Deceitful Clown

"Your First Prince, I have not failed in my mission."

As soon as Metternich finished speaking, he couldn't help but feel a burning sensation in his throat again, and he spat out another mouthful of blood.

He quickly covered it with his hand, but bright red blood still seeped out from between his fingers.

First Prince Quentin glanced at the heavily injured Metternich, a glint of joy flashing in his eyes. He had never underestimated his advisor.

A disciple of Olatu K. Kand in the "Gambler Sequence"? Tsk tsk, he's kept it well hidden.

However, I must die today too.

In this situation, the First Prince should have been concerned about the health of his trusted advisor. But Quentin had abandoned all pretense and, looking at Metternich, asked directly, "So, Master Cavo will no longer obstruct the establishment of the City of Radiance?"

Metternich nodded and said, "Yes. From this day forward, Master Cavo will no longer concern himself with anything in City of Radiance."

Quentin remained calm, showing little expectation.

A few months ago, he would have been wary of Cavo opposing him.

But now...

If it works out, great; if it doesn't, the overall situation is already set. Even if Cavo disagrees, it will only delay things for a while at most.

It is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.

As a member of the Omar royal family, he naturally knew that power was the most tempting thing in the world.

The Five Great Families of City of Radiance have reached a consensus with Omar. Having enjoyed the supreme superiority brought by being "king-level top nobles," they absolutely cannot return to the previous state where their rights were restricted by cold "systems and laws." Even if it doesn't work out, the Five Great Families will jointly petition to force Cavo to relinquish control.

After all, the Five Great Families are none other than the families of Cavo's relatives, friends, and disciples who sacrificed their lives to build the City of Radiance!

How could Cavo not know everything they were doing in the city?

Cavo established a nearly perfect system, but over the years he turned a blind eye to some things, and ultimately he couldn't escape the influence of "personal relationships".

Just then, as if to confirm Metternich's earlier words, the library behind him, which had been stripped of its pyramid structure, suddenly flashed with magical runes and emitted a dazzling light.

Then I looked again and saw that the place where the library used to be was now empty.

Master Cavo, true to his word, teleported the entire library out of City of Radiance, its whereabouts unknown. Only a few high-ranking members knew that the library was not merely a Magic Tower, but also an extraordinary ancient artifact.

Upon seeing this, the First Prince Quentin, was overjoyed.

His gaze shifted, and he said with concern, "Mr. Metternich, you've done me a great favor."

"Your Highness is too kind."

Metternich waved his hand, his heavily made-up clown makeup unable to conceal his weakness. He seemed to know what was about to happen, a look of relief, but more like a mocking smile, appearing on his face.

At this point, Quentin stopped pretending and chuckled, "Since you've had a long journey, sir, I'll see you off."

Metternich feigned surprise. "Your Highness, what do you mean by this?"

"Hehe."

Quentin smiled and did nothing, because his previous words were already an order.

Before the laughter subsided, a ripple suddenly appeared in the air, and a figure materialized out of thin air, a cold dagger already pressed against the clown's neck. The clown stiffened, clearly bound by magic.

Quentin looked at the restrained Metternich and said with a smile, "A lot of top-secret information about you has been coming from Blackwater Platform lately. A disciple of 'Gambler Sequence' Oratu K. Kand? Tsk tsk, Mr. Metternich, you've been hiding it well. I've also discovered that you're not just working for me, but also making many small moves. Although I don't know what you're planning, my intuition tells me that someone like you is very dangerous. So, I'll send you on your way."

The victor always has the urge to humiliate the loser to satisfy his vanity. This First Prince was no exception.

"Hehe. Hehehehehe."

Upon hearing this, Metternich slowly closed his eyes, seemingly laughing at something. The laughter sounded like self-mockery, but it also sounded more like mockery of others.

He glanced at the First Prince and said, "Your Quentin Kunting, why are you so eager to kill me? Aren't you afraid of jeopardizing your Imperial Throne?"

"Then you don't need to worry about it."

After all, he was the most capable subordinate who helped him ascend the throne, and a hint of regret flashed across Quentin's expression.

However, his ruthlessness remained unwavering. He said, "Is there anything else you want to say? Considering how much you've helped me, I might consider your last words."

After that one sentence, Metternich seemed to be provoked, and his personality instantly switched.

His expression, which had been gentle and refined just moments before, suddenly turned ferocious.

His dissected clown face split open, revealing a mouthful of blood-stained teeth, his smile chilling. He continued, "Your Highness, since you've investigated so much about me, have you discovered that I often spend more than two hours alone in the Empress's palace with that beautiful Empress, known as one of the 'Empire's Twin Beauties'? Tsk tsk, Her Majesty the Empress's skin is truly supple."

These words were incredibly insulting, almost vulgar enough to say, "Fuck your mother."

"Are you looking for death?"

Upon hearing this, Quentin's face turned ashen.

