Chapter 78: The City Gate (Seeking Collection)

Chapter 78: The City Gate (Seeking Collection)



The Lap Textile Factory

Even as evening approached, the factory remained bustling with activity. Uniformed officers weaved through the building, inspecting every corner for any clues, leaving no stone unturned. Female workers were gathered and the massive machines, which had been running day and night, finally came to a halt.

"Sir!" one officer shouted near an unusually large fan. "There's something wrong here!"

The fan was not necessary for the factory's operations, and on its blades were traces of what appeared to be blood. To the trained eyes of the officers, this was highly suspicious.

The sound of the officer's voice drew the attention of the investigation team, who followed the trail on the ground, leading behind the fan.

"Get to work!" the team leader commanded. "Dismantle it!"

"Yes, sir!" the subordinates replied.

Whatever was hidden here would be exposed once the cover was removed.

With a loud crack, the giant propeller crashed to the ground, revealing a hidden passage leading deep underground. The passage was pitch-black, like the gaping maw of a giant beast, exuding an eerie, chilling atmosphere.

"Crackle!"

An officer lit a torch and held it high as they stepped into the passage. After walking for several dozen meters, the narrow, dark tunnel suddenly opened up into a vast space.

The view ahead was breathtaking.

"This..." an officer's footsteps faltered, and they froze in place. "What is this?"

Before them was an enormous plaza, with countless cocoon-like structures hanging above. The outer layer of these cocoons was covered in a viscous liquid, which occasionally dripped down, following the curves of the cocoons and pooling on the ground.

The ground was covered in this sticky liquid, resembling a transparent layer of water. Countless pipes interconnected the hundreds of cocoons, forming a massive pattern.

It was like...

An inverted altar! In the center of this altar stood a colossal statue. The firelight cast a dim glow, making it difficult to discern the statue's exact shape, but it vaguely resembled a spider.

A half-human, half-spider creature!

The officer's voice echoed through the chamber, lingering in the air. More officers rushed in, only to freeze in their tracks, a chilling silence filling the room.

"So cold!"

"What's going on here?"

"..."

The officers whispered among themselves, and one brave soul, torch in hand, approached one of the cocoons.

Shadows moved within the cocoon, suggesting something was hidden inside.

The next instant—

"Swish!"

A dark figure tore through the cocoon, piercing the officer's throat. Blood sprayed from the wound, like a signal for the other cocoons to start writhing. More dark figures burst forth.

"Squeak...

"Hiss..."

The chamber filled with a chorus of screams.

Countless eerie shadows leaped down from above, pouncing on the officers. In an instant, cries of agony filled the air.

"Spider Women!"

"Run!"

This was a nest for breeding Spider Women, and countless Spider Women were emerging from their cocoons. They were far more numerous than the one Karl had encountered before, at least ten times as many.

"Swish!"

"Plop!"

The Spider Women instantly swarmed the officers.

These 'creatures' fed on flesh and blood. They tore open the officers' chests and bellies, feasting on the still-beating organs within. Their eyes, hungry from prolonged starvation, gleamed with a feral light as they fought over the flesh and blood on the ground.

In the blink of an eye, the chamber was left with only tattered clothing.

"Swish!"

"Swish, swish!"

The Spider Women, having finished with the officers, raced up the passageway. Soon, they burst out onto the surface.

"Spider Women!"

"Be careful!"

The officers searching the textile factory, upon seeing the swarm of Spider Women, shouted in alarm. The female workers screamed, and chaos ensued.

Most of the officers were ordinary people, and even those with Knight Attendants trained in breathing techniques were no match for such a large number of Spider Women.

The Spider Women leaped from the passageway, their bloodlust driving them to attack every moving person in the chamber. Some of them headed towards the North City Gate.

Open the city gate!

Welcome the Mother Goddess!

...

Driven by an instinct deep within their blood, they charged towards the guards at the city gate, forming a torrent in the darkness of the night.

