Offer blocks to the end times

After saying goodbye to the heretics who remained, Senju and Lila returned to the eighteenth floor. The two chatted idly, and the topic was William, of course. Lila talked about how William had been teased by the princess before, while Senju talked about how William had lewdly harassed Chtholly and flirted with Phil.

For some reason, after hearing what Senju said, Lila seemed very angry. However, she then became somewhat skeptical. Senju then produced a previously recorded audio recording as evidence, which Lila crushed in one swift motion.

“Looks like you’ve grown a lot after sleeping for five hundred years,” Lila said, blushing slightly as if she had thought of something. “But that tough look suits me best.”

Chapter 514 The Expeditionary Force Arrives

After chatting for a while, Senju sensed that Rila seemed to be burning with passion, and then asked more about William and Chtholly. Senju slowly began to tell the story, from their first meeting to the present.

"So that's how it is. They were actually replicas of the hero. Chtholly was holding my sword. Could it be that William..." Lila's words seemed to change as she spoke, before she remembered that Senju was nearby.

She coughed lightly, "Ahem, Senju, you don't know, but before, a very beautiful princess tried to seduce William, but he didn't react at all. Now I can finally rest assured."

"Is that so? But..." Senju said with a sigh. The princess she was talking about must have turned to ashes or become a beast. "By the way, I wonder if William and the others have arrived yet."

“Not yet,” Lila shook her head. “I haven’t sensed William’s presence yet, but there is a large amount of energy gathering over there.”

"That's Rivera over there, a small town in the dungeon, inhabited entirely by adventurers," Thousand Hands explained. Lila, standing nearby, seemed quite interested and told Thousand Hands about the dungeons of their original world.

It turns out that dungeons also existed in William's original world, but the monsters inside were made of curses. To go to the dungeons, you had to prepare a lot of amulets, otherwise you could easily be controlled by the curses.

Thousand Hands then remembered that he had a bunch of amulets, so he took them out and asked Lila to appraise them, while Thousand Hands looked at the situation inside the space.

In that forest, some of the heretics sunbathed, some who could fly flew around in the sky, and some searched for food in the forest. However, there was nothing edible there. Of course, they didn't recognize the pumpkins and watermelons on the ground. Thousand Hands had to teach them some of the food rules of this world before they understood.

Senju placed a number of monster spawners on the side, then took Rei into her familia and leveled her up to level 5, where she could use tools. She also taught Rei some knowledge about this place and put her in charge of building it.

After providing some tools, she busied herself with them, while Senju turned her attention to the underground prison, where a tragedy seemed to have taken place.

It's unclear which brainless jailer broke the seals on those people, but a fierce battle ensued inside. Several unlucky jailers fell there, while the rest hid elsewhere. Thousand Hands captured them and threw them into the forest.

However, even after being freed from their restraints, the poachers were helpless against this dungeon, as they couldn't find a way out.

After watching speechlessly for a while, Senju activated the parasitic wood, and the group of people immediately collapsed. Then, Senju kindly used the wooden vines to help them sort out their belongings and found a bunch of strange things.

A notebook with various architectural drawings, several round beads with a 'D' engraved in the middle, several red whips, as well as some weapons, potions, and valuables—all were carefully kept by Senju.

After studying it for a while, Senju couldn't find a clue, but Lila looked up and said, "William and the others have already..."

"We've arrived. Let's go meet them."

Thousand Hands nodded and put away the items and people. Lila also handed the remaining amulets to Thousand Hands and recommended a classic amulet set for the dungeon.

The two ran forward and soon met up with Finn and the others. Finn bowed to Senju, "Lord Senju, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. I wonder how the secret passage is going?"

"I've caught some insiders," Thousand Hands said, opening up a space and building a row of wooden pillars. He tied them to the pillars, and after a while, some of them woke up and started saying nasty things, but Thousand Hands blocked them with wood. One of the bald giants was the fiercest and almost broke free of his restraints, so Thousand Hands had to add some bait to make him hang there obediently.

"Are they the people from the secret passage?" Finn looked seriously at the people tied up there, gripping his thumb. "Strange, my thumb hurts. Something's about to happen."

