Chapter 37: A Step Forward

As I got closer, a more intense smell of blood hit me. The ceiling on the first floor of this house had been sliced off, and Miss Vilyric and her companion simply jumped in through the wall.

Then, a terrifying scene unfolded before Vilyric’s eyes.

There must have been a fierce battle here.

Hmm… it seems more fitting to call it a brutal massacre.

But there was something strange, almost eerie about it.

The hall wasn’t a complete mess; the wooden tables and chairs were arranged quite neatly, making it look like a place meant for dining.

Yet over fifty human corpses lay scattered about, and their deaths all shared the same gruesome fate.

Heads severed by sharp blades, a single blow to end their lives.

And the type of wounds clearly suggested that whoever killed them had the ability to slice through the entire building like cutting tofu; even if it wasn’t the same person, there had to be some deep connection.

Heads rolled everywhere among the bodies, but the home furnishings were so orderly that there were no signs of a struggle, as if… as if all of them had been doing different things at the same moment when their heads just fell off simultaneously.

These dead…

They were all dressed in a thief-like style, with ghostly markings on their cuffs, clearly belonging to the same faction, yet Vilyric didn’t see any enemy corpses here.

Calling it a massacre would not be an exaggeration.

It was clear that no one was alive.

With heads decapitated, aside from the God-Made Beasts, even the Undead of the Throne of Immortality would drop dead instantly, let alone these ordinary humans.

From the marks on the bodies, this place… should definitely be a hidden base of the Ghost Thieves, and the fallen were all poachers from that organization. The severity of the attack implied a deep-seated hatred; thinking it over, the most likely suspects were the Demon allies of that little butterfly claiming to be Tiyelu.

Were they taking revenge on the Ghost Thieves and searching for the kidnapped Moonshadow Clan offspring…?

Vilyric stood among the scattered corpses in the hall where half the ceiling had been torn off, glancing around.

It hadn’t been that long since the earlier booming sound erupted; even if this fight had happened earlier, the cut that sliced through the building was just a final touch, and the initiator shouldn’t have gone far.

However, as Vilyric had been observant on her way here, she hadn’t spotted anything worth noting, and the Priestess didn’t think that merely avenging the Ghost Thieves would require the entire building to be sliced in half.

Moreover, there was one important detail—the Ghost Thieves had clearly hidden away yet still stationed so many people in this building. Could it be… something wasn’t right here?

“Xiao Guang, is there anything unusual?”

Wrinkling her nose, the Giant Dragon didn’t hesitate to raise her hand, pointing to a certain spot behind the bar.

“Master, there are many mixed scents here, overwhelmed even by the rich smell of blood. Many creatures must have lingered here not long ago.”

Seemingly worried her explanation wasn’t clear enough, the Little Dragon Daughter added, “Not like humans.”

“Okay, Xiao Guang is as reliable as always ~”

Following her pet’s keen sense of smell, the Priestess moved to the indicated spot, carefully rummaging beneath the somewhat worn-down bar.

If it had been her first time, Vilyric would indeed have needed some effort to find a clue, but having had prior experience watching Aileen operate the hidden lever in her own room, the Black-haired Girl quickly discovered a similar metal pull ring.

This thing was tightly pressed against the ground, almost blending into it, and with the bar being so dimly lit, it was certainly hard to notice. She couldn’t figure out how that group had found it before.

Pulling the lever upward, sure enough, there lay a deeper, darker underground passage.

Nodding at the Little Dragon Daughter beside her, Vilyric took the lead and descended first.

Xiao Guang didn’t follow her owner into the passage, as they had encountered similar situations in games before; in cases like this, it was best to leave someone behind to keep watch at the entrance. If anything unexpected happened, they could still have a way out.

The two girls were in sync, and with their contract communication, there was naturally no need for detailing.

Vilyric walked through the same narrow, gloomy tunnel, which was clearly much better made compared to the one under Aileen’s house. The stone walls on either side were smooth, and the ground had no more potholes; lighting night stones were fixed at intervals, providing just enough light to see.

This passage wasn’t very long either. Although Vilyric was on alert for any potential enemies, she regrettably found no living creatures until she reached the end—a more profound stone chamber.

But then, she understood.

The only thing in the center of her sight in the stone chamber was a space teleportation array.

It’s known that the magic level in the United Kingdom, particularly in space magic development, was quite inferior compared to that of the Winged People. A stable small teleportation array capable of transporting living beings could never have been built by a simple poacher gang.

It could either be the work of some high-level individual, or perhaps a greater power was aiding them. But in either case, combined with those Ghost Thieves guarding outside…

It looked like this place connected to somewhere that, even if it wasn’t the Ghost Thieves’ headquarters, was certainly a particularly important area.

Summoning Xiao Guang, who had stayed behind to guard the entrance, Vilyric hesitated.

Should she seize this opportunity to continue the chase?

On the bangs side, she had already made contact with the Ghost Thieves through Aileen. If she entered this unknown teleportation array now, she couldn’t guarantee what would happen, but she might miss out on the original plan.

Yet, on the flip side, if it went smoothly, perhaps this sudden opportunity could lead her directly to the Ghost Thieves’ lair, or even to that special cub allegedly associated with the Demon.

This was a gamble.

Should she stick to the steady plan and advance step by step… or take a risk?

“Master, I’m here, this is…?”

A familiar voice came from the Little Dragon Daughter next to her, and the Priestess had already made her decision.

Considering the complexity of this magic array, the teleportation distance shouldn’t be too far. She had previously left a reminder item for Aileen, who had also stated that the contact person required some time to meet up. With Vilyric and the Little Dragon Daughter’s speed, they could totally catch up if they wanted.

And more importantly…

Hey, it’s only these unknown things that are truly interesting ~ how could she let it pass?

“Xiao Guang, we’re going in, are you ready?”

   

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