Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 216 Attack on the Mineral Cart
The army entered the dimly lit mine, which was damp and smelled of blood.

If a large human army were to enter, torches would have to be lit, and the remaining debris would have to be cleared away step by step.

But vampires are not afraid at all. They are the dead themselves, so why would they be scared by inanimate objects?

With the Swift Acceleration ability, the vampire count's speed increased dramatically, allowing him to react instantly even when facing danger.

Liliana's immediate concern upon entering was the group of Bloodthirsty Gold-Devouring Beasts. She remembered Su Mu mentioning that illusionary spirits could exist in special environments. If the enemy were to further strengthen the Bloodthirsty Gold-Devouring Beasts, they would become truly difficult to deal with.

Their worries seemed unnecessary; they didn't encounter any more gold-devouring beasts. However, the passage was quite long, with new minecart tracks leading deeper into the tunnel.

Akasha glanced into the darkness and warned, "This minecart is very sturdy and seems to contain some kind of powerful magic. We'd better not ride it!"

Liliana also carefully observed the minecart and discovered that it was integrated with the mine, a kind of ethereal magical device that could be reassembled even if destroyed, and it would run every once in a while.

"Waaaaah! Rumble rumble rumble!"

The minecart started up again and headed deeper into the cave. Liliana commanded the skeleton soldiers to board and scout ahead.

At the same time, she made two preparations and sent a group of vampire counts to scout the cave by air to see if there were any other dangers inside.

Liliana used magic to leave communication channels in both locations, awaiting news.

She glanced at Su Mu, wanting to speak, but then swallowed her words. This time leading troops was clearly a test for her; she wanted to command independently first.

Previous battles had all involved surprise attacks and the advantage of different unit types. This gold mine exploration was the first time she had faced a truly difficult challenge, and she didn't want to disappoint Su Mu.

About ten minutes later, intelligence began to come back one after another.

The vampire vanguard reported that there is a powerful magical barrier inside the cave. If they do not rely on minecarts to move around, even level 4 units will fall into the trap, have all their status effects dispelled, and be attacked by the bloodthirsty gold-eating beasts along the way. They simply cannot withstand more than a few rounds of attacks.

Moreover, the deeper they went, the stronger the gold-transforming ability of the gold-devouring beast seemed to become, which was very bad news.

The news from this side is bad, and there's absolutely no word from the other side.

"Waaaaah! Rumble rumble rumble!"

Even after the minecart reformed, there was still no reply from the skeleton soldiers; the magic seemed to have been shut down.

Liliana hesitated for a moment, then waved her hand, leading a hundred vampire counts onto a minecart, ready to head deeper into the mine.

Su Mu also jumped forward to cast an anti-magic spell on the troops. This way, even if they encountered danger, they could hold out for a while and be able to adapt to any situation.

"The cursed spirit is very likely inside the mine. This illusionary trial is not only a battle, but also a test of courage. Instead of hesitating, we should go all out and find out. I believe that with our strength, we can definitely defeat the enemy!"

Su Mu smiled and said, "You're asking me to discuss this? Aren't you afraid I'll be disappointed in you?"

Liliana said seriously, "Everything is aimed at capturing the gold mine. I will not let personal opinions interfere with the work. If there is anything I am not good enough, please point it out directly. I will humbly accept your feedback."

Su Mu nodded; Liliana was unusually insightful.

Their goal was to seize the gold mine, especially in such a crucial situation. If they succeeded, even if her performance was mediocre, things would be more negotiable. If they failed, even her best leadership would be useless.

Liliana's ability to recognize the situation and avoid losing sight of the bigger picture, demonstrating that a general prioritizes the overall situation and is willing to do anything to achieve victory, is truly commendable.

"There's a cursed spirit inside the mine, and it enhances the ability to turn metal into gold. The minecarts, on the other hand, have a cursed barrier that weakens the gold-devouring beasts. To deal with that cursed spirit, we have to go inside in the minecarts, but there are other dangers deeper inside, so we can't explore there for now!"

With Su Mu's approval, Liliana felt confident and allowed the vampires to attach themselves to each minecart.

About a minute later, the minecart started up and sped up faster and faster, moving at breakneck speed.

As the minecart moved forward, the dark mine began to change dramatically. The rocks gradually disappeared, and gold filled the cave, shimmering with the light of magical energy.

"Enemy attack! Prepare for battle!"

On a high-speed mining cart, the vampire is attacked by a bloodthirsty gold-eating beast.

The terrifying monsters had already devoured enough cursed gold, and they leaped through the cave walls and climbed onto the minecarts, engaging the vampires in combat.

Although the magically formed minecart was not small and long enough, it was still somewhat crowded with more than two hundred extraordinary soldiers, making a "creaking" sound.

The vampire counts, however, paid no heed to these matters, engaging the Bloodthirsty Beasts in fierce combat. They used their blood poison to deplete the enemies' health, and combined this with high attack and defense to finish off the weakened beasts.

On the minecart, the chances of turning into gold have clearly decreased, and the Bloodthirsty Gold-Loving Beast tries to pounce on the Vampire Count.

Once they leave the protection of the minecart, they will be turned into gold in mid-air, bounced back and forth against the stone walls, and then devoured by the gold-loving beasts that follow.

So Su Mu used his Mighty Shield to fix himself to the minecart, which not only stabilized the vampire but also restricted the gold-devouring beast that was flying back and forth. The two sides could only fight on the moving minecart.

We'll rely on the hero's enhanced offense and defense to slowly whittle down the Bloodthirsty Gold Beast.

The cursed spirit secretly in command was clearly unwilling to give up and activated a special spell, which rapidly increased the physical immunity of the Bloodthirsty Beast, even rising to 90% in a short period of time. The vampire count could only rely on blood poison to fight it, which was very difficult and resulted in heavy losses.

Liliana then began to cast her own spell, a deadly bewitching spell with high magical power, which immediately controlled more than 30 bloodthirsty gold-eating beasts, causing them to devour their companions' bodies.

They are monsters that specialize in eating gold, and even if it ends up inside their companions' stomachs, they can find it as long as it hasn't been digested.

As a result, many of the bloodthirsty gold-eating beasts were left mutilated and riddled with holes. Worse still, without the added power of gold, the gold-eating beasts' abilities were greatly reduced, making them no match for the vampire count.

Two against one, Justice quickly wiped out the troublesome monsters.

As the battle drew to a close, the minecart was about to reach its destination. At the end of the track, however, lay a bottomless pit. Everyone was thrown out of the car and landed on a platform in the center.

The platform was bound by eight golden chains and floated in the air, piled high with gleaming gold coins. Countless treasure chests were open, so bright that it was hard to open one's eyes.

"How much money must this be!"

Anyone who takes the money here can spend it all, even if they squander it every day.

However, Su Mu immediately saw through it; this was merely a manifestation of the gold mine's magical power, not an actual gold coin. Nevertheless, one thing was certain: this was definitely a high-grade gold mine, a veritable treasure trove.

Just as they were stunned by the gold coins, a squad of golden guards suddenly appeared around them. Their upper bodies were wrapped in gold sand armor, and a storm was surging below them. The warriors, who were made entirely of gold, launched a deadly attack on the vampire count.

[Gold element!]

(End of this chapter)