In the Tower of Truth, on the thirty-second floor, a flash of lightning heralded Mike’s arrival outside the valley.
Ahead, a foreboding black mist loomed, exuding an ominous aura.
[Alert! Alert!]
[Presence of a level 999 entity detected in the valley]
Mike was aware that two masses of black mist had entered the Tower of Truth. One of them was the Elf Ancestor, a particularly formidable foe.
However, if Mike’s guess was correct, Apollo had already intervened to neutralize that threat. At least until he reached the fiftieth floor, Mike didn’t need to worry about the Elf Ancestor. The other mass of black mist was a mix of ghost and angel, a more complex composition. In a way, Mike had personally killed the Progenitor of Ghosts, making him an enemy of the ghost race.
Regardless, powerful enemies lay ahead.
Mike hesitated for a moment, choosing not to retreat immediately but instead to scout the surrounding environment. He wasn’t planning to enter the valley shrouded in black mist just yet. The known threat of a level 999 black mist entity was intimidating enough.
Surveying the area, Mike made a new discovery. The small town at the foot of the mountain was surprisingly intact, untouched by destruction.
“Strange, I thought after such a fierce battle, the town would be in ruins,” Mike mused, a wild thought crossing his mind: could the angel race have surrendered?
[Check out the town at the foot of the mountain for clues!]
Following the prompt from the Eye of Truth, Mike rolled his eyes. Even after three awakenings, some information remained elusive.
[Recommending a fourth awakening…]
“Not yet,” Mike muttered. His current resources couldn’t support a fourth awakening. Besides, if the Eye of Truth became too powerful, what would happen on the ninety-fifth floor?
Guided by the Eye of Truth, Mike made his way to the town at the mountain’s base and entered without issue. The town was eerily quiet, the streets deserted. Mike had barely taken a few steps when an old man in an alleyway stopped him.
“Outsider, you’ve come to the wrong place.”
“Oh?” Mike turned his gaze to the old man, whose hair was snow-white, his face aged. Yet, his soul, which should have been decaying, was unusually vibrant, hinting at something amiss.
Since creating [Thunderclap Fate], Mike’s Soul Element Affinity seemed to have strengthened, allowing him to notice such details. The old man before him should have been on the brink of death, but someone had forcibly extended his life, resulting in the anomaly Mike observed.
The Eye of Truth provided a partial hint:
[High Priest of the Angel Race, responsible for conveying the angel race’s orders to the town] The angels residing in the valley, in a sense, were above the town’s residents. Yet, the angels were too lazy to manage these mortals, finding nothing worth their attention. Thus, the town was self-governed, with a high priest overseeing the church’s operations.
“Outsider, heed my advice and leave quickly!” The old man stepped forward, speaking urgently, “A massive sacrificial ritual is underway deep in the valley, summoning the most powerful dragon race…”
At this, the old man’s face was filled with fear, “Once the dragon race descends, it will be your enemy, relentless and unyielding!”
Mike took a sharp breath, “Then I must protect the townspeople!”
High Priest: ???
“Outsider, did I not make myself clear? It will be your enemy,” the high priest clarified. Not the enemy of the other town residents! The dragon race was coming for you, and the town was just collateral damage! You should leave this floor, and everything will be fine!
“May I ask a bold question?” Mike asked earnestly, “If I save the entire town, can I expect a reasonable reward?”
The high priest’s head was filled with question marks. He wondered if they were truly speaking the same language. He recognized every word the outsider said, but together… the old man couldn’t understand.
“A bit confused, a bit confused,” the high priest waved his hand, trying to clarify, “I’m here to convey goodwill from the most holy angels. You are the potential Supreme Being Thor of the human race, correct?”
Mike nodded, “Correct.”
At this point, no one else could enter the thirty-second floor but Thor.
“The angels asked me to deliver a message,” the high priest stated plainly, “A sacrificial ritual is underway, targeting you. If you leave here and avoid this enemy, you will be safe.” Not giving Thor a chance to interrupt, the high priest continued, “The dragon race’s presence here is limited. Once the time is up, they will leave. This sacrifice has exhausted all the angel race’s savings. If you avoid this formidable enemy, you can easily conquer next time!”
It sounded… quite reasonable! This plan seemed tailor-made for Mike. Safe, stable, risk-free, exploiting a loophole!
“Oh, I see,” Mike nodded slowly, then asked, “And what about you?”
“What?” The high priest was taken aback, not understanding Thor’s meaning.
Mike patiently explained, “If I just leave, who will the descending dragon race vent their anger on? Who will the corrupted valley’s black mist target? Have you thought about that?”
The high priest was stunned again. He hadn’t considered that!
The angels had given him a message, and he delivered it. In his understanding, if the sky fell, the angel race would hold it up. But what if… the angel race was too weak to hold it up? Relying on others for safety, Mike didn’t know whether to call the old man naive or foolish.
Seeing the old man’s expression, Mike knew he had understood.
Mike had pieced together the situation, and he intended to face the dragon race’s strong presence. But before that, Mike had a question for the old man, “Even so, do you still want me
to leave?” freēwēbnovel.com
The high priest’s face showed a struggle, a battle of thoughts. Finally, he made up his mind.
Fuck the angels, fuck holiness, fuck the mission!
The old man rushed forward, throwing away his cane, and grabbed Mike’s arm tightly, “Thor, please save the town! Whatever amount of money you want, those winged angels have it!”
The old man’s quick change of heart surprised Mike. Seeing the ‘reformed’ high priest, Mike nodded in satisfaction, “Let’s go, while they’re busy with the sacrifice, let’s check out the
treasury.”
