Chapter 444 - 413: A Small Gift

Chapter 444: Chapter 413: A Small Gift

"That’s enough."

Kael’s voice wasn’t loud, but it made Mia, who was dismantling the base of the Array, freeze.

Her little hand, which had been about to pry away a few nearby Mithril conduits as well, stopped in mid-air.

"It’s just a few pipes..." Mia grumbled, her tail lashing behind her resentfully. But under Kael’s cold gaze, she meekly pulled her hand back.

They were hundreds of meters underground.

Greed could get you killed.

"The escape route?" Kael turned to Thomas.

The Priest was giving water to a weak worker. Hearing the question, he stood and traced a winding, hidden passage on the map.

"We’ll take the abandoned drainage channel. It’s a bit dirty, but it leads directly to the underground river behind the mountain. I’ve already sent two reliable workers to scout ahead."

Kael nodded.

He walked to the empty pedestal of the Array.

The sphere of light that had once floated there had been packed up and taken by Mia, leaving only a bare stone platform.

But that wasn’t enough.

For someone like Hector, as long as the workshop’s framework remained, as long as the precision alchemy equipment was still there, he could rebuild it all—even without its core—given a few years and vast sums of Gold Coins.

It had to be destroyed completely.

"Mia."

"Yes!"

"I need you to do something for me..."

Mia leaned in as Kael whispered to her. Her eyes widened, and her expression shifted to one of theatrical shock. ’I never would have guessed that a straight-arrow like you had this in him!’ she thought, before licking her lips in excitement.

"I want this place to become a tomb."

After he finished, Kael patted Mia’s shoulder.

"Roger that! I guarantee I’ll give that Marquis a surprise so good he’ll piss his pants!"

Not long after, Kael and the others began their evacuation.

Over a hundred workers, calmed and organized by Thomas, filed in a long line into the dark, damp drainage channel.

There were no cheers.

No one wept.

The long period of torment had all but deadened their ability to feel. The only thing compelling them to move their legs was the silhouette of the man in black at the front, carrying an unconscious girl on his back.

That was the hope of survival.

As the last worker entered the tunnel, Mia finished her final task.

"Done."

Mia dusted off her hands and took one last look at the underground palace, so filled with sin and blood.

"So long, you unlucky bastards. Hope you like the little present I left behind."

She turned and plunged into the darkness.

...

「The next morning.」

The fog had not yet dissipated.

A transport convoy flying the Este Clan’s banner rumbled onto the main road of the mining district.

The wheels crunched over the gravel.

A One-Eyed Knight was in charge of the escort. He rode a tall steed, impatiently tapping his boots with a riding crop.

"What’s going on? Where’s the sentry post?"

Normally, the perimeter patrol would have already come out to inspect them by now.

But today, the entire mountain was as silent as a dead behemoth.

There was only the sound of the wind whistling through the mine shafts.

"Go take a look," the One-Eyed Knight ordered with a wave.

Two Scouts dismounted, drew their Longswords, and cautiously approached the main gate.

The iron gate was ajar.

Inside, it was pitch-black, its depths impossible to discern.

"Anyone there?! The transport team is here with a delivery!"

One of the Scouts shouted.

The echo reverberated through the empty tunnel, again and again, but no one responded.

A strange chill crept up the One-Eyed Knight’s spine.

’Something’s wrong. It’s too quiet.’ It was as if... everyone inside had vanished overnight.

"Captain, should we go in?" a subordinate asked, swallowing hard. His warhorse pawed restlessly at the ground.

The One-Eyed Knight hesitated for a moment.

The cargo here was priceless Magic Materials. If anything went wrong, Marquis Hector would have him flayed alive.

"Send the signal," the One-Eyed Knight said, gritting his teeth. "Notify His Lordship. The rest of you, with me. Let’s check it out."

The group, torches held high, walked into that giant, light-swallowing maw.

They never came out again.

「Three hours later.」

A massive, armored wyvern, escorted by a squadron of Griffin Knights, landed in an open space outside the mining district.

The wyvern folded its leathery wings, kicking up a fierce gust of wind.

Hector stepped down.

He was dressed in an exquisite black velvet suit, a fresh red rose pinned to his chest. In his hand, he held his signature serpent-headed cane.

Even out here in the wilderness, he maintained a poised elegance, though for whose benefit, it was impossible to say.

At this moment, however, his handsome, pale face was terrifyingly grim.

"Still no news?"

His voice was soft, yet it made the attendants kneeling before him tremble in fear.

"My... My Lord," one of them stammered, not daring to lift his head. "The second search and rescue team we sent in... they’ve lost contact, too."

"Useless fools."

Hector gently twisted the Ruby on his cane.

This underground workshop was a secret facility he had spent two full years of painstaking effort and nearly half of his clan’s liquid assets to build.

More importantly...

It held the trump card that would allow him to secure his position in this turbulent era.

If something happened to that place...

Hector took a deep breath, suppressing the violent rage surging within him.

"Send in the Black Steel Squad."

The attendant snapped his head up, his eyes filled with terror.

The Black Steel Squad.

It was the sharpest blade in Hector’s arsenal.

It was led by a Level 5 Great Knight, supported by four Level 4 Peak professionals. The entire squad was equipped with anti-magic gear for countering Mages, as well as expensive High Tier Alchemy Potions.