Free Web NovelChapter 101: Chapter 85: Conspiracy
"I told them I leaped up, brought my two-handed axe straight down, and SPLAT! That goblin split in two and fell to the ground." The burly Yak gestured wildly, recounting his boasts in the Red Light District.
"Did you forget to tell them how you tripped on the goblin’s corpse right after and fell flat on your face?" Matel handed him a mug of ale.
"Of course I couldn’t say that." Yak took the mug, laughing as he clinked it against Matel’s.
After a few chuckles, Matel turned to Ricardo, who was sitting on the windowsill. "Ricardo, any news from the association?"
Ricardo shook his head. "I was there all day. No one mentioned any relic."
Something squirmed a few times in the pocket on his chest, and then a red squirrel poked its head out. Ricardo immediately took out a peanut and placed it in his hand. The squirrel shot out with a WHOOSH and leaped into his palm.
"Nothing?" Matel took a sip of ale. "Qige, it seems your assessment was more or less correct."
"It seems the authenticity of this map is even more likely now," said Qige the Mage, holding a wine glass and swirling the red wine inside.
"Why does no news make it more likely to be real?" the bald, brawny Yak asked bluntly after gulping down a big mouthful of ale.
"If even a whisper about the relic got out, adventurers would swarm to it like sharks to blood. Ricardo has been watching for days and hasn’t heard a single discussion about it. That can only mean it hasn’t been discovered yet." Qige took a small sip of red wine, closing his eyes to savor it.
"Could it be that this so-called fortress doesn’t even exist?" Yak sidled closer and asked with a silly grin.
But he immediately saw Qige open his eyes and stare at him like he was an idiot. Embarrassed, he dragged his high-backed chair a short distance away. "I was just saying."
"The vanished team of veteran adventurers, the missing Fearsome Claw Bear, and this route map to the fortress," Qige swirled the red wine in his glass. "I’m now almost certain there’s a relic there."
Matel, holding his mug, said to Qige, "So our opponent will be very strong this time?"
"Not strong. If they were, they would have charged out of the forest and wreaked havoc on Yangjiao Town long ago. My impression is that they’re very restrained, only killing enemies who attack their doorstep. In the forest, only one type of monster behaves this way—goblins."
"Goblins can kill a Magical Beast?" Yak’s tone was clearly skeptical.
"Ordinary goblins can’t. But what if you add this to the equation?" Qige picked up the wax-yellow map from the table and pointed to a note he had made in the margin: "Ancient Magic Ruins."
"Magic Ruins? Like that underground mausoleum full of Skeleton Soldiers last time? There was a ton of good stuff in there." Yak’s eyes immediately lit up. Their Brotherhood had only started to prosper thanks to that raid.
"There will probably be some gold inside, and maybe some special materials, though I can’t guarantee that." Qige put the map down and leaned back in his chair. "But there will definitely be some Beast Cores."
"If we get a few Beast Cores, we can go to Plantagenet City and establish connections with the nobles there." Matel slammed his mug down on the table.
"That miser Young Master Philip wanted to use Beast Cores to get in the Third Prince’s good graces, but he couldn’t get his hands on any," Ricardo, who had been focused on his squirrel, suddenly interjected.
"What I’m interested in are the Magic Items or Magic Equipment. Those are more useful for increasing our combat strength," Qige said with a smile. "That’s why I bought a good number of Demon-Banning Barrier Scrolls back in Black Lion City."
"Furthermore, I don’t think we should take too many people to the relic, or it will be difficult to divide the spoils," he advised Matel. "I also ordered 200 bottles of Awakening Potion. Four and a half days should be enough time for us to explore the relic."
"You have a point. If we recruit too many people, but then don’t have much to give them after we’ve cleared the relic, it will cause trouble," Matel said, nodding in agreement.
"That’s great! Once we’re done here, we’ll charge right in and take everything," Yak shouted excitedly. "Beast Cores, equipment, Gold Coins—we won’t leave a thing behind!"
"And if they fight back?" Matel asked with a smile.
"A goblin goes down in one swing of the axe. One with a bit of Magic Equipment just takes two," Yak roared with laughter.
Qige didn’t join their laughter. He simply picked up a book from the table and opened it to a blank page. ’I, for one, am very interested in this race and their leader. He clearly possesses a certain degree of intelligence. I will devote an entire page to you.’
SLAM. He closed the book and placed it on the table. The book, with its black cover and less than two fingers thick, was titled *Nightmare Forest’s Wondrous Races and How to Deal with Them*.
And Ricardo spent the entire time playing with his red squirrel.
"Alright," Matel waved his hand, silencing Yak’s laughter. "We’ll expand the team to forty men for this one."
"Remember that news we heard? Something big is going to happen in the Royal Capital within the year. This is our only chance." Matel looked at his teammates seriously. "So this time, whatever is in that fortress, we kill it all. We make sure we bring back every last bit of loot."
"Don’t worry, Boss," Yak shouted. "It’ll all be ours!"
"If that’s the case, then before long, you’ll be boasting to all the beautiful women in the Red Light District of Plantagenet City," Matel said with a laugh.
"That’s the dream!" Yak laughed heartily.
...
’Those bastards. All they do is laugh. It’s so damn noisy.’
In the Moonlight Inn, in the room above where the Storm Brotherhood was staying, a young, black-haired, purple-eyed female mage was growing irritated.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. A knock sounded at the door. The female mage opened it to find a member of the inn’s staff.
"Miss Agatha Sebastian, here are the candles you requested." The staff member bowed respectfully, offering several white candles.
"Thank you." Agatha took the candles, then asked with a frown, "Is it possible for me to get a different room?"
"Of course. I’ll arrange it for you at once," the staff member said with a small bow.
Soon, Agatha had moved into a new room at the inn. ’Finally, some quiet.’
"Salman Tulu," she called softly. With a WHOOSH, a black fissure appeared, and a Star Realm Giant Snake slowly slithered out.
"Keep watch for me," Agatha ordered casually, then began to arrange candles, bones, and several cups of fresh blood on the empty floor space in the room.
’This is the only way.’ After arranging the various items in a specific pattern, she placed a large, thick bone, which bore obvious scorch marks, in the center.
"Soul once devoured by the Fearsome Claw Bear, I summon you in my master’s name! Emerge from the endless, dark Nether Sea..." Agatha chanted the spell while tearing open a Magic Scroll. She then pricked her finger with a Small Knife and let a few drops of blood fall onto the bone.
"Appear!" she shouted at last.
A plume of white smoke billowed up. Within the smoke, a figure slowly coalesced—it didn’t look very tall, and there seemed to be a scar on its forehead.
