Chapter 312: You Were Peeking at Her, Right?
The four of us gathered around the Small Pavilion where Horazon was located. Beneath our feet was a Remote Teleportation Magic Array, though its shape was slightly different from the Pentagram I had seen at the Mage Guild. This Magic Array was a Heptagram-shaped, as the Horadrim seemed to favor the number seven.
When Fara saw the shape of the seven Socket in the corners of the Magic Array, he nearly had his Soul Scattered in fright – these seven Socket were actually shaped like Flawless Gem. However, seeing that there were already seven Flawless Gem in the Socket, he breathed a sigh of relief. Then his Gaze turned lewd, with the Air of someone about to dig up treasure and leave.
Indeed, Cain was holding his beloved Cane with both hands, following closely behind Fara with suspicion. As soon as Fara showed any tendency to lose his Reason, Cain would certainly not hesitate to deliver a sharp blow to the Head.
The Method to activate this Magic Array was simple, something I had mostly figured out myself. In the very center of the Magic Array was a Slot, the same size as the Staff Body of the Horadric Staff. I estimated that simply 'inserting' the Staff into it would definitely cause some Movement.
The reason we hadn't acted yet was that Akara was still organizing the relevant matters in her Brain after contacting the Horadrim. To put it crassly, she was contemplating how to maximize the utilization of the Horadrim's Strength. Fara took the Opportunity to begin studying the structure of the Magic Array, with Cain sticking close behind him, gripping his Cane tightly to prevent him from doing anything that would "damage the Elder's reputation."
I leaned against Light Snow 's half-curled, furry Body, silently watching the ever-changing starry sky above, and dozed off with Light Snow , enjoying these few days of rare Leisurely Time.
"Alright, everyone, let's Depart."
Half-asleep, Akara gave a command, startling everyone awake. I called Light Snow back and watched as Fara took out the Horadric Staff, walking solemnly step by step towards the center of the Magic Array. He raised the golden Staff high, took a deep breath, and then slowly but forcefully 'inserted' it into the Socket.
"Click—"
The Staff Body 'inserted' into the Slot without any gap, sinking in about a foot. It emitted a clear mechanical sound and then stopped. After letting go, Fara retreated repeatedly, quickly leaving the range of the Magic Array.
The moment the Staff was 'inserted' into the Slot, the entire Act seemed to fall silent. Everyone focused their Gaze on the Staff standing tall in the center. The Staff had remained motionless since being 'inserted'. But the more it stayed still, the more we swallowed our saliva. The Calm before the eruption, perhaps, felt just like this.
The next moment, the golden Staff emitted a brilliant Glow. It guided seven Lightning bolts to connect with the seven Flawless Gem on the Magic Array. The flickering Lightning Glow shot straight into the sky, and the entire dark starry sky seemed to begin surging.
"Ding—"
The first Gem suddenly lit up, emitting a dazzling Glow far exceeding what it could normally produce. After about a minute, the second Gem also lit up, followed by the third, and the fourth, lighting up one by one in a counter-clockwise direction.
When the last Gem lit up, the seven Lightning Magic bolts transmitted from the Staff flowed along every Engraving on the Magic Array, using the seven Gem – the seven corners of the Heptagram – as endpoints. Finally, they converged at the center and flowed back into the Horadric Staff. This cycle repeated continuously until every single fine Engraving on the entire Magic Array was completely lit up.
At the last moment, it was as if all the Energy contained within the Magic Array transformed into Light. A terrifying White Light radiated outwards from the Magic Array. I could guarantee that even a Class Changer, if they didn't close their Eyes in Time, would be blinded by these intense white Light, their Eyes rendered useless for at least a month.
After the Light dissipated, the three of us (Akara herself was blind) slowly opened our Eyes. We found that everything had returned to Calm. The only difference was that the Magic Engraving of the Teleportation Magic Array, which had been dull, now flowed with a layer of fluorescent color, emitting a faint seven-colored Glow, adding a touch of dreamy ripple-like Beauty to the entire Magic Array.
I had no Time to appreciate this beautiful sight, instead frantically 'rubbing' my Eyes – even though I had closed them, the intense Light had penetrated through my arm, then through my eyelids, stinging my eyeballs white. Fara and Cain were probably not much better off.
When we stepped into the Teleportation Array, there was the expected flash of White Light. When I opened my Eyes again, a gust of hot wind and sand blew over, and my Eyes were 'blinded' again. Damn it, I've been really unlucky lately.
However, judging by that gust of wind and sand and the current temperature, we should now be located in the Desert.
After I adjusted, I looked around at the Surroundings. We seemed to be on a Platform built of Yellow Stone. Below the Platform, dozens of people in simple Clothes were gathered, men, women, and children among them. They looked at the four of us with blank Gaze, and people were still constantly running from a distance.
