Fight

"Isn't that the association's treasure?"

The person who just recognized the Book of Answers swallowed his saliva and said, "How about we wait? Asking questions to the Book of Answers also comes with a price. What if the price we ask for is something we can't afford..."

While he was hesitating, the red-haired young man had already placed his hand on the cover of the Book of Answers.

Repeat the question three times in your mind. Blood dripped, staining the book scarlet.

[Why did the Black Mist followers change the coordinates of the teleportation array? 】

The gorgeous jewelry grew flesh and blood, the pages of the book rustled and stopped at the page of answer. Blood-red ink seeped out from the pages, outlining the crazy handwriting.

[Miracle, miracle, miracle is coming! ]

【Open your eyes and look at this, this is the proof of salvation! 】

【Our path is correct! 】

【We will save humanity! 】

The words were filled with a tangible excitement and weirdness, giving off a strong sense of unease. Then, the blood-red words gradually melted, dyeing the entire page scarlet.

A darker crimson color emerged from the depths of the paper and solidified into new handwriting. The originally luxurious outer shell cracked, and the whole thing became broken and shabby.

He is watching you

The dark red characters began to melt, leaving tear-like bloodstains on the pages. When they were about to go beyond the scope of the pages, they disappeared, and the [Book of Answers] closed automatically, leaving only the stunned people.

This answer was obviously wrong. Aurelius stared at the cover and thought quickly.

He is watching you, not He watching you. Does that mean someone is only targeting him?

Dan was shocked: "He looks like a very troublesome guy. What should we do next?"

"I will go with Rex, and you will go from the other side and try to find other Black Mist teams. First, we need to find out whether all the people sent by the Mechanical City are robots, and second, we need to get everyone out of Black Mist alive as much as possible."

The red-haired young man thought for a moment and quickly made a decision: "I suspect that the "He" mentioned in the [Book of Answers] is not the [Queen of Insects]."

The others were confused. Flynn asked in confusion, "But we only encountered Him this time. Apart from the Queen of Insects, we didn't encounter any other monsters, did we?"

"If He is referring to the Queen of Insects, the first person to be confronted should be Rex. He is the priest that He favors, and he has taken the Heart of Insects. In contrast, although I fought with the Queen, it was very exhausting for me, and the Queen also knows this. We can't do anything to each other, and He will not rashly attack me."

Oreius pointed at himself and said, "The Book of Answers clearly states that it is me that it is looking at. The worst possible situation is that two monsters are now targeting us. Rex attracted the queen, and I attracted the other one. It would be better for us to go separately."

The priest frowned: "Wouldn't that just attract all the danger to you?"

"That's it. I have a plan."

The red-haired young man put his hand on the cover again. The gemstone on the cover continued to break and remained in a state of trembling and falling.

Dan felt distressed when he saw this: "Be gentle, this is an S-level pollutant, it's very precious, okay?"

Rex let out a "hmm" sound, remembering that the other party had used the sword that nailed the Insect Queen to the ground, and that Oleus had not taken it back either.

He remembered that the sword seemed to be an S-level pollutant?

Oreius slammed the floor and said, "Then get a new one."

All bloodline members present: "..."

Please, this is an S-class pollutant, not the black bread you buy at home, okay? This kind of wasteful speech is really too enviable... too hateful!

The red-haired young man was completely unaware that he had been labeled a spendthrift. The pages of the book turned again, answering his question.

What will we encounter?

This time, it was as if an invisible hand was holding a pen and drawing on the paper. The red ink vividly depicted a magnificent palace, and Rex recognized where it was at a glance.

"It depicts... the Queen's chambers?"

The [Book of Answers] did not answer his confusion. The picture on the next page had already entered the inner part of the bedroom. The queen was covered in wounds and furious, and a figure stood beside her. The latter showed a blurry profile, showing no fear of the wrath of the SSS-level monster.

Next one, the next one, the next one.

The speed of turning the pages of the book suddenly increased, and the distance was shortened little by little with difficulty. The [Book of Answers] actively absorbed the blood of Oreius, and it was pulled against the invisible force in the void. In the subsequent scenes, the queen had gradually calmed down, and words appeared above her head.

