Chapter 106: Carolina

Chapter 106: Carolina

Once they decided to take action, Su Nan and Rose wasted no time and immediately sprang into motion.

The sphinx statue was exceptionally heavy, and even with the strength of a Great Knight, Su Nan found it difficult to move.

Fortunately, he had other means at his disposal.

Boom!

An Elite Stone Golem materialized out of thin air, spreading its arms wide to embrace the statue. With a mighty heave, it lifted the statue and moved it aside, much to Rose's astonishment.

Is this a Stone Golem? Rose's eyes widened in shock.

When did Stone Golems become so strong?

Even a Legendary Knight wouldn't be much stronger, right?

But now wasn't the time to dwell on that. Rose suppressed her doubts and reached out to touch the ground.

Instantly, the ground within a ten-meter radius rippled like water.

Before long, a crystal ball the size of a fist slowly emerged from the earth.

Rose snatched up the crystal ball, examining it closely before exclaiming, "This is it."

"Good, let's get out of here quickly."

In just this short moment, the commotion in the central square had caught the attention of the sphinxes. From all directions, they were now charging towards them.

Su Nan ordered the Elite Stone Golem to stay behind and hold off the pursuers, while he and Rose quickly fled.

They chose a direction opposite to the city gate they had entered through.

After all, the gate was currently swarming with sphinxes, and going there would be no different from walking into a trap.

They had to find another way out.

Since the island city was surrounded by a lake, it didn't matter which direction they took to leave.

"Intruders!"

"Seize them!"

Over a dozen sphinxes charged at them, brandishing their curved swords and baring their fangs in a menacing display.

However, these ordinary sphinx warriors were no match for Su Nan or Rose.

Without breaking their stride, they each waved their hands, unleashing a torrent of lightning that instantly turned the sphinxes into charred corpses.

Against two third-level Wizard Apprentices, these sphinxes, who possessed only near-Knight-level strength, were completely overpowered, falling one after another without any chance to fight back.

Su Nan and Rose smoothly made their way through the city center.

To avoid the towering stone pillar that was clearly the residence of the sphinx nobility, they took a detour, circling around it.

But just then, a burst of flames appeared ahead, engulfing the area with intense heat that seemed to curl the hair on their heads.

Rose instinctively stopped in her tracks, but Su Nan's calm voice rang in her ears.

"That's an illusion, keep moving!"

Without hesitation, Rose activated her protective magical item and charged through.

As Su Nan had predicted, the scorching flames that seemed so intense turned out to be nothing more than an illusion when they touched her.

They emerged unscathed from the flames.

Rose glanced at Su Nan, surprised.

"Sphinxes don't have the ability to control fire, and they can't cast spells. They only know a few tricks to deceive the senses."

Su Nan explained without turning back, then suddenly waved his hand, sending a bolt of lightning into an empty space.

A scream of agony echoed, and a figure stumbled out of the air, revealing a sphinx.

It lay on the ground, charred and motionless.

Rose, just a step behind Su Nan, noticed something amiss. The ring on her right index finger glowed slightly, and a visible layer of gray light spread out from her in all directions.

Wherever the gray light passed, sphinxes appeared one after another, their faces contorted in pain as they fell to their knees, their curved swords clattering to the ground.

Crack!

Their skin split open, not spilling blood, but sprouting long, gray thorns that gradually spread over their entire bodies, encasing them completely.

In a matter of moments, the street was littered with massive bundles of gray thorns.

Hiss!

But more sphinxes appeared from the air, all wielding curved swords and emitting low, angry growls as they charged at the two.

These sphinxes were different from the ones Su Nan had encountered before. They were taller and more muscular, with strange patterns tattooed on their upper bodies, which glowed with an eerie light in the dim surroundings.

Their curved swords were also more refined, and each one wielded a pair.

Clearly, these were the elite warriors of the sphinxes.

Despite being surrounded by numerous elite sphinxes, Su Nan and Rose remained unperturbed.

Two Elite Stone Golems materialized, one in front and one behind, marching heavily to meet the sphinxes.

