Hearing the old fire gnome's sarcasm, the stone face on the wall darkened, a pair of bright eyes faintly visible in its eye sockets, staring straight at village chief Limen.
"I don't understand the considerations of you smart people, that's why I successfully broke through back then, and live freely until now. But you, Limen, among the seven of us back then, you hid the deepest, and also the one with the most potential. Look at you now, tsk tsk … "
"With two [World Heart Element Locks] in your body, you can only stay in this dark ancient cave, slowly waiting for death. Is this the ending of smart people like you? I really don't understand … "
The words that came out of the stone face's mouth were very cold, like two stones knocking against each other.
Village Chief Li Men's face immediately darkened. His already dark complexion became even darker, like charcoal.
"If not for me, could you have broken through so easily back then? To think that you didn't believe me, and attacked me together with Shi Hulie, that grandson, and Zhong Wangsun, that shameless person, and attacked me so heavily! "
"If not for that claw of yours, when I was being chased by a mysterious enemy, perhaps I would not have suffered such heavy injuries."
The old fire gnome spoke of the past, and instantly gritted his teeth.
The reason why his injuries were so heavy, and why he was struck by two [World Heart Element Locks], was related to the Limestone Ridge Wolf Lord's heavy attacks.
Hearing that, the stone face's expression froze, and it laughed dryly, "Didn't I apologize later on? I also tried my best to facilitate the agreement between the five of us. Just now when the fire gnome village was attacked, I immediately sent wolf riders to support. I am not a despicable person like Shi Hulie … "
Village chief Limen pursed his lips, and just as he was about to say something, his expression changed. His dark face instantly lost all color, revealing a kind of black paleness. His limbs were quickly covered in a thin layer of frost, and his veins were like spider webs, angrily expanding on the surface of his skin.
He quickly took out the [Flaming Sun Chalcedony], mixed it with clear spring water, and made a small cup, and drank it in one gulp.
Zi zi zi …
Smoke floated up from the old fire gnome's body, and only returned to normal after a while.
"This damned [World Heart Element Lock]!?" Village chief Limen growled, his face distorted.
On the wall, the stone face revealed a hint of worry. "The duration of your attacks seems to be shorter …"
"Yes. Otherwise, I wouldn't have agreed to that little fellow's request to use such a precious item to treat my injuries. "
Village Chief Li Men sat down and said weakly: "After recuperating here all these years, I kept reflecting on myself. We fire goblins are cunning and greedy, we are unwilling to let go of the benefits in our hands. This is my natural fatal weakness. Now that I've thought it through, if I die like this, I'll have nothing left. "
"If that's the case, I might as well use the item in my hand to give it a try."
"At the very least, before I die, I have to do something to be worthy of Boss Spiritshield's death."
"Back then, he actually died in my place …"
The stone face sighed. "Brother Spiritshield, it's such a pity that you died just like that. Do you think this little Mechanic from the White Dwarf Kingdom can really succeed? "
"What do you think?" Village Chief Li Men asked.
The stone face was silent for a moment, then said, "The feeling this kid gives me is even more dangerous than when I first met you, Brother Spirit Shield."
"Isn't that enough?"
Village Chief Li Men nodded with a smile. "Let's wait and see … We've waited for so many years for King City's birthday banquet. It's always good to have one more troublemaker."
…
Two hours later-
Bayun, Old Aidan, Hai Wuya and the rest woke up one after another. Feeling the increase in strength in their bodies, they expressed their gratitude to Village Chief Li Men.
To Bayun and the rest, this cup of [Flaming Sun Chalcedony] was not as simple as an increase in their Psychic Force.
This godly item was very rare in ancient times. It was a miraculous medicine for extending one's lifespan, increasing one's strength, and healing internal injuries.
"I'm old acquaintances with that person from your Centaur Race. When I was trying to break through to level-8, I received his guidance. This is nothing. "
"Furthermore, Mr. Chuan saved Ramila, who is my brother's daughter. This gift is a token of my appreciation."
Faced with the gratitude of Bayun and the rest, Village Chief Li Men's attitude changed greatly. He was now like an amiable elder.
Bayun, Old Aidan, and Hai Wuya immediately had a good impression of this Fire Gnome elder, especially Bayun, who greeted him as if he was his nephew.
