Chapter 4: The Hidden Treasure
As the three dark shadows gradually seeped into the still-struggling mysterious mage, the group finally could catch their breath. The two dark knights almost collapsed to the ground—their earlier fierce attack had nearly exhausted all their strength. The puppet mage’s pale face showed signs of exhaustion, and the triple darkness bindings also posed a significant strain on Lebrí. As for Komer’s “Thunderful Punishment,” though it was considered a top-tier lightning spell, it required far less energy compared to the others. At this point, the only one seemingly unaffected was Newman, the thin mage who had been staring at everyone with a puzzled expression, unsure of why this battle had begun. By the time he fully focused on activating his secret technique, the battle had already started; he didn’t even know who had attacked whom first.
Seeing the mysterious mage’s resentful, unyielding gaze mixed with disgust, the puppet mage couldn’t help but want to tear off the veil covering her face. “Mr. Mihajević, let me do it. I’m eager to see how this mage from the Light Church managed to infiltrate our group. Judging by her appearance, she must hold a significant position in the Light Church.”
Lebrí waved his hand, and a hint of panic flashed in the eyes of the now-defenseless mysterious mage. The veil fell away, revealing a grayish-white face with no expression. Everyone was stunned—it was a face devoid of emotion. If it weren’t for those still-moving eyes, it would have looked like that of a dead person.
“Hmm, I didn’t expect a Light mage to be so secretive. How interesting.” Signaling Lebrí to step aside, Komer stepped forward, knelt in front of the still-twisting mysterious mage, and met her gaze. Nodding, he reached out and traced her somewhat pale cheeks. Waves of spasms spread from his hand. “Stop! Take your filthy hands away, you demons!”
Pausing for a moment, Komer shook his head, his smile growing more friendly. “Heh, it seems to her that we’re all irredeemable demons. I wonder why Miss Lomei would associate with us? Is she trying to gather information or has she other motives? It seems we don’t need the Light Church’s favor after all.”
Ignoring the other person’s desperate attempts to avoid his fingers, Komer’s fingers moved skillfully down the neck, and soon he found what he was looking for beneath the collar—extremely thin and delicate skin. After probing around, he separated the connecting parts with a gentle stroke. With a “whoosh,” the contracted skin shrank into a lump, revealing the fair and smooth underlying skin. After studying it closely for a while, Komer didn’t pull his hand away but continued to move it downward, tearing open the tightly fitted corset under the other person’s nearly desperate gaze. He grasped the smooth lump and twisted the delicate flesh between his fingers, squeezing it contentedly before slowly withdrawing his hand.
The face, though twisted, still appeared vivid and adorable. Aside from being slightly paler, it was almost perfectly angelic—with a small, cute, and upturned nose. The rosy lips might have turned slightly pale due to extreme tension and fear. The long, feather-like eyelashes covered eyes that were as black and clear as diamonds, capable of piercing deep into one’s heart. Most striking was the mole like an ink dot beside the left lip, which added a touch of charm and allure to this pure and lovely face. It was as if a modest and chaste maiden suddenly donned a revealing dress, becoming a blend of angelic purity and demonic seduction.
“Respected Mage Lomei, may I know your true name and identity? I doubt a name as obscure as Lomei could be your real name. Are you a holy maiden of the Light Church, a high priest, or perhaps a holy guardian?” He gently pulled his hand back and sniffed it playfully, ignoring the other person’s furious expression as if about to bite their lip. “Hmm, still that rare gentian scent. Truly, you’re a big shot—even the things you enjoy are unique. If not for the ‘Madness Mist’ in this castle exposing you, we might not have even realized something was wrong. We should thank the designer of Damolensk Castle for this ‘gift’ for us, hahaha!”
“Mist of Madness?!” It was only then that everyone, including Rebrí, realized why they had been feeling restless and driven by impulses. Although this mist had little effect on those practicing dark magic, it was still a stimulating aerosol that could affect them to some extent. For practitioners of other schools, it was undoubtedly an uncontrollable stimulant that made them abnormally sensitive and excited without affecting their minds at all. It was clearly designed specifically for those who did not practice dark magic.
“Lord, are you sure she’s from the Light Church?” Mihajović was always very cautious in such matters. Though he hated her for destroying one of his carefully crafted skeleton warriors, what was more concerning was the fact that the Light Church had sent someone to infiltrate his expedition team. He didn’t want to become a constant target of the Light Church’s attention.
