Surviving as the Third-rate Extra: I Can Plunder Talents
Chapter 43: Heart of Golden Crown [1]

Chapter 43: Heart of Golden Crown [1]

After they tensely traversed the Dark Forest and followed the traces only those who experienced the [Warbody Program] could see and precisely interpret, the regrouped [Backup Force] and [Food Supply Force] eventually arrived at the foot of the cliff-like miniature rocky mountain that buried the remnants of the White Princess Labyrinth.

Some members of the Raid Force, acting as scouts per their lord’s orders, welcomed them with open arms and eyes filled with genuine relief. After all, if not treaded carefully, this place could be very well their own grave.

After witnessing the abundant Soulshards and discussing the ones who entered the depths of the labyrinth, they patiently waited for the results.

Most, if not everyone, outside of the labyrinth’s entrance, was evidently tensed. It seemed the month of training excluding this expedition as the final phase of the [Warbody Program] was not enough to have them mentally prepared against the ambiance being given off by the Dark Forest... or the Abyss Lands in general, where the sunlight outside couldn’t penetrate—especially with the absence of their lord who tended to spearhead everything related to military.

If not for the glowing celestial body, a moon of its own hanging above the veiled sky, the entire Abyss Lands would naturally be a total darkness.

Since there was no way to tell the time, and that the border between day and night in this vast land was incredibly blurred, an unknown amount of time had passed as those who were waiting for their lord’s return continued to gradually exhaust their food supplies sparingly inside the spacious cave brightened by the cosmic atmosphere emitted by the Soulshards.

The morale of the soldiers was wavering, understandably so. Some even asked about any contingency in case their lord perished against the unknown. However, others retained their full yet conflicting trust that their sole commander would return.

Thanks to the divided thought, the contagious declining morale was temporarily halted from spreading, and because of that, they would come to know that their journey would bear fruit unimaginable.

In front of the ancient trapdoor, the nearest soldiers were the first ones to react as their eyes widened upon seeing the gradual manifestation of a violet whirl that distorted space.

"Wh-what is that?!"

"A portal!"

"But we don’t have that capability, right?! Is it the enemy? Did our lord really..."

That particular soldier could not help but pause, unable to swallow the possibility of their lord’s body being buried in this place—it would, after all, also spell their demise.

Even then, as the circumstances changed quickly, every soldier formed a defensive formation, their shields and sharp weapons in front, ready to strike whatever would come out of the portal.

It was then...

A human head came out!

It revealed a familiar face that’s both the personification of terror and discipline.

Apparent sighs of relief spread across the atmosphere, but before any of them could utter a single word, Lugh’s commanding voice echoed,

"What the fuck are you all doing? Jump inside!"

Because of the abundance of treasures, the remnants of the Britanoia Empire, it would take many personnel to clear out everything.

Of course, it would be utter robbery not to leave a single piece of gold. However, based on Lugh’s calculated commitment to take responsibility for Princess Yuridika, whatever was in this place was absolutely entrusted to him.

In other words, one could assume that whatever the White Princess possessed... was also Lugh’s possession.

*

Every soldier who had waited outside could not help but have their mouths agape at the sight of the countless treasures lying on the floor, hanging on the walls, or stored in royal treasure chests—it was an amount unimaginable whether in financial terms or practicality.

"A-Am I dreaming right now?!"

"Holy hell... Just how much are these?"

"You fool. Forget the money... There might be something here that can help us become stronger!"

Everybody carefully cleared out the treasure vault, though some items, especially ancient artifacts and relics, were eventually ordered to be left behind for two reasons—they must not yet see the present world... or that their functions were too complicated to be executed.

Amidst this, one certain murmur spread—it’s the presence of the silver-haired woman of indescribable beauty standing beside their lord, who was observing the soldiers’ move while maintaining a contemplative expression.

"Who’s that woman...?"

"Is she the White Princess? There’s no way, right?"

"What... Seriously?"

Since they could not think of a possibility of how such a presence could be in this place, the confused soldiers turned to those who experienced the nightmares triggered by the Apostle of the Unseen; their expression craving for a definite answer.

One of them, Azrabel, who was near these conspicuous gossipers, casually interjected, "She’s the White Princess, indeed. You know, labyrinths are personification of unsolved mysteries, that much is a known fact."

Every labyrinth explored by those in high places throughout the Continent of Divinica—the ones known in public—was believed to possess a mysterious power that caused these buried traces of the past to conjure [monsters] somewhat different from the demonkind.

Some scholars believed they were the remnant will of those who lived in these places before they were forgotten, while some thought labyrinths were hidden blessings of the Orthodox Gods—a sort of challenge for those who think they were worthy of divine recognition.

Hearing Azrabel’s answer, the curious soldiers began to fall silent. They just could not comprehend everything... and that everything was not anyone’s job to comprehend.

However, this expedition opened a new path in their minds; they felt the delight of adventure despite its dangers.

After a few hours, the treasure vault was now almost empty, and it’s the Soulshards’ turn to be mined and brought out of this place.

"We will only take two carts of Soulshards."

They looked at Lugh with questioning eyes. Logistics-wise, they had brought enough equipment and thirty carts to pull a large amount of these cosmic gems.

"Don’t worry. This expedition isn’t one-way. We’ll eventually return to this place after renovating everything in our domain." Lugh openly nodded at Yena, who had already received a response from delivering a message to the Golden Crown’s de facto lord during these harvesting hours.

Returning his gaze, Yena nodded back before her eyes panoramically observed everyone, "I have received a very important message that at this moment... the heir of the Golden Crown Merchant Guild, Miss Ravelle Au Regina, is currently waiting at Eshu County while being escorted by a formidable force."

"...?"

"...?!"

Even though the soldiers from the other forces in this expedition weren’t aware of Yena’s identity as a spy, they did not question the authenticity of her words, which seemed to have been pulled out of nowhere. After all, Lugh would have already called her out if it weren’t in any way the truth.

"Now, here’s how it’s gonna go. So listen to me carefully." Lugh interjected, their full attention on him.

*

In the barely functioning massive gate of Eshu County’s main fortress, where the home of Lugh and a thousand people’s dilapidated houses were situated, Ravelle and a line of caravans had just arrived.

The Golden Crown’s insignia was intricately engraved on her own caravan, but her emerald eyes were fixated on the letter she had just received from Yena—the spy she planted to observe the development of this rundown county.

[Miss Ravelle, we have found Soulshards.]

The animal used in this communication was summoned pigeons. But Yena’s ability to deliver messages was divided into two—physical and astral.

The former was long and arduous, used for non-emergency reports, as the pigeon physically traveled for distances. But the latter was an instant message, where the pigeon could travel via a connection or medium—as long as it’s predetermined.

Crumpling the paper, Ravelle smirked. But her eyes were cold.

’Soulshards... This is troublesome.’

Of course, it could very well be a bluff since it’s a commodity too rare on the continent.

’But if it’s real, I have to negotiate to gain the loss I’ve suffered because of the Tier-5 demonkind bastard, Queen Ires Deadwood...’

It was not the financial loss that became the core of the issue, but rather the trust of several major investors who exclusively knew the existence of the two veins of runeshards based on the information that Lugh had previously provided.

"Well, how will you entertain me this time, Lugh? Fufu." Ravelle chuckled.

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