Hayashi River shook his head inwardly, but did not say anything. He pretended to have just woken up from his meditation, and without any conversation with Village Chief Li Men, he asked about the tragedy at the research base.
"Bayun, before we talk about this, you must be mentally prepared!" Village Chief Li Men said with a solemn expression.
Bayun's expression turned solemn, and he nodded. He had long been mentally prepared.
The Fire Gnome elder sighed, and spoke of the truth behind the explosion of the research base twelve years ago.
Not many people knew about the research base in the Shi Haishan Mystic Realm, but those who knew about the location of the mystic realm naturally knew about the existence of the research base.
The Centaur Race, the Northern Royal Family, Shi Haishan's Rock Family, Shi Hulie, and a few other major factions in the Northern Lands all knew about the research base.
However, those who knew that the research base was still in operation could be counted on one hand.
Twelve years ago, a few elders of the Centaur Race had secretly conducted research on the restoration of the [Earth King Equipment], and even fewer people knew about it.
Village Chief Li Men naturally knew about it.
The Lord of Limestone Ridge, who was not far from the Shi Haishan Mystic Realm, was extremely sensitive to the changes in the forest, and definitely knew about it.
As for the rest, whether the Rock Family knew about it, Village Chief Li Men was not too sure.
The owner of the Green Tea Emblem, Shi Hulie, definitely knew about it.
The people who knew about the research did not pay much attention to it at first. After all, the [Earth King Equipment] had been damaged for so many years, and the Centaur Army had expended so much manpower and resources, but still had not succeeded in repairing it.
Could it be that the restoration this time would be successful?
However, the Lord of Limestone Ridge had accidentally seen Bayun, and saw the incomplete [Rock Sword Pattern] on his body. He immediately realized that the Centaur Race's restoration of the [Earth King Equipment] might really succeed.
"Regarding the [Rock Sword Pattern], I'm afraid some of the little fellows of the Centaur Race are not too clear about it …" Village Chief Li Men said.
"Yes. Even now, I'm not too clear about this thing on my body … "
Bayun nodded. In truth, before the elders of the race came to find him, he had always thought that the pattern on his body was a birthmark.
When the fire gnome elder mentioned the [Rock Sword Pattern], he told him that it was a talent that the Centaur Race leader of the generation who had activated the [Earth King Equipment] possessed.
It was also from then on that this pattern gained the name [Rock Sword].
There was even a saying that the creation of the [Earth King Equipment] was because of the [Rock Sword Pattern] on the body of that generation's Centaur Race leader.
"It's said that the [Rock Sword Pattern] is a talent that allows one to directly absorb energy from the earth, and thus unleash physical strength that far exceeds one's own."
Bayun truly had an incomplete [Rock Sword Pattern] on his body, and that was why the elders of the race had the idea to once again start the restoration of the [Earth King Equipment] with great fanfare.
The progress of this plan was actually rather smooth, but the tragedy that followed soon followed.
"Your restoration plan was too secretive, so secretive that even the Centaur Race didn't know about it …"
"But to carry out this restoration project in the Northern Lands, in the Shi Haishan Secret Realm, isn't it akin to exposing yourselves to the tiger's mouth?"
"Shi Haishan City is no longer the Shi Haishan City of the past. The people in charge here are not only the Rock Clan, but also the owner of the Green Tea Coat of Arms, Shi Hulie …"
As he spoke, Village Chief Li Men looked at Bayun, whose expression was already extremely ugly. However, the fire gnome elder continued, "According to what I know, in the past ten years, Shi Hulie has mastered a new type of Heart Yuan Equipment. In many aspects, its abilities are very similar to the [Earth King Equipment]."
"Roar …"
Hearing this, Bayun could no longer hold back and roared in anger. Previously, during the battle at the fire gnome village, he already had such suspicions.
Now that it was confirmed by the fire gnome elder, the killing intent in this centaur's chest rose. He could not wait to kill his way into Shi Haishan City and fight to the death with Shi Hulie.
"Mister Bayun, don't be anxious. Village Chief Li Men has not finished speaking." Hayashi River comforted him.
Bayun panted heavily and nodded, trying his best to calm his emotions.