“Hehe, Mr. Mihajović, it seems you still don’t fully trust my judgment?” Komer reached again into the chest of the mysterious mage lying on the ground. After searching around, he pulled out an item—“What do you think this is?”
It was a woman’s corset, made of pure white silk. But the naked seraphim flying in the center of the corset proved her identity—it was the unique symbol of the Light Church. While some might be skilled at casting light magic, few aside from important figures in the Light Church would dare to embroider a seraphim on their undergarments.
“She’s a holy maiden of the Light Church?!” Almost everyone’s gaze turned solemn. If the Light Church was willing to send its holy maiden to infiltrate their expedition team, it meant they had become targets for the Light Church, and it would likely be impossible for them to escape their pursuit for life.
“No, do you really think that’s all the Light Church’s holy maiden is capable of? Her magic and spells are indeed powerful, but she’s still far from the level of the holy maiden we imagine. If she were truly the holy maiden, could we still be standing here so calmly?” Komer shook his head.
“Well, the Power of the Holy Maiden of Light must be more than this. But this woman is likely an important figure in the Church of Light as well. Aside from the major knight orders, only male magicians are seen in public within the church. I have some idea of the notable female knights in the church, and she isn’t one of them. Moreover, judging from her performance, her magical skills far surpass her combat abilities—she must be a magician. But with the Church of Light having numerous branches, most female magicians hide their true identities and rarely go out, making it difficult for us to determine her status.” Rebrí agreed with Komer’s view—that the Power of the Holy Maiden of Light was beyond what anyone present could handle, and he was well aware of this.
“Alright, leave it to me. I think we have ways to make her reveal everything we want to know, but not now. With the internal threats eliminated, it seems it’s time for us to see the rewards of Newman’s hard work, right?” Komer stood up, drawing everyone’s attention back to the secret door. The Triple Darkness Binding penetrated deep into the bones, leaving the mysterious mage lying on the ground completely helpless. Komer’s lightning magic further paralyzed the mage, rendering him unable to move for at least two hours.
What a breathtaking scene! As the secret door slowly unfolded after Newman cast his spell, the sight before the breathless crowd was simply insane!
“Oh! What is that?! The Aladdin Token?! The Pyllos Map?! I can’t believe my eyes! My lord, is this real? By the name of Hades, the King of the Underworld, this is the most magnificent sight I’ve ever seen!” Rebrí, usually calm and composed, was already kneeling on the wooden frame. A pure black crystal token lay there quietly, as if it had been asleep for centuries. Next to it was a wooden box with strange inscriptions on its surface. Rebrí almost pressed his face against the box, murmuring words like in a daze.
“This, this, this—it’s a miracle! ‘Pavarotti’s Arithmetic’?! No one can take it from me!” The first to step into the secret chamber was Newman. His gaze had already been firmly drawn to a thick book on one of the shelves. Ignoring any potential dangers, he rushed forward without hesitation, snatched the book, kissed it, and began flipping through its pages, his eyes almost lost in it as if forgetting everything else. “Oh, my God, it’s real! It’s all so wonderful.”
The puppet mage’s attention was entirely captivated by a metal puppet in the corner. He rushed over in two steps but didn’t dare get too close, instead staring at the dark yet occasionally glowing puppet with an obsessive admiration. After a long while, the puppet mage knelt down, gently touching every joint of the puppet with trembling hands, carefully examining each critical point. Finally, he placed his fingers in the puppet’s eyes. With a snap, the puppet’s head split open, revealing a shiny black magic crystal glowing brightly inside. “Exquisite! Truly exquisite! To be able to see this—death would be worthwhile!”
His murmurs didn’t go unnoticed by Komer, who had been standing by the side. Shaking his head in a somewhat amused way, he thought these people were far too obsessed. Ordinary objects were causing these usually dignified magicians to act so foolishly. The two dark knights weren’t much better—one was fiddling with a dull long sword on the weapon rack as if it were precious, while the other was caressing a silver armor set worn by a wooden warrior model. Clearly, neither item was ordinary, otherwise they wouldn’t have moved them so much.
The murmurs in the dark chamber continued for some time. Eventually, Komer couldn’t bear it any longer and coughed loudly several times to snap everyone out of their trance. Seeing the embarrassed looks on everyone’s faces, Komer also struggled to hold back his urge to laugh and slowly said, “Gentlemen, it seems our expedition has finally yielded results. From your expressions, it seems you’ve all found what you admire most. As the master of Damorlensk Fortress, thanks to your help, we’ve achieved some goals in this expedition. Although our main goal hasn’t been fulfilled yet, we still have time. Perhaps the next adventure will bring us even more rewards.”
