The Thief, the Golden Chain Ring, and an Encounter

Ronan quickly picked up what Dodol III had vomited up.

It turned out to be a black metal plate with pitted edges, unusually thick, emanating extremely dense runic energy, with some glowing fragments floating on one side.

Ronan tried touching it with his hand and found that he could gently move it.

Turn it over, and it's completely bare.

As Ronan was frowning and studying the object, Jason, carrying several items, quickly walked towards him from a distance.

"Damien, I think we should have a serious discussion about what to do with all this stuff."

Ronan saw Jason's beaming face, but halfway up the platform, near the center, Jason's smile suddenly vanished, replaced by an expression that was hard to decipher—a mixture of seriousness and strangeness. His eyes were fixed on something behind Ronan, and he slowly said, "Damien, behind you..."

"Call--"

A warm wind, carrying a slightly putrid stench, blew in from behind.

Someone was gently blowing on Ronan's back! Ronan's hair stood on end instantly, and a powerful Spiritual Force Field emanated from his body. Amidst the violent distortion of the air, he suddenly turned around to look.

Hehehe—

A burst of laughter rang in my ears, like the smug grin of someone who had successfully pulled off a prank.

Ronan saw that just five or six meters behind him, a sleazy, golden old man with pointed ears and nose, a hunched back, and covered in pearls and gems but showing no noble air was standing in the air, winking at him.

Damn it!

Ronan's face turned grim, and he subconsciously looked down at the Space Ring on his hand.

He then discovered that a long gap had appeared inside the ring, and the Golden Goblin Statue he had stored inside, along with some commonly used items, had all vanished.

"Treasure-Stealing Goblin!"

Ronan took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and his eyes quickly turned cold.

Fortunately, he had habitually stored his previous gains from the platforms, as well as any slightly more valuable items, in the Mirror of Emptiness.

When putting away the Golden Goblin Statue, I was extra careful and specifically used my personal ring; otherwise, this attempt would have backfired spectacularly.

Who would have thought that a cold, lifeless golden statue was actually a living, legendary Treasure-Stealing Goblin? This thing probably used this method to empty the private storage spaces of countless people! "Whoosh—"

Ronan suddenly raised his hand, and from beneath the sleeve of his robe, golden titanium sprang out like a giant Itai, coiling into a blazing, thick Spirit Maya Touch, which reached out to grab the cunning and lewd-looking Treasure-Stealing Goblin.

Seeing Ronan's anger, the latter's smile grew even brighter. Facing Ronan's magical attack, he remained calm and composed, twisting his short and thin body.

"Smack—"

In an instant, he was suddenly on top of the platform.

Then, with his two thin, withered arms, he quickly grabbed the golden package on his back and gently scooped it up from below.

In an instant, the golden package unfolded, turning into a dirty golden cloth.

The cloth wrapped around the platform expanded rapidly, rolling like waves and releasing a strange suction force.

Before Ronan and his companion could react, all the magical artifacts and treasures that had been quietly piled up on the platform had vanished.

"Grass!"

Jason clutched two magical artifacts, one in each hand, which were glowing intensely and seemed poised to sprout wings and fly away at any moment. He belatedly let out a strange cry.

Ronan's face was ashen, but a deep silver, mysterious light flashed in his eyes.

"Condensation."

He uttered a syllable, and the technique of Stasis space was quickly employed.

The entire platform space suddenly transformed into a smooth, flat mirror, and everything froze in place.

"Click-clack—"

However, this profound mystery had no effect on the Treasure-Stealing Goblin, who was a master of spatial mysteries. His movements were not affected in the slightest, and the invisible mirror was shattered in the next second.

The Treasure-Stealing Goblin bag brimming with treasures, deftly packed and tied up the gold package, expertly tossed it onto his back, and then kicked a hole in the air in front of him before disappearing inside with a "whoosh."

"Chase!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Ronan grabbed Dodol III and shoved him into the Mist Space before rushing toward the "gap".

