Zongman: The wrong person on the ground, double Shenwei at the beginning

Page 95

Camish, hidden in the shadows, gave Rhodes a warning.

"Ah, don't worry."

Rhodes did not pause in his steps; instead, a playful smile appeared on his lips.

"Let her see as much as she wants. Perfect, I want to see her too."

He raised his head seemingly unintentionally, his gaze precisely fixed on a miniature device at the top of the cave that was almost integrated with the rock and barely noticeable to the naked eye.

Then, he flashed a smile so bright it could stop the watcher's heart and waved casually.

In a secret room, the figure peering into everything through the eye crystal suddenly trembled.

However, she didn't suffer cardiac arrest, because she didn't have a heart at all...

Rhodes didn't destroy the gadget; he simply continued following the instructions, while the identity of the person behind it all came to mind.

The sage who created the Philosopher's Stone eight hundred years ago.

In this day and age, when it comes to the technology of creating magical artifacts, she is undoubtedly at the top. Even the exceptionally talented but still immature Asphie is far inferior to her.

She even created forbidden magic that could truly bring the dead back to life.

With the body of a mortal, I declare war on the god who controls death!

Although this spell hasn't succeeded even once yet...

But Rhodes knew that the magic was genuine.

It's such a waste for someone like her to stay in the dungeon. I think we're destined to be together.

On the sacred altar, four enormous torches crackled and popped.

The flickering firelight illuminated the stone altar.

Uranus sat on his throne, lost in the silence.

He rested his arms on the handrail, his pale blue eyes beneath his hoodie gazing at the distant steps.

"Fels".

His voice was deep and calm.

The voice that should have been cast into the darkness was answered.

"Yes, I am here, Uranus."

From the shadows of the altar, where the torchlight could not reach, a vague outline emerged, seemingly formed from pure darkness.

The person was dressed in a jet-black robe, with not a single inch of skin exposed, and his entire being seemed to be formed from darkness.

Her face was completely hidden in the deep shadow cast by the hoodie, impenetrable by any light, making it impossible to see her true appearance.

The exposed hands were also covered with the same jet-black gloves, which were decorated with some kind of complex and mysterious patterns.

The voice that reached the altar was also neutral; one could not determine whether it was male or female simply by listening to the voice.

"How...how did that boy sense the presence of the heretic?"

"...I don't know, but at least under my surveillance, the heretic never had any contact with him."

"So, is it that kind of terrifying ability?"

From the darkness to Uranus's left, the figure named Fels silently approached and finally stopped before the throne.

"Ha, Uranus, do you call that power to command the dead merely an ability?"

These words contained both sarcasm towards the gods and heartfelt admiration for Rhodes, but more importantly, they were an undisguised warning.

"I think even the so-called powers of your gods are nothing more than this, aren't they?"

Uranus remained silent for a moment, unable to refute it.

"The boy's origins are too extraordinary; his appearance has plunged the future of the entire world into chaos."

So, is it a good thing or a bad thing?

"He encountered the children of the Astrea Familia, so... that's going to be a good thing."

"...Should I feel fortunate?"

A hint of teasing suddenly appeared in Fels' neutral voice.

"To be honest, even with my body that's just a skeleton, the thought of having to fight against such a monster makes my bones tremble with fear."

Uranus glanced at her speechlessly upon hearing this.

When he met his gaze, Fels shrank back, his chin tucked under his hood.

"So, is it really okay to let him associate with heretics?"

Her tone became serious again.

"Based on my observation, he is not the kind of guy who is generous and tolerant towards outsiders."

Uranus pondered for a long time before finally making a decision.

"Since he is favored by justice, it proves that he is not someone who cannot distinguish between good and evil. I choose to believe him."

Although Fels secretly admired Rhodes's "decisiveness towards outsiders and favoritism towards his own people," she had to remain rational and calm at this moment.

"That reason isn't enough to convince me."

As a result, Uranus calmly delivered a conclusion that left Fels speechless and was absolutely convincing.

“There are many beautiful girls among the heretics.”

Fels was completely silenced.

