"Butler" Imlaris: Tang Zheng's Unusual Discovery

Step out of the top-floor palace of the Starlight Observation Tower.

Imlaris, with shoulder-length white curly hair and dressed in a gray and black robe, descended the spiral staircase.

The footsteps seemed to have been measured with a ruler; the distance and angle of each step, and even the sound of walking, were exactly the same.

"My Spiral of Our God"

It is the only passageway connecting the twelve-story palatial watchtower.

The surrounding walls are not of a single style; the upper half is Obsidian that gleams with a cold light, while the lower half is a pale white boulder.

The interlaced reliefs, featuring starlight, clouds, and branches, are dazzling and stunning, blending elegance and coldness to create an eerie coexistence of icy and vibrant atmospheres!

"God-King..."

Imlaris whispered with worship and fervor, referring to the watchtower he had seen countless times, a seamless structure sculpted from a single piece.

He still couldn't imagine how the God-King had built it.

Only the supreme power of the Supreme God-Kings be attributed to it!

Imlaris quickened his pace; several Guardian were waiting for him.

There is a special item called the "Guild Ring," which allows you to move freely throughout Sky City.

As Starry Sky Observation Tower capable of detecting and mobilizing a portion of the power of "Sky City," it can also be freely entered.

Originally, only eight supreme and great God-King possessed this power; however, in...

Imlaris seemed to recall something, his shoulders trembled, and the seed of fear hidden deep within him sprouted instantly.

As Automaton race, Imlaris possesses a natural resistance to Mental Nullification and should not be affected by emotions such as fear.

However.

That horrific upheaval was a "disaster," it destroyed everything...

Imlaris suppressed his chaotic thoughts.

In conclusion

Currently, only Guardian can wear the "Guild Ring," and there is a restriction that it must be removed once they leave "Sky City."

This is because this incident caused unrest due to negligence!

Even though that trouble didn't even rank among the many upheavals, he still remembered it vividly.

therefore.

Even with his special status, he did not receive this honor.

Imlaris could only reach the meeting place on foot.

The palace gates came into view.

Those were two doors, nearly ten meters high, inlaid with dark metal and golden agate. Just standing in front of the doors, one could feel a powerful and surging divine force.

The construction of such a magnificent and towering structure was not merely to demonstrate the supreme status and honor of the God-King.

Among the eight God-King, there is one God-King is extremely tall. If the gate were built to be shorter, that God-King would not be able to pass through.

And this God-King!

It was the creator of Imlaris —the "Ten-Armed Giant God King".

Boom--Thump--

Imlaris stepped forward, but before he could even push it open, the magnificent gate inlaid with gold and agate suddenly swung open.

A figure exuding a powerful aura came into view!

"Guardian!"

Imlaris quickly turned to the side, his spine tilting at a perfect 15-degree angle, enough to show respect without appearing obsequious.

"Kindness."

A calm yet authoritative response rang out.

This powerful Guardian strode away without pausing for a moment.

Imlaris didn't get up again until the other person had walked some distance away, suppressing his doubts, and walked into the conference hall.

The floor of the conference palace.

It was paved with polished bronze plates, and covered with a large area of silver-white fur of some kind of monster, located at the conference table in the center of the hall.

Another layer covered it: a carpet made of dragon scales peeled from the bodies of the extremely rare White Dragon Lord Dragon Race had been slaughtered.

It's the ordinary kind of Dragon Lords.

The True Dragon Lord is extremely valuable; its entire body is a treasure. Even the most extravagant person would not use the True Dragon Lord's scales as a carpet.

Snort!

The arrogant Dragon Race only deserve to be trampled underfoot by the God-King.

The thought crossed Imlaris's mind, and seeing the only figure in the conference hall, he quickly stepped forward.

"Guardian!" Imlaris bowed respectfully in return.

"Oh, it's the butler."

Gros Horned Rage leaned back in his chair, holding a crystal glass filled with a bright red liquid, and raised his right hand in a greeting:

"How did things go?"

"Butler" is another name for Imlaris.

The Ten-Armed God-King liked to call it that, and over time, the Guardian also started calling it that.

Imlaris believes.

