Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

Chapter 95 The Out-of-Control Research Institute
Cohen's voice startled the women. Except for Windsordeler, the others showed puzzled expressions on their faces.

Freya's weak voice sounded:

"Wh...what is 'doomsday water'?"

Asuna and the others also gave inquiring looks.

Miss Elf glared at Cohen, patted her plump chest lightly, and explained with a lingering fear:
"'Doomsday' is the tears of the goddess of misfortune.

Legend has it that the goddess of misfortune's husband was seduced away by a beautiful girl and betrayed her.

The goddess of misfortune cried for three days and three nights because of this.

She cried her eyes out, and later cursed her own tears.

Any woman who comes into contact with her tears will become ugly.

The more beautiful the woman, the greater the curse."

After hearing Windsardler's explanation, all the female companions showed expressions of fear.

No matter how powerful a woman is, a beautiful face will always be her most precious thing.

Nephthys complained:

"Sir, you obviously did it on purpose. You must have known for a long time that the stream here was disguised as 'evil water' and deliberately didn't tell us.

Let us rejoice in vain.”

Cohen showed a helpless expression:
"Your reaction is just too weird, isn't it? You're all transcendents, do you still need water to cleanse your bodies?"

Cohen instantly felt countless malicious gazes coming from behind.

Windsardler stared at the stream in the distance for a long time and asked:

“Is this a formation?

Why didn't I feel anything unusual?
Is your perception also distorted by the rules here?"

Cohen pointed at Freya, motioning her to follow him, and explained as they walked:
“It’s not that mysterious. Rules can only change living things.

This is a 'phantom mechanism'. Part of the 'Goddess of Doom's' duties is phantom, and her doom water was blocked by a trace of phantom divine power.

It's normal that the Special Envoy couldn't see it."

Windsardler curled his lips slightly and wanted to ask, how did you know that?

Cohen didn't give her a chance to ask, and said directly:
"As for me, I read the notes of an adventurer who had been to the 'Starfall Valley', so I have some understanding of the situation here."

Cohen did not lie, it was just that this "adventurer" was a player in his previous life, and the notes were posted on the game forum.

Cohen brought Freya to a stop five meters away from the stream and said to her:
"The 'Phantom Mechanism' itself isn't complicated. As long as you can access its core, it's easily decipherable with your current abilities.

The only difficult thing is the layer of 'phantom power' outside.

'Phantom Power' is not offensive at all, it only confuses your eyes and perception.

Therefore, when you break the formation later, force yourself to imagine an object or a person.

Don't be deceived by any illusion, no matter how realistic it is!"

Freya calmed down and thought for a while, and the image of her father emerged in her mind.

But soon, it was replaced by a young and handsome face.

The king's identity, powerful strength, and profound knowledge still brought great shock to the warlock lady's heart.

Seeing that Freya was a little distracted, Cohen waved his palm in front of her and said:

"Don't be distracted. In a moment, use the innate extraordinary power of the [Mechanic] to activate the mechanism on the other side.

Go straight in and walk to the end to find the core of the mechanism."

Freya came back to her senses, her face slightly red, and nodded heavily:
"Don't worry, sir, I will definitely not let you down!"

Cohen smiled and said:

"Don't put so much pressure on yourself, I believe you can do it.

Remember, no matter what happens ahead, even if it’s a bottomless abyss or a mountain of swords or a sea of fire, you must keep going.”

After saying this, Cohen winked at Nephthys in the distance without leaving any trace.

The latter immediately understood, and soon, a mental channel was established between Cohen and Freya.

Cohen's deep voice rang out in Freya's mind:

"Don't show any strangeness. Once you crack the core of the mechanism, a dark round coin may appear inside.

You keep it away and don't tell anyone.

Remember, there are only three seconds from the moment the mechanism's core is broken until the coin appears, so you must seize the opportunity."

The mental channel was disconnected, and Nephthys' face turned slightly pale.

Constructing this long-distance mind transmission channel was still a bit difficult for her, who was only at the second level.

Freya had completely regained her composure, her face tense, her gaze fixed on the stream in the distance.

She waved her hand lightly, and a light blue magic power emanated from her.

He pointed at the distant stream and a beam of azure light shot out.

A buzzing sound.

The originally calm stream suddenly began to boil, the ground trembled slightly, and an inexplicable magical wave spread out like ripples.

Immediately afterwards, a dark and narrow passage appeared right above the stream, as if a crack had been torn open in the endless void.

The darkness was like thick ink, swallowing up the light from the red stars in the sky.

Without waiting for Cohen to speak again, Freya took a deep breath and stepped into the passage with firm steps.

Cohen showed a look of surprise on his face.

Although Freya is still young, she has perfectly inherited her father's fortitude and decisiveness.

When the "Demon of Fear" attacked just now, he saw that this little girl had extraordinary willpower.

Originally, he wanted to play the favor card to win over Arnold, but he didn't expect Freya to give him enough surprises.

Cohen fixed his eyes on the tense Arnold and whispered:

"You can't protect her forever.

Don't worry, the phantom mechanism doesn't have much killing power. If it fails, it will just be a little frightened."

