Chapter 2511: Chapter 2512: The Fourth Level
Angel glanced at those threatened transcendents, most of them were Level 1 or Level 2 apprentices, and many were quite old. If they truly had something valuable on them, their strength wouldnât be so weak.
Indeed, even though the fat guard kept swinging the wolf fang club, even beating some people to the point of bleeding, he only obtained some scattered items at best.
The value probably didnât even amount to one magic crystal.
However, the fat guard didnât care; the prisoners here were replaced batch by batch. After several rounds, even small trinkets could accumulate into something significant.
After extorting some unimportant items, the fat guard hummed a dissonant tune, preparing to continue down the next corridor for more "surveillance."
Angel followed behind him.
Not intentionally, just that there was only one path ahead.
The fat guard took out a key to open the door to a new corridor. Once inside, his expression changed to one mixed with hatred and resentment.
Under such expressions, his teeth began to grind, making a hissing sound, like a snake waiting to bite.
At first, Angel didnât understand why the guardâs expression suddenly changed, until he witnessed a "extortion performance," then he somewhat understood.
There were several tough nuts in this corridor.
No matter how the fat guard threatened, even with the wolf fang club causing bloodied holes, those apprentices refused to give away anything.
The old wounds on them showed that the fat guard had likely been here before and failed to extort anything each time, hence the look of resentment and teeth-gnashing hatred.
Angel also became interested in these tough individuals. From their tattered robes, a cross emblem was visible.
Seeing this, Angel sent a message via the Mind Ribbon to Dox: "I saw several wizard apprentices in the dungeons with cross emblems on them. I estimate they are wandering wizards."
Dox quickly replied: "There had been rumors before that many wandering wizards were secretly captured in the Gumman Kingdom. Seems itâs true."
After a pause, Dox added: "Telling me this, youâre asking if I intend to rescue them, right? Actually, the so-called cross organization of wandering wizards is quite loose. Just like you, one could wear a cross robe and claim to be a wandering wizard."
Angel: "So, you donât plan to rescue them?"
Dox: "They can be saved; it wouldnât hurt to give the princess some trouble. However, let me finish watching the show here first."
"Watching a show?" Angel was curious about what Dox was witnessing.
Dox didnât convey any information but responded through the Mind Ribbon with a somewhat sleazy, strange laugh.
Since Dox was unwilling to elaborate, Angel ceased to inquire further.
The fat guard hadnât gotten what he wanted and wasnât planning to leave, seemingly ready to exhaust his patience with the tough ones.
Seeing that the fat guard had no intention of leaving, Angel decided not to stay and watch further, intending to bypass him and proceed deeper into the dungeons.
However, just as Angel was about to depart, a loud bang sounded.
A young apprentice was hurled against the cell wall by the fat guard and instantly coughed up blood.
As he slowly slid down to the ground, an older man from the same cell approached and gently helped him up: "Are you alright?"
"Not fatal." The young apprentice said, still coughing up blood.
After thanking the middle-aged man, the young apprentice laboriously raised his head, looked towards the fat guard, and with an arrogant tone said, "You have the guts to kill me! Do you dare? Do you dare!"
The series of probing questions and the arrogant attitude despite his body being battered made the guardâs expression increasingly unpleasant.
Indeed, he didnât dare kill him.
The higher-ups had instructed, none of these transcendents should die. The fat guard didnât know the exact reason, but clearly, through observations over time, this young apprentice discovered the hidden rule.
"Hahahahaha!" The young apprentice laughed loudly, "I was right; you donât dare kill me. You donât have the guts to kill anyone here. In this small place, having a bit of petty authority makes you consider yourself a big shot, when in reality, youâre just a dog that can only obey a little brat!"
After the insult, the guardâs face grew increasingly dark.
With a chilling voice, he said, "Even if I canât kill you, maiming you is no issue. Guess which part Iâll cut off first?"
Speaking, the guard pulled out a slender knife from his waist.
This knife would be rather inadequate for cutting bones. And indeed, the guard wasnât aiming to cut bones; his grim gaze gradually lowered, focusing below the young apprenticeâs waist.
The meaning was self-evident.
The young apprenticeâs expression became more evasive, but he still clenched his teeth, stubbornly refusing to plead.
It was the middle-aged man who suddenly spoke up: "Weâre just wandering apprentices; anything useful has long been used up. Thereâs little to scrape off us."
The middle-aged manâs words attracted the guardâs attention.
"Werenât apprentices from the Barbarian Cave locked up here a few days ago? Heard there was an advanced apprentice among them, someone like that has the good stuff. Instead of bothering us, why not go after that apprentice."
The words left the young apprentice puzzled; when did apprentices from the Barbarian Cave get locked up? Sharing the same cell, how come he didnât know? And that cruel princess dares to arrest people from such a powerful organization like the Barbarian Cave now?
Hearing the middle-aged manâs words, the fat guard initially wanted to question how he knew this, but inexplicably, his thoughts shifted, and he forgot to ask.
Instead, he said: "What group? Just one guide and a few talented mortals. Those talented ones are in the cells behind, completely clean with nothing on them. As for that guide, theyâre on the fourth level, beyond my responsibility."
After speaking, the guard cursed and said, "In a good mood today, so Iâll spare you. Next time, see how I deal with you, especially the mouthy one."
Then, amid their confused stares, the fat guard simply left.
He had already pulled out a knife; why had he suddenly refrained from action?
