Storm of Gods

Chapter 86 The Secret Fortress

"President, when are you free? Or should I come later?" Li Xin asked. This guy was obviously from another country, and he certainly couldn't talk about Hextech Cores in front of outsiders.

Damn, is this guy a thief?
At this point, Li Xin saw everyone as a suspect.

"Luo Xue, you two chat. I'll just take a look around the Tianjing Academy. I wonder if I'd have the honor of having dinner with you all tonight?" Simmons said with a smile.

Luo Xue had no problem with it. Guests are guests, and Simmons had a relatively good personality when they were in the Secret Castle. He didn't exactly take care of her, but he certainly didn't bully her. You know, there was a group of people there who were always thinking about how to kill their rivals, like the people from Black Meteor.

Reaching the door, Simmons suddenly turned back as if remembering something. "What's your name, buddy?"

"Oh, let me introduce you. This is Li Xin, a substitute for our Tianjing team," Luo Xue said. "This is Simmons, the captain of the Holy Ze Academy in the Four Nations Tournament, the famous genius knight of Montaletta."

Luo Xue recognized Li Xin because he had helped her. Li Xin and she were not on the same level in the secret fortress, and he should not know Simmons either. This was her secret weapon, and she did not want to expose it.

Simmons left thoughtfully. After he left, Li Xin recounted the theft of the Hextech Core, saying, "I don't think we can do anything on our own. We need the assistance of the city guards."

As the president of Black Rose, Luo Xue has a very strong sense of responsibility. Upon hearing this, she nodded and said, "Indeed, although I don't understand the importance of this Hextech Core, I remember that they were busy with this research last year. It seems that they made some progress around that time, and it was not until this year that it was initially completed. It's too coincidental that the core and the blueprints were stolen. I will think of a way after I go back today."

There's still some confidence in this. Luo Xue is Locke Nan's apple of his eye. After returning from obtaining the divine relic in the Secret Fortress, she will become the future head of the family and carry the banner. This is also why the Luo family is giving their full support to this Four Nations Tournament. As the president of the Black Rose Guild, Luo Xue will have no shortage of glory, and she will become an important cornerstone for ruling Tianjing in the future.

When it comes to continuing the family's glory, no one has a way out. If they retreat, they will be devoured and swallowed up by others. This has been the case since ancient times.

The new nobility are all born from struggle, which is why even though Locknan felt sorry for Luo Xue, he still sent her to the secret castle.

Hearing Luo Xue's agreement, Li Xin breathed a sigh of relief. Let him handle it alone; he's not a god who can predict his own demise with dice.

The city guard is responsible for daily security, both inside and outside the city. Night patrols only target awakened individuals in the underground city, including gangsters, and they merely register them without actually interfering. However, the city guard is the one in charge of maintaining order.

Stealing a Hextech Core is such a dangerous thing, the other party should also know that there will always be traces left during storage and transportation. Although Li Xin did not say that he used dice to calculate, he reminded that this theft was related to the intentional or unintentional leakage of information by an insider.

This was a minor matter for Luo Xue. Her pressure came from Simmons. Before Simmons arrived, she was determined to prove herself, but in the time it took to drink tea, he subtly suppressed that thought. Moreover, Luo Xue did not think that he was bluffing.

“What do you think of Simmons? He also came from there and we’ve done a few tests together. Our serial numbers should be in the same range,” Luo Xue said. “Kaz should be about the same as Simmons, or even a little stronger based on the current data.”

At this time, Li Xin was the only person she could confide in.

“Those are all in the past. Battles are also a great opportunity for growth. It’s a good thing to have experts around,” Li Xin said with a smile.

Luo Xue glanced at Li Xin, wondering how he managed to do it so easily. This wasn't some kind of growth opportunity; she would have to fight for it. However, her assessment of the situation was too optimistic. Regardless of Zhao Qing's stance, his strength was considerable, and he had made a name for himself in Longjing. She had inquired about this, and he was indeed a man of substance. Whether he possessed divine relics was unclear, but he had at least reached the level of the Eye of Mystery. With Li Xin added to the mix, Luo Xue still had high hopes for this lineup.

"Did he say anything?" Li Xin could sense that Luo Xue seemed to care a lot about this person.

Luo Xue looked at Li Xin, hesitated for a moment, and then repeated Simmons' words exactly as he had said, including some details of his expression.

Li Xin also fell into deep thought. He heard a useful word, "the road." Obviously, the Church was not the road. Luo Xue also realized this. The reason was that the secrets of the Dao Yuan Continent were in the hands of the Church and the old nobles.

Matthew knows, Luo Jin doesn't, Simmons knows, Luo Xue doesn't.

"The path" is very important, absolutely more important than cultivating spiritual energy strength and techniques. "Li Xin, don't feel pressured, we still have a chance!" Luo Xue said. She felt that as the captain, she couldn't back down. If she had doubts, the team members would have even less courage. "Let's have dinner together tonight."

