The Victor Is

——

"Your Prince Lanle!"

Lan Le sat on the golden chair directly opposite the portal, his legs draped over the back of a majestic lion, one hand swirling a glass of red wine while the other clenched into a fist and propped up his face, a smile on his lips that exuded a regal air.

The attendants whispered among themselves, "His Highness posed for so long, but in the end he still chose the first version."

Lan Le glanced at the servant, who dared not say another word.

However, Te Pi didn't hear what the attendant said, so he was really impressed by Lan Le's carefully prepared opening posture, and felt that a kingly aura was emanating from him.

"Yes, Your Highness, this time we have made a very fruitful discovery."

By the way, where is Ge Ha De?

As Te Pi answered, he searched for Ge Ha De's figure, since the other party should be in the vicinity.

Just as this thought popped into my head, a flash of light appeared near the portal, and Ge Ha De and his group appeared.

"Welcome back, you two," Lan Le said in his usual lazy and slightly frivolous voice. "What good things have you brought back for me?"

Te Pi's lips twitched upon hearing this. "No, Your Highness, when you said that to me just now, I thought Ge Ha De was also present, but he only just appeared! You didn't even change your lines? I've already heard them!"

After Lan Le finished speaking, the corners of his mouth turned up even higher, giving him a rather self-satisfied look.

In Te Pi's eyes, his demeanor gradually shifted from domineering to comedic.

When Te Pi looked at Ge Ha De, a look of surprise appeared in his eyes.

A common saying among adventurers is that while you can resurrect at a campfire/blessing after dying in the Zane Dungeon, the damage to your equipment will not be restored. It's common for armor and weapons to be completely destroyed. Therefore, it's best to assess the value of your equipment before challenging the dungeon to avoid losing more than you gain.

You often see idiots who painstakingly put together a full set of gear, only to go to a dungeon and come back crying with nothing left.

However, it is truly rare for someone like Ge Ha De and his group to be kicked out completely Dong Xue Lian.

"Oh!" exclaimed a woman in the crowd, blushing. "How insignificant we are!"

The male adventurer whistled, feeling quite proud of himself in comparison.

Yes, although a large number of soldiers surrounded the dungeon portal, Lan Le generously allowed residents to gather around and watch. As a result, there were at least a hundred people gathered in the vicinity. At this time, it was the time when the Boulder Dungeon was closed, and a large number of adventurers with nothing to do came here to watch the excitement.

Faced with the overwhelming presence of the crowd, Ge Ha De and his knights made their choice.

Sitting still.

Ge Ha De and his group sat motionless, like ducks, their eyes vacant and lifeless. They drooled and muttered something under their breath. Upon closer listening, what they said was remarkably consistent:

"I want to be resurrected at Marika Keystone, I want to be in Marika."

He seemed to have joined a cult, but Te Pi saw the words "give up thinking" in Ge Ha De's eyes.

He instantly realized why the other person had become like this, and a twisted smile appeared on his face.

To Endurance, to force oneself to endure, but how can one possibly tolerate something so ridiculous?

"Pfft!" He finally couldn't help but burst out laughing. Oh no, this is in front of His Highness! How could he be so presumptuous? He quickly pinched his thigh, trying to calm himself down.

"Ugh..." Ge Ha De suddenly convulsed as if electrocuted, his snow-white flesh undulating wildly, a truly irritating sight.

"Hahaha--"

The crowd erupted in thunderous laughter, and Te Pi finally Endurance back and joined in the laughter. Even Lan Le was laughing, and the atmosphere was so joyful that it felt like the Arnor Kingdom had been conquered.

Ge Ha De Lan Le, his hands emitting a greenish magic, seemingly about to heal him.

But the young man hesitated, as if he felt that using magic on this group of exhibitionists would taint his magic wand. In the end, he pulled out a feather duster from his sleeve and gave each of Ge Ha De's group a hard whack.

This finally brought Ge Ha De and his group to their senses.

Where are we?

He remembered the agonizing experience of being repeatedly tossed around by the Falling Star Beast, dying, being resurrected at the Marika Keystone, and then being tossed around again. He couldn't remember how many times he had died. Logically, the Zane Dungeon should have kicked him out when he was close to ten deaths, so how come he was still trapped inside the dungeon after far more than ten deaths?

Faced with this situation that defies common sense, they ultimately chose to abandon thinking and turned themselves into a lump of flesh that only knew how to choose resurrection. It wasn't until they were slapped a few times that they regained consciousness.

He had just regained consciousness and before he could even think, the laughter of the crowd left him dumbfounded.

When he saw that he was completely naked, he was petrified on the spot.

"Who, who can tell me this is just a dream?"

He looked around blankly, unsure whether he should cover himself, until he saw Te Pi, who was laughing so hard he couldn't stand up straight and was hunched over like a shrimp.

Ge Ha De's expression suddenly twisted.

"Te Pi Bask!" He jumped up, his face flushed, and lunged at him. "You bastard!"

Te Pi made a gesture, and the hesitant adventurer was about to step in to protect his boss. But at that moment, Lan Le's personal guard rushed up and casually stopped Ge Ha De, this human cannon, from his spot.

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Te Pi thanked Lan Le, who casually waved his hand and said:

"Earl, don't you think that your appearance is unbecoming of a nobleman?"

Ge Ha De, who had been respectful to Lan Le, now seemed to have lost control and yelled wildly at Te Pi:

"Basque, you bastard!"

Te Pi wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes, shrugged, and said, "What did I do to you? Even if you are a nobleman, you can't insult my character in the street, Earl Excellency."

His current mocking demeanor is just like his son's, perhaps even more so.

