Chapter 105: No Other Choice

Chapter 105: No Other Choice

The moment Su Nan finished speaking, the gray-robed figure stiffened.

After a long pause, she slowly spoke, her voice returning to its original pleasant tone.

"Staff? Or player?"

Su Nan touched the mask on his face and smiled slightly. "I'm a player."

"How did you recognize me?"

Rosa was puzzled. She hadn't worn her rose mask, and she had disguised her voice. How had the player recognized her?

"It was the staff you used just now," Su Nan answered succinctly.

The staff that could fire magic missiles was one of the items the Staff had brought to trade during the second gathering.

Su Nan clearly remembered that Rosa had traded for that staff.

Thus, the moment he saw the staff, he guessed the gray-robed figure's identity.

"..."

Rosa fell silent.

She hadn't expected to be exposed by the staff.

Fortunately, the only people who could recognize the staff were from the Cabin in the Thicket, not enemies.

"Why are you here?" Rosa asked.

"For the same reason as you," Su Nan said straightforwardly. "You want to enter the city, right?"

A flash of surprise crossed Rosa's eyes, seemingly taken aback that Su Nan's goal was the same as hers.

Her gaze flickered for a moment before she suddenly said, "How about we work together?"

"You saw how heavily guarded that island city is, with soul-devouring hunters that can see through invisibility and illusions. None of us can infiltrate it alone. Why not team up and each get what we want?"

"Soul-devouring hunters?" Su Nan quickly caught on. "You mean the black lion?"

"Exactly."

Rosa nodded.

"I got that information from a sphinx. It's supposedly a rare and exotic creature raised by the sphinx, capable of sensing soul auras. Unless you can change your soul aura, any disguise is useless against it."

"I thought the sphinx was exaggerating, but it seems the invisibility and magic disguise were indeed useless."

Su Nan was taken aback and then felt a bit speechless.

The sphinx was indeed cunning.

The two sphinxes he had interrogated had deliberately withheld such crucial information, setting him up to fail.

Fortunately, Rosa had stepped on that landmine first.

"Sure, I can work together. I have a way to infiltrate the city, but you have to tell me your reason for entering the island city first," Su Nan said, his eyes fixed on Rosa.

Rosa hesitated for a moment, then bit her lip. "Alright, but you must swear an oath of secrecy, promising not to tell anyone else!"

"No problem."

The two then signed the oath of secrecy.

Afterward, Rosa slowly explained.

"I discovered a wizard's legacy in the Underworld. According to my research, the key to unlocking the legacy is hidden somewhere in that city, which is why I want to infiltrate it."

A wizard's legacy!

Su Nan's pupils dilated slightly.

There was actually a wizard's legacy nearby?

"Are you not afraid that I might also want a piece of that wizard's legacy?" Su Nan raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Rosa chuckled. "If you're willing, we can explore the legacy together."

"Would you be so generous?"

"Unfortunately, I have no choice," Rosa sighed. "The defenses there are too strong. Just guarding the entrance is a golden metal golem, which I can't defeat alone."

A golden metal golem!

Su Nan was somewhat surprised.

This was a higher-tier metal golem than a steel golem, with combat power on par with a hundred-armed behemoth.

Even he would find it challenging to deal with a golden metal golem.

"The entrance is guarded by a golden metal golem, and the defenses inside are even stronger. I can't take on the legacy alone."

"I originally planned to invite a couple of people to cooperate after obtaining the key at the Cabin in the Thicket gathering. Meeting you here is a fortunate coincidence."

"What do you say, shall we work together?"

Rosa looked at Su Nan with hopeful eyes.

While she wasn't sure of the player's exact strength, from the resources he held and his past victory over Hebe, he was certainly no weaker than her.

If the player joined the exploration, their chances of claiming the wizard's legacy would increase significantly.

"How will we divide the spoils from the wizard's legacy?" Su Nan got straight to the point.

He wouldn't pass up the chance to explore a wizard's legacy.

Even if it meant taking some risks, it was worth it.

Besides, he had several trump cards and was confident in his ability to protect himself.

"I take two-thirds, since I provided the information."

Su Nan immediately rejected the offer. "I want half."

