Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

"Hear him?"

"It was Desipa who told me," Rufo did not deny, "but that in itself does not mean..."

"Do the priests of Eldath have a habit of drinking?" the mercenary asked, "or are they habitual liars?"

If neither of these things happened—if Desipa was neither drunk nor lying—then why did he tell Rufo the news?

"You mean—" Rufo's eyes widened and he immediately began to search the temple.

This search was not random but had a strong purpose. The old man still remembered where he and his old friend used to hide things!

However, this was of no use. When Rufo came back, he only had a handful of beautiful stones in his hands, which were obviously from different eras and collected in batches.

"It seems they're not in those places. Disipa still just thinks they're a place to hide stones," the Archdruid smiled sadly. He sorted the stones and placed them next to Disipa's body. "It seems he's getting old too... The oldest ones here seem to be over ten years old."

It is difficult for ordinary people to see the difference, but it is not difficult for Rufo: these stones have started a new time after leaving their original position in nature.

"Do you think this could be the case?" Bella watched the scene hesitantly, then suddenly reached forward, trying to touch the stick held in Desipa's body. "There are no signs of injury on his body, so he obviously did it himself. So, at this moment, he might want to hold the temple's artifact in his own hands..."

"Don't touch him/it!" Rufo and Lesloff stopped Bella's reckless behavior at the same time, but Rufo used the pronoun "he" while Lesloff was referring to the stick.

"Something's wrong..." Lesloff slapped Bella's hand away and stared at the stick. "Something's wrong with this," he repeated.

A familiar smell lingered on the stick, like rust, but with a fishy smell and... a fragrant scent. However, the latter was very faint, and it was not overwhelmed by the even thinner smell of decay.

Corruption?

Leslaufer frowned and looked at the body in front of him, which could almost be considered a "wood sculpture". Could it be that it had rotted inside?

The mercenary carefully drew his gleaming steel sword and used its sharp edge to scrape away the woody surface of Desipa. The strange material of the sword made the temple suddenly seem dreamlike. Rufo tried to stop Raslaufer from desecrating his friend's body, but was ultimately stopped dead in his tracks. As sawdust rustled down, the archdruid also caught the scent, followed closely by the paladin.

"Restlover, stop," Patrick warned. "I sense a powerful evil rising within, trying to break free! You're helping it!"

As he spoke, he held the sword in front of him, and a divine light rose from the blade, covering the entire body of the holy warrior and spreading towards Desipa's remains.

Under the holy vision of the paladin, only a tiny trace of black evil aura, which was completely imperceptible to others, was exposed, and was burned away by the equally tiny holy flame under the cover of his spell.

But this is not the end. Patrick soon locked onto the source of these auras: the remains of Desipa.

"This is a trap, Reslaufer! Stop, don't try it anymore!" Patrick shouted nervously. Reslaufer heard what he said, and the increasingly obvious warning in his heart also confirmed the paladin's opinion.

The mercenary sheathed his sword. "That's it, then. It seems best for us to keep him here," Raslaufer whispered, "but this isn't a good outcome."

For treasures like the "artifact," mercenaries like him are willing to sacrifice everything. However, there are two caveats to this rule: first, the mercenary's own life is the most precious treasure; second, everything that can be sacrificed, of course, includes the so-called "artifact."

If you can't get other treasures without saving your life, then don't bother with them. Mercenaries who don't follow this rule usually don't live to the age of Raslaufer.

But this doesn't mean that this is an ending that can be willingly accepted: "Master Rufo, can you think of another way? Your friend shouldn't tell you these things when he is fully sober, right?"

"Even close friends wouldn't bring up these things..." The Archdruid nodded slowly. He leaned over and began fiddling with the seemingly ordinary stones. "Give me some time to try, but I can't guarantee success. It's been too long, and the hints in his past words and letters are far too vague."

If Rufo didn't think he knew Desipa well enough, he wouldn't even dare to take on this job. After all, the slightest mistake could lead to a bad outcome. But at least he could avoid the traps that were obvious to him and Desipa.

