Genius Noble With System
Chapter 259: Pay to enter

Chapter 259: Pay to enter

The first group—warriors clad in high-tech armour, mages wrapped in shimmering cloaks, and a few shadowy figures whose forms seemed to flicker like mirages—came to an abrupt halt. Surprisingly, they were from Arcane Keepers, who seemed to have some connection to the appearance of the Key of the Forbidden Realm.

The eerie silence of the void was broken only by the faint hum of the gate behind him, its immense power an unspoken warning to all who approached.

The newcomers’ hesitation was palpable. They had expected Apollo and Serena, but seeing the other unfathomable auras around them made them more afraid and anxious.

They quickly change their stance and approach. One among them, a middle-aged man who appeared to be the leader, quickly said, "Young Lord, we didn’t want to fight; we just want to enter the Forbidden Realm and are willing to pay a high price for the opportunity."

Apollo’s expression remained unreadable, his blue eyes piercing as they locked onto the man. The void around them seemed to hold its breath, the swirling energies of the massive gate behind him casting an almost ethereal glow across the scene.

Serena raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a faint smirk. "High price, you say? Do you think access to something like this can be bargained for so easily?" Her voice was sharp, laced with an air of mockery that sent a shiver through the gathered group.

The middle-aged man hesitated, his confidence wavering under her gaze. "We understand its value," he replied, forcing his voice to remain steady. "We are prepared to offer rare treasures, artifacts, or anything else that might be of use to you, Young Lord."

Apollo let the words hang in the air, his expression giving away nothing. After a moment of silence that felt like an eternity, he finally spoke.

"It isn’t impossible to let you guys give me a chance, but do you have something that can interest me?"

He said calmly, as he from the start didn’t think to stop everyone, but it definitely wouldn’t be free, especially the guys from Arcane Keepers, as they should know more about the key. And they must have some interesting things, as they are a group of nerds who like to collect interstellar things.

Hearing this, the group from the Arcane Keepers grew excited. Although it wasn’t explicitly stated, the young lord ahead of them seemed to agree to their request and was willing to give them a chance to enter the forbidden realm—provided they could take out something that caught his eye.

The head of the Arcane Keepers and leader of their group was named Finn. Though he appeared to be middle-aged, he was, in fact, a Void God who had lived for thousands of years. Not to mention he wasn’t an early-stage Void God, but one at the middle stage of the Void God realm.

He thought for a moment as he knew Apollo wouldn’t be interested in normal things, so after some hesitation, he took out something from his storage device.

It was a surprisingly metal brick with something in an unknown language etched on it.

The metal brick shimmered faintly under the eerie glow of the gate. The language etched onto it was unrecognizable, even to Serena and other gods, who had travelled the vast universe and seen many things. The object radiated an aura of unknown profound mystery, a faint hum resonating through the void as Finn held it out.

"This," Finn said, his voice steady but laced with a subtle undertone of hesitation, "is an artifact we recovered from the ruins of a collapsed star system. We believe it seems to contain some ancient secret, just that we didn’t find the right way to unravel it."

Apollo’s blue eyes flickered as he regarded the artifact, his expression unreadable. He couldn’t say anything but feel that it gave him a truly mysterious feeling. Like something that doesn’t belong to the world.

It didn’t have some kind of law fluctuation or anything; in fact, it felt the opposite, like the laws seemed to evade it.

But before he could say anything, Serena, standing beside, angrily rebuked him.

"You guys are daring; you dare to fool Lord Taking Out Some garbage of unknown origins and boast about it? Do you really think I wouldn’t dare to kill all of you immediately right now?"

Finn’s face turned pale at Serena’s sharp rebuke. The oppressive aura she exuded was enough to make even the seasoned Void God feel a tinge of fear. The others in his group instinctively took a step back, their confidence shaken by her words and the overwhelming pressure she radiated.