"Boom!"

At the North City Gate, chaos ensued.

"It's begun," Xize Foster, holding an exquisite staff, observed from a high vantage point. From his position, he could make out the commotion at the North Gate.

"Get your men moving too. Try to hold back any reinforcements from the city, buying them time."

"Yes, sir."

A dark figure bowed slightly, then slowly retreated.

"Xize, my friend," a heavily armored man standing beside him spoke in a low voice. "Are you sure you can open the city gate?"

"A respected scholar once said that nothing in this world is absolutely certain. Anyone who claims otherwise is a liar," Xize shook his head. "Robert's death is a significant loss for us, and the chances of success are less than fifty-fifty."

"Less than fifty-fifty?" The man's eyes narrowed. "If you can't open the gate, the General will never let you off. I don't want to see my friend's head on the ground."

"I've done my best," Xize sighed. "If this fails, the Foster family will plummet into the abyss. Do you think I don't want to succeed?"

"Don't worry..."

He muttered to himself:

"The purity elixir can only be refined by a maiden. The nobles of the council are fully aware of this, yet they continue to demand it."

"Not a few even send their attendant women to exchange for elixir, and if the matter is exposed, they will also be unable to escape the law of the kingdom. I have agreed with them that I won't interfere with this action, otherwise I will hand over the evidence in my possession, and at that time, no one will be able to escape."

"The City guard and patrol hall have people of ours. If there's an opportunity... an opportunity..."

"Hmph..." The big man scoffed upon hearing this:

"Nobles?"

"what will they do after the city falls?"

"They won't fear the fall of the city." Xize opened his mouth:

"According to the treaty set by the dukes, being a noble means one can be ransomed with a ransom to regain freedom."

"Moreover, after the fall of the city, they can still leave. This is not the frontline. The soldiers of Kolon won't be too many, and every noble has their own guards. Even the generals should not struggle with these hard bones."

The big man remained silent.

The nobles have long fallen into decadence. They don't care who wins the war between the two nations, only in themselves.

As long as there are sufficient benefits, they won't hesitate to betray their nation, and even sell their souls and beliefs.

"Gandor, the former Radiance kingdom and successor to the empire, has now fallen to such corruption?"

The big man squinted his eyes:

"Kolon must win!"

"Bang!"

A loud noise came from within the city.

Looking in the direction of the sound, one could only see a house under the night sky being set ablaze, with flames reaching the sky.

Thieves! The thieves of fire hidden in the city began to strike out, igniting flames and burning houses in various places.

For a moment, it seemed as if the entire Signo city was enveloped in the flames.

The chaos.

It covered the battle at the north gate of the city,, and,,, to slow the the the reinforcements and support from the to support the had to slow their pace.

...

The leader of the Noble Council, Frank, dressed in a white robe, walked barefoot on the cold stone slabs.

He stood with his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance, his eyes flickering from time to time.

"The church has already dispatched the night guards and the guardians. A grand knight of the city guard is also rushing to the north part of the city."

"Baron Baro has even climbed the walls, personally controlling the situation."

In the darkness, a shadow whispered:

"Robert is already dead, and the divine messenger has not moved, relying only on the spider maids to open the open the city gates."

"Hmm." Frank nodded:

"Where is Xize?"

"He is just a merchant, even though he holds the handles of many nobles, not necessarily useful." The shadow continued:

"The one guarding the south gate may not listen, and the thieves in the city may not cause too much commotion."

"Sir!"

"What do you plan to do?"

"Me?" Frank looked to the sky, where the bright moon was half-obscured by dark clouds:

"The divine's power has been dispersed for too long, it should be the only!"

The shadow raised his head, eyes full of doubt. What did the war between the two kingdoms have to do with the divine?

Inside the carriage.

Lady Anne, half-dressed, was leaning against Karl, revealing tender and alluring skin beneath her clothes.

