That's right, that's what adventure is like!

Chapter 107 Robbery

The fourth attempt.

Roland passed through a low cave and, following the map, found a deeply hidden crevice. It was dark and deep, with the rock walls on both sides almost touching, separated by only the width of a forearm.

He put the javelin into his dimensional bag and was about to squeeze in when he suddenly sensed something was wrong.

The rock face was smooth and cool to the touch, yet it bore the marks of being repeatedly rubbed by hard objects, and there were also remnants of metal shavings with a cold luster.

They are very new, and there are quite a few of them.

There are people inside.

Roland squinted, not rushing inside, but instead taking out the lost coin, holding it tightly in his hand, letting the faint light appear before his eyes.

There was a small, very dark bloodstain on the ground, hidden in the gap between the gravel and the shadows, almost blending into the ground, and now emitting a faint glow.

There were traces of liquid flowing on the stone wall, but it was impossible to tell what it was. It was probably some kind of potion, with a faint trace of magic.

Sure enough, a battle had taken place here, and the battlefield had been cleaned up very well.

Who is it?

Has the Empire truly found the Blue Crystal Heart?

That's not right either; they probably won't clean up the battlefield.

Roland pondered for a moment, then put the coin away, lowered his body, pressed himself against the rock wall, and moved in inch by inch.

He held his right hand above the dimensional bag, ready to forcefully break through at any time should anything happen.

The air gradually became humid, and a strange, sweet, fishy smell wafted into my nose, like the rotting smell of dried grass that had been frozen and then thawed, mixed with the corrosive sensation of some kind of metal.

Thirty feet.

Fifty feet.

The rift gradually widened, and the darkness ahead was replaced by the orange-yellow light from torches and the blinding light from spellcasting.

Roars, screams, sounds of fighting, and the muffled thuds of heavy objects falling to the ground mingled together, echoing continuously between the narrow rock walls.

Still fighting?

Roland frowned and quickly looked up to survey his surroundings.

The crevice suddenly opened up, presumably leading to a cave. Three feet above, there was a recessed rock face, just big enough for one person to hide in.

Without hesitation, he bent his knees to support his body, gripped the protrusions on the rock face with his fingers, controlled his heartbeat and breathing, and silently climbed up the rock face, hiding inside the rock ledge.

A thin layer of moisture covered the rock ledge, making it feel damp and cold to the touch, seeping in from outside his black robe. Roland suppressed his discomfort and looked down into the cave.

The torch was stuck in a crevice in the rock wall, and the flickering flame twisted, swayed and overlapped, casting extremely long shadows around it, illuminating the two imperial soldiers who were fighting fiercely.

The soldier on the left wore standard imperial black armor, with a large hole torn in his chest, revealing his bare chest covered in dark red diagonal stripes that faintly emanated an eerie energy, as if slowly writhing.

His swordsmanship was fierce and ruthless, his pupils were bloodshot, he completely abandoned defense, and every move he made was an attempt to exchange injury for injury.

The soldier on the right also had imperial patterns on his robes, and his staff lit up with silver-blue runes when he waved it. He was extremely cunning in his fighting style, constantly using the terrain to fight back and occasionally launching surprise attacks when the opponent was not paying attention.

The situation was tilting in favor of the man on the right. Although the Bloodthorn Guardian was fierce, his forearm had begun to tremble, a sign of exhaustion.

Roland watched the two silently, assessing the situation.

"There are blood patterns on the heart area, the symbol of the Bloodthorn Guardians. They must have been planted by the kingdom. It seems that some people, although they don't care about the kingdom's decline, still have their eyes on the Blue Crystal Heart."

"The weapon runes on the right are too bright, which is not the style of the Empire. The fighting style is also conservative. It is more like a private soldier raised by nobles. He is probably sent by the southern nobles to have more leverage in the post-war negotiations."

"These two must have first joined forces to kill the others left behind by Celine, and then a conflict arose when they came to seize the Blue Crystal Heart."

Roland silently turned these thoughts aside, his gaze passing over the two people and landing deep in the cave.

There, a blue crystal the size of a thumb floated quietly in mid-air, slowly rotating, like a frozen heart, yet without any energy leakage, and was completely invisible in the magical perception.

The Heart of Blue Crystal.

Twenty feet away, it only takes ten seconds to cross.

But Roland did not move.

Besides the two spies fighting inside, he also heard a slight noise coming from the entrance of the rift behind him.

The newcomer made no attempt to hide; the sound of their boots treading on the gravel was very clear, and there were also indistinct sounds of conversation, the content of which was unclear.

