Chapter 594: An Unexpected Person

Chapter 594: An Unexpected Person

TN: Limgir is Lim

“Hmm?”

Just as Shien Buztout was lost in thought, he suddenly sensed some movement.

“This is…?”

Shien raised an eyebrow, then without hesitation, vanished from his spot.

He didn’t go far, just flashing into a nearby shadow, observing the waterfall.

In the next second, Shien saw it.

“Buzz!”

With a buzzing sound, the rumbling waterfall suddenly split down the middle.

The stone wall behind the waterfall rose, as if pushing the waterfall open, separating the water flow.

And behind the rising stone wall, a rather spacious passage appeared.

“As expected…”

Shien sighed again at this predictable scene.

However, what happened next surprised him.

A group of people emerged from the passage.

They were knights clad in armor, with iron swords at their waists, expressionless faces, fierce eyes, and a murderous aura.

The armor they wore wasn’t the heavy armor commonly seen in the Empire, but full body armor in the style of the Kingdom.

Yes.

It was Kingdom armor.

These knights weren’t from the Empire, but from the Kingdom.

At the forefront of these Kingdom knights stood someone Shien was very familiar with.

He was handsome, with blond hair and blue eyes. The armor he wore wasn’t the standard armor of ordinary knights, but the exquisite armor of a Royal Knight.

He was a Royal Knight.

A Royal Knight whom Shien had interacted with many times, but their relationship couldn’t be described as good.

“Limgir…”

Shien couldn’t help but mutter the other party’s name.

That Royal Knight was none other than the young master of the Strimm family, the Royal Knight who disappeared along with the First Knight Order of Duke Strimm’s territory during the Cosmos incident – Limgir Strimm.

At this moment, this young master, who coveted Lucy and had constantly tried to undermine Shien, appeared here with what seemed to be the First Knight Order of Duke Strimm’s territory.

Looking closely, the young master’s eyes were much colder than before, and his expression was no longer filled with feigned kindness, but rather cold and ferocious, as if his true nature had been revealed.

The aura around him had also changed, becoming much more dangerous, and the magic power emanating from him was somewhat unsettling.

He led a group of knights out of the passage behind the waterfall.

“Go, search the surroundings thoroughly.”

Limgir ordered in a cold voice.

“Yes!”

The knights immediately followed his orders, dispersing without hesitation and beginning their search.

Limgir himself did the same, standing in place, his sharp gaze sweeping the surroundings like a hawk.

It was as if he had confirmed the presence of an intruder and was about to search every inch of the place.

This made Shien narrow his eyes.

“Was I exposed?”

Shien pondered.

While he was lost in thought, several knights searched nearby.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t find Shien.

Under the concealment of [Inner Awareness of Heaven’s Decree], a mere search by a few knights below level seventy couldn’t possibly discover him.

Even if they came to where Shien was and passed right in front of him, they would see nothing.

The concealment provided by [Inner Awareness of Heaven’s Decree] not only eliminated his presence and scent, but it could even render him invisible.

Therefore, unless they bumped into Shien directly, he wasn’t afraid of being discovered.

Besides, if they really bumped into him, Shien could just teleport away temporarily.

Being able to teleport freely was that convenient.

When he first gained this ability, Shien had also marveled at how Leisha could run around so recklessly.

With such an ability, there was nothing to worry about.

So, Shien patiently waited for the knights’ search to end.

He was now completely interested in this place.

He wanted to know what was inside, why Limgir was here, and why he was acting as if he was guarding this place with the First Knight Order.

Therefore, Shien didn’t attack and take down everyone here. Instead, he planned to sneak in and investigate without alerting anyone.

Before long, the First Knight Order’s search ended.

“Report, nothing unusual in the east.”

“Report, nothing unusual in the west.”

“Nothing found in the south.”

“Same here, nothing found.”

The knights returned to Limgir and reported one after another.

Limgir, however, frowned.

“Nothing found?” Limgir said coldly, “Impossible. The High Priest clearly sensed an unusual magic power entering the barrier, and for some reason, it didn’t trigger the barrier’s alert. There must be something strange going on.”