It was likely due to being trapped in the secret room and suffering abuse that her skin bore red marks.

The red marks did not ruin her allure but added an unusual charm.

It made one subconsciously want to protect her, and also had a deep-seated urge to ravish her madly.

Even Dana, as a woman, could not help but admit that Lady Anne was full of seduction at this moment.

Her heart stirred.

But...

How long had it been?

Two people who had never met before were now glued together. It seemed the rumors about Lady Anne were indeed true.

Karl...

Dana glanced at Karl with a cold stare.

She had only recently developed some affection for Karl because he was not casual with relations between men and women. She did not expect that before long, he would embrace such a delicate and charming woman.

It also made the brief good feelings in her heart disappear.

"Sir."

Looking at Dana, Karl spoke softly:

"Right now, Lady Anne is not very convenient. Could we choose another time to discuss the issues?"

"Inconvenient?" Dana snorted:

"I see it's not convenient for you, trying to ruin your good affairs?"

"..." Karl shook his head.

He had good intentions, but the other party did not appreciate them.

"If you are unhappy, you can get out of the carriage yourself." D ana continued:

"I will escort Lady anne back."

"Oh!" Karl raised an eyebrow, a smile on his face:

"Very well!"

Saying this, he was about to stand up.

"Fine what?" Lady Anne's face turned cold, grabbing Karl's arm and shook her head:

"Can you not stay for a while? The two of us being in the same carriage, how can you not stay with me?"

The attitude of the two made D ana's eyes suspicious.

Judging from this, it did not seem like Karl was obsessed with female beauty. Instead, it was Lady Anne who was making the first move.

Even when the other party was unwilling, she would not allow it!

"Very well."

Putting away the wandering thoughts, D ana straightened her face and said:

"Just now, we found a ledger in the manor, recording Robert's financials and expenditures over the years."

"Is that so?" Lady anne blinked:

"not surprising."

"Do not look at Robert's appearance as it is, but he has the habit of keeping records."

“No, it’s not here.” Dana shook her head and said, “According to the ledger, someone has been providing Robert with funds and assistance.”

“Several years ago, when Robert first arrived in Signocity, even if he had some wealth, it was far from what he has now, almost the richest in the city. This wouldn’t have been possible without the person who provided him with funds.”

“Lady Anne!”

Her voice turned serious, “Do you have nothing to say?”

“Miss Dana’s meaning is that I provided Robert with money?” Lady Anne blinked her eyes and shrugged, “Okay!”

“Indeed, as a woman, it’s not strange to entrust one’s finances to someone trustworthy, is it?”

“A woman must find a man to rely on, or else your things will be remembered by others.”

As she spoke, she leaned closer to Karl.

“Rely on me.”

Dana squintched her eyes.

“But according to the ledger’s profit distribution, you two seem more like business partners, perhaps even…”

“Your share was more!”

“As a woman, what use do I have for such wealth?” Lady Anne shook her head, “Even if my share was high, in the end, he spent all of it. I’m not quite clear how he did so, and it was troublesome.”

“Is that so?” Dana shook her head, “Lady, your father was a wealthy merchant, and your husband was a noble with considerable assets.”

“They left all their wealth to you after death…”

“Now, think about it, does it seem reasonable?”

Lady Anne’s mother was a prostitute, and the two of them were not well-received at home. The merchant had a son and a daughter, and Lady anne was one among them, why was it that she alone inherited the property in the end? And that baron, although without close kin, had collateral kin, and it made no sense to leave the inheritance to a widow.”

“It was found in the manor.”

Dana took out a palm-sized statue and placed it before the two of them, “Spider Goddess Elis, who seems to have never had male believers, and the manor’s owner was you,,, lady, how do you explain this?”

The statue depicted a human’s head and a spider’s body,,, long black hair falling down, and exquisitely lifelike, it gave off an eerie feeling.

A god statue!