"Let's start with these stones. Desipa likes blue, green, and white stones or semi-precious stones. This also accounts for the largest proportion of his collection. I'll try to sort them out and arrange them..."

Chapter 147 Tips from the Enemy

The night passed by minute by minute. In this temple of tranquility, even the manipulated priests remained silent. Outside the temple, there was no noise except the hazy sound of waterfalls. It was indeed a wonderful place to ponder the relationship between humanity and nature.

However, the people in the temple do not have this leisure time. They are focused on the more "utilitarian" part.

The Archdruid once again scattered the stones on the ground, and the magic power that had just been gathered with great difficulty immediately disappeared.

"No, the order is wrong, but I have an idea..." Rufo wiped the sweat from his head and began to arrange the semi-gems again. "Let me try to sort them in reverse order according to the year they were collected? Maybe there's a connection between their places of origin, or maybe it's their distance from the temple..."

"Is it possible that their years are related, and you only need to swap the first and last stones to release the seal in that order?"

A somewhat sinister whisper suddenly blew in through the gap outside the temple door and echoed in Rufo's ears.

"Yes, yes!" The Archdruid, completely absorbed in his task, suddenly realized something. He quickly rearranged the stones, switching the order of the first and last stones. "That's it! That's it! You're a genius—who suggested that just now?"

With a sigh of vicissitudes, Desipa on the ground seemed to stretch his body suddenly, as if waking up from a long sleep. However, his body did not move at all. Instead, layers of cracks appeared on the surface of the wooden stick in his hand, and blue and green light bloomed from it, becoming brighter as it vibrated!

A gentle breeze swirled around the crowd, making everyone feel refreshed and agile, as if they could fly dozens of meters in the next second. Bella quickly reached out to touch the wooden stick. As if sensing that the person extending her hand was also a follower of Eldath, the stick shed its pristine disguise the moment Bella touched it, slipping from Desipa's hand and unleashing a dazzling display of light as it fell into the young druid's grasp!

"Artifact!"

Feng Daer widened his eyes, distinguishing the material and type of the object: at this moment, it looked more like a walking stick than a wooden stick for waving. Its main body was carved out of light blue translucent crystal, and inside it seemed to be a cluster of never-withering crown grass, the two together formed the bizarre blue-green brilliance.

At the top of the staff, the crystal swelled and left two grooves, and a thumb-sized, polished lapis lazuli was inlaid on it, like a pair of eyes, observing everything in the world. This staff was too delicate to be used for wielding or striking, but even those who knew nothing about magic could be sure that it contained extremely powerful magic, making it a perfect medium for casting spells.

"Without a doubt, this is... a divine artifact," Rufo was as surprised as everyone else. Even he had never seen such a treasure before. "Eldas's divine artifact."

"It's the 'Tears of Eldash', to be exact, you rustic country folk."

The gate of the temple was suddenly opened by a strong wind. Before everyone could look and take defensive measures, more than ten people led by two people had already rushed in. One of the leaders was familiar to everyone. He was the druid who had previously disguised himself as a knight's mount and later turned into a giant deer.

But beside him, half a body length ahead of him, another leader did not seem to belong to any Druid sect, because his short gray hair was neatly combed behind his head, a crystal monocle was stuck on his left eye socket, and a neat dark green robe fluttered in the night that was about to end. In his hand, he held a wooden bracelet with various complicated runes, emitting a dangerous smell.

"Returnees!" Just one look at these people and it was easy to match them with the druids led by Sander. "Did you escape from the tree people? Where did you come from?"

Rufo also noticed that Sander was not among these people: "Where's Sander? Tell him to come see me!"

"Sander?" The druid, one of the two leading men, scoffed playfully. "It seems you've met that 'failed stepping stone.' Unfortunately, he's unworthy even as a stepping stone. He can't even stop you."

"Don't compare me to that weakling. If he's going to die in the mountains, then let him die."

