Chapter 469: 434 An unimaginable formidable enemy?
Several minutes later...
In the clearing in front of the cavern ruins, well over half of the people who were just recently in the Bessary Martial Grounds appeared here.
"Father!"
Kazi, Axel, and Diego were extremely delighted as they and the large troop came out of the "Portals" and approached Revin.
"Master... Master..."
Liz still clung to Reiger, causing Reiger to helplessly smile wryly even as he continuously soothed the tearfully sobbing princess by stroking her head.
The knights who came with Kazi, Axel, and Diego stared blankly around them, then at the half-circular portal of darkness, seeming hardly able to believe that they had moved from the Bessary Martial Grounds to such a place.
Even someone famous in the magic world like Nipede was stunned after coming through the "Portal," and it took him a long while before he murmured.
"To actually be able to ignore distance and teleport so many people at once..."
Nipede had never even heard of such a thing before.
At least, as far as he knew, there had never been a magician capable of doing such a thing among those who had acquired an aptitude for theoretical constructs and learned spatial magic.
If there really was someone who could do this, that person surely would have been controlled by their own country long ago, and other countries would have done everything they could to secure this talent. If they couldn’t secure him, they would go all out to destroy him.
There was no helping it, as such magic applied to warfare was simply a nightmare for the enemy countries.
Just imagine, if a country could send its army directly into the capital of an enemy country, what a terrifying scenario that would be?
There was no spatial magic in this world that had such an astounding effect; otherwise, spatial magicians would have become treasures in the eyes of the nations across the continent, and the upper echelons of those nations would have spared no effort to cultivate such magicians.
Therefore, in Nipede’s understanding, spatial transfer magic was at most capable of transporting a few individuals, and the transportation distance was extremely limited. It was nothing like the "Portal," disregarding distance and numbers, with almost zero failure rate, allowing continual movement between two places as long as the magic’s effect lasted.
To Nipede, such magic was like a miracle.
"Lord Brilliant, what exactly are you...?"
Nipede’s gaze toward Reiger changed numerous times.
Ever since he met Reiger, Nipede found that his understanding of him changed repeatedly, and even now, he was still occasionally making astonishing discoveries.
He even suddenly realized something.
"Perhaps, the conflict between Lord Brilliant and the Meipros family wasn’t because Lord Revin provoked him but because Revin provoked an unimaginably formidable foe."
Thinking this, Nipede couldn’t help but glance at Revin.
There, protected by the three Meipros brothers and an array of Meipros family knights, Revin was struggling to maintain a composed and calm demeanor while also involuntarily gazing at Reiger with a palpitated look.
Clearly, the Duke of Meipros also realized the immense value of Reiger, who possessed the "Portal" magic.
Thinking of how he had offended someone who could easily change the entire continent’s international situation and turn the tide of wars between nations in a ridiculously one-sided manner, Revin’s face almost turned pale.
Meanwhile, Reiger, as if completely unaware of the staggering implications of his actions, continued to console Liz.
"Alright, stop crying, see? I’m fine, am I not?"
Reiger helplessly embraced Liz, forcing himself to ignore the oversensitive physical contact of the princess’s body pressing against his, as he wiped her tears and comforted her.
Unfortunately, it seemed as if the princess’s tear ducts had truly burst as she disregarded Reiger’s comforts, tightly embracing him more and more, making Reiger suspect that the little girl wished to merge into him.
Of course, Reiger knew that Liz’s overreaction was probably due to what she had said before; the conflict between Reiger and Revin was triggered because of her, right?
The princess had been very worried that Reiger, standing up for her, might come to harm, and now that harm had nearly come to pass, naturally, Liz felt extremely guilty.
"I should have just gone back to Bessary first to let everyone know I was safe."
Reiger somewhat regretted the decision he had made earlier.
With no other choice, Reiger let Liz embrace him and gently patted her soft, small back to soothe her emotions.
As time passed, the princess’s emotions gradually stabilized, and the others gradually learned the situation from Revin, understanding where they were and what had happened so far.
"This, this place is actually inside Yarakulon?"