Arnold nodded silently, his eyes still fixed nervously on the passage.

Windsardler seemed to have noticed the little gesture between Nephthys and Cohen, and raised his eyebrows slightly:
"Do we have to crack this mechanism before we can move on?"

Cohen replied with a hint of apology:
"That's not the case, it's just that this member of my team has just taken up the position of [Mechanic].

Without any practical experience, it is rare to encounter a mechanism with little lethality.

Let her try her hand.

It won’t take you too long.”

Ifilo continued:
"Captain, you're too kind. This is actually my first time seeing an [Mechanic], and it's a rare experience to witness a [Mechanic] decipher a mechanism with my own eyes."

Ifilo has now been completely convinced by Cohen, and he has begun to think about what to do after the journey to "Star Valley" ends.

Bring this powerful adventure group into your own family.

Yes, powerful.

Although Cohen is only at level three, and the strongest in their team is only at level four, in Ifilo's heart, they are the most powerful.

Ifilo was convinced that the reputation of this adventure group would sooner or later shock the continent.

Rather than waiting until they become truly powerful to get close to them, it is better to invest now before they rise.

Putting aside Ifilo's inner thoughts, soon, the dark passage that everyone was watching suddenly trembled, and then disappeared without any warning.

Seeing this scene, Arnold's face instantly showed worry, but Cohen smiled and said:
“Don’t panic, Freya has already succeeded.

What an amazing kid!"

After hearing what Cohen said, everyone gradually put their minds at ease.

I saw that the stream not far away, which was originally boiling, gradually returned to calm as if it had been cast by magic.

The rolling splashes of water subsided, and the water surface became as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the crimson star in the sky clearly.

As time went by, the flow of the stream gradually decreased, as if it was being slowly drained away by an invisible hand.

The sound of the gurgling water became weaker and weaker, until it finally disappeared completely, leaving only silence.

The riverbed dried up, revealing golden stones and gravel, covered with a blood-red veil.

Immediately afterwards, a figure bathed in golden light appeared on the river.

The light disappeared, revealing Freya, who was breathing slightly.

Freya walked briskly to Cohen. Although her face was tired, her eyes were full of excitement. She said excitedly:

"Sir, I succeeded, yes, I succeeded!"

Cohen naturally knew that Freya's repetition of this sentence meant that even the coin had been found.

He turned to look at Arnold:
"Mr. Considine, your daughter has completely inherited your tenacity and courage. You can rest assured now."

Arnold's eyes were filled with relief and emotion.

After the group finished their emotional reflections, Cohen led them into the dry riverbed, pointed to a bright teardrop-shaped gem floating in the middle of the river, and said:

"That thing inside is the 'evil water'. If anyone of you is interested, you can take it away.

But remember not to keep it on your body for a long time.

After all, it comes from the 'Goddess of Misfortune' and is inevitably contaminated with some power of misfortune.

If you carry it for too long, you will encounter some bad luck."

Upon hearing this, Ifilo, who was originally eager to try, instantly gave up the idea.

Windsardler was not polite at all. She waved her hand lightly and the teardrop-shaped gem flew towards her.

A ray of light flashed by, and I don't know where she put it.

Windsordler smiled faintly and said:
"This envoy has always had good luck, so I'll take it."

Naturally, everyone had no objection.

After resolving the issues here, Cohen led everyone to move forward.

……

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the sky suddenly darkened and everyone looked up.

The red star that had always been guiding the direction was suddenly obscured by a cloud of fog.

Cohen stopped and said in a low voice with unprecedented seriousness:
“Everyone, please be mentally prepared.

We are about to encounter the most dangerous thing before entering the ruins of the Arcane Empire - Nightmare Mist!"

After hearing Cohen's words, the expedition team, which had been in a somewhat lively atmosphere, suddenly became tense.

No one dared to take it lightly as Cohen, who was usually calm and composed, gave such a serious warning.

Ifilo's eyes were wide open, and his muscles were tense, as if he was facing a great enemy.

The team was eerily quiet, and everyone's breathing could be heard clearly.

Even the most powerful seventh-level peak winged elf here, Windsardler Windrunner, looked solemn.

She had vaguely heard about the horror of the nightmare fog. Once entangled by this thing, it would not be possible to get rid of it by just strong strength.

It seemed to confirm what Cohen said.

Before Cohen finished speaking, a strange gray fog appeared on the road ahead like a ghost.

It was like a layer of mysterious veil, slowly spreading between heaven and earth, bringing an indescribable sense of oppression.

The fog seemed to have life, quietly surging and constantly changing its shape.

Approaching them step by step.

In the hazy gray, there seemed to be pairs of invisible eyes, silently spying on the explorers who were about to step into their territory.

A strange and bizarre atmosphere filled the air, and everyone's heartbeat quickened. The indescribable uneasiness and fear that penetrated deep into the bone marrow almost drove people crazy.

Until a savior-like voice pulled them up from the peak of despair:
"The Nightmare Mist will amplify the fear in your hearts. When the Nightmare Mist arrives, you will encounter all kinds of bizarre things.

It feels like a nightmare.

