Alchemist Farga

Bai Xiaowen and Goliya walked through the corridor one after the other. Every Zombie Rat they encountered along the way was effortlessly dispatched by Goliya.

Bai Xiaowen found it rather regrettable. These were all perfect punching bags for training proficiency. But he also knew he had no room to bargain, so he could only keep his head down and walk.

"We're here."

Standing at the entrance to a basement, Bai Xiaowen spoke.

"This is the room where you hid at the beginning, isn't it?" Goliya said suspiciously. "I've already searched it. Aside from a servant's corpse, there was nothing here, and Farga isn't here either."

Bai Xiaowen switched on his searchlight and entered the basement once more.

"Of course Farga isn't in this basement, because he's hiding in an even more concealed secret chamber, separated from this basement by only a single wall! Am I right, former chief royal alchemist of the Lionheart Empire, Lord Farga?"

Bai Xiaowen's raised voice echoed through the basement. Although his Old Latin was still unpracticed and his intonation somewhat strange, the meaning was correct.

Bai Xiaowen even felt that, through these mere dozen or so minutes of conversation, his Old Latin was improving at an astonishing rate. Was this also a benefit of the Super Brain?

Goliya frowned at the empty basement. Just as she was about to ask Bai Xiaowen a question, she suddenly heard a muffled roar!

One wall of the basement split open without warning, and a stone door slowly opened. Then, a gaunt black figure slowly emerged from behind it.

The gaunt figure had disheveled hair, and his black robe was long covered in filth, reeking unbearably. Yet amid that tangled hair, his eyes were cold and sharp, sending chills through the heart.

"How did you know I was in the secret chamber?"

Clearly, this man was Farga. He spoke slowly but forcefully, and did not seem insane at all.

"By ordinary reasoning, you and Mr. Malgao were master and servant, comrades fleeing disaster together, and on Earth, you were even fellow countrymen. In these dark underground caverns where daylight never reached, if the two of you dug out basements to live in, you would most likely stick together for psychological comfort. It was only natural that your dwellings would be close."

"Your feelings toward Mr. Malgao were quite contradictory. Although he betrayed you and deserved death, once he died, you truly became alone. So you left his body in his room next door, and even restrained those crazed rats from devouring or damaging it... You must have cared deeply. That gave me even greater confidence."

"From a security standpoint, Mr. Malgao needed to keep watch for you. Therefore, when you dug out the rooms, his room had to be beside the secret chamber where you conducted your ritual. Taking all that together, I deduced that your secret chamber was near Malgao's room. I just didn't expect you to come out after a little provocation. I originally thought I'd have to spend some effort looking for switches or something..."

"Malgao... that lowly servant. That's right, he betrayed me! So I killed him!"

A trace of confusion and disorder seemed to flash through Farga's cold, piercing eyes before he roared in a low voice, "Anyone who betrays me deserves to die! Malgao, Goliya, that sinister wretch Tolkien, and that blind fool Tiberon III—they all must die!"

Seeing that Farga was on the verge of going berserk and attacking, Bai Xiaowen swiftly ducked behind the royal lady knight Goliya and secretly used Insight.

The result was still a string of question marks. Other than his name, nothing could be examined! Exactly like Goliya!

Bai Xiaowen muttered inwardly:

Well, damn. Farga's ritual succeeded? If so, Goliya, who once chased him like a stray dog, might not be guaranteed victory anymore... Excellent, Mr. Farga. I'm not afraid of you becoming stronger—I'm afraid of you being too weak!

Goliya stepped forward and drew a greatsword from beneath the cape on her back!

"Traitor Farga! I, Goliya, commander of the Glory Knights, am acting under His Majesty's orders to eliminate you on the spot and reclaim the Soul Stone! Accept justice's judgment!"

After delivering that grandiose line, Goliya charged forward and unleashed Heavy Cleave!

Farga said sinisterly, "Goliya, I have already gained the power of the Soul Stone. I am no longer the same as before!" A long whip flew from his sleeve, crackling with electric light as it met Goliya's attack.

The two powerful Question-Mark Tier bosses clashed fiercely. But Bai Xiaowen had no interest in watching. He stealthily slipped along the edge of the basement and entered the secret door behind Farga.

Goliya paid him no attention. Her target was Farga; whatever strange actions a tiny small fry like Bai Xiaowen took did not matter. Farga, however, roared repeatedly and tried to rush back, only to be driven down again and again by Goliya's greatsword, unable to break free.

Seeing Farga's reaction, Bai Xiaowen became even more certain.

That's it! The Soul Stone definitely isn't on Farga—it's in his secret chamber!

Farga had smashed through the wall with tremendous momentum. Clearly, his strength had increased greatly, filling him with confidence enough to come out and confront Goliya head-on. Looking at his tattered robe, it did not even have a pocket. Where could he keep the Soul Stone? Even if it had a pocket, what if it shattered during such an intense battle?

Therefore, Bai Xiaowen guessed that the Soul Stone had been placed in the secret chamber. Farga's frantic urgency only confirmed it.

That Soul Stone was undoubtedly an extremely valuable psionic treasure. How could Bai Xiaowen not be tempted? He had voluntarily led Goliya here to find Farga because he also intended to reap the rewards while the two bosses fought.

Of course, that required him to judge the situation.

If Farga had been too weak and the battle ended quickly, never reaching a stalemate, Bai Xiaowen would naturally have behaved himself. But now, Goliya and Farga were locked in an even match and had no time to spare. This was Bai Xiaowen's best chance to obtain the Soul Stone! Of course he would not let it pass.

An oil lamp hung on the wall of the secret chamber, barely illuminating the room.

"Where is the Soul Stone?"

Bai Xiaowen swept his eyes over every corner of the secret chamber, tapping and patting around as he listened carefully. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. In the innermost corner, he found an inconspicuous switch.

He turned the switch. After a grinding sound, a narrow passage appeared, only tall enough for one person and less than a meter wide. Bai Xiaowen shone his searchlight into it. The passage was pitch-black, save for two green points of light that glowed with a terrifying brightness.

Bai Xiaowen suddenly remembered something and spun around to run.

The sound of wind stirred behind him, followed by a powerful blow. Bai Xiaowen's body was smashed forward, rolling several times across the ground. He was covered in dust and looked utterly bedraggled.

Bai Xiaowen's waist nearly broke from the impact. He grunted and endured the pain, then performed a donkey roll on the spot. That wise move saved his life. In the instant he rolled away, a black shadow pounced on the spot where he had just been, sending stone chips flying!

It was a Zombie Rat the size of an adult!