"Indeed, even if the person who blew up the research base was Shi Hulie, you would not be his match. Moreover, there might be some hidden reasons behind this … "
Village Chief Li Men continued to talk about the past. He realized that he was also paying attention to the movements in the research base.
However, the fire gnome elder had always been in the cave of the ancient land, and was not very sensitive to the changes in the outside world.
By the time he realized that something was wrong, the research base had already been blown up. When he found out, he was shocked and asked his younger brother to investigate. He discovered that there were three groups of unknown origin that were fighting over the results of the research base.
"The research base was emptied. So it was the doing of the three groups that came later …"
When Lin Chuan heard this, he asked, and he cast Village Chief Limen a seemingly unintentional glance.
Feeling the young Mechanic's gaze, the fire gnome elder coughed dryly and cursed the young man for being too smart to be able to sense that something was wrong. That's right, the fire gnome village had actually sent out a group to snatch the things there. The equipment in the research base were all valuable items. With the greedy nature of the fire gnomes, how could they just watch as their fat meat was snatched away like that?
However, Village Chief Li Men was not lying when he said that the research base had been blown up. He really did not know about it.
Even the Lord of the Gray Rock Wolves had not expected that someone would actually dare to blow up that research facility in the Northern Lands.
"So, the culprit who blew up the research base must be one of the three groups. Shi Hulie might not be the real culprit." Hayashi River added.
The fire gnome elder nodded. That was the case.
"Even if that bastard Shi Hulie is not the real culprit, he is still our mortal enemy for robbing our Centaur Tribe's things!" Bayun growled in a low voice.
"This … Bayun, I feel that Shi Hulie might know who the real culprit is. However, you have seen my relationship with this guy. The fire gnome village was destroyed by him. If we want to mediate, I feel that the Centaur Tribe should step in … "
Village Chief Li Men said.
Hayashi River curled his lips slightly. This fire gnome elder was really cunning. The purpose of his words was to drag the Centaur Tribe into the water and make them enemies with Shi Hulie. However, he seemed to be thinking of the Centaur Tribe and removed himself from the picture.
However, Hayashi River also understood that when the research base was blown up, even if Village Chief Li Men had some secrets that he did not reveal, the general situation was as such.
There was progress in the restoration of the [Earth King Equipment]. This news was too exciting for the Northern Lands, and even some of the major forces of the Sea-Ao Empire.
If the Emperor of the Sea-Ao Empire knew about this, he would probably wake up from his dreams and be unable to sleep.
The current Royal Family was no longer as powerful as it was during the Hundred Years War, and the fully restored [Earth King Equipment] could unleash the full power of the Centaur Army. If the Northern Lands had the intention to attack the Great Star Ao County, the battle would be like a hot knife through butter.
Would the Royal Family of the Sea-Ao Empire allow such a thing to happen?
Of course not. Even if there was the slightest possibility, they would not allow it!
Therefore, the real culprit behind all this might be the Royal Family of the Sea-Ao Empire.
However, this was only a guess. It was more likely to be the other forces in the Northern Lands.
Including the owner of the green emblem, Shi Hulie. Although he was a powerful force in the Northern Lands, he could not be compared to the current Centaur Army.
If the Centaur Army regained the [Earth King Equipment], who in the Northern Lands would dare to go against them?
So what if they were experts of the Eighth Realm? During the Hundred Years War, the Centaur Army had once slaughtered an army led by an expert of the Ninth Realm.
Which force would be willing to see such a Centaur Army appear? Perhaps even the Royal Family of the Northern Lands would not wish for it …
Hayashi River pondered and sighed. This was the era of peace. The internal strife within the mainland was getting more and more intense.
"Find out the real culprit from Shi Hulie?"
Bayun frowned. He knew how difficult it was. If the incident back then had something to do with the owner of the green emblem, once the latter knew of his existence, his side, including his friends, would be in great danger.
For a moment, this person felt a headache coming on. He wasn't good at strategizing in the first place.
Then, Bayun thought of something and asked Village Chief Limen about the tragedy that happened to the Royal Family of the Northern Lands 11 years ago.
"This tragedy should be an internal struggle within the Royal Family. It's just that you became the scapegoat. This is also a clue. Because the news of your death has not spread, it means that the culprit was also involved in the internal struggle of the Royal Family. "
The Fire Gnome elder said.