Finn quickly bowed deeply, his voice hurried yet steady. "Miss, please, hear me out! We would never dare to deceive the Young Lord. This artifact... it’s not ordinary. While we don’t fully understand it, we’re certain of its value. Its very existence defies the natural order, and we suspect it may hold a key to... something greater."

Serena’s eyes narrowed, her aura intensifying. "You suspect? Is that all you can say? You dare offer something you don’t even understand and expect us to believe it’s worth my lord’s time?" Ensure whether to intervene or retreat. The tension was palpable, like a coiled spring ready to snap.

But Apollo intervened, "It’s alright; I will take this."

"Really, thank you, lord, it definitely contains some great secret." The leader of the Arcane Keepers said excitedly, knowing the Lord accepted it.

"Hmm, but lord." Serena wanted to say something but was stopped by him, and she could only let go of it.

"But you have to also pay Divine Stones for every guy that wants to enter the Forbidden Realm." He said, interrupting the celebrating group of Arcane Keepers.

As he said, other groups from all corners of the galaxy also appeared in the void, looking at the gate with excitement and greed, wanting to quickly enter it to change their destiny.

The vast expanse of the void was now alive with activity as figures from all corners of the galaxy materialized, their eyes fixed on the ominous gate towering before them.

"You heard me," Apollo said calmly, his voice cutting through the hum of excitement and murmurs. "Those who wish to enter the Forbidden Realm must pay the price. Divine Stones—enough to match the value of the opportunity you’re being granted."

The murmurs turned into ripples of protest and disbelief. Some groups exchanged uneasy glances, while others grumbled under their breath. Among a group of strong and bold warriors, clad in battle-worn armour and emanating the aura of a peak middle-tier Void God, one stepped forward.

He clearly wasn’t from the Zeta galaxy, as the armour he was wearing was clearly quite superior, not to mention he still had a haughtiness and proud demeanour. It was clear he wasn’t afraid even knowing there might be a true god standing right in front of him.

His gaze swept over Apollo, Serena, and the others surrounding the gate, lingering briefly on the more unfathomable presence. Yet, he showed no sign of fear, only a measured curiosity.

"I’ve travelled across galaxies to reach this place. I hail from the Dominion of Star River, where strength and legacy reign supreme. Although you might have some strength, it isn’t enough to stop me, as a member of the God River Pantheon of Star River."

"So, I will just say one time, don’t stand in my way."

As he said that, his group of people with whom he came also all quickly stood beside him, showing their strength, as every one of them was a Void God, with quite a few reaching the middle state.

Boom!

Seeing them exploding with aura, a few other groups who also came from outside the Zeta universe also burst with their strength and started to press Apollo and others with their combined aura.

They seemed to have gained confidence, as they all together should be able to force Apollo and others, as one after another, stronger and stronger guys joined them to press forward.

Even the true gods from the outside galaxy at the moment made their move as they felt it was right; even if Apollo and others had some true gods, they still wouldn’t be able to stop so many true gods from different galaxies.

BOOOM!

The void around them started to tear, and cracks started to appear in it. The combined aura of so many powerhouses was unimaginable that even a true god facing the aura would get seriously injured.

But just as the aura reached beyond Apollo’s ability, Serena quietly made a move and silently dispersed the aura around him.

Seeing them this confident, Apollo smiled, and many on the other side also noticed this and felt something bad was going to happen.

"Serena, let them feel true power is." He calmly ordered.

Serena’s eyes gleamed with a cold, predatory light as she stepped forward, her golden aura beginning to flare. The oppressive aura unleashed by the challengers seemed like a raging storm, but Serena’s mere presence was like the calm before a cataclysmic hurricane.

"Fool."

As she said, the thousands of miles in the void seemed to tremble, and a mysterious aura so powerful suddenly appeared that it made all the people in the void feel their end.

Like a thin wall of glass, their combined aura shattered, and a many times more powerful aura pressed them down to their knees. They all wanted to break free, but they were just like a piece of sand in the desert in front of Serena’s powerful aura.

"Now, you all have to pay ten times more Divine Stones whether you want or not."