"Hand over the Tear of Eldath," the middle-aged man beside him spoke sinisterly. "We didn't come here from anywhere. I arrived much earlier than you did, mingling with those mindless priests outside, waiting for country folk like you to fall into my trap. It seems you didn't notice. Good. My disguise skills are quite good."

"How do you druids say that? Oh, yes, 'the mantis stalks the cicada.'"

"You're the one who warned me!" Rufo's face changed. "I thought—"

"What did you expect, foolish old man?" the man sneered. "You don't think these idiots can decipher the secrets of magic, do you? I originally thought the so-called 'Archdruid' was some powerful being, but now it seems he's nothing special."

"If I hadn't risked being discovered and warned you, you would have continued studying until dawn, or even dusk."

"But you do have some merit among druids," the man said, glancing at the fellow beside him, who lowered his head in shame. "If it weren't for you, it would have taken me a long time to find the pattern. Not everyone can easily tell when these broken stones were collected."

Rufo glanced at his old friend beside him sadly and said, "I'm sorry, maybe I shouldn't have untied your arrangement."

"You should be sorry!" The man stepped forward and held out his hand. "We've been talking too much now. Hand over the Tear of Eldath for the Returner's cause!"

"But you're not one of the Returners!" Bella quickly hugged the artifact tightly in her hand, fearing that it would fly away from her in the next second. "I've never heard of anyone like you!"

"The Returners aren't as old-fashioned as you country bumpkins," the druid leader sneered. "Although Master Eton never gets involved in the affairs of nature, he's been one of us for decades!"

"Well said, nephew Khalid," Eaton nodded with satisfaction and took another step forward. In his hand, the bracelet floated into the air and began to spin on its own. "I was a lecturer at Magparess College for twenty years. You didn't—"

The "Master" didn't finish his words after all, because just before he was about to continue introducing himself at length, the black flame sword came roaring and smashed towards his ridiculous hairstyle!

Chapter 148 You Are Not Qualified to Be a Lecturer

The so-called master was as fragile as an ordinary person in front of the giant sword, or even weaker. When Leslaufer swung the sword down, he did not feel any resistance. The phantom disappeared like foam, and behind him, Eaton's body seemed to have never moved, and still stood there.

"Khalid mentioned you specifically, and I remember you, warrior." The relaxed look on Eton's face faded slightly at this moment. "Did you think I would be completely defenseless against you? If a mage without sufficient intelligence can be called lame, then a spellcaster who has intelligence but fails to prepare deserves death."

Before Reslaufer swung his sword again, three phantoms identical to Eaton appeared around him. Reslaufer slashed at the one in the middle, but it was in vain.

"You can keep guessing, but we don't have that much time." The remaining three Eatons simultaneously controlled the other bracelets. Sharp daggers flew up in the space in front of them, continuously cutting the armor on Reslaufer's body. "Cloud of Daggers—I hope you can die here soon, so as to avoid the pain of being cut into pieces!"

The daggers almost filled the entire space, forcing Leslaufer to protect his face and retreat. But even with the protection of the Broken Halberd, two blood marks still flowed on his cheeks, and he didn't even know when the daggers had passed here!

Eton gazed upon his masterpiece with satisfaction. He had no intention of engaging the warrior for too long, nor did he expect to kill him easily. However, based on his experience in Magpalez, mercenaries who survived to this age were often those who valued their lives with utmost care. A cloud of daggers of this intensity should be enough to deter them.

However, as he watched, the man in black armor flashed him a bloodthirsty smile. Without even checking the wound on his face, he plunged headfirst into the cloud of daggers again, charging towards him!

"Old Lei, kill him!" A piano melody echoed, and a bright light flashed, pouring directly into Reslaufer's body. Just as Eton was still trying to determine what spell the poet was casting, a heavy blow shattered another illusion. And where was that illusion in his vision? Wasn't that... a crudely crafted doll?

Such a crude illusion could actually fool people? He must be facing a fool, ahaha, hahahahaha!

The incomparable sense of humor made Eaton burst into laughter involuntarily, but this laughter only lasted for a few seconds. The next moment, he was smashed away like a kite with a broken string.