Hearing this, a knight couldn’t help but speak.

“Perhaps the High Priest’s senses were wrong?”

The knight questioned.

Clearly, he wasn’t very loyal to this place.

Shien made this judgment.

However, Limgir’s next action surprised him.

“Slash!”

This was the sound of a sharp sword cutting through flesh.

Facing the knight’s question, Limgir drew his sword without hesitation and decapitated the knight.

Blood spurted from the knight’s neck like a fountain.

“…!”

The surrounding knights’ faces changed drastically, and they couldn’t help but take a step back.

The headless corpse twitched a few times before falling to the ground.

As for his head, it had already fallen not far away, staining the gravel red.

“—”

Silence.

Deathly silence.

The knights witnessed this scene, their faces turning pale, and fear appeared in their eyes.

Only Limgir, holding his dripping sword, swept his cold gaze across everyone.

“Have you all forgotten the rules here?” Limgir placed his sword against the neck of the nearest knight, “Tell me, what are the rules here?”

The knight trembled.

He was terrified, looking at the person he should be loyal to as if he were a stranger.

Then, he said with a trembling voice,

“N… no questioning any orders, and no disobedience.”

This wasn’t a particularly strict rule.

Many knight orders and private troops had similar rules.

However, the degree here was clearly different.

Because…

“Whether questioning or disobeying, there’s only one outcome for those who violate the rules.”

Limgir raised his sword and pointed at the headless corpse on the ground.

“Death.”

This was the rule here.

The knight just now had violated this rule.

So, he died.

“Don’t think you’re still in Duke Strimm’s territory, and don’t think you’re still proud knights.” Limgir said coldly, “You are now just dogs raised by the Imperial Consort in private, understand?”

The knights nodded fearfully.

“Then continue searching!” Limgir shouted, “If you don’t find anything, you won’t have dinner tonight! Go!”

The knights immediately dispersed, their faces pale with fear, but they searched even more diligently than before.

It could be seen that their pride had been crushed, and their courage seemed to be gone. Even being insulted and driven like this without any dignity, they didn’t dare to resist, obeying Limgir’s every command.

Shien quietly watched all of this, his gaze towards Limgir becoming sharp.

“Hmm?”

Limgir, who was standing in place, wiping his sword with an expressionless face, seemed to sense something and turned his head, looking in Shien’s direction.

Shien’s eyes flickered, but he didn’t look away, continuing to watch, only the sharpness in his eyes diminished.

“…”

Limgir frowned, also continuing to look in Shien’s direction, seemingly lost in thought.

In the next moment, Limgir walked towards Shien.

“Clack, clack, clack, clack…”

The sound of his knight boots hitting the ground echoed clearly, bringing a sense of tension.

Limgir walked straight towards Shien.

Shien watched this scene, his expression unchanged, calm and unhurried, as if he wasn’t afraid of being discovered at all.

Limgir came to Shien, stopping less than a meter away and staring intently at him.

After many days, the two confronted each other face to face again.

The difference was that this time, Shien simply looked at Limgir calmly, while Limgir couldn’t see Shien at all, frowning in thought.

But Limgir’s eyes grew colder and colder.

Then…

“Clang!”

With a flash of sword light, Limgir swung his sword forward without hesitation.

“Thud!”

A strange sound echoed.

Limgir’s sword cleaved a tree in front of him, making it slowly fall.

“Thump!”

The sound of the tree trunk hitting the ground followed, kicking up dust.

Limgir retreated and dodged, looking at the fallen tree and the empty space in front of him, his furrowed brow relaxing.

“An illusion?”

Reaching this conclusion, Limgir turned and left.

Although the other knights were startled, they still dutifully searched the area. Finally, finding nothing, they returned to Limgir and reported.

Naturally, they still hadn’t found anything.

Limgir didn’t seem very satisfied with this.

However, since they hadn’t found anything unusual, they could only accept it.

“Let’s go back.” Limgir said with an expressionless face, “I’ll report to the High Priest.”

The knights finally breathed a sigh of relief.

𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Soon, led by Limgir, the knights returned behind the waterfall.