Rose, meanwhile, threw a handful of seeds forward. The seeds hit the ground and quickly burst open, sprouting tendrils that intertwined to form human-like shapes.

Soon, the street was filled with dozens of human-like beings entirely composed of green vines.

They wielded thick, vine-covered arms, roaring as they charged towards the sphinxes.

The two sides quickly engaged in a fierce battle.

However, Su Nan and Rose weren't focused on the fight. Instead, they turned their attention to a nearby rooftop.

Standing there was a peculiar sphinx.

Unlike the others in the fray, this one had the upper body of a human woman. Her face was stunning, with sharp features and slanted eyes, and she wore a silver-white collar around her snow-white neck. Her deep blue hair added to her allure, making her appear even more seductive.

She wore a black leather armor that accentuated her ample chest.

To be honest, if you only looked at her upper body, she was undoubtedly a beauty capable of stirring a man's desires.

But if you looked at her lower body, seeing her barrel-thick, emerald-green snake tail swaying back and forth on the ground, any such thoughts would quickly vanish.

"Is that also a sphinx?" Rose's eyes flickered with doubt.

"That's a noble sphinx," Su Nan said casually. "Most sphinxes are half-human, half-lion, but the nobles are half-human, half-snake, and are mostly female. That one is likely a member of the city's ruling class."

"The illusion we encountered earlier was probably her doing."

Noble sphinxes were not only skilled in close combat but also possessed spell-like abilities, particularly in illusions. Each of them was a formidable mage-warrior, legendary in their own right.

Rose looked at the noble sphinx and noticed that, in addition to a curved black snake-shaped dagger at her waist, she held a staff adorned with silver snake motifs.

Rose glanced at Su Nan with surprise and couldn't help but ask, "How do you know so much?"

"From books," Su Nan replied nonchalantly.

Rose was half-convinced.

At that moment, the noble sphinx spoke up.

"Truly impressive. If I'm not mistaken, you two are wizards, aren't you?"

She smiled seductively, her eyes twinkling as if she were greeting a long-lost lover rather than facing deadly enemies.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Carolina."

"It's been a long time since wizards visited our city. To have two of you come at once is quite a rarity."

"However, you barged into our territory uninvited and killed so many of my kin. Isn't that a bit excessive? Even wizards shouldn't act so recklessly, right?"

Rose snorted with a cold laugh. "Hypocritical words from you. Didn't your kind just invade the surface and massacre an entire village of civilians? Where was your sense of justice then?"

Carolina seemed to understand. "You are from the Thornflower Principality."

Su Nan's expression changed, and he glanced at Rose.

It seemed that Rose had found the entrance to the underground world because of this incident.

Could she be from the Thornflower Principality?

"Ah, so you're here for revenge."

Carolina giggled, her voice like the tinkling of silver bells.

"Then there's nothing more to say. You two won't be leaving today."

Before she could finish her sentence, Su Nan and Rose launched their attack simultaneously. Over a dozen magic missiles streaked towards Carolina, cutting her off mid-sentence.

Carolina's face darkened. Her snake tail moved swiftly, dodging most of the missiles.

The remaining missiles hit her but seemed to dissipate like leaves on a pond, leaving no trace.

Unharmed, Carolina leaped from the rooftop and landed gracefully on the ground.

She sneered and swung her staff, striking the ground with a heavy thud.

In an instant, several phantom images appeared around each sphinx, quickly separating and solidifying into real forms, all lunging at Su Nan and Rose.

The number of enemies suddenly multiplied.

Clearly, this was some kind of illusion. Carolina couldn't have summoned so many sphinxes instantly.

However, in most cases, opponents wouldn't have the time to distinguish between the illusions and the real ones.

Carolina had used this trick to defeat many powerful foes in the past.

But this time, she was in for a disappointment.

Because she was facing wizard apprentices with far more versatile and unpredictable means.

Without hesitation, Su Nan activated his Frost Necklace. In an instant, a bone-chilling wave of cold energy burst out from him!

As the wave passed, the illusions disappeared like popped bubbles, while the real sphinxes froze solid with a series of crackling sounds.

In the blink of an eye, the street was filled with dozens of ice sculptures.