"...When are you going back? I don't have time for you humans."

"My brother told me to wait for him here."

"He made you die again, and you still call him brother? Humans are really strange."

"None of your business."

The painting of the Book of Answers was very good, and the close-ups of humans were vivid. It was a familiar yet fragmented face. The face was that of Aga, but the expression was indifferent. The strange thing was that there was a hint of familiarity in the indifference, which made Oreius subconsciously search his mind and try his best to find the corresponding person.

When he finally found the source of the familiar feeling, the red-haired young man suddenly widened his eyes.

elder brother.

This person is...Eamon?

He stared at Aga intently, trying to find an answer to prove his guess. The [Book of Answers] seemed to sense his thoughts and put more focus on humans, making the other person's words clearer.

"Rather than worrying about me, you should think about how to heal your wounds. The power that Oleus left in you must be painful, and you can't leave the City of Insects yet."

"Hehehe...Human, don't think you can provoke me just because you are resurrected. I have many ways to make you unable to live or die."

"Do you think I want this ability?" The other party sneered and said in a cold tone that Orelius had never seen before. "I came here just to tell you that His Majesty is very disappointed in you. In order to avoid repeating the same mistake, he sent me to deliver something."

"I--"

The queen's voice suddenly stopped and she looked up into the sky.

In the human eye sockets were embedded the compound eyes of insects, with countless facets on the eyeballs, looking towards a place that did not exist in the void. Anger appeared on the extremely beautiful and mysterious face. He opened his mouth and let out a sharp insect sound. Invisible ripples spread out in circles, following the trace and surging into the distance.

Eamon, who was facing Aga, seemed to realize something: "What happened?"

"Something got in there and we accidentally let it run away." The Queen of Insects said in a cold voice, turning to look at him. "It won't bother us again. First, tell me what His Majesty asked you to bring."

"It would be better."

Eamon said calmly, taking out a pocket watch from his pocket. It looked worn out, but it was barely working, so it wouldn't be surprising if it appeared in a trash can.

But facing this small pocket watch, the powerful SSS-level monster was extremely surprised: "Did His Majesty ask you to bring this?"

"When Your Majesty resurrected me, He said that there are only two ways to remove the power of Orelius. One is to use a stronger power to erase it, and the other is to use the artifact of the goddess of fate to reverse the "past" that was hit by it in battle. Your Majesty has restored part of the power of the artifact, which is enough for you to use."

"I understand. I will definitely not let Your Majesty down."

The Queen of Insects happily accepted the pocket watch. Since she came to the Black Mist Era and pledged allegiance to Your Majesty, she had presented this pocket watch to Your Majesty. She never thought that she would be able to get it again after such a long time.

This is a gift from the goddess of fate, a part split from her divine weapon, and it possesses a unique power that is enough to control fate.

The Queen carefully adjusted the clock, and as the hands jumped backwards, the wounds on her body were erased by a strange power. The annoying red spells disappeared.

Seeing this, the Queen of Insects couldn't help but curl her lips, her eyes full of confidence: "I will go and capture those humans now, I want to enjoy their wailing and pain!"

The circle of connections created by the chirping spread out and eventually found the peeper.

The Book of Answers, which was lurking in the distance, fell to the ground with a thud as if struck by lightning. The pages of the book spread out weakly, and dense holes from insects appeared on the edges, spreading continuously to the center of the pages. Oreius gave more blood in time, allowing the Book of Answers to breathe a sigh of relief.

The remaining part of the defect has not yet healed. It relied on strengthening to gain the ability to spy on SSS-level monsters. Now that it has been discovered and hit, it has become listless and no longer responds.

Oreius put the Book of Answers back into his pocket. Seeing the terrifying power of the Insect Queen, the others wisely stopped insisting.

Dan was very worried and reminded me: "Be careful and contact me if anything happens."

The blood of the Luo family is simply cheating in this place, and can easily achieve long-distance communication. Although it has lost contact with Partington, it is enough to ensure communication within the range of the black fog.

The red-haired young man ruffled his hair and said in a relaxed tone: "Of course, we have to go back."

Dan nodded vigorously: "Brother is still waiting for us at home!"

