Chapter 2596 Bronze Door <TOC> Chapter 2598 Light and Shadow Illusion Realm
Translator: SumTLMan
Upon entering, Angel first noticed the Black Count hovering not far away.
The Black Count was constantly surrounded by swirling energy, while Kael and Vai stood shivering in a nearby corner.
As Angel wondered what was happening, he sensed the energy around the Black Count sweeping over, an exploratory power that made one feel scrutinized even before it touched.
Angel remained still, allowing the energy to approach.
However, the probing energy didn’t actually touch Angel; instead, it deliberately circumvented him.
The same was true for Daus, who had followed him in; the energy also avoided him and moved elsewhere.
Clearly, everything was under the Black Count’s control.
Even though the Black Count wasn’t actively using his energy to spy on everyone, the mere pressure it exuded made those within it uncomfortable.
Angel felt this discomfort, and presumably, Kael and Vai felt it even more acutely, given their trembling stance was already commendable.
Perhaps knowing that such an extensive and deep probe would be distressing, the Black Count soon retracted his energy.
Only when the air was free from the tense atmosphere did Kael and Vai finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Angel then approached the Black Count: “Lord, have you discovered anything?”
Angel didn’t know why the Black Count had suddenly employed such deep probing energy, perhaps to save time, or perhaps because he felt embarrassed not finding anything unusual at the church’s spire and decided to make up for it here.
Whatever the reason, the Black Count was undoubtedly the most familiar with this building’s interior.
Thus, Angel didn’t continue exploring but directly asked the Black Count about his findings.
The Black Count glanced at Angel and said indifferently: “If you’re thinking of scavenging, that won’t be possible.”
Hearing the term “scavenging,” Angel understood that the Black Count must have overheard his conversation with Daus outside. However, since their talk wasn’t secretive, Angel didn’t mind and responded: “There are three scenarios where scavenging fails: either time has passed and the good things have decayed; the owner of the house took all the treasures when leaving; or it was looted. Which scenario are you referring to, lord?”
The Black Count replied: “The first scenario can be ruled out, the second is possible, but the third is a certainty.”
In fact, the second scenario didn’t need much analysis, if the room’s owner was leaving, they would surely take all the valuables unless it was a sudden departure.
The main point was the third scenario, which meant that over the millennia, others besides them had entered the room and left traces of looting.
Angel glanced around; the area was immaculate except for the furniture directly connected to the floor, with nothing else in sight.
The desk drawer showed signs of damage, including the lock core that had fallen to the ground, clearly forced open by someone later.
Seeing this, Angel chuckled softly and turned to look at Daus beside him: “It seems your frustration is about to increase.”
Daus wasn’t naive; his complexion darkened when the Black Count mentioned the third possibility.
The existence of the third possibility meant that, within these millennia, others had entered this room. However, the main door outside was locked and connected to a magic formation, making it impossible for Angel to enter without interrupting the energy supply to the door and attaching an external formation.
This meant it was even less likely for others to have opened that door.
The later looters hadn’t come through the door they used, leaving only one possibility.
This building had more than one exit.
At the fork, what seemed to be a dead end had now become an open path.
If this open path was indeed one that led to the intended destination, Daus’ frustration was inevitable, as in his view, they had now become mere pathfinders for the Traveling Merchants organization.
Watching Daus’ distressed expression made Angel want to laugh. Previously thinking Daus was a carefree person, it turned out he was rather petty about such minor issues, apparently not as broad-minded as he seemed.
“Did the lord find an exit?” Angel, holding back his mockery of Daus, turned to the Black Count.
The Black Count hesitated for a moment: “We could check the fireplace on the second floor; the Chimney there shows signs of tampering.”
With the Black Count pointing out the location, Angel was too lazy to search elsewhere and headed straight to the second floor.
The group followed suit.
Upon reaching the second floor, Angel observed the chaotic traces left by the looters on the ground. Even the Starshine Stones hanging on the wall were shattered into pieces on the floor, showing the ruthlessness of the looters back then.
“These people are like a pack of insatiable wolves, abandoning all elegance and style for mere scraps. Truly beneath contempt,” Daus remarked, but the bitterness in his tone was unmistakable.
Upon hearing Daus’ words, the Black Count snorted coldly: “If you said that outside, at least half of the old monsters from the various wizard organizations would come after you.”
Indeed, the Garden Labyrinth was an open ruin site. By saying this, Daus effectively disparaged everyone who had explored the site.
Realizing the implications, Daus quickly added: “I don’t mean everyone, just those who have been in this room.”
Despite the clarification, the identities of those who had been in these rooms, and whether they were still alive, remained unknown. If these words got out, Daus might still incur the resentment of some old monsters.
Therefore, Daus thought for a moment, then put his hands together in a gesture of prayer, bowing to the group, pleading for them not to spread his words.
Nobody had the intention of spreading the word, and the Black Count was merely trying to scare him. Seeing Daus clasping his hands in a bow, the Black Count snorted in response, which seemed to conclude the matter.
Daus was actually quite surprised; he had thought the Black Count might use this as a chance to blackmail him into extracting something from his pocket. But the resolution came peacefully, and Daus himself felt quite pleased.
Daus wasn’t wrong in his thinking, the Black Count did indeed have such thoughts. However, considering that Daus had been guiding the way, he decided to let it be.
Why make life difficult for a fool who has given much yet is blissfully unaware of it?
Meanwhile, Angel had already slipped into the fireplace while others were talking. When initially asking the Black Count about the exit, the Black Count hesitated before mentioning the fireplace, likely unsure himself if it truly was an exit. He spoke of it because of the man-made traces found within the chimney.
