Chapter 867: Nasty Goblin
The Mithril Alliance and Caesar Family were long-standing forces with over 1,000 years of history, but if one were to compare them to the Tower of Dusk, they would look really shabby. Even the higher-ups from the two forces felt envious and embarrassed when they saw how the mages from Tower of Dusk dressed.
The people in the Glittergold Trade Union could not help but gloat at the two forces. Being very used to the extravagance of the Tower of Dusk, the Glittergold Trade Union was already numb to such a scene. Everyone knew how wealthy the Glittergold Trade Union was, and that the union would definitely splurge on its men. However, if one were to compare the Glittergold Trade Union with the Tower of Dusk, no one would dare to say that the Glittergold Trade Union was wealthier than the other.
Everyone’s attention was brought back to the present by the scolding of their higher-ups, yet they could not help but gaze upon the team from the Tower of Dusk subconsciously.
“Master Felic, seems like you have stunned them significantly with your investment,” remarked Hoffman.
“It’s just some magical equipment. What I want is their safety,” replied Lin Li calmly. To him, magical equipment was made to be used. It would be useless woods and stones if left in the treasure vault. What Lin Li treasured was talents, and that was the foundation which the Tower of Dusk rose on.
After being awed by the dazzling jewelry, the Mithril Alliance and Caesar Family were not as composed as the Glittergold Trade Union and Tower of Dusk. Even their higher-ups could not help but curse in jealousy as they get their stupefied followers back on track.
After this short episode, the team finally entered the palace-like mausoleum. The 50 men from the Mithril Alliance and Caesar Family were heading the pathfinder team, while Lin Li was leading Connoris and Angelano behind them.
Joseph nearly burst from his rage when he saw only three representatives from the Tower of Dusk. However, he did not have the right to blame them. He had only himself to blame for underestimating the shamelessness of the tower when he agreed to allow them to send any number of people they’d like for this task.
The interior of the palace was not as magnificent and grandiose. Instead, it had an immense sense of elegance and beauty. The surroundings were decorated with magical gemstones that continued to radiate gentle rays of light despite the passage of time. Their light created a dreamy atmosphere within the palace.
There were many exquisite works of art displayed within the palace. There were delicate and vivid statues that exuded an air of grandeur and also beautiful scrolls that could capture any human soul. Although these masterpieces were not as valuable to Lin Li and the other adventurers, they would definitely reap great wealth from selling any of the artworks.
Lin Li did not know if legends were true in saying that Brahere spent his entire life in pursuing art. However, the masterpieces in the palace were enough to qualify Brahere’s great attainments in art as unprecedented.
Although the goal of these adventurers was the rare magical treasures buried within the mausoleum, they could not help but slow down to admire these works of art. They were so captivating that even the Warriors, who were known to be tough and barbaric, were transformed into masters of art appreciation. They gasped at the beauty of every work of art they saw.
Suddenly, the team stopped. Then, two Legendary-level Assassins—Sylvia and Jerry from Mithril Alliance and Caesar Family, respectively—could be seen rushing towards Lin Li. They were the leaders in charge of the pathfinder team.
“Why did we stop?” Lin Li asked curiously as he shifted his gaze from the works of art onto the two men.
“President Felic, that spot in front was where we stopped. The magic gears there were extremely hard to deactivate. Could you help with that?” Being opponents of the Tower of Dusk, the two people from the Mithril Alliance and Caesar Family weren’t sounding really friendly when they said that. The fact that Lin Li was one of the pathfinders but only followed behind the group only heightened their sense of distaste for him.
“We’ve arrived?” Lin Li froze when he heard that. “That’s a very short distance! Is this your previous progress?” asked Lin Li skeptically after turning to look at the path behind him.
Lin Li’s astonishment was not invalid. Although this palace took up a relatively huge amount of land, the team had only progressed close to 1,000 meters away from the entrance of the palace.
Sylvia and Jerry were still hoping to see Lin Li make a fool of himself before this, but Lin Li’s question painted a deep blush on their cheeks immediately. He was right. They had lost a dozen lives along such a short distance. This tragedy would make sense if they were an unqualified adventure team. However, the Mithril Alliance and Caesar Family both had 1,000 years of history. There wouldn’t be anything more shameful than experiencing such a tragedy.
“President Felic, why don’t you go and take a look yourself. If we are not able to get through these magic gears, I’m afraid our adventure efforts will have to stop here,” retorted Sylvia indignantly. Underlying his words was his skepticism that Lin Li would be able to solve the problem.
Lin Li smiled as he shook his head. He turned to the goblin beside him, and said, “Angelano, you can go with them. Let’s not waste time here.”
Angelano specialized in alchemy puppets and colossuses. Hence, much of his knowledge was related to magic gears. His Guru-level Alchemy skills would enable him to resolve many of such problems caused by magic gears.
“Well, since I was tricked to come here, I shall be at your service,” complained Angelano in a dissatisfied tone. He controlled the alchemy machine and brought himself to the front of the team with big steps.
Sylvia and Jerry were extremely confused when they saw Lin Li only sent a goblin over, but they did not dare to inquire further for fear of receiving more derogatory remarks. They recovered from their shock and quickly followed behind Angelano.
Angelano’s shrill and harsh voice could be heard shortly after.
