Carman Vanida and the others encountered the true guardian of the Treasure Chamber—a gigantic octopus.
This place also required solving a puzzle. Once the riddle was answered, the octopus would send people into the Treasure Chamber.
But Carman Vanida had no intention of solving anything. He ordered Butler Morch to go up and dismantle the octopus.
And so, the octopus gave Butler Morch a firsthand lesson in what it meant to face a war machine built to combat gigantic Honkai Beasts.
Boom!
Butler Morch was slammed heavily into the ground.
In his wildest dreams, he had never imagined that an entertainment robot in a children's amusement park could be this powerful.
This was a children's entertainment robot?
It was clearly a war slaughter machine!
Even the most advanced war machines in the world probably couldn't match this so-called children's robot in combat ability.
But Butler Morch was, after all, a congenital ancient martial artist at the Qi Sea Realm. The moment he hit the ground, he bounced back up like a rubber ball.
"Ha!"
Butler Morch unleashed his techniques in full, clashing head-on with the octopus' writhing tentacles.
Clatter! Crash!
The brightly burning everlasting candles in the Treasure Chamber were blown out.
Inside the dim dungeon, violent winds howled.
Meanwhile, the soul of the pirate captain at the side was still trying to mediate: "Children, you mustn't quarrel on the ship. If there's a conflict, settle it on land after docking."
The octopus held Butler Morch in place, buying Pardofelis ample time and opportunity to strike from the shadows.
From the back of the group came an irritated voice: "Ow—who's grabbing at me?"
Carman Vanida was already in a foul mood. Hearing someone complain within the group, he immediately snapped at him as a punching bag: "So what if someone grabbed you? What are you yelling for?"
The group instantly fell silent.
Little did they know—their nightmare had already arrived.
In the darkness, a pair of glowing green cat pupils quietly opened behind them. Soon, the Flame-Chaser bearing the Signet of Reverie would show Carman Vanida and his people exactly what it meant to be the true power behind Dusk Street.
Upon hearing there was a big deal to be made, Pardofelis moved with astonishing efficiency.
Years of habitual thievery had taught her how to move through shadows without being detected by anyone.
Not even someone at Butler Morch's level could sense her.
What do you call a master thief? Heh—Pardo is proud.
Very soon, she sensed the commotion within the Treasure Chamber and spotted what Vill-V had described—wealthy, extravagant, generous, suffering-relieving, selfless benefactors...
...charitable patrons.
Looking at the diamond brooches on their collars, their branded gold watches, and the jewelry glittering all over their bodies.
Even Pardofelis couldn't help but lick her pink lips excitedly. The light in her eyes was practically enough to illuminate the pitch-black corridor.
Were these people even human?
They were clearly walking luxury treasure chests, inviting her to open them up.
Pardofelis had seen plenty of wealthy individuals in Dusk Street before, but this was the first time she had seen ones radiating pure golden brilliance from head to toe.
Most importantly, they were clearly outsiders. Unlike the rich in Dusk Street, who knew to guard against a third hand and always traveled surrounded by noisy metal boxes that barked wherever they went, making it impossible for her to approach.
But these plump sheep wrapped in treasure were strolling openly through the area like this. If that wasn't charity, what was?
"Oh my, you're far too generous. If I don't take this job, even good fortune would start blaming me."
"Thank you for nature's bounty. Hehe—this is a huge score."
And so, Pardofelis stealthily crept closer.
What bad intentions could a little kitty possibly have? She only wanted to strip every last shiny treasure off their bodies.
...
Riiip—
"Ow—who's grabbing at me?"
"Mmgh—mmgh—"
"There's a thief!"
Thud!
"Ah! My underwear's gone!"
...
Faced with a stealth technique so refined that even Sakura would have praised it, and operating on Vill-V's home turf, Pardofelis proved with sheer ability what it meant to have Presence Concealment at MAX in the right environment.
After all, Pardofelis had once completed high-difficulty infiltration missions for MOTH all by herself.
The only thing Butler Morch and the others managed to glimpse was a fleeting pirate straw hat printed with a smiling Homu.
"Captain Pirate—are you setting us up to rob our belongings?"
Everyone assumed it was the ghost of Captain Homu of the pirate ship. After all, they had clearly seen an unclean little hand stretch out from Captain Homu's belly and snatch away the crystal statue from Carman Vanida's grasp.
The ghost of Captain Homu, who didn't even have hands: ???
Captain Homu's ghost felt deeply wronged, but as a soulless NPC, this was a pot it absolutely refused to carry.
...
Vill-V and the others hadn't waited long at the pavilion before Pardofelis emerged from the maze's hidden passage, dragging a bulging burlap sack stuffed to the brim with everything she had stripped from Carman Vanida and his group.
From watches to jewelry, from shoes to hats—anything that could be taken had been thoroughly taken. There were even some rather peculiar items, such as red undergarments...