"Brave, brave warrior?!" Seemingly recognizing Finn and his group, the group of bound people dared not utter a sound, fearing that they were not properly restrained and would be discovered by this raging little man. Lila, on the other hand, was somewhat concerned about the title, and William explained it to her.

Thousand fingers pointed at the people. "They are all people I caught in that hidden passage, but I haven't interrogated them yet. However, I think you, Finn, will be interested."

“Of course, I’m very interested,” Finn said after watching Senju gesture with his fingers to indicate the amount of money. “I happen to have some precious ores and raw materials that I can give to Lord Senju to develop tools.”

“Hmm, very good, they’re yours now. By the way, the wood outside is a seal, be careful after opening it. Also, I added parasitic wood to it to weaken their abilities,” Senju nodded in satisfaction, then ran to the side to talk to William, “Why are you so late? Did something happen on the way?”

“Nothing happened, we just set off a little late,” William replied, then looked at the group of people beside him. “But the guys you caught have a lot of resentment about them, they don’t look like good people.”

“Yeah, I can smell them too, it’s the same smell as ogres,” Nigolan said, covering her nose.

"I see," Senju scratched his head and told the two what had happened. They then realized that these were poachers hunting heretics.

Instead of interrogating the prisoners, Finn arranged for Tiona, Tione, and Ais to go to the designated camp to make preparations, while he and Riveria stayed behind.

"Rivieria, heal them," Finn said to his companion. Rivieria immediately understood and used magic to heal the people slightly, making them able to speak more easily.

“The Ikeros Familia, huh? I wonder when you allied yourselves with the Dark Familia?” Finn recognized their affiliation after examining their appearances. “And ‘Brutal’ Dix Perticus, I didn’t expect you to be here too. You must be a Level 1 adventurer now.”

"Hmph," Dix snorted unhappily. Of course, he knew that even in his prime, he was no match for the dwarfs on the other side, let alone now.

"Won't you talk?" Finn changed targets. The other person seemed to recognize Finn and trembled with fear. "Brave, Brave Lord!"

Chapter 515 Artificial Maze

"Don't worry, I'm just asking a small question. Where does that passage lead?" Finn seemed not to recognize the person opposite him and continued to ask him in a friendly manner.

The other party immediately confessed, tears streaming down their face, "I said! It's an artificial maze, a secret passage built by Daedalus that leads directly from the middle level to the surface. Dix knows the entire passage."

"Daedalus, huh? By the way, how's Varetta?" Finn asked with a smile, but Varetta immediately started trembling and didn't dare to speak.

“It seems the Dark Familia faked their deaths in that incident on the 27th floor,” Finn said seriously, biting his thumb, with a bad feeling. “Those man-eating plants were created by them, weren’t they? Could they be trying to transport monsters through this secret passage?”

“Very likely,” Riveria nodded, “there may still be remnants of the Thanatos Familia who want revenge.”

“Yes, I’ve always felt that something was off about what happened on the 27th floor. The white-haired ghost appeared a few days ago, so those dead Dark Familia executives might not actually be dead. This message must be sent back to ensure Loki’s safety,” Finn said seriously, then turned to Riveria. “It seems this expedition won’t go too smoothly. We must divide our forces.”

“Hmm,” Riveria nodded, “The appearance of the Dark Familia must be brewing a big conspiracy. The defense of headquarters cannot be relaxed. So let Bert, Grace, Tiona, and Tione take some team members back to defend.”

"Tch," Bert grumbled from the side, but he knew the consequences of an attack on headquarters, so he didn't say anything more. Lefia, on the other hand, was a little uneasy. "Um, is the expedition okay?"

“No problem, we still have reinforcements,” Finn said, glancing at the Thousand Hands beside him. “This expedition will definitely succeed, but what we need to figure out now is the true situation of the secret passage.”

“迪

"Dixie, where did you get Daedalus's legacy from?" Finn asked Dix, who was tied up tightly to the side. Dix opened his eyes. "Get it? It was imposed on us by our ancestors, and as their descendant, I can use it as I please."

“Descendants of Daedalus?” Finn frowned, then removed Dix’s sunglasses. “You’re not. According to the teachings, descendants of Daedalus all have a ‘D’ symbol in their left eye, which is the blood curse placed by Daedalus.”