Roland held his breath and hid himself deeper into the shadows of the rock shelf.

The next second, something unexpected happened!

A deafening explosion came from behind, and a scorching blast of air, carrying debris and rubble, shot out, crashing against the rock wall and bouncing back.

Smoke and dust surged, and violent magical power surged in like a tidal wave, impacting every inch of space.

Immediately afterwards, a beam of silvery-white light shot out from the entrance of the crevice, piercing through the stone wall, and then gradually expanded, surged, and roared.

boom!!!

A beam of light shot up, bursting forth with blinding white light. The enormous silver beam shattered the stone wall, widening the originally narrow passage to a point where people could pass through.

Before the smoke and dust had cleared, several figures rushed into the cave from the entrance.

The female knight's expression was indifferent. Her gaze swept across the wide cave, over the two spies who were still fighting, and finally paused for a moment on the floating blue crystal heart.

"Clean it up."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it pierced through all the smoke and dust, reaching everyone's ears.

A shield-wielding warrior roared and charged toward the Bloodthorn Guardian from behind. The shield slammed down, but the guard rolled away to dodge it, and with a backhand thrust, plunged his sword into the calf, spraying blood everywhere.

Another ranger raised his longbow and shot an arrow at the noble mage, but it was blocked by a silver barrier and the arrow flew away and broke apart.

As spies planted in the empire, they were naturally not that simple.

The female knight's face darkened, and she glanced at the mage beside her out of the corner of her eye.

The monk understood the meaning, and silvery-white light continuously flowed from his fingertips, spreading along his staff. An invisible pressure began to spread, and the air became viscous, as if something was about to awaken.

An invisible shockwave exploded.

Both spies were thrown to the ground at the same time.

The next moment, the Bloodthorn Guardian flipped to its feet the instant it landed, its chest pattern glowing a dazzling crimson, and its skin convulsing wildly as if it were about to explode.

The nobleman's private soldiers also had fierce expressions, their lips moving rapidly as they chanted incantations in a low voice, the tip of their staffs flashing light and shadow.

It's now!

Smoke and dust filled the air, chaos reigned, and everyone's attention was focused on the two spies—it was the perfect opportunity!

Roland leaped down from the rock ledge, landing silently on the ground. He casually tossed a magic crystal projectile behind him and charged towards the Blue Crystal Heart with all his might!

Boom—Pfft.

The expected explosion did not occur. Instead, an invisible thread emerged from deep within the smoke and dust, tightly binding the runes on the surface of the shell and severing the energy path.

It made only a muffled thud before returning to stillness, falling to the ground and rolling into a corner.

Roland realized it, but he didn't stop.

Five zhang (approximately 10 meters).

Three zhang (approximately 10 meters).

Through the smoke, a cold blade pierced through my peripheral vision!

The sharp edge came too fast, almost without warning. Roland's charging footsteps suddenly stopped, the soles of his boots scraping against the gravel with a sharp screeching sound.

Without a second thought, he drew his sword and swung it!

when-!!!

A metallic clang rang out as the silver-white sword clashed with the blood-red spear, sparks flying and illuminating the surroundings for a moment before quickly extinguishing upon hitting the ground.

A familiar face appeared before my eyes.

Roland's pupils contracted.

The female knight was standing between him and the Blue Crystal Heart, less than three feet away.

He could even see his own reflection in the man's pale gray pupils, and the cold curve of his lips.

"The smell of sulfur on you is too strong," the female knight sneered.

As soon as she finished speaking, the dark red runes on her wrist suddenly rose, surged, and solidified!

The runes seemed to crawl out from under the skin, intertwining and coiling in the air, transforming into a fine chain with three sharp barbs at the tip, rushing towards Roland's neck!

Buzz—

The air ripped apart, and the gusts of air rushed into my ears, making my eardrums vibrate and rattle. A blood-red chain approached my throat.

Roland's vision was completely red, and he felt an invisible pressure pressing down on him, weakening his five senses to the extreme.

Vision blurred, sound distorted, touch dulled, and even the heart beating in the chest cavity could not feel its rhythm at this moment.

Then, the world fell silent.

Boom!

dong dong!

My heart was pounding heavily, each beat feeling like a heavy hammer pounding into my chest, as if it were about to shatter my fragile ribs and burst out of my body.

The blood-red chain hovered two inches from his throat, its forked barbs gleaming faintly, like starlight scattered across the earth.

Time slot.

Roland was forced into this state at the very beginning of the battle.

This means that the opponent's combat strength is far superior to his.

One blow and he could die.