Before we leave China, I felt it only fitting at this point to go into some detail about how an adventurer can get their hands on a legendary artefact that will help an adventurer in all three worlds. Who else could we use for this long campaign but "Montana" Miller? This man loves the thrill of adventure and his travels have taken him to the three corners of the Sim world. He is so famous that his grandson and family were inspired to become went on to become travellers themselves in having a bon voyage as they visited Three Lakes in Simsconsin. Here is how it happened for Montana.
I have travelled on many occasions to Egypt, France and China. My adventures are broad but I am always eluded by the massive boulders that are in my way. Not any longer. Pangu's Axe is the stuff of legends and I was back in Shang Simla to find it. A local named Lin Hua had left a cryptic message about smashing giant boulders. I jumped at the opportunity. I intended to retrieve it from its labyrinthine tomb. However, certain things needed to be done first.
The first part of my assignment was to convince three locals to let me continue on my quest. The one who had the key that Lin Hau needed would not give it up until he knew some of the locals were in favour. However, I had been to Shang Simla several times before for adventure and also to learn some martial arts so I was already quite well acquainted with some of them. They willingly agreed to my request. The third one took a little bit of effort as he did not know me and I did not know him. However, the job was a good one and I had got enough support.
Once that was done, I returned back to Lin Hua who in turn then sent me to Zhan Su who had a few questions for me. Apparently, he wanted to know if I was a man of good character. As he was another stranger to me, it also took me some time getting to know him before he would ask me the questions. However, he seemed satisfied with my answers but even then, he wanted me to go on a scavenger hunt for three pieces of Lapis Lazuli to help the community's coffers. Fortunately, I had some in my inventory so that part of the quest was completed almost as soon as it started. It is always useful to keep the inventory well stocked. You never know when you might need it.
It was only then that he deemed me worthy enough and gave me to keystone to enter the part of the Temple of Heaven where the axe could be found. I always noticed that with these long quests, it involved travelling regularly from one side of the countryside to the other. Nevertheless, as I was already equipped with enough dried food, showers-in-a-can and my faithful tent, I started on the long journey to the temple.
I used both a bicycle and jogged for the rest of the way. I wanted to improve the level to my athletic skill. The journey to the Temple of Heaven took about four hours and I was exhausted, in need of rest, food and a shower. I set up camp for the night in the grounds of the temple and by dawn on my second day, I was ready to face my destiny as the man to retrieve Pangu's Axe.
A flight of stairs led down into the catacombs. A pile of rubble was on the left and there was a door ahead of me, but this required a keystone that I did not have. Another adventure awaited me in the future, no doubt. Anyway, I cleared the rubble, which revealed a door, through which was a corridor that led to another locked door that required the keystone that I had. I was on the right path.
After following a winding corridor and passing through several rooms, I entered a large chamber. In the centre of it, I could see the legendary Pangu's Axe hanging on a wall. All that was between me and the axe was a few fences. A normal man would climb over the fences but this is not normality. I am a sim and proud of it and sims do not climb over fences. I knew that there should be an easy way to get to it, but I do not do it because it is easy, I do it because it is hard.
Breakpoint - At this juncture, I am going to interrupt Montana's account to say that from here, there is a quick way to get to the axe without taking hours of adventuring. However, I will leave it until later to tell you how. Let us get back to Montana and how he did it.
A staircase led down into a lower level. I followed it and found my only way forward was through a dive well. I slipped into my speedos and dived in. Sure enough, I found a tunnel leading into another chamber. This chamber was to take me longer than I thought as markings on the floor gave away the telltale sign of traps. It was full of steam traps and in order to get forward, I needed to disable them. Also, one of them was in the way of a side chamber inside which I could see a brilliant cut luminorious gem. I knew from experience that they were very valuable indeed. Although it was a bit of a detour, it would be worth the delay.
Hours later and another staircase led upwards. Did this lead me to the axe? No, it did not. It led me to another staircase leading downwards and in this torchlit chamber were more suspiciously marked areas of floor. However, I noticed a torch that was unlit. I found it was movable and upon pulling it, it disarmed all of the traps in the area.
From this level, there were two upwards-leading staircases. The first one brought me back up to the main level but to areas blocked by massive boulders. I made a note to come back here once I had retrieved the axe. I took the staircase back down, followed the corridor around and then took the second staircase. Did this lead me to the axe?
Yes, you've guessed it. Another staircase leading down. However, I did feel I was getting nearer. It lead to a winding corridor inside which was a trap-guarded wall switch. I inspected and then disarmed the trap and checked the wall switch, which opened a secret door that revealed a hidden room. Inside was a treasure chest with nothing but a dive well fragment in it. Wow. Upon leaving the room, I followed the corridor around to another flight of stairs upwards ... and that finally led me to the axe.
Although I knew my mission was to collect the axe for someone else, after I lifted it down, I knew I had to try it out. I remembered the flight of stairs that led to two boulders so on my way back, I used the axe on them. The axe gave me a feeling of immense power and in one almost effortless blow, the massive boulder was turned into small fragments of stone.
After working my way out and another swim between dive wells, it was now about 6am on my third day and I was feeling exhausted. I set up my tent inside the tomb and slept.
After a good eight hours, I woke up, packed it away and realised that I still had one staircase I had not taken. After some hours disarming steam traps, I found another dive well. I slipped back into my speedos, dived in and found a tunnel. This led me to a new cavern which was blocked by a boulder. Pangu's Axe to the rescue. This led me through a series of caverns that I would not have otherwise be able to enter. It also provided me with a shortcut back to the entrance. It was already evening when I got back to the surface and I had to complete the last part of my task and return the axe and not surprisingly, it would be a long trek across to where he lived.
I reached his house shortly after midnight. He was extremely surprised and told me that I could keep the axe as long as I ventured up to the hot springs, break a boulder that was obstructing a way in and retrieved a relic from there.
However, that's another adventure in itself.
I told you I would let you know a quick way of getting the axe from the Breakpoint earlier. Actually, there are two.
Version 1 - Without cheating, it requires a sim to have reached at least the fifth level in martial arts so they can meditate long enough so that he can zeneport. Zeneport the sim to the axe, collect it and either zeneport back somewhere nearer to the patron or just use some Escape Dust that you can get from the Special Merchant for 75 ancient coins and if you have at least a Level 2 visa for the country of purchase. Job done or as Alexander Orloff would say ... "Simples".
Version 2 - Bring up the cheat console and key in "testingcheatsenabled true". Then Shift+Click on somewhere near to the axe and teleport there. Then teleport back to wherever you please. The same as Part 1 but with a little bit of being naughty too.
The only drawbacks to doing this is that the tomb is not completely explored, but it does save a great deal of time and there is nothing stopping the adventurer coming back another day to finish it off.
We will leave the picturesque valley of Shang Simla to still be guarded by its stone dragon and perhaps return there another day. I personally cannot say whether Shang Simla is my favourite or not as every country has something to offer that is special. All I can say is that I think my sims have spent the most time adventuring here. However, it is time for us to move on.
On the next leg of our tour, we will be entering the desert and visiting Al Simhara in Egypt. From the pyramids to the sphinx, this area also has a lot in store for us. You might might even find your mummy.
Dag dag!
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