Since no one could see these unfounded rumors, he could deceive himself into believing that the man and his mother were having a secret meeting.

The clown's mocking laughter grew increasingly exaggerated, as if he were witnessing a child's scheming, utterly laughable.

He looked at Quentin, completely unconcerned about the dagger at his neck, and said, "Um... have you ever considered that all the information we can find out is what we want you to see?"

He paused, then continued sarcastically, "Your father, the emperor, is far more composed than you. Do you know why he knew about my affair with the most beautiful woman in the palace, yet he didn't take any action against me?"

"You"

Upon hearing this, Quentin's eyes trembled violently, and he immediately fell into self-doubt.

But the next moment, he immediately realized that the other party probably wanted to use a trick to save his life!

This kind of clever person, knowing full well that he will die, is trying to confuse me before he dies?

Yes! That must be it!

Regardless of whether his mother had any illicit relationship with him, killing him would eliminate everything!

Quentin stood out from the other princes not only because he was the eldest son, but also because his intelligence and strategy were definitely not lacking.

Metternich's words did indeed arouse his suspicion, but that didn't change his mind. He uttered a soft shout, "Kill!"

At a command.

The court assassin who held a dagger to Metternich's neck did not hesitate to slit Metternich's throat.

A high-level assassin's Throat Slash leaves no chance of survival. Blood gushed forth instantly from the blade; the violent, Transcendent power severed everything enveloping the battle aura within it.

Surprisingly, even after the clown's neck was cut, his voice continued to ring.

"Since you know I am a descendant of the 'Gambler Sequence,' have you ever heard of the 'Joker Card'? The Joker Card means that a gambler never reveals his hand to others. If he does, then he must have another hand in his hand."

The assassin was also stunned, because the one who spoke was not the decapitated corpse in his arms whose life was rapidly fading, but the First Prince Quentin opposite him.

However, at this moment, "Quentin" suddenly appeared as if he were a magician changing his face, wearing a black and white clown mask.

Upon closer inspection of the facial features, it's clear that it's Metternich himself!

But if the person on the other side is Metternich, then who is the person I killed?

The palace assassin's heart skipped a beat, a vague suspicion forming in his mind. Looking down again, he saw a head painted with a colorful clown costume on the slumped corpse—who else could it be but the First Prince Quentin?

The instant Quentin was killed, the palace assassin was engulfed in a burst of green flames, instantly incinerating him. How could the personal guards of the Omar royal family fail to protect the contract?

This act of "devouring its master" naturally resulted in a backlash from the contract.

The black and white clown looked at the corpse on the ground, smiled, and muttered to himself, "Congratulations, you're also the first person to see my trump card and my Transcendent ability, 'The Deceitful Clown'! Too bad, if you had been more patient, you would have witnessed an even more interesting show."

At that moment, several more Omar palace guards appeared on the surrounding streets and surrounded the clown. How could these guards of the First Prince not be horrified to see their master die before their eyes?

Their first priority, of course, was to catch the murderer.

Metternich raised his hands, indicating that he would not resist.

The clown's face, still beaming with a bright smile, wore a mocking grin, for he held two tokens in his hand.

One is the "Golden Griffin Order," representing the supreme power of Emperor Spurglin XV, and the other is the "Silver Griffin Order," representing the Empress.

With these two tokens in his possession, even if he personally killed the First Prince, the palace guards would not immediately execute him.

Moreover, although the First Prince died because of him, he did not kill him intentionally.

The clown continued to laugh heartily, as if everything before him was a game. "Gentlemen," he said, "You have no right to interfere in this matter. I won't make things difficult for you; I won't resist, and I will cooperate with you to return to the Oma Imperial Capital."

The pale-faced head guard looked at the two tokens in Metternich's hand and clearly hesitated.

A moment later, he said, "Mr. Metternich, you'd better surrender as you say. Otherwise, we'll kill you immediately!"

"As you wish."

The clown gave the group a comical bow as a farewell, a blood-stained yet dazzling grin spreading across his face. "Perfect timing," he said, "I'm also heading back to the capital to see how those two are reacting."

On the other hand...

The wasteland has become a zombie paradise, with so many that they can't be killed all of them. The hunters have retreated back to the Mechanical City, and no one dares to wander outside.

Deep within the Ashen Forest, the giant flower bud was wriggling, seemingly enjoying its meal after countless years of slumber.

Meanwhile, in a dark and empty space...

"Arthur, put it out quickly! Don't light it again! Use a cool light source! That Tentacle Monster was probably attracted by the heat."

"Let's make some repairs."

"Huh, what's this low-level hunter doing here?"

"He's probably the kind of guy who's risking his life for money, wanting to gamble on his luck, which is why he ventured deep into the forest."

"Lord Kidd, shall we take him with us?"

