Chapter 605: The Labyrinth and Rosalia

The lakeside collapsed and sank.

The dog-people Sharen, the tree spirit Vivian, the witch Dimia, the ghoul Pan Ni, the orc Amy, the banshee Kris, and other girls formed a circle.

Dust rolled upward, then quickly smothered by the endless rain from the sky, creating no great commotion.

The ground had caved in, shattering into dozens of fragments, and the lake water drained visibly through the cracks in the layers.

Waiting for the vibrations after the explosion to subside.

Sharen crossed her arms, scowling as she looked down at the scene.

Beside her knelt the ghoul mage, Pan Ni wailing loudly, her white robe soaked through by rain, uncaring.

The moisture clung to her body, revealing every curve—her waist slender, her skin deathly pale.

Exquisitely beautiful.

Kris patted her shoulder and suggested she threaten Luo De for money—otherwise she'd kill herself.

Pan Ni blinked, stunned; though naive, she chose not to respond.

"What's going on?"

Dimia sensed her best friend's foul mood.

"Hmph."

"What's with the hmph?"

"He went down without me—that means he doesn't trust me," the dog-girl growled, her face dark with displeasure.

Dimia smiled wryly and soothed: "But Luo De left the outside to you, didn't he? That proves he entrusted you with his back. When a man gives you his back, how important you are goes without saying."

Sharen paused, then snorted again—but her tail began to wag.

At that moment.

Vivian, the tree spirit, who had been standing motionless, tilted her head.

Her pure, glowing white eyes, devoid of emotion, flickered with confusion.

"Luo De is gone."

Amy, the female orc who had been tilting her head back to drink rain, looked down at the ground: "Whoa! The ground collapsed!"

Dimia ignored the slow-on-the-uptake orc. Hearing Vivian's words, her face changed, and she immediately released her magic to sense beneath the soil and rubble.

"No one. How is that possible, Sharen?"

Sharen's expression turned serious. After a brief, rapid incantation,

purple gravity magic rose from the sunken pit, and the spell 【Anti-Gravity】 reversed gravity, hurling soil and rocks skyward.

There was something interesting here.

Sharen, the dog-people, possessed self-sustaining aether energy, yet the Goddess's Ban turned a blind eye to her—she didn't know why.

Not long after,

shattered domes, broken load-bearing pillars, and shattered beams—clearly constructed by earth mages—were gradually pushed upward.

Yet even so,

no trace of any living being could be found.

Somewhere on a forest meadow.

At a mound of collapsed debris—dirt, rocks, and artificial clay blocks.

Bluish-white mist suddenly seeped from the cracks in the five-meter-high pile.

ROAR!!!

A mighty bronze dragon war-soul, towering like a mountain, erupted from within, shattering the entire pile of debris.

Shards of all colors exploded outward—some crushed vast stretches of grass, others slammed into the forest, some flew straight into the bright sky.

Luo De waved away the dust before him and stepped slowly out from the center of the wreckage torn open by the bronze dragon war-soul.

"The power of 【Nova of the Dead】 is stronger than I imagined."

A ray of sunlight—impossible to exist underground—fell upon his face.

"Huh?"

Luo De stared in surprise at the grassland and forest before him.

Beyond the distant slope, he saw a farm with herds of cattle, horses, and sheep, and a sprawling, prosperous estate with white walls and gold accents.

【Sensing the influence of the 'Unknown Labyrinth'!】

【No pass detected!】

【Warning! Warning!】

【Will soon be affected by 'Unknown Labyrinth': Spiritual accumulation decreases, strength slightly reduced, constitution slightly reduced, self-paralysis, lust enhanced.】

【'Extra-Spatial Tendency' successfully negates labyrinth influence.】

The spiritual war-soul of the Fungus Warrior Gorgon flashed behind him.

Luo De raised an eyebrow:

"A labyrinth. No wonder I couldn't find Campbell's hideout."

【Lily: Luo De, Luo De, where are you?】

Through the Far-Speech Chain, the halfling Lily sent a message.

Not only that—messages from Sharen and the others waiting above also came in.

Luo De first calmed those outside, then replied to Lily.

【Luo De: This is a labyrinth.】

【Lily: Yes, and the labyrinth's influence is strange—I can see the white-walled estate, just about a hundred meters away. What about you?】

【Luo De: I can see it too, but much farther away. I'll head there to regroup. Is the labyrinth's effect harmless? Where's Tally?】

【Lily: I've already obtained a pass—no problem. Miss Tally seems to have been granted one as well, as a bonus.】

At that moment, Tally's voice came through the Far-Speech Chain.

【Tally: Master~~ Master~~ I'm hot, the labyrinth's affecting me… come find me~ supermarket me~~】

The succubus began dramatically shouting.

Luo De ignored her outright.

Still,

Lily was truly absurd—she got a pass the moment she entered.

And even a buy-one-get-one-free deal.

Rumor says the labyrinth's consciousness favors those clearly blessed by heaven and earth—Lily is clearly one of them.

So why not me?

No idea. Probably looks down on me.

Luo De sneered and snorted.

A cool breeze passed, carrying the pungent scent of dragon-tooth flowers.

【Spider Sense】 stirred.

He turned his head.

A soldier from the conscription unit stepped out from the trees beside him; his illusionary mask peeled away, revealing a familiar, elegant, beautiful face.

Thick black hair, released from her helmet, spilled over her shoulders, ends slightly curled inward.

Insect-like exoskeletal fingers, long ears like thin wings.

The Tooth Fairy smiled bitterly.

"Mr. Luo De, it's been a long time."

"Rosalia, you've gotten even prettier."

Luo De had long forgotten the time she gave him the "good person" card—he spoke with smooth, flippant charm.

"Did you change your hairstyle? Looks great."

Rosalia had once worn voluminous purple wavy hair, reaching her waist, exuding a seductive elegance.

Now it barely reached her shoulders—retaining her former grace, yet adding a touch of efficiency.

"Thank you. I've often heard news of you too, Mr. Luo De."

"Hahaha, really? Just bards' flattery, nothing more."

Rosalia had no mood for Luo De's joking. Her eyes shimmered with hatred.

She grew serious, her pale face hiding furious rage: "Mr. Luo De… I recall you accept commissions if the price is right. Do you still take them?"

Luo De paused at her expression, then spread his hands:

"Of course I do. Being the shadow backer of Coral Bay isn't cheap—my current expenses are unimaginable."

"Then what's the price of a ninth-rank mage's life? I'll work as your slave until I pay it."

Tap-tap—

Tap-tap—

A rapid clatter of footsteps approached from afar.

Luo De turned toward the sound and saw a contingent of Campbell's private soldiers, led by a gray dwarf, rushing from the prosperous estate.

He drew 【Sword of Devotion】, smiling as Rosalia furiously poured 【Rage】 points into him.

"Let's talk as we walk."

(End of Chapter)