Upon hearing Lumian's response, Albus's eyes widened slightly, and his eyebrows twitched.
Elros's mouth hung open as if something was stuck in her throat.
She quickly smiled and scrutinized Lumian's face with a meaningful gaze.
At that moment, Albus returned to normal and gazed at Lumian. He clicked his tongue and said, "You're really ruthless. You even went back and killed the wax statue guy."
"I had no choice. He stopped me from burning the wax statues," Lumian said with a gentle smile.
Albus's eyebrows twitched again.
"Did you really burn them?"
"Of course," Lumian shared his findings sincerely. "The wax statues' surfaces melted and peeled away to reveal human corpses."
Albus wasn't surprised at all. He applauded and smiled mockingly.
"Well done! I must praise your courage."
It's as if he's saying that I'm ignorant and fearless… Lumian didn't believe that Albus was really praising him.
Elros maintained her smile and spoke as though a bystander, "The Sauron family isn't the only one in Red Swan Castle who's gone mad. The butler, guards, valets, and maids have also gone mad. Their deaths after mutilation are terrifying. It's not suitable for their families and the public to know. They can only report their disappearance and compensate them a large sum of money."
Even so, they can still recruit new servants… Is it because the salary is high, or is the matter kept under wraps? Will they only choose foreigners who have just arrived in Trier and don't know anything? Lumian knew that ancient families like Sauron had servants who served them for generations, but their numbers were already limited.
"Shall we continue forward?" Elros inquired.
"Of course." Lumian still wanted to track down the severely injured black spider and extract the Beyonder characteristic it would produce to study the withered, black heart.
Albus Medici answered with his actions and walked deeper into the hall.
Under the yellowish glow of the carbide lamp, the darkness gradually receded, revealing the drops of dark-red blood flowing from the mutated giant spider.
As he advanced, he casually asked Elros, "Who's responsible for sending the extracted hearts into the depths of the underground palace?"
"Just because members of the Sauron family go mad and disappear into the depths of the underground palace doesn't mean that ordinary members of the Sauron family can't enter. In particular, the successor of Red Swan Castle often goes to certain rooms and halls in the underground maze. It begins the first time Poufer becomes king while playing King's Pie."
Influenced by the frenzied and violent spirit? Lumian recalled the invisible entity that had circled above his head after winning the King's Pie game while not daring to descend due to the Blood Emperor's aura.
Soon, the trio reached the end of the hall. Through an open wooden door, they followed a corridor with numerous reliefs of soldiers engraved on both sides and a few storage rooms.
The yellowish light shone further, first outlining the outline of a wooden door, then a figure.
The figure wore a light-colored formal suit and had curly black hair. He had a slightly mean appearance and was clearly a participant in this gathering. He was Ernst Young, the critic assigned to Count Poufer's team.
"Are you lost?" Albus Medici greeted him "enthusiastically."
Ernst Young held a carbide lamp that no longer emitted any light and smiled bitterly.
"We had already split up, and each believed we could find the Count's crown. But before I could search carefully, the carbide lamp suddenly went off. I had no choice but to return in the dark and search for a room with a bell rope."
"How unlucky." Albus sighed exaggeratedly for Ernst Young.
He had already reached the open door and stood beside Ernst Young.
Suddenly, crimson fireballs shot out from his free left hand, landing beside the critic and creating a blazing circle of flames.
"W-what are you doing?" Ernst Young asked in surprise.
Albus replied with a smile, "I'm here to help you illuminate the area. Isn't it very bright now?"
Ernst Young fell silent, crimson flames dancing on his face.
He's not surprised that Albus can create flames and possesses superpowers… Lumian had sensed that there was something amiss with Ernst Young when he saw him, like a troublemaker sent by Poufer Sauron. However, saying that something was amiss was an understatement; he was entirely abnormal.
Flames raged, and the temperature around Ernst Young soared.
Lumian glanced over and noticed a strange softening on the critic's face.
A viscous, wax-like liquid seeped out of Ernst Young's skin.
As Lumian's forehead throbbed, Albus extended his hands, leaned forward, and pushed open the wooden door.
Amidst the creaking sounds, the scene behind the door was tainted with a yellowish glow.
Coffins of varying sizes had been chiseled into the walls. Chains hung from the ceiling, and coffins of various colors dangled from them. The ground was filled with countless coffins, with only narrow gaps for people to pass through.
At that moment, Ernst Young raised his hands, his eyes empty, and tore at his face.
The half-waxed, half-real skin was torn off, revealing bloody flesh and dark-blue—nearly black—blood vessels.