“Darn it, how could you be hindered by such a thing? I really cannot believe you are here to explore a relic, and not for a leisure walk. Can you grow some brains? How can you even die at this spot? Can’t you see such an obvious thing?”
Angelano did not do any close observation when he got to the front of the team. A quick scan of the magic gear was enough for him to detect all sorts of loopholes it had. His frustration was not invalid. If he had to interfere in solving such a simple trap, it would mean that he would have to take care of many other things ahead.
“C-can… Can you even solve it?” asked Sylvia and Jerry indignantly. They had been well respected for their status as Legendary powerhouses. It was vexing enough to be ridiculed by Lin Li earlier. How could their ego not be hurt by Angelano’s scolding?
“Tsk, what is there for people in the Legendary-realm to be proud of? If you can’t deactivate such a magic gear, you should feel too ashamed to introduce yourself as a Legendary-level Assassin,” complained Angelano as he rolled his eyes at the two people. He then proceeded to give orders to the people around him with gestures. “Hey, you, go to that pillar there. And you, stop looking around, yes, I’m talking to you. Do you see that tile there? Yes, beside the head of that corpse. Just walk towards there…”
Since Sylvia and Jerry chose to become Assassins, they naturally knew that real Legendary-level Assassins in the Dark Age were expected to reach the Master-level in dealing with all types of magic gears and traps. Hence, they could only sulk at Angelano’s derogatory remarks instead of standing up against him.
On the other side, people who were appointed by Angelano all looked incredibly bitter. They all tried to make glances at their leaders, Sylvia and Jerry. These people were the pathfinders for their previous expedition, and they had witnessed how their comrades died when they stepped into that region. There were some who got cut into pieces, and others who were burned into ashes. They all died horrible deaths. However, that goblin was now telling them to walk over! Wouldn’t they be digging their own graves?
If the goblin was from their team, they would have greater courage to take the risk. But, the fact that the goblin was from the Tower of Dusk, which wasn’t on good terms with the Mithril Alliance and Caesar Family, made them skeptical about the real intentions of that goblin.
After seeing no one responding to his orders, Angelano’s rage grew even more. “Goddammit, do you think I want to waste my time with you? I’m not going to repeat what I just said. If you can’t remember what I said, you can just go and die!” Angelano lashed out at the men furiously. He turned his alchemy machine away from the scene and went back to Lin Li.
These men became even more reluctant to take the risk after Angelano left. They went to Sylvia and Jerry to seek their opinion on what to do next.
But, at this time, Elvis walked over.
“What’s the matter? Why did Angelano return to the back? Did the Tower of Dusk also not have a solution to the magic gears here?” he asked in a low tone.
Elvis was an approachable figure that commanded a lot of respect from the Mithril Alliance and Caesar Family. The people immediately told him about what had just happened. “Master Elvis, that goblin from the Tower of Dusk did not even take a look at the situation. He merely gave some random orders for us to follow. It is obvious that he wanted to send us to our deaths!”
“This is ridiculous! The Tower of Dusk is our ally now. How would they do that? What did Angelano tell you to do? Just follow his instructions!” Elvis replied sternly. It was the mausoleum of Prince Brahere they were dealing with.
The men were shocked after realizing that he was not the warm and amiable figure anymore. They did not have the choice to reject Elvis’s orders. But, the issue was that no one actually remembered what that goblin instructed them to do with his random pointing and gestures earlier on.
Sylvia forgot about his earlier unhappiness when he saw Elvis’s anger. “Master Elvis, just now… the goblin said everything really quickly, so we…” He tried to explain with much awkwardness.
“Then what are you waiting for? Go and invite Master Angelano back then!” Elvis hollered furiously.
Despite being in the same Legendary-realm as Elvis, Sylvia and Jerry could not help but shudder when facing Elvis’s rage. They knew it was not the time to protect their ego. They sped towards Lin Li’s team, and tried to invite Angelano back to advise them on how to overcome the magic gears.
Although Angelano did not seem very willing to do that, Lin Li did not want to waste too much time here. Hence, he did not make things too difficult for Sylvia and Jerry. Lin Li requested Angelano to repeat himself.
“Master Angelano, I hope you don’t mind their incompetence and continue to stay focused on the mission at hand,” said Elvis as he rolled his eyes after hearing the distinct mechanical sound coming from Angelano’s machine.
“Enough of it. I shall waste some more saliva on this once more. But, if no one pays attention to what I have to say, don’t fault me for not helping,” snapped Angelano impatiently as he walked to the front and repeated his words.
This time, no one dared not to listen to his orders. With Elvis around, these people knew that they had no other choice even if they had to die in this task. Everyone who was assigned by Angelano walked towards their designated spot immediately, and carried out his orders diligently.
When everybody had completed what was assigned to them, something shocking happened. First, the ground of the palace trembled. Then, the crystal-like tiles started to move. After a few seconds, they heard the sound of turning gears from the ground, and all was silent again.
“Let’s go, what are you waiting for? Ignorant humans!” snapped Angelano indifferently at the astonished men.
Did he just overcome the magic gears that took a dozen lives? Now, these people were starting to understand why the Tower of Dusk only sent three people to act as pathfinders.
The team continued to advance. Under Angelano’s lead, they managed to overcome many magic gears and traps. No one cast doubts on Angelano’s skills anymore. If his standards weren’t enough, they really could not think of anyone with better skills in deactivating those gears and traps.