Chapter 7: The Magic Gate

Comer’s patient and gentle persuasion failed to convince the stubborn Grace. Especially after having her just now, it seemed unreasonable from a man’s perspective to reject a girl who had just been intimate with him. Grace’s request wasn’t particularly excessive either. Considering that Eve and the other members of the Dark Angel Mercenaries Group all had things to do, Grace alone seemed very lonely. Under Grace’s persistent courting, Comer agreed to her request, but insisted that she restore her condition to its best as quickly as possible so as not to become a burden to the expedition. For this reason, Comer even took some medicines from his own pharmacy to clean Grace’s severely injured private parts, so as not to affect her mobility during the expedition.

Upon learning that Grace was allowed to join this expedition, Javier, Bayezid, and Briarnos were all very envious. But they also knew they weren’t good at fighting in the dark and damp environments beneath the bunker, especially against opponents who might be undead creatures, which made them feel uneasy. So, despite their envy, aside from congratulating Grace, they didn’t insist on joining the expedition themselves.

Only Finitz kept pestering Comer relentlessly, demanding to join the expedition on the grounds that Comer was being unfair. After Comer firmly refused, this little elf girl even threatened to expose his affair with Lomei, leaving Comer speechless. He had initially wanted to use his relationship with Lomei to seduce her, but now it had become a weapon for her to blackmail him. In the end, Comer could only agree through gritted teeth, which angered Rebrí and Mihajović, who believed the expedition was turning into a sightseeing tour. These members who lacked self-protection skills might become an unnecessary burden, adding many risks to the expedition.

But after all, Komer was the one leading this expedition. With Komer’s various assurances, Rebrí and Mihajović saw no way to change this fact and could only agree reluctantly, though they demanded that Komer be responsible for the safety of the two women. This put Komer in a difficult position—this bunker was nothing like other places; danger here could be fatal. Without the support of companions, Grace and Fenitz would find it extremely hard to escape. Although it was still unclear what might happen, it was easy to imagine that this expedition would not be easy at all. So Komer had to privately agree that Rebrí and Mihajović could, as an additional reward beyond the agreed terms, choose one treasure they found during the expedition in exchange for their promise to do their best to protect the two women’s safety.

Shatima, full of enthusiasm, picked up her heavy dragon spear and stood behind Newman, observing the gate. On the dark gate, a circular hexagram appeared faintly under Newman’s magical influence, seemingly symbolizing the endless secrets hidden behind it. With Shatima’s help, Newman had studied the gate’s structure several times. The hexagram represented magical power. Through tests, Newman had determined that this hexagram was created by a magician using a special magical powder applied in an unknown method, giving it strong sealing power.

Newman wasn’t unable to break this seal. After several attempts, he had basically figured out its principle—it was an ancient glyph-sealing magic. The glyph, using a special substance as a medium, merged the sturdy gate with the magical curse. Relying solely on magic would be insufficient to open the gate, and it seemed the curse was also connected to the gate’s mechanisms. If the magical power couldn’t be dispelled and only the magic was broken, it might cause the gate’s mechanisms to lock permanently. On the other hand, using purely physical force to destroy it would result in attacks from magic.

“Newman, so? Have you decided which method to use to open this gate?” Rebrí asked impatiently. A large group of people were waiting in front of the gate, but Newman kept saying that the sealing magic was related to the flow of time and that they needed to be patient. Yet, more than an hour had passed since they arrived, and they still hadn’t even entered the gate, which was truly frustrating.

“It’s almost ready; just a moment more.” Newman ignored the other person’s impatience. If they didn’t open this door at the optimal time, he would have to risk damaging this door filled with mysterious mechanisms. Newman had always hoped to study this magical door thoroughly after the adventure was over.

The hexagram gradually brightened, especially at its center, where a beautiful female face pattern emerged with a glowing aura. This immediately drew everyone’s attention to it. The hazy glow within the hexagram area kept changing colors, shifting from a light yellow to a silver-white. The facial pattern became clearer and clearer, with eyes that seemed to move like those of a real person. However, the red mole between her eyes flickered in brightness.

“That’s the head of the sea witch Paton. Legend has it that her mole has the power to devour human souls. The darker the mole, the more human souls she has devoured, and the stronger her mental power becomes. This mole must be the button for this door. Miss Shatima, please use the dragon spear to press this button. Remember not to use too much force, and also use a magic shield to protect yourself from accidents.”

Newman wiped the sweat from his forehead. Activating this magic door wasn’t difficult; the real challenge was to use erosion magic to remove the magical energy attached to the mechanisms, so that the magic wouldn’t release its power under external physical stimuli. Although Sorenberg and Vladkov were extremely powerful, their own magic had certain attributes that could easily trigger magical counterattacks. Fortunately, there was Shatima, who possessed a mellow and neutral magical power. The dragon spear also became the key to opening the magic door.

Shatima, who could no longer hold back, let out a sharp cry. Her innate bravery as a dragon made her fearless. She lifted the dragon spear, as thick as a child’s arm, as easily as if it were a wick. The tip of the spear emitted an unstable glow as it was thrust straight at Paton’s mole, which resembled a ruby. A faint airflow immediately surrounded the room, with a cool breeze seeming to flow along everyone’s spine, causing their body temperature to drop several degrees.