Chapter 56: Chapter56-The Mystery in the Mine
“Could it be that you are…” Bryan’s voice trailed off, his eyes widening in horror as if he had stumbled upon an inconceivable truth.
Before he could finish speaking, Leslie, now covered in a cold aura, moved with the agility of a cat.
She leaped through the air, her speed increasing tenfold as if she had crossed the boundaries of time and space.
Her spear thrust out swiftly, piercing Bryan’s throat, causing blood to spray forth.
Bryan’s expression froze, and his tense body went limp like a deflated balloon.
Ice crystals began to form at the wound where the spear had pierced him, quickly spreading to cover his entire body.
Leslie gave the spear a sharp twist, and Bryan’s head flew high into the air.
His frost-covered body shattered like fragile porcelain, breaking into pieces the size of soybeans, falling to the ground and turning into even finer ice crystals, covering the earth.
Bryan was dead!
Not far away, Prince Billy’s face still held the excitement from when Bryan had unleashed The Nine Beasts.
However, his eyes were now locked in a permanent stare at Bryan’s head, which was filled with horror, unwillingness, and terror.
To him, Bryan’s death felt like the world collapsing. A master-tier mage! A legendary figure of the nation. His guardian. Yet now, he had been slain by Leslie! He couldn’t even comprehend what method Leslie had used just now!
Why was Leslie’s power so terrifying?
In the midst of his shock, Prince Billy suddenly felt a tingling sensation on his scalp, and his legs began to tremble uncontrollably.
The black-robed elder, such a powerful mage, had been easily killed by Leslie. He stood no chance against her!
Run! Run!
Every thought in his mind was replaced by the urge to survive.
He had to escape immediately! Damn it, his father hadn’t allowed him to bring his giant wolf mount!
The death of the black-robed elder.
The deeply hidden strength of Leslie. These two crucial pieces of information had to be relayed to his father as soon as possible.
Just as Prince Billy turned to leave, Leslie’s eyes fell upon him.
Her gaze made Billy tremble, his limbs growing cold, as if he were being locked onto by an ancient beast.
In the next moment, without Leslie appearing to make any move, Prince Billy’s cheek suddenly swelled, a blood-red cat’s paw print appearing on his face.
He flew backward, tumbling dozens of meters through the air before crashing heavily into a large rock, kicking up dust. He barely managed to steady himself after the impact.
Prince Billy coughed, feeling as if his internal organs were shattered by the blow.
Having never experienced such pain, his face contorted, and he let out a hysterical groan.
However, seeing Leslie standing before him, he quickly gritted his teeth and shouted, trying to appear fierce but faltering in fear, “Leslie, what do you think you’re doing? Do you know what it means to harm a royal family member?”
Leslie moved in a breath to stand before him, staring coldly at him. “Harming the royal family? It’s not my first time. Say hello to my father for me down below!”
With those words, she thrust her spear through the prince’s head.
Blood sprayed from the back of his skull, staining the rock and emitting a foul odor.
At that moment, a graceful figure flashed by. Leslie glanced at Charlotte, who had arrived like a shadow, and ordered, “Cut off this guy’s head and send it along with Bryan’s to the King of Kyrik. Oh, and take this Azure Kingdom royal crest that Owen obtained and send it as well.”
As she spoke, she took Princess Marry’s family crest from her storage ring, wiped Owen’s scent off it, and handed it to Charlotte.
Charlotte nodded, like a faithful servant, took the crest, and then left with the heads of Bryan and Prince Billy.
Shortly after Charlotte departed, Leslie’s face suddenly turned pale.
Her long body weakened, and a wave of endless exhaustion, fatigue, and pain washed over her.
Her body softened, and she leaned on her spear, half-kneeling on the ground, blood continuously streaming from the corners of her eyes, staining her cheeks red.
…
Meanwhile, Owen, traveling swiftly, arrived at the rugged terrain of Thousand Peaks.
He headed toward the center of the mountain range.
The peaks here were more majestic and perilous, shrouded in a natural mist that looked like a sea of clouds between the mountains.
Despite the blazing sun, only scattered rays of light penetrated the shifting mist, casting dappled shadows.
Venturing deeper felt like entering a natural labyrinth. Ancient trees and shrubs grew wildly, blending with the fog to obscure vision and perception. Without the treasure map’s guidance, Owen would have had a hard time finding this place.
As he moved further in, the fog grew denser.
If not for the soft glow emanating from the treasure, Owen would have struggled to tell north from south.
No wonder the mana stone deposits here had remained undiscovered for so long. The area was a perfect natural maze, easily leading people astray.
Moreover, Owen sensed the presence of numerous spellbeasts within the white fog.
Some spellbeasts were hibernating, waiting for nightfall. Others hid within the mist, ready to launch a lethal attack upon spotting prey.
Suddenly, a black shadow shot through the fog, heading straight for Owen.
It was a green venomous snake, coiled and ready to strike, its fangs bared. But as it neared Owen, the mana radiating from him turned it into a splatter of flesh.
Following the treasure map’s guidance, Owen gradually made his way deeper for about half an hour until the white fog began to thin out.
Ahead, he could vaguely see the outline of a valley. This valley was the location marked on the treasure map.
Owen’s eyes lit up instantly.
After trekking through the forest for so long, he had finally found the treasure’s location.
However, before he could proceed, he squinted and focused on the deepest part of the valley.
He sensed several unusual presences there.
Quickly, he concealed his aura and used the shrubs and weeds to hide himself as he moved closer to the valley’s depths.
The closer he got, the more he noticed the path was littered with chaotic footprints, and on either side lay the bones of soldiers in military uniforms.
It seemed that many soldiers were stationed in the valley.
Owen became even more cautious.
Based on his previous conversations with Leslie, this mana stone mine was likely being secretly exploited by the royal family and their allied houses.
Judging by the current situation, this assumption was almost certainly correct.
“What is this…” As Owen reached the valley entrance, he suddenly saw raggedly dressed soldiers stiffly pushing mine carts along the railway tracks.
The carts were filled with black stones radiating a strong magical aura. Mana stones!
Seeing the stones, Owen’s breath quickened.
He immediately recognized the black stones.
If sold outside, a mine cart full of mana stones would be worth tens of thousands of gold coins and would be snapped up instantly!
There were many such carts in the valley, each one following the tracks into a massive warehouse not far away.
Once emptied, the carts were sent back into the mine, operating in a well-ordered routine.
The tracks extended deep into the mountain, where soldiers wielding pickaxes and other tools could be seen digging into the mines with rhythmic precision.
These emaciated soldiers gave off no sign of life; they seemed like corpses.
They emanated a peculiar mana fluctuation, as if they were being manipulated like puppets, mechanically performing various mining tasks.
“What an unusual necromancy,” Owen muttered in amazement.
This type of magic, capable of controlling corpses, was extremely rare and difficult to master.
He hadn’t expected to encounter it here.
His gaze moved back and forth across the soldiers’ corpses, searching for the mage controlling them.
The vast valley was filled with these puppet-like soldiers, lifeless and scattered everywhere, with almost no living people in sight.
“House Ashbourne’s emblem!” Suddenly, Owen’s expression tightened as he spotted a camp in the middle of the valley.
On the camp’s banner was a mound of pearls, the emblem of House Ashbourne.
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