Chapter 493: The Decision
Chapter 493: The Decision
Upon hearing the compensation terms that Tereyna proposed, Rayne's suspicions were further confirmed.
It was highly unlikely that she was lying about this matter.
The compensation conditions themselves were proof of the Federation's sincerity. The luxurious mansion located in the heart of the Federation's capital, Anthol, and an entire set of Dawn Kill spells from other elements, were both astronomical compensations.
Especially the latter, its value was immeasurable, and it was almost impossible to obtain through any unofficial channels, not even from large auction houses.
Only the Empire or the Federation could potentially provide such compensation, and even then, it would typically require significant contributions.
This alone demonstrated the Federation's sincerity.
However, while Rayne felt the Federation's sincerity, he had his own thoughts on the matter. He was determined to obtain the new Dawn Kill spell.
It would be a crucial part of his strength enhancement, especially now that his Mutant Dragon Bloodline concentration had entered the Superb level. The true damage percentage of 'Dragon Soul Smash' would further increase.
In other words, the Dawn Kill spells would contribute even more to his strength enhancement.
This new Dawn Kill spell was different from the domain-type 'Steel Forest'.
Rayne had already deduced from the first three spells, including 'Toothed Ring', that this new spell was likely a high-power single-target Dawn Kill spell, exactly what he currently lacked—a decisive, hammer-like killing move!
As his strength rapidly increased, some of his previous trump cards were no longer as effective.
The only move that could be considered a trump card now was his newly mastered sixth form, and even the domain-type Dawn Kill spell, 'Steel Forest', wasn't particularly useful against a single powerful enemy, such as the Ancient Red Dragon 'Anguskin'.
"Lady Tereyna, I appreciate the Federation's sincerity," Rayne said.
"However, instead of the compensation you mentioned, I'd rather retrieve what's rightfully mine with my own hands. So, I hope you can agree to let me go to that ancient goblin empire's ruins."
"When the time comes, if Lord Helm is still alive, I'll rescue him. If he's unfortunately deceased, I can still obtain what I want from his remains."
"As for the compensation you offered, I'll decline." Rayne spoke sincerely.
Tereyna's beautiful eyes widened in surprise at Rayne's response, which was completely unexpected.
In her opinion, Rayne, as a top Imperial genius, shouldn't take such a risky move.
If she were in Rayne's position, she wouldn't choose to take such a risk.
However, Rayne's words left her momentarily unable to refute.
After all, what was wrong with retrieving what was rightfully his?
But she couldn't agree to this request immediately. Senator Bertrand had already mentioned that this was likely the ruins of the ancient goblin empire's capital.
If that were the case, it might contain valuable information of great significance to the Federation, such as golem crafting, mechanical manufacturing, and other precious resources.
Normally, these would be considered future assets of the Federation and were not to be disclosed under any circumstances.
There was also the issue of risk.
Although Rayne had displayed the strength of a true Epic-level strongman and could transform into a dragon, there had been ancient ruins that posed high danger, leading to the fall of Epic-level strongmen.
In fact, there were more than just one or two such cases.
So, if Rayne were to perish in the ruins, not only would the Federation's initial investment be in vain, but it might also cause diplomatic disputes with the Empire.
"I'm sorry, Lord Rayne, but the danger level of this site appears to be very high. I believe neither the Federation nor the Empire would allow a young genius like you to take such a risk," Tereyna said earnestly, emphasizing the risks, the Empire, and the Federation, believing that Rayne would understand her implications.
Hearing the words of the beautiful female parliamentarian before him, Rayne nodded and replied, "I'll communicate with Lady Melia. As for the Federation, I'll have to trouble you, Lady Tereyna."
"As for the risks? Well, wasn't there a risk when fighting the Ancient Fire Dragon 'Anguskin'?"
"Lady Tereyna, please forgive my frankness, but this metal spell is of great importance to me. So, I'll take responsibility for the risks."
"Alright then."
"I hope Lord Rayne can give me some time. I need to discuss this matter with the Vice Speaker."
