Chapter 256: Defection

Hearing Gandalf say that, Thor snorted.

He then refocused his somewhat romantic thoughts back on the key.

He naturally extended his hand towards Gandalf.

“Then hand over the key you have.”

Zhou Huai, however, controlled Gandalf to shake his head.

Thor’s brow furrowed instantly.

“What do you mean?”

“You want to go back on your word?”

Zhou Huai continued to shake his head, his tone flat.

“I just don’t trust you.”

“If I hand over the key, what if you just discard me after getting it?”

“How about you hand over your key to me? Then I’ll feel at ease.”

Thor’s frown deepened, and the blue electric snakes around him crackled loudly.

“Do you take me for a fool?!”

“If I give you the key, and you dive thousands of meters deep into the sea, won’t the Divine Artifact become yours alone?”

Seeing the two fall into a stalemate again, Polina, who was standing nearby, suddenly let out a silvery laugh.

She walked with elegant cat-like steps to stand between the two, her beautiful blue eyes scanning back and forth between them.

“Since that’s the case, why don’t you both give your keys to me?”

“After all, I’m not a water-type, so I can’t exactly run away.”

Hearing Polina’s words, the anger on Thor’s face softened considerably.

He pondered for a moment and thought it was a very good suggestion.

He looked at Gandalf and spoke in an undeniable tone.

“Compared to you, I’d rather trust Ms. Polina.”

After speaking, he unhesitatingly handed all four bronze keys in his hand to Polina.

His blue eyes gazed at Polina with deep affection, and he spoke earnestly.

“My dear, although you controlled me before, I find that I seem to like you more and more.”

“I hope you don’t disappoint me.”

Polina’s expression remained unchanged, a sweet smile on her face.

“My dear, of course.”

After speaking, she even playfully winked at Thor.

Beside them, Karen, who was as black as charcoal, watched the two exchanging glances, feeling his brain wasn't quite keeping up.

What exactly happened during the time he was gone?

How did these two get together?

Weren’t they enemies?

Seeing Thor hand over the keys so readily, Zhou Huai didn’t insist any further.

He also handed his key to Polina.

Adding the one Polina already had, all six bronze keys were finally gathered at this moment.

Under the watchful eyes of the five, each with their own thoughts, Polina placed the six keys one by one onto the broken ice surface, arranging them into a perfect circle.

Buzz—!

One of the keys, without °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° any warning, emitted a strange faint glow.

The light was soft, yet filled with an ancient and mysterious aura.

Immediately after, the faint glow seemed to have a life of its own, rippling outwards like water.

It gently touched the adjacent, equally ancient key.

Buzz—!

The second key lit up.

Then came the third, the fourth...

The strange glow, like a lit fuse, illuminated one key after another, until all six keys were covered by that mysterious glow!

The buzzing grew louder.

Six pillars of light shot up from the keys, converging in mid-air to form an even more brilliant ball of light!

Rumble—!

The already dilapidated island beneath their feet began to shake violently without warning!

The surrounding churning sea also began to boil furiously!

Gurgle! Gurgle!

Countless massive bubbles erupted from the seabed like boiling water!

Gradually, a huge whirlpool slowly formed on the sea surface not far from the island.

At first, it only rotated slowly.

But in the next second, the speed of its rotation suddenly accelerated!

Whoosh—!

The wind howled!

The center of the whirlpool suddenly sank, forming a bottomless, pitch-black hole!

The seawater was frantically swallowed by the terrifying suction, forming a massive water spou that connected the sea surface to the deep sea!

It was a terrifying passage that continuously extended, leading directly to a depth of a thousand meters!

Looking at the miraculous scene before them, the expressions on the faces of the people on the island were vastly different.

The most complex expressions naturally belonged to Park In-maeng and Yingsi Lan.

The appearance of this deep-sea passage almost indicated that the legendary Divine Artifact, the pendulum of life, was very likely in the deep sea here.

If they were to fight the Forbidden Spell Mage from the Great Xia Country again in the deep sea, they would be at a huge disadvantage.

After all, Gandalf’s profession could be considered half water-type, but they were not.

A slight misstep could easily lead to their immediate demise.

Next was Karen.

Although his face was as black as the bottom of a pot, showing no discernible emotion, his tightly furrowed brows revealed that the Ancient Egypt’s Your Highness was also very conflicted at this moment.

Thor and Polina, however, showed no signs of joy or anger.

Clearly, they both still had their own trump cards and were not concerned about the current predicament.

The only one on the entire scene with a relaxed smile on his face was Gandalf.

If the pendulum of life truly was in this deep sea, then his probability of obtaining the Divine Artifact would increase significantly out of nowhere.

Seeing that everyone was a bit hesitant, Zhou Huai, controlling Gandalf, spoke first.

“Everyone, the passage has already formed. How about I go down and check it out for you first?”

However, no sooner had he finished speaking than Thor suddenly raised his hand, stopping him.

“Wait a moment!”

He looked down at Gandalf with an arrogant posture.

“I found the remaining keys, so if anyone is going in, we go in first.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Huai didn’t argue for the right to enter first.

He shrugged indifferently and made a “please” gesture.

However, Thor showed no immediate intention of entering.

He cast his oppressive gaze back at Gandalf.

“I know the deep-sea environment is very advantageous for you.”

“But before we truly find the pendulum of life, I suggest you don’t act rashly.”

“Otherwise, I will kill you first, no matter what.”

He paused, his voice growing even colder.

“Believe me, I can absolutely do it.”

Zhou Huai looked at him, didn’t answer, but just let out a cold, ambiguous laugh.

Then Thor slowly turned his head to look at Polina beside him, his cold eyes instantly softening a great deal.

He spoke openly in front of everyone, without any reservations.

“My dear, when we find the pendulum of life and this Great Xia Country’s Mage, there will be a battle sooner or later.”

“I can give you one chance.”

“You should carefully consider your stance.”

“Will you choose Great Xia, or our Free Federation?”

He paused, his voice full of temptation.

“Abandon that fragile alliance from before. I believe you will make the wisest choice.”

After speaking, he slowly extended his hand towards Polina, his eyes full of sincerity and expectation.

Polina looked at Thor’s outstretched hand, and a barely noticeable struggle flashed in her beautiful blue eyes.

After only a brief hesitation, she smiled sweetly, and a confident, charming smile reappeared on her beautiful face.

She extended her soft, boneless hand and clasped Thor’s large hand, which was covered in electric snakes, tightly together.

“That would naturally be a great pleasure.”