Deep inside the abandoned dark iron mine, the air was thick with the smell of stale dust and rusted metal.
Lin Gui had just flown into the open pit area of the mine on his staff.
A nimble figure popped out from behind an abandoned mine cart—it was Theia.
In her hands, she clutched a novel with ornate lettering on the cover.
《The Elven Princess's Runaway Sweetheart》.
“Lin Gui! You're back!”
She greeted him cheerfully, then looked in confusion at the unfamiliar woman slung over his staff.
“Huh? Who is this? A new companion?”
Elvia snorted in annoyance.
“A new companion? In your dreams. This is Her Holiness the Holy Saintess of the Holy Church of Light.”
“Oh, the Saintess...”
Theia nodded subconsciously, puffing out her chest with a touch of pride.
“No wonder her figure is so good. She's almost on par with us el—”
Halfway through, she froze, the pride on her face instantly turning to sheer horror.
“Wait! Who did you say she was?! The... the Saintess???”
Elvia rolled eyes in exasperation.
“Yes, that esteemed Saintess. She's also the leader of the people you need to avoid most right now.”
Theia was utterly dumbfounded. She whirled toward Lin Gui, her voice cracking.
“Lin Gui! Why did you kidnap the Saintess?! Didn't you put me here specifically to hide from the Holy Church of Light?!”
“The situation has changed,”
Lin Gui explained briefly as he laid the Saintess down on a flat rock.
“She traded information about Avalon in exchange for me keeping her safe.”
“Huh???” Theia pointed at the unconscious Saintess, then at Lin Gui.
“Her? She has Legendary Knights protecting her, yet she needs you? Lin Gui, did you get scammed?”
Lin Gui's head throbbed from her shouting. He raised a hand and gave her a light chop on the head.
“Stop asking questions. Next, we're going to deal with the enemies trying to assassinate her here.”
“Fine...” Theia muttered, rubbing her head.
“So who is the enemy? Are they strong?”
Lin Gui inspected their surroundings, not even turning his head. “I don't know.”
Theia: “?????”
Seeing her "are you kidding me" expression, Lin Gui began assigning tasks.
“Theia, stay hidden and keep watch on the perimeter of the mine. If you see any strangers approaching, warn us immediately.”
“Elvia, you're in charge of watching the Saintess.”
After finishing the arrangements, Lin Gui walked over to the Saintess, pulling back her hood to reveal her delicate, holy face.
Under the puzzled gazes of Theia and Elvia, he drew his dagger and swiftly cut off the Saintess's waist-length hair.
“Hey! What are you doing?!” Elvia couldn't help but ask.
Lin Gui didn't explain, simply putting the hair away carefully.
He maneuvered his staff and began familiarizing himself with the terrain.
The mine was a massive cavern carved out of the mountain's interior by dwarves, with a high, vaulted ceiling.
Countless branching tunnels and mining platforms were scattered all around, making it as complex as a labyrinth.
As he flew, Lin Gui scraped several pieces of iron oxide ore off the rocky walls, which could leave dark red marks.
He flew toward the deep tunnels, meticulously inspecting every passage, fork, and alcove.
Using the few strands of blonde hair, he roughly fashioned several palm-sized hair dolls.
Then, he hid them in various concealed corners.
He also used the pigmented stones to leave marks nearby that only he could decipher.
If the enemy truly was the person he suspected, then the moment they stepped into the mine, the Saintess's death would be virtually guaranteed.
There was only one type of magic that used hair to cast.
And that was soul tracking.
The Shroud of the Gloomy Night would not protect the Saintess.
With his current strength, he had absolutely no confidence in keeping her alive in a direct confrontation.
However, if that person really was connected to Catriona's Tomb and held such deep respect for the Hero, then they probably wouldn't ignore the Hero's obsession.
If he could obtain the reward promised by the system, the 【Eyes of the Netherworld】...
then he would possess the leverage to deal with or even negotiate with them.
If he couldn't, Lin Gui could only say sorry to the young Saintess.
Until then, he had to use this complex environment and his little illusions to buy himself some time.
Every minute, every second was of the essence.
As the night deepened, blurry figures began to appear on the wasteland outside the abandoned mine.
They moved silently.
They occupied several main exits and high vantage points of the mine, but did not venture deep inside immediately.
More and more figures gathered in the darkness, gradually surrounding the entire mine.
Judging from their slightly disorganized equipment and uneven auras, these people were the rebels who had appeared in the Dice and Blood casino.
According to Elvia's observations from outside the mine, Caesar had mobilized almost all his forces this time.
He had brought the true core strength of the rebels.
Among them, there were about twenty highly capable Transcendent Rank warriors serving as the vanguard.
The majority, however, were experienced, death-defying High Rank warriors.
There were even some civilians who weren't class-holders, but carried crude alchemical muskets.
Their eyes were filled with a mix of doubt and anxiety.
Caesar was extremely patient.
Even though he had brought nearly half of the rebels' entire arsenal, he still did not launch an attack immediately.
Like an experienced old wolf, he constantly deployed men, reinforcing the blockade around the mine.
Orders were passed down in low whispers:
“Team One, Team Two, guard the main east and west exits. Set up tripwires and alarm bells!”
“Earth mages, construct temporary fortifications on that slope to prevent them from breaking out by force!”
“Trap team, lay explosive runes and paralysis traps within fifty meters of the entrance. Be careful not to trigger them yourselves!”
“Summoners, send your alchemical bats and rock rats inside. Find out the layout and their exact locations!”
This level of caution could even be described as excessive.
Against a High Rank knight, a High Rank mage, and a Transcendent priest, this was no longer just using a sledgehammer to crack a nut; it was like using a missile to bomb a sheep hiding in a cave.
Inside the mine, Lin Gui silently disposed of three alchemical bats and several rock rats trying to sneak in for reconnaissance.
But he let a crawling spider above his head pass by.
He needed the people outside to know that he and the Saintess were still inside.
This game of detection and counter-detection inside the mine went on silently for the entire night.
As dawn approached, the rebel mages repeatedly confirmed a fact through the vision of their summoned beasts and magical detection.
Aside from Lin Gui, Elvia, and the unconscious Saintess, there was no fourth person in the mine.
Upon receiving this definitive news, Caesar became even less hurried.
He ordered his men to keep the mine tightly surrounded.
It was as if he wanted to put immense psychological pressure on those inside, or perhaps... he was waiting for something.
Yet Lin Gui and Elvia, inside the mine, both knew that Caesar couldn't wait for very long.
He didn't know why the Disciplinary Knights would allow the Saintess to act alone, and this unknown made him extremely uneasy.
He couldn't be sure if those powerful knights would sweep in from behind in the very next second.
Rate on N.U.