The statue of the Spider goddess!

The lady, who in front of her made even the most reserved women’s hearts flutter, was a believer of elis.

Perhaps even her father’s and husband’s death was related to her.

“Patrol officer.”

Karl was at a loss for words, “Since you found a problem with her, why didn’t you bring more people over or report it to the vatican?”

“Why bring people?” Dana shook her head, “Even if she were a believer of an evil god,, what can you do? Wasn’t she still tied up and held in a secret room by Robert?”

“I’m a knight, why should I fear?”

As she spoke, she thought of Lady Anne being bound, her cheeks flushed red, and her body grew hot.

“hehe…”

Lady Anne giggled at the words, her laugh making her shoulders tremble, “Miss Dana, you haven’t touched a man before, have you? What a pity it would be.”

“bound…”

“it’s not necessarily being restrained by others, it could also be playing certain special games not suitable for minors.”

“it could also be…”

“for the pleasure of the mother goddess!”

Mother goddess?

Indeed, she was a believer of the spider goddess elis!

Dana’s expression turned grave as she looked at the coyly laughing Lady Anne, her right hand suddenly reached for the sword hilt.

“Puh!”

A shadow flickered and vanished.

“Hn!”

Dana grunted, her legs went limp, and she knelt down in the carriage, a stream of blood trickled down her shoulder.

What was that?

What happened?

Her eyes blank, only knowing that in that instant, something had pierced through her shoulder.

When she came to, her arm was already numb.

“Such a pretty young lady, the key is that she hasn’t touched a man.” Lady Anne bent down, reached out to support Dana’s cheek, “If you die like this, it would be such a pity, wouldn’t it?”

“Karl?”

Dana’s complexion turned pale, her body trembled slightly, before her was a lady of extreme beauty and delicacy.

Terrifying!

Dangerous!

As if the other party’s slightest movement could crush everything, or as if countless steel needles pressed tight against her skin, ready to pierce her into a sieve of holes at any moment.

“Lady.”

Karl sat stiffly, equally immobile, his strong senses made the terror of the woman next to him very clear.

A grand knight?

Even if not, likely close enough.

“I’m about to leave Signocity, what you do will be irrelevant to me, can you let me off the carriage?”

“Leave?” Lady Anne pursed her lips, “Where to go, black swamp?”

“Have you ever thought of going to the black swamp? Have you ever met the wizard Addison?”

“Indeed, it’s said that the gray-robed wizard Addison successfully ascended to the second ring, attracting many to explore the black swamp.”

“But what of it?”

“King Cologne bathed in the sacred light was born, receiving the divine’s favor, destined to recreate the splendor of the glory of the Ferro empire. Now the knights, divine fathers, and wizards of Cologne all follow the new king’s rule, and the black swamp will one day be trampled under the empire. Do you think you can escape misfortune by going there?”

"Naive!"

Karl's face darkened.

The other party had far more information than he did. Grey-robed Wizard Addison was already a Second-Level Wizard, which explained why he was recruiting Wizard Apprentices to the Black Swamp to form a Wizard organization.

However...

The New King of Koln had managed to bring together the secular, divine, and mysterious powers represented by knights, priests, and wizards. This was truly astonishing.

He wanted to unify the nations and rebuild the empire?

"The Gandor Kingdom is just the beginning. Countries like Sachs and Toksik will also be incorporated into Koln's territory."

Lady Anne said, "Join us now, and you'll become an imperial noble, and you'll also receive the teachings of a Full Wizard!"

"Where do you think Robert got his magic from? It was all bestowed upon him by the Koln Wizard Association."

"Hehe..."

She giggled and moved closer.

"I know that, like Robert, you're a mysterious Wizard Apprentice. But even at such close range, not even an advanced Wizard Apprentice could escape my grasp."

A Wizard Apprentice?

Karl?

Dana struggled to lift her head, and her eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Karl.

