Chapter 539: The Underground Meeting
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The Queen had already walked in, so the mages naturally could not just remain outside.
A few of them used wind magic to disperse the pungent smell wafting out from within. After this, the mages began to take steps forward, squeezing into the cave behind the smashed wall one by one.
However, right as they entered, they immediately picked up on the vastly different vibe of the place.
"Elements... Really dense elements."
These mages had to be quite capable in order to have been chosen by the Queen as bodyguards; no matter which branch of magic they specialized in, they could all feel the various strangely active elements in the air after walking into the cave.
This caught them off guard.
Places where there was strange elemental activity, like this one, were quite rare – even more so when the abnormality involved all the elements. In fact, this was probably the first place they encountered which had all the different types of crystals. Because of this, they gradually became more alert.
Could it be that the legend of the Abandoned Valley of Gods was true?
They raised their torches and continued walking towards the direction of the light, steadily walking in-phase with the Queen’s steps. Very quickly they reached the inner part of the cave only to discover the source of this mysterious glow.
It was an Elemental Crystal.
The deepest part of the cave was also the place richest with the various elements; thick, dense crystals grew on the ground, like a colourful painting. The different lights emanated from the crystals played together before finally merging into the white light that they had seen from afar.
A quick estimate would put the number of crystals in the hundreds.
The mages were dumbfounded at the scene.
"Heavens... So many elemental crystals!" Someone sighed, "Even the storage of the Mage Guild over the past ten years cannot compare with the number of crystals found in this small cave."
To the mages, the allure of the elemental crystals was self-evident. Because of this, the doubts of the mages who had thought this operation too reckless vanished in an instant.
If not for the Queen’s presence, they might have already started to rush for the crystals.
However...
"Your Majesty, we have found the ancestors’ treasures, why do you still seem unhappy?" The mage who had headed the group nervously asked the Queen.
The Queen took a deep breath before replying.
"No... there must be something that’s not right." She looked at the clusters of crystals before her and her eyebrows knotted tightly, "How could the Abandoned Valley of the Gods be this small? What about the treasure? Where is the treasure?"
She was already looking somewhat paranoid; hearing this, the mages got even more confused.
Treasure? Was this not it?
"Your Majesty, these are all elemental crystals!" Perhaps unable to contain himself any longer, a mage spoke, desperate for the Queen to give them the order to start collecting.
But the Queen seemed to be enraged; her voice stabbed at him with bitter coldness.
"Elemental crystals, so what? Can it bestow upon me the talent of a mage? What "secret of the source of magic"... Fake, it’s all fake. Everything recorded in this book is a lie!"
The mages were stunned.
At the moment, they finally realized the Queen’s purpose.
No wonder she had been willing to expend so much effort to sneak into the caves below Carretas; it was to obtain the gift of magic. And now, after they had walked through the entire cave, there was nothing for her other than some stupid elemental crystals. Her hopes had been crushed and she was struggling to contain her emotions.
The mages were at a loss as to what to do— were they supposed to say a few words to try to comfort the Queen? They could only bow their heads and remain silent, not daring out of fear of incurring her wrath.
Seeing this, the Queen realized that she had lost her cool. She breathed in deeply and regained her composure, shaking her head in disdain.
"It can’t be helped... All of you, start collecting the crystals." She put away the map and turned around, "This was left to me by my ancestors. Even if they are only elemental crystals, we shall not leave them for the enemy."
Hearing this, the mages could not control themselves and finally surged forward towards the heaps of crystals.
The Queen shook her head and added on, "What are you rushing for? I do not have any magical talent, these crystals all belong to you anyway."
Of course, the mages understood this, but they still could not help it!
Although the crystals that they were collecting still had to be turned over to the Mage Guild and subsequently sorted and distributed, their instincts as mages forced them to rush for the crystals. This treasure before them was supposedly priceless!
However...
"Are those... Elemental crystals?"
An unexpected voice came from behind them. The mages turned their heads, only to see around ten figures standing in darkness at the entrance of the cavern they were in.
The mages were stunned; the Queen also revealed a grave expression.
"...How did you discover this place?"
Benjamin slowly walked out from the darkness. The corners of his lips twitched, as he smirked coldly and said, "It was indeed difficult to discover. If it wasn’t for a warning from a certain someone, you would have been able to steal it from right under our noses."
Behind him were mages and soldiers... even the King. About forty people slowly walked out into the cavern.
The King fixed his eyes on the Queen and spoke slowly, "Scarlett, I thought you had really died."
"That just shows that you are just as dumb as before." The Queen snorted coldly at the remark, "If I was so easily assassinated, Icor would long have been destroyed by the Kingdom of Helius. Don’t blame me for what you do not understand."
"Is that so?" The King, whose emotions seemed to be bubbling over, replied impolitely, "Then explain this. Who is the one doing foolish things now?"
Saying this, he waved his hands, and even more figures walked out from the darkness.
Under the dim light, the figures looked like a wall, completely sealing off the entrance of the underground cave.
"My smart sister, do not forget that this is my territory." The King spread out his arms in a welcoming gesture, "You really think too highly of yourself."
The mages behind the Queen quickly stopped collecting the elemental crystals. Some of them nervously rushed forward to the Queen’s side, getting ready to protect her.
But the Queen remained at ease.
"Stop bluffing. Do you think I do not know how many people are left in Gealorre?" She said slowly, "The battalion has been sent out to recover lost territory. The number of troops left in Gealorre number no more than a few thousand. They are no match for us at all. As for you... Mage Benjamin, most of the mages under your command are stationed in Amber City. All you have in Gealorre are those useless students; you only have twenty or so mages in the city who are truly equipped with the skills to fight."
She panned over the group of people and revealed a smirk brimming with sarcasm, "Did you really I would come here without doing my homework?"