Chapter 56: Strange Illusion

The stone door fell directly in front of Feng Yan and the others with a thud, making a huge sound.

They hurriedly stopped, and cold sweat soaked their clothes.

Several people wanted to turn back, but when they did, the gate had already closed; they were trapped in a narrow space—Feng Yan, Yang Xin, Chen Hao, and Wang Tingwan were all inside together. Although they seemed to be friends, they were actually enemies, the kind that would kill each other. They sat down there, with the front and back already not sealed off for taking money—it seemed they had no way left.

"Your Majesty, they have already been trapped in the stone cave," the Red-clothed Devil reported.

"Good, then should the next step be to capture the dwarves?" Upon hearing the news that the adventurers were trapped, the king smiled and then asked the Red-clothed Devil about the next plan.

The Red-clothed Devil stood respectfully and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, the next step will be the most crucial: refining and using the dwarves' potions. Once this step is completed, Benefit State will become the nation with the strongest combat power."

"Hahaha, good!" the king laughed loudly, then asked, "You've kept them trapped there all along? That's impossible, right?"

The Red-clothed Devil laughed and answered, "Yes, Your Majesty, that door is merely a disguise; behind it lies the essential path to the treasure. However, that treasure—no one from any generation has ever gone there and returned without either coming back empty-handed or dying outright. So, Your Majesty, you can rest assured."

"All right, then let them capture the dwarves." After hearing this, the king issued the order.

Upon hearing the king's order, the soldiers began to cheer, shouting, "Long live! Long live!"

Upon hearing it, the king felt very pleased; he rose to his feet, responded to the soldiers' cheers, raised his arms in all directions, and shouted loudly, "O citizens of the state! The moment to serve your nation has arrived; now is the time to show your loyalty to your country. Everyone, go capture the dwarves—this is the nation's request. Of course, we have prepared rewards for this demand; the highest achiever may go to Wanggong to receive their prize!"

In the parasol tree forest, the dwarves finished their preparations one after another; a dwarf soldier reported to the chieftain, "Chieftain, Benefit State has begun capturing us as a resource—should we counterattack?"

"No need," the chieftain replied. "Summon all the dwarves to the heart of the Golden Parasol Tree Forest; we will hold a meeting and wait for the adventurer lord's command before acting."

"Yes!" the dwarf replied, then went to gather all the dwarves.

"Has it begun?" the chieftain sighed, gazing at the azure sky, and continued, "My god Aoding, will you return? Are they the adventurer spoken of in the legends? Ancestors, please give your descendants a hint; we have reached a dead end."

"The weather seems nice," Jin Meng said, looking at the sky with interest, but the scene below wiped the smile from his face—a large wave of soldiers was marching toward the Golden Parasol Tree Forest. Jin Meng realized that Benefit State's army had begun its operation; he rubbed the gold in his pocket and said, "I serve only money, so you are my enemies."

The soldiers formed ranks and marched toward the Golden Parasol Tree Forest, all the way to the entrance, where they stopped. Then the leader stepped forward and said, "From now on, it is our moment to serve our country! We come for our nation's honor, and even more for money! Right, brothers?"

A crowd shouted, "Forward for money and honor!"

But they hadn't taken a few steps when another adventurer intercepted them, asking, "What are you trying to do?"

"Get lost!" the soldiers roared.

"You're really hot-headed, but I can't let you pass—consider it a favor Feng Yan owes me." The adventurer said with a smile.