"D? Could it be the D clan?" Senju was also lost in thought, but then he remembered the few items in his hand, took out the spheres and asked tremblingly, "This, what is this?"

“That’s right, those are props made from eyeballs dug out of corpses,” Dix said viciously. “They’re also the keys to the man-made labyrinth Nosas.”

"Holy crap!" Senju cursed in shock, throwing the eyeball to the ground. Finn picked it up and examined it closely. "So, this means we can use this to enter that secret passage? But why are you explaining it in such detail? Do you have any requirements, Dix?"

“Of course, this seal can even seal bloodlines, which reminds me of my original purpose,” Dix sneered. “I just wanted to destroy that artificial labyrinth. Daedalus used to keep babbling on and on, but now that he’s silent, I can take this opportunity to destroy the labyrinth.”

“While most of what you said is true, I feel like something’s a little off,” Finn said, flexing his thumb and slowly backing away. “It feels like you’re up to something.”

"Tch, as expected of LV6, so sensitive. But you'll all be buried with me," Dix said, his body suddenly expanding as he broke free from his restraints. He then pulled a sphere from the sealed wood in his chest and crushed it.

"..." Everyone watched his performance, but in the end nothing happened. Dix was also stunned. "How is this possible! I could clearly feel the energy inside. Strange, what is this?"

He stared blankly at the metal fragments in his hand. While he was in a daze, Thousand Finger pointed, and the parasitic wood in his body began to move. Dix immediately lost control of his body.

"What is this?" Several people around were puzzled. Senju explained, "I originally planted a powerful bomb inside. He probably wanted to kill everyone with him, but I've replaced it with a remote-controlled bomb."

After Senju explained, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, then went up and beat Dix up, using various unique sealing techniques on him.

After beating up Dix, everyone felt refreshed. Finn looked at the remaining people and said, "Lord Thousand Hands, I'll leave these people to you to keep in custody. Bert, pass this on to the second team that came later, and have Grace lead the team back to defend. Remember, this is a defensive battle at headquarters. Just leave the secret passage to the guild."

“I understand,” Bert immediately ran towards the side passage. Although he was a little annoyed, he knew the seriousness of the situation.

Thousand Hands kicked the prisoner back into the space, while Finn continued, "Lefia, go to Ais and explain the situation to Tione and Tiona so they can help Bert."

“I understand,” Lefia nodded and ran to the side. Finn looked at the remaining people. “Lord Thousand Hands, let’s go and take a look at the secret passage together.”

"Okay, follow me," Senju nodded and flew up in front. The others quickly followed, and after a while, the five of them arrived at the rock wall.

“This is the entrance,” Thousand Pointed to the rock wall. Finn nodded, raised his gun, and thrust it a few times in that direction. Then, a half-ruined gate was revealed from the collapsed rock wall.

Riveria stepped forward and examined it. "Finn, this door is made of Orha steel and mixed with anti-magic stones. It's impossible to destroy it, but someone has managed to break it."

"Uh, actually I dug that," Senju said embarrassedly. "I didn't have a key when I came in."

“I see,” Finn thought for a moment, took out the eyeball prop, and waved it at the door. The dilapidated door slowly rose up, revealing a dark passage inside. “Looks like this really is the key to open the door.”

However, an additional layer of stone wall has been added to the passage inside, as if the passage could no longer block the regenerative power of the rock wall after the Thousand Hands destroyed the gate.

Even the usually composed Finn was speechless for a moment. He stabbed the surrounding walls a few times with his spear, and after the stone slabs on the walls peeled off, the metal walls underneath were revealed. After a while, he entered the real passage.

Chapter 516 On-site Disguise

“This wall is made of super-hard metal. There are so many of them. It’s really too extravagant,” Riveria said with some surprise. However, Finn looked at the rock wall behind him that was gradually recovering. “It seems that this place is like the secret realm. The items recover very quickly. No wonder no one has found it yet. Let’s take a look ahead.”

The five of them followed the passage to the empty hall. Thousand Hands released a fireball for illumination, and then everyone looked at the bloodstains on the ground, along with the broken iron chains and cages.

“I caught them right here,” Senju explained briefly. “They captured quite a few monsters, but I don’t know what they’re for.”