"...Is this really what the inside of the world’s largest magical creature looks like?"
"No no no, shouldn’t we be amazed that we managed to survive in the innards of a magical creature like this?"
The crowd started to discuss incredulously and in disbelief.
Nipede had already taken out his recording magic crystal and began recording the scene while looking enthusiastically towards the distant ancient city.
Kazi, Axel, and Diego stared intently at the ancient ruins, their hearts racing.
"An ancient ruin inside the earth beast Yarakulon?"
"Such an ancient site has surely never been explored, right?"
"So, does that mean whatever is inside is likely still in perfect condition?"
The thought excited the three brothers immensely.
This is an ancient relic that has never been explored by anyone!
The value of artifacts left by the ancient magic civilization in the modern world was well understood by the descendants of lords like them.
Perhaps there was knowledge inside capable of changing the fate of the nation, even the world.
Perhaps there was magic technology that could propel the Kingdom of Ginia to unmatched heights in the continent.
At the very least, there might be a great secret treasure lying dormant, awaiting discovery.
Obtaining any of these things could transform the entire Meipros estate and make it famous across the Kingdom of Ginia and the entire continent of Akasha. If the contents were crucial enough, the Meipros family might even be recorded in the annals of history, their fame enduring forever.
This was not a fantasy.
Historically, countless luminaries had been recorded in history books and had enjoyed fame because they discovered ancient relics that significantly progressed the modern magic civilization.
If the Meipros family could also encounter such a stroke of luck, it might solve the invasion issues from the Leiblu Kingdom, rectify the mismanagement of the Meipros estate, and even elevate the status of the Meipros family to an unshakeable position, securing incredible benefits for the clan.
It was because of these numerous benefits that even Raven, the Border Guardian Sword Saint, almost lost his composure in excitement before the "Portal" had opened, uncontrollably tempted to rush into the ancient relic.
As for why Yarakulon’s body harbored such an ancient relic, this question had been dismissed by many people already.
If they could all move freely here, why couldn’t there be an ancient relic, too?
"Perhaps this is a city that Yarakulon swallowed a long, long time ago, one that remained here until its discovery today?"
That’s what many thought.
Subsequently, Revin and others began walking toward Reiger.
"Thank you."
Revin first expressed his gratitude to Reiger.
This thanks was for Reiger’s "Portal."
Because of the "Portal," the large troupe from the Meipros family had managed to arrive here and commence extensive excavation of the relic.
Without the large force, Revin truly would have been troubled, unsure how he and Reiger alone could maximize the excavation of this relic to enhance its value and their personal gain.
But Reiger clearly did not care about such matters.
"I am not particularly interested in knowledge or technology, so let me be blunt—if I find any magic tools useful to me in this relic, I will claim them for myself,"
Reiger said bluntly, causing many to shift their expressions subtly.
Revin’s brow furled imperceptibly, then relaxed.
"Agreed."
This unexpectedly straightforward agreement from the lord of Meipros made Kazi and others behind him edgy, ready to speak out.
But before they could, Nipede spoke cheerfully.
"Since we could arrive here only thanks to Lord Brilliant, and doubtless we wouldn’t be able to leave without him either, it’s only natural for Lord Brilliant to make such demands."
These words made Kazi and the others taken aback, prompting them to fall silent.
They looked towards the way they came.
There, the semi-circular dark portal was gradually shrinking until it vanished completely.
Thus, they no longer had a way to leave this place; only Reiger could reopen that incredible door and let everyone escape.
In other words, the life and death of everyone present, along with whether they could take the artifacts acquired here back with them, depended solely on Reiger’s whims.
If he were unwilling to take everyone out, then everyone, including Revin, would be trapped to death inside Yarakulon.
Realizing this, Kazi and others naturally dared not voice any objections.
Revin had apparently already considered this, hence his immediate agreement.
However, he had another idea.
"If there is some magic equipment in the relic that you don’t need, I hope you would consider selling them to us at a reasonable price, what do you say?"
Revin made this suggestion.
"Fine."
Reiger carelessly nodded, eliciting a rare smile from Revin.
Thus, everyone began their strategy meeting.