Chapter 605: The Labyrinth and Rosalia

The lakeside where the ground had collapsed and sunk.

Sharon of the Dogkin, Vivian the Tree Spirit, Demya the Witch, Pan Ni the Ghoul, Amy the Beastkin, and Chris the Banshee, among other girls, formed a circle.

Dust rolled upward, then was quickly covered by the continuous drizzle in the sky, not creating much of a scene.

That is, the ground collapsed, shattered into dozens of pieces, and the lake water visibly drained into the cracks of the layers.

Waiting for the tremors after the explosion's aftershocks to cease.

Sharon, looking displeased with arms crossed, looked down at the scene below.

Beside her knelt the Ghoul mage, wailing on the ground; Pan Ni was crying out to heaven and earth, not caring that her white robe was soaked through by the rain.

The moisture made her clothes cling to her body, her hourglass figure fully revealing her charm, her waist slender, her skin deathly pale.

Utterly beautiful.

Chris patted her shoulder and suggested she threaten Rod for money over this matter, threatening suicide if he didn't pay.

Pan Ni paused for a moment; though innocent and cute, she chose to ignore her.

"What's going on?"

Demya saw that her best friend was in a bad mood.

"Hmph."

"What are you 'hmph'-ing about?"

"He went down without me; that means he doesn't trust me," the dog said coldly, looking extremely displeased.

Demya smiled bitterly and coaxed her: "But Rod left the outside to you, didn't he? Doesn't that prove he entrusted his rear guard to you too? A man has given you his back; you don't need me to say how important you are, right?"

Sharon paused, then snorted again, and her tail began to wag.

At that moment.

Vivian the Tree Spirit, who had been staring blankly in place, suddenly tilted her head.

A hint of confusion appeared in her pure eyes, glowing with white light, devoid of emotional fluctuation.

"Rod is gone."

Amy the Beastkin, who had been looking up with her mouth open drinking rainwater, looked down at the ground: "Whoa! The ground has collapsed!"

Ignoring the belated Beastkin woman, Demya's face changed slightly upon hearing Vivian's words; she quickly released her mana to sense the area beneath the covered soil and stones.

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

Sharon quickly became serious; after a brief, rapid casting.

Purple Weight mana rose from the sunken pit toward the sky; the inverted gravity of the spell 【Anti-Gravity】 also pushed the soil and stones toward the sky.

There is an interesting point here.

The Dogkin Sharon possesses self-circulating Ether energy within her body, yet the Goddess's ban turns a blind eye to her; she herself does not know why.

Not long after.

The shattered dome, broken Cheng Zhong pillars, and crushed beams, clearly constructed by a Tu Mu Fa mage, were successively pushed back up into the sky.

Yet even so.

No matter how they searched, there was no trace of any living creature.

On a grassy patch in a forest somewhere.

At the hill of ruins formed by a pile of soil, rocks, and artificial mud blocks.

Blue-white mist suddenly seeped out from the cracks of this four-to-five-meter-high pile of collapsed debris.

Roar!!!

A mighty Bronze Dragon War Soul, as towering as a mountain, suddenly expanded and emerged from within, causing the haphazardly piled debris to explode with a boom.

Debris of various colors burst outward; some crushed large patches of grass, some crashed into the forest, and some flew directly up into the bright sky.

Rod fanned the dust in front of him with his hand and slowly walked out from the center of the ruins blown open by the Bronze Dragon War Soul.

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

A ray of sunlight, clearly not meant to exist underground, shone on his face.

"Hmm?"

Rod looked in surprise at the grassland and forest before him.

Below the distant hillside, a farm with herds of cattle, horses, and sheep was visible, as well as a bustling manor with white outer walls accented with gold, covering a vast area.

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

【No pass detected!】

【Warning! Warning!】

【Impending influence from the 'Unknown Labyrinth': Spiritual accumulation reduced, strength slightly reduced, constitution slightly reduced, self-numbing, increased libido...】

【...'Otherworldly Space Tendency' successfully exempts from Labyrinth influence.】

The psionic war soul of the Fungal Corrupted Warrior Gorgon flashed briefly behind him.

Rod raised an eyebrow:

"A labyrinth? No wonder I couldn't find Campbell's hideout no matter how hard I looked."

【Lily: Rod, Rod, where are you?】

In the Chain of Far-Seeing, the Halfling Lily sent a message.

Moreover, there were also messages from Sharon and the others waiting above.

Rod first comforted the people outside, then began to reply to Lily.

【Rod: This place is a labyrinth.】

【Lily: Yes, and the labyrinth's influence is strange; I can see the manor with white outer walls, it's only about a hundred meters away. What about you?】

【Rod: I can see it, but it's much farther away than for you. I'll go there to gather. Is the labyrinth's influence okay? What about Tally?】

【Lily: I have already obtained the pass, no problem. It seems Young Lady Tally's words also came with a complimentary pass for the labyrinth.】

At this moment, Tally's voice came through the Chain of Long Speech.

【Tally: Master~~ Master~~ I'm hot, the labyrinth is affecting me. Come find me~ Supermarket me~~】

The succubus began to put on a show, shouting loudly.

Rod ignored her directly.

However

Lily was truly outrageous, obtaining a pass the moment she entered.

And it was buy one get one free.

It is said that the Labyrinth Consciousness specifically favors certain lucky ones who are obviously doted on by Heaven and Earth; Lily is clearly one of them.

As for why it didn't choose me?

I don't know, it must look down on me.

Rod curled his lip and let out a cold snort.

A clear breeze drifted by, carrying the spicy scent of Dragon Tooth Flowers.

【Spider Sense】 was triggered.

He turned his head to look.

A soldier from the Conscription Corps stepped out from the woods beside him; the illusion on his face gradually peeled away, revealing a familiar, elegant, and beautiful face.

Her thick black long hair cascaded onto her shoulders as she removed her helmet, the tips curling slightly inward.

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

The Tooth Fairy revealed a bitter smile.

"Mr. Rod, long time no see."

"Rosalie, you've become even more beautiful."

Rod had long forgotten the incident where she gave him the "good guy" card; he spoke with slick, flippant words.

"You changed your hairstyle? It looks good."

Miss Tooth Fairy previously had purple wavy long hair, an astonishing amount of it, reaching down to her waist, possessing a charming and elegant temperament.

Now it barely reached her shoulders; while her previous temperament remained, it added a touch of capability.

"Thank you, I also frequently hear news of you, Mr. Rod."

"Hahaha, really? It's just the bards' flattery."

Rosalie did not have Rod's mood for joking; waves of hatred swirled in her eyes.

She became serious, her pale face hiding boundless fury: "Mr. Rod... I recall you accept commissions as long as the price is right, correct? Do you still take them now?"

Seeing the expression on her face, Rod was momentarily stunned, then shrugged:

"Naturally I do. The mastermind behind Coral Bay is not easy to be; current expenses are unimaginably large."

"Then I ask, what is the price for the life of a Ninth-Rank Mage? Even if I have to work like an ox or a horse, I will gather it for you."

Patter, patter—

Patter, patter—

A series of hurried footsteps came from the distance.

Rod looked toward the sound and saw a contingent of Campbell private soldiers, led by a Gray Dwarf, rushing over from that bustling manor.

He drew the 【Sword of Dedication】 and smiled while watching Rosalie frantically contributing 【Rage】 points.

"Let's talk while we walk."

(End of Chapter)