Great, now we are dead!

Tears streamed down Senxi's face, the bitter liquid dripping into the bowl, the ripples glistening with oil in the sunlight, as memories flashed by like a revolving lantern.

His entire life was consumed in this bowl of meat soup!

"I've finally found it... This is the taste I've always wanted to eat again... The taste of that soup!"

I understand now, I finally understand... That's a swift eagle! It's a swift eagle!

It's neither a griffin nor anything else, it's a hawk!

"Ugh?"

Leios looked at Sensi, who was crying bitterly, and was completely at a loss, not knowing how to comfort him.

Marushir and the others noticed the commotion and rushed over. Chilchak angrily shouted, "Leos! What strange thing are you doing?!"

Why do you doubt me?

The crowd was noisy and chaotic. Senxi cried and laughed in the crowd, and it took a while for her to calm down. Ye Shou watched this scene quietly with a blank expression from beginning to end, but finally a relieved smile slowly appeared on his face.

Isn’t this good?

……

After calming down, Senxi told everyone his story from back then with a sense of relief, which brought tears to the eyes of the two girls and moved the others deeply.

But regardless, this is ultimately a story that "continues to offer hope."

Even in dire straits, the dwarves did not turn on each other, but instead entrusted the hope of survival to the young people... This is why Sensi was happy to help the young people, and even dared to accompany Leos and the others to slay the dragon.

While the desire to eat fire dragon meat was one factor, the situation of the Leos Squad at the time was truly unbearable. Without an expert in monster cuisine, they would have absolutely no chance of obtaining sufficient nutrition during their journey.

Especially since Leos is someone who's willing to eat anything, he might just eat something poisonous and die!

Now, Leos has rescued his sister, Senxi has resolved his inner conflict, and Ye Shou has helped them in the process. In turn, everyone helps Ye Shou fight against the "family curse" and try to suppress the maze.

When passed between people, it doesn't diminish like money; instead, it grows stronger—that's what "hope" is!

Afterwards, everyone enjoyed a delicious meal of hawk soup, sukiyaki, and hawk skewers.

Incidentally, the swift eagle tastes much better than the blazing dragon. After processing, its meat is even better than real horse meat, so Ye Shou deliberately kept some extra.

……

For an entire day, under Ye Shou's command, everyone hid all sorts of treasure chests throughout the deserted island, waiting for adventurers to come and find them.

No one can resist this real "treasure hunt," and adventurers are full of envy and greed, so there will probably be a lot of trouble. But that's no longer Ye Shou's business.

Interestingly, Ye Shou followed the experience and skills of the [Monster Slayer] and found the nest of the eagle. He originally wanted to see if there were any eggs and try to tame this monster (after all, it looked really suitable as a mount).

However, he discovered a natural tunnel leading directly into the mountainside around his lair, seemingly connecting to an extremely deep and secluded place... It seems Ye Shou's "unfortunate prediction" came true; there really is an entrance to the depths of a labyrinth on this island!

Ye Shou felt that this might be the effect of the [Treasure Hunter] ability, which had guided him when he chose the island. Now, walking in might lead him to the bottom of the maze, so he was very happy.

They blew up the tunnel entrance!

It's possible that he was just lucky, but it's also very likely that the mastermind behind the maze, the "Winged Lion," that demon that devours desire, is behind it all!

As the source of power for the labyrinth, the Winged Lion's tentacles extend to all levels, and it must have already taken notice of Leos and himself.

Although the winged lion cannot directly interfere with the outside world due to the seal, it is well-versed in human nature and desires and can easily lure people into its trap with a little manipulation.

Of course, this might not necessarily be the work of the Winged Lion, but it's always better to be cautious.

Ye Shou had no desire to have any contact with this ancient and dangerous creature. Its power and value were certainly tempting, but when you think, "I just need to be careful and I won't be attacked," you're already walking on the edge of a cliff!

You're after the devil's interest, but the devil is after your principal.

Aside from Guilliman, who says "I believe you if you dare to say it," and Leos, who says "If you eat me, I'll eat you," people with normal thought processes shouldn't even think about taking advantage of demons.

