Goddess Kaleidoscope

Normally, such a sneak attack would have no chance against a master like the old butler, but the old butler was exhausted from the previous series of battles, and his reaction speed had also dropped significantly due to fatigue, which is why he was caught off guard.

Because of his carelessness, the old butler failed to dodge and was surrounded by a group of ghosts. The poor, top-level expert with ancient martial arts skills was held by a group of undead and jumped into the icy, deep pool of water.

"senior!!!"

On the other side of the beam, Trin and Denzel watched helplessly as their greatest support fell into the water and perished, finding it hard to accept.

At this moment, several of the undead slaves who had conspired to kill the old steward surfaced. Undead creatures have no physical form, so even though the dense water has no buoyancy, it could not trap these flying creatures. After emerging from the water, they stared intently at Trin and Denzel with malicious eyes, and let out sinister laughs.

Seeing this, Denzel reached out and pressed his hand against the hard leather pouch at his waist, which contained the last bottle of holy water he carried.

"Young Master Terlin, we have to go."

"Go...where to go?"

The old butler's death dealt a heavy blow to Trin, leaving the young master utterly disoriented. Denzel had no choice but to drag him along. Several dead slaves "stood" on the water's surface, not in a hurry to attack the two slowly moving figures on the beam, as if a cat were toying with mice.

"Don't come any closer, or I'll get rough!"

Looking at the four undead surrounding him, Denzel could only take out his last bottle of holy water, then bite open the stopper, deliberately letting out a trace of the holy water's aura to threaten these spirit creatures that were not afraid of physical attacks.

Sensing the aura of the holy water, the dead slaves immediately became wary, putting some distance between themselves and letting out threatening roars like wild beasts.

Just then, footsteps sounded again at the entrance to the room, unlike the heavy footsteps of the golem; they sounded like human voices. Denzel and Trinn looked in the direction of the sound and saw a strange figure in a black robe appear at the entrance. The figure looked up at the two of them, revealing a bizarre mask.

Denzel was horrified to discover that he had only made eye contact with the other person from at least thirty or forty meters away, and he was so frightened that he almost dropped the holy water bottle.

Upon seeing the other's mask, Trinn, like Denzel, trembled uncontrollably from a deep-seated fear, but his expression was one of extreme anger as he gritted his teeth and roared at the other.

"Dick! You son of a bitch! You dared to plot against me! The Navarro family will never let you get away with this!"

Faced with Trin's "threat," the necromancer leaned against the door, letting out a nonchalant chuckle from beneath his mask. The current situation was one where he was already invincible.

With the old steward, the biggest threat, gone, only Trin and a novice adventurer at the bronze level remained. Although he had also lost quite a few slaves, they were just expendable cannon fodder. He still had a few of his strongest warriors to use, so at this moment, Trin was like a fish lying flat on a chopping board in his eyes, his life and death entirely in his hands.

“Young Master Navarro, how about we have a chat? I know why your family hates me so much, but I’ve also gained some very interesting information because of it. Aren’t you even a little bit interested in what your notoriously cunning father is hiding from you?”

End of this chapter

Trinn knew the reasons behind his family's decision to kill the necromancer Dick, even disregarding their shared membership in the Brotherhood of the Black Hand. Besides internal power struggles, the main reason was Dick's unforgivable actions.

That damned grave robber dug up the Navarro family's ancestral grave!

The Navarro family's ancestral graves are located on the hill behind the family estate, and are always under the daily care of dedicated personnel, practically right under their noses.

Before the incident, probably no one in the family would have believed that any audacious grave robber would dare to raid their family's grave. But Trilling, this old grave robber, was not only daring but also incredibly skilled, managing to dig a tunnel several hundred meters long to infiltrate directly beneath the Navarro family cemetery. As a result, it wasn't until nearly a month later that the cemetery's caretaker noticed something amiss and reported the situation to the head of the family.

The family immediately sent people to inspect the cemetery, and to their utter fury, they found that the remains of eleven family members had been desecrated, their heads severed and taken away. The family concluded that it was the work of the necromancer Dick, as he possessed the ability to extract fragments of souls from remains and steal the memories of the deceased.

After this incident, the Navarro family did not make a public fuss, because it was too humiliating, like having someone shit on their head. If they were to speak out loudly, they would definitely become a laughing stock for their rivals, so they had to handle it discreetly.

The feud between the two sides was thus established. The Navarro family, who pretended nothing had happened, secretly mobilized a large amount of manpower and resources, vowing to make the necromancer Dick pay for his actions, but at the same time, they had to make his death as secret as possible so that the shameful matter could not be exposed.

Trilling hated Dick because the guy had sneaked into their family cemetery and dared to desecrate his mother's body.

Because Terlin's birth mother was a magician with spiritual power far exceeding that of ordinary people, she belonged to a high-risk group that seemed particularly prone to becoming an undead. Therefore, after her death, she was cremated and her ashes were buried in the family cemetery.

The problem is that Dick is a necromancer, and the dead, from their souls to their bodies and even the ashes left after cremation, are all usable "materials." Trin's birth mother was a magician, so her ashes were considered precious materials by Dick, and he took them with him as well.

