Chapter 125: Fishing in Troubled Waters (Conclusion)

Within the ruined walls of Brandon Stone City, the melee had reached its fiercest point.

In terms of average strength, the gray dwarves were indeed far superior to humans. Yet the paladins and mercenaries, strengthened by the blessing of holy light, were not entirely helpless. The paladins swung their longswords, driving back the dangerous enemies charging toward them with raised battle-axes, while the mercenaries took advantage of every opening to loose arrows from the side. Without Pattylina’s covering bombardment, the fragile standoff between the two sides might not have been maintained at all.

“Everyone, pay attention! Don’t advance recklessly!”

Having cut down a gray dwarf, Lox shouted loudly, restraining the troops and keeping them in formation. According to Jann’s plan, their task was to apply sufficient pressure to the gray dwarves’ front line so that Jann and the others could quietly slip inside and steal the statue.

Although Lox was not entirely at ease with the plan, they had no better option at present. Under Pattylina’s bombardment, they had already repelled several gray dwarf attacks and even seized a small area near the city gate. But Lox knew that all of this was only temporary. If they chose to press deeper simply because of this minor victory, the outcome would certainly be disastrous.

Unfortunately, not everyone was willing to obey Lox’s orders. The paladins were still disciplined enough, but the mercenaries had already begun plundering the spoils inside the gray dwarves’ homes. After all, they had risked their lives to earn these prizes. Having come all the way down into the depths, if they could take something home after a battle worth boasting about, then the journey would already have been worthwhile to them.

Everything proceeded smoothly—until darkness arrived without warning.

Clouds of darkness suddenly materialized, enveloping the warriors who had thrown themselves into the forefront. A nearly imperceptible beam of dark light flashed past, and in the next instant, the mercenaries collapsed to the ground, never to make another sound.

At the same time, dark, elegant, slender figures emerged from the shadows. Each carried a bow or crossbow, floating in midair as they took aim at the targets below.

“Dark elves!”

Lox was stunned at the sight of the black-skinned elves. Although the surface world was unfamiliar with many of the races that inhabited the Underdark, dark elves were certainly not among them. Because of their traditions, their notorious “hunts” had long given these black-skinned residents a reputation on the surface comparable to that of the most savage bandits.

And now that they had appeared here, their presence alone was enough to make one’s heart tremble.

“Everyone, withdraw immediately!”

Lox issued the order without hesitation. Dark elves were far more terrifying than gray dwarves; there was no point in remaining here any longer. Besides, he had just received a response from Pattylina. After confirming that Jann had already left, Lox had been preparing to retreat. The appearance of the dark elves only strengthened his resolve, and he quickly announced the order.

The others raised no objections. The sudden arrival of the dark elves had filled them with terror, and when they heard the order to retreat, they withdrew without hesitation.

At the same time, Pattylina fired several shells at the cavern ceiling. The falling earth and rocks formed a powerful barrier, blocking the dark elves and gray dwarves from launching any further counterattack.

Under Pattylina’s cover, Lox led the surviving troops away. With the help of this “Valkyrie,” the battle had been far easier than expected. Even so, the Temple of the War God had suffered considerable losses. Nearly one-third of its paladins had died in the battle against the gray dwarves, while the mercenaries had suffered even heavier casualties, with only a handful remaining.

Still, the loot they had seized from the gray dwarves was enough to make up for the mercenaries’ losses.

“Mr. Jann!”

Lox rushed into the stronghold at the head of the group and soon saw Jann standing there. Contrary to what Lox had imagined, the young man showed no signs of disarray or panic. His clothes remained immaculate and radiant, and there was not even a crease in his neatly pressed trouser legs.

When he saw Lox, Jann raised his head and nodded.

“Good to see you, Mr. Lox.”

“How did it go?”

Lox strode forward impatiently and fixed his gaze on Jann as he asked the question. Upon hearing it, Jann did not hesitate. He simply turned his right hand, and in the next instant, a divine statue appeared before Lox.

“Mission accomplished.”

“This... This is...!”

Looking at the statue before him, Lox was so excited that he could barely speak. As a paladin of the Temple of the War God, he could clearly sense the sacred power radiating from it.

The power of the God of War!