Seeing Rosa about to speak, he interrupted. "I'll figure out how to infiltrate the city and deal with the golden metal golem, but the cost is significant. I must get half of the wizard's legacy."

Chapter 106: Seizing the Opportunity

"Alright, fifty-fifty it is."

After much hesitation, Rosa finally agreed. If Su Nan could solve the two most pressing issues she faced, then a fifty-fifty split seemed fair.

Once the most important matter of distribution was settled, the rest became much simpler.

They discussed the details and then signed another oath of secrecy.

With the oath in place, both of them visibly relaxed, and the tension between them eased.

Bound by the oath, they didn't have to worry about betrayal or attacks during their exploration or after obtaining the wizard's legacy.

The power of the oath was absolute for wizards—especially those who weren't yet powerful enough to defy it.

"By the way, why do you want to infiltrate the city?"

"I want to investigate the situation inside," Su Nan replied.

Rosa was still a bit puzzled, but seeing that Su Nan wasn't going to elaborate, she didn't press further and got straight to business.

"What's your plan next?"

Rosa was curious how the player intended to sneak past the soul-devouring hunters' senses and enter the city.

However, Su Nan had no intention of doing so.

If he couldn't hide, then he wouldn't bother trying.

He would charge in directly and create chaos to his advantage!

The two of them returned to the lakeshore.

When Rosa saw Su Nan summon a hundred stone golems out of thin air, her eyes nearly popped out of her head.

"Where did you store all these stone golems?" Rosa asked, her voice filled with astonishment.

Even a minor-grade spatial magic item wouldn't be able to hold so many stone golems, let alone a lesser alchemical-grade spatial item, which couldn't even hold one.

How did the player manage it?

"Secret."

Su Nan brushed her off with a casual response and then turned his attention to the island city.

The sudden appearance of a hundred massive golems on the lakeshore was impossible to miss.

The sphinx guards almost immediately spotted the stone golems, and the city walls erupted into chaos.

Rumble!

The stone golem army charged forward, a wave of dust and earth accompanying their advance, creating an awe-inspiring spectacle.

"What are these monsters?"

"They're charging!"

"Quick, sound the alarm, intruders!"

The sudden attack threw the sphinx guards into disarray.

Soon, one of them grabbed a horn and blew a long, low note, the sound echoing through the entire cavern.

At the same time, the stone golem army reached the base of the wall, crashing into it with overwhelming force.

The sturdy, thick stone wall crumbled in an instant, and the sphinx guards on top_of_the_wall_screamed_as_they_fell,_suffering_gruesome_injuries._Before_they_could_get_back_up,_they_were_crushed_under_the_feet_of_the_stone_golems,_spewing_blood_as_they_died.

The_cavern_resonated_with_the_agonized_screams_of_the_sphinx_guards.

From_a_distance,_Rosa_stood_in_awe._She_had_seen_stone_golems_before,_but_never_in_such_a_large_scale._The_power_and_momentum_of_their_charge_left_her_dumbfounded.

"This is what a golem army can do."

For a moment, Rosa couldn't help but consider learning how to create golems herself.

"Let's go in now."

Su Nan's voice snapped Rosa out of her shock.

Maintaining their invisibility, the two of them quickly dashed toward the wall.

The sphinx guards were too busy dealing with the stone golems to notice the two intruders.

Su Nan and Rosa nimbly avoided the battlefield, moving swiftly through the chaos.

Suddenly, Su Nan raised his hand, and a silver flash appeared. A thud echoed from a nearby spot.

Rosa followed the sound and saw a soul-devouring hunter lying on the ground, its head pierced by a silver spear, pinned to the ground and dead.

In her astonishment, she watched as the silver spear shattered and disappeared into the air.

Su Nan retracted his hand and gestured for Rosa to keep moving.

Regaining her composure, Rosa followed closely behind Su Nan, her admiration growing.

The hundred stone golems and the lightning-fast strike that had taken out the soul-devouring hunter before she could react—Su Nan's abilities left her in awe.

Even when facing the founding member of the Cabin in the Thicket, the Owl, she hadn't felt this completely outmatched.

What kind of person was this player?