Leaving that aside, Ye Shou silently blew up the tunnel entrance without telling anyone. Leos and the others, who heard the sound, were only told that the explosion was to create an obstacle to hide the treasure chest.

After finishing all preparations, Ye Shou and the others embarked on their return journey. As the fishing boat drifted on the sea, a clear, bright moon hung in the sky, and the brilliant starlight gently sprinkled on the sea. After a busy day, everyone relaxed and quietly enjoyed the cool sea breeze...

"In that case, the adventurers will have to work on the deserted island for at least ten days to half a month, which gives us enough time... In the end, all that's left is how to defeat the Lord of the Labyrinth?"

Marushir lay on the deck, her head resting on her staff: "What should we do?"

"So we really have to go into the maze after all?"

Farin shook her head. "I can't think of any other way."

"No need to bother."

Ye Shou walked over from the bow of the ship and sat down cross-legged opposite Falin.

"Miss Farin can use teleportation magic, right?"

"Huh? That's true... but it's impossible to conquer a dungeon using teleportation magic."

Farin scratched her cheek in frustration: "Not only are there many restrictions, but the maze is constantly changing, with no stable coordinates or enclosed environment. Forcing your way in would be very dangerous."

When the Leos Squad was about to be wiped out by the Flame Dragon, Farin used a group teleportation to send the others to the ground, thus saving their lives.

However, this is a life-or-death gamble, and teleportation is generally not possible in a maze—because it's impossible to accurately control where you're sent!

Normally, teleportation magic, like resurrection, requires many prerequisites to succeed:

First, both ends of the transmission require a stable and enclosed room, with doors and windows that cannot be opened;

Secondly, magical items such as scrolls and mirrors are needed as "doors" to connect the two sides; these items are often quite precious.

Finally, the message can only be transmitted outwards from the maze, not inwards from the outside.

Because the coordinates inside the maze change frequently, the coordinates left last time may now be a lava pool or a monster's lair. Going there rashly is just courting death!

(There are also those who ignore these forced teleportations...like the completely fearless Captain Canary.)

As a human, Farin's ability to master group teleportation at this age is truly remarkable, but she never considered using teleportation to conquer the maze—not that no one had tried, but the results were always tragic.

The significance of teleportation magic in the labyrinth is simply that it allows you to directly reach the "base" on the ground when returning, saving a lot of travel time.

—And this is how the rich play; it's not suitable for adventurers who are dirt poor.

This requires renting a closed room long-term and hiring someone to watch over it so that no one can break in.

"Oh, don't worry, I don't plan to use it on people, I just want to send some things into the maze."

Ye Shou asked earnestly, "Is it possible?"

"Get the object into the maze?"

Farin and Marushir whispered a few words to each other, and then nodded.

"Yes, for example, object replacement... but it's difficult to control the position, it's completely random."

"It's alright, as long as we can stay in the maze, it's fine—of course, the deeper the better."

Ye Shou smiled brightly: "The Mad Mage will definitely love the gift I gave him."

Chapter 74 Do you like the big rockets I send?

Since the Golden Kingdom Labyrinth passed its period of prosperity and entered a long period of development, the port hasn't been this bustling in a long time.

From large cargo ships to small sampans, anything that could float on water was rented by the adventurers.

Like sailors during the Age of Exploration, they yearned for the new world, their eyes gleaming with the desire to get rich overnight, rowing their oars with all their might, raising their sails, and heading towards their "One Piece"!

All of this stemmed from a rumor that had been quietly circulating. The adventurers, who had already tasted the benefits, outwardly claimed that it was definitely a lie and advised their fellow adventurers not to be so easily fooled. But behind their backs, they wished they could charter all the ships and prevent anyone but themselves from leaving the island!

In the midst of this frenzied adventure, a small team had just returned from the maze. Upon seeing this scene, they were utterly bewildered:

"Hey, what's going on? What happened on the island?"

"Tsk! Get out of my way, you foreigner!"

Everyone was very impatient. They consulted four or five people and paid some consultation fees before they finally understood what had happened.

"We were only gone for a few days, and so much has happened..."

"This is not the time to talk about this, Maizuru."

The squad leader was a haggard young man. Several days and nights of sleepless nights had left him listless, but his figure, clad in light armor, remained upright, clearly indicating that he was an excellent swordsman.

