### Chapter 3: My Maze (4)
==============================
As expected by Lin Nan, once the hidden passage was opened, it didn’t take long for these genius-level individuals to discover the abnormal path lurking in the corner.
Fu Yetian, the daredevil of the group, jumped right in without a second thought about whether the unknown passage held any traps.
Under the pressure of the pursuing Demon Army, Zi Yi, Tiger Demon, and the rest opted to dive into the hidden tunnel to evade capture.
However, when the Demon Army discovered the sneaky route, they didn’t march in as Lin Nan had anticipated.
Instead, they seemed to follow the principle of “stop, look, and think”—they circled around the entrance like they were checking the weather before going outside.
Prince Eric left behind five thousand soldiers to guard around the Sky Tower, while the remaining three thousand of his elite guard marched right into the tower, forming a long line down the winding, narrow passage.
Although each layer of the maze expanded significantly as they descended—especially after the 10th layer, which could fit ten thousand people without feeling cramped—Eric certainly didn’t expect the cavern below the Sky Tower to be that spacious. Red flags went off in his mind, and he became increasingly cautious with each step.
Eric was decisive, fast-moving, and deadly serious, but he maintained a skeptical attitude when it really mattered.
This was also why he didn’t wait for any reports from the embassy before charging straight for Black Stone City, while simultaneously doubting the frequent occurrences of hidden passages.
“Morris, what do you think?”
Eric called over his nephew.
Morris croaked a couple of times, and Adeline effortlessly chimed in with an answer.
“Maybe it’s a trap.”
“Right you are, my dear nephew. Every layer presents us with weird tunnels. Ha! What other purpose could they serve except to lure us into a shortcut?”
Eric made his decision: “Proceed as planned; forget those blasted side routes.”
And so the army continued their march as normal.
As Eric had anticipated, at each subsequent layer, Demon Warriors would find a mysterious path materializing in their direction, other than the main road.
But Eric remained unfazed.
He was convinced that even the legendary Four Warriors, the creators of the Demon Empire, couldn’t conquer this maze, so how could the crumbs that went in ahead of them possibly breeze through?
Instead of speeding up his march, it was better to keep a steady pace, letting those fools scout the roads for the Demon Warriors. After all, they had already lost plenty of soldiers fighting the giant beasts, and he wasn’t keen on sacrificing more of his empire’s elite.
It must be said, Prince Eric wasn’t some soft-bellied, average Joe.
His restraint and calm demeanor gave Lin Nan a headache.
With Fu Yetian and Zi Yi about to meet up with the first team, while the Demon Army was still creeping along, things weren’t going according to her plan.
It seemed she had to resort to some tactics.
“Trissa, Prince Eric’s army has entered the maze.”
“Wait, how could they… get here so fast?”
Trissa was taken aback when she heard about the Demon Army’s arrival. “Morris just split off from us not long ago, unless…”
She quickly realized Eric’s plan. The embassy was merely a tool to stabilize Black Stone City; he never had any intention of waiting for their report before charging in.
Trissa suddenly felt betrayed, her emotions caught in a tailspin.
“Their goal is exploration of the Underground Palace, just like the Four Warriors back in the day.”
Lin Nan looked into her eyes calmly, “Can you stop them? If you had to raise your sword against your own kin, what would you do?”
Trissa gasped.
She hadn’t expected that her very first mission from Lord Lin would be to confront her own kind.
It was undeniably alarming.
What could she do?
Was this a test of loyalty by the God of Harmony through Lord Lin?
Trissa struggled for a moment, then lifted her head, determined. “If… if their goal is to conquer the maze as well, then even if they’re my kin, they are still my enemies. I will do my best to stop them; I swear!”
Lin Nan nodded, “It’s good that you have this resolve. However, your task is not to annihilate them completely, but to lead them to the 59th layer. Before we deplete our undead troops, I hope they can infight. The more casualties they have, the less pressure we’ll face.”
Upon hearing Lord Lin’s plan, Trissa nodded vigorously, feeling a huge sense of relief wash over her.
“I’ll provide you with 300 skeleton warriors and 200 skeleton archers. I hope you can make good use of your strengths and minimize losses.”
“Yes, my lord!” Trissa answered earnestly.
This was her very first experience leading a battle. Even though she stood against the Demon Army with a horde of decaying bones at her command, it still meant a lot to her.
Compared to the three thousand elite members of the Demon Army, her humble five hundred skeleton soldiers were practically inconsequential, akin to a bunch of novice players.
But under the watchful eyes of the God of Harmony and Lord Lin, Trissa grit her teeth; come what may, she would complete the mission.
Otherwise, what right would she have to follow Lord Lin and listen to the teachings of the Muse?
Tom, Jerry, and the other attendants begged to accompany Trissa, but Lin Nan rejected their request.
“You have other arrangements; let her handle this by herself.”
Trissa pumped her fist, rallying their confidence while also motivating herself, “Trust me, I’ll be back in no time.”
Once she vanished from sight, Lin Nan’s attention pivoted to the panoramic view.
Was Trissa capable? She didn’t have the slightest clue.
After accepting her task from the system, due to her boss-like status, she was bound to act only in fixed stages; she couldn’t go anywhere else.
Otherwise, with her temperament, she probably would have charged in herself, leaving no room for Trissa to take the risk.
Trissa had breezed through the academy, but in terms of actual combat and command skills, she might not even measure up to a team leader from the army.
Sending Trissa on the bait-and-split mission was also to test if this little gal had any potential for cultivation.
If she did, perhaps after taking over the Demon territory, a key position could be left open for her.
……
As the winding Demon Army’s vanguard reached the threshold of the 20th layer, being part of Prince Eric’s elite guard meant that every ordinary soldier was at least a B-rank warrior, and the guard captain, Freeman, was personally appointed as an S-rank warrior by His Majesty the Emperor.
Prince Eric himself was an S-rank potion master, specializing in the production of fire-based potions.
Therefore, when warriors unaccustomed to spells were armed with offensive potions, they feared no enemies.
As they marched on, they hadn’t encountered any enemy warriors, and the troops began to feel the journey was somewhat monotonous.
Some even doubted whether this was really a place once tread by the Four Warriors—there was barely any challenge!
But just as the vanguard stepped onto the land of the 20th layer, they suddenly heard a familiar clatter of weaponry clashing from somewhere in the corner.