"Of course, but I hope you and the Vice Speaker can make a decision soon. After all, Lord Helm might still be waiting for rescue in the ruins, isn't he?"
"You're right," Tereyna agreed, nodding.
Currently, there was no clear indication that Lord Helm was dead, and the situation report only stated that he was 'out of contact'.
Tereyna also recalled an incident where an exploration team had gone missing in some ruins for several months before reappearing. She remembered that this event had made the headlines of the Federation's important newspapers.
In the aftermath of Lord Rayne's lack of romantic prowess, the evening banquet came to an abrupt end. Lord Rayne promptly returned to the Imperial Delegation's state guest mansion in Anthol.
Meanwhile, deep beneath the western side of the Razerro Canyon, in the ruins of a massive ancient goblin city...
A well-built man in a Federal military uniform was sprinting at full speed. However, his frequent glances over his shoulder and the look of fear on his face indicated that something terrifying was chasing him from behind.
If one listened carefully, they could hear the constant 'clack-clack' sound coming from several dozen meters behind him.
This rhythmic clacking didn't resemble the footsteps of humans or creatures; instead, it sounded like metal objects striking the ground.
Seconds later, on the same path, seven or eight mechanical devices, each over three meters tall, appeared. These machines resembled enormous striders, and after thousands of years, even the best-maintained machinery should have deteriorated significantly without proper care.
Strangely, these mechanical devices seemed to be in excellent condition.
But the strangeness didn't end there.
What was truly bizarre was that behind these mechanical striders sat mummified goblins in uniform.
Yes, mummies! Their skin was so parched that it was almost entirely covered in deep wrinkles, their eyes were nearly all white, and their expressionless faces controlled the machines as they pursued the Federal man.
"Damn it, I can't escape! It's time to fight!" The robust man in the Federal Major's uniform was drenched in sweat, his face flushed red, and he looked like he had exhausted his strength to the limit.
The physical exertion and the proximity to death made him recall the entire exploration process of his squad.
Initially, this place didn't seem so strange.
But at some point, as they ventured deeper into a certain area, they started hearing whispers everywhere, as if a woman were constantly whispering in their ears.
Such a situation could drive an ordinary person insane within minutes.
Even their well-trained squad members became irritable, short-tempered, and gradually went mad due to these whispers.
Making matters worse, the ghostly creatures behind them began to appear and attack without warning.
Mummies?
Mechanical monsters?
The combination of these creatures made for an exceptionally formidable opponent. Coupled with the incessant whispers, their squad of twelve was now down to just this one survivor.
However, the problem was that he had lost his sense of direction and had no hope of escaping.
"I can't accept this! I haven't sent out the intelligence yet!" The Federal Major muttered to himself, feeling a sense of self-reproach.
Despite the pervasive whispers, the amulet of calm he wore kept his thoughts clear and coherent.
As the squad leader, he was well aware that if he couldn't relay the situation here, then his entire squad, including himself, would have sacrificed themselves in vain.
Subsequent Federal squads sent to investigate would likely meet the same fate.
"Shh!"
"Don't make a sound!"
At that moment, the Federal Major realized he had arrived in a clearing surrounded by some cylindrical magnetic devices. On the ground, intricate occult arrays were inscribed, and six or seven people were busy at work.
In the center of the clearing stood an elderly man in a silver-gray wizard's robe—the very person who had just pulled him in. The old man stared at him intently.
"You must be Lord Helm!" The surviving Federal Major exclaimed in surprise.
Before their departure, every member of his squad had seen a portrait of the elderly man standing before them—Lord Helm, the head of the Federal Mechanical Research Institute.
"It seems I guessed wrong; you must be the one sent to find us," Lord Helm nodded and smiled.
"Yes, Lord Helm, if you're unharmed, why haven't you sent out a message?" The captain's eyes were slightly red as he spoke.
His elite squad had come to find Lord Helm, and now, only he remained alive.
Regardless of the other's rank, he demanded an explanation.