He paid no attention to the fact that there was treasure and a labyrinth entrance on the island, because he had no time to explore the unknown or deal with the competition from adventurers.

"Quickly procure supplies! We need to rest as soon as possible and re-enter the maze!"

"Yes, Master."

The Japanese woman dressed as a shrine maiden responded respectfully. Although her several black-clad followers looked distressed, none of them dared to complain.

At this moment, it was another group of people who came out with them, or rather their leader—a dark-skinned but handsome young man—who stepped forward and kindly advised him not to act impulsively.

"We have suffered heavy losses. We have lost almost all of our equipment, and the mages are all exhausted. Entering the labyrinth now is not a good idea."

Furthermore, given the current situation on the island... I'm afraid even with money, it would be impossible to obtain enough supplies.

"but!"

The young swordsman roared furiously, "At this rate, Farin will be completely digested by the Flame Dragon!"

"I know you're in a hurry, but please don't—"

"Who will be digested?"

A gentle voice intervened in the argument between the two, causing both the swordsman Kikuro and the dark-skinned young man Cabel to freeze in surprise.

Kikuro reacted extremely strongly, turning his head to see the mage girl, his mouth agape in shock: "Fallin? How could you..."

"My brothers rescued me. It's been so long, Kikuro... well, it hasn't been that long, um..."

"They've been rescued... Huh?"

Kikuro breathed a sigh of relief. The string that had been taut all along suddenly snapped, and he felt all his strength drain away. His eyes rolled back and he collapsed, causing a stir among the crowd.

"Master!"

"Lord Kikuro!"

A little further away from them, Leos's team stood with Ye Shou, watching this scene with some confusion.

"I know Kikuro...who are the others?"

Leos stroked his chin, his gaze sweeping over the group repeatedly, especially the dark-skinned young man in the lead, before finally confirming:

do not know!

……

Kikuro was the former katana user of the Leos Squad. After Farin was swallowed by the Flame Dragon, he believed that the Leos Squad was no longer capable of saving her, so he decisively left the team and went to the town to gather his own men. He was the young master of a wealthy family in the East and had come out to gain experience with a group of trusted subordinates.

His team was indeed very strong, marching at breakneck speed without wasting much time, and even managed to save the Kabul squad, which had been wiped out by monsters.

Upon hearing that Kikuro was going to rescue Farin from the "Leos Squad," Kabul immediately offered to help in order to repay the life-saving debt, and the two teams joined forces and sped up their journey.

However, to their surprise, Leos encountered Ye Shou and Senxi, who started speedrunning, so they ultimately missed the race.

They were unaware of the Flame Dragon's information and thought the target was on the sixth floor. When they rushed there, they were surprised to find that the originally dry and hot environment had turned into a frozen wasteland.

And it was here that they encountered the master of the labyrinth—

A mad magician!

It was a dark-skinned elf, holding a golden magic book, and for some reason looked very weak, with a personality as irritable and easily angered as a rabid dog.

The two teams had no idea what was going on, and before they could even speak, they were suddenly attacked by the mage!

While summoning monsters to annihilate them, the opposing side shouted, "Was it you?! Did you do this? Which bastard set this trap?!"

—These nonsensical words.

Faced with a berserk mage who can freely manipulate monsters and labyrinths, they are powerless to fight back and will soon be wiped out!

But when faced with a life-or-death situation, the magician seemed to be distracted by something, and with a casual remark, "Winged Lions again?" he entered the depths of the maze, leaving the group bewildered and beaten up.

Then it was time to run back to our corpses, resurrect, and return to town together. We thought it was impossible to save Farin, but she actually came out before us...

"You guys really have it tough."

After listening to their story, I exclaimed, "How unlucky to have encountered such a madman!"

"Yeah...it feels like he's looking for someone. What could have made him so angry?"

Kaboul stroked his chin in confusion. "That's strange..."

"After all, his nickname is the Mad Magician, so don't try to understand him with normal human thinking."

Ye Shou's expression remained unchanged, without the slightest wavering. Even Kabul, who was an expert in micro-expressions, did not notice anything amiss.