Based on her long-term observation, this reason... was indeed enough to prevent the boy from immediately killing her upon meeting her.

An eerie silence fell over the altar.

After an unknown amount of time, Fels's eerie voice rang out again.

"You mean...would he be interested in skeletons? I think my kind is actually quite rare, rather blatant."

Uranus's lips twitched almost imperceptibly as he took a deep breath.

"Don't laugh at the challenge, I lost."

Although it started as a joke, the idea of meeting Rhodes did arise in Fels' mind.

After all, they've already greeted me from so far away; it would be impolite not to return the greeting.

Furthermore, she harbored great curiosity about the mysterious ability to summon the dead, wondering if it could bring some new inspiration to her magical research.

While Uranus and Fels were each lost in their own thoughts, Rhodes arrived at a rectangular cave.

It is more than ten meters wide and the same height as the top of the head.

The ceiling and walls are also made of tree bark, covered with luminous bluish moss.

The entire cave is like a beautifully tended flower garden, adorned with greenery and pure white flowers everywhere.

However, what's even more eye-catching than the flowerbeds is...

It is those deep green quartz crystal clusters that grow everywhere, reminiscent of top-quality emeralds.

Rhodes walked straight into the depths of the cave, to a corner of the crystal cluster that covered the entire wall.

His right fingers lightly touched it, and then—with a little force!

With a sharp sound like shattering glass, the quartz shattered into pieces, revealing the hidden tree hole that had been concealed.

"Using the dungeon's self-repairing function to hide the entrance...that's ingenious."

In just a short while, the crystal began to slowly recover at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Rhodes narrowed his eyes, then stepped inside without hesitation.

At the end of the tree-hole slope is a pool of clear, cool spring water.

Rhodes' eyes pierced through the passage hidden at the bottom of the spring. After judging the distance, his entire body disappeared into the shadow beneath his feet as if melting ink.

The next instant, he quietly emerged from the shadows of an even larger, more massive cavern.

"Chirp chirp...chirp?"

Inside the cave, the enigmatic song, which had been like the chirping of birds, abruptly ceased.

A half-human, half-bird girl who looked to be only eight or nine years old was happily preening her beautiful feathers when, without warning, she saw a human emerge from the shadows.

Perhaps because she had never seen such a bizarre entrance before, she stared blankly at Rhodes, her clear, rouge-colored eyes filled with curiosity, as if trying to find some special biological characteristics on him.

As a result... she couldn't see any of the features...

He's just an ordinary human being.

Eyes facing each other.

The half-human bird girl's face turned deathly pale in an instant!

“Huh? Huh? Huh?!”

Wait! Could it be... could it be that he's the kind of human adventurer that Sister Rei and the others were talking about, the one who catches monsters, eats them, skins them, and pulls out their tendons?!

The thought of the terrible fate that had repeatedly warned her about when she might encounter adventurers terrified her, and she desperately tried to flap her wings and escape this dreadful place.

However, she was so frightened that she could only flap her wings weakly before losing all strength.

"Ouch!"

With a cute cry of pain, she fell to the ground with a thud, rubbing her bottom with tears in her eyes.

Seeing her clumsy yet adorable appearance, Rod couldn't help but chuckle.

He took a step forward, slowly walked towards her, and extended his hand.

"ah--!"

The half-human bird girl instinctively screamed in fear, curled up, hugged herself tightly with her wings, closed her eyes, and trembled all over, waiting for the terrifying attack she had anticipated.

However, what she received was not a painful blow.

Instead, a warm hand gently landed on her head and softly stroked it.

"My cat and dragon both seem to like it, what do you think?"

"..."

She secretly opened her wings a tiny gap, nervously and appreciatively peeking at the smiling human in front of her.

"You...you won't hurt me?"

Rod raised an eyebrow.

"Generally speaking, I don't hurt others when I'm in a good mood."

"Ugh... So, how are you feeling right now?"

"not bad."

Perhaps due to her naivety and simple-mindedness, the half-human bird girl gradually became less afraid than she had been at the beginning.

"My name is Fei'er! Sir, what's your name?"