Chapter 36: Passage and Magic Array! Find out the situation!
In Su Mo’s opinion, the Spike Demon God was a big fool, but he was far too cunning compared to humans. Those villains who traded with the Spike Demon God were no different from walking a tightrope over a sea of fire.
“Phantom Demon God, how is it? There are already several passages near the Crescent King Capital. My people have passed through some, but the passages are not big enough and must be widened. If you want, I can give you a passage,” the Spike Demon God said, not waiting for Su Mo’s response.
Su Mo replied calmly, “When will you do it?”
The Spike Demon God was not suspicious and answered, “Of course, we will do it when the blessing ceremony of the Goddess of the Crescent is about to end. At that time, the most devout believers of the Goddess of the Crescent will be in the capital. How about we distribute the souls of these devout believers according to their contribution?”
After pondering for a while, Su Mo agreed, “Okay, give me a passage.”
“Then it’s settled. Don’t widen the passage too much in the next two days. The magic circle they set up is too weak, and a large passage will be exposed. If the passage is lost, your people will have no way to come. Don’t say I didn’t share the benefits with you,” warned the Spike Demon God.
After the Little Spike Demon God finished speaking, he threw out a ball of black energy containing the imprint of a channel. Immediately after, the Little Spike Demon God turned into a letter that could be activated to communicate with the Spike Demon God when necessary. Barbara sealed the letter in a device.
“Barbara, open the passage and send someone to check it out. Then, contact me,” Su Mo ordered Barbara through the female worm before ending the call. The female worm had carried his will for a long time and was close to its limits. After giving the female worm some energy, Su Mo put it in his space ring. He withdrew from the magic circle to avoid drawing attention to himself.
In the King’s Capital, a magic array suddenly appearing in certain areas would draw close attention. It was a measure to prevent assassins and others from using a magic array to conceal their movements and kill people. However, not many people possessed magic disks like the one in Su Mo’s hand.
On the other end, Barbara swiftly opened the passage using numerous magic stones after receiving Su Mo’s order. Then, she sent some servants from the Phantom Dynasty into the tunnel. Upon entering the passage, the servants appeared in a magic array. Although it was still quite a distance from the capital, the magic array was set up in an abandoned building, obscuring the divine light in the sky, ensuring that the servants would not be detected upon arrival.
No humans were present in the magic array upon the servant’s return. Instead, a succubus appeared in the magic array, and the Phantom observed the magic array to figure out what had happened. Barbara reported everything to Su Mo the next morning.
The magic array’s range was extensive and arranged differently, primarily driven by magic stones and short-term magic patterns. The entire magic array would vanish completely after the blessing ceremony of the Crescent Goddess ended, leaving no trace whatsoever.
The villains of the alliance executed their plan flawlessly and managed to evade detection. It was not an easy task to locate them. They might be using this channel to facilitate the entrance and concealment of their demon army. Although, the passage leading to the arrival of the Demon God remained too narrow for now.
Hence, the villains must have made other arrangements. They might have already prepared a large number of dead soldiers for a blood sacrifice to take place at a later stage. After the demon army burst out and attracted the attention of the Goddess of the Crescent, the blood sacrifice would have begun, unleashing the power of the Demon God to obliterate everything in the vicinity of the sacrifice site.
It would leave no traces behind, making it difficult to track down the organiser of this event. It was doubtful for ordinary nobles to execute such a covert operation. The villains were resourceful and likely utilised their identities from their time travel to their advantage.
After a better understanding of the magic array, Su Mo could discern the layout of the villains’ alliance. As for the Spike Demon God, he wasn’t inclined to share any benefits with Su Mo. After all, as a Demon God, it was unlikely that he would be generous. So why did he only provide Su Mo with a channel? Obviously, he wanted Su Mo to attract attention and divert some pressure away from himself. Once that was done, he would dispose of Su Mo.
Su Mo wasn’t foolish enough to fall for this ploy. He sat on his favourite golden chair, pondered for a while, and devised a plan. It was a plan that involved pitting the Spike Demon God ruthlessly. This plan wouldn’t be easy, but Su Mo was determined to execute it. It wasn’t just the Spike Demon God that would be affected.
Su Mo realised that he still wanted to outsmart many people, including several powerful villains at the level of dukes. As a Demon God, he couldn’t allow them to steal his spotlight. However, Su Mo’s current top priority was the upcoming blessing ceremony. It was critical to the evolution of his bloodline and, more importantly, to his understanding of the power of the heavens.
Fortunately, the actions of the villain alliance presented an opportunity for Su Mo. If he played his cards right, he could take control of the Crescent Kingdom in one fell swoop. This would allow him to consolidate his power and further his ambitions. Su Mo knew he needed to be strategic and patient to achieve his goals. With a determined mindset, he began to plot his next moves.
“Phew, I’m so tired…”
“Same here. Being a protagonist is exhausting. Why do protagonists always have to be so charming?”