She had experienced quite a bit and had personally witnessed Robert's methods, so it was natural for her to inquire about related news.

Although wizards were rare, they did exist, and their abilities were recorded in the heritage of the great nobles.

Previously, she had treated them as legendary stories, but now she knew for sure that some people indeed possessed special powers.

They were called wizards,

or Wizard Apprentices!

"Boom!"

Something exploded not far away, followed by a burst of flames and faint screams.

"It's begun."

Lady Anne smiled and said, "Signo City can't hold back the Thunder Spear. If you follow me, you won't be targeted by Koln's soldiers, and you can freely dispose of the wealth I've accumulated over the years."

"How about it?"

She lifted Karl's chin with her hand, her voice soft and alluring.

Her childhood experiences had left her with a severe lack of security, so she needed someone by her side as a 'reliance'.

Her wealthy father, the Count husband, and Robert the Apothecary...

They were all her 'reliances', until she grew tired of them and drained them of everything, forcing her to abandon them.

Now,

she had set her sights on Karl.

"Boom!"

The rumbling sound echoed again, this time closer. The horses reared, neighing in fear.

The carriage shook.

An opportunity!

Dana's eyes lit up. The wooden boards beneath her feet exploded, and her body shot out like a cannonball.

"Bang!"

The carriage behind her shattered instantly.

"Hmm?"

Lady Anne turned her head, her beautiful eyes cold. Her body swayed slightly, and a shadow darted towards Dana's chest.

At that moment,

Karl's eyes narrowed, and a ring on his finger suddenly glowed.

"Buzz..."

A bright light flashed, and pieces of armor materialized out of thin air.

"Hmm?"

Lady Anne's eyes flickered, and her body suddenly bent towards Dana, pointing at Karl.

Her fingers were slender and smooth, her nails meticulously polished, like a perfect work of art.

But in Karl's perception, the pointing finger was like a sharp sword, an indestructible blade.

With extreme speed, it would surely pierce his body before the armor covered him.

"Clang!"

The sound of breaking the air came a split second too late.

Fortunately, Karl wasn't Dana. In the instant Lady Anne bent, he had already grabbed the broadsword by his side.

"Clang!"

The broadsword was drawn.

His instincts, honed through countless battles, allowed Karl to block the finger with his sword at the last moment.

"Ding..."

The sound of collision.

The slender finger collided with the hard sword, and sparks flew, emitting a howling force.

Karl felt a sharp force through the sword, causing his body to lean back involuntarily.

But Dana only paused for a moment before pointing again.

Combat Technique - Gale Slash!

Karl's arm trembled, and countless sword shadows appeared out of thin air, forming a barrier of swords in front of him.

"Ding!"

"Ding, ding... Clang, clang..."

The sounds of impact were rapid and swift.

Lady Anne lunged forward, and Karl retreated. Countless forces erupted from their collision.

In an instant, the carriage was torn to shreds. The horses and coachman screamed and fell to the ground, and Dana was swept away.

"Bang!"

The impact suddenly stalled.

The tall and curvaceous Lady Anne stood in the middle of the scene.

But Dana's eyes were fixed on Karl.

Or rather,

on the Black Armor Warrior!

Although Karl's body hadn't transformed yet, the armor he wore already revealed his identity.

The mysterious person who had saved the group that night!

Karl?

Could it be him?

How was this possible?

For a moment, Dana felt like the Dawn Lord was playing a huge joke on her, and she didn't find it funny at all; instead, it seemed absurd.

"Is it you?"

Lady Anne's voice was heavy.

"Is it you who killed Robert?"

"I didn't expect that you're not only a Wizard Apprentice but also a peak-level knight."

Her words received no response. The ground beneath Karl's feet trembled, and he pounced forward, using the momentum to leap into the air.

In mid-air, his body collided with Lady Anne's as if they were balloons.

Secret Technique!

Gigantism!

Please collect!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end