Having learned of Dick's actions, Trilling wanted nothing more than to tear the grave robber to pieces. But then Dick suddenly asked him in a very amused tone if he wanted to know some secrets his father hadn't told him. Almost instinctively, Trilling thought of his mother's very strange cause of death.

Three years ago, Terin's mother passed away due to illness. At that time, Terin was not in Yanmu City, but was studying in the Canary Empire in the south. He did not learn of his mother's death until he returned home a year later.

Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the natural course of life. In addition, Trin's mother had been in poor health before, so the death of a close relative was certainly sad, but Trin quickly recovered from his grief.

But a chance overhearing made him realize that his mother's death was probably not so simple.

On the other side, Dick noticed the change in Trilling's expression and knew that his words had successfully piqued the other's interest.

Dick deliberately said these things in front of Trilling not only because he felt confident of victory, but also because he wanted to use this as leverage to obtain some of the latest information about the Navarro family from Trilling.

His initial act of robbing the Navarro family's cemetery was not merely out of a perverse sense of humor or simple greed; he was commissioned to steal the Navarro family's secrets.

The dead hold no secrets for necromancers, but the memories on the fragments of the soul are also incomplete, representing only the most vivid moments from the deceased's life, and therefore may not be what the necromancer needs.

The eleven skulls that Dick stole from the Navarro family cemetery were supposed to belong to important figures in the family, including several previous patriarchs. However, after searching through them, Dick found no valuable information. Instead, he learned all about the sexual fetishes of the male members of the Navarro family for the past three generations.

It's worth mentioning that the process of "reading" these fragments of memory is not simply about looking at them, but rather like possessing someone and experiencing the life experiences of the original owner of these memories. This process is truly indescribable.

Especially the family's patriarch from the previous generation, who was also Trin's great-grandfather, this guy was not only gay, but also a bottom! Dick searched his soul fragments and had a terrible experience of being violated.

Therefore, after confirming that he had the upper hand, Dick did not rush to kill Trin... He wanted to capture him alive!

“Think it over carefully, Master Trin. You know I am a necromancer, and my abilities allow me to read the memories of the dead, and your mother’s ashes happen to be in my possession. Don’t you really want to know what your mother went through before she died?”

"What...what do you want?"

"Let's exchange intelligence. If the information you provide satisfies me, I might even let you go. What do you say?"

"I...I don't believe you at all!"

"You don't need to believe me. You just need to know that you have no choice. Even if you bite your tongue and commit suicide now, I still have a way to make you speak after you die. It's just that it's more troublesome, and I hate trouble."

Dick's words silenced Trilling, and it was clear to anyone that he was struggling internally. Denzel, who had remained silent, was now filled with regret, thinking he shouldn't have accepted Trilling's offer to hire him in the first place.

It's not hard to tell from their conversation that Terlin and the masked man below definitely know each other, and they even seem to have a grudge against each other. The conversation also involves so-called "family secrets." As an outsider, if he heard all this, how could he possibly survive?

Thinking of this, Denzel couldn't help but have the idea of ​​running away, and quietly tried to retreat. But he had barely moved his feet by five centimeters when a gust of cold wind suddenly attacked him from behind. Denzel felt the cold wind instantly enter his body, and his whole body stiffened as if frozen, with only his eyeballs still able to move with difficulty.

Denzel looked at Trillin, who, like himself, was completely immobilized. From his perspective, he could see a long-haired female undead clinging to Trillin's back, their posture intimate like that of a lover. Denzel then realized that he himself must be carrying one on his back as well.

At this moment, the necromancer below let out a sly laugh of triumph. He had been babbling on like a chatterbox for so long just to attract their attention so that his undead slaves could capture them alive.

"Hehe, Young Master Telin, you still lack experience in the ways of the world!"

For Dick, successfully capturing Trin alive was an almost perfect victory. He needed Trin's memories, but the memories of the dead are incomplete, and he couldn't guarantee that he could convert Trin's soul into an undead being 100% effective. Therefore, the safest and most effective method was still to "take it alive."

That is, while Trin is alive, open his skull and then use necromancy to directly extract his memories from his fresh brain.

It's an extremely cruel spell, but it's very effective!

With the help of several dead slaves, the immobilized Denzel and Trin were lifted down from the beam and brought before Dick.

The necromancer bent down to look at Trin, who could only stare at him, and patted him on the head while speaking in a mocking tone.

"Kid, you're in my hands now. We need to find a place where we won't be disturbed, then I'll show you something good!"

At Dick's signal, the dead slave who was holding Trillin blew a breath of yin energy onto the back of his neck, and Trillin immediately fainted, his face turning ashen. Dick then looked at Denzel, who was standing to the side. This young man was not among his targets, nor was he a member of the Navarro family. He was just an ordinary adventurer, and in principle, he could simply be tossed into the secret pool and that would be the end of it.

However, after thinking about it, Dick decided to take him with him on the move, because he was going to use the spell on Trin next. He hadn't used it many times before, and the success rate wasn't very high. Taking this kid along would be perfect as "material" for the rehearsal.