"It's not that I don't want to, but I can't."
"Helm didn't seem to be irritated by the slightly impolite questioning from the captain in front of him, but instead, he calmly replied.
"This is a magnetic shield. If I didn't happen to have this device, I might have met the same fate as well." Helm pointed to the four pillar-like devices surrounding the area.
"Hmm?" The captain was taken aback.
"The entire ruins are covered with some kind of detection device from the ancient goblins. Otherwise, how could those mummy goblins have been able to track you down so accurately?" Helm asked in return.
Indeed!
The federal major was stunned, as he had never thought of this point either.
On several occasions, their team members had sacrificed themselves to lure away the pursuing monsters, but before long, they were caught up by even more monsters.
It was incomprehensible, and now they realized the problem lay here.
"Without this shield, we wouldn't have been able to hide here safely for so long. However, after activating the shield, all communication methods became ineffective," Helm explained.
"I see. But, Lord Helm, with your strength, couldn't you break through the siege?" The federal major, with his doubts resolved, became more amicable and asked with a slight bow.
Even before the mission, he had heard of this Lord Helm, a being of extreme strength, second only to the federal guardian-level strongmen.
"If it's just about breaking through the mummies and mechanical striders you encountered, it wouldn't be difficult. But in reality, the most terrifying thing here is not that."
"Have you heard the constant whispers echoing in your ears?"
"Yes, these whispers seem to have a mind-boggling effect. If not for the soothing amulet, I might have ended up like the others..." The federal major's voice choked up as he spoke.
"A soothing amulet? You're indeed lucky."
"Look, this occult array on the ground is meant to block the whispers of this unknown ancient demon god." Helm pointed to the intricate array on the ground and explained.
"Sigh, it's my fault. I thought that with the blessing of Prototype One, even if we couldn't successfully explore this ancient site, we could still retreat smoothly. But I didn't expect that soon after Prototype One entered the exploration, it suddenly lost control."
At the same time, in the core area of the federal capital Anthol, a small conference room in the parliament building.
There, Bertrand, Tereyna, and several other federal high-ranking officials were discussing something.
Due to the situation mentioned by Tereyna regarding the newly discovered ancient goblin ruins, Vice-Speaker Bertrand had specifically invited relevant officials from the federal military and industrial departments.
"No way! I disagree! That place is likely the ruins of the ancient goblin empire's capital, and allowing an imperial genius to explore it might very well leak the ancient goblin technology within." A federal general clearly expressed his refusal.
"If we don't agree, I can assure you that we will forever lose the opportunity to have Lord Rayne, a young and powerful talent, join the federation." Tereyna thought for a moment and said.
Her calm expression made it seem like she was stating a fact.
Tereyna recalled the expression on Rayne's face when he said those words, knowing that the young man wasn't joking.
"There are geniuses every year, and there might be a genius even more suitable for the federation than Rayne next year." The old man with the expensive pipe tapped the ashes in his pipe and said.
"But there is only one ancient goblin empire capital ruin, and once their advanced technology is leaked, we will have much less leverage in our cooperation with the empire."
"This is just a risk issue, and..." Tereyna argued reasonably.
"But I think it's unnecessary to take this risk."
"Alright! Both of you, I think I understand what you mean." Vice-Speaker Bertrand knocked on the table, interrupting Tereyna and the old man's dispute.
He paused for a moment before saying:
"In principle, I agree to let Lord Rayne go to the newly discovered ancient goblin empire ruins."
Upon hearing this, the military general and the pipe-smoking old man frowned, their lips moving as if they wanted to say something, but Bertrand waved his hand to stop them and continued:
"However, he can't go alone. Senator Tereyna, please ask Master Swordsmen Tyrion and His Majesty Hernandez if they agree. If they do, let them accompany Lord Rayne."
"With these two Majesties present, even if Lord Rayne wants to obtain ancient goblin technology, it's unlikely he'll have the chance."
"What do you think?"
(End of Chapter)
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