Bayun's face twitched as he scratched his head. The more he knew the truth, the angrier and more sullen he felt.
He had been lucky enough to escape the explosion of the laboratory, but he had been tormented by his injuries for more than ten years.
He had thought that his life would start anew once he returned to the Northern Lands. He did not expect that a conspiracy would befall him 12 years ago.
"Don't worry. I will do my best to help you solve your predicament. "
As Village Chief Limen spoke, he took out a list of various resources. He invited Hayashi River, hoping to borrow the strength of the White Dwarf Kingdom to solve this problem.
"If there is a huge change in the Northern Lands, not only will the Sea-Ao Empire be affected, the White Dwarf Kingdom will also be affected. Young Mister Chuan, I hope you can help us! "The Fire Gnome elder said seriously.
Hayashi River nodded, expressing his determination that he would do his best to help.
Secretly, Hayashi River was a little annoyed. This old fox was really thick-skinned. He pretended to be worried about the Northern Lands, but this was obviously to pave the way for the future.
If the two [World Heart Yuan Locks] on Chief Li Men's body were to be removed, and those enemies were to be dealt with, taking advantage of the good relationship he had established with the Centaur Race, his and the fire gnome's influence in the Northern Land would soar.
This scheming made Hayashi River secretly shake his head. This was the nature of the Fire Gnome. If this old fellow was not injured, he would probably be a more terrifying existence than Shi Hulie.
Seeing that Village Chief Limen was furiously raising everyone's favorability, Hayashi River did not stay any longer. He used the excuse of visiting the cave of the Ancient Lands to leave and wandered around.
"Meow …"
In the inner pocket of the Mechanic robe, the Blue Kitty wriggled a little and greeted Hayashi River. It used its claws to scratch its master, communicating in a way that only a man and a cat could understand.
"Meow … Master, in the other room just now, other than the dark and swarthy Fire Gnome elder, there were other people snooping around …"
The little blue cat reported as if it was taking credit. It actually wanted to tell Hayashi River long ago, but the Fire Gnome elder gave it a very scary feeling, so it did not dare to act rashly.
"Oh … I noticed something too …" Hayashi River was deep in thought.
When he was secretly talking with Village Chief Limen, he kept feeling a little strange, as if he was being spied on, but he could not find the specific location.
Now it seemed that in this cave of the Ancient Lands, the monitoring method was also very secretive, and it was not a conventional method.
In the earpiece, Mossy Bone's voice sounded, "Chuan kid, go in from that tunnel …"
Hayashi River was stunned, but he followed the instructions and walked into a tunnel. Following Mossy Bone's instructions, he walked while observing the surrounding walls.
A moment later, he found something strange on the walls. Under the moss, he could see blurry patterns, which were obviously carved a long time ago.
These patterns were made up of simple patterns and some ancient words. Hayashi River could not understand them at all, and he did not even know the origin of these words.
"Your Excellency Mossy Bone, what do these patterns and ancient words represent …" Hayashi River asked.
"I don't know."
"…" Hayashi River.
He could not help but curse in his heart. Since he did not know, why did he ask him to come over? Did he want him to study the meaning? He was a Mechanic, not an archaeologist or a linguist …
"I'm not an archaeologist or a linguist," Mossy Bone said. "Why do I need to know the meaning of these patterns and words? Just like the Heart Energy Equipment, a martial artist only needs to know how to use it and how to maintain it daily. Do they still need to know how to make it? "
Hayashi River was stunned, but he did not say anything. He waited for the artificial intelligence system to continue.
"This is a kind of secret door in the ancient land. It's obvious that it has never been opened before. Looks like that Fire Gnome from the Force Gate only knows a little about the cave exploration of this ancient land …" Mossy Bone chuckled.
"Of course. How can that old guy from the Force Gate compare to Mossy Bone? If this was the Dark Age, this kind of scheming guy wouldn't even be qualified to carry your shoes, "Hayashi River said with certainty.
In the earpiece, Mossy Bone laughed even more happily. He knew that this kid was purposely flattering him, but he just liked to hear it. This was because Hayashi River was really too sincere when he flattered someone.
