Evil Red Dragon

Chapter 81 Relics

Chifeng.

Alexoth awoke from the library in his mind; the construction of the third magical corridor was progressing slower than he had anticipated.

The brain is so intricate that every inch of progress requires utmost care.

He had to go to the library from time to time to look up relevant information, but apart from Sobek's legacy, he really couldn't find any other relevant information.

Even complete records of mental magic are scarce, and even more so of the underworld's soul magic; there are only vague descriptions and instructions on how to avoid it.

And so far, he has only completed one-tenth of the entire corridor.

At this rate, it will take at least two more months to basically complete the construction.

"Only some low-level control magic—"

Alecto, frustrated, grabbed piles of gold coins and stuffed them into his mouth, chewing them voraciously. The slow progress only dampened his spirits, and the sweet and delicious gold coins offered him some solace.

At least for now.

Ever since he tasted gold coins last time, Alecto has been like a black bear that has eaten honey, constantly devouring large piles of gold coins.

The gold coins made a satisfying crunching sound between his teeth, and the molten gold slid down his throat, turning into a warm current that improved his mood.

"Sobek, how could you be so unreliable?!"

Alecto whispered the name of the ancient red dragon.

In the inherited memories, the ancestor known for his wisdom left behind a complete theory and method for the Magic Corridor, but was vague about the specific details of its construction.

It was as if these were common sense to that ancient red dragon, and there was no need to elaborate.

But for him, this was a life-or-death struggle.

As Alector devoured the treasure, the gold coins slid down in a clatter, revealing Oliveira fast asleep amidst the pile of riches.

To be precise, it was buried in a pile of treasure.

Golden coins and colorful gems covered most of her body, leaving only her head and a small section of her neck exposed.

She was beaten up by Alecto and lay on the ground begging for mercy, her face bruised and swollen.

Who knew that while she was being beaten, she inexplicably fell into a deep sleep, and in that instant she made a lifelong wish to Alecto: to sleep in her brother's treasure.

"Let me sleep here, my dear brother!"

She looked at Alecto with teary eyes and vowed, "I swear I will never eat a single gold coin! Brother, this has been my lifelong dream!"

Alecto stared at her for a long time, partly because of the red dragon's possessiveness of the treasure, and partly because of his consideration for his sister's pitiful plea.

In the end, Alecto sighed. There was nothing he could do; he was always too soft-hearted.

Just this once.

He warned, "If you dare to steal any food, I'll make you regret ever being born."

Then he threw Oliveira into the pile of treasure and lay down beside her to continue building the magic corridor.

Oliveira rolled over excitedly, burying herself completely in the gold coins and gems, and soon fell into a sweet slumber, which she has been in ever since.

Just then, Natsu tumbled and crawled into the dragon's lair.

The kobold warlock was covered in dust, his scales smeared with dried, dark green slime, and one arm hung awkwardly at his side.

But he paid no attention to his injuries; his eyes were filled with only urgency.

"Dragon Lord! Dragon Lord!"

Hearing the voice, Alecto looked up: "What's the panic?"

His tone was calm, yet it sent a chill down Natsu's spine.

Natsu suppressed his panic, knelt down, and pressed his forehead to the ground.

"Mine — Underground — Cave — Ghoul!"

Natsu was rambling incoherently, and Alex frowned, if dragons had eyebrows.

He slowly rose, and gold coins and gems slid off his dragon body, making a tinkling sound.

Explain yourself.

These three simple words were like a bucket of ice water poured over Natsu's head, forcing him to organize his thoughts.

"This morning, while we were digging deep into the newly discovered iron ore layer, the rock strata suddenly collapsed."

1

Natsu's voice trembled: "It wasn't a normal landslide, it was an entire stratum of rock collapsing inward. We fell down, and below—there's a huge underground cave."

Alecto's dragon eyes narrowed slightly.

How big is it?

"I don't know—I can't even see the end."

Natsu was terrified: "We only had time to light the torches before we saw—we saw ghouls crawling out of the darkness."

"Ghouls?"

"Yes! At least a hundred, maybe more, crawled out in that instant. They swarmed in from all directions, and we couldn't stop them at all."

Natsu raised his intact hand and pointed to his broken arm: "If Lord Cyril hadn't happened to be at the mine, we would all have died there."

"

Cyrillic?

Alector's heart stirred.

In retrospect, sending him to the mine unexpectedly saved Natsu's life.

"Where is Cyril?"

"He told us to retreat while he guarded the cave entrance. Those ghouls—they just kept coming in, we couldn't kill them all."

