On the wasteland, two groups of people were locked in a tense standoff.
After the Echoes of Truth were surrounded by a large number of mercenaries brought by the demons, Elder John immediately identified himself as an ally.
To the elders' surprise and anger, however, the other side remained completely unmoved, pressing forward step by step with blades reflecting the piercing sunlight and a murderous intent that was almost tangible.
Elder John watched the mercenaries with cold eyes. Although the demons had brought a large number of armed mercenaries and held the upper hand in numbers, he did not care for these fodder. What he found slightly more difficult were the demons mixed in among the mercenaries.
In particular, the demon leader, Shadow, was said to be Barcas's right-hand man. He possessed a powerful talent for shadow magic and was a high-tier mage who could not be underestimated.
"High-tier?" Elder Lyles sneered after hearing Elder John's description. "As if I'm not a high-tier myself. Do you think I'm afraid of him?"
All seventeen members of the Council of Elders present were high-tier mages. In terms of transcendent power, the cult still held a steady advantage over the other side.
"Everyone, stay calm," Elder John instructed in a low voice. "Let's negotiate first. I don't think they're after us. We'll wait until we figure out what's going on..."
Despite the tension, the leaders of both sides maintained a certain level of restraint. Soon, after a brief negotiation, both parties understood each other's goals.
The demons learned that the Echoes of Truth were hunting the traitorous Hermit, while the cult learned from the demons that the Hermit, Ansu, was following a team from the Church of Holy Light to find the underground temple of the ancient demon empire and was likely already inside.
The demons' mission was to prevent anyone from desecrating the sacred site of their ancestors.
The elders' eyes flickered with surprise. The Hermit had actually run into someone else's underground temple?
But more than the matter of the Hermit, what made the elders suspicious was that the other side had gone to such great lengths, even assembling so many illegal armed forces hidden in the heart of the Empire. It clearly couldn't be as simple as protecting a temple.
After all, the Church had already destroyed countless of their so-called 'holy sites.' Why was the other side so concerned about this specific temple?
"Something's not right..." one elder whispered. "I don't think they're telling the truth."
"One thing is for certain: they don't want us entering that temple either..." Elder John narrowed his eyes, a sharp light flashing in his aged gaze. As if he had guessed something, he quickly called over a cult member responsible for intelligence.
"Use long-range communication to contact our stronghold in Benalu City. I want to know the true purpose of that expedition team. Get back to me as soon as possible!"
After the intelligence member left, Elder John already had a plan. He rode his horse toward the demon leader and gave a faint smile.
"Our goals may be different, but our destination is the same. Since we both need to go deep into those ancient ruins, why don't our two sides cooperate for now?"
"Cooperation is fine; after all, we are allies." The demon leader pondered for a moment. "But the underground temple is a holy site for our race, and not everyone is qualified to enter. You can help us clear the entrance, but as for dealing with the traitor, there's no need for you all to risk yourselves. You can safely leave it to us."
"No!" Elder John was decisive and firm. "Dealing with the Hermit is a direct order from the cult leader. We must go deep ourselves."
A wave of indignant murmurs immediately came from the demon side, with some even inciting a fight. Seeing this, Elder John became even more suspicious.
The demons naturally wouldn't tolerate the Echoes of Truth entering the underground. If the other side knew that the demon army's treasure was hidden there, they would certainly harbor unwanted intentions. It would be no different from inviting a wolf into one's home.
In this atmosphere of mutual suspicion and wariness, the two sides remained at a stalemate for a long time.
The turning point came from a change deep underground. Every caster present felt a powerful surge of mana from the depths.
The demons could no longer remain calm.
The demon leader's gaze quickly locked onto a location in the wasteland. Ignoring his cultist allies, he urgently ordered his subordinates, "Something's happening underground! Due west, follow me!"
Seeing the demons and mercenaries leave in a hurry, Elder John returned to the team, his eyes sharp beneath his hood. "Quickly, follow them..."
...
The mana surge underground was actually caused by Ansu and Celia.
By now, the two had reached the bottom of the spiral tower and were standing together in the corridor, looking down at the massive circular plaza below.
Ansu gently stroked Radish, who was quite frightened, and tied its reins to a stone-carved railing.
Radish deserved the most credit for being able to descend so quickly, but it had inevitably been spooked by the twisted monsters. Now, its entire body was trembling uneasily, and its hooves kept pacing back and forth.
"Don't be scared, Radish. You're the best!" Ansu smiled and patted Radish's large head, then pulled a carrot out of his pocket and began feeding it.
"Hmm..." Celia's eyes swept over the horse. "Why do I feel like it hasn't actually suffered much mental pollution, but was just spooked by those tentacled monsters?"
"Yeah..." Ansu nodded as he watched Radish gradually stabilize. "I think so too. From the racecourse until now, I've never seen any signs of monsterization in Radish. It seems to be naturally immune to pollution; it's truly an anomaly."
"Radish is amazing!" Celia praised with a smile, taking a carrot from Ansu to try and win over this very special crossbred racehorse.
"Once we get back, why don't we leave Radish at my manor? I have several experiments waiting to reward it with..."
Radish seemed to have lost its appetite entirely. It didn't touch the food in Celia's hand but instead looked piteously at its owner, its entire body starting to shake again.
"Experiments and rewards?" Ansu looked at Celia, speechless. "How do you even connect those two words?"
Celia giggled and patted Radish's head. "Alright, I'll stop scaring it. Radish is a big hero this time. Ansu, you have to reward it with good food and drink!"
Ansu silently thought that the greatest reward would be not taking Radish to Lawrence Manor, as that place was hell for Radish...
No longer dwelling on Radish, Ansu turned his gaze back to the circular altar directly below.
The mana surge from before was because Celia had set up two teleportation nodes here, which could return them to the upper levels or back to the abandoned village.
Now, they could freely travel in and out of the entire ancient ruins, making it even more convenient than visiting his own backyard.
Rate on N.U.