The high priest was about to lead the way when he suddenly looked awkward, “Uh… Master Thor…”
Seeing the old man’s hesitation, Mike said straightforwardly, “Speak your mind.”
“As I mentioned earlier, the angel race has sacrificed all their treasures…” the high priest said weakly, “Their treasury is probably empty now.”
Fearing Thor might change his mind, the high priest quickly added, “After this is over, the angel race will surely remain on this floor, and their treasury will be filled with treasures
again!”
The high priest knew he had left a bad impression on Thor initially. To ask for Thor’s help, an empty promise wouldn’t suffice.
“After this is over?” Mike asked, puzzled, “Why do you think the angel race has a future?”
High Priest:…
Thor’s words left him speechless! To Mike, the angel race residing on the thirty-second floor
had had little interaction with the human race over the past three hundred years, each minding their own business.
But this time, when the Supreme Demon God’s forces invaded, the angel race surrendered
immediately!
When Mike reclaimed the thirty-second floor and settled accounts, it wouldn’t be so easy to
let it slide!
At the very least, the angel race couldn’t continue to occupy this floor. Who knew if they’d surrender again the next time trouble arose?
The high priest fell silent. Thor’s words were casual, offhand. Yet, those few words cast a terrifying shadow over the future of the angel race on the thirty-second floor!
The high priest wasn’t new to dealing with potential Supreme Beings.
In his memory, the first generation potential Supreme Being was kind, asking him questions
and caring about his sleep quality.
The second generation was colder. That swordsman visited the thirty-second floor and left in less than half a day. The high priest vaguely remembered that during that time, the angel race’s powerful members were in a bad mood, throwing several tantrums. He wasn’t sure if it had anything to do with the second generation Supreme Being.
As for the third generation… the high priest never even saw the third generation potential Supreme Being! He didn’t know if they had ever visited the thirty-second floor!
With these thoughts swirling, the high priest led Thor around the valley, finding a hidden passage. “Master Thor, this is where the angel race’s treasury is located.”
Looking at the dim passage, Mike didn’t rush in. “Tripod.”
Cerberus was summoned. Without needing further instructions, Cerberus bravely charged into the passage. Moments later, Tripod returned successfully, all clear! “Great, let’s go!” Mike and the high priest entered the angel race’s treasury one after the other. In truth, the treasury’s location wasn’t particularly hidden; otherwise, the high priest wouldn’t have known about it.
Usually, two nine-star Lord-level angels guarded the place. For the angel race, there was no need to worry about the treasury’s security.
But today, the treasury was emptied, and all the powerful angels were gathered to construct
the Sacrifice Array. To the angel race, an empty treasury wasn’t worth worrying about. They never expected Thor to come!
Standing before the treasury door, Mike pushed it open, revealing an empty vault. Yet, Mike smiled with satisfaction. “At least it wasn’t a wasted trip.”
The high priest was even more confused. It was empty, so why wasn’t it a wasted trip?
Mike clapped his hands, summoning a group from his private space.
Butler Bilbo, dwarf craftsmen, werewolves… and of course, Vladimir, who was munching on a
roast chicken leg.
“Bilbo,” Mike called, giving instructions, “Take this treasury back.”
Bilbo was momentarily stunned by the command. Quickly recovering, he nodded repeatedly. “Understood, it’ll take about… an hour to complete the task!”
“No rush.” With his boss’s reply, Bilbo began shouting, “Dwarves, come over here and take
this door off!” Hearing Bilbo’s words, all the dwarves rushed to the door, eager to work.
After removing the door, the dwarf craftsmen began prying up bricks, taking everything of
value, from floor tiles to wall tiles.
A treasury, by definition, was a treasure itself! For security and preservation purposes, the
materials used to construct the treasury were valuable.
For example, the two doors were made of SS-grade materials, with inscribed arrays that, when activated, could easily withstand Lord-tier attacks. The floor tiles under Mike’s feet, each the size of a palm, were worth over ten thousand gold coins! “Something’s off about this treasury,” Mike noted as he walked through, sensing something amiss. “Judging by the marks on the floor and shelves, there wasn’t much stored here?”
If there was so little inventory, why build such a large treasury?
At that moment, the Eye of Truth discovered another hidden passage in the corner of the
treasury!
[Hint from SSS-grade talent: There’s a hidden treasury here]
A treasury within a treasury? Like a nesting doll!
“Tripod,” Mike called, then immediately reconsidered. “Wait, it’s more dangerous inside,
and Tripod dying would be a waste.”
Changing his mind, Mike said, “Vladimir, go scout ahead!”
Vladimir: ???
Oh no! Have I become a dog? No, this treatment is worse than a dog’s!
Cerberus’s six eyes silently watched Vladimir, filled with pity and sympathy. Vladimir transformed into a bat, flying into the hidden passage. Seconds later, he resurrected
in Thor’s private space, returning to Thor’s side.
“There’s sword energy,” Vladimir said, pale-faced, analyzing seriously, “There might be
danger… Master, wait for me!”
Vladimir never expected his master to charge in directly. Facing the incoming sword energy,
Mike took out the Thunderclap Hammer to block it. Not only did the sword energy fail to harm Mike, but it was also successfully absorbed by the Thunderclap Hammer!
After blocking the sword energy, Mike entered a hidden treasury, its area more than ten times
larger than the outer treasury!
However, the treasury was empty, filled with dust. Only one wall bore two lines of words
carved by a sword.
The previous sword energy had emanated from these words. Even after two hundred years,
the sword energy from the inscription could easily kill Vladimir! It was a testament to the swordsman’s strength back then!
Mike looked up at the wall, reading the inscription:
“I.O.U.: Ares borrowed various materials from the angel race, to be repaid double upon the Supreme Demon God’s fall.”