Natsu finally got to the point: "Lord Cyril said that the cave might connect to a large ruin. He could sense—there's a huge underground space, and—"

The kobold warlock paused, then lowered his voice even further: "There's an undead aura, very ancient, very—evil."

Alecto was silent for a moment.

Underground caves, hordes of ghouls, ancient ruins.

These words together mean two things: danger, and — opportunity!

The dragons' greedy nature excited him.

Relics signify treasures, lost magic, and the potential existence of ancient traditions.

But reason quickly prevailed over impulse.

Ghouls are undead creatures that typically congregate in areas rich in negative energy.

An underground space capable of supporting countless ghouls is definitely not a benevolent place.

More importantly, Cyril actually volunteered to stay behind to cover the retreat?

This is not normal.

Either the situation was so dire that he had no choice but to do it, or he discovered something worth the risk.

"Let's go to the mine."

Alecto spread his wings and took off. Natsu quickly got up, ignoring the pain of his broken bones, and staggered out of the nest with him.

The mine is in complete chaos.

The dog-headed people gathered outside, looking at the cave entrance in terror.

The air was thick with the stench of blood and decay, and mutilated corpses lay scattered on the ground—some kobolds, some ghouls.

Cyril remained in human form, standing in front of the cave entrance.

He was covered in filth, but he was completely unaware of it.

Every few seconds, a ghoul would pounce out of the cave, but before it could get close, it would be pierced by suddenly thrusting spikes from the ground and pinned in mid-air.

Cyril's face was very pale.

It wasn't because of these ghouls. Although they were numerous, their individual strength was generally only level two to four, posing little threat to him, who was at the peak of level six.

What truly unsettled him was the aura emanating from the depths of the cave.

Ancient, decaying, profound—and with a subtle, almost imperceptible allure.

Cyril, a bronze dragon who has lived for nearly two hundred years, has a keen sense for ruins and treasures.

He could sense that something was hidden inside.

nice one.

However, danger often coexists with opportunity.

The faint aura of evil made all the muscles in his body tense up.

"Cyrillic."

Alecto's voice came from behind.

Cyril froze, without turning around.

He maintained his magical output, his voice gradually calming: "Master, you've arrived."

Yeah, I'm a slave now! So what if I find treasure? I can't possibly own it anyway.

Alecto walked to the cave entrance and looked into the depths.

In the darkness, the ghoul's silhouette loomed indistinctly, its eerie green eyes flickering like will-o'-the-wisps.

"Condition."

"Based on preliminary assessments, this cave is likely part of an underground structure left over from ancient times."

Cyril reported in detail: "The number of ghouls is unknown, but it's still increasing. They're not naturally generated; they seem more like guardians."

"Guards at the door?"

"Yes. I noticed that these ghouls behave in a certain pattern, unlike wild undead which are completely chaotic."

Cyril paused, then added, "More importantly, I sensed fluctuations in the magic circle; although it's ancient, it's still functioning."

Alecto's eyes lit up.

The magic circle, an ancient magic circle that is still in operation.

What this means couldn't be clearer.

"Did you go in and investigate?"

"no."

Cyril shook his head: "There are too many ghouls. It would be dangerous for me to rush in alone, and besides—"

He hesitated for a moment, but still spoke up: "I have a feeling that there are even more powerful beings deep inside, at least higher than me, and possibly even higher."

The two remained silent for a few seconds.

Alecto stared into the darkness, his mind racing.

Undead of level seven or higher, plus countless ghouls, and an unknown ancient magic circle—this setup seems beyond my capabilities.

But giving up is impossible!

"Gru!"

The red dragon suddenly spoke.

The troll leader, who had been standing guard to the side, immediately stepped forward: "Master."

"Assemble all the Dragonborn and elite warriors, as well as the Gronn. You have one hour to prepare; I need an elite squad."

"yes!"

Gru turned and ran, his heavy footsteps quickly fading into the distance.

Alecto then looked at Natsu: "Retreat all kobolds to a safe area. No one is allowed to approach the mine without my order."

"Yes, sir!"

Naz felt as if he had been granted a pardon and immediately went to organize the evacuation.

Finally, Alector's gaze fell on Cyril.

"Come inside with me."

This is not a discussion, it's an order.

Cyril's heart sank, but he didn't show it on his face.

He withdrew his hands from the ground, and the spikes at the entrance of the cave slowly retracted underground.

"I need to restore my magic."

"You have one hour."

After speaking, Alector ignored Cyril and walked to the edge of the cave entrance, carefully sensing the surging aura of the dead.

