Chapter 5: Events Completed Amidst Lies

Like most towns in the Erdrit region, Tulip Town also had a square in its center. Unlike the popular sculpture fountains found in other places, the center of this square was a mound of soil—a round, bulging mound.
Tulips in spring and summer, pines and cypresses in autumn and winter—this was the hallmark of Tulip Town’s square. Now, it was even more distinctive: the pines and cypresses were buried under soil, turning the entire area into one massive mound that resembled a large grave from a distance.
The once-open square was now filled with haphazardly piled soil, sand, and stones, leaving only a narrow path, like a ditch, leading to the entrance of the tunnel on one side of the soil mound.
Before Eirithus, Imorton rushed into the tunnel like a mad bull with its tail on fire. Eirithus did not follow Imorton’s example. Though anxious himself, he at least appeared calm and composed, as befits a high-level spellcaster. Moreover, Eirithus believed this was also the demeanor expected of a leader—no matter how chaotic the situation, he must not lose his composure.
On the piles of debris that formed small mounds across the square, there were at least a hundred demonized creatures, along with over 20 Terrestrian hounds. Some were searching around, while others patrolled vigilantly, their expressions serious and gazes sharp—truly the look of elite soldiers fulfilling their duties, giving the entire area a stern and imposing atmosphere.
The more this was the case, the angrier Eirithus became.
“Putting on an act!” Eirithus spat inwardly. He was willing to bet that, although there weren’t many fewer guards here just a dozen minutes ago, the security situation was completely different from now. Otherwise, how could the enemy have entered the tunnel so carefreely?
Eirithus had already learned the general situation from one of his assistants, Level 3 mage Odric:
About 10 minutes after the murder scene of Patrol Group 6 was discovered, an enemy disguised as a believer rushed in and reached the excavation site at the bottom of the tunnel, where he killed the demonized creature Yaheng in the innermost layer.
Odric was certain that an object had been taken by this enemy, but its identity was unknown.
This was not surprising, as even Eirithus only had a general idea of what the excavation was meant to yield. Just like in typical ancient relic explorations, no one could predict in advance what treasures might be found.
“Master, although Yaheng has paid for his mistakes, I still hope you know the truth,” Odric said. He was usually somewhat dull-witted but not shy about speaking. In Eirithus’s eyes, he was relatively objective and fair, unlikely to slander anyone out of personal grudges.
Suddenly, everything went dark, and Eirithus entered the tunnel.

In a rush with hasty construction, the tunnels were dug very crudely. From time to time, with the help of soybean oil lamps hung on the walls, one could get a relatively clear view of a section of the area. What stood out most were the crooked support pillars, the wobbling beams, and the ceiling, casting long shadows under the light that twisted like monstrous beasts. If one paid closer attention, one could also notice that the materials used to support the tunnels bore traces of gray stone and even mud bricks. This was not hard to understand—these materials were taken from civilian houses, just as temporarily requisitioned as those who dug the tunnels.

Eirith allowed Ordric to speak out the so-called truth. As he had predicted, when digging reached its final stage and it was time to achieve results, the domineering Yaheng wanted to be the first to uncover important artifacts to present to Shangguan and win his favor, thus giving the enemy an opportunity.

“Damn it!” Eirith cursed inwardly in anger. With his sharp mind, it was not difficult for him to imagine the scene at that time. He was certain that the person Yaheng intended to present the artifacts to could never be him—Imorton, or even Gorton. Even if those artifacts would eventually end up in the Necromancer’s Hall of the Dead for study, those guys would surely show off and even haggle before that.

“Ordric, you should have kept an eye on things!” Eirith reproached him lightly.

“Master, I am at fault!” Ordric showed his humility.

However, he quickly changed the subject: “Adding demon warriors to our team is like adding mud to clean water. Stupid, careless, rebellious, and difficult to control, they have turned our once strict system and meticulous plans into a mess. Master, to me, it’s like scholars working with a bunch of street thugs!” Ordric harshly criticized the dark minions of the evil system.

It must be said that what Ordric said exactly reflected Eirith’s thoughts.

“Street thugs? Hmph! You really speak highly of them!” Eirith snorted as he paced. “Losers, frustrated people, down-and-out individuals, incompetents… These guys are the scum discarded by society, the worst of the worthless! They cause more harm than good!”

Ordric secretly smirked. His goal had been achieved—Eirith was furious, and that anger would naturally make him blame Yaheng for most of the fault in this incident.

And as for a dead person, Imorton probably wouldn’t argue much with Eirith—dead people had no investment value…

Eirith soon met Imorton, who looked as pale as if his wife had just died.

