This dungeon has mushrooms growing on it.

Chapter 420, Section 419: The Peril of Redstone City

Nova's hands were clasped tightly under the table. His mind raced as he repeatedly recalled every detail of the past, pondering where he had been exposed.

He clearly remembered that when Inanna used the Living Wood Core in the dungeon, the pink Puji that Inanna had transformed into had already been taken to the tenth floor by the Night Owl, so it was impossible for her to have witnessed that scene.

Could it be that someone came down and analyzed the remains of the Flame Demon afterward?

But that doesn't make sense either; a little residual energy doesn't prove anything.

After completing that mission, he never used that artifact again.

Could it have been exposed sometime earlier?

Another possibility is that someone else in the team leaked the information...

But he forcibly suppressed the thought as soon as it popped into his head. If he couldn't even trust his teammates whom he spent every day with, the Silver Thorn Squad would have fallen apart long ago.

He looked up at Aidin, who remained calm and composed, and asked, "What do you plan to do?"

The value of this artifact fragment in his possession goes far beyond simply being a desperate trump card; he couldn't possibly give it up so easily…

Three S-rank magic crystals were gently placed on the table. The moment they were taken out, they instantly attracted the surrounding magic power!
Gollum—

To my shame, Nova only saw the S-rank magic crystals on those important figures from afar when they ambushed the Demon Duke in Oath City.

This is the first time I've ever been so close to someone like this.

What was even more shocking was their size; each one was the size of a fist. He had never imagined that an S-grade magic crystal could have such a size.

As far as I can remember, even the one inlaid on the staff of the vice president of the Relics Association seems to be much smaller than these.

Nova couldn't help but marvel at the St. Clair family's extravagance.

This was clearly just their initial offer, and it seemed there was room for negotiation.

Miss Inanna's sincerity in this matter is truly touching.

When Nova thought about the possible consequences of rejection, his heart began to waver.

He carefully chose his words, speaking in a consultative tone: "I need to discuss this with my teammates before making a decision, is that alright...?"

Aiding nodded, reached out and calmly put the three S-grade magic crystals back into his bag.

After the last magic crystal disappeared into the bag, he raised his hand to remove the veil of mist that shrouded the surroundings and gestured to Nova to "go ahead".

Looking at the vanished magic crystal, Nova knew that at least the old mage Ivan would go mad because of it.

……

The four gathered in a side hall of the city lord's mansion. Nova had just finished recounting his meeting with Aidin when Night Owl was the first to jump up.

"Are you sure there's nothing wrong with your eyes?" She placed her hands on the table and leaned forward. "Could someone have used illusion magic to trick you?"

Nova sighed helplessly: "How could someone as prominent as Aidin openly impersonate the Duke's envoy? You'll see for yourselves when you see the magic crystal! The question now is, should we switch or not?"

"Change it! Of course we have to change it!" Ivan was so excited he almost knocked over the ink bottle on the table. "That's an S-rank magic crystal! As big as a fist! Do you know what that means? If I had this thing when we fought the Balrog, I wouldn't have needed that broken tree branch at all! Not to mention... not to mention..."

The night owl narrowed its eyes: "You idiot, you wouldn't happen to want to taste an S-rank magic crystal, would you?"

"How...how could it be such a waste..." Ivan's gaze drifted into the distance, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.

Night Owl clicked his tongue, crossed his arms, and sat back down in his chair, but didn't object further. Just when Nova thought the discussion was about to end, the silent half-dragon Gar gently pushed a note towards them: "But it takes quite a while to forge S-rank magic crystals into wands and items, doesn't it? I think you should take a look at this news first."

The message on the note was simple, but it made everyone's hearts sink: Earth Peak Fortress, located between Three Mountain City and Red Stone City, was besieged by the demons.

Since the human army retreated to Three Mountain City and activated a large protective magic array to buy time, the demons have begun to systematically eliminate the surrounding strongholds.

Tufengbao is just an ordinary fortress; it probably won't hold out for long.

What's even more worrying is that once Tufeng Fortress falls, it's only a matter of time before the demon army heads straight for Redstone City.

At this critical juncture, they simply did not have enough time to convert the S-grade magic crystals into actual combat power.

“If we keep that branch, we can at least try a decapitation strike,” Gal said. “Or, after the deal, should we run away? To the archipelago…”

Before he could finish speaking, the night owl kicked him: "I don't want to spend the rest of my life at sea!"

Unlike when I chose whether or not to do the mission to rescue Inanna, back then, if I ran away, I would only offend Duke Alama, and once I was out of the United Kingdom, I would be safe.

But now, as the lord of Redstone City, if he backs down before the battle and abandons his duties, even the elves and dwarves will not take him in, and he will truly be left to live among the islands.

Nova thought for a while and then made a decision.

He went back into the office and said to Edin, who had been waiting for a long time, "We are willing to make a deal, but not now."

He handed the intelligence to Aidin and then said, "The church's reinforcements will be arriving in Three Mountains soon. The situation will definitely change then. Before that, we still need Wood Core."

Nova didn't say how the situation would change, because in his heart, he didn't really have a high opinion of the church's support forces.

At that point, there will be only two possibilities: either the church helps Three Mountain City successfully repel the demon army, and the crisis in Redstone City will naturally be resolved.

Either they can't help at all, or they'll be defeated by the demons together.

It would be much more reasonable for him to abandon Redstone City then, and even if he were held accountable afterward, he wouldn't have to face the gallows.

Of course, whether the United Kingdom has the ability to hold anyone accountable when that time really comes is another matter.

All of this is contingent on Redstone City holding out until then.

Aiding looked at the note, somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected such bad timing.

I wish I had arrived sooner...

After leaving the city lord's mansion, Aiding went into an inn and entered the room he had booked, but did not rest.

Instead, he quietly jumped out of the window, turned into the alley, and finally, after confirming that no one was following him, slipped into a dilapidated house.

Then, his figure blurred and vanished, leaving only an item in his chest, which fell into the hands of the real Aidin.

Advanced illusion items made from S-grade magic crystals the length of a finger are not only difficult to distinguish from the real thing, but can also be activated and even used to cast some simple spells. They can even mimic death perfectly, and no abnormality can be detected without special inspection.

As usual, Aidin would not allow his main body to go directly into such dangerous situations.

Inside the room sat the real person in charge—a scout named Puji.

"Boss, what do you want to do?"

(End of this chapter)