The aura of the dead was very strong, but strangely, it was mixed with a faint trace of holy aura.

A divine aura? How could there be a divine aura? The undead utterly despise the divine; when the two meet, it's a fight to the death. How could they possibly coexist?

"Could it be... a desecrated temple?"

Alecto murmured to himself.

The thought sent a chill down his spine.

If this is true, it means that the origins of this site may be far more complex than they appear.

Temples occupied by the dead are often the work of corrupt cultists who twist their beliefs and turn sacred places into breeding grounds for the undead.

Worse still, such places often harbor extremely deep curses.

Half an hour later, Gru returned to the mine with 30 fully armed soldiers.

Gronn was among them; this orc chieftain, who had just broken through to level five, was currently radiating a scorching aura.

Kula's strength has not fully recovered, so he can only stay behind to manage the camp.

"Master, the team is assembled."

Gru knelt on one knee, and the 30 dragonborn and warriors behind him knelt down in unison.

These troll and orc warriors, each possessing strength of level four or higher, are the most elite force in the Crimson Peak Territory.

Alecto glanced around and nodded in satisfaction.

"The task is simple: clear this cave and explore its depths."

His voice echoed through the mine: "But I must warn you, there may be level six or even stronger undead below. If you are afraid, you can leave now."

No one moved.

The soldiers' eyes burned with fervor.

Their absolute loyalty to their masters, coupled with their warlike nature, makes them not only unafraid of danger but also extremely excited about it.

"very good."

Alecto turned to face the cave.

"I'll be in front, Cyril will bring up the rear, and Gru and Goron, you two will cover the flanks. The rest of you, maintain formation and don't fall behind."

He paused, then added, "When faced with an enemy you can't defeat, prioritize your own survival. Your lives are more valuable than those ghouls."

This statement fueled the fervor in the eyes of the Dragonborn warriors.

"Now----"

Golden flames erupted from Alecto's body.

The scorching heat spread outwards, dispelling the chill and stench in the air.

"Set off."

The underground caves are deeper than I imagined.

Alector walked at the front, his golden flames swirling in the darkness, serving as both a source of light and protection.

Any ghoul that gets close will be burned to ashes before it even touches him.

Behind Cyril Palace, they continuously reinforced the rock strata overhead to prevent a collapse.

At the same time, spikes of rock silently shot out from the darkness, pinning the ghouls that were trying to ambush them to the rock wall.

Gru and Goron stood on either side, guarding the flanks of the group.

Goron held a newly forged heavy warhammer, the head of which was the size of a washbasin.

With each swing, a ghoul was smashed to pieces.

Gru became even more ferocious, wielding his spiked club. The ghoul's decaying armor was as fragile as paper before him; with a single blow, bones and armor shattered together.

The 30 soldiers formed a tight formation.

They were clad in heavy armor and wielded steel weapons, each strike clean and swift.

Their long-term joint training has made them work together seamlessly, with virtually no blind spots.

The team was like a sharp knife, piercing into the depths of darkness.

The further you go in, the more ghouls there are.

From initially appearing in small groups of three or five, to later becoming densely packed.

They poured out from the various tunnels and branching points of the cave, climbed down from the cracks overhead, and even burrowed out from underground.

But these low-level undead could not stop the advance of the group.

Alector didn't even use magic; he cleared a path with flames alone.

Wherever the golden flames passed, the ghouls didn't even leave ashes.

But his brows furrowed even more deeply.

Too much.

Since entering the cave, they have killed at least a thousand ghouls.

Yet these spirits continued to emerge endlessly, seemingly without end.

This is not normal.

Even the guardians of ancient ruins, after thousands of years, could not possibly preserve so many intact undead.

unless----

"A necromancer is controlling them."

Alecto suddenly spoke, his voice echoing through the cave.

Cyril paused.

"Is Master sure?"

"These ghouls are moving so in perfect coordination, look—"

Alecto pointed to a ghoul that had just been smashed to pieces by Goron's punch.

Before it died, the undead made a clear blocking motion, though it was of little use.

"Wild undead don't have this kind of fighting instinct. They only pounce and bite, they don't defend, and they certainly don't cooperate."

Cyril stared at the broken bones on the ground and fell silent.

indeed.

He had a similar feeling as he fought his way through.

Although these ghouls are not individually strong, they have a subtle teamwork with each other.

Some were responsible for frontal assaults, some tried to flank from behind, and some even used their bodies to create opportunities for their teammates.

This is something wild undead can't do.

"keep going."

Alecto made the decision.

Regardless of whether a necromancer is controlling it, he must find out what's inside this cave.

The team set off again.