It was one of the darkest nights on the fourth floor, yet a small glimpse of the moon could be seen in the sky, providing the surrounding with the bare amount of light needed for visibility to some extent.
Azekiel and the others sat near a high stream river which was surrounded from both sides by dense forest, making this place the best spot to get an entry inside the river without risking being seen.
Everyone sat there as if waiting for someone. There was only one person who wasn't there yet.
"It's been an hour. How long is Layim going to take?"
"Who knows. He should've been back by now. He and Jane went to perform the final check on Liam's camp. It's not far enough for them to need an hour."
Two Lords discussed amongst themselves, trying to figure out what could be taking them so long.
They weren't the only ones who were getting tired, waiting for Layim and Jane.
After around half an hour, they finally heard some noise again. There were some movements in the forest which prompted them to look back.
In the distance, they could see two figures arriving. However, the facial expressions of the two weren't telling a good story.
Layim and Jane stopped before Azekiel, who was still looking at the water. "There is a problem."
"What problem?"
"King of Lust has changed his campsite. And it just happened in the last few hours."
"Did he find out about my arrival?" Azekiel inquired, frowning. That was the only thing which could explain the sudden change in the campsite.
Layim shook his head lightly as his brows furrowed. "This is something else."
"What is it then?"
"My sources say that he has changed his campsite because he received an invitation from the Triad Queen. He has entered their domain. Now he's staying with them."
"What about the King of Envy? Would it be better to shift to him?"
"That's also impossible at this point. King Jacob cleared this floor about half an hour ago. He has already departed from this floor."
"I see... So there is only Liam on the floor at the moment."
"Yeah, and even he is close to clearing the floor. I don't know how long, but he should go to the next floor soon as well. I think we should drop the plan of killing the Kings here."
"Is the Domain of Triad so scary?" Azekiel inquired. In the last timeline, he had only heard about Triads, but that was the extent of his exposure to them. Let alone Liam, no King had any interaction with the Triads.
'As expected, timelines have started changing entirely. Even the events taking place are different now.'
"The Domain of Triads... It's a nigh impossible place to get to. To get an entry into their Domain, you'll need an invitation directly from their Queen. Without that invitation, you can't even locate the Domain. That's why it's useless. We can't get to Liam. The plan is a failure."
Azekiel paid heed to Layim's words. If he was so confident about this information, then there was definitely some truth in it. Then again, he was the Lord of Lies. He could easily lie with a straight face.
Just to be sure, he asked Jane the same question. "Is that what you think as well?"
Jane also nodded. "The King of Lust had been trying to get close to the Triad Queen for a long time, ever since he heard the Stories about the beauty of the Triad Queen. It appears that he succeeded. And if he's there, the Queen will never allow us to enter, even if we manage to locate their domain. We should focus on clearing the floor instead."
"How did Layim get in contact with the Triad Queen in the first place?"
The first question was about establishing a contact with the Triads. It was only after that that he could decide how to approach this problem. As for the Trial on the Fourth Floor, he didn't worry about that. He had already seen what the Trial was, and he already knew the way to clear the trial, especially with the help of his new team.
He was sure that the Title of the Floor was going to belong to him. The only thing he was focusing on at the moment was Liam. He was alone on this floor. This was the perfect opportunity to take a King out.
After he was gone, only Alioth and Lucifer were going to remain. And since Lucifer wasn't coming down, the next floor was only going to have Alioth. He was sure on one floor; he could kill all the Kings.
"That, I'm not sure." Layim shrugged. "Who knows what trick he used? He didn't tell anyone. I don't think there is a way to meet the Triads, let alone being allowed in their Domain."
"Well, there is one way that I can remember." Azekiel stood up, remembering an event from his past.
It was the first time he had joined the team of Michael in the old Timeline. It was also the first time he had heard about Triads, but just a random mention. According to the information, the Triads had attacked the Village of Orcs in the vicinity.
Unfortunately, since the Trial didn't concern those two sides, no one even tried to check those places out.
The timelines had changed. And in this timeline, the Triads were in contact with a King, whereas in the last timeline, they were alone. However, there was still a tiny chance that the attack on the Orc Village was going to come. And if that was the case, then there was a way of drawing Triads out.
"Did the Triads attack the Orcs on this floor?" he inquired.
"Triads? I don't recall hearing about their attacks. So far, they've been very peaceful from whatever information I was able to gather."
"That means there's still time." Azekiel stood up. From this point on, he didn't need much help. He already knew where the Orc Village was supposed to be. The rest laid on his shoulders.
Still, he didn't leave the Lords without any work.
"I have a task for all of you."
Everyone listened eagerly to Azekiel, waiting to be informed what they had to do.
"Jane, you are good at theft. I want you to use your skills to steal something for me. Go to the Elf Village and steal the Crown of their Queen."
"The Queen's crown? Why?"
"Just do as I say."
"Layim, I want you to get to the Northern Sphere, where Dark Elves live."
There were two sides amongst the Elves. Natural Elves and Dark Elves. He gave a task regarding each of the sides.
"What do I need to do after I get there?"
"I want you to fool the Dark Elf Queen."
