Oblivion's Heir: Rise of the Sovereign - Chapter 42: Beneath the Veil

Chapter 42: Beneath the Veil

The trio advanced towards the base of the third faction.

And seizing the chance, Ren asked about the third faction from the bow user, and the man spilled the beans just like before.

’A group of thugs and smugglers…’ Well, it wasn’t surprising to think that these kinds of people would survive the apocalypse as they used to gamble everything constantly in their daily life, each for different reasons of course.

There are all sorts of people, so not everyone of them would be bad.

Even with the man’s compliance, Ren could only obtain the surface-level news.

And when he tried to ask further, the individual started to give roundabout answers.

This caught Ren off guard, as the man who kept blurting out whatever he was asked was now reluctant to speak about the third faction, not even the location of their base, even though they were taking him there right now.

’This is going nowhere,’ Pondering, Ren decided to ask about the system mechanics instead.

“Where did you get the potions from?” The man who was now carrying his unconscious ally on his back stopped, and a frown appeared on his face.

Nonetheless, he gave a response.

“We received them from our boss.”

Ren’s lips twitched, and he considered reminding him who was in whose mercy, but it would only waste more time.

’And they destroyed my plan of getting some minions to scout, though the main purpose for which I needed them is already completed, so not that big of a loss.’

It wouldn’t be too late to get some minions later.

Moments after the thought surfaced, a vermyrex entered the trio, or the duo’s view.

Ren focused his gaze and just as he was about to strike, the man interrupted.

“Don’t bother, they are already dead.”

’What?’ Ren gave him a confused look, before his eyes finally settled on the blade that extended from the abomination’s back, and how they lay dead while standing.

’Hmm, a sword user… or probably a similar weapon.’ Nearing the dead creature, Ren bent down and pulled the blade out of its body.

The man glanced at Ren and waited for him to retrieve the sword without suspecting a thing.

“Did your guys do this?” As Ren tried to distract the man with a conversation, the dead vermyrex’s body twitched.

A sharp pain hit Ren’s head as he once again felt his vision clear, even so, he didn’t put much thought into it knowing it happened frequently right after he converted something into an Oblivion entity.

’And of course, my spirit power increased too.’ Contemplating, Ren gave a quick glance at one of his particular stats.

—

[Spirit Power:124~>147]

—

The trio kept moving forward, and not long after, arrived in front of a not-so-special building.

“This is your base?” Ren questioned, slightly perplexed by their decision.

It looked like just any other administrative building around them.

Yes, the group of three had entered a different location which housed hundreds of buildings similar to the one before Ren.

A flat stone roof covered the building from above, a faded emblem was carved on the doorway and moss crept along the door’s edge.

“Let’s go.” Once again, without giving him any reply, the man moved towards the house.

Shrugging, Ren followed.

But the moment the door creaked open, a vile stench hit Ren’s nose, the smell amplified by his senses made it almost unbearable to withstand.

Pinching his nose, Ren entered the building cautiously only for the smell to worsen.

The whole floor was devoid of life, save for the dim lighting of the lamps and the clear footsteps around the dust that had settled on the floor, signifying that someone visited the place frequently.

’There’s no drainage in this place or what?’ Ren followed behind the man with a tight grip on the sword in his hand, alert in case the person tried to act.

Ren was already suspecting that he had been baited to the wrong spot, though he followed nonetheless because he was sure of his chances of survival.

The dead vermyrex from before had already stirred back to life. It scaled the administrative building Ren was in and looked around from the top while keeping its stature low to avoid being spotted.

Ren’s pupils had a shade of red as he shared the entity’s vision while the man finally dropped his friend, and crouched near a small iron ring that could only fit a finger at once.

With a grunt, he heaved upward.

The ring was displaced from its original position — and the sound of rotating bearings entered Ren’s ears.

’A hidden base! Of course, that had to be it.’

Masking his surprise, he followed the man inside by descending a narrow stone staircase.

The dim lamps allowed Ren to see the smooth carved walls as his footsteps echoed through the narrow path. The figure ahead shifted something on the right wall, and the reinforced-looking hatch from where the trio had entered closed down.

’It looks like wood from above but is actually made of reinforced steel.’ The whole place seemed like it wanted to convey that truth was always hidden beneath a veil of lies.

The path twisted in multiple directions, yet the man didn’t get confused even once.

’Don’t tell me no one had been lost in this catacomb-like place.’

A couple of minutes passed before Ren finally saw light ahead of him.

Evan’s warning surfaced in his mind, and with an anxiously beating heart, Ren followed the man. These people were low-lives, and how they would have acted without restraint after the descent of the apocalypse wasn’t something Ren could even imagine.

Then what kind of a man would the person be who successfully united all these people under one banner?

Each step forward felt like stepping into a lion’s den.

Ren forced himself to stay composed, oblivious to the fact that this meeting was going to shape the future of Highcrest in ways no one could imagine.