431 Three Hunters, One Stage
Elros extended her right palm and unleashed a crimson fireball.
Amidst the rumbling, it engulfed the flaming serpents in its own explosion, halting their advance toward the bronze coffin.
Without further ado, Albus picked up the carbide lamp and rose to his feet.
He glanced at Elros and grinned.
“So you do know something?”
Albus then taunted Lumian,”You’re in the dark here.”
Dammit! If it weren’t for this inappropriate setting, I’d go head to head with you… Only now did Lumian realize that Albus’s recklessness had been a test and a trap.
“This is the Red Swan Castle of the Sauron family,” Elros replied, not directly addressing Albus but stating a simple fact.
She was implying that she had the Sauron family’s bloodline and had resided in Red Swan Castle for nearly six years. It was only natural for her to possess knowledge.
Albus shifted his gaze to the white candles, their flames nearly one-third extinguished, as if he hadn’t heard Elros. He asked straightforwardly, “What are you doing in the depths of this underground palace? If you don’t share, how can we cooperate and assist you?”
Elros looked at the bronze coffin and unexpectedly turned to Lumian, “I wish to explore this forbidden area, known as the family’s secret ground. Only a few are allowed inside to discover if the curse in our blood is connected to this place.”
“You’re an Einhorn. Do you genuinely consider yourself a Sauron family member?” Albus Medici taunted the lady.
This was both a dig at Elros for concealing the complete truth and an effort to sow discord between her and the Sauron family, making her aware of her place. So, there’s no need to help the Sauron family conceal those secrets? Lumian discerned a double meaning in Albus’s words.
This made him suspect that the other party might already be a Conspirer. His unlikable demeanor might be a disguised trap.
Unfazed, Elros sighed and said, “I bear half of the Sauron family’s bloodline and am also a Hunter. I too will be haunted by that curse.”
At this point, she turned her gaze towards Albus Medici and inquired, “What brings you to the depths of the underground palace? Don’t tell me you’re truly here to indulge in my naive cousin’s childish games?”
Albus responded in a half-sigh, half-sincere tone, “It’s time for the Sauron family’s curse to come to an end.
“And to break this curse, we must first fathom the essence and origin of this curse.”
“Is that so?” Elros no longer displayed the same obedience and restraint.
Albus chuckled.
I’d be a fool to take your word for it… Nevertheless, a true Conspirer doesn’t just tell lies. They always reveal partial truths or even the whole truth. It’s just that they omit the crucial parts… What was the truth in Albus Medici’s response? Could it be that he genuinely wishes to help the Sauron family break the curse? If Elros were to say so, I’d believe her. How can an outsider like him, with no ties to the Sauron family, possess such kindness… Could it be a byproduct of pursuing his true objective? Lumian listened silently, dissecting the responses of his two “companions.”
Her abrupt change in demeanor and her command over the giant black spiders didn’t seem like something a young girl living in her grandfather’s house would be capable of.
Elros and Albus evaluated Lumian’s explanation with identical, almost mocking smiles. Then, they both turned to him and asked in unison, “Why did you venture into the depths of the underground palace?”
“Me?” Lumian pointed at himself with his free left hand and responded honestly, “Someone entrusted me with investigating the Sauron family’s decline and provided me with something.”
The “someone” referred to Gardner Martin, and the “something” pertained to the dangerous corruption at 13 Avenue du Marché, although Lumian didn’t disclose whether he had accepted it.
Albus smiled, acknowledging the lie while being aware of Lumian’s “true identity.”
Elros’s eyes flickered, swiftly assessing which parts of Lumian’s words were true and which were lies or incomplete.
After a moment of silence, Lumian sighed and chided both Albus and Elros.
“You Hunters, despite all you’ve said, not a single one of you took a step forward!”
The three of them remained at the door, waiting for one another to step into the minefield.
“Talking to you guys is a waste of time.” Albus sighed.
Nevertheless, he refrained from advancing. He clicked his tongue and added, “If only a Beyonder of the Sailor pathway were here at a time like this.”
“Don’t assume that Beyonders of the Sailor pathway are impulsive, reckless, and impatient. The potion may have an effect, but a person’s character and experience are the most critical factors determining their actions. If you rely on such stereotypes for Beyonders of the Sailor pathway in the future, you may find yourself turned into a characteristic,” Elros mocked Albus.
Lumian abstained from joining their debate and asked contemplatively, “If we hadn’t chosen the middle path and the Door of Madness, would we still be here?”
“Yes, but some rooms are even more dangerous,” Elros replied, her gaze fixed on the hall’s surroundings.
Lumian nodded and asked, “Will we encounter demigod-level monsters?”
