Don't fall out of that seat Jill! I have more for you.
Thanks so much, Amylu, for reading! I'm glad you enjoyed it. ;D
The first thing Nellie did was to go in search of the special merchant, Jiang Lu, to stock up on a few special supplies for her adventure. She found him just outside the market. On the top of her list was escape dust. Nellie had no desire to possibly become lost in The Temple of Heaven the way she had the last time, and escape dust would insure against that happening.
Nellie, then, reluctantly made her way into the food shop, where Ho Sung stood in his usual place behind the counter. She had not spoken with him since the day he so abruptly ended his visit with her while she slept. Gathering her courage, she boldly walked up to him and gazed into his eyes, the expression in them a mixture of pain and confusion.
"Why," she asked quietly in a voice choked with emotion, "did you leave that way? Have you lost interest in me since we . . . did what we did? I mean I . . ." her voice choked off suddenly as she fought to hold back the tears that threatened to fall.
"Oh no, do not ever think that!" he exclaimed with emotion that matched her own as he placed his hands firmly against her head. "Never think that! It's just that I, well, I had some urgent matters to tend here that could not wait. I did not want to wake you."
Nellie was skeptical about his reply, but decided to let it drop for now. She had more pressing to which to attend. She told him of her imminent journey back to The Temple of Heaven and that she had only stopped in for supplies.
Immediately, Ho Sung's arms wrapped tightly around her. "Must you go? It is a dangerous adventure and I fear for you going alone. Oh, how I wish I could make the journey with you!"
Nellie smiled sadly as she pulled out of his embrace. Although she assured him she would be fine, her thoughts belied her words. Yes, she was a bit frightened of the idea of going back into that large maze of rooms and tombs, but it was something which must be done. Her new-found adventerous nature, along with curiosity, caused excitement to rise above the fear.
Finally, Nellie moved on to the general store, where she found her best friend waiting with open arms. "It is so good to see you again" he greeted with a friendly smile and a warm hug.
"It's always good to see you, as well!" she replied with a sigh as she pulled back from their embrace. As she purchased her needed supplies and told him about her new adventure, Zhan Su expressed his own concerns about her venture. She promised to be careful as she left the market and made her way to her dreaded destination.
All too soon, Nellie once again found herself standing outside the tiny building underneath which the tombs of The Temple of Heaven lay. She took a deep, calming breath and then stepped inside. This time, instead of turning to her left to enter the maze from which she had scarcely escaped on her last adventure here, she noticed an unopened door straight ahead. She moved forward, used a keystone to unlock it, and then entered cautiously.
Nellie gasped in amazement at the sight before her. It seemed to be a suit of rooms with small bed chambers. She chuckled softly to herself, thinking she certainly could have made use of these on her previous visit.
The hour was late and Nellie wasn't running on a full energy supply, so she decided to not venture to far from the beds that night because she knew she would need to rest in one for awhile, but she did feel the need to have look around.
She moved toward a locked door. Grateful for being prepared, she pulled out the keystone she had purchased from Jiang Lu and inserted it into place. The chains fell away and she entered.
Nellie was standing in a room with a huge mirror on one side and large statues on the other. With a heavy sigh, she moved toward the statues, knowing what must be done. First, she moved one statue out of the way, in order to inspect a hole in the wall behind it.
She found a hidden switch that activated another door somewhere in this underground space.
She also found some ancient coins.
Now, she faced the task of moving three large statues into place over three floor triggers that would open another door through which to continue her explorations.
Hearing a door creak open in the direction from which she had come, Nellie ran toward the sound and found herself standing in a very strange room of the likes she had before seen.
The only thing in the room worthy of inspection was the hole in wall of the far corner.
She found a hidden switch which opened up two hidden stairwells.
Being too tired to venture down them, Nellie made her way back to nearby bedrooms and decided to look into the treasure chests they contained.
After collecting all the loot out of the chests, Nellie settled into one of the beds for a nice rest. She would feel better equipped to continue her adventure after a bit sleep.
Upon waking, Nellie was feeling a bit grimey, so in order to preserve her canned shower supply, she decided to take a dip in a nearby diving pool to freshen up a bit. She then continued her exploration without changing out of her pajamas.
After venturing down one of the revealed staircases, Nellie was looking into a bedchamber that seemed fit for Royalty and wished she had discovered it before choosing to spend the night upstairs in the tiny bed.
She looted the treasure chest and then moved a couple of statues onto platform triggers and heard a door open from the direction of the hallway outside the room. She quickly changed from her soaked pajamas into her dry daytime clothes and moved toward the sound.
Now Ellie was standing in front of what appeared to be another maze. She had to think about which direction she should go. Finally, she began to cautiously move forward as she patted and found courage in the bag of escape dust she had with her, just in case she became lost.
As Nellie began to move forward, it seemed every door opened to reveal more of the maze through which she traveled.
Finally, she came to a door which opened upon a room that contained a treasure chest. She smiled and moved toward it.
She was certain by the the soft aura it emitted that it contained the relic she sought.
When she opened it, she knew she had hit pay dirt! Inside was the relic she was to bring back to Lu Zhi.
Here is an overhead shot of the maze Nellie had just made her way through. Wow, huh? lol Nellie quickly found her way back out and hurried to report in to Lu Zhi.
Hidden inside the relic were treasured writings. Lu Zhi said in a voice breathless with excitement, "The order's best scribes have deciphered the writings. I'm so excited! A local, Liang Yat Sen's family has had the treasure the entire time. Please go convince him to return the missing piece." Nellie graciously accepted her next mission. Although she had never met Liang Yat Sen, she was certain she could convince him to hand over the treasure ... in time.
Maybe it is as simple as, one is single & the other is married! 
Of course, it WAS your Christmas gift to me. At least you know I'm making use of it. 