This is an unparalleled honor!

Among the many races in this world, the meaning of "steward" is not much different; it represents a living symbol of an ancient and rigid social hierarchy.

It is not only a "manager" who assists the master, but also has the meaning of "Guardian".

"This is the intelligence that has been relayed back."

The butler, Imlaris, stepped forward with measured and humble movements, handing over the scroll containing the information, then took a step back.

"Just in case, a total of two level 80 Hanzo Mercenary and one Lower Double Phantom were deployed this time."

Gros Horned Rage set down the crystal goblet, leaned forward, and unfurled the scroll.

It contains information about the Elf King, even down to details about his personality. It even mentions that the Elf King has a terrible reputation among the many Elf.

There are also matters related to the war with the Slane Theocracy.

In terms of personality.

Gros Horned Rage carefully examined the situation, recalling the Elf King's personality traits and the information provided by the Frostborn Banshee through her observations.

They correspond to each other!

A satisfied smile appeared on Gros Horned Rage face.

Due to his Class Construction, he has a natural ability to judge other people's voices and personalities.

It has now been confirmed that the Elf King is fine!

Other things can be disguised.

The only thing that's difficult to fake is one's personality.

Butler Imlaris, using the corner of his eye, noticed the subtle changes in Gros Horned Rage's expression and learned that this information pleased the Guardian.

"Thank you for your hard work, housekeeper."

It is my honor to receive your praise.

"No need for such modesty." Gros Horned Rage set down the intelligence scroll in his hand:

"For just intelligence gathering, one Mercenary Monster is enough. What are your considerations?"

"Yes."

The steward, Imlaris, bowed respectfully. "The Frostborn Banshee in charge of the Forest Elf mentioned that their purpose is to use our power."

"The fact that her enemy was the other party's 'daughter' is surprising, but the fact that this Forest Elf was able to escape shows that her strength is also limited."

"... Yes, this Forest Elf's daughter not only possesses strength exceeding the warning threshold, requiring attention, but she also belongs to the Slane Theocracy, located in the northwest corner of the continent, in the human-dominated region."

"Huh? Daughter?" Gros Horned Rage surprised.

This situation.

He was truly unaware that after capturing the Elf King alive, he handed him over to Imlaris for disposal.

He's just a level 70 guy, not worth paying too much attention to.

"Slane... the Theocracy, this place."

Gros Horned Rage recalled, "Doesn't that sound familiar?"

The Great Forest of Evasha.

night.

The body of the Dark Elf Plum was discovered two days later. Due to an accidental death, she was also the Elder's daughter.

The body was temporarily stored in a treehouse deep within the tribe.

The moonlight was obscured by a wisp of cloud.

The Dark Elf Scout guarding the outskirts of the tribe were completely unaware of the Flower-Crowned Monarch Butterfly silently flitting overhead.

"Invisibility Scale Powder"

A fine, translucent pink quickly enveloped the Flower-Crowned Monarch Butterfly and Imina was riding on it.

Infiltration successful!

A slight smile appeared on Imina's lips.

Following the layout of the Dark Elf ' architecture, they quickly located the treehouse where the corpses were stored, which had a zero-powder invisibility effect.

In addition, their strength is close to that of the "Hero Realm" Scout.

Imina slipped into the treehouse unnoticed by any of the Dark Elf.

The decor was sparse.

That's natural.

The village where the Dark Elf live now was only built recently, and its facilities are quite simple.

This includes not only the Dark Elf, but also the various other Elf villages in the Great Sea of Trees.

Faced with this group of fierce humans from the Theocracy.

The scattered Elf were no match for the army, so under Imina's leadership, they gradually came together.

In the center of the room,

A wooden bed made of lush green branches and twigs was laid out, upon which lay a pale, frozen, stiff corpse.

Imina had no idea how the Dark Elf managed to find fresh green leaves in the dead of winter.

"... Thank goodness it's winter."

Imina sniffed the lingering stench of decay in the cabin, her nose wrinkling as if to block out the nauseating smell.

"I'm sorry to bother you under these circumstances, Plum."

After confirming that they had not been discovered.

Imina activated the "Magic Mark" on her body and then waited patiently.