In the warm atmosphere, someone suddenly pondered for a while in confusion, poked his companion and asked in a low voice: "Hey, why didn't he pay the price?"

His companion glanced at him and said, "You ask me, who should I ask? This is probably what a strong person is."

The first person suddenly realized: "I understand, the strong don't have to pay a price!"

The other party was speechless and said, "You know nothing. If you were a strong person, and there was a pollutant that required you to pay a price, you could just blow it up."

…

After a short rest, Rex and Oleus left first.

Even if we didn't see the end, the things that Crown brought were definitely used to help the Queen of Insects. Once her injuries recovered, the first thing she would do was to hunt down Rex. In order to prevent her companions from being affected, the two chose to go the opposite way.

They hadn't gone far, so far that Ricks' heart suddenly skipped a beat in his chest.

The man looked bitter: "It seems the queen has started to take action."

The speed he sensed was so fast that it was staggering. Rex could almost picture the other party flying through the sky with its insect wings spread out. Even without the insect tide, everything surrendered and black mist surged wherever it passed. No obstacle could stop its attack.

SSS-level monsters are the strongest ones standing at the top. Their beautiful and charming appearance is just a disguise of insects. Their true identity is the most terrifying and greatest existence in the black fog, and they enjoy the pain and struggle of mankind.

If it was more than a decade ago, he could only crawl at its feet and become one of the remaining survivors. But now, he can snatch away the worm heart with his companions, and even see the queen being beaten extremely miserably, and then walk away in a swagger under the unwilling eyes of the other party.

This feeling is really...

So cool!

Rex was in a good mood. Oleus glanced at him, putting medicine on his body: "What are you happy about?"

"Hehe, this is the first time I've been so successful."

The red-haired young man rolled his eyes, too lazy to pay attention to his inexplicable pride.

Trying to compete with SSS-level monsters with just two feet is something that only a fool would do. The treasure that the Luo family left for Oleus was put to good use, and was transformed into combat power through the ability of the profiteer.

A familiar black hole appeared in front of the two people, and the interior was slowly rotating, as if waiting for something.

Looking at the teleportation hole, Ricks said, "It seems that you have a good relationship with that legendary businessman."

It was the first time that the red-haired young man heard such an evaluation: "Legendary businessman?"

When did the unscrupulous businessman become so famous?

"He is the devil who sells human souls, the most famous black-hearted businessman in Partington City, and the rising star of western trade. It is said that whoever offends him will have his head appear on the table of the underground leader of Partington the next day."

"....ha?"

Seeing the confusion on Oleus's face, Rex asked in surprise: "Don't you know?"

"......"

Orelius remained silent for a long time, still not understanding why he had such a cruel heart: "Tell me more about it?"

Ricks's face was full of mystery. "I heard about it, too. A new caravan has recently arrived at the western border, called the Profligate Caravan. It is said that the boss behind it has incredible power, and the twelve round table families treat them as guests of honor. The things sold by the caravan are of outstanding quality and are deeply loved by the western nobles. But they also take on other businesses behind the scenes."

"There is nothing this caravan can't get. It is said that the president of their Chamber of Commerce, the profiteer, is more cunning than the devil in the pre-Black Mist era. If you want to deal with him, you must be prepared to lose everything. According to the wandering bloodline who have done business with him before, they couldn't help but jump into the trap even though they knew it was set by the other party. The profiteer is a very scary person!"

Aurelius defended him: "That is a reasonable way to make a profit. One is willing to buy and the other has the goods. Why not sell them?"

"You don't understand. There must be something wrong with that caravan. Not only do they sell goods to ordinary people, they also have a powerful intelligence organization behind them and often sell intelligence to the Duke and his people."

“Isn’t this a normal thing?”

"...Of course it's abnormal! What respectable caravan would sell confidential information about the noble association!?"

But it is the caravan that is good for gathering intelligence. The red-haired young man looked innocent.

The business of the caravan was handled by Violet and the old merchant who was in charge of the Chamber of Commerce. The former was responsible for providing high-end goods and manpower, while the latter was responsible for caravan planning and sales.