"Not tonight, I have to go back," Li Xin said.

It was a pity he missed out on a meal, but he still had to go back so that Aunt Fei could feel more at ease, since what happened last night was quite frightening.

Upon returning to the temporary residence of the Holy See, Simmons was no longer as confident as before; that face kept swirling in his mind the whole way.

The team members, who had been chatting and laughing, also quieted down and looked at their captain, the most powerful captain in the history of the Holy Ze Academy. Without a doubt, their captain was far more powerful than the rumors outside. As for the Four Nations Tournament, their only opponent was the Iron Blood Academy. Montaleta and Iron Blood were sworn enemies. Both countries were superpowers in the Dao Yuan East Continent, and their friction and conflict had lasted for thousands of years. Neither of them could conquer the other.

The competition between the two sides is comprehensive, especially the Church of the Goddess. One worships the Earth Mother Goddess, and the other worships the God of the Underworld. One represents vitality, and the other represents decay. They are inherently at odds, and the team members are determined to defeat each other. In their eyes, the Church of the Moon Goddess and the Beast Goddess is somewhat inferior.

Simmons was oblivious to his teammates' gazes. He was lost in thought. It was too similar. Although a long time had passed and his appearance had changed considerably, the features were still there. But that was secondary. The main thing was the look in his eyes. It was exactly the same look he had given Simmons back then.

Time seemed to stand still at this moment. Within the secret fortress, the divisions were clear and the hierarchy was strict. Everything in the secular world lost its meaning. People without numbers were no different from consumables. Those with numbers showed their rank. Immortals would be assigned numbers according to their potential and abilities, and these numbers would be continuously adjusted with each test.

Only those of excellent quality have a chance to be matched with divine relics.

His serial number was 158. After returning to his family, it was said to be the highest in his family's history. Kaz should also be in the top 200. Luo Xue was definitely lower, but she herself didn't know it. Some tests require a certain number of candidates with the same type of talent to be together, and the serial number will be expanded to between 201 and 500. However, these ranges are actually meaningless and are just a distinguishing code.

One advantage of having a long history is the abundance of information. For example, the Fortress is alive, and the Immortals are part of the Fortress. One of his ancestors also left behind a message: the top 100 members of the Fortress will have a special mark branded on their chests, and Dark Gold Priests will often be seen around them.

Be careful of those who possess the mark, because they live in a completely different world from everyone else. Simply put, compared to them, everyone else is just consumable. This is the greatest secret of the Fortress that transcends the divine relics themselves. For thousands of years, the Fortress has been searching for something.

These people are either exceptionally talented or come from extraordinary forces. Their talents are inherited through bloodlines, such as those from other holy sites, royal families, or secret monasteries.

He stayed in the secret castle for a long time. Simmons was precocious and familiar with the rules of the secret castle. As long as he didn't die, the longer he stayed in the secret castle, the more he could gain. The secret castle didn't care about life or death, nor did it deliberately target anyone. So as long as he grasped the rules and had a little strength and luck, he could gain a lot.

The Fortress is never short of geniuses, or rather, geniuses are just the threshold to enter the Fortress. Round after round of selection, all kinds of chosen ones have to go through a lot. Because Simmons is particularly sensible and cooperative, the immortals manage him relatively easily, and even arrange for him to do some auxiliary management tasks.

Every living thing has habits, and by understanding and adapting to those habits, one can gain certain advantages.

As a result, he came into contact with a test. On that day, his confidence was overturned. There were only a dozen people, and they were full of amazing spiritual energy. They did not use code names and seemed to know each other. He recognized one of them as the second prince of their Moncaleta Kingdom, who was known as a genius who appeared once in a hundred years and had the great Aura bloodline.

Just when he thought he had been lucky enough to come into contact with the highest level of the Secret Castle, and was even planning how to get close to the prince and leave an impression, he saw the red-robed immortal in the Secret Castle for the first time. Behind him were five dark gold immortals, and they were with a child who looked to be only six or seven years old.

All eyes were on him, including the aloof Second Prince.

At that moment, he understood what it meant to stand like an ant, and those dark eyes seemed like they belonged to yesterday.

The content of that test was incredibly bizarre; he still doesn't understand it.

Simmons' family was also a prominent family in Montaleta and had always been members of the Secret Fortress Society. Their ancestors had recorded much about this place, but never mentioned it.

Why would someone like that be here?
The team members all looked at Simmons. They rarely saw their captain with such a serious expression. Simmons was indeed conflicted. The top 100 were dangerous. The family's attitude was to stay away from them and not to approach them if they were not at the required level. That person was so special that he might be hiding an even bigger secret.

Simmons was tormented by intense curiosity. He wanted to know if this person was really him, and if he had a mark on his chest. Was it really true, as his ancestors said, that they were not worthy of having marks?
Doesn't that mean they are just higher-end consumables?
(End of this chapter)