"Yes, bring it along. If the alchemical golem is used for scouting, many magical traps won't be triggered. It'll be better to have a living person with it."

"."

Rein didn't know how long he had been unconscious.

But he felt he was in terrible condition, as if all the bones in his body had been broken.

Bazel was nowhere to be seen beside him.

Then, after looking at the prompts from the "Mind Core," he remembered what had happened before.

All Rein remembered was that the "ground" of the forest had stood up, and those terrifying barbs blocked their way out. Then he smelled a strange "fragrance" and he passed out, his body continuing to fall.

The "fragrance" must have been the gas emitted by a giant "Man-eating Flower" when it hunts its prey.

"So I must be inside that Giant Flower's belly now? As food waiting to be digested?"

Suddenly, an image popped into Rein's mind: an insect trapped by a Venus Flytrap, with nowhere to escape and only waiting to be digested.

Because he lost conscious awareness after falling into a coma, the Mind Core only recorded some passive information. He knew that he was currently about 10,000 meters underground.

Because of the continuous bursts of demonic energy in the black pit, he didn't fall directly into a pulp. Instead, he fell like a drifting leaf, bumping and bruising himself all over.

Fortunately, after he fell unconscious, the Mind Core controlled the [Divine Healing Technique] to operate automatically, healing the vast majority of his injuries. Otherwise, with those injuries, an ordinary Second Tier Transcendent would have died a thousand times over.

Just a minute earlier, a high-level mage cast the [Clarity] spell on him, and then he woke up.

Just as Rein's brain was starting to function again and he was beginning to recall what had happened, the mage who had cast the spell on him also noticed that he had woken up.

"Kid, you're awake now, stop pretending to be stupid, go scout ahead!"

Upon hearing this, Rein's face twitched violently.

Upon closer inspection, the pale blue magical light sources in their hands illuminated the surrounding environment.

This place looked somewhat like an unfinished building from a past life, with structural pillars everywhere and signs of erosion from the passage of time. Not far away, there was a bottomless black pit. Their location resembled a passageway in a rock wall, with bluestone tiles underfoot and a stone lamp base visible on the wall above.

And these are clearly traces of human architecture.

"Have I fallen into that 'Morogos Temple'?"

Something immediately popped into Rein's mind.

He had known for a long time that there was a temple beneath the pit, but he hadn't expected such a large-scale complex. Just by looking at a corner, one could guess that this place might have once been a bustling underground city.

But clearly, he wasn't the only one who was lucky enough to survive.

"Kid!"

Seeing that Rein was in a daze, the Red Robe Mage opposite him shouted coldly again.

Rein's face twitched, and his thoughts were pulled back to reality.

Judging from their attire, they were all Red Robe Archmage from City of Radiance. Moreover, the person next to the magic lamp in the corner, although half of his face was covered by a gas mask, was recognized from his robes. This person was none other than Kid Miller, the patriarch of the Miller Family, one of the "Five Great Families" of City of Radiance, and the lord of the First City.

There were eight people in total, all of them Archmage dressed in red robes.

In other words, everyone present was at least Fourth Tier professional.

Everyone's eyes were filled with indifference, and no one even glanced at Rein.

Although the noble mages were surprised to find a low-level Transcendent here, none of them were interested in investigating the origins of Transcendent a being.

In their eyes, these low-level Transcendent have only one purpose: to "explore the way."

Moreover, if they were to escape alive, such people would naturally be silenced for the sake of City of Radiance's image.

At this moment, the Clan Head Kid in the dark red robes stood up and said, "Alright, we're rested now. Let's continue our exploration."

"Yes, Lord City Lord."

The other seven Red Robe Mage also stood up.

"Kid, move forward."

Then, even though Rein was unwilling, he was forced to stuff a lump of fluorescent stone into his hands and help the group of mages scout ahead.

"Remember, don't make any noise, don't run around, and don't make any unnecessary movements. Go wherever we tell you to go. Otherwise, even if we don't kill you, you'll definitely die if you attract monsters."

In the secluded Underground Palace, where sunlight never reaches, it's as if the last veil of humanity has been torn away, leaving no room for concealment.

These usually esteemed Red Robe Archmage, without any subtlety, directly told Rein his status as a "pathfinder."

"."

Rein was forced to start working as soon as he regained his senses.

He didn't argue. A group of Archmage had torn off their hypocritical facades left him no room for negotiation.

Then, as he walked on, he discovered that the Underground Palace was not entirely unknown to him.

Because this temple is a building from the Monkell Civilization, everything, from the reliefs on the walls to the inscriptions, is in the "Monkel Ancient Language".

Coincidentally, he knew Rein, and they were quite close.

Thanks to 'Some Mortal' for 1,000 coins, 'Gan Liliang' for 230 coins, 'CCC1102', 'Jintai Shu's Goda', 'Feng Ling Fifteen', '20201217104001817'. Thanks to several people for their generous support.