At this sight, not only Carolina but even Rose was taken aback.

Chapter 107: Aftermath

"Glimmer-grade magic item!"

Rose sucked in a breath, her eyes filled with both envy and astonishment.

In this day and age, acquiring a Glimmer-grade magic item was no easy feat, let alone crafting one.

Despite her years of accumulation, she had only managed to gather over a dozen Alchemy-grade magic items, not a single one reaching the Glimmer grade.

Witnessing the astonishing power of a Glimmer-grade magic item, she couldn't help but feel a surge of envy!

"I didn't expect players to possess such valuable items."

Rose's perception of players' wealth had just been redefined.

Breaking Carolina's illusion with a single strike, Su Nan took advantage of the confusion among the sphinxes. He flicked his fingers, and a glowing gem shot out like a bullet.

Boom!

In mid-air, the gem erupted with a brilliant blue light, transforming into a massive bolt of lightning that struck Carolina, engulfing her instantly.

"Let's go!"

Su Nan's deep voice resonated as he left two Elite Stone Golems to hold off the enemies. He and Rose quickly fled.

This was the enemy's stronghold, and they couldn't afford to linger. They needed to leave as soon as possible.

In a flash, they vanished from the end of the street.

At the same moment, a piercing scream echoed through the air.

The wind dispersed the smoke, revealing Carolina's figure.

Her body was covered in charred burns, and most of her snake tail's scales had fallen off. She no longer looked like the seductive and beautiful sphinx noble from moments ago, but rather a disheveled and defeated creature.

"Damn wizards!"

"Damn humans!"

Carolina's eyes burned with hatred as she stared in the direction Su Nan and Rose had fled. Realizing it was too late to catch them, she pounded the ground with her staff in fury.

"Lady Carolina."

A group of sphinxes rushed over, led by a tall, imposing sphinx.

He looked at the injured Carolina with shock.

In his memory, the powerful Lady Carolina had never been in such a pitiful state.

Who were these invaders to have wounded Lady Carolina so severely?

Carolina glanced at him, her face dark. "Angus, how is the situation at the city gates?"

Angus lowered his gaze and respectfully replied, "The enemies have all been dealt with!"

He hesitated for a moment before adding, "However, Lady Carolina, those enemies were very strange. They didn't seem to be true intelligent beings."

Carolina's voice was cold. "Those were golems, puppets created by wizards."

"Wizards!"

Angus was taken aback.

The attackers were wizards, no wonder even Lady Carolina had been wounded so badly.

In the vast underground world, many legends about wizards still circulated.

They were more terrifying than dragons, dark elves, and frost wraiths combined!

"Have the injured treated, and send guards to watch over the slaves in the lower city to prevent any trouble. I need to report this to the City Lord."

"Yes, Lady Carolina!"

As Carolina disappeared, Angus turned to survey the devastated street, his gaze lingering on the shattered remains of the golems. His brow furrowed.

"Someone, clean up this mess immediately!"

After successfully breaking through, Su Nan and Rose immediately cast Invisibility, their forms vanishing once more.

The two Elite Stone Golems had held off the pursuers, and for the rest of their journey, they only encountered a few stray sphinxes. They managed to escape the city without further hindrance.

Only when they returned to the original cave did Su Nan and Rose finally relax.

"Thank you for your help," Rose said with a gentle smile.

Their success in retrieving the key from the sphinx city was entirely due to Su Nan.

If not for his golems attacking the city gates, drawing away the main forces of the sphinxes, and his powerful strike against the noble sphinx, they wouldn't have escaped so smoothly.

Su Nan was even more formidable than she had imagined!

Especially that last strike against the noble sphinx, which seemed to be a powerful energy rune, far surpassing the typical energy runes. Even Rose was secretly impressed.

Su Nan shook his head, saying nothing.

He was mainly feeling the pain in his wallet.

The three Elite Stone Golems and one hundred Stone Golems left in the city had a total value exceeding ten thousand gold coins!

That was equivalent to a month's profit from the mines!

To obtain the key to the wizard's legacy, he had paid a significant price.

"I hope the wizard's legacy will make up for my losses."

Su Nan silently pondered.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end