Taking advantage of the chaos, Su Nan and Rosa smoothly infiltrated the city, even brushing past a group of sphinx guards rushing to the scene.

However, after they had run for a short distance, the lead sphinx, a tall and imposing figure, suddenly turned back, a puzzled expression on his handsome face.

"Lord Angus?"

The nearby sphinx gave him a puzzled look.

"Nothing."

The sphinx named Angus shook his head and continued toward the city walls.

After passing through the buffer zone adjacent to the walls, Su Nan and Rosa finally entered the city proper.

What they found was an island covered in low stone houses, clearly the outer area where slaves lived. Su Nan saw several dirty dog-headed humans and ogres peeking out of their huts, looking toward the city walls.

The air was thick with a foul stench, making Rosa wrinkle her nose in disgust.

"Where is the key kept?" Su Nan turned and asked.

"It's ahead," Rosa pointed forward.

They ran for a short distance and soon entered a clean, wide street. The area was quiet and somber, with a strict order. On both sides of the street were various taverns, shops, and entertainment venues. The people walking around were almost all sphinxes, with occasional members of other races seen, their hands and feet bound in chains.

Clearly, this area was where the sphinxes, the rulers of the city, lived.

Su Nan looked up. At the center of the city stood a massive stone pillar, about three to four hundred meters in diameter, connecting to the cave ceiling. Its surface was covered in runes, and inside were intricate tunnels, rooms, and vertical shafts. This was where the sphinx nobility resided.

This information had been extracted from the two sphinxes he had interrogated earlier.

"The key is placed under a sphinx statue. I know the statue is in the upper city, which is here, but I don't know the exact location."

"A statue, huh."

Su Nan frowned. Although they had successfully infiltrated the city during the chaos, they didn't know when the sphinxes would realize what was happening. They had little time to search slowly and needed to find the statue's location quickly.

With this in mind, Su Nan scanned the surroundings. A moment later, his eyes lit up.

"Over here."

He whispered and dashed into a nearby building, entering through a window. Rosa hesitated for a moment but quickly followed.

Inside, she saw Su Nan grabbing a small figure by the neck, his hand tightly clamped around the neck to prevent any noise.

"Gray dwarf!"

Upon seeing the figure's short, stocky build, gray skin, and long beard, Rosa's expression changed. Gray dwarves were generally considered more malevolent than other dwarves and were often shunned by their kin. From the dwarf's clothing and living conditions, it was clear he held a high status in the city, likely an affiliate of the sphinxes rather than a slave.

After a brief moment of thought, Rosa's eyes also lit up. Unlike the sphinxes, gray dwarves were considered humanoids, meaning the Charm Person spell would work on them.

Sure enough, Su Nan cast Charm Person, and the gray dwarf quickly stopped struggling, his face becoming vacant.

Su Nan released the dwarf and asked quietly, "Where is the sphinx statue in the upper city?"

"There's a huge sphinx statue in the central square."

"Any others?"

"N-no, that's all."

Su Nan and Rosa exchanged a glance, their eyes bright with hope. It seemed the key was likely under the statue in the central square.

After confirming the location of the central square, Su Nan snapped the gray dwarf's neck. They then left the building and hurried toward the central square.

The central square was only about five to six hundred meters from the massive stone pillar. From the top of the pillar, the entire square was clearly visible.

Su Nan and Rosa quickly reached the central square but immediately furrowed their brows. The sphinx statue in front of them was enormous, over ten meters tall, and made entirely of obsidian. Just looking at it, one could tell it was incredibly heavy, likely too much for even a great knight to lift alone.

Moving such a heavy statue, whether by moving it aside or knocking it down, would certainly attract the attention of the sphinxes.

"By the way, why would the key to the wizard's legacy be hidden in such a place?"

"I don't know either."

"I found the information about the wizard's legacy in a biography, but the author wasn't the wizard who left the legacy. I think someone else must have placed the key here."

"Sounds like a real sadist," Su Nan's mouth twitched. Deliberately placing the key in a sphinx city would require someone with significant power and a twisted sense of humor. He couldn't understand that mindset.

"What do we do now?" Rosa asked.

Su Nan sighed.

"We have no choice but to go for it."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end