Of course, Mossy Bone also felt that in the Dark Age, a Fire Gnome like the Force Gate would be nothing but a clown.
"Let's take a look somewhere else. I want to confirm how much that old guy from the Force Gate has explored this place. None of the things stored in this kind of secret door are bad! "Mossy Bone urged.
Hayashi River walked as if nothing had happened, but he quickly spread out his mental energy to explore every blade of grass and every tree.
Half an hour later, he finished his investigation, and Mossy Bone also came to a conclusion. Chief Limen's exploration of the area near this passage was almost zero.
"Hmph … Fire Gnome with shallow vision …"
Mossy Bone laughed proudly. "Kid, we're rich. I'm sure that this old guy from the Fire Gnome hasn't even explored 30% of this ancient land's cave. "
"Let's not talk about this first. I can't be out for too long. How do I enter that secret door?" Hayashi River asked hurriedly.
Regardless of how much that old guy from the Force Gate had explored this ancient land's cave, Hayashi River was not concerned. He only wanted to take advantage of this gap to quickly and stealthily take away the good things in the secret door.
"Do you remember some of the patterns you saw just now? Those few places …" Mossy Bone reported a few locations.
Hayashi River nodded. He naturally did not remember, but he had recorded all of them.
According to Mossy Bone's guidance, Hayashi River came to those few places and used a special technique to press on the engraved patterns in those places.
Then, under the mental energy that enveloped this place, he felt a slight vibration.
Hayashi River was stunned for a moment. He quickly returned to the first wall and looked carefully. He found that there were water-like ripples on the wall.
"How wonderful! What's the principle behind this … "Hayashi River exclaimed.
"Didn't I say that I didn't make this door? How would I know? This is the masterpiece of the Gnomes and Dwarves in ancient times — [Virtual Door]! It's said to be a peerless combination with a certain skill of the Elves, "Mossy Bone said.
Hayashi River did not ask anything else. His figure moved, and he scurried inside.
The wall immediately rippled like water, and then returned to its original state.
Whoosh …
Passing through the [Virtual Door] felt like passing through a stream of water. Hayashi River came to a strange place. This was a cave, and it was very similar to the cave in the Ancient Land outside.
The difference was that there was an emerald green aura in the surroundings, and it looked like the powder of emeralds. When he inhaled, it exploded in his respiratory tract and turned into extremely pure energy that spread throughout his body.
"The density of this aura is 1,000 times that of the cave outside?!" Hayashi River was astonished.
"Of course. This is the location of the secret place in the cave in the Ancient Land …" Mossy Bone said in a deep voice.
There was a faint sound of flowing water in front of him. Hayashi River calculated the time and did not linger any longer. He quickly moved forward, and he found that the ground was soft. Upon closer inspection, he found that it had the texture of a plant.
After turning into a tunnel, he suddenly heard an angry roar in front of him. A fierce beast that looked like a gorilla and had skin like a tree's bark charged toward him.
This giant beast was one of the beasts that Village Chief Limen had tamed. However, it was even bigger, and it ran like lightning, causing the surrounding walls to tremble continuously.
Hayashi River sighed. "Treasure hunting is a labor of strength after all. I can't just rely on my brain …"
As he muttered, he raised his palm, and a vigorous Psychic Force mixed with a huge amount of mental energy quickly condensed into a shape.
In an instant, a half-meter-long blade popped out of Hayashi River's palm. The blade was like nothingness, faintly discernible, and it had a suffocating cold sharpness.
"Don't let that old fox Limen find out. Let's end this quickly!" Hayashi River's eyes narrowed.
Seeing this, Mossy Bone could not help but sigh. This was the only time this kid would go all out.
At this moment, Blue Kitty poked her head out from the inner pocket of the Mechanic's robe. Looking at the gorilla-like beast, the little fellow was shocked at first. Then, for some reason, there was a strange reaction in her body, and her gem-like eyes suddenly lit up.
"Roar …"
A low roar came from Hayashi River's chest. A small head kept growing until it was almost as big as half of the giant beast's body.
Hayashi River was stunned for a moment, and then he shouted, "Oh no!"
The Blue Kitty that had suddenly grown in size was really heavy. Caught off guard, Hayashi River fell forward.
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