So Denzel was also knocked unconscious and, carried by a group of dead slaves, left the cold, arcane pool room with Dick.

As the group left, no one noticed that a string of bubbles suddenly rose from the previously still pool water...

Meanwhile, on the ground, after a night's rest, Lud led his men into the maze, where the starting hall's rotating wheel displayed the number "12".

So Ludger did some research and, besides himself, Shanis, and Hume, he chose two experienced adventurers who had entered the labyrinth many times for the remaining nine spots: the archer Aramis, the dwarf captain Yorn, and five other skilled fighters.

Just before entering the maze, Lude pretended to confirm the list of teams that might be the first to break through the first level of the maze with Yorn.

After a whole night, there are still three teams on the list that have not yet returned to the ground. It can be basically concluded that they should all be below the second level of the maze at this moment. Lude then copied the personnel list of these three teams and carried it with him.

After entering the maze, the team moved quickly forward, encountering almost no danger along the way. Because the maze's mechanism resets all traps only once every seven days, with so many teams having paved the way for them, almost all the traps on the first floor were triggered. It was like visiting a museum; they reached the BOSS room without any major incident.

The defeated Dog Bro's "body" sat leaning against the flower bed. The once withered white flower field bloomed brilliantly again, covering Dog Bro's body and giving it a poignant beauty.

The group paused there for a moment, and Lude pretended to look around, then began to analyze things like a famous detective.

"The core of the golem has been destroyed. Judging from the traces at the scene, it was a one-on-one duel. It was probably a master of ancient martial arts. Almost all of the moves were piercing... Hmm, interesting."

"Master, you could tell that?"

"With enough experience, this is just simple reasoning."

By subtly showing off, Ludwig garnered admiring glances from his entourage. Only Hume and Shanes exchanged a silent look, knowing full well why Ludwig knew so much – it wasn't something he deduced from experience.

At this moment, an adventurer found the pit where Trin and the others had buried their companions' remains. The pit had been dug up more than once by other adventurers who had swarmed in like locusts, but almost everyone stopped after digging up the blood-soaked body bags, so no one discovered the treasure chest underneath.

After entering the second level of the maze, the group could clearly feel that there were more people here. As soon as they entered the first area, they encountered a team of adventurers who were preparing to leave the maze.

There were seven people on the other side, almost all of them were injured. The big man who looked like the captain was carrying a teammate who had lost consciousness.

The two sides clashed head-on in the maze. The adventurers were visibly nervous, and the archers in the team even subconsciously drew their bows and nocked an arrow, looking as if they had already entered battle mode.

Seeing this, Rudd quickly cast a soothing spell to calm the adventurers down. Rudd knew very well that in this labyrinth, the adventurers' enemies weren't just the various traps and golems within; other adventurers were also potential threats, especially when you're holding a treasure chest.

Fortunately, the soothing spell worked, and the gentle holy light allowed the adventurers to recognize Rudd's identity. Seeing that it was the town's most respected saint who had personally come to the labyrinth, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Master, please, save my brother!"

Knowing that Rudd was a priest, the burly man leading the group quickly put his teammate down and begged Rudd for help. Seemingly afraid that Rudd would refuse, the man then had his teammate open his backpack, which was full of comical coins and various magic crystals, all rewards obtained from opening treasure chests in the maze.

Lud was naturally not short of such things. With a wave of his hand, he cast a Holy Healing spell and instantly healed the seriously injured people on the ground. He didn't ask them for any money, but simply asked them about the situation in the area in front of the maze, which he considered as payment for their medical treatment. The adventurers were so moved that they were filled with gratitude and their faith surged.

The big man immediately told Lud everything he knew in detail.

"The vanguard that's making the fastest progress has already reached the third floor. The level master of the second floor was a giant-headed monster, but it has already been defeated. It's said to be slightly easier to deal with than the watchdog of the first floor, but unfortunately we haven't seen it. We've been to the third floor before, but we were severely injured after only reaching the second area. Master, you must be extra careful!"

End of this chapter

I've been feeling really stressed these past few days, partly because of writer's block and partly because of the book that "Macho Man" wrote that got banned.

My previous book was banned, and I've been patiently waiting for over a month. A while ago, I contacted my editor to ask when it would be released, but the reply I received was that there were problems with my book, and it needed to be revised before it could be unbanned.

But when I asked which part was problematic and how I should fix it, they refused to give me any information. All I was supposed to do was revise this million-word novel, and once it was finished, I'd ask the editor for a second review. If they approved it and thought it was okay, it could be released. But what constitutes "okay" and where exactly is the problem? I had to guess all of that myself… It felt like playing Minesweeper without any hints!

To put it simply, I've been experiencing a lot of physical and mental problems lately.

I hope I can finish writing it tomorrow...

End of this chapter

After parting ways with the retreating adventurer party, Lud and his group continued forward in the direction the other party had just come from.

The third level of the labyrinth is themed around "coldness," and the traps and mechanisms have been given new properties of being sensitive to light and heat. This means that adventurers must be extra careful when using torches for lighting and trying to keep warm.