“Rumble…”

The stone wall descended, closing the entrance and restoring the waterfall, which continued to roar as it fell.

Everything returned to calm.

“Swoosh!”

Shien appeared here once again, looking at the waterfall before him, then teleported inside without hesitation.

Behind the Waterfall, Inside the Stone Wall.

This was a very complex space.

It had numerous passages connecting in all directions. Although the passages resembled mine shafts, with rock walls on all sides, magic lamps were installed on the ceiling, illuminating the entire space.

“Swoosh!”

With a faint whooshing sound, Shien teleported in, arriving in this space.

“So this is what it looks like inside?”

Shien quickly glanced around, then, with a thought, slipped into the shadows, concealing his figure.

“Clang, clang, clang, clang—”

In front of Shien, the knights led by Limgir marched forward, the metallic sound of their boots on the stone floor echoing clearly.

“Follow them.”

Shien didn’t hesitate, following behind them.

Along the way, the knights passed through one complex passage after another, constantly turning, as if walking through a maze, making one dizzy.

Limgir, leading the way, wasn’t confused at all, as if he had walked these paths many times before. He turned and twisted, sometimes pressing on the stone walls to open passages and walking inside, appearing very familiar with the place.

“It seems this guy has been staying here since he disappeared.”

Shien thought as he followed closely.

Gradually, as they went deeper, Shien saw other figures.

Some were knights like Limgir and his men, patrolling the area. When they saw Limgir, they immediately made way and saluted him.

And some were slaves or servants doing manual labor, either carrying things, cleaning the mine shafts, or digging something, creating a bustling atmosphere like a construction site.

Shien observed and found that these people all had dull eyes and seemed malnourished, probably not having a good life.

Limgir didn’t even glance at these people, not even the knights. He continued forward, dismissing the knights around him and letting them carry out their own tasks.

The knights immediately left as if relieved, merging with the other knights around.

But Shien still noticed that the knights following Limgir seemed somewhat out of place with some of the knights here.

The reason was simple. The knights here weren’t just from Duke Strimm’s First Knight Order, but also some wearing the standard armor of other countries, or the heavy armor of the Empire.

In other words, the knights here were likely a collection of knights from various countries.

“So many knights from different countries gathered in this place…?”

Shien was puzzled.

He mainly didn’t understand what this place was for.

Limgir, unaware that his rival had infiltrated, immediately went in another direction after dismissing the knights around him.

Shien thought for a moment, then followed.

Next, Shien found that there were more and more knights from various countries appearing here, and the number of servants and slaves working was also increasing.

Especially the workers who seemed to be mining, constantly hitting the stone walls with pickaxes, their numbers were extremely large, filling the entire mine shaft with the clanging of metal and the sound of wheels carrying stones and minerals.

“What are they doing?”

Shien became more and more puzzled.

Only one thing was certain.

There was definitely a secret here, and it might even be a big one.

Thinking of this, Shien perked up and continued to follow Limgir.

Limgir, completely unaware that he was being followed, continued walking deeper with an expressionless face and steady steps.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the number of people around them suddenly decreased.

In contrast, the mine shaft became narrower and narrower, but also cleaner and more aesthetically pleasing, as if it had been specially renovated, with a sense of ritual.

Under such circumstances, the complex passages became fewer.

Limgir followed the passage and arrived in front of a room.

It wasn’t a real room, of course, but a cave dug out from the stone wall.

There was no door, only a curtain blocking the entrance.

Limgir lifted the curtain and walked in.

Shien reflexively followed.

In the next moment, Shien also entered the room.

“How is it going?”

A voice immediately reached Shien’s ears, echoing in the room.

It was a very unpleasant voice.

The voice was hoarse and raspy, as if spoken by someone with a hole in their throat, not only sounding old and weathered but also making one feel uncomfortable.

Such a voice came from a “person” sitting at a stone table in this stone cave.

When Shien first saw the person, he even doubted whether they were human.

Because the person only wore a hooded black robe, covering their entire body. Their exposed hands were as thin as bones, withered like wood, and the face under the hood was skeletal, not looking like a living person at all, but rather a resurrected mummy.