Upon entering the fireplace, Angel saw an upward chimney, twisted and with an unclear end. However, the sides of the chimney bore handprints, clearly blackened, which Angel, casting Alchemy Eye, scrutinized. He confirmed that the black material was indeed blood.
Years ago, a transcendent with blood-stained hands must have climbed down this chimney.
Because this blood came from a transcendent, imbued with extraordinary power, it had remained remarkably intact over the years.
However, the extraordinary reaction from the handprints had almost vanished, and if hundreds more years were to pass, it would likely be erased by the passage of time.
Often, the truth of history is hard to discover precisely because the mighty force of time erases all past traces.
Instead of climbing up the chimney, Angel had Speedling check if there was air movement at the end of the chimney.
Speedling’s response was clear——there was air!
But it was very faint, as if obscured by a physical layer.
Speedling couldn’t describe exactly what the physical material was, but it was certain that there was a path at the end of the chimney; otherwise, Speedling wouldn’t have detected the wind above.
“Lord, is there really an exit in the chimney?” A slightly nervous and stammering voice came from outside.
Without turning around, Angel knew the speaker was Vai.
Although puzzled by Vai’s nervousness, Angel earnestly shared his findings.
This wasn’t just to inform Vai, but also to signal to the others outside, especially Daus, to stop fussing over minor details and take the lead.
Indeed, Angel planned to have Daus take the front. Since Speedling mentioned the obstruction was a physical cover rather than an energy barrier, it seemed to be a task requiring physical strength.
Such labor was naturally suited for Daus, at least to give him a sense of participation in the exploration——this was the compassionate decision of a guilt-ridden leader who was concealing the real use of Daus’ spiritual perception.
Daus didn’t refuse; as he passed by Angel, he even flexed his well-developed biceps.
Angel was indifferent to this since his brother Leon often made similar gestures and he had grown accustomed to ignoring them. However, Vai couldn’t help but snicker, prompting a puzzled look from Kael. In a low voice, Vai said: “Lord Daus often made these gestures when he was an apprentice, but only towards beauties. This is the first time I’ve seen him do it… to men.”
Kael pondered for a moment, then replied in a scholarly tone: “People grow up, and their tastes change.”
Their exchange went unnoticed by Daus, who had already climbed into the chimney. As for Angel, he had a guess about Daus’ intentions.
Some people, for the sake of… well, making friends, will stop at nothing.
After a while, Daus’ voice came through the mental connection.
“The chimney is sealed with a special kind of heavy stone that blocks mental power. After activating my bloodline powers, I can push it open,” Daus paused: “But something feels off outside. Although my mental powers can’t reach through, I can vaguely hear a lot of chaotic noise.”
Angel asked: “Do you mean there are monsters outside?”
Daus replied: “I can’t be sure. But the noise is very chaotic… Damn, the sounds are increasing, as if they’re all gathering at the exit.”
Upon hearing this, Angel asked Speedling whether it sensed any life energy when it felt the wind outside.
Speedling’s answer was no.
With this information, Angel didn’t hesitate: “There must be some kind of creature outside that can sense living beings, and they are gregarious. These creatures might not be very strong; otherwise, they wouldn’t be unable to push open the stone seal. But if we allow them to gather, it could become dangerous. I’ll send Eremy and Speedling to help you. Push the stone open quickly and clear out the gathered monsters.”
Without any delay, Angel sent Eremy and Speedling down the chimney; they were much faster than him and reached Daus almost as soon as Angel finished speaking.
Daus understood the nature of gregarious monsters: the more there were, the more dangerous it became.
There’s truth in the saying: “Many ants kill an elephant.”
Feeling the reinforcements arrive, Daus didn’t hesitate to activate his bloodline power. His arms visibly swelled and metalized, then he swung one palm and flung the stone seal away.
As the seal moved, a swarm of red-eyed monsters rushed into the chimney.
With his bloodline power surrounding him and aided by Speedling’s wind, Daus leapt out. Mid-jump, a blood-red sword appeared in his hand.
Wherever the sword swung, the heads of monsters fell.
Seeing Daus’ swordplay, Speedling quickly changed its strategy, using the power of wind to hurl a large group of monsters towards Daus.
Now, Daus didn’t need to move; he just needed to swing his sword.
Eremy, despite not collaborating with Daus, was by no means uncooperative. With its strength, comparable to that of a true knowledge level wizard, it had no need for Daus’ assistance. Although Eremy could also transform into a wind form and toss the monsters into the air for Daus to strike, doing so would be putting the cart before the horse.
Eremy’s power… indeed, was on par with a true knowledge level wizard.
It wasn’t just slightly stronger than Daus; it was definitely far stronger. Moreover, the range of its attacks was broader than that of Daus, allowing it to kill a large group of these smaller monsters with just a shadowy sweep.
Its speed was not only comparable to Daus when aided by Speedling but even faster.
While they were fighting enemies above, others were not idle either, quickly climbing up the chimney.
Even with the formidable powers of Eremy and Daus, they could only kill monsters. But Angel and Black Count, on the other hand, could control the monsters within a small area through their manipulation abilities.
Therefore, compared to Speedling and Eremy, they were the real backup.
The chimney was longer than they had anticipated, twisting and turning upwards, but their pace was not slow, especially after Vai used his earth powers to create a push-up “elevator,” their speed was astonishing.
In just over ten seconds, they had ascended a twisting path of at least a hundred meters, and along with two apprentices, all emerged from the exit.
Chapter 2596 Bronze Door <TOC> Chapter 2598 Light and Shadow Illusion Realm