1 minute.

2 minutes.

Just as Imina was wondering if she should reactivate the "Magic Mark"...

There was no one beside me.

Tang Zheng, having deactivated "Ninjutsu: Concealment," appeared out of nowhere, clearly having arrived much earlier than expected.

"You, you, when did you get here?"

Imina reflexively took a step back, startled. Her eyes narrowed, and she whispered with lingering fear:

"Could you... could you say something?"

The fact that this sudden, clandestine action made Imina think, "People can scare each other to death."

"Don't be nervous." Tang Zheng smiled easily. "I've already checked it, just relax."

"She's the unusual case you mentioned."

Tang Zheng stared at the corpse of the Dark Elf Plum, his eyes narrowing almost imperceptibly.

"Yes."

Imina became serious, secretly glanced at Tang Zheng's profile, pursed her lips, and answered respectfully.

Having witnessed Tang Zheng's true power.

Imina placed herself in a lower position, even though the other party was the same as before.

"Please explain in more detail."

Tang Zheng spoke, and at the same time stepped forward to observe carefully.

That's right.

Imina said, "Two days ago, the body of the Dark Elf Plum was discovered..."

With her explanation, the entire sequence of events quickly became clear.

The Dark Elf Plum had been dead for several days, yet she still appeared in the village and even interacted with many people.

Someone is impersonating Plum!

The Dark Elf suspected it was done by the Theocracy.

Imina, however, did not think so. After hearing about this unusual event, she remembered Tang Zheng's instructions and quickly reported it.

No signs of combat.

There was no smell of blood or obvious external injuries.

Tang Zheng observed the Dark Elf's corpse, his nostrils twitching, ignoring the nauseating stench of decay in the air, and commented:

"They were probably killed by magical abilities."

The Dark Elf before them was an ordinary [Scout], estimated to be between level 5 and 7.

There are too many spells that could instantly kill her.

Unable to analyze.

Imina's expression turned serious. "They can impersonate others, even mimicking their tone and habits so perfectly that even close friends can't tell the difference."

"This is absolutely incredible!"

It's important to understand that Elf are born with the talent of Scout, possessing astonishing observational abilities. As their constant companions, it's easy to imagine how difficult it would be to disguise oneself in front of these Elf.

Imina felt a strange sense of lingering fear.

She felt that if the enemy were hiding right next to her, she probably wouldn't have noticed.

"Tang, do you think that guy is still in the Elf tribe?" Imina asked in a tense whisper.

They should have already left.

"Huh?" Imina was taken aback.

"The fact that the body was found already says something; even if we could change the identity again, it doesn't seem to make much sense."

Tang Zheng shook his head. "During this period of disguise, the Dark Elf tribe showed no other unusual behavior, indicating that their purpose was to gather intelligence."

A knowing glint flashed in Imina's amber eyes.

"This kind of enemy is too dangerous!"

Imina, with her experience as a former Worker, was well aware of the trouble that such a terrifying disguise ability could cause. "The Dark Elf Plum should have seen that imposter."

"Tang, you should be able to cast the Resurrection Magic now?"

Imina's eyes lit up, as if she had thought of something.

Resurrect this Dark Elf?

That is indeed a method.

Tang Zheng's gaze deepened slightly. Activating Resurrection Magic was nothing more than a trivial matter for him.

only...

"What if this body was intentionally discovered?" Tang Zheng turned his head to look at Imina beside him and asked calmly.

Imina's pupils contracted sharply.

"Check it carefully," Tang Zheng.

Imina's expression was tense. She stepped forward and reached out to touch the corpse of the Dark Elf Plum. The body was still dressed, so she had to remove the clothes to examine it carefully.

Just about to make a move!

Imina paused in her movements, turned to look at Tang Zheng: "She is a woman."

"Huh?" Tang Zheng looked puzzled.

He then realized what was happening, his lips twitched, and he turned around, his back to the corpse of the Dark Elf Plum.

Soon, a rustling sound came from behind.

The other person's clothes were probably frozen stiff, and Imina didn't want to cause too much damage, so dealing with them was a bit difficult.

(End of this chapter)