Chapter 253: New Hidden Chamber, Krieg Theredell (2)

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

From the edge of the steps, looking down into the pitch-black darkness below, Ji Chen couldn’t shake the feeling of an eerie breeze rising from the depths, sending shivers down his spine.

Almost instinctively, the heroes all furrowed their brows, facing an imminent threat.

“My lord, there must be something unusual down there. We must proceed with caution,” Alice whispered softly, her voice surprisingly loud in the hushed environment.

Observing the serious expressions on the faces of the heroes, Ji Chen nodded with gravity.

“Stay vigilant, everyone, and be ready to flee from here at a moment’s notice.”

“Yes!”

The heroes nodded in unison, their agreement understood.

Seeing this, Ji Chen distributed the torches and began descending the steps towards the well.

These steps lacked any handrails, pure stone columns embedded in the walls, some of which were even weathered and broken in places.

Ji Chen’s face was taut, every creaking sound of the swaying columns testing his heart.

After descending several dozen meters, the bottom was still not in sight, as if they were entering an abyss that could swallow them whole.

The further they descended, the more Ji Chen’s heart pounded, yet the prospect of valuable discoveries pushed him onward, gritting his teeth.

By the time they had descended over ninety meters, the illumination of the torches finally revealed the bottom of the well.

Still circular in shape, the well’s base held an altar adorned with intricate and mysterious patterns, featuring an alchemical apparatus upon it.

Hovering above the apparatus was a crystal sphere, much like the one in the chamber filled with books.

Everyone was momentarily frozen, their faces marked with puzzlement and bewilderment.

How was there another Control Nexus here?

Initially puzzled, Ji Chen quickly pieced it together.

The Control Nexus in the chamber filled with books was a decoy!

And the Control Nexus here was the real deal.

Setting up two Control Nexuses, one real and one fake, was likely the contingency left behind by the ArchLich Krieg Theredell!

In general, if an outsider sought to break the seal and cage, they would most likely “luckily” stumble upon the chamber of books and assume the Control Nexus there to be genuine, never suspecting the possibility of it being fake.

Subsequently, Krieg had deliberately followed this train of thought, intentionally placing a false Control Nexus in that location.

With this approach, if anyone manipulated the fake Control Nexus, triggering certain countermeasures, the consequences were evident.

Surely, the mechanisms left behind by an ArchLich were sufficient to bury all intruders here.

However, Ji Chen’s arrival this time inadvertently bypassed this trap.

Initially, he hadn’t rushed to manipulate the fake Control Nexus. Instead, he fervently searched the chamber of books from top to bottom, which led him to inadvertently discover the hidden mechanism to unlock this well, thus unveiling the genuine Control Nexus concealed within.

After realizing this, Ji Chen still felt a lingering fear. Was it good luck or a fortunate accident that led him to this discovery? Or was it his greed that inadvertently helped him evade a crisis?

Reflecting on the events once again from beginning to end, Ji Chen became even more cautious.

“Search the bottom of this well thoroughly once again!”

“Pay attention to whether there are any other hidden compartments or mechanisms.”

With the command given, the troops mobilized once more, conducting a meticulous search.

Two hours later, after numerous searches confirmed the absence of other hidden compartments or mechanisms, Ji Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief. He walked up to the altar and stood before the Control Nexus.

The crystal sphere hung silently above the apparatus, emitting faint sparks of lightning between the two.

This nexus was the true core of the entire laboratory, controlling all the cages and seals, as well as the activation and attacks of the magical arrays.

Once controlled, this nexus effectively granted command over the entire laboratory.

As there seemed to be nothing else in the well, Ji Chen’s disappointment was mild, yet he didn’t waste time. He attempted to use the Control Nexus to release Elin and Thotmudo from their seals and cages.

As his hand touched the crystal sphere, he felt a barrier about ten centimeters away from the sphere, an invisible membrane preventing him from reaching it. In that instant of contact, Ji Chen’s consciousness merged with it.

He found himself in what seemed like a field of stars.

Within this starry expanse were over a hundred particularly prominent dots, arranged in specific sequences and positions.

Ji Chen knew that these dots represented the various cages and seals in the adjacent rooms.

Some dots were already white, indicating they held no “prisoners”, while others were red, signifying prisoners were held within. The sizes of the dots varied, reflecting the sizes of the corresponding cages.

Searching among these white dots, it was relatively easy to find the ones belonging to Elin and Thotmudo.

It was quite straightforward because Elin and Thotmudo were among the most recent arrivals here, so the dots representing them were positioned on the outer edges. Additionally, the cages holding them weren’t large, making them the smallest batch.

Soon, Ji Chen located their dots along the edges.

Just as he contemplated releasing their seals and cages, the starry field before him suddenly froze, like a computer interface stuck in place, rendering him unable to operate.

Danger!

A profound sense of peril surged, causing Ji Chen to shiver involuntarily.

No, he had to withdraw immediately!

He attempted to retract his consciousness from the Control Nexus, only to find that he had lost control. He and the starry field were both stuck.

“Kekeke, after so long, finally, some prey takes the bait. Millennia of time, truly a torment for us!

Furthermore, it’s a human possessing remarkable adaptability and immense potential! The carefully designed traps have indeed not been in vain.”

Whispers of sinister, cunning voices echoed in his ears, immediately invoking thoughts of an evil presence.

And Ji Chen knew exactly who this presence was.

It was the ArchLich Krieg Theredell! The master of this laboratory!

Krieg’s sharp voice resonated within the starry field.

“Human, you believed you were clever, that you had seen through the traps and managed to escape, but you surely didn’t anticipate that the previous traps were merely preparations for this one.”

“All the previous series of ‘baits’ were set to arouse your greed, to make you lower your guard, step by step, into my trap.

Now, do you find yourself filled with regret and frustration?”

Ji Chen was quite annoyed and really wanted to swear.

But the starry expanse froze along with his consciousness, rendering him unable to speak.

This Krieg was incredibly cunning. After all, who wouldn’t have lowered their guard slightly when faced with something so valuable?

Nobody would have anticipated that his consciousness would be hidden within the Control Nexus.

Speaking for over ten minutes, as if he were expelling everything he had to say accumulated over the millennia, Krieg finally stopped.

“…However, all of this will come to an end now. After obtaining your body, the mighty ArchLich Krieg Theredell will rise again, and his name will once more spread across the void!

And you offering your body to Krieg should feel immensely honored and fortunate!”

Ji Chen’s heart had sunk to the depths.

So, this was Krieg’s plan: to return to the world using his body.

Through Krieg’s monologue and the events that had unfolded, Ji Chen had come to understand certain things.

It turned out that during the thousands of years Krieg Theredell, the ArchLich, was missing, he hadn’t left or abandoned this place.

Likely due to some circumstance, his life and body had suffered irreparable damage. He had hastened his return here, transferring his consciousness into the prepared trap within the Control Nexus. There, he lay dormant, awaiting for the ‘prey’ to take the bait.

Who would have known that for thousands of years, no living beings had entered here until Ji Chen became the first “lucky one”.

After grasping the situation, Ji Chen didn’t know what to say.

At this moment, he felt like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, unable to do anything.

“Kekeke, let me take a good look at your body and see to what extent it will help me recover…. Ah ah ah! What is this?!”

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