Chapter 264: Deep Exploration
Zhou Ning carefully walked over and found that the body on the ground had been dead for several days. Long ears, rather pretty features, but with well-developed muscles and long fangs—it was indeed a half-elf. Judging by appearances, it should be a hybrid of a walrus-folk and an elf, two races both known for their formidable physiques. The cause of death seemed to be stepping on an electrical magic trap in the floor.
The Church of the Goddess of Life—especially its Wanderers—should have been skilled at dismantling magical traps. But as the saying goes, "The master leads you through the door; it's up to you to learn the craft." This half-elf clearly hadn't learned well.
If Zhou Ning counted himself as the "Pirate King," then in terms of generational rank, this half-elf was technically his junior. Sending off the younger generation… it made Zhou Ning sigh at life's impermanence.
From his deduction, this half-elf must have entered the mysterious palace using some sort of tool similar to Damian's ordinary-looking mirror. Of course, having elven blood might also have played a part. Zhou Ning hadn't forgotten—he too carried a trace of elven lineage.
He reached down and removed the identification tag and traveling satchel from the half-elf's clothing. The tag bore the name Audis Greenleaf. Though he was curious what item she had used to enter this place, Zhou Ning had his principles: he would return her belongings through the Adventurers' Guild, so her family could reclaim them.
Besides, knowing how the Light Brain loved to spin these things into serialized shows, there was no guarantee this exploration wasn't being recorded. He had to maintain his idol image at all times—even his hairstyle couldn't be messed up, not even in a fight.
After putting away the tag and pack, the commission was technically complete. But looking at the mysterious palace before him—an area never explored in his previous life—his curiosity wouldn't allow him to simply walk away.
"This is classic ancient elven architecture. I've read about it in the texts of the Ascetic Church. Supposedly, elves of that era pursued a style called Baroque. Baroque is a borrowed word, meaning 'irregular pearl.'"
Molly, once High Prelate of the Ascetic Church and a formidable historian, knew quite a bit about elves. "Elven architecture's biggest features are massive use of gold, flashy decorations, and a worship of extravagance—as if they'd never seen gold in eight lifetimes. On top of that, they suffered from a classic persecution complex, so their buildings are filled with magical traps. Don't underestimate them. Some are deadly, others are control-type—there are traps that can turn you into a defenseless sheep for hours. If that happens, there's nothing I can do to help."
Baroque style, huh. Zhou Ning gave a weary chuckle. Maybe it was another transmigrator's handiwork. He nodded, lifted his lantern, and advanced carefully, step by step. It was obvious there would be no shortage of traps ahead.
On both sides were well-preserved reliefs and murals depicting the ancient elven king Alfred on his campaigns. At his peak, Alfred commanded countless mages, creating a dazzling elven civilization, yet he was also brutally warlike.
One mural in particular showed him ordering thousands of humans hanged, their corpses dangling like a dense forest. The scene was so lifelike that Zhou Ning felt a chill down his spine.
As he stepped over what looked like ordinary slabs, he suddenly felt a faint tremor beneath his feet. Subtle, but with his powerful Observation Haki, he detected it immediately.
A trap!
He instantly leapt back. With a thunderous boom, lightning erupted from where he had just stood, serpents of electricity crackling through the air and devastating the ground.
The aftershocks inevitably struck him as well.
–227, –287, –295. Startling numbers floated above his head, his HP dropping by half in an instant.
Zhou Ning was shocked. This lightning trap was ridiculously overpowered—just brushing against it nearly took him out. And the delay between trigger and detonation was less than half a second, barely enough time to react. Now he understood why the half-elf Audis Greenleaf had perished here.
Chastened by the lesson, Zhou Ning didn't dare take chances. After casting a quick heal to restore his HP, he slipped his hand into his coat pocket, felt around, and pulled out a card—Beast Warrior Garusas. ATK 1800, DEF 1500. A vanilla unit.
That would do. Channeling some mental energy, a figure slowly took shape before him.
Garusas looked more like a lizardman, wearing blue shoulder armor and wielding a huge axe. His appearance was unimpressive, but he had one redeeming feature: a hefty HP pool of 6400, making him a passable tank.
Under Zhou Ning's control, Garusas marched forward without hesitation. Zhou Ning simply followed behind.
Barely ten seconds later, Zhou Ning sensed a strong elemental fluctuation in the ground ahead. Sure enough, Garusas triggered two traps in quick succession. The first, a Hellfire trap, erupted with dark red flames from the floor, dealing catastrophic damage—his 6400 HP was nearly wiped out instantly. The second was even more unnerving: Garusas twisted grotesquely and, in the blink of an eye, transformed into a sheep. A scruffy, bleating sheep.
Moments later, a surge of arcane energy from the trap obliterated him into chunks of meat.
"No!! Garusas—"
Zhou Ning sucked in a sharp breath. After resting to recover his mental energy, he decisively tried another draw. This time he pulled Magician Knight Guiltya, a human clad in a blue robe and wielding a staff, seemingly well-versed in battle.
As he ventured deeper into the palace, a grand hall came into view.
The furnishings were opulent to the extreme—even the candelabras and ornaments were pure gold. The floor was made of moonstone, a rare material in the arcane arts. Molly's voice came, faintly numbed with awe: "See that load-bearing pillar? It's solid mithril. At today's prices, that one pillar alone is worth at least two hundred million Vecktas."
Zhou Ning: …
What the—two hundred million Vecktas?
He resisted, with great difficulty, the urge to rip the pillar out and stash it in his inventory. In ruins, pulling out support columns was asking to be buried alive. He pressed on deeper into the hall.
At the far end were three doors, each leading into a shadowy passageway. On either side stood elven warrior statues. Zhou Ning hesitated, then prepared to send Magician Knight Guiltya down the middle passage—when suddenly, a heavy, rumbling noise echoed closer and closer. He quickly ordered Guiltya to dodge aside.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ground shook violently. Then, from the left passage, a massive figure emerged—nearly six meters tall.
Its entire body gleamed silver-white, as if forged from mithril. Intricate patterns and sigils covered its form, gears whirring within.
It was a colossal mithril golem.