Deep within the abandoned dark iron mine, the scent of aged dust and metallic rust hung heavy in the air.
Just as Lin Gui steered his staff to fly into the open pit area, a lithe figure emerged from behind a discarded mine cart—it was Theia.
She was still clutching a novel in her hands, its cover adorned with ornate lettering that read 《The Elven Princess's Runaway Sweetheart》.
"Lin Gui! You're back!"
She greeted him cheerfully, then looked with confusion at the unfamiliar woman draped over the staff.
"Huh? Who's this? A new companion?"
Elvia huffed in annoyance.
"A new companion? In your dreams. This is Her Highness the Holy Saintess of the Holy Church of Light."
"Oh, a Saintess..."
Theia nodded instinctively, even puffing out her chest with a hint of pride.
"No wonder her figure is so good, almost as good as us El..."
Halfway through her sentence, she suddenly froze, her smug expression instantly turning into one of horror.
"Wait! Who did you say she was?! The... the Holy Saintess???"
Elvia rolled her eyes wordlessly.
"Yes, that very same noble Saintess, and the leader of the people you most need to avoid right now."
Theia was completely stunned and whirled toward Lin Gui, her voice cracking.
"Lin Gui! Why did you kidnap the Holy Saintess?! Didn't you tell me to stay here specifically to hide from the Holy Church of Light?!"
"Situations have changed."
As Lin Gui laid the Holy Saintess down on a flat stone, he offered a brief explanation.
"She used clues about Avalon in exchange for me keeping her safe."
"Wha???" Theia pointed at the unconscious Holy Saintess and then at Lin Gui.
"Her? She has Legendary knights protecting her, why would she need you? Lin Gui, were you scammed?"
Lin Gui, getting a headache from her shouting, raised his hand and gave her a light chop to the top of her head.
"Stop asking questions. We are going to deal with the enemies trying to assassinate her here."
"Fine..." Theia grumbled, rubbing her head.
"Then who's the enemy? Are they strong?"
Lin Gui examined their surroundings without looking back. "I don't know."
Theia: "?????"
Seeing her "are you kidding me" expression, Lin Gui began assigning tasks.
"Theia, conceal yourself and keep watch at the perimeter of the mine. If you see any strangers approaching, warn us immediately."
"Elvia, you're responsible for watching the Holy Saintess."
Having made the arrangements, Lin Gui walked to the Holy Saintess's side and pulled back the hood of her cloak, revealing her exquisite and sacred face.
Under the puzzled gazes of Theia and Elvia, he pulled out his dagger and deftly cut off the Holy Saintess's waist-length hair.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" Elvia couldn't help but ask.
Lin Gui didn't explain, simply tucking the hair away carefully.
He manipulated his staff and began to familiarize himself with the terrain.
This mine was a massive hollow within the mountain carved by dwarves, with a high and wide ceiling.
It was scattered with countless side tunnels and mining platforms, as complex as a labyrinth.
While flying, Lin Gui pried a few pieces of iron oxide ore from the walls that could leave dark red marks.
He flew toward those deep tunnels, carefully surveying every passage, fork, and alcove.
Using the strands of golden hair, he roughly fashioned several palm-sized "hair dolls."
Then, he hid them in various secluded corners, using the pigment stones to leave marks nearby that only he could understand.
If the enemy truly was the person he suspected, then the Holy Saintess's death was almost guaranteed the moment they stepped into the mine.
There was only one type of magic that used hair as a medium.
That was soul tracking.
The Shroud of the Gloomy Night could not protect the Holy Saintess from that.
And with his current strength, he had no confidence at all in keeping her alive in a direct confrontation.
However, if that person really was connected to the Tomb of Catriona and held such respect for the Hero, they likely wouldn't ignore the Hero's lingering obsession.
If he could obtain the reward promised by the system, the 【Eyes of the Netherworld】...
Then he would have the capital to deal with, and even negotiate with, the other party.
If he couldn't get it, Lin Gui could only say sorry to the Saintess.
But before that, he had to use this complex environment and his little tricks to buy himself some time.
Every minute, every second, was vital.
As the night deepened, flickering silhouettes began to appear on the wilderness outside the abandoned mine.
They moved silently.
They occupied the main exits and high points of the mine but did not immediately venture inside.
More and more figures gathered in the darkness, faintly surrounding the entire mine.
Judging by their slightly mismatched equipment and varying levels of presence, these people were the very same rebels who had appeared at the Dice and Blood casino.
According to Elvia's observations from outside the mine, Caesar had brought out almost his entire force this time.
He had brought the true core strength of the rebels.
Among them were roughly twenty Transcendent warriors of considerable strength serving as the main assault force.
The majority, however, were experienced and fearless High Rank warriors.
There were even some commoners who weren't professionals but carried crude alchemical muskets.
Their eyes were clouded with doubt.
Caesar was extremely patient.
Even though he had brought nearly half of the rebels' entire resources with him, he still didn't launch an immediate attack.
Like an experienced old wolf, he constantly deployed men to reinforce the encirclement around the mine.
Orders were passed down in low whispers:
"Team One and Team Two, watch the two main east and west exits. Set up tripwires and warning bells!"
"Earth mages, construct simple fortifications on that slope over there to prevent them from breaking out by force!"
"Trap team, set up explosive runes and paralysis traps within fifty meters of the entrance. Be careful not to trigger them!"
"Summoners, send your alchemical bats and rock rats inside. Map out the structure and the positions of the people within!"
This level of caution could even be considered excessive.
Against one High Rank knight, one High Rank mage, and a Transcendent Priestess, this was no longer a matter of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut—it was practically like using a missile to bomb a sheep hiding in a hole.
Inside the mine, Lin Gui silently dealt with three alchemical bats and several rock rats trying to sneak in for reconnaissance.
However, he left a slowly crawling spider on the ceiling alone.
He needed the people outside to know that he and the Holy Saintess were still inside.
This silent battle of detection and counter-detection within the mine lasted for the entire night.
As dawn approached, the rebel mages repeatedly confirmed a single fact through the eyes of their summoned beasts and magical detection.
Besides Lin Gui, Elvia, and the unconscious Holy Saintess, there was no fourth person in the mine.
Upon receiving this definite news, Caesar became even less hurried.
He ordered his subordinates to maintain the tight encirclement around the mine.
It was as if he wanted to exert immense psychological pressure on those inside, or perhaps... he was waiting for something.
And inside the mine, both Lin Gui and Elvia knew that Caesar couldn't wait much longer.
He didn't know why the Disciplinary Knights would allow the Holy Saintess to act alone, and this unknown made him extremely uneasy.
He couldn't be certain whether those powerful knights would strike from behind in the very next second.
Rate on N.U.