Violet is the leader of the Black Zone, so it is not surprising that she has some intelligence dealers under her. It is convenient for them to gather intelligence while doing business, and they plan to set up a new guild of profiteers in the west in the future to develop a new intelligence network with it as the center. Isn't the so-called intelligence dealer a character who can sell anything as long as you can pay the price?

Ricks looked envious: "It is said that the profiteer is worth millions and has accumulated countless wealth. Even the twelve round table families are amazed at his wealth. There are countless loyal subordinates following him, but the profiteer does not even give them a single rouble. Those subordinates can only sleep in one room!"

Just as he was about to retort, he remembered that the waiters at the Black Forest Tavern were indeed unpaid: "......"

My soul has been sold to a profiteer. Why would I need a salary if I have free food and lodging? It would be good enough if I just have a place to sleep.

"He also uses mysterious teleportation abilities. Every time he hires someone, he drains a city's entire year's tax revenue!"

No, every use of it would empty his own wallet, and how come I didn't know that I was emptying the taxes of so many cities.

"In short, the profiteer is a mysterious and capable person. You can let him help you so much——"

A sharp light flashed in Rex's eyes, and he looked at Oleus meaningfully, as if he understood everything. The latter was slightly startled, thinking that he had shown his emotions too obviously.

The man lowered his voice and asked seriously, "You must have given him a lot of money, right?"

The corners of Oreius' mouth twitched, and he said reluctantly: "...It is indeed a lot."

Ricks' eyes lit up: "See, I was right. A profiteer is a profiteer, just as his name suggests. You all came from the land of stars, and he won't even give you a discount!"

Oreius was not surprised that he knew such information. Rex had a special status and was well-informed. He said helplessly, "Don't even think about giving me a discount. Even profiteers don't get discounts when they buy things themselves."

The man was shocked: "You have to earn your own money? Is this to prevent yourself from spending too much?"

Oreius: "...Okay, let's leave this topic alone."

What on earth did those people spread that caused such a blow to the reputation of the dishonest businessman? It is really puzzling.

While the two were talking, the black hole floating in the air finally changed. A cheerful electronic sound came out of the black hole. Hearing this strange sound, Rex looked up in confusion.

"O-le-u-s-s-s!"

A bone dragon wearing steel armor rushed out of the black hole and landed beside the red-haired young man. Ice-blue flames lingered on the armor, like a long wind blowing across the ice field. Rex was extremely shocked.

Is this a dragon? This is a dragon!

The dragon nudged Oreius's arm affectionately, and the latter patted its helmet: "Is everything ok at home?"

Nidhogg nodded repeatedly. "I went to the west to provide support! The dragonborn didn't come, and the black fog was too dangerous for the half-bloods, so I came here by myself."

As he said this, Nidhogg noticed the stunned Rex.

"Who is this?"

Aurelius replied perfunctorily: "A righteous partner."

The dragon heard the flames of the soul burning, and happily came over to greet Rex.

After finally catching someone who understood the situation, Rex exchanged a few words with him and asked hurriedly, "What's going on with the teleportation array?"

Nidhogg thought hard and said, "The teleportation array? Hmm... the black-robed merchant seemed to say that there was a problem with the teleportation array. He has already returned to Partington City to talk to the Noble Association! Let me help you first. Oh, yes, he also asked me to bring this here."

The dragon opened his mouth and motioned for Orelius to reach in and take out a package from the larynx wrapped in the armor.

The package is filled with energy liquid, enough to last for several days.

Orelius picked up Rex and jumped onto the dragon's back swiftly, with a happy smile on his face.

"Let's go, then. Let the Queen experience the shock of the Mechanical City's technology."

Ricks immediately felt something was wrong: "Hey, you don't mean to--"

Nidhogg understood what his companion meant and was equally excited. The two sets of mechanical engines under its wings burst into bright blue light, and the bone dragon soared into the air, rushing towards the distance shrouded by black mist.

“Aaaaaaaa——”

Ricks covered his mouth in time and watched in horror as the black mist passed by his feet.

The Queen, who was far away, suddenly sensed the departure of the Insect Heart.

Looking at the trembling monsters, the queen's face turned cold, and she recalled the scene when these humans escaped from the [Green Mist Tree]. That was really a joke, enough to make the high-level monsters in the black mist laugh for decades.

