Luo Fan stayed outside the tent for a while, slowly penetrating his divine sense inside, and sure enough, he found a cave that extended downwards.
Outside the cave entrance sat three men in uniforms, who looked like ordinary city guards.
"Big brother, how much longer do we have to stay here? I really want to go back to the capital."
"No job in the capital is as comfortable as this one. There are some great treasures down there. If we can really dig them up, it will be enough for us to squander for a long time."
"But is that guy down there reliable? It's been so long and there's been no progress at all."
“She’s a professional thief, after all. If you’re so capable, why don’t you try? Anyway, there’s still one day left. If she can’t produce a result, we’ll just capture her and take her back. At least we can earn some merit points.”
"Hmm. But I've never seen such an ugly woman before. I wonder where the boss found her."
"Don't ask questions. Just do what you're supposed to do. You're on duty tonight, so don't let any monsters or freaks in and ruin the plans. We've already been warned for not catching that unlucky guy who got burned last time!"
"I know, I know."
After a short while, a man came out, walked around the area to make sure the magic array was working properly, and then sat down on a wooden stake outside.
No more sounds came from inside; they all seemed to have entered a meditative state.
It really is an official organization; their strength is around mid-level martial arts masters, passable.
But could a thief really move that suspended stone? Luo Fan's curiosity was piqued. After confirming the distribution of the magic arrays around him and realizing that most of them were concealment arrays, he moved into the cave.
Passing through an iron gate, one could still see faint magical lights flickering inside. Beside the foundation stone, a figure was setting up a complex magic circle along the stone, occasionally measuring distances with a ruler, looking quite professional.
The man had his head bowed, his hair disheveled, his clothes tattered, and he didn't even have shoes. The entire space reeked of a foul stench.
Luo Fan cautiously approached, but the woman suddenly looked up and glanced at where Luo Fan was.
Oh my god, it really is ugly!
One side of his face had a large, dark scar, and the other side even showed signs of ulceration, as if he had been subjected to long-term abuse.
Apart from her bright, expressive eyes, there was nothing else to see. She was short, with thin arms, clearly underdeveloped. Her feet were bound with unusual iron chains, presumably to prevent her from escaping.
"Who's there? I've spotted you! If you don't come out, I'm calling for help!"
Those eyes scanned the small space around them, unsure of Luo Fan's location, cautiously probing.
Huh, she was supposed to be a high-level mage, how did she end up in this state? Looking at the magic circle she had set up, Luo Fan couldn't recognize it; it actually involved a combination of magic circles and looked quite complex.
"Could I have seen wrong?" the woman muttered to herself, her attention returning to the stone.
She had studied at the Imperial Bureau of Works for a time, and knew the forging process of this foundation stone and the location of the hovering stone. Later, due to family misfortunes, she offended someone she shouldn't have, and she escaped, becoming a thief.
Relying on his past knowledge and personal abilities, he has been living a life of anonymity, helping certain people deal with all sorts of shady matters.
As a result, I was betrayed by my employer and captured here. I need to get rid of the air-holding stone inside as soon as possible.
After all, the hovering stone is a very precious stone; a small piece can sell for thousands of purple gold coins, but its use requires royal permission.
Who exactly found out about me? I've never told anyone I was involved in this.
With a sigh, the woman continued her work, occasionally fiddling with alchemical solutions that Luo Fan had never seen before.
Upon examining the changes in the foundation stone, the patterns on it have diminished considerably, but the spatial barrier still exists, albeit much more fragile.
She really has a way with things!
No, we must strike first to avoid any unforeseen complications.
Through the fragile barrier, Luo Fan quickly located the hovering stone, which was sealed inside a special device. Due to continuous external damage, some of the magic arrays were clearly weakening.
A small spatial blade swept across, and the entire foundation was instantly covered with cracks, rapidly collapsing.
The woman was suddenly stunned, completely bewildered as to why this was happening. These foundation stones were made from top-grade mica, extremely heavy, and could significantly reduce the effects of magic.
Moving it would require the assistance of at least several earth-elemental mages. Once the hovering stone within is activated, even a grand mage would find it difficult to move it even an inch, which is why its secrecy is so high.
It's impossible for it to crack if I mess with it like this, unless a powerful figure intervenes in the shadows.
As the mica fragments fell, the woman spoke in trembling voice. Once the hovering stone was taken away, no matter who it was, she would surely lose her life.
I have no choice but to take a gamble. The big shot is so powerful; perhaps he can offer me a new way out.
"Sir, we can't take it directly. There's a special mechanism near the hovering stone. If we make a mistake, it will detonate and we'll all be killed."
Oh, there's that intricacies? Sensing the magic array still operating inside the stone, Luo Fan stopped what he was doing and used the rubble below to spell out two characters.
You come
Such a slight fluctuation of dark magic! The master's magic control is so strong! The woman breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that she was still useful. Then she nervously stated her conditions.
"You need to protect my safety, and once the air-holding stone is removed, you cannot kill me!"
no problem
Eat
After these words, a pill suddenly appeared on the ground. It was very dull and obviously not a good thing.
The woman hesitated for a moment, then picked it up and swallowed it. As long as she could get out, it didn't matter who controlled her; at least the powerful figure lurking in the shadows was no pushover.
Let's begin.
After eating, the woman's magic flowed more smoothly. Then, the iron chains on her feet suddenly broke, and the stagnant magic in her body gradually became unobstructed.
"Thank you, I'll begin then." She paused in the void before finally taking action, rapidly corroding certain special magic arrays.
Luo Fan felt the spatial barrier slowly disappearing. Not long after, the device was activated, and a small, dark stone, only the size of a peanut, appeared in front of Luo Fan.
As his divine sense extended, all he saw were layers upon layers of compressed elements, with no end in sight.
So this was the Void Stone. The spatial elements inside seemed to be in a folded state, connected quite tightly. Luo Fan stared at it for a while, and then felt a sense of disorientation.
He tried to use the spatial node to take the stone, but he couldn't put it into the ring at all, and his clone was exposed.
Is this... a slime?
How strong is the control of a pro to manipulate a slime to take away the hovering stone?
The woman became even more respectful.
Seeing the girl lower her head and cautiously explain, Luo Fan finally breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, he hadn't been exposed. Otherwise, he would have had no choice but to kill her. He had already left backup plans nearby, ready to strike at any moment.
"Sir, the hovering stone cannot be brought into the storage device; it can only be carried on your person."
name
Release your divine sense
A few more words appeared on the ground.
The woman quickly did as she was told, fearing that it might cause any unnecessary trouble, as her life was still in his hands.
Suddenly, a strange feeling arose in her heart, and she quickly agreed, as the voice of a strange man echoed in her mind.
As expected of a master, this ability is truly terrifying; he can even control his own consciousness!
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