I, a cultivator, have ended up in the wizarding world.

Chapter 109 Trap (Part 1)

More than ten days have passed in the blink of an eye.

On that same floating island, in the magnificent palace, the leaders of all races gathered once again.

Inside the hall, light and shadow shifted, but the atmosphere was more somber than before.

The wizard army's offensive became increasingly aggressive, and battle reports from the front lines piled up like mountains, each one shocking.

"The Rune Fortress in the North has advanced to the 'Shoulders of Giants'! If this continues, the barrier to the Central Plains will be completely breached!" The human king's voice was filled with obvious anxiety.

The Elf Queen also looked worried: "The shadow creatures they summon are corrupting our ancient forests, and the natural energy is severely polluted."

After a long and intense discussion on how to counter the wizards' main offensive, the topic naturally turned to the "adventurer strategy" that was proposed last time.

"However, the strategy of 'offering bounties on foreign demons' that you all suggested last time has indeed been quite effective," the orc chieftain said in a deep voice, with a hint of satisfaction in his tone.

"Those greedy adventurers, driven by the bounty, did indeed produce many hidden powerhouses who hunted down numerous invaders. Even though some wizards weren't completely eliminated at first, they were held back by the adventurers and ultimately harvested by our arriving powerhouses."

A murmur rippled through the hall; clearly, the tangible benefits of this strategy had temporarily set aside their differences.

However, some nobles soon voiced their dissatisfaction.

"Your Majesty!" A lord dressed in magnificent robes suddenly stood up, his voice impassioned, "I must point out that this policy has also brought serious negative consequences! Those adventurers are nothing but a pack of ruthless wolves! For the sake of illusory bounties, they have actually killed innocent people to claim credit, and treated our loyal subjects as those 'foreign demons' to fraudulently collect the bounties!"

He continued indignantly, "This is an unheard-of atrocity! Several innocent civilians have been murdered near my estate! They have severely disrupted the peaceful lives of the people!"

The dwarf elder beside him chimed in with a complaint: "Similar things have happened in several of my mines. Those adventurers rush in, plundering resources at will, and even mistaking my miners for otherworldly visitors, trying to slip through the cracks!"

These leaders outwardly eloquently advocate for justice for "innocent civilians" and "miners," seemingly concerned for the suffering of their people.

But what they were really angry about was that the adventurers had seriously infringed on the rights of the local lord!
While the lives of innocent civilians are important, the loss of their estates and tax revenue is what truly pains them.

Most of the "wizards" who were killed and falsely claimed credit were exposed on the spot—because the humans of the wizard civilization actually do not look like the humans of the Erosian plane.

After hundreds of years of human intervention and aptitude modification, humans in the wizarding world are generally more handsome, taller, and have a more extraordinary and graceful temperament.

It could be said that, apart from lacking pointed ears, humans in the wizarding world actually prefer a graceful race similar to elves.

The ordinary people of Erosia are more rugged and simple.

So, although occasionally one or two unlucky souls might be tricked into claiming the prizes, most of the time, those greedy adventurers end up with nothing.

Even so, their actions greatly disrupted order in various places.

"These adventurers are truly despicable and utterly shameful!"

A priest dressed in a magnificent red robe stood up, his face full of compassion: "I suggest that the temple draw its forces to form a paladin patrol team to patrol the major cities and prevent such things from happening."

"Ha, bah! That sounds nice, but you're just trying to sell indulgences again, aren't you?!" someone sneered.

"What nonsense are you talking about? I'm doing this to punish evil and promote good!"

"Then why don't you go and deal with those wizards!"

"That won't do, those wizards are just too powerful..."

……

After a pointless debate, the leaders finally reached a consensus: the policy of hiring adventurers would continue, as it had proven effective. However, to curb the practice of "killing innocent people to claim credit" and to stabilize the rear, they decided to find a way to allocate more troops to set traps in areas where wizard apprentices were active, luring the wizards deep into these areas before concentrating their forces to encircle and annihilate them.

……

……

Meanwhile, the trio of Jemin, Amy, and Victor are active in this dimension, relying on the latest intelligence provided by Viola.

The value of this intelligence network has been fully demonstrated over the past ten days.

They no longer wander aimlessly like headless flies, but are able to precisely avoid dangerous areas and target only valuable objectives.

Every action was highly efficient and yielded significant benefits.

This time, based on the information provided by Viola, they arrived at a mine located deep in the forest.

Intelligence suggests that this place may contain some minerals with unique properties, which would be of great benefit to alchemy and potion research.

However, this mine is located behind the front line, and the main force cannot push it over for the time being. At present, the only way to obtain samples is by having a wizard squad infiltrate.

The entrance to the mine was hastily arranged with some rough wooden stakes and simple burlap, clearly indicating that it belonged to some indigenous lord.

After using his Glimmering Eyes to confirm that there were no large guards around, the three of them quickly sneaked into the mine.

The mine tunnels were winding and twisting, and the air was filled with the damp smell of soil and ore.

The deeper you go, the more pronounced the oppressive heat becomes.

"It's... a bit hot in here." Amy couldn't help but wipe the sweat from her forehead.

"Be careful, the minerals have associated energy, and the aura of earth and fire elements is very strong," Victor warned.

As the three ventured deeper, the mine tunnels widened, eventually transforming into a cave-like landscape.

"Is this really a mine?" Amy couldn't help but marvel at the stalactites overhead.

"The Erosian plane has a vast underground world, where most of the mineral veins are located. Therefore, the so-called mine tunnels should be passages that directly connect to the underground world..."

Jemin paused abruptly, his brow furrowing.

"what happened?"

"The enemy is approaching! Be on alert!"

They cautiously continued deeper into the mine, and just as the three were about to reach the core area of ​​the mine as indicated in the intelligence, a violent energy surge suddenly erupted from the depths of the mine.

With a rough and angry roar, the ground beneath their feet trembled violently.

"Invaders! This is the territory of the Lava Clan!"

A tall figure suddenly stepped out of the shadows.

It was an elder of the underground demons, over three meters tall, with skin as rough as solidified lava, covered with crimson patterns.

(One more chapter.)
(End of this chapter)