Ge Ha De was trembling with rage, his words tumbling out incoherently. "You, you, you! What kind of hellhole did you find? Is this some kind of place a human being should be in?! I think you're just—"

"Oh? How did you know I went to the mine, Your Earl? I didn't mention it to anyone else." Te Pi asked curiously.

"You, you, you!" Ge Ha De was so angry he lost his mind. Anyone trapped in an underground city and forced to play with a giant meteorite that fell from the sky for a whole day would go insane and lose control.

"Alright, you two, let's end this pointless argument here."

Lan Le clapped his hands and said, "Don't forget, what valuable things you can offer is the key to your fate. What do you think of what I said?" He looked at the young man dressed as a magician.

"Excellent, enough for bards to incorporate into their poems and sing."

The young man flattered Ge Ha De and his group while casting a spell, producing some strips of cloth to cover them up; he was quite considerate.

Ge Ha De glared at Te Pi, then looked away, and the two began to report their findings to the public.

"We've discovered the mineral-rich Sellia Crystal Tunnel, which are rich in minerals..." He finished describing the basic features of the Sellia Crystal Tunnel and then added:

"We engaged in fierce combat with the leader inside, the once infamous Falling Star Beast. Although we suffered repeated defeats, we grew stronger with each setback. Thanks to the bravery of all the knights, I have identified several weaknesses of the Falling Star Beast."

He embellished his story of being trapped and forced to fight the Falling Star Beast into a heroic Brave, even going so far as to analyze the monsters' weaknesses in great detail, unaware that he had even gotten the monsters' names wrong.

Lan Le nodded after listening, seemingly without much reaction, and turned to look at Te Pi.

"I discovered the Sellia Crystal Tunnel much earlier," he said with a smile, "But I have no intention of competing with the Earl to see who has explored the tunnel more thoroughly. In fact, I have only figured out the more likely way to leave the tunnel, without exploring it in depth or seeing Falling Star Beast. Obviously, the Earl's exploration is more in-depth."

Ge Ha De did not become complacent because of these words, because based on his understanding of Te Pi, the old man's current calmness must be because he had a bad plan in store, making him not even care about the credit for the Sellia Crystal Tunnel.

He couldn't help but worry, and beads of sweat gradually appeared on his forehead.

"We have officially identified the ruling force in the Caelid region as the Red Lion Legion under Starscourge General Radahn. We have also carefully studied the strength of the Red Lion Legion, devised a strategy to counter them, and determined the spoils that can be obtained after defeating them."

"In addition, we discovered that the Red Lion Legion is hostile to the poison that has spread throughout Caelid. Once the two sides meet, a war to the death will break out. This alone is enough to make adventurers benefit greatly during their exploration."

"In addition, I have a story to tell about the Red Lion Legion and Caelid, which is mixed with my own speculation."

He recounted the story he had deduced from the Scorching Fire Wall. The story was not complicated, and its authenticity was questionable, but his narration was full of emotion. Even without listening to the content, just focusing on the rise and fall of his tone was a kind of auditory enjoyment. As a result, the simple story moved the audience.

When no one was watching, Lan Le's expression finally changed. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared, and he returned to his original frivolous demeanor, simply clapping his hands lightly and praising, "Well said, Lord Basque. Perhaps I should consider appointing you as my preacher."

"Your Highness is too kind."

Lan Le's smile suddenly vanished, and he said, "Although the Red Lion Legion you mentioned is very brave and embodies the spirit of our Warrior, and you also show your admiration for them, Your Excellency Basque, you should not have forgotten that I have always supported the Warrior Reform."

The so-called Warrior Reform is the official name for the trend within the Warrior Country of abandoning Weapon Skill and learning magic instead.

"I haven't forgotten, Your Highness." Te Pi's expression changed, and he stopped mixing his own opinions into the report, objectively describing what he had seen and heard, and also recounting the remaining information, including the Sorcerous Town of Sellia.

"Could I take a look at the crystal shards you brought back?" the young man dressed as a magician suddenly asked.

Seeing Te Pi's questioning look, Lan Le gave a brief explanation:

"This is Aide Jia, an apprentice of the Great Court Magic Sage, Yuenka. He has come here specifically for the Zane Dungeon his master's orders."

The Great Court Magic Sage? Of course, Te Pi knew this famous figure. He was the magic authority of the entire Warrior Country, and it was said that he was over two hundred years old and had one foot in the realm of legend.

But more importantly, he was the biggest driving force behind the Warrior Reform! He single-handedly discovered and improved many ancient spells, especially by making them more suitable for the physique of the people of the Warrior Country, thus allowing the magic to spread more widely. The efforts of that King were slightly less than his.

Do such a character also value the Zane Dungeon?

Aide Jia took the crystal shard that Te Pi had brought back, examined it carefully for a moment, and said with delight:

"That's right, these are fragments of pyroxene, extremely pure pyroxene, it looks like it just fell from the sky!"

He turned to look at Lan Le and smiled, "With this, we can continue to unveil the mysteries of the Glintstone Magic. If we could have more, our teacher's research might be able to advance even further."

Lan Le smiled too, as if he were genuinely happy for him; the outcome of the match was already obvious.

"You have shown good manners, Lord Basque," he said, looking at the energetic Te Pi. "Congratulations, the management of this portal and the surrounding area is now yours. With my guarantee, I doubt anyone will object to your future actions."

Ge Ha De's face turned ashen, and his heart sank. Who could accept having a portion of their territory's management rights taken away from them? And Lan Le's next words were like adding insult to injury.

"Do you wish to become an official, Your Excellency Basque?"