Chapter 127: Prisonrock Stone Gate
The reputation of the Lava Dominator was simply too overwhelming—even an outsider like William Merlin could recognize it at a glance. If Leon kept this Soulbound Relic, it would be like hanging a sign around his neck that read: "I killed Ronald, I stole the Lava Dominator, and if you have a problem, come find me!"
That would be taking the joke way too far...
Forget the Ashen Tower and its usual madness—even a turtle wouldn’t be able to let that slide!
Luckily, alchemy has plenty of ways to disguise things. Leon wasn't too worried about the Lava Dominator being too hot to handle. Worst case, once he returned from the Prince’s Tomb, he’d just give the Lava Dominator a new look.
Right now, Leon had bigger things to worry about...
"Heh, Chief Soth, problem solved." Leon flashed a smile at Soth.
But that smile, in Soth’s eyes, made the leader of Seaview City’s most feared underground faction feel a chill run down his spine. A wave of uncontrollable dread settled over Soth—in that instant, he felt as though he’d been targeted by a ferocious magical beast...
Damn it, I know way too much!
Soth instantly realized—the dead Archmage was from the Ashen Tower, a mage faction as powerful as the Sage’s Spire. Worse, this mess involved a secret that was vital to the Ashen Tower. If word got out, the Gilded Rose would be in serious trouble.
He glanced around...
Aside from the people from the Gilded Rose and the corpses on the ground, he was the only outsider here.
An outsider...
Soth’s legs went weak. In a situation like this, even a fool would know—the safest way is to turn the outsider into a corpse.
Only the dead can keep secrets.
Soth knew he wasn’t just being paranoid. Just look at Archmage Leon Merlin—smiling and saying "problem solved," while still holding the deadly hand crossbow that killed the Grand Mage. If the problem’s solved, why keep the crossbow?
Thinking of this, Soth couldn’t help wanting to slap himself—why hadn’t he brought more men with him? Now, he didn’t even have a chance to call for help.
No way, I have to save myself!
Soth gritted his teeth and finally made up his mind.
"Wait, Archmage Merlin, the problem isn’t solved yet—look, his eyes are still moving!" Soth exclaimed in panic, suddenly drawing his sword and thrusting it into Ronald’s chest with a sharp "shhk." Instantly, a jet of black blood spurted out, flowing down Ronald’s corpse and pooling on the ground.
Then Soth watched the weeds on the ground wither away...
Such potent poison—no wonder even a Grand Mage, armed with the Lava Dominator, couldn’t survive a hit from that terrifying hand crossbow. Soth was secretly horrified, but his face showed relief: "Well, that’s finally taken care of. Who would’ve thought, Soth himself would kill a fifth-rank Grand Mage with his own hands."
"Heh, good thing Chief Soth reacted so fast, or we’d all have been ambushed." This time, Leon’s smile finally seemed genuine.
Leon knew that with this sword strike, the Viper’s Nest and the Gilded Rose were now bound tightly together. If Soth ever had second thoughts, he’d have to remember everything that happened in Venomfog Gorge today. After all, the Ashen Tower’s Grand Mage took his last blow from Soth himself...
As long as Soth was thinking straight, he’d never leak a word.
If Soth didn’t leak it, who else would?
The rest were all Gilded Rose’s own people. If Leon couldn’t even keep his own people quiet, he might as well die early—living would just be a waste of food.
"Archmage Merlin, you’re too kind..." Seeing Leon’s gesture, the wary Soth finally let out a long breath. Honestly, dealing with such a powerful and ruthless young Grand Mage put Soth under immense pressure.
Still, after fighting side by side this time, the relationship between Viper’s Nest and the Gilded Rose should be much stronger than with any other faction.
An unexpected benefit, really.
"Anyway, thank you, Chief Soth." Leon didn’t stand on ceremony and waved his hand, leading the Gilded Rose caravan onward.
As for Colin, whom he’d just saved, Leon handed him straight to Perry, the old butler.
From that earlier "Who are you?" it was clear the young man didn’t trust him much yet. That was normal—Matthew Merlin hadn’t spent much time in Seaview City before, and most of Roger Merlin’s men didn’t really know him. Plus, Colin himself carried a major secret of the Ashen Tower, so it was only natural he’d be wary of strangers...
But Leon wasn’t in any rush...
He still had to visit the Prince’s Crypt—there was no way he could take Colin along. Better to let Perry do a little brainwashing first. By the time Leon returned, he could start rebuilding the mercenary corps.
A ninth-rank swordsman who could awaken battle aura at any moment, and a fifth-rank Grand Mage from the Merlin Family—having them lead the fifty fifth-rank Grand Mages sent by the Merlin Family was still a small force, but strong enough. At least, the nearby trade routes around Seaview City shouldn’t pose much trouble.
By the time Soth finished dealing with Ronald’s corpse, the Gilded Rose caravan had already left Venomfog Gorge. Aside from William Merlin, who shared his carriage, no one knew Leon had quietly slipped out halfway, now heading toward the Prince’s Crypt with the help of an Arcane Spring potion.
This time, there were no lurking Corrupt Flowers along the way, nor any venomous dragonflies guarding the cave entrance. Leon made it to the depths with just one bottle of Arcane Spring.
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The vines Matthew Merlin had solidified at the tunnel entrance last time were still there. With a single incantation, the vines gently curled around him and carried him into the Prince’s Crypt.
Leon followed the old path all the way to where the Death Garden had vanished. He remembered clearly—after the Death Garden disappeared, a road appeared there.
Sure enough, after passing through a long corridor and crossing the withered ruins, Leon soon saw a tightly shut stone gate.
More than a thousand years of darkness hadn’t left a single mark on the gate. Running his hand over it, the intricate patterns felt freshly carved. Delicate engravings adorned both sides, and even in this eerie tomb, the gate possessed a stunning beauty.
"So this really is a prince’s tomb from the Third Dynasty..." Leon was speechless. The royal family’s extravagance was legendary in Northend’s history, but he hadn’t expected it to reach such heights. Even a single gate in the crypt was carved from a solid block of Infernal Basalt—worth at least three Soulbound Relics.
Not to mention the patterns on it...
That was a solidified sixth-tier spell rune shield—the strongest defensive magic for a Mage!
You could say, below Mage rank, this Infernal Basalt Gate was absolutely unbreakable!
And this was just a passage leading to the center of the crypt...
"Now this is just excessive..." Leon tried pushing the Infernal Basalt Gate, but it didn’t budge at all.
Leon’s head throbbed. Infernal Basalt was the natural armor of abyssal demons—its defense was legendary. Add the rune shield, and this gate completely blocked his way forward. Unless Leon reached Mage rank, brute force wouldn’t get him through.
This was really an unlucky start...
Leon had come fully prepared this time—he’d brought fifty bottles of Arcane Spring, just to be able to reach the Eye of Reincarnation. But right at the start, he ran into this nearly impenetrable Infernal Basalt Gate. It was a blow straight to the head, leaving Leon completely stunned.
What now...
Should I head back out and scout around? Maybe there’s another way in?
With a tomb this grand, there had to be more than one path to the center. The thought tempted Leon, but then he sighed—burial traditions in the Third Dynasty were extreme, especially for royalty. They spared no expense for their crypts. Even if he found another route, who knew what horrors it might hold—maybe something even worse than the Infernal Basalt Gate...
Forget it, let’s see if there’s a mechanism...
With that decision made, Leon started searching the area slowly.
"Huh!" After searching for nearly ten minutes, Leon’s eyes suddenly lit up.
Honestly, Leon’s luck was pretty good...
After pushing aside a patch of grass, Leon actually found an alchemical array!