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[I am not one of you] Hao Xuan clarified to which the Old Witch laughed.

"You are blessed by one of the Nine, you are not only one of them but above many of those here."

She was right. Hao Xuan hadn\'t considered what being \'blessed\' by one of the all-powerful \'Great Old Ones\' meant. One could become an enemy of the heavens simply by associating with a servant of an \'Old God\' so what would they make of him?

The Old Witch noticed his forlorn expression and quickly reached into her robe to pull out a leather mask.

"Put this one. We might be on the same side for the moment but that does not mean you are safe in here. Only you can protect yourself because your position will make you the center of attention and the target of immeasurable envy."

Hao Xuan took the mask for a quick inspection. It was made from several pieces of hide stitched together and gave off a strange smell.

[At least it\'s not human human]

He could sense quite a few magical runes and several complicated spells embedded into the hide. On the sides was a row of inch-long wriggling tendrils that looked like worms.

[A mask of concealment?] he questioned.

This was a well-known magical artifact used by those with something to hide or a questionable past.

"With some of my personal magic to make things easier. There are quite a few things it can do but the most important one is to hide your true appearance while you are here. Quickly now!"

Hao Xuan brought the mask closer to his face and it jumped on him of its own accord. The tendrils dug into his skin and after a few seconds all the discomfort began to dissipate until he couldn\'t even feel the changes.

The Old Witch gave a brief examination while nodding, "Hmm, good. Consider this a favor repaid."

Hao Xuan brushed his fingers over his face but everything seemed normal.

[Quite a valuable item, why?]

"Because like it or not, in here we are on the same side and we must show a united front," she cracked an ugly smile, "We all might serve the Old Gods but there is still division amongst the ranks. We are the subjects of one of the Nine and as such, only others of similar station are our equal."

[The ones who serve one of the other \'Great Old Ones\'?]

"Yes. But make no mistake, they will strike you down if given the opportunity. As long as it weakens the influence of another \'Great Old One\' there is little they won\'t do."

[So I can only trust you and anyone else that serves \'The Mistress\' but all others are more akin enemies of our enemies?]

"I could not have said it better myself!" she let out another weird cackle, "We will be meeting one of them soon. He is the one in charge of the \'Halls of Austerity\' and conducting most of the rituals," she turned and started walking down one of the countless, impossibly large hallways.

He followed behind her at a brisk pace and within a few seconds they reached a long bridge that was connected to yet another big door on the other side.

Hao Xuan moved closer to the edge to see how far it went down but there was nothing down there. It was a void without an end and even though nothing was visible he could still sense there was more to it.

This entire structure had probably existed since before any of the mortal races walked the Nine Worlds and would persist after they were gone. One could only imagine how many mysteries, dangers, and fortuitous events it held for those willing to take the risks.

"Jedza," the Old Witch muttered in a low voice bringing Hao Xuan out of his stupor.

[What?]

"From now on you will call me Baba Jedza. That is what I go by and I suggest you also choose a new name or title for yourself. Hide your true name from all who might mean you harm."

Hao Xuan threw her a nasty side-eye, [A little too late for that, isn\'t it?]

She grinned, "Call that a last resort. As long as you do not betray the mistress I will not invoke it. We are here."

Stopping a couple of meters away from the grandiose entrance she moved to the right side of the bridge, leaving Hao Xuan to take in the full majesty of the gates in front of him.

They were both around 12 meters in height and 5 meters in width combined. Every inch of the space was filled with exquisite and elaborate designs, figures, and locations.

And when he focused on a particular area the figures began to move and play out some kind of a scene.