The reason Pardofelis even took the underwear was simple—the fabric looked extremely valuable, woven with gold thread.
Of course, that wasn't the only reason. Pardofelis' treasure-detecting instincts were powerful. Carman Vanida's underwear had been handcrafted using Shenzhou's kesi weaving technique, worth a fortune. In fact, none of the accessories he wore were as expensive as his undergarments.
They weren't worn for comfort, but as part of an ancient royal tradition. That royal family had historically idolized the imperial courts of Shenzhou, hence this peculiar custom.
"Why would anyone wear a red bellyband?!"
Even Lele, the amusement park director, stared in stunned disbelief.
Before Lele could question further, it was Pardofelis—who had spent years running jobs and picking pockets—who asked somewhat guiltily:
"If I strip them of even their clothes, nothing bad will happen, right?"
[See? This is what you call a thief's conscience. Hands on hips.]
[That's why I said Vill-V never raises flags recklessly. We didn't even need three Flame-Chasers to act. Just the weakest one alone was enough to make those arrogant rich people suffer miserably.]
[Terrifying kitty. Truly terrifying.]
Hearing the pure and kind Pardofelis' concern, Zofia waved her hand nonchalantly. "It's fine, it's fine. Those guests said they wanted to display 'backbone.' Without clothes, they'll have even more backbone."
"So that's how it is. They really do have backbone. People like that are rare even in Dusk Street."
Pardofelis gave a thumbs-up and nodded repeatedly. Her eyes curved into a perfect crescent as her fingers lovingly stroked the spoils of the haul. "Big harvest, big harvest. Hehehe~"
Judging from the outcome, the day Pardofelis had drawn while half-asleep truly was a lucky day.
Only the lucky one was herself.
As expected of Pardofelis. If others wanted to freeload off her luck, they'd still have to see whether she was willing.
Watching her cheerful expression, Vill-V chuckled and patted Pardofelis on the head. "Alright, let's continue helping Bronya search for treasure. We shouldn't keep her waiting too long."
"Got it, Sister Vill-V!" Pardofelis hoisted the sack—twice her own size—onto her shoulder and squeezed into the alley.
Huck watched the scene with trembling hands. It seemed that rather than worrying about the girls of the Mad Hatter Party, one should worry more about the people they set their sights on.
Luckily, he was their friend and not their enemy. Otherwise, he would've been stripped down until not even his underwear remained.
"Now we've completely offended Carman Vanida and the Islaria royal family behind him. Is that really okay?"
Lele was still uneasy.
"Relax completely. I'd say once they get out of this maze, they'll be heading straight to a mental hospital."
"There's no fourth level in the Homu Pirate King Maze—but if the octopus gets dismantled, then there will be."
Lele's heart skipped a beat when she heard that. "A fourth level? If I remember correctly, beneath the Homu Pirate King Maze is the ruins of the amusement park's haunted house..."
"That haunted house that could never be fully demolished!"
...
Boom!
The massive octopus was brought down by Butler Morch.
The poor mechanical octopus—having only enjoyed a year of retirement—met an untimely end.
Butler Morch rubbed his sore, swollen elbow and returned to Carman Vanida and the others.
Then his expression turned strange.
Carman Vanida's clothing had become completely mismatched. Various oversized garments hung awkwardly on his body, making him look utterly ridiculous.
"You all... what happened to you?"
Before they could even speak, a harsh burst of electromagnetic interference screeched through the air.
"Friendly reminder: Homu Park does not have a haunted house. If you accidentally enter one, please contact Homu Park security immediately..."
"Friendly reminder: Homu Park does not have a haunted house. If you accidentally enter one, please contact Homu Park security immediately..."
The ghost of Captain Homu seemed to have turned into a broken recorder, endlessly repeating the same line from before.
.
As darkness swallowed the surroundings, the ghost of Captain Homu vanished.
...
One month later, a patrol team in Shenzhou discovered Prince Carman Vanida in a forest.
He was dazed, incoherent, and showed clear signs of extreme fear whenever exposed to light.
According to the investigation, during that period, Carman Vanida had used his identification credentials to withdraw five hundred million credit points from his Ruijin Bank VIP black card. He had also mortgaged royal assets to secure a loan of five billion credit points.
All of that money had completely vanished.
The missing Butler Morch was identified by authorities as the prime suspect.
To prevent any royal secrets from leaking, the Islaria royal family issued a high-value bounty for the capture of the ancient martial artist.
As for what happened in Homu Park, it never entered the police's line of sight. All evidence indicated that Prince Carman Vanida had merely gone there for leisure and had returned home in perfectly healthy condition.
At least, that was how it appeared on the recordings—there were no signs of tampering.
However, no one noticed that in all the footage involving the prince and his guards, there was a faint layer of visual static.
If magnified closely, it almost looked like countless horrifying smiling faces clinging to the prince and his guards.
—
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