"It should be those monsters"

"Many countries outside of Orario are trying to raise monsters and build a city like Orario," Finn nodded, then examined the broken cages. "But these sword marks are quite beautiful; one strike shattered these metal cages."

“It should be,” Riveria nodded, examining the marks on the ground. “There should have been many cages here, but they’re all gone now.”

“I’ve packed them all up,” Senju said sheepishly. The two didn’t ask any further questions. Nigolan and William checked them over. “There’s a lot of resentment on them. They must be very angry.”

“That’s right,” Lila nodded, then began to recount the more detailed version of the story.

Finn looked around. "It seems this really is Daedalus's work. It even extends into the middle layer. I wonder how deep it extends underground."

“I found a diary, and it seems to have some structural diagrams in it,” Senju said, taking out the diary. Riveria took it and started reading it. After a while, she finished reading it. “I understand now. No wonder there’s a secret passage here.”

“Riveria?” Finn asked from the side. Riveria nodded and explained, “This diary contains design plans left by Daedalus. It mentions the idea of ​​an artificial labyrinth. He planned to build a system that would completely surround the underground city.”

"To think that such a concept exists," everyone admired Daedalus after hearing Riveria's explanation. If it were successfully built, it would undoubtedly be a miracle.

"However, when Daedalus was alive, this place was not completed, or rather, it had not even begun. But over the next thousand years, his descendants continued to build it, and now a third of it is completed. The entire artificial labyrinth has extended to the twentieth floor."

“A thousand years, that’s quite a massive undertaking,” Finn shook his head, then, as if struck by a thought, raised his spear and stabbed the surrounding stone slabs, revealing a metal wall beneath. “No wonder the Dark Familia are here. This place is filled with expensive, super-hard metals. I wonder how many years they’ve been colluding.”

“At least several decades,” Riveria thought for a moment, her expression turning very serious. “They colluded with us at least a decade ago, when we were fighting the Thanatos Familia. No wonder Ais was in danger back then; there was such a secret passage.”

“If that’s the case, those man-eating plants could very well have been transported up from here,” Thousand Hands interjected. Finn cracked his knuckles, his expression growing serious. “That’s right. Only from here could they remain undetected, and there are people among the Orario Familias who are colluding with them.”

“But what worries me most is that the Dark Families have rejoined other Families back then,” Finn said with a serious expression. “Although we have returned the Dark Gods of Thanatos, the corpses of the officers we found back then were identified only by their clothes and equipment. They may have just faked their deaths.”

“So the incident on the 27th floor was all to hide them away?” Riveria chimed in. “In that case, they must have been preparing an even bigger conspiracy all these years.”

"Um, is the expedition still going to continue?" Senju asked hesitantly from the side, listening to their discussion. Finn nodded. "Of course it will continue. I've staked a lot on this expedition. If it fails, not only will the reputation of the Loki Familia be ruined, but my revival plan will also completely fail."

"By the way, Lord Senju, how many people know what happened here?" Finn asked suddenly after thinking for a while. Senju thought for a moment and replied, "Besides us and those who were captured, no one else should know."

“That way, we can keep this a secret for a while, and we can prepare in advance,” Finn’s expression relaxed slightly, but he looked around and became serious again. “However, the traces here cannot be hidden at all. Let’s make it look like they fought with the monster and died together.”

“I can provide some ferocious beasts,” Thousand Hands suggested from the side. Finn nodded. “Thank you, Lord Thousand Hands.”

So a group of people set up the scene, and soon they had it ready. Then, Thousand Hands summoned a bunch of berserk monsters and ordered them to guard the place and self-destruct when they were about to die.

The group shook their heads as they looked at the house overrun by monsters. "Let's go to the camp. I wonder if Grace has gone back yet."

“It should be fine, right? That dwarf may be stubborn, but he still knows how serious things are,” Riveria said casually from the side.

Upon arriving at the gate, Finn had Thousand Hands help repair it before leaving the maze.

After noting down the location of the exit, the group went to the reserved campsite. Lefia was still there explaining things, and the two Amazons didn't seem to have left; they were still cleaning the ground.

"Captain, what happened?" Tiony asked anxiously as Finn returned. "Are we going to have to abandon this expedition?"