Mercenary Wars

Chapter 179 Dividing the spoils
All five people claimed that they had not found anything.

But all five of them seemed to think it was fake.

Ultimately, they did not continue this pointless discussion, but instead took another stroll around the library before leaving to continue exploring other stone gates.

There are three stone gates remaining.

Behind one of the stone doors was a storage room, containing nothing of value, only piles of dust and rubble, and the pervasive smell of decay.

After leaving the storeroom, the five of them went to the closest of the remaining two stone doors.

open the door.

The view behind the door appeared to be a passageway, the end of which was not yet visible to the crowd due to their limited dark vision.

However, as the door was opened, a faint breeze drifted in.

A refreshing breeze.

There was absolutely no smell of decay.

“It seems this place is connected to the outside world,” Michael said.

James didn't say anything, but bent down, picked up a stone, and threw it into the darkness behind the door.

A few seconds later, the sound of a stone hitting the ground came from deep within the passage; it sounded very faint.

“It’s quite deep.” James frowned slightly.

Niels suggested, "Let's go check out the other stone gate first; this passage might be the exit."

James nodded: "Okay."

As he spoke, he turned around and walked toward another stone gate not far away.

Others followed suit.

Apart from Gaucano.

Gao Jiano was looking at the passageway in front of him, a conflicted expression on his face.

He is generally a person who doesn't show his emotions.

When a hint of struggle appeared on his face, he was actually scratching his head in frustration.

Gaucano was indeed very conflicted.

Because in his plant perception, the location of the level 10 plant is at the end of the passage in front of him, or at least in the direction in which the passage extends.

He now needs to make a choice.

Should we go to another stone gate with James and the others and enter this passage together, or should we enter the passage alone now?

The first option is safer; five people are better equipped to handle danger than one. But the problem is that, as the price of sharing the risk, the benefits must also be shared.

The blindfold headband is discreet in appearance, allowing one to enjoy it alone when others are not paying attention.

Plants are clearly unlikely to do so.

Forget-me-not plants have distinctive color characteristics that cannot be ignored.

He felt a little reluctant to give up a level 10 plant, no matter what kind of plant it was.

If you want to monopolize a level 10 plant, the only option might be to enter the passage alone now.

The risks are unknown.

The returns... are actually uncertain.

After all, Gao Jiano only knew that there was a level 10 plant inside, but he didn't know what the plant was.

Fortunately, there is still a minimum guarantee; the value of a level 10 plant will never be too low.

Even the lowest-ranking weeds, if they can grow to level ten, can be sold for a few gold coins.

In contrast, the risks here seem to have no "safety net," with two rooms already completely safe. Even the chapel guarded by two stone statues doesn't present a truly dire situation for Gaucano.

Therefore, after much deliberation, Gaucano made his final choice based on his own understanding and information.

Enter the passage alone!

Gaucano took a deep breath and stepped straight into the dark passage!

A few seconds later, his figure completely blended into the dark background of the passage.

At the same time, the other four also realized his choice.

"What does he mean by that?" The mage frowned as he looked in the direction Gaucano had left.

Niels simply said, without any context, "That's how self-righteous people are."

After a brief moment of thought, James pointed to the final stone door and said, "Let's see what's inside as soon as possible, and then catch up with him quickly."

"Why?" the monk asked.

James said calmly, "This pharmacist is different from those stupid and cowardly guys. He must have a good reason for doing this."

Niels' expression shifted slightly: "You mean... he has more accurate divination results?"

“It’s quite possible that if he had a powerful diviner friend—like Master Vivier of Ocalagan Island—he might know some very important information,” James said. “I’ve even heard that some great ancient diviners could predict the exact time when the Tidal Lands would open, which is incredible.”

“Vivre is indeed a very skilled fortune teller, but he has a rather bad reputation,” Michael said.

"Haha, really? I was just saying." James chuckled, and opened the last stone door at the same time.

The space behind the door is about the same size as the storage room.

But what's stored here is clearly not junk.

The storeroom contained only rotten wooden frames, but there were stone platforms with several intact boxes and a few mysterious items on them.

"Oracle chests?" The mage blinked, somewhat surprised, but quickly cooled down. "However, this is Hodr's church, and these oracle chests should all belong to Hodr... Do you have Hodr's holy name?"

"No, this is not a common holy name."

"That's true. It seems we'll have no choice but to sell them for money." The monk sighed.

Michael suddenly frowned and asked, "Shouldn't this be the relic room?"

James smiled: "Without a doubt, it's the Relic Room, and only the Relic Room would have an Oracle Chest."

Michael frowned even more: "The relic room has no stone statues or traps? That's a bit strange."

“There’s nothing strange about it,” James said calmly, as he walked toward a stone platform.

“You don’t seem surprised at all.” Michael paused for a moment, then continued, “Do you have some kind of ability to sense danger?” James paused. “Why do you say that?”

Michael said slowly, "You chose the order in which you entered the stone gates, and the first stone gate you chose seems to be the most dangerous one—many people left because of it, and the stone gates that followed were all safer."

The air was quiet for a while.