Everyone stared at each other for a while. The crowd below the Platform, which had grown larger and larger, suddenly erupted as if by agreement. Hot Tears streamed down everyone's faces. They supported each other, embraced, and leaped. Many elderly people even knelt on the ground in excitement, murmuring and weeping uncontrollably.
"So bored!!"
I lay on the Roof, squinting my Eyes and basking in the Sun. Ah, I'm sorry, I used the wrong word. It should be that I had already been basking in the Sun for a full three hours. As for why I was still basking in the Sun in the Desert, that's because...
"So bored..."
I rolled over, lay on my side, and stretched. My Gaze fell upon the Street not far away. To put it simply, the Horadrim Tribe's layout was somewhat similar to the Slum in Lut Gholein. Most of the Houses were built with yellow mud. If there was any difference, it was probably that a few Horadrim who knew how to live had created some small Magic to reconstruct the simple Mud House, making them look much more aesthetically pleasing, unlike the Houses in the Slum which were rough and uneven on the surface, as if they could be blown down by a gust of wind.
In the entire Tribe, only the Mage Tower in the very center was the most spectacular. It had Walls built of Marble, dotted with many green plants inside. The towering fiery red spire was a full hundred meters high, looking like a corrupt official's mansion built in a poor area. Of course, it only looked like one. Inside the Mage Tower were the Valuable Data passed down through generations of the Horadrim, the Spiritual Banner of the entire Tribe.
Fara and Cain were probably still messing around in there. Poor Horadrim, what you've welcomed is not just a Savior, but also two great Research Fanatic who have long coveted your Treasured Data, and a Black-Hearted Great Elder. Only I came with the Pure Purpose.
Finally, my Gaze fell upon the Horadrim passing by below. How should I put it, their Clothes were also like those from the Slum. Most of their Clothes were made of Beast Hide. There was nothing they could do, the Horadrim were not skilled in handicrafts. Apart from their Magic Talent, they had no special skills in other fields. The most important thing was that this isolated ghost place couldn't grow Cotton and Linen at all.
However, if you looked down on them because of their attire, you would be greatly mistaken. They only had poor living conditions; they were not lacking in other aspects. There was a long string of Fact to prove this – there wasn't a single Illiterate Person in the entire Horadrim Tribe. This was unheard of in the Knowledge-poor Sanctuary. And I dare say, if you randomly grabbed a child around ten years old on the Street, the Magic Knowledge in their Brain might be much stronger than mine.
Of course, I know comparing myself, a Magic Idiot, is nothing to be proud of, but it's enough to show that the Horadrim here haven't given up their Racial Glory. When the Time is right, they will dedicate themselves to recreating the Glory of their Ancestor from ten thousand years ago.
The entire Horadrim Tribe currently has a Population of nearly fifty thousand. This is thanks to the wisdom of their Ancestor, who left behind an Area large enough to support hundreds of thousands of people when setting up the Restriction, including dozens of fertile Land and Water Source-rich Oasis. However, despite this, the Horadrim's Resources are still relatively scarce. Their Meat mostly consists of Sand Worm and Scorpion, and crops and Fruit are even rarer. Although there are many Oasis, the Desert is not very suitable for growing these things, and to provide for a full fifty thousand people, the Quantity divided among them is pitifully small.
But now, all of this will change because of our arrival. The sealed Teleportation Array has been opened. The Horadrim, who have been sealed away for thousands of years, can finally escape this Cage and breathe a different Air. The lacking Supplies can be continuously transported in. It's no wonder they cried so hard when we first arrived; it was thousands of years of hardship.
Oh oh, that girl opposite seems pretty good. She looks eighteen or nineteen, with delicate Features that are very cute, a sweet smile, and an incredibly well-proportioned Figure. It's just that her Skin isn't white enough (undoubtedly, over 80% of Lolicon prefer milky white Skin). This is understandable, after all, this is a Desert Environment. If she were taken to the Camp and raised for a few years, wouldn't she become fair and tender?
After a while, my Gaze became improper. Speaking of which, besides having Magic Talent, the Horadrim also seem to have quite a few Beauty.
Just as I was engrossed in watching the passing Maiden, I was suddenly called from behind. Turning around, I saw it was Sakhrul, the Great Elder of the Horadrim. No wonder he could call out my Name.
"Elder Fan, where are you going? If you'd like to familiarize yourself with the Tribe, I can show you around." The somewhat thin and dark Old Man smiled slightly, pulling at his faded Mage Robe.
"I wouldn't dare trouble Your Excellency the Great Elder's Time. I'm just a bit bored and wanted to wander around nearby," I replied politely.
"Haha, it's alright, it's alright. I'm just idle myself. This place is a bit dilapidated, and it has made Elder Fan bored, that's our fault."