The core members of the dark forces that raided Tulip Town were seven in number: aside from the leader, the level-8 necromancer Eirith, there were four demon warriors and three necromancers. After Dué and Fatak died, Imorton had felt a slight sense of satisfaction, as 4:2 meant the demon warriors had a clear advantage in terms of strength.

But before Imorton could take any action to turn the situation around, news of Dathi’s death reached him. Now, even Yaheng was dead, and all the apparent evidence pointed against him—he was doomed to bear the blame.

Imorton was furious, knowing that given the nature of the incident, even his junior position as a demon warrior would be implicated. The loss of a single “important item” by Eirlys allowed him to shift most of the blame onto the demon warriors. Just how important this item was really was a question that sparked much speculation.

As expected, trouble came as soon as Imorton saw Eirlys, who immediately demanded, “What important item was lost?”

“Damn it! How the hell are you so sure it’s an important item?” Imorton almost wanted to pull out the few strands of hair on Eirlys’s head, but he restrained himself by gripping his own buttocks with the hand behind his back.

“Oh, after a brief investigation, I inferred it to be of this kind,” Imorton said, trying to keep his tone calm. He then handed over a small box—something that Yaheng had given him before. It was Yaheng who was skilled at exploiting various methods during excavations for personal gain, which is why Imorton had assigned him full responsibility for the excavation site.

Taking the metal box from Imorton with great care, Eirlys’s expression changed instantly, resembling that of a lecher upon seeing a stunning beauty.

“What a precious treasure! Look at the texture of this metal, the patterns, and the mechanisms—it’s clearly not something modern craftsmanship could produce. It’s been buried in the soil for years, yet there’s not a trace of rust! Tsk tsk!” Eirlys murmured as he carefully opened the lid.

Inside the box was a flexible slot made of an unknown material, containing short transparent crystal tubes about the size of a thumb, with metal caps at both ends. Inside the tubes was a very pure, multicolored liquid—Eirlys knew it was energy.

“A primordial magic energy cell, the inspiration behind modern energy cells. It’s said to be a treasure from the world where the gods became gods…” Eirlys became somewhat lost in thought.

“Master, didn’t you say you wanted to inspect the crime scene personally?” Odric reminded him from the side.

Eirlys’s expression stiffened for a moment before returning to his usual composure. “Hmm, yes. I need to see the scene to determine if the lost item is related to this.”

Imorton cursed Eirlys in silence for his greed and shamelessness, but he had no choice but to accompany him to inspect the excavation site.

In a relatively spacious and flat underground chamber, there were fragments of stone slabs assembled using molds. Though incomplete, it was easy to see they had once been part of a series of compartments.

The stone material was unusual, somewhere between crystal and polished granite, with its outer surface still retaining a glassy luster. Embedded within the stones were magical runes, of various sizes and arranged in rows, adding to their mystery.

These stone slabs were clearly man-made, yet there was no trace of joints or seams, making it hard to imagine what kind of craftsmanship could create something so seamless and natural-looking.

Along with the chamber’s outer shell, various objects of different sizes were unearthed—tables, chairs, metal instruments, and the like. Restoring those broken metal instruments was extremely difficult, let alone understanding their functions. As a result, it was impossible to determine the original purpose of these damaged compartments.

Eirlys pretended to conduct an investigation and finally pointed at a patch of soil, declaring confidently, “I can sense special energy emissions in the soil around here. The items stolen by the enemy must be related to magic and are extremely important!”
Imorton’s nose almost twisted in anger. An idea struck him, and he ordered sternly, “Go ahead, seal this entire patch of soil in crystal boxes so we can study the energy emissions and track down the lost items!”
Eirlys’ expression changed slightly. In truth, there were no such special energy emissions at all—he was just bluffing. As a result, he exposed himself publicly.
Changing the subject subtly, Eirlys said, “According to the plan, today is the last night. We must ensure thorough excavation and complete shipment of everything here—this is a major achievement and our top priority right now! As for those cunning enemies, once we finish our main task, we’ll settle accounts with them thoroughly! Now, I order…”
Hearing Eirlys speak like this, Imorton knew full well he was just trying to deceive them. He sneered inwardly, “Trying to trick us? Not that easy! Damn it, if this old bastard stays silent, I’ll just turn a blind eye and let him reap some benefits. But if he insists on causing trouble, I’ll fight to the death!”
With this in mind, Imorton clearly hinted in his subsequent remarks that they should act together, showing his stance. With Eirlys’ sharp mind, he naturally understood and went along with it, handling the matter smoothly in perfect harmony with Imorton. Of course, they both harbored deep hatred for that lone, daring robber and his accomplices, and they both resolved that they would never spare those people under any circumstances!
Eirlys and Imorton, determined not to spare those people, suddenly thought of a saying: Sometimes it’s people who drive action, and sometimes it’s actions that drive people!
In fact, Neo originally had no intention of killing Yaheng, let alone stealing any relics or treasures from him. His initial reason for venturing into the tunnels was simply to check if anyone from the Mackens family was still alive.
With the discovery of the secret room in the Manmoris family’s ancestral house, Neo realized that the Dark Claws were likely to conduct a second thorough search of Tulip Town, focusing on secret rooms, cellars, and underground chambers. During this process, they might use intimidation, torture, and coercion to interrogate the surviving townspeople. Thus, in Neo’s view, the Mackens family represented a major vulnerability. Even if it couldn’t be fixed, they needed to be aware of it.
Neo learned that most of the townspeople had been forced to dig holes, and exploring such places was no easy task. At the very least, he needed to distract the Dark Claws and gain as much time as possible.
So Neo committed a second crime in the northwest corner of the town. This time, the process went relatively smoothly. Afterwards, to provoke the enemy, Neo stripped the two demonized men of their clothes, folded them neatly, hung their naked bodies up, and carved on their bodies: “Get ready to wash your necks!”