James suddenly laughed: "Smart!"

He turned around, giving him an admiring look: "Your name is Michael, right? I've been to so many Tidal Lands, and I always use this trick to scare away those losers. This is the first time I've been discovered."

Michael didn't say anything.

James then changed the subject: "But you shouldn't have any objections to this, right? Do you really think those weak and stupid idiots deserve to share the spoils with us?"

Michael paused for a second, then shrugged slightly: "Okay, you're right."

Niels said, "I guess you wouldn't want to split the spoils of this reliquary with us."

“Yes, you’re all smart guys.” James looked at the three of them. “You know that I’m the only indispensable member of this team, the only one who’s always at the forefront. I deserve the most spoils, don’t I?”

Monk: "How much do you want?"

James glanced around and said calmly, "There are six Oracle Chests here. You each get two, and the rest are mine."

The mage sneered, "What's the use of Hodr's Oracle Chest? Not many people have Hodr's holy name. I heard that this thing is worth less than two gold coins on the market. I didn't come to Hodr's Church to make that little bit of money!"

“Two treasure chests can sell for three or four gold coins, that’s not bad,” James said casually. “Compared to me, your role in the team is almost negligible.”

Michael: "Three or four gold coins aren't even enough for a fortune telling fee!"

James: "The spoils aren't distributed according to expenses, otherwise, would those guys who lost their lives also have to collect a death benefit from me?"

The group argued for a while about how to distribute the spoils.

It almost escalated to the point of a physical fight.

James is the strongest, but it's obviously unlikely he could take on three opponents at once.

Therefore, his attitude inevitably began to soften.

Finally, Nils said, "If we keep arguing like this, that apothecary will probably have already looted all the treasures in the passage!"

James finally compromised: "Okay, I'll take half of everything, and you guys take the other half, how about that?"

The three looked at each other and said, "Okay."

"Then it's settled."

With the consensus reached, the tense atmosphere finally eased.

Michael said, "James, can you tell us about your abilities?"

“There’s not much to say, it’s just sensing danger,” James said. “There are actually many abilities like this, and I only have a very ordinary one.”

"Can it sense all dangers?"

“Not really,” James said vaguely as he walked back to the stone platform. “I can only sense the dangers that I can handle.”

“Indeed.” A faint voice rang out.

"What do you mean, 'indeed'?" James said casually, then his expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly tried to dodge.

But it was too late.

Even before the eerie voice rang out, a semi-transparent attacker had already appeared out of thin air without warning!

At the same time, a faint light appeared in the attacker's hand, piercing towards James with astonishing speed and seemingly ignoring his armor, ultimately piercing through James's body almost without any surprise!
"Ah!" James screamed in pain.

He tried to struggle, but the eerie light piercing his body was like a thirsty life, surging and devouring most of his flesh and blood in a faint surge!
At the same time, the attacker who unleashed the eerie light had a sinister smile on his face. He looked to be in his forties, with gray eyes and gray hair, and was dressed in a magnificent black robe.

His translucent body revealed his identity—a ghost.

"Don't worry, you won't die from this." The ghost's body flickered slightly, its voice devoid of breath. "In fact, this is a conversion ceremony; you will become a glorious citizen of Hoddle!"

“Help me—” James cried out in despair.

Niels, Michael, and the mage exchanged glances, then without hesitation, turned and ran!

What a joke!
This black-robed figure is clearly a high-level ghost, possibly even exceeding level ten!

James was just arguing with them and they were on the verge of a fight. How could they possibly fight such a terrifying ghost to save James!

The three fled for their lives.

However, their escape speeds were not the same.

The fastest runner was Nils, whose speed was probably fast enough to surprise Gaucano.

Moreover, Niels can also become invisible.

As he ran out, his figure vanished instantly.

In contrast, the mage and Michael were much slower.

Before they even reached the door, the high-ranking ghost waved his hand, causing the stone door to close directly.

"boom!"

As the stone gate closed, despair crept onto the faces of the mage and Michael.

They turned their heads to look again.

LeBron James is finished.

Under the engulfing glow, his body had already turned into a dried-up corpse or a skeleton.

But as the Black Ghost said, James did not die because of this, at least not completely; he also became a ghost.

The ghost James's form was highly transparent, yet still vaguely visible.

This is related to the ghost's level; the higher the level of the ghost, the lower its transparency in its natural state.

James's level during his lifetime was eight, which is the dividing line for most ghosts.

Ghosts below level eight are completely transparent under normal conditions, while ghosts of level eight and above can usually be seen with the naked eye without the aid of magic.

For example, the black-robed ghost that suddenly appeared was a high-level ghost far exceeding level eight, with such low transparency that it even had a noticeable visual obscuring effect. The reason he hadn't been detected earlier was undoubtedly because he had used a concealment spell.

James, now a ghost, seems to be roaring in despair and trying to rebel, but he is restrained by an invisible force and can do nothing.

The black-robed ghost clapped his hands like a living person, then walked straight to a stone bench, bowed and sat down, raising his head and saying calmly, "Let me introduce myself, I am the bishop here, Hodelson."

(End of this chapter)