A potent scent of blood and burning wax permeated the air, causing all the coffins in the hall to tremble simultaneously.
Bang! Bang! Bang! The coffin lids of various colors opened one after another, and black giant spiders with compound eyes, lush bristles, and withered hearts inlaid crawled out.
Rustling sounds filled the air as the giant black spiders covered almost every corner of the hall.
Aiming at Lumian and the others, they extended their mouths and quickly condensed a crimson fireball that was nearly white.
Numerous fireballs flew out, as if a volley had been fired from an artillery battery.
Whether it was Lumian, Albus, or Elros, they all lunged to the side of the corridor, avoiding the location facing the hall.
Rumble! Rumble!
The entire corridor was engulfed in flames, ravaged by the shockwaves. The walls on both sides showed signs of collapse.
Lumian's target was an empty storage room to the side, successfully evading the violent bombardment.
Elros was the same. Only Albus used Ernst Young as a cover.
Amidst the incessant explosions, the critic, who had lost most of his face, shattered into pieces. Flesh and blood splattered, and some parts of his body melted like candles.
The rustling sound resounded once more, and the innumerable black spiders seemed to surge out of the hall.
Lumian's scalp tingled as he listened. His first instinct was to quickly "teleport" away.
In the face of such mutated black spiders, he had no problem dealing with one or two. Two was a bit of a stretch, but three meant he had to consider retreating. And now, there were dozens of them!
Son of a sow! There are so many of you. What do you usually eat to survive? Just air? Lumian cursed inwardly as he activated the black mark on his right shoulder to use Spirit World Traversal.
Suddenly, he heard a nearly ethereal female voice.
The voice quickly became clearer. It belonged to Elros Einhorn.
Then, the girl's voice in Hermes reverberated.
"I command you, in the name of the Sauron family bloodline.
"Leave this area!"
The rustling stopped abruptly, and the entire area fell into an indescribable silence.
After a few seconds, the rapid crawling sounds of arthropods echoed again, but they spread in all directions.
Lumian ceased his attempts to use Spirit World Traversal and cast his gaze towards the corridor beyond.
The flames gradually extinguished, and no black spiders appeared.
Lumian left the side storage room in thought and saw that all the coffins in the hall ahead were open, but there was no sign of the giant black spiders.
Elros, dressed in a light-colored dress, stood in the corridor, her right hand clenched tightly, her left palm hanging low. Her aura seemed slightly different from before, as if the commander-in-chief of an army had arrived before her loyal soldiers, naturally displaying an alluring charm that made people submit to her.
Clap! Clap! Clap! Albus Medici stood up from behind the crumbled Ernst Young, clutching a lamp.
He smiled mockingly and said, "Aren't you an Einhorn? Why are you using the Sauron family's name?"
Elros cast a cold glance at the Iron and Blood Cross Order member, causing him to subconsciously shut his mouth.
"I have half of the Sauron bloodline." Elros turned to Lumian and smiled again. "Do you want to continue?"
"Of course!" Albus Medici was the first to respond.
Lumian cracked his neck and smiled. "The game isn't over yet."
Although he had the urge to escape the underground maze, the more he wanted to succumb to his urges, the more he couldn't show it.
His experience and Aurore's teachings had taught him not to let others guess his true thoughts under such circumstances.
The aura around Elros that made people involuntary submissive gradually dissipated, and she returned to her obedient state.
Lumian and Albus entered the hall ahead side by side and saw that the wooden coffins of various colors were empty. The corpses that should have existed looked like they had been eaten by the giant black spiders.
Just as he was about to pass through the mass tomb, Lumian spotted a massive black spider sprawled in a corner. Its side was hideously torn, and dark-red blood continued to flow.
This was the Beyonder creature that had previously fought the three Hunters. Due to its severe injuries, it couldn't leave the tomb according to Elros's "orders." It could only stay where it was and "lick" its wounds.
Upon seeing Lumian and the others, the giant black spider half-raised its body and let out a threatening squeak.
Glancing at the shriveled heart on the black spider's back, Lumian casually smiled and said, "It's mine, and the rest of the spoils of war are yours. How does that sound?"
Albus Medici chuckled. "Is that all you eye? Only you care about such things."
Elros's lips curled into a faint smile. "I have no problem with that, but since it's your spoils of war, you can retrieve it yourself. I won't provide any assistance."
"I like that. You can occasionally say something nice," Albus praised Elros before casting his gaze at Lumian.
The two Hunters, a man and a woman, appeared to be waiting to "appreciate" Lumian's performance.
The colossal black spider had suffered severe injuries but had clearly not lost its ability to fight!
