Wait, porters? Like, people you take in to carry your stuff?”
“Yes,” Xiu Ming nodded, “It can be rather…taxing, as we have to help protect them, and they often take a portion of the Experience, but it is the most effective way for us to travel in the Dungeon.”
“Oh, okay,” Chris nodded, “Or we could just put everything in my Carry-All-Bag and go sooner?”
“Your…what?” Chu Hwang asked slowly, Chris pulling his satchel forwards and opening it, “How can such a small bag hold anything of use?”
“Like this,” Chris replied as he pulled a great sword out of it, the weapon more like a slab of steel with a handle than an actual usable weapon, the two siblings staring in shock, “I got it in my first Dungeon as a Boss chest drop. It’s really handy.”
Chu Hwang immediately turned to his sister, whispering something in Chinese, the girl nodding as she replied, before stopping.
“I apologize,” she said as she bowed, “We were just so surprised by your item that we forgot ourselves.”
“It’s fine,” Chris chuckled, “A lot of people are surprised by it at first.”
“I was too,” Ayla laughed, “But it really is useful.”
“May I see it?” Xiu Ming asked, stepping forwards and holding out her hands.
“Sure,” Chris nodded, taking the bag off and handing it to her, “But you won’t be able to use it, as it’s a Rank A item, so it’s bound to me.”
“What happens if you die?” Chu Hwang asked suddenly, Xiu Ming scolding him in Chinese as he huffed back at her.
“Don’t know,” Chris shrugged, “It’ll bind to the next person to pick it up and use it, and all the stuff will either still be in there, or it won’t.”
“How interesting,” Xiu Ming hummed as she inspected the bag, “How much can it carry?”
“It converts a ton of weight into about ten kilograms, so as much as I could carry in that amount, I guess?” Chris answered, the girl nodding in fascination, “I know, it’s pretty cool, but it does have a downside.”
“Which is?” Chu Hwang asked.
“If I’m the one carrying everything, I constantly have to give things back to people,” Chris joked, Xiu Ming just nodding as Chu Hwang stared blankly at him, “What? Bad joke?”
“Barely a joke at all, babe,” Ayla chuckled, “Anyway, if we use Chris’s bag, how soon can we go in?”
“Still only tomorrow morning,” Chu Hwang replied, “We will have the supplies prepared for you to…pack in the meantime.”
“Thank you,” Chris nodded as the young man turned and left, his sister still staring at the bag in awe.
------
“And this is my alchemy laboratory,” Xiu Ming said as she led Chris into the room, “My father had it built for me shortly after I completed the Tutorial of The Petal’s Dance.”
“Wow,” Chris muttered in appreciation at the room. It was easily the size of his entire apartment back in the Association building, and had a strange mixture of modern scientific equipment and older, more traditional items, “So you what? Make potions in here?”
“Yes,” Xiu Ming nodded, “Though the progress has been slow, as we do not know the effects of many of the plants we gather from the Dungeon, so extensive testing is needed.”
“Oh, I can help with that,” Chris smiled, making the girl tilt her head in confusion as he walked over to a table with a large pile of herbs and flowers arranged on it, grabbing a deep blue flower and putting it to the side, “Let’s see…this one is called Oren’s Wreath, and the flowers are mildly toxic, but the root can be used to make a salve that heals burns, so it shouldn’t be with all these poisonous plants.”
“Wait, what?” Xiu Ming blinked at Chris as he started rearranging the entire table, easily listing off the names and effects of a dozen plants she hadn’t even tested yet, “How are you doing this?”
“Huh? Oh right,” Chris said as he paused, “Sorry, I got excited. I have a Skill that…let’s just say it helps me identify things.”
“And you are certain that this Skill of yours is correct about all these plants?” she asked, starting to get excited herself, wondering what wonders she could create with them.
“It hasn’t led me wrong yet,” Chris shrugged, “Oh, also, do you have a place for highly toxic materials? I have a bunch of mushrooms I collected from my first Dungeon, they’re all very dangerous, so I’d like to put them somewhere safe before we use them.”
“Of course!” Xiu Ming smiled, leading him to a sealed room, her eyes going wide as he tipped his bag over, emptying pile after pile of bizarre brightly colored mushrooms on to the various tables. She reached for one, starting when Chris grabbed her wrist firmly, looking up at him as he shook his head.
“Reaper’s Kiss,” he said, pointing to the fungus she was about to pick up, “If you even touch the tendrils, it can lead to total brain death in only a few minutes.”
“A neurotoxin?” She asked, staring at the strange mushrooms in mild fear, “How did you pick them, then?”
“Put the bag over the top of them and closed it,” Chris shrugged, “No idea why I thought it was a good idea at the time, but hey, it could help us now, right?”
“Yes, certainly,” Xiu Ming nodded, before shaking her head to clear her thoughts, “Though perhaps we should start with something more…benign? A healing potion, perhaps?”
“Oh, good idea!” Chris grinned as he walked back into the main room, apparently having finished dumping the piles of deadly fungus from his bag, “I think if we try mixing these two herbs we should get a decent result. Not entirely sure though, but we can still try.”