But don't be afraid, as long as you persist for thirty minutes, the nightmare fog will disappear automatically.

I can only give you one suggestion -

No matter what happens, you must stay calm and make sure your will does not collapse.

Also, don't use supernatural powers unless necessary!"

As the voice fell, the gray nightmare fog suddenly turned into a monster with bared fangs and claws, rushing towards the group of nine people!
……

When Windsardler opened his eyes again, he found himself wearing a white coat, like a laboratory protective suit.

He was wearing a thick protective mask on his face.

The material of the mask is very strange, and it seems to be able to block the invasion of magic.

She looked up, and the scene before her shocked the Winged Elf lady.

She saw a magnificent and huge building, standing before her like a towering monster, blocking out the sky and the sun.

The exterior of the building is a strange shape resembling a Möbius strip, with perfect symmetry on both sides.

The huge glass curtain wall gleams coldly in the sunlight.

There is a huge sign hanging on each side of the building's gate -

"Arcane Empire Ancient Elf Cultural Heritage Research Institute" and "Arcane Elf Friendly Cultural Exchange Center".

Inside the building, bright lights illuminated every corner, and the room was filled with numerous strange magic props that gleamed with metallic textures.

It looks like a masterpiece of the alchemical school.

Through the glass, she could see many people dressed like her, fiddling with these strange magic props.

She could even clearly see a female researcher spilling coffee on a short and fat man, and several men in purple uniforms who looked like leaders gathered by the window and talked about something.

There were also many people wearing yellow uniforms, who looked like security personnel, and they were constantly gathering towards a room in the center.

Windsardler shook her head slightly and lowered her eyes, and the most shocking scene appeared.

Without any magical power or magic array fluctuations, the entire research institute was actually floating in the air!

What kind of force can make such a huge building float completely in the air?

Just at this moment, a researcher in a white coat walked to the bottom of the towering building, took out a white card from his left pocket, and flashed it into the air.

Then a white circle of light appeared in front of him. The man stepped into the circle of light and disappeared in an instant.

Soon Windsardler spotted him again in the research institute.

Space teleportation array!

At this moment, a cold voice sounded in her ears:

“Floating Stone… This research institute is carved entirely from a massive piece of floating stone.

There is also the space teleportation array that has been lost for thousands of years...

The extraordinary level and exquisite craftsmanship of the Arcane Empire are truly breathtaking!"

Windsardler was suddenly startled and looked back.

A young man wearing a thick protective mask and a white coat, like her, had stood behind her at some point.

From the calm eyes and familiar voice, Windsardler quickly determined the other party's identity and asked:
"Are you the leader of the Infinity Blade?"

Cohen nodded and said:
"This should be the scene of the Arcane Empire Research Institute a thousand years ago. I never thought the Nightmare Mist would bring us here."

For the first time, Cohen felt that things were out of control.

This shouldn't be the case. It's really strange. Why would Nightmare Mist bring him and Windsordler together?
I've never heard that the Nightmare Mist would target two people at the same time!
And the most unreasonable thing is why they appeared in this place——

The research institute of the Arcane Empire thousands of years ago!

The scene here only appeared in the promotional video of the previous game, and there is no such scene in the game plot at all!
By the time the game loads, this place has been destroyed for thousands of years!
Cohen focused his gaze and, like Windsordler, began to observe the situation inside through the glass window.

Staff members wearing uniforms of various colors walked back and forth in the institute.

According to the level, they are divided into white, yellow, purple and black.

Among them, the researchers wearing white coats are the most
What’s strange is that there is not a single staircase in the entire building.

But there are white circles of light of varying sizes at the end of almost every corridor.

Staff members coming and going can instantly appear in other places in the institute by stepping into the aperture.

Windsordale asked:

"There are all kinds of space teleportation arrays inside the institute?"

Cohen retracted his gaze and replied:
"To be more precise, the entire research institute is covered by a huge space array.

The various teleportation points within the research institute are actually the spatial nodes of the magic circle itself."

Windsardler's eyes flashed with shock.

Such a huge creature is actually covered by a formation. What a magnificent work it is.

Cohen continued to shift his gaze.

He found that there was a huge scrolling screen embedded in the background wall of the hall at the entrance.

It has the date and time on it.

Seeing the date and time on the screen, Cohen shuddered all over, with astonishment in his eyes.

Windsardler looked around warily:
"Didn't you say that the Nightmare Mist would bring about extremely bizarre and terrifying things?
It seems like nothing special is happening. Are we just going to wait here for thirty minutes?"

Cohen retracted his gaze, took a deep breath, and regained his composure. A hint of strangeness appeared in his voice:
"How do you know nothing will happen!"

Before he finished speaking, a shrill scream suddenly came from the ground.

The sound was like a sharp knife piercing the eardrum, followed by a thunder-like sound booming in the ears.

Then, the suspended research institute that blocked out the sky and the sun was seen rushing into the sky at an astonishing speed, as if controlled by a mysterious force!

Looking at the huge research institute rising from the ground, Cohen's eyes were filled with passion!

If his guess was correct, then that thing was probably still intact inside!
(End of this chapter)