Chapter 5: My Maze (6)
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Prince Eric perked up, his ears catching a few key words from Trissa’s tearful ramblings.
“So you’re saying these passages lead straight to the 59th level?”
Trissa nodded vigorously as she wiped her tears.
Eric had long suspected this maze wasn’t a natural formation. I mean, how could it be mere coincidence that every level had special passages? The only explanation was that the maze’s designer wanted challengers in the Sky Tower to converge quickly at level 59, no matter who entered first or last.
In other words, the 60th level was a crucial checkpoint that connected it all.
Levels 1 to 59 posed no threat to the challengers; all they wasted was their time wandering about.
The designer must have wanted to wipe away the time gap for challengers and place everyone, regardless of faction, on the same starting line.
Heh, very interesting.
Eric pondered this and sensed there was more than met the eye.
As they say, the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward.
With the 60th level teeming with undead creatures, it surely housed a formidable undead boss. Defeating it would undoubtedly yield hefty rewards.
Back in the day, the Four Warriors likely pushed through to level 70 because they scored enough loot on level 60 to keep going.
If they just planned to wait for the enemy to wear themselves out, but the enemy ended up killing the boss first, the demon race would lose their chance to catch up.
With that thought, Eric’s mind was already made up.
Meanwhile, Trissa, now tear-free, was waiting for Eric to make a decision.
In her earlier narrative, she had unwittingly provided enough information, certain that the daring yet cautious blend of Eric’s personality would lead to a satisfactory response.
“Adeline,” Trissa whispered to the blonde girl beside her, “you and Morris stick close to me at all times.”
The girl sighed with relief and nodded eagerly.
In Trissa’s tale, Adeline had picked up on something—Trissa was deliberately leaving out any mention of Lin Nan.
After all, with that magical harpist’s strength, how could she just fade into the background on this maze adventure?
Adeline had witnessed Lord Lin take down the Bull Head Monster that blocked their embassy’s path, so Trissa must have intentionally omitted his existence on Lord Lin’s orders.
Morris couldn’t voice his thoughts, but his eager eyes revealed that he was dying to ask about Lin Nan’s whereabouts.
Even though Lord Lin hadn’t specifically said that Morris and Adeline should be treated differently from Eric, in Trissa’s eyes, they were comrades through thick and thin. Any prior unpleasantness had flown out the window.
Even if Trissa didn’t know that Morris had already recognized Lin Nan as his leader, she knew that Morris and Adeline had spent hours chatting with Lord Lin, so he surely wouldn’t hold it against her.
“Freeman, you lead the way. The rest of us will follow closely. If we encounter enemies ahead, don’t wait for this king’s orders; go ahead and defend to buy time for the main army!”
Eric commanded decisively.
Freeman accepted his mission, knowing that any hesitation would sever the slim chance the demon army had to catch up.
As she saw the first squad of two hundred people zipping down a sloped passageway, Trissa finally felt her heart settle.
For her first mission, losing only a hundred skeleton warriors and archers wasn’t half bad. She hadn’t let Lord Lin down.
…
On the 59th level of the underground maze.
When Lady Rong Ji encountered Fu Yetian, her expression didn’t betray any dissatisfaction. Instead, she beamed like a long-lost relative.
Upon seeing the Tiger Demon and Zi Yi, her smile broadened until her eyes squinted like crescent moons.
Fu Yetian maintained a serious face, silent as a statue. After all, he had come to assist Lady Rong, but now his subordinates had lost control of Black Stone City only moments after getting their hands on it. That was an awkward situation in front of her.
Yet Rong Ji showed no displeasure and took the initiative to chat.
“Brother Fu, did the Lord send any messages with you? I haven’t seen him in ages; I really miss him!”
Fu Yetian replied, “The Lord trusts you, Lady Rong. This time, it was my oversight. Let’s just say I owe you one.”
Rong Ji waved her hands dismissively. “Oh, no, no, no, you can’t owe me such a big favor; after all, the demon army is the main force here, and little Zi has done her best. So don’t blame her later, okay?”
Zi Yi stood nearby, head bowed, biting her lip.
Rong Ji glanced at her and then at the Tiger Demon kneeling before her. “So, the demon army has been hot on your heels?”
The Tiger Demon dared not look up. “Yes, my lady.”
Rong Ji’s smile faded. “Useless! If you hadn’t led them here, they would still be wandering around for at least another half hour, trying to find their way.”
The Tiger Demon could only thump his head on the ground, leaving bright red marks behind.
Rong Ji huffed, “I have plenty of souls stored here. Sometimes, if you don’t want to d*e, it’s precisely when you d*e faster.”
The Tiger Demon’s eyes widened in fright as he spoke. “My lady, my lady, I’m still useful! I can arrange troops and lead charges! If I’m dying, it’ll be in front of you, never backing down again!”
Rong Ji gazed at him for a moment, then slowly retracted her hand, which had been ready to pull something out.
“Fine, let’s wait and see.”
She turned back to Fu Yetian. “Brother Fu, the demon army will surely reach this level soon. What do you suggest we do? Should we have a little skirmish with them? If we take the 60th level first with our numbers, we might get cut off halfway!”
Fu Yetian replied, “If the enemy’s leader is Prince Eric, I might be able to persuade him.”
Rong Ji smiled sweetly, “Brother Fu has a way!”
Just as their conversation wound down, a flickering light appeared about two or three kilometers from their temporary camp.
The surrounding guards exchanged glances.
Fu Yetian said, “They’ve finally arrived.”
Rong Ji grinned, “Just in time! Let them see how formidable our Brother Fu truly is!”