And when did his mood improve? Even after being insulted like a dog, he tolerated it?
These questions remained unanswered for the moment, as they did not know that besides the fat guard, Angel was also present in the corridor.
Whether it was the middle-aged manâs sudden inquiry, the guardâs explanation, or his departure, all were controlled by Angel using the Nightmare Illusion from behind. They themselves wouldnât notice anything odd. Even if they sensed something, they could rationalize it. But surrounding bystanders would find it peculiar.
But strange things are plenty, and besides, the fat guardâs mood swings unpredictably; perhaps he even enjoys being cursed at?
Thus, after the fat guard left, nearby prisoners whispered among themselves for a while, then continued to go about their business as if nothing had happened.
And Angel, overhearing from the fat guard that Lady Melo was on the fourth floor, naturally had no intention of staying on the second floor.
Although the fat guard said there was a Talented One sought by Lady Melo on the second floor, with so many cells there, he didnât know who Lady Melo had found, hence couldnât save anyone. Itâs better to wait for Lady Melo to identify the person herself.
Not lingering, Angel increased his speed, even surpassing the "patrolling" fat guard.
The fat guard was completely unaware.
The corridors ahead had locked doors, but these posed no obstacle to Angel; he didnât even break the locks, merely transformed into paper and fluttered through.
Finally, after passing through several doorways, Angel arrived at the last corridor of the second-floor prison.
At the end of the corridor, he could already see the staircase leading down.
Angel hurried forward, and halfway down, was suddenly struck by a strange inspiration.
He turned to look at the adjacent cell.
Inside the cell sat a thin girl, her black hair cascading over a slightly tattered long dress; her looks werenât striking, but a naturally cold aura surrounded her.
The odd inspiration Angel felt was emanating from this indifferent girl.
The exact nature of this inspiration, Angel couldnât quite determine at the moment.
Angel took a deep look at the girl and decided to temporarily disregard this inspiration, focusing instead on rescuing Lady Melo.
All the way down, the third-floor prison guard was an old woman with a sinister air; she wasnât patrolling, just stayed in the guardroom, casting eerie glances down the corridor.
This guardâs strength was approximately that of a Second Level Apprentice, slightly higher than the fat guard upstairs.
However, she still couldnât detect Angel.
Angel swiftly moved through the third floor, ignoring the prisoners and heading straight for his goalâthe fourth floor!
Soon, he arrived at the fourth floor.
Upon entering the fourth floor, Angel immediately sensed a binding force, absent from the upper floors.
This binding force came from a Magical Energy Array carved into the ground.
It could somewhat constrain the Magical Core within, preventing it from reacting with trick models. It equated to Arcane Nullification, though weaker than true Arcane Nullification.
Moreover, it had no effect on Official Wizards, whose bodies contain a Magic Vortex, and thus couldnât be restrained.
However, the presence of a Magical Energy Array on this floor indicates that even the Princess is wary of the prisoners here.
The guards on the fourth floor were different from the previous ones.
The guardroom was empty, with only Gargoyles positioned at each side of the entrance corridor.
Apparently, these two Gargoyles were the fourth-floor guards.
Unlike the Gargoyles on the first floor, these two at the entrance featured one whose inside glowed an orange-red hue, and another thatâs entirely pitch-black.
One was a Flame Stone Gargoyle, the other a Shadow Gargoyle.
Among Gargoyles, these two types are quite renowned; one commands flames, while the other represents darkness.
Angel recalled that in Lassudral, he encountered a pet Shadow Gargoyle during a nocturnal visit.
However, the Shadow Gargoyle there was quite powerful, unlike the current one, whose strength was merely at the Third Level Apprentice standard.
The other Flame Stone Gargoyle was also around the Third Level Apprentice level, but in a real fight, even a peak Third Level Apprentice might not necessarily prevail.
However, Angel was not afraid of the Flame Stone Gargoyle; it couldnât detect him.
Yet the Shadow Gargoyle, Angel remembered, was gifted with sensitivity to all living beings approaching its vicinity. Even if a creature concealed its aura, it could still be monitored.
And the corridor entrance wasnât large, so one must pass by the Shadow Gargoyle to get inside.
Angel didnât know if his Nightmare Illusion Shield would evade the Gargoyleâs detection, but to be safe, he summoned Earl Mi.
He transformed Earl Mi into a shadow to envelop himself.
In the darkness, the hardest thing to identify is a shadow, and Earl Mi mastered shadow manipulation.
Under Earl Miâs shadow, Angel effortlessly entered the corridor. Both Gargoyles remained in statue form, evidently unaware of Angelâs presence.
Entering the corridor didnât lead directly to the prison, but rather a long tunnel.
Seemingly ordinary, but underneath the stone slabs, the Magical Energy Array emitted a faint aura.
The tunnel contained a major mechanism requiring special access to proceed. Even the leader encountered before couldnât pass.
However, for Angel, it posed no challenge; instead of damaging the array, he quickly located its energy-output pipeline within a tangle of hundreds of conduits and precisely identified the input core conduit.
Casually, he flicked a poker card, which gently floated and slipped into the center of the energy pipeline.
Silently, the tunnelâs mechanism halted.
Angel leisurely traversed the tunnel, finally reaching the fourth-floor prison. The last floorâs cells were conspicuously fewer.
Only over twenty cells, most of which were empty.
Due to the low prisoner count, Angel immediately spotted Lady Melo with a face full of worry.
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