If a broken gem necklace hadn't flown out of his chest and activated a barrier, he would have been cut in two!

"Four seconds, Lao Lei!" Miss Daisy shouted in surprise from the other side, "So you are a level five warrior! I always thought you only had--"

"Don't talk nonsense now!" Bella shouted at the poet, "What's with level five or level ten? They're going to attack!"

"Kill him! He can't move his weapons in such a small space!" The wizard lying on the ground roared and coughed up blood. The druids led by Khalid shouted and attacked Leslaufer, who had just forced his way through the cloud of daggers and was slightly injured.

As the wizard fell to the ground, the spell naturally disappeared. Patrick and Vondar rushed out from the left and right sides of Reslaufer, relieving some of the pressure on the mercenaries.

Elsewhere, the mage, having recovered his breath, had just stood up when a turquoise longsword struck him from the side. Frightened, he quickly transformed into a wisp of silver mist and fled to the door. Eton looked closely and saw a half-elf girl dressed as a man, the longsword in her hand clearly no ordinary weapon.

"I remember you too," the half-elf said before Eden could say anything. "Eden Smir, the Enchanting Instructor at Magpalez College, isn't that right?"

The mage was slightly taken aback. He subconsciously felt that the girl in front of him looked familiar, but he couldn't remember which one it was. This was not because he had too many students, but...

"Four years ago, you were dismissed from the academy for academic fraud, including fabricating data and accepting bribes. Several students who graduated under your supervision had their diplomas and degree certificates revoked. However, even so, you still haven't been able to advance in your professional title - because in the entire twenty years you have been in office, you have not published a single 'Imperial Journal'-level paper." Angelita's face showed a perfect smile of contempt and disdain.

"The term of office for a lecturer is fifteen years. At Magpales College, if you haven't been an associate professor for twenty years, you can't claim to have been a lecturer, Mr. Smil."

"you--"

The wizard who was originally confidently preparing to cast a spell to severely damage the young half-elf suddenly opened his eyes wide and was forced to swallow the spell he was reciting. He looked at Angrita in horror and embarrassment, and this emotion was quickly turning into rage and hysteria after his disguise was exposed.

But the half-elf's words alone weren't enough to break through his defenses. The real fatal blow came from the look his nephew, Khalid, one of the leaders of the Returners, gave him! He had always been admired by this younger generation and had been content to boss him around—and what was he doing now? Was he questioning his authority?!

"I'm going to put you in a petri dish and slice you up, you half-blood, bastard girl!"

A burst of poisonous gas gushed out from his palm and blasted towards Angelita. But his verbal attack was not even as aggressive as the word "country bumpkin", and Angelita easily dodged the deadly gas.

However, Eaton's spell did not fail. The long sword with light attached to it blocked between him and Angrita, easily resolving her attack. Immediately afterwards, the face of the holy warrior replaced Angrita and appeared in the caster's vision.

"I thought he was a master of some kind, but it turns out he's just a master of counterfeiting!" The annoying bard started yelling again. This time, there wasn't any magic in his voice, but it still made Eaton want to vomit blood.

He wanted to summon all the magic missiles immediately to make the woman shut up forever, but the man with a ponytail in front of him gave Eaton an unprecedented sense of oppression.

"You've committed fraud, robbed others, manipulated their minds, committed murder, and slandered them... You have no integrity, no honor, and no responsibility!" Patrick's words were like spring thunder, each word hammering at the wizard's heart. "Mistakes are inevitable, but life must go on. While there's still hope, repent!"

Eaton responded with an angry sneer, and his bracelet instantly shattered into one third. A fist-sized fireball emerged and continued to expand as he chanted the spell.

"It seems you have no intention of turning back." The paladin closed his eyes in disappointment. A power more dazzling than the flames condensed on his sword, like the sun shining on a cold night. "I have enumerated your sins. The judgment will be decided by the justice of this sword!"