“Most of the demigod-level Beyonder characteristics have been retrieved. Many below the demigod level still linger in the underground palace, turning this place into a restricted hunting ground for members of the Sauron family seeking to improve themselves.” Elros didn’t seem inclined to conceal anything for the Sauron family.
Most of them have been retrieved… Does that mean some are still hidden in the depths of the underground palace? Did this coincide with the complete disappearance of some core members? Do the Sauron family not want to retrieve them, or are they incapable of doing so?
Indeed, Elros’s description aligns with the Sauron family’s current situation. There aren’t many saint-level demigods, but it’s still a substantial number. Many core members are scattered in the military, politics, and business world, holding significant influence… Are they lacking strength at a higher level? There are no angels, only a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact. Or is there just one angel? Lumian glanced around and realized that Elros and Albus remained remarkably patient, as if they had frozen in their spots.
Truth be told, Lumian was tempted to observe the outcomes of Elros and Albus, using their luck to gauge the danger of venturing deeper into the hall within the underground palace. However, given Elros’s erratic temperament and the unnerving silence of Termiboros, he abandoned the idea.
Not only was it extremely risky, but it could also mislead him!
At that moment, Lumian suddenly felt a surge of danger.
He swiftly turned, his gaze following the glow of the carbide lamp, and Albus and Elros did the same.
In the diagonal corridor above, a hand with dark-red, almost black blood vessels extended from the darkness, pressing against the wall, illuminated by the faint yellowish glow.
In the bronze coffin, surrounded by white candles, a hand with dark-red, nearly black blood vessels suddenly extended, gripping a shriveled, blackened heart, from which blood oozed!
Has the menacing creature from the bronze coffin surfaced? Before Lumian could activate Spirit World Traversal, an intense fear overwhelmed him, as if it wanted him to yield, and he involuntarily bent forward.
Instinctively resisting and struggling, he, along with Albus and Elros, stepped back and entered the hall.
In an instant, an illusion materialized before their eyes.
Lumian “witnessed” the hall enveloped in surreal purple flames, akin to an inferno from myths and legends.
At the heart of the purple flames was the bronze coffin. It had turned transparent, as if it had lost its physical form, revealing an iron-black ring pressing down on it.
The ring was embedded in the ground, with viscous, bottomless blood-colored spring water in its center. In the spring water, shriveled and blackened hearts bobbed up and down.
Bloodlines extended from the iron-black ring. Some wound around the base of the bronze coffin and burrowed into it, while others connected to the white candles.
In the next moment, Lumian heard a frenzied and violent illusory roar, as if emanating from deep underground.
His mind reeled, and he lost consciousness.
…
In the boundless darkness, the bewildered Lumian faintly heard a majestic voice, but the words eluded his understanding.
In his stupor, he strained to discern the voice. Aurore’s melodious song and the ethereal flute of the shepherds echoed in his ears.
“I’m the elf of spring…”
As the voices gradually grew more distinct, Lumian sensed searing heat in his right palm.
The intensity of the sensation was almost tangible, accompanied by a burning pain.
Pain… Pain! Lumian snapped out of his fugue and forced his eyes open.
Before him, a crimson fireball blazed, and he found himself encased within a metal framework, his body held upright.
At that moment, a man dressed in black robes, sporting a vivid red beard that made him look like a human-lion hybrid, stood before the metal frame. He held softened candles and pressed them against Lumian’s body, one by one.
Without hesitation, Lumian activated the black mark on his right shoulder.
With a ghostly flicker, he vanished from the metal frame, along with a portion of the candles.
Lumian materialized swiftly at the entrance to Red Swan Castle’s underground labyrinth.
He hastily scanned the surroundings and breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that everything seemed normal.
Without delay, Lumian brushed the wax from his body and examined his belongings.
To his astonishment, not only were the original mystical items, gold coins, banknotes, and various lotions intact, but even the Beyonder characteristic of the wax figure artisan and the shriveled heart he had obtained in the underground palace remained.
No one searched me? Amid his bewilderment, fragmented memories flitted through his mind.
He recalled scenes of himself walking in silence through the darkness without his carbide lamp.
In those images, his countenance appeared lifeless and rigid, like that of a wax figure.
Eventually, he reached a room and nestled within a metal framework, calmly awaiting the wax figure artisan’s transformation.
This doesn’t resemble me at all… Lumian rubbed his throbbing head and opted to ascend the stairs, departing the underground labyrinth.
He promptly returned to the first-floor living room, where he found the poet, Iraeta, happily sipping absinthe.
“You’re back too?” Iraeta inquired with curiosity.
“Yes,” Lumian replied, having regained his composure, as he settled onto the sofa and offered a smile. “I got separated from them.”
As he finished speaking, Albus, with his fiery red hair, made his appearance at the living room door.
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