Since the location where the naked corpse was displayed was quite conspicuous, it was quickly discovered by a passing patrol team. The incident was reported upward, alerting Eirwen and Imorton. While heading to the scene, Eirwen ordered a check of the patrol teams and found one missing. Soon after, the crime scene at the Manmoris family’s ancestral home was discovered. With all this commotion, Neo gained enough time to eavesdrop on the password for the night amidst the chaos.

After successfully infiltrating the tunnel dressed as a member of the Dark Cult, Neo didn’t see Old Macken but did see Macken. At that moment, Neo felt a mix of emotions—neither happy nor unhappy.

Neo had achieved his goal, only to be conscripted by Audric to retrieve an item from the deepest part of the excavation site. He happened to encounter Yaheng, who had sent the others away. Just as he obtained the secret treasure and was gloating to himself about how great he was now, Yaheng’s guard lowered due to his joy. Neo, who had barged in carelessly and stood out, would have surely been noticed by Yaheng’s keen senses under normal circumstances—given Neo’s armor beneath his disguise, along with the bulky, unnatural appearance of the Dark Cult robes.

Neo was at a loss. His only escape route depended on a message from a necromancer. He had prepared a trick to reveal himself when the time came, but upon seeing Yaheng, he felt disheartened. As a core member, Yaheng was a shapeshifter on par with Datha’s strength. Even without transforming, he couldn’t be killed by a long-range arrow. If Yaheng became suspicious, Neo would surely die there.

At that moment, Neo’s heart seemed to leap into his throat. He often thought back to it later, realizing how lucky he was—his performance at that time was riddled with flaws.

But Yaheng was in high spirits, preoccupied with how he would use the secret treasure to rise to power. He never expected anyone to stumble into the place and try to kill him.

Seeing that it was a demon warrior, Yaheng relaxed his usual stern expression and showed a rare friendly side. Not only did he not blame Neo for trespassing, but he also waved him over to ask what had happened.

Neo took advantage of the situation, stepped forward, claiming to have something for Yaheng to see. Then, using a crossbow covered with cloth he had prepared, he shot Yaheng at close range between the eyebrows. Thus, Yaheng died ironically from his own act of seeming approachable.

When Neo entered, he had overheard Yaheng’s proud monologue and knew his name. After killing Yaheng and taking the secret treasure, he acted naturally again. On his way out, he encountered waiting Audric and lied, saying Yaheng had made a significant discovery and needed him to go inside.

Just as Eirwen had thought, things turned out well in the final stage. Audric had rushed out earlier because he too was hiding a “treasure.” His excuse was that he needed to oversee a small experiment at Research Site 1 halfway through the tunnel. To prove he was working there, he foolishly involved a demon warrior as a witness, only to find the person unreliable.

It can be seen that Odric is also greedy. So when Neo made his major discovery, Odric saw no reason to doubt it and happily went in. What he found in the end was only Yaheng’s corpse. By the time he started shouting that there were assassins, Neo had already escaped. Odric didn’t dare admit that he had invited thieves in, so he fabricated a lie, claiming he had gone outside to get a tool and returned to find Yaheng already killed. As for why only Yaheng was at the scene, many people could prove that Yaheng must have discovered something and sent them away. Thus, the incident was framed as Yaheng bringing it upon himself, with the enemy taking advantage of the situation to steal treasures and kill him. Neo also realized he had made things worse, and considering that McKenn was still alive, he decided to flee overnight; otherwise, being trapped in that low-level chamber would mean utter despair.