The Paladin in the Abyss
Chapter 797 - 808: Knowing Nothing at All

"What I’m more concerned about is why this monster appeared here? Those two ghosts that popped out of the stones didn’t mention it…" Bruto picked up a stone from the ground and viciously threw it at the giant skeleton head, "Little Ysa, they couldn’t have been lying to you, could they? I remember Milko and Cranvo were also enemies, weren’t they?"

"That’s impossible…" Little Ysa’s expression looked extremely wronged, "The markings on their bodies were clear, servants who obey the Lord of the Dead, and they also responded to my summons. There’s no reason for them to deceive me…"

"Then what’s going on here?" Bruto’s tone was quite rude due to his father’s injuries, "Is this some kind of prank left by the former Lord of the Dead?"

"I don’t think so." Kalalin’s voice was the first to sound, with his figure appearing in the air moments later, "In the legends, Milko indeed had a vast number of undead servants, but there was never any mention of the Dead-Eye Tyrant. Eye Demons are creatures of immense pride, they don’t even regard gods highly, so it’s hard to believe that this was arranged by the former Lord of the Dead…"

"Is there a possibility that this monster was actually placed here by someone else?" Lancelot Morassa stroked his chin, slowly saying to his companions, "Those two ghostly guards also mentioned that the last ones who opened the stone gate were a group of old hags, which should refer to the witches. Since the witches have a way to open the stone gate, they surely know how to activate this altar. If the witches do not wish for that stone gate to be opened again, it’s very likely they made some arrangements here."

"Hmm… You make sense there," Bruto exhaled a foul breath, "Regardless, we need to have a serious talk with those two who gave us false military intelligence, I want to hear how they plan to explain themselves. Let’s go, we’ll do it now!"

Bruto sprung up, trying to sit up from the ground, but his vision darkened and he thudded back down.

"Er…" The Dwarf awkwardly propped up his upper body, "I might… need to rest a bit. Shouldn’t take too long…"

"Not just you, all of us need to rest." Alamir looked at Lancelot, "How about a short rest for an hour? I can perform some time-consuming divine rituals, so everyone can recover as much as possible…"

"Okay." Lancelot nodded, "I’m still alright, I’ll take the watch duty."

————————————————

An hour later.

All the companions had fully recovered, including the old Dwarf Barrend who had been at death’s door not long ago. In Lancelot’s past understanding, this was utterly impossible, but this world did have Divine Power and magic. With the Elf Priest’s healing spells and the few cases of healing potions that the Succubus Lord had stuffed into Lancelot’s hands before departure, everyone was not only bouncing around again but also seemed to be in better shape than before.

While the Elf Priest recited lengthy prayers, Bruto, who had regained a little strength, turned the small mountain made of skeletons upside down. To his great dismay, there was nothing to be found. Lancelot had anticipated this, as this place was obviously not the lair of the Dead-Eye Tyrant, so of course there would be no treasure to find.

However, they did take one memento—the skull of the Dead-Eye Tyrant. It was Kalalin’s reminder, for as a natural Spellcaster, this giant skeleton might be useful to Tijana. Without doubt, this was going to be the most unique gift Lancelot had ever offered. According to Kalalin, such a form of gift was fairly common in the lower planes, especially when the skull belonged to a very powerful individual, akin to a rose representing victory after a Knight’s tournament.

The return trip was much faster than the exploration, and in less than ten minutes, they were back in the large hall with colonnades, gargoyles, and a stone gate.

As soon as they set foot in the room they had left not long ago, Lancelot’s brow furrowed slightly—he had a vague feeling that something was amiss, but couldn’t quite pinpoint it. The stone gate was still tightly shut, with no apparent changes, and the two ghostly guards did not appear on their own due to their arrival.

The group was about to walk towards the stone gate, letting the little Vampire summon the guards from the statues again, but Tanya suddenly stopped in her tracks, staring blankly at the colonnades that supported the dome.

"What happened?"

Lancelot immediately asked, but the very next second, he realized what the problem was.

"The positions of the gargoyles have changed," the Half-elf explained to everyone, "The two missing gargoyles used to face the stone gate and the passage we just came from, respectively, but now one is facing the exit, and the other the side we haven’t explored..."

"It seems the noise we heard just now was these columns rotating," Kalalin speculated, "Perhaps if we activate the mechanism on the other side, the stone gate will open?"

"Maybe, if those two ghosts didn’t lie to us," Bruto shrugged his shoulders, "Which I highly doubt."

"Show yourselves, Tomb Guardians!" Little Isha walked up to the two stone statues, "There are some questions you must give me an answer to!"

"What are your commands... respected... Ferryman of the End?"

Accompanied by a disquieting whisper, two skeletal shadows draped in cloaks appeared again, floating in the air. Although the Undead rarely show any emotions, Lancelot observed that upon seeing their group alive and well for the second time, the other side displayed no sign of surprise.

"Why, after doing as you said, did we encounter a Dead-Eye Tyrant that only wanted to kill us?" Little Isha sternly spoke, exuding a rather commanding aura, "Do you have anything to say about that?"

"...We know nothing, Envoy..." the two ghostly guards answered without any inflection in their voices, "We only appear... when awakened… Conditions of other areas... cannot be ascertained..."

"So you’re saying, you also have no idea about what happens after the other altar is activated?"

"...Yes," the ghostly guards paused, then continued, "...Activate the other altar... offer fresh blood... and the stone gate will open..."

"Hey!" Bruto clamored discontentedly, "If you’re behind this, you’ve seen the result, that’s no use to us!"

The ghostly guards glanced at the Dwarf but ignored him.

"Brother, what should we do?" Little Isha turned her head to look at Lancelot, "Should we trust them?"

"What do you think?"

"...I think we can," the little Vampire nodded earnestly, "I know it sounds strange, but I can indeed tell they aren’t lying..."

"Alright, I trust you," Lancelot smiled, "In a way, this is your territory. Let’s go, there’s another Blood Pool waiting for us to fill..."

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