“Maybe we’re just not good enough. Look at the forums. Some really powerful protagonists fearlessly face the villains.”
“That’s true. We’re just low-ranked losers.”
“Fortunately, he doesn’t do anything, which shows he knows better than to act recklessly.”
“Hmm~”
“…..”
At this moment, outside Su Mo’s palace, two protagonists who had joined the palace guards were chatting quietly on the protagonist’s panel. These two guys didn’t get much sleep last night. They couldn’t bring themselves to sleep with Su Mo so close by. They didn’t dare to leave either since the captain of the guard was still present. If they left, it would be an excuse for Su Mo to deal with them. So, they remained on edge all night, staying up despite their already considerable strength. They were feeling a bit uncomfortable now, having endured so much.
Suddenly, the sound of the palace gate opening caught their attention. “There’s movement!” The two protagonists quickly stood up and looked towards the palace gate. They saw Su Mo appear there and beckon to the captain of the guard. The captain of the guard walked over.
Next, they saw Su Mo pointing at them once again. The two protagonists glanced at each other, suddenly feeling uneasy.
“You two, go inside and help the Earl move something,” the guard captain said. “Oh no, this is going to be tough. How can he order the captain of the guard?” one protagonist muttered.
“Once inside, he might even kill us if he finds an excuse. At best, we’ll just get blamed by the Queen!” The other one said anxiously. “What should we do?” They both wondered aloud.
“…..”
The two protagonists suddenly panicked. They weren’t ring-style protagonists. Otherwise, they would still have the desire to compete with Su Mo.
Although ring-style protagonists had to cultivate independently, they had an additional lifeline in the early stages. If they had the courage and used it effectively, they might have even been able to counter-kill other early-stage protagonists.
“What are you waiting for?” The guard captain shouted, afraid that Su Mo would get angry if they continued to hesitate.
If it had been any other noble, the captain of the guard wouldn’t have cared. After all, nobles didn’t have control over the Queen’s guards yet. However, last night, Cathy, the Queen’s most trusted female officer, had been instructed to deal with Su Mo with the highest standards. Su Mo had to be catered to in every way possible.
Naturally, the captain of the guard didn’t dare to offend Su Mo. Seeing he was getting impatient, the two protagonists had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk forward, like two ants with broken legs on a hot pan. They were in a hurry, but there was no escaping the situation.
The two continued asking each other on the protagonist’s panel about what to do, but neither had a good solution. If they didn’t obey the order, they wouldn’t be able to pass the level of the guard captain.
In the end, the two of them reluctantly made their way to the front of the captain of the guard.
…………
“Captain, what do we need to do to move forward? We’re staying up all night and not getting much sleep. We’re exhausted, and I’m afraid it will cause a delay in the Earl’s affairs. Should we consider replacing two members of our team?” The two protagonists were still struggling to keep up.
One of them even discreetly pulled out a handful of gold coins, attempting to bribe the captain of the guard. Su Mo glanced at them casually before turning and entering the room.
“What are you doing? Are you trying to get yourselves killed? The Earl has appointed you to assist him, yet you dare to speak out of turn and question my authority? Go now, or risk facing the wrath of the Earl,” the captain of the guard snorted and rebuked them sternly.
“Captain, perhaps you can join us and provide some guidance?” One of the protagonists tried to persuade him, offering another handful of gold coins.
“Get out!” The guard captain bellowed, refusing the bribe and kicking the two protagonists towards the exit. With no other option, the two protagonists reluctantly entered the palace with sad expressions.
They noticed a few individuals moving various items as they made their way inside. “Are they moving things?” The two protagonists questioned in surprise. Unbeknownst to them, upon entering the palace, Su Mo had already cast an illusion over them, causing them to perceive things differently.
Due to their lack of sleep and anxiety, their senses were already clouded, making it easier for Su Mo to manipulate their perception. Even without using his illusionary abilities, it was still relatively simple for Su Mo to lead them to their destination. The palace gates were left open, and it was a clear path to follow.
“Both of you, go and move that box,” a voice spoke to them from within the illusion.
The two protagonists followed the instructions and eventually arrived at a secluded room. Just as they were about to move items, Su Mo’s eyes suddenly glowed a menacing red, leaving the two protagonists stunned and paralysed.
Soon, a lot of information was presented to them. “There are seventeen of them,” Su Mo spoke softly. These two protagonists were well-informed. They knew seventeen protagonists were in the capital, and more were arriving.
While they didn’t know the specifics of each protagonist’s abilities, they had a general idea of which ones were the strongest. For example, Sanctuary in the Holy Moon Academy of Magic accepted a protagonist as a closed disciple and was incredibly powerful. Based on their description, Su Mo surmised that this protagonist was likely highly talented in magic, perhaps even at a silver level.
Another protagonist was secretly cultivated by the Holy See, who was important to the organisation. It was even rumoured that this protagonist had caught the attention of the Crescent Goddess.
Indeed, there were many protagonists to keep track of, making locating them all at once difficult.