Jason didn't hesitate and followed closely behind, gritting his teeth.

After passing through the gap, the scene suddenly shifted back to the gray-white plain, but instead of the sand dunes from where we had entered, it was a different place altogether.

When the two first entered the treasure, they were slightly worried about how to get out. Now that they had come out so easily, neither of them could be happy.

Ronan narrowed his eyes, and the instant he stepped out, his gaze and mental energy locked onto a sleazy, golden figure in the distance.

The golden Treasure-Stealing Goblin fled at an extremely fast speed. Ronan felt that he had just left the gap in space around the same time as it, but by the time he found it, it was already too far away to see.

"No wonder he's called the Treasure-Stealing Goblin."

He was a top thief in the Wizard World who was "famous" in ancient times, and became a headache and hated existence for countless people.

His thieving skills were first-rate, and his ability to escape was unmatched.

Ronan watched as the golden goblin's two stick-like, slightly bowed short legs moved incredibly fast, making it look from a distance as if two rapidly spinning golden wheels were pressed beneath its body. Its figure left a phantom in the void, with a long, brilliant golden trail behind it.

Perhaps his spatial escape spell hadn't cooled down yet, so he could only escape in this way now.

Ronan had a strong premonition—this was probably his only chance to catch up with the golden goblin.

"Hiss--"

Ronan took a deep breath, coating his entire body with Itai- like water, and instantly entered the state of [[Space Silvering]].

"Whoosh—"

He leaped forward as if flashing, and after several short-distance spatial teleportations.

Ronan raised his right hand slightly, Itai fragments broke apart, transforming into shapes resembling chains or broken musical notes.

A strong aura of Forbidden Law Domain surged forth.

The shattered fragments of golden musical notes assembled into a massive eagle-winged blade, and an ancient chant resounded. "The Spirit Maya Poem."

"[The Origin of Gold]!"

Ronan's eyes flashed with golden light, and he raised his hand to slash at the almost elusive golden goblin figure in front of a black, strange forest at the edge of his vision.

A gleaming golden blade flashed, its light forming a continuous line that reflected a dreamlike and enchanting golden world.

"Tear—"

The fiery Torrent of gold and fire poured silently into a certain place in the void, flowing without hindrance into a shimmering silver mirror.

At the same time, in the distance, in front of the black strange wood forest, the same silver mirror appeared, only this time facing the direction of the golden goblin.

"Call!"

The crimson-gold blade light of [Golden Origin] slashed out from the mirror of [Space Mirror Art].

Ronan heard the golden goblin let out a startled cry, and was immediately engulfed by the dazzling light of the blade.

"Boom!"

The blazing blade, its momentum undiminished, plunged straight into the black, strange wood forest, destroying vast swathes of trees and igniting a raging fire that illuminated a brilliant golden hue.

"Whoosh—"

Ronan moved swiftly and arrived in front of the burning strange wood forest.

He stared at the spot where the golden goblin had just been struck by the blade; it was empty, with only a deep golden trench remaining on the ground.

In the ravine, golden magma bubbled and rose, and a gleaming gold ring surged up from beneath the magma.

Ronan's eyes flickered slightly as he casually picked up the ring and examined it. He discovered that it was also a Linked Ring, but this one was golden yellow and looked much more high-end than Jason's silver one.

"Call--"

A cold, gusty wind swept by, and Jason appeared beside Ronan.

"Did you catch him?"

Jason's first question was to Ronan, who shook his head and handed him the Golden Linked Ring in his hand.

"Keep only this one."

"Grass!"

Jason couldn't help but swear, his face turning ugly, "My treasure... my immense wealth!"

Even the duck that was about to be eaten can fly away!

Ronan, hearing Jason grinding his teeth, casually comforted him, "Alright, it wasn't all for nothing... Didn't you get two magical items?"

"What was taken by that yellow-skinned rat is just a drop in the ocean."