They had fulfilled the divine revelation. The statue of the War God was right before them. All they had to do now was return it to the temple, and the glory of the Temple of the War God would once again spread across the continent. The centuries of darkness would finally come to an end!

At the thought, Lox’s eyes reddened. Trembling, he reached out to take the statue from Jann.

But just as his fingers were about to touch it, Jann suddenly flipped his wrist again and swiftly returned the statue to the leather pouch at his waist.

The unexpected move left Lox stunned.

“Mr. Jann, you...”

“Insurance.”

Facing Lox’s questioning look, Jann shrugged.

“To prevent you from tearing down the bridge after crossing the river, I had no choice but to add another condition to our agreement. Once the temple has safely escorted us out, I will hand the statue over to you. I believe you can understand my concern, High Paladin Lox.”

“This...”

Lox was no fool. He quickly understood what Jann meant.

If they handed the statue over to the temple now, then should the Valkyrie Duchy come after them, the temple might very well surrender Jann once he no longer had any value to them. The possibility was small, but it was not nonexistent. Besides, Jann was not a believer in the War God. Naturally, he had no reason to devote himself to the temple unto death.

For his part, Lox would have preferred to keep the statue with them. From his perspective, Jann’s concern was unnecessary. Since the War God had already favored him, the temple could not possibly abandon him entirely.

But Lox also understood that for a practical man like Jann, a verbal promise meant nothing.

Just as Lox was about to say more, Jann waved a hand, stopping him.

“This is not the time for pointless discussion. On my way here, I saw an army of dark elves. If I am not mistaken, they are coming for us. We should leave immediately, or matters will become even more troublesome!”

At Jann’s words, Lox’s expression turned serious as well. They had indeed encountered dark elf warriors. They did not know how many there were, but the appearance of dark elves alone was already an extremely dangerous warning.

If, as Jann had said, a dark elf army was following them, they had to get out of this wretched place at once.

With that thought, Lox did not hesitate. He immediately made his decision and ordered everyone to withdraw from the Underdark.

The order invigorated them all. They had spent so many days in the Underdark that they were sick of it. The previous battle had also brought them face-to-face with dark elves, terrifying creatures whose very name was enough to raise gooseflesh. If those dreadful beings truly came after them, no one was willing to remain here as cannon fodder.

Thus, upon hearing Lox’s command, everyone retreated at once, racing toward the teleportation gate.

Because General Pande had taken nearly all the soldiers with him, Lox and the others saw very few troops from the Valkyrie Duchy when they reached the gate. This left High Paladin Lox rather puzzled. He had originally been prepared to force his way through, but the soldiers who had been stationed here had vanished without a trace.

Could it really be just as Jann had said...?

At the thought, High Paladin Lox glanced at the young man beside him. During their earlier planning, Jann had confidently assured him that he had a way to lure the Valkyrie Duchy’s army into the gray dwarves’ city, where they would cause confusion and launch an attack.

At the time, Lox had wondered how he intended to accomplish it. But now, it seemed that whatever Jann had done, he had clearly achieved his purpose.

Jann paid no attention to Lox’s silent questions. He narrowed his eyes and studied the teleportation gate before him.

Unlike the teleportation gates used by mages, this one appeared to be an elaborate relief carved into the wall. A lifelike colossal doorway had been sculpted into the otherwise rigid, smooth stone. From a distance, the black stone wall resembled a doorway, while around its pillars Jann could see hundreds of mysterious ancient symbols recording fluctuations in spatial energy.

Clearly, these inscriptions were the key to connecting the surface world with the depths below.

Lox said nothing. Instead, the High Paladin reached into his robes and took out a round stone tablet about the size of his palm. He placed it into a small opening beside the gate.

Soon, the teleportation gate began to tremble faintly. The symbols embedded within it lit up one after another with dazzling magical radiance. As the runes flashed, the black void in the center of the doorway began to twist and distort.

The solid stone wall softened, trembling like clear water in a pond. Then it transformed into a teleportation gate radiating a gentle glow, unfolding before them.

“We have only thirty minutes, Mr. Jann.”

Lox withdrew the teleportation key and looked at Jann as he spoke. Jann merely nodded. Then he glanced at the slightly anxious Elys beside him and revealed a meaningful smile.

A moment later, Jann stepped into the teleportation gate.

To be continued.