"Do you think I would fall for such a crude trick? Don't treat me like a fool like Qinglanzhimu."

She stood there, and her white skin began to peel off piece by piece, revealing the shiny black insect shell underneath. It was like a second layer of skin that wrapped around the queen's body, and in an instant she transformed into a giant mutated queen insect.

It has a bloated abdomen that takes up two-thirds of its body length, a very slender and flexible waist, and a pair of huge sickles on its upper body. The three parts are not coordinated but perfectly integrated together, and the corresponding wings on its back are gorgeous and eye-catching. When it flaps lightly, it shakes off fine powder, causing the monsters on the ground to compete for it.

All the insects unconsciously submitted to the pressure and were willing to be driven by the queen. But the queen was not out for a walk today.

He set his direction, and his figure swept across the field like a gust of wind. The friction between his wings and the air produced a sharp sonic boom, and his speed was extremely terrifying.

Nidhogg also got serious. Energy liquid was injected into the thrusters, creating two lingering streams of flames in the darkness. The two chased each other, and the speed kept rising. Rex lay on the dragon's back and didn't dare to look up, for fear that he would be blown off by the strong wind if he stood up.

Oreius narrowed one eye, his expression extremely serious.

Faster than the wind, tearing through space, the speed of an SSS-class monster at full firepower is beyond imagination. Even if you try your best, you can only barely maintain the distance. If you are not careful, you will be caught up.

As another bottle of energy liquid was consumed, Nidhogg's speed slowed down slightly. A figure flashed past from the end of his sight.

“Swoosh—”

The monster's huge figure flashed before him, like a ghost. Its sharp forelimbs smashed down towards him at an astonishing speed.

The ice-blue flame exploded, transforming into the long spear in Oleus's hand to block the heavy blow. The entire dragon of Nidhogg was pressed down several meters by the huge force, and the red-haired young man's face turned a little pale.

Fortunately, he was prepared. The young man pried open the bottle with his left hand and drank the special medicine from the profiteer in one gulp.

[Strong blood supplement][Strength enhancement][Blood burning][Pain reduction][Physical fitness enhancement]

Rather than calling it a potion, it is more of a materialized product of blessing. The profiteer put his own power into it, blessing Orelius from a distance.

Strength was re-injected into his body, and bright red blood entangled the flaming spear. Oleus fought back, and the tip of the spear hit the opponent's heart. The blood-gold cold light ignited again in the depths of his pupils.

A low curse rang in his ears, cursing him to fall into madness. The insect's limbs crossed and collided with the gun tip, making a loud and crisp sound, and the undried blood took the opportunity to climb onto the queen's forelimbs. But in the blink of an eye, it disappeared again.

Nidhogg took advantage of the situation to distance himself from her, and both stood in the air observing each other. The queen chuckled and said, "Give me my priest and the heart of the worm, and I will let you go."

"Your priest is not here." The red-haired young man raised his spear again and said coldly. "Now that it is in my hands, it is mine."

The next second, the two sides collided fiercely again. Dozens of rounds of brutal fighting flashed by in a dozen seconds, and the red-haired young man was getting more and more uncomfortable.

The damage he caused to the Queen of Insects healed in an instant, and the Queen didn't seem to worry about getting hurt at all, fighting with her life for hers. And Oleus had to protect Rex on the dragon's back, so he was losing more and more.

Finally, the queen's right limb broke through the flame armor and pierced through Oreius' shoulder. Blood splattered on the black armor, but it did not corrode the wound like before.

Lying on the dragon's back, Rex observed for a long time and finally came to his senses. He shouted, "It's not healing! Aureus! The wounds on the queen's body disappeared suddenly. He must have used something - ugh!"

"That's long-winded."

The blood-stained insect limb stopped in front of the human's nose, and a drop of blood slowly dripped from the tip and fell down the tip of Rex's nose. The latter was still in shock, and the ice-blue flame formed a shield to block the insect limb.

The queen pulled out her insect limbs indifferently, turned around and looked at Oreius, who was gasping for breath, with a strong murderous intent in her eyes.

"You are so blind. Since you won't give it to me, I'll just take it myself."