Chapter 426: The Metal Wall

“Speaking of which, what are your thoughts?” Silvia asked curiously, looking at the Elf Grand Mage who had recombined, though not completely. “Are you not planning to return to Avando?”

“It’s hard to say,” the two Jilannises said in unison. “Perhaps we’ll go, perhaps not. It depends on future developments.”

“In any case, it can’t get much worse. At worst, we’ll just become a Witch Demon,” Sword-Singing Lion Armor said casually. This Transformation, one that countless Casters who’ve hit a dead end would exhaust themselves to achieve, was merely a backup plan to their backup plan. “If the next few centuries go well, but not perfectly, I wouldn’t mind recombining fully and having a good time in the Wilderness of Freedom for a while.”

“What do you mean by ‘go well, but not perfectly’?” Aive asked, but she received no response. Instead, Jilannis sized up the Half-Elf with a somewhat pitying gaze.

“Rather than asking about our fate, you’d be better off considering your own,” the Moon Elf said, her eyes filled with a probing and slightly uncertain look. “The existence of Half-Elves is like a loophole in the order of reincarnation, and the Gods have never explained it. So, who are you, really?”

“An Elf soul with a weakened connection to the Gods? A true Elf trapped in a Half-Elf’s body? Or a human wearing skin that just happens to resemble an Elf’s?”

“Me?” Aive raised an eyebrow and laughed heartily. “I think I’m just Aive. My parents’ rebellious daughter, an Adventurer who runs wild everywhere, and… everyone’s companion.”

The Half-Elf Warrior glanced pointedly at Ron.

“My body and spirit constitute who I am together. Neither part alone can fully define my identity!”

“Interesting,” the Moon Elf nodded. “No wonder young Elves see the Half-Elf form as a novel experience rather than a threat—seeing the world from another perspective is indeed quite fascinating.”

“Thank you for your optimism, Miss Aive. You won’t have to think too much about this anymore—I will find the answer for you. It should be soon, before you grow old.”

“I always find you people who treat centuries of life like it’s nothing so annoying—not you, of course, Anna,” Aive said, rolling her eyes. “Alright, alright, if you really do find the answer, just don’t tell me. I can’t be bothered to listen.”

With their biggest problem solved, the group’s mood lightened. They chattered noisily as they followed Sword-Singing Lion Armor’s guidance deeper into the underground caverns. Of course, they didn’t forget to bring Count Richthofen along. The Vampire knew his place and didn’t interrupt. As one of the Undead Creatures, he had already lost his right to speak on such matters. After his death, all that likely awaited him was endless, empty loneliness.

This was his end.

Perhaps the power Sword-Singing Lion Armor wielded when it previously had a physical form was still in effect. As Ron and the others passed through the increasingly dense Red Mould Forest, all the fungi acted like sensitive plants, immediately curling into a ball at the slightest touch, daring not to make a move. In the darkness, some Spore People and Thorny Beasts observed them from afar, fleeing the moment they realized they’d been spotted.

“These are all my teacher’s creations. In his view, if one wanted to become one of the ‘legitimate’ Lords of the Delusional Land, one needed a host of obedient subjects,” Sword-Singing Lion Armor explained. “But unfortunately, his thinking was likely wrong. Neither he nor I could pass that test.”

“The only one here who’s actually had the relevant experience is this dead man.”

“Heh, heheh,” the Vampire Count chuckled awkwardly, realizing the conversation had turned to him. “Actually, it’s not that strange. After all, I used to be a real Count.”

‘I had a title, a castle, and a fiefdom. I was even a living person back then, so of course I could pass that test.’ It was just that now, it seemed it hadn’t been a good thing at all.

Ron and the others soon found the special checkpoint. Ron looked up and down at the metal wall before them. It hadn’t been touched in a long time and was covered with the most primitive form of Red Mould. The wall was six meters high and three meters wide. Its thickness was impossible to know, but from a purely sensory perspective, it didn’t seem too thin.

“Lord Count, you’ve been inside? What’s back there?” Ron asked.

“The source of power,” the Vampire Count said. Revisiting this place, his smile vanished, and his tone became solemn and serious. “It is the spark left behind by the generation of power in the Delusional Land that came before me. They once had a brilliant civilization, but in the face of an insurmountable power, they were ultimately unable to escape destruction.”

“At the time, I thought I could avoid repeating their mistakes. After all, the thing they encountered hadn’t appeared in our plane for many centuries.”

“Unfortunately, it wasn’t that thing, but something else. The entire affair even seemed like a trap,” the Vampire, now a Prisoner, said with a bitter smile. “But honestly, I don’t believe it. Even now, I still don’t.”

“That power was once so close to me. How could it be a trap?”

“Perhaps it’s precisely because the power was so close that it was more like a trap,” Delaford grinned. “Before falling into the pit, every piece of prey thinks it’s about to get a meal—some have even started chewing.”

“Like me, for example,” the Vampire Count said, his pale face growing even paler. “If I may be so bold, what do you plan to do with me?”

“Stake me through the heart? Let the sun burn me to ash? Or…”

“That depends on your performance,” Ron said, taking two steps back. Delaford stepped forward and began to slowly slice away the Red Mould on the metal wall’s surface with a dagger bearing a Strong Acid Enchantment. “Your best-case scenario is slightly worse than being set free.”

“Being a Prisoner is better than being truly dead,” the Vampire smiled. “Even if you plan to seal me away, I’ll still see the moon again one day, years from now.”

Sera snorted and gave him a push. “You’ve got quite the positive attitude. Go on, how do we open this wall?”

“Just as the Grand Mage said, only the current ruler can open this door,” the Vampire said, stumbling but managing to steady himself. “I’m useless now. Only you, Your Excellency Ron, can open it.”

“Just place your hand on it. This thing is quite sensitive. The power of the faction before me was astonishing; their creations haven’t suffered the slightest damage to this day.”

Ron didn’t fully trust the Vampire’s words. He cautiously brought his hand toward the metal wall, ready to snatch it back and leap away at a moment’s notice. But to his surprise, before his hand even made full contact with the wall, the entire metal surface had already responded.

A faint red light slowly illuminated hidden patterns on its surface, followed closely by a pale green. When the entire wall was enveloped in the pale green light, accompanied by the GRINDING sound of a mechanism, it slid gently to one side, revealing the space behind it.

The door was open.