By this point, everyone remembered that everything in their hands belonged to someone else. Although Komer had promised before this expedition that he would give them a satisfactory reward for their efforts if they succeeded, money, jewels, women, and power no longer held any appeal for them. Perhaps the only thing that could attract them was the chance to enhance their own strength; the expedition was merely an amateur hobby to satisfy their desire for challenges.
“Uh, Lord, if I remember correctly, you once promised us a satisfactory reward if we succeeded in this expedition…”
“Hehehe.” Komer laughed and interrupted the uneasy puppet mage, saying loudly, “Mr. Mihajevic, that’s right, I did promise you all that. But the expedition hasn’t succeeded yet. There are still many secret passages unexplored, and what is our main goal? We haven’t even found the monsters hidden deep underground. Can this really be considered a success?”
Komer’s words left everyone looking at each other in confusion. It seemed the lord had no intention of rewarding them with the treasures they had discovered, which was a great surprise to everyone. Even Newman couldn’t help but stare at his book with his mouth wide open, not knowing how to respond.
“Lord, I think we needn’t beat around the bush. Yes, among these discoveries, there are indeed things we like or need. If you’re willing to part with them, I believe everyone would be happy to help you continue the expedition. As you said, there might be even more amazing things waiting for us ahead, but there could also be more risks and dangers. So we need these things to strengthen our own strength and prepare for the next phase of the expedition. Of course, we can also complete some other tasks for you. What do you think?” Rebril’s words were much smoother and more tactful. He could tell that the other party wasn’t very interested in these treasures, which were considered unparalleled by magicians, but rather showed interest in them. After a little thought, he could guess the other party’s intentions.
“Hehe, Mr. Lebray is truly understanding. How about this: if you really need these things, I can lend them to you for now. Once our expedition is completely over, I’ll allow each of you to choose two items from these treasures as compensation. Of course, until the expedition is over, you’ll have to stay in the Caucasus. During that time, if I need your help, you must not refuse my requests. What do you think of these terms?”
Komer’s offer was so generous that it surprised everyone. Aside from Lebray, who vaguely understood his intentions, the others admired the lord’s openness and wisdom. Living in a place like the Caucasus, with plenty of food and drink, and the freedom to pursue whatever they desired, with the lord providing all possible conditions—wasn’t this exactly what mages aspired to? Even Prague in Bohemia couldn’t match such conditions, let alone for them, who were dark practitioners forced to hide their identities.
The riches found in the castle’s secret chamber left everyone in awe after a careful inventory. The black crystal magic token known as the Aladdin Token was undoubtedly the jewel among them—a staff made of pure black magic crystal, unique in the entire continent. The Pyllos map was an irreplicable magical map; to those without significant dark magic power, it appeared to be nothing but a worthless old parchment. To see its full extent, it had to be viewed from different angles under various light sources. It was a detailed map of the Pyllos Underground Palace, one of the three mysterious underground palaces on the continent that no one had ever set foot in. With this map, one could find the entrance to the palace, and it also provided several key elements for exploring it. Meanwhile, Newman’s book, *Pavarro’s Star Arithmetic*, was an ancient magic book that had been lost for ages, documenting ancient star magic and the principles and strategies for using it to design mechanisms. Such a long-lost ancient text was like a beacon shining in the darkness, guiding Newman on the path to mastering star arithmetic.
The puppet mage holds onto the metal golem tightly, which is said to be the culmination of the efforts of Democritus, the greatest dark mage of the Dark Age hundreds of years ago. Entirely made of various types of magic metals, the golem is embedded with magic crystals that not only prevent it from possessing human personality or intelligence but also endow it with human-like instinctive reactions. As it is made entirely of magic metals, it is immune to magic and can even cast spells related to its master’s dark nature. Ordinary martial arts hold no harm against it, and its combat strength can increase as its master’s abilities grow. If one can control it, it is as if a copy of oneself has been created. Studying the mysteries behind the design of this golem is the puppet mage’s greatest hope, while creating works comparable to those of the magic masters of the Dark Age is Mihajevic’s lifelong aspiration. Let’s see more clicks and recommendations!