The black-robed mummy sat in the center of the stone room. There was only a stone table in the entire room, and on the table, there was nothing but a crystal ball.

This scene reminded Shien of the fortune tellers, prophets, wizards, or magicians he had seen in his previous life.

But what surprised Shien was that this black-robed wizard was actually a Legendary-level expert at level ninety-two, and a Grand Magician with the maxed-out [Necromancy] skill.

“Holy moly…”

Shien was truly surprised.

Necromancy.

This was a type of magic Shien had never seen before, but happened to know about.

Many novels in his previous life had mentioned this type of magic, describing it as a forbidden magic that manipulated the dead.

And in this world, necromancy wasn’t much different from how it was depicted in many novels in his previous life.

It could indeed manipulate the dead.

However, manipulating the dead was only one of its manifestations.

True necromancy was magic that “subverted death.”

As the name suggested, it could subvert the concept of death, not only manipulating the dead but also anything related to death.

Once, a magician who cultivated necromancy transformed himself into an undead creature and led millions of undead mummies, causing great damage to the continent.

In the end, the necromancer’s actions completely enraged Anima, the Goddess of Life, who descended and personally vanquished him.

Since then, necromancy became the ultimate forbidden magic, not only tabooed by the world but also strictly forbidden for any race to practice or even possess necromantic grimoires.

Therefore, necromancy had been completely lost and no longer existed.

It wasn’t like Celestial Magic, which was gradually lost due to its difficulty and lack of practitioners, and thus sealed away.

Although Celestial Magic was also once lost, its grimoires still remained in this world and were immediately collected by the Kingdom after being discovered.

Necromancy, on the other hand, was completely forbidden, its grimoires ordered to be burned and not passed down, a truly taboo magic.

Not to mention the Kingdom’s underground magic library, even in any corner of the human world, one couldn’t find a necromantic grimoire.

Even the Demon Realm was no exception. Although the Six Demon Lords didn’t explicitly forbid it, they had declared that necromancy shouldn’t be practiced.

Because of this, necromancy had disappeared for thousands of years.

Shien never expected to encounter a necromancer here, and one who had even maxed out necromancy and become a Legendary-level expert.

If this person’s existence were exposed, they would definitely be hunted down by various countries and races, even by the God Race. There would be no place for them in this world.

Only a place like this, hidden from the sun, could accommodate such a person.

Limgir stood before this Grand Necromancer, his coldness replaced by respect, bowing as he spoke.

“I’ve already taken people to investigate, High Priest.” Limgir said respectfully, “However, we haven’t found anything unusual.”

Hearing this, the necromancer, called the High Priest, seemed to raise their head.

“Haven’t found anything unusual?” The High Priest’s raspy voice echoed, carrying an indescribable sense of horror, “Are you sure?”

“Y… yes…” A hint of fear appeared in Limgir’s respectful tone.

Clearly, this young master, who had just acted so arrogant and ruthless, was afraid of this so-called High Priest.

That was natural.

He had witnessed this High Priest instantly drain the blood of a knight in front of everyone, turning him into a mummy, a puppet under their control, and then feeding him to their “pet” as a snack.

Therefore, Limgir was indeed afraid of this High Priest.

Moreover, this High Priest was the highest authority here, a trusted confidant of the Imperial Consort, with the power to dispose of anyone here as they pleased.

When he was first brought here, Limgir had also thought of resisting, but under the suppression of this terrifying being, he ultimately succumbed to fear and submitted.

The High Priest didn’t know what Limgir was thinking.

Nor did she care.

She only cared about one thing.

“How could there be nothing unusual?” The High Priest murmured as if talking to herself, “My [Corridor of Death] clearly reacted, sensing the aura of a living person, and it’s within the barrier. There can’t be a mistake.”

So, the reason Limgir led the search was because the High Priest’s magic detected the aura of a living person outside.

As a necromancer, the High Priest was very sensitive to both death and life energy.

Logically, since there was the aura of a living person, they should have found something.

The High Priest fell silent, reaching out to the crystal ball in front of her.

Seeing this, Shien had a bad feeling.