"Not at all, not at all," I quickly shook my Head. I always felt there was a hint of Conspiracy brewing in the Old Man's words.
"However, since the Elder is idle, I do have a Matter to Request. I wonder if you could help us with a Favor." As expected, Sakhrul changed the subject, revealing the unique smile of a Newbie Village NPC Village Chief giving a Quest.
"Great Elder, please don't be so polite. The Difficulty of the Horadrim is the Difficulty of our Adventurer's Guild. Just say what you need. We will definitely do our best." I agreed readily. Anyway, I was bored being idle, so I might as well see what Request Sakhrul would make.
"It's like this..." Sakhrul rattled on, explaining the Reason to me.
It turned out that there were many Ancient Tomb around the Restriction of the Horadrim. However, these Ancient Tomb had now become a Paradise for Monster. Of course, the Horadrim could also Leveling Up using these Monster, so it was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
But at some unknown Time, in one of the seven largest Ancient Tomb, a powerful Dark Power suddenly appeared. According to Expert detection, the deepest part of the tomb was very likely occupied by Duriel, one of the Four Great Demon Lords of Hell. This possibility immediately made the entire Horadrim Tribe uneasy, fearing that Duriel might become Restless one day and come out to play Sneak attack. Therefore, Sakhrul wanted me to investigate whether this was Fact.
Perhaps some might ask, with so many Sorceress in the Horadrim, would they still be afraid of a mere Duriel? That's true in theory, but one must also consider that this is the Western Kingdoms Desert, where the Monster are generally only up to Level twenty-something. Therefore, no matter how much the Horadrim train, their Level can only stay around Level thirty. So, although there are many Sorceress here, they can at most be considered a New force; not a single one is capable of fighting a Demon Lord.
Of course, if Duriel were to come out in a straightforward Battle, facing so many Sorceress, the Result would only be being blasted into nothingness. The fear is that it might play Sneak attack. Trying to go inside to deal with it is also not very practical, because the Terrain of the Ancient Tomb is Narrow terrain, and Sorceress Life is so fragile. People who have played the Game might understand this Feeling – the frustration of an under-Level eighteen Sorceress dealing with Duriel.
Sakhrul's worry was precisely this. Therefore, his Request was simple: a Tank Class has rarely come to the Tribe, so please help us go inside and investigate if it is indeed Duriel. Of course, if you can eliminate that unknown Enemy, that would be even better.
So, I was going back to being an Ace Fighter, huh? I wiped away some sweat and agreed, then happily trotted back the way I came – Nonsense, of course, I was going to find Fara for help.
But when I returned to the Residence, I found that the three people I thought were still in the Meeting were all gone. Although I knew Fara had likely run off to the Mage Tower again to research Data, I estimated that even if I found him, with his Personality, he might not be willing to move an inch.
What to do? I had already agreed, and the Ace Fighter was conveniently absent. It seemed I could only go alone. Based on Sakhrul's Statement and the Inference from the Game, I was certain it must be Duriel. With its mere Strength as a Demon King Projection, I didn't put it in my Eyes.
However, the biggest Technical Problem was – I didn't know the way.
When I went to Sakhrul with a long face, he smiled slightly: "Ah, I see. No problem, I'll find a Guide for the Elder."
Saying that, he shouted a few times towards the back of the House.
"Tia, Tia, where did you run off to again, you girl?" What a fierce Way of calling people. I didn't expect Elder Sakhrul to have such a straightforward side.
"Grandpa, I'm coming, you're annoying, the Neighbor heard you."
A sweet Ending sound, as if hummed from the nose, came from a Maiden who ran in from the back Courtyard.
"..."
Upon seeing the Appearance of Sakhrul's Granddaughter, I nearly stumbled – wasn't this the incredibly well-figured Horadrim Beauty I had been staring at from the Roof?
"Come, come, let me introduce you. This is Elder Wu Fan of the Adventurer's Guild. I presume you've heard about him these past few days. He is a Great benefactor to our Horadrim. Now, Elder Fan wants to go to that Ancient Tomb to investigate and remove another Hidden Danger for us. I know you often adventure in that Ancient Tomb, so this Time, guide Elder Fan."
Sakhrul coughed, his Face softening.
The Maiden ignored her Grandpa's pretense and looked towards me. That simple, fervent, and pure Gaze unique to Desert Maiden lingered on my Body for a moment, and the smile at the Corner of her mouth became even sweeter.
"I know you, you know. You were lying on the Roof just now, peeking at me, right?"
The Maiden, whose good Figure was accentuated by her thin Leather clothes, put her hands behind her back and leaned her Head forward. Her well-proportioned Chest seemed even more prominent with this Movement. Her flawless, transparent large Eyes clearly reflected my Appearance. After observing me with interest for a while, she suddenly said with a sweet laugh.
OMG!!!!!!!!!!!