The Paladin in the Abyss
Chapter 810 - 821 Quick Eyes and Hands

After a brief search, everyone confirmed that there were no other noteworthy clues in the small hut. So, they cautiously retreated and headed towards the adjacent tower.

From the outside, it appeared to be a strange-looking tower, standing at about thirty feet tall and leaning about fifteen degrees away from the lake. If it had another two levels, it would probably lose balance. When they arrived at the base of the tower, Lancelot could clearly sense some invisible magic field at the top, slowly rotating like the blades of a windmill. However, his Spirit Perception did not detect any immediate danger. The exact purpose of the field could only be determined by finding the magical device that generated it.

As they stood before the tower’s door, the atmosphere around them suddenly turned eerie. A chilling wind blew out from the open door, cold as a dying person’s final breath, causing their scalp to tingle involuntarily.

"Did you hear that?" the Elf Priest suddenly spoke, "Faintly, it sounds like voices…"

"What?" the young Dwarf replied loudly, as if trying to bolster his courage, "Just a goddamn wind, I didn’t hear anything…"

No, there was indeed some sort of desperate wailing. Lancelot thought silently but did not speak out to avoid causing unnecessary anxiety among his companions before figuring out what was going on.

"Be careful," Lancelot whispered, "This place is not empty."

Stepping cautiously, the group entered the tower. Frostslash reappeared in the Human Knight’s hand, its blade covered in numerous nicks, indicative of its poor condition, in dire need of thorough maintenance. This would typically not be a problem, for the team included master weaponsmith Barrend, and even Bruto could perform the task. If only they could get back to Raventown, where a fully equipped blacksmith shop awaited. Unfortunately, plans often change, and if they waited to return fully prepared, the Witches’ Forest might be long gone.

Fortunately, Lancelot’s swordsmanship prioritized slashing and thrusting. When he needed to cut, he could rely on activating his Frost Sword Aura for sharpness, so apart from slightly faster True Yuan depletion, his strength was not significantly affected.

As for why the Starlight Strike and the Sword of Zariel were not used, the reason was simple. These two swords had too intense a presence. In this relatively open environment, merely taking them out of the Dimensional Bag would announce to every nearby keen-sensing creature, "Beware! A guy wielding two Divine Artifacts is coming!"

Once inside the tower, they were hit by an indescribable stench, which could be compared to throwing a basket of fresh, steaming bread into a pile of smelly socks, leaving their bodies undecided on how to react.

The first floor of the tower was spacious, a circular space with a radius of over ten feet, although incredibly cluttered, making it hard to find a place to step. The most noticeable object in sight was a vendor’s cart, its relatively clean gray cloth lifted, revealing a row of dead rats tied by their tails in a drawer.

Apart from that, the drawer contained several pieces of cut pie, the aroma emanating from them. Yet after seeing the nearby rat carcasses, no one would have an appetite.

Scattered around the cart were opened suitcases, cages covered with heavy black fur, and humanoid skeletons no bigger than a chicken. Bruto reached out to lift the fur, discovering giant toads the size of watermelons inside the cages, their eyes shut, motionless. If not for their heaving bellies, no one would guess they were alive.

"Damn, what kind of monsters are these! So gross!" Bruto cursed, letting the fur fall back over the cage. "What do witches keep these toads for? Do they roast them for food?"

"I don’t think so," Lancelot shook his head, "They smell like Stygian River water."

"As expected of you, big brother, you can tell even in this stench…"

"Me too, but I might faint a bit later than you." Lancelot shrugged, pointing to the central pillar in the room. "I’m more interested in that…"

In the room’s center stood a thick pillar. Not initially paying much attention, they noticed it was slowly rotating after the Human Knight pointed it out. The connecting part was thoroughly lubricated with some filthy grease, preventing any noise.

"That black lubricant…" Bruto said slowly, "Could it be…"

"This is the witches’ workshop," Kalalin answered softly, "I’ve used many scrolls made by witches before. Without exception, they’re all bad news."

"Damn! Shit! Damn it!" Bruto cursed again, "So it’s all Corpse Oil?"

"Let’s go," Lancelot shook his head slightly, "I’m really curious what this pillar is connected to?"

His question was immediately answered on the second floor. In the center of a slightly smaller room was a giant funnel coated inside with black grease, slowly rotating. The funnel’s bottom connected with the pillar below, although it was unclear what the pillar’s base connected to.

Unlike the cluttered first floor, the second floor was clean, apart from the rotating funnel and stairs to the third floor, almost as if it had a different owner altogether. From the ceiling hung a person-thick pipe, ending in a special mechanism at its terminus. Each time the funnel rotated a full circle, a small rod attached to it would trip the mechanism, opening the pipe’s lid.

When they realized the design, the small rod was already close to the mechanism. Lancelot signaled readiness for battle, and everyone tensed up, prepared for whatever might emerge from the pipe.

A click sounded, and the lid opened. To everyone’s surprise, instead of a roaring monster rushing at them, a naked Dwarf with gray-black hair tumbled out. The Dwarf hit the funnel’s interior wall and was about to slide down when Lancelot grabbed him.

"You are… Prince Lancelot?" the Dwarf exclaimed upon being caught, "What are you doing here?"