Jason sighed rather dejectedly, took out both magical artifacts, and said, "One for each of us, you can choose one."

"Need not."

Ronan shook his head in refusal, then put away the Golden Linked Ring in his hand after thinking for a moment, and said, "Later, when we find the location of this treasure... we'll take everything back with interest."

"I have to empty its lair!"

Jason nodded forcefully, his tone filled with resentment.

"Crackling and popping—"

The strange forest, which had suffered an undeserved calamity, was being scorched by Golden Fire. The charred trees had taken on an unusual golden color, and the dripping flames had solidified into tar-like liquid gold on the ground, creating a magnificent and resplendent scene all around.

Ronan gently flicked his sleeve, extinguishing the flames left by the magic.

Suddenly, he frowned slightly, stared at a certain spot in the strange wood forest, and shouted in a low voice, "Who goes there? Come out."

Jason, who had been muttering curses incessantly, immediately shut his mouth and looked warily in the direction Ronan was staring at.

As the two watched, a figure silently emerged from the shadows of the strange black wood forest.

It was a figure of medium build and slightly thin.

He wore a black cloak with sleeves covering his head, and underneath was tight leather armor, revealing only a pair of eyes decorated with strange patterns. He looked like a middle-aged or older man with a mature and indifferent gaze.

The strangely dressed, thin man exuded an aura of only level three.

Jason was already in a bad mood because his things had been stolen, and when he discovered that he was being "spyed on" by a Third Level Wizard, he couldn't help but shout at him with a cold face, "Get out of here!"

He had just finished speaking.

"Whoosh—"

"Bang!"

A silver short arrow, engraved with strange and intricate runes, hovered less than a foot from Jason's face, its fletching trembling violently, while its shaft was firmly grasped by a long, powerful hand.

Jason was stunned by the sudden attack and turned to look at Ronan in disbelief.

Ronan slowly withdrew his hand from the short arrow that had been aimed at Jason's face. Looking at the runic arrow in his hand, he looked up, narrowed his eyes, and scrutinized the cloaked man before him. He spoke softly, "Burst Rune Arrow, you're a wizard from the Tangista Empire?"

The gaunt man, who was only level three but whose attacks were incredibly skillful and stealthy, capable of launching a surprise attack on a Level Four Dawn Wizard without warning, showed a slight ripple in his eyes upon hearing Ronan's words, but his face showed no fear. He even began to attach a second rune arrow to a magic tool in his hand that resembled a crossbow.

"Grass!"

Jason came to his senses at this moment, and the knife cuts on both sides of his cheeks twitched like a baby's mouth due to the twitching of his facial muscles. He leaned forward with a fierce look on his face.

"Court death!"

Jason, possessing the immense Spiritual Force Field of Level Four Wizard, unleashed a torrent of cold, dark energy. He raised his hand, ready to cast a spell on the Third Level Wizard.

However, before his spell could be completed, several wizards dressed similarly emerged from behind the Third Level Wizard.

"Level 4... Level 4 Level 4"

Jason stopped in his tracks under the cold, indifferent gazes of the group, and his pupils constricted even further when he saw the middle-aged wizard leading the group.

"Level 5?!"

His surging aura froze, his Adam's apple bobbed violently a few times, and he turned his head stiffly to look at Ronan, speaking with difficulty.

"Damien."

"Walk!"

Ronan gave a low shout, his mental energy enveloping Jason's body and pulling him backward.

Almost simultaneously, over in the Black Strange Wood Forest, wizards who appeared to be from the Tangista Empire raised their hands in unison.

In an instant, dozens of rune arrows, gleaming with a cold light and emitting violent energy fluctuations, were upon the two! Ronan took a deep breath and instantly entered the [[Clarity Extreme Thought]] state. His powerful, formless Spiritual Force Field, like an invisible celestial body in motion, suddenly expanded outwards and then exploded with a "boom"!