Chapter 149 The Victim's Observation

The "justice" of the paladin is a holy slash that can make gods and demons retreat.

"Spirit of fire, help me trample on the rules of the world!"

The basin-sized fireball was finally summoned before Patrick's sword was about to fall. Two equally terrifying energies collided with each other, enveloping the entire temple and even its periphery in a fierce explosion.

In the dazzling confrontation between light and fire, no one noticed that a faint water-colored halo appeared on the chalky walls of the temple. When the impact of the explosion reached the outside and blew away all the priests guarding outside, no one died, and there were not even serious injuries.

When the priests of Aida got up from the ground again, there was a look of confusion in their eyes, but they also regained the agility of ordinary people.

"My head... ah, what happened?" The young priest who claimed to be on night duty squatted on the ground with his head in his hands, looking at the temple shrouded in flames and light in horror. "Are the followers of Aston, the Lord of Fire and Light, attacking us?!"

But... this doesn't make sense! From the believers to the gods themselves, let alone Aston, almost all the gods of Mount Heaven don't celebrate the festival!

And if this really happened, when did it happen? They have no recollection of it!

"What should we do? Where's Master Desipa?" another follower asked frantically, "Or should we put out the fire first?"

"This is clearly the result of extraordinary power. Don't be impulsive!" An older priest stopped the group. "Did you just feel the power of our Lord? We seemed lost a moment ago, but now we're standing here perfectly."

"Since our Lord's power has rescued us, He must have noticed what happened in the temple. Perhaps we shouldn't act on our own..."

"But..." The young priest opened his mouth. The enemies of unknown origin had not only come to his doorstep, but his mind was blank and he didn't even know what day it was. If he didn't take action now, was he going to sit and wait for death?

In the darkness of the night, a gentle breeze suddenly blew across the mountains, carrying a faint whisper that passed by the ears of every believer.

"Hush—did you hear that?" the older priest gestured and then bowed toward the temple. "That is the voice of our Lord. He has spoken His decree. We need no longer doubt or fret."

Under his leadership, other priests also performed the gesture of worship. They consciously stepped back, away from the temple, and no longer intended to pay attention to the changes in the temple.

The awakened Eldath priests retreated, but the battle within the temple intensified. Beasts of all kinds clashed and darted through the halls. Mighty bears swatted away Raslaufer's sword with their paws, while powerful goats used their horns to butt against equally massive eagles. Vondar cleaved the carapace of a giant centipede with his battle axe, while Daisy and Bella dodged the venomous sprays of two giant spiders.

"Help me hold this 'artifact'!" The druid couldn't dodge in time, and a piece of his long reddish-brown hair was corroded by the spider's venom. Although he was also a follower of Eldath, Bella was completely lacking the calmness of the outside believers. Her eyes immediately turned red. "Let me knock these two bugs down!"

The artifact Eaton called "Tears of Eldath" looked so fragile that Bella didn't dare to use it to fight the enemy, and she didn't even dare to use her other hand to hold the stick to fight - for fear that she would knock this "off-hand weapon" out.

"I want to hold the harp!" Daisy quickly dodged Bella's outstretched hand and played the harp in her arms. The harsh noise, which only enemies would find piercing, immediately caused a giant spider lying on the ceiling and swooping down from the sky to twitch its eight limbs and fall to the ground. "How can I live without my harp? Ahhhh!"

"Don't you believe in Eldas too? Can't you just use this artifact to beat them? I don't count on the sixth-ring Sun Ray, but I doubt the fourth-ring Ice Storm will be able to take them down!"

"I just learned how to use magic to make some berries!" the druid shouted back. "What makes you think I can summon a storm with it?!"

Bella swore that she had tried her best to communicate with the artifact in her hand, but this magical item carved from crystal was as unresponsive as a real wooden stick - even the wooden stick could be blessed by her magic, but this artifact was completely unresponsive!

But that's not to say it's completely useless. At least it seems to make the holder and their companions walk lightly and quickly. Otherwise, the two of them would have been caught by a druid long ago.