Iron Dragon's Advancement Journey

Page 197

　Elminster picked up his teacup, about to drink, when he suddenly stopped.

　"What's wrong?" Old Tommy asked with concern. "Is the tea not to your liking?"

　“No, the tea is very good.” Elminster put down his teacup, his smile still on his face, but his eyes had changed. “It’s just that I suddenly remembered something. Before I left, I wrote down some of the contacts’ habits, and you… seem to hate the taste of honey the most.”

　Old Tommy paused for a moment: "That was... a long time ago..."

　“You told your research team that when you were a child you stole honey and were chased and stung by the entire hive of bees,” Elminster continued, his voice still light, as if chatting casually. “From then on, you felt like vomiting at the smell of honey. You also said that you would rather drink bitter tea than add honey.”

　“People’s tastes change…” Old Tommy explained, but sweat was already beading on his forehead.

　“Really?” Elminster’s smile widened. “Then explain again why this tea tastes like scorpion venom. That stuff isn’t meant to improve the flavor.”

　In an instant, the atmosphere in the cabin plummeted to freezing point.

　Old Tommy's expression suddenly turned blank, as if his soul had been ripped out. His eyes became vacant, and his voice transformed into a chillingly mechanical tone: "Alertness detection failed. Target has seen through the disguise. Activate backup plan."

　"Again?!" Tooth Shaver jumped up immediately and grabbed the chair next to him.

　This trap is even more insidious; the entire hut is a giant magic circle! Suddenly, complex runes lit up on the floor—it was a teleportation circle, and it was one-way—only in, no out.

　“A teleportation trap!” Kelburn immediately recognized the type of magic circle. “They want to teleport us into a pre-set cage!”

　"Don't even think about it!" Lyra waved her hands, trying to disrupt the teleportation array. Worse still, the walls of the hut began to warp. The original wooden walls transformed into some kind of living plant, with countless vines extending from them, attempting to entangle them.

　“Activate the cabin,” Elasdra said, severing the vines that lunged at him with a single sword stroke. “This is a very high-level activation spell.”

　"Who cares what it takes to do that!" Elminster roared, smashing a wall with his force field. "Let's get out of here first!"

　But the situation outside was equally dire. The trees around the hut had come alive, their branches whipping like whips and their roots serpentine like snakes, forming a second encirclement. Even worse, a familiar whooshing sound echoed through the air—a rain of crossbow bolts.

　"There are people up there!" Shaving Tooth roared, the dragon's physical strength allowing him to withstand several crossbow bolts. "There are archers all over the trees!"

　Indeed, there were archers hidden in every tree, at least thirty of them. They had clearly been lying in ambush for a long time, waiting for their prey to take the bait.

　"Fire!" Kyle made a decisive move, unleashing a wide-area fire spell that ignited the living plants. The five fought and retreated, engaging in a thrilling chase through the dense forest. The living trees, well-trained archers, and spellcasters appearing out of nowhere kept them constantly on their toes. In the most "dangerous" moment, a magical beast, a winter wolf, suddenly pounced on Lyra from the side.

　Without a second thought, Kyle stepped in front of Lyra. The winter wolf's claws tore through his defensive spells, leaving three deep wounds on his arm, but were also shattered into pieces by the triggered spell sequence counterattack.

　After nearly an hour of fierce fighting, they finally shook off their pursuers. The price was that everyone was injured, none fatally, but enough to cause considerable annoyance.

　“Old Tommy has also been controlled.” Elastra treated the abrasions on her arm, her movements still elegant despite her injury. “And her control methods are more sophisticated than Marcus’s; they are almost flawless.”

　“If it weren’t for that detail about the honey…” Lyra thought for a moment, “we would have been exposed.”

　"What does this mean?" Shaving asked viciously. "It means they not only controlled the liaison officers, but also read their memories! Otherwise, how could they know so many details?"

　“Mind control plus memory reading.” Kelburn’s face was grim. “This is not something an ordinary spellcaster can do.”

　“Lich,” Elminster guessed, “or those purple-robed wizards?”

　“Anything is possible,” Elasdra nodded. “The wizards trained by Samass are all highly skilled in dark magic.”

　After resting overnight and treating their injuries, they decided to try again. After all, it was impossible for all the contact points to fall.

　The third contact point was in a small town called Winterhold. It was larger than the Icefield Outpost, with over two thousand inhabitants. There was even a small spellcasters' guild in the town, which seemed relatively safe.

　The contact, codenamed "Nightingale," is a middle-aged woman who runs a hotel in the city.

　This time they were much more cautious. They first circled the city, observing for a full half-day, and only approached the inn after confirming there were no obvious ambushes.

　"Welcome to the North Wind Inn." Nightingale was a shrewd-looking woman with brown hair styled in a bun and wearing a well-fitting long dress. "Would you like to stay at the inn?"

　The coded communication went smoothly. Nightingale led them to the basement—another basement; it seemed Sossal's contact points all preferred this design.

　“I need to verify your identities.” Nightingale took out a crystal ball. “Please understand, there are spies everywhere these days. Last month, our western contact point was taken down due to carelessness.”

　"Not again?" Shaving Teeth said impatiently. "The first two said the same thing, and then what? It was all a trap!"

　“Please believe me,” Nightingale said earnestly, “but that’s precisely why we need to be even more cautious.”

　“She has a point,” Elastra observed Nightingale. “And I don’t sense any malice.”

　“Let’s give it a try,” Elminster shrugged. “The worst that can happen is we’ll just have to fight another match.”

　Nightingale produced the Truth Crystal, a magical item capable of detecting lies. She asked everyone to place their hands on the crystal and answer a few questions.

　Are you members of the Harpists?

　"Yes," the five answered in turn.

　The crystal emits a soft white light, indicating that this is the truth.

　"What is your purpose in coming to Sosar?"

　"To stop the encroachment of the great glacier and protect this land."

　The crystal continued to glow.

　Nightingale seemed a little more relaxed: "Very well. So, one last question—are you from the Dawn faction or the Twilight faction?"

　The question surprised all five of them.

　"Does this matter?" Kelburn frowned. "Is this the time to discuss factions?"

　“Of course it’s important.” Nightingale’s expression turned serious. “Because according to our intelligence, there’s a traitor within the Twilight Faction. Old Tommy was killed by someone from the Twilight Faction.”

　“Nonsense!” Lyra retorted immediately. “Old Tommy was being controlled; we saw it with our own eyes!”

　"Is that so?" Nightingale's eyes sharpened. "Then how do you explain the Twilight Clan's mark on old Tommy's body?"

　The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

　Just then, Elminster suddenly laughed: "An interesting question. But you know what, little girl, the Truth Crystal can be deceived when facing a higher-ranking artifact."

　He pulled a small silver coin from his pocket: "For example, with this, even if I say I'm a dragon, that broken crystal will still shine white."

　Nightingale's expression changed: "You...you're threatening me?"

　“No, I’m just reminding you.” Elminster put away the silver coin. “The Truth Crystal is unreliable. If you really want to verify something, you should use a smarter method.”

　“Enough,” Kelburn interrupted impatiently. “We don’t have time for these games. Nightingale, if you’re really one of the Harpists, you should know this isn’t the time for factional testing.”

　Nightingale took a deep breath: "You're right. I'm sorry, I was too cautious. There have been too many traitors lately, I have to..."

　“I understand,” Leila said gently, trying to ease the tension. “So, can you tell us the information?”

　Nightingale nodded and began to describe the situation: "The Ice Queen's main force is in the north, with an army of about three thousand men and at least five frost giants. The resistance in the east is still holding on, but their supply lines have been cut off, and they won't be able to hold out for long. The west... the west has completely fallen."

　As she was speaking, the basement door was suddenly kicked open violently.

　"It's them!" A young man in a fur coat rushed in, followed by a large group of armed men. "Traitors to the Twilight faction, they killed old Tommy!"

　"What?" Nightingale looked at the five people in shock.

　“I saw it with my own eyes,” the young man said, his voice trembling. “Last night, they went to old Tommy’s cabin. This morning, we found old Tommy’s body, with a sword through his chest, and the Twilight Sect’s insignia next to him!”

　"This is a frame-up!" Toothpick roared.

　"Liar!" A middle-aged mage appeared behind the young man. "I personally examined old Tommy's body, and there were no signs of him being controlled! However, there were signs of a struggle in his hut, as well as remnants of your magic."

　"Wait, there must be some misunderstanding!" Nightingale tried to mediate, but it was too late.

　"Catch them!" the young man shouted. "Avenge old Tommy!"

　Armed men swarmed forward. These were not soldiers, but rather peripheral members of the harpists recruited for a truly righteous cause. Filled with rage over the death of their comrade, they showed no mercy.

　"Damn it," Elminster cursed as he parried, "we've fallen for their trap. They've not only taken control of the liaison officer, but they're also making the harpists kill each other!"

　“Explanations are useless,” Kelburn calmly analyzed the situation. “They’ve been blinded by anger. We must break through!”

　But this breakout was exceptionally difficult. Their attackers were not enemies, but former comrades. None of the five were willing to use their full strength, so they could only fight and retreat.

　"traitor!"

　"murderer!"

　"Avenge old Tommy!"

　Angry shouts rose and fell. More harpists joined the battle, including some who had initially been neutral adventurers. In their eyes, the five were the murderers of their comrades.

　"Use a stun spell!" Lyra suggested; she didn't want to hurt these people.

　"It's no use." Elasdra deflected a sword strike. "There are too many of them."

　At the most dangerous moment, an arrow from a harpist nearly struck Kelburn in a vital spot. Lyra instinctively pushed him away, the arrow grazing her shoulder and leaving a bloody mark.

　"Lyra!" Kelburn was unusually flustered.

　"I'm fine," Leila forced a smile. "Let's go."

　They eventually managed to break through the encirclement in a sorry state, not only suffering numerous injuries but also becoming "traitors" wanted by the Sosar harpists—although Sosar didn't have many decent harpists.

　What happened next could easily be written into a "Guide on How Not to Get Scammed".

　The fourth contact point was a general store in a mountain village.

　As soon as they identified themselves, the shop owner ran into the street and shouted that the murderer was here!

　They could only keep running.

　The fifth contact point is even more outrageous.

　It was an abandoned tower, likely a secret hideout. They approached cautiously, making sure no one was around before entering.

　As soon as we entered, the entire tower began to shake.

　"An illusion!" Elasdra was the first to realize. "The entire tower is an illusion!"

　Indeed, the tower began to vanish like a mirage. And beneath their feet lay a massive teleportation array. Not to the prison, but to—

　"A volcano?!" Elminster exclaimed, staring at the churning lava below. "What genius came up with this? Teleporting us to a volcano?"

　Fortunately, they reacted quickly enough, and Lyra immediately used her Featherfall spell, preventing the five of them from falling directly into the lava.

　The sixth contact point was a small wooden cabin by a frozen lake.

　This time, the pampered fellows, who seemed to have forgotten their youthful adventurous experiences, finally learned their lesson and used magic to detect the danger. They discovered that the entire cabin was under a spell; if anyone entered, the entire frozen lake would shatter, dragging them into the icy water.

　"They've really come up with all sorts of tricks," Elminster exclaimed. "They've prepared both ice and fire for us."

　The seventh contact point was the most ingenious. When they found the outpost hidden in the cave, they discovered that there was indeed someone inside—a real harpist liaison, tied to a chair and gagged with a cloth.

　"Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!" The liaison officer struggled desperately, his eyes filled with fear.

　"A trap?" Shaving asked warily.

　"It doesn't seem so." Kelburn observed carefully. "His fear is real."

　They approached cautiously, and Elastra cut the ropes with his sword. The liaison officer immediately ripped the gag from his mouth and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Run! I've been—"

　Before he could finish speaking, his body suddenly began to swell.

　"Self-destruct!" Lyra exclaimed.

　The five retreated immediately, but they were too slow. The liaison officer's body exploded, and some kind of curse spread throughout the cave. Of course, this trap curse still couldn't kill the chosen ones of the Goddess of Magic; they cast purification spells on each other and thankfully avoided being affected. But looking at the wreckage on the ground, their hearts were heavy.

　"He's innocent," Elasdra said softly. "They turned an innocent man into a bomb."

　"Enough!" Toothshaker finally exploded. "I've had enough! What kind of bullshit contact points are these? They're all traps! We've been walking into them like idiots!"

　"Calm down." Kelburn remained rational, but his tone was somewhat tired.

　"Calm down my ass!" Toothpick pointed at Kelburn's nose. "All you ever say is calm down! We've been completely fooled, and you're telling me to calm down?"

　"So what do you want?" Kelburn retorted, "To expose my identity and cause a scene?"

　"It's better than this humiliating situation!"

　"Enough!" Elminster interrupted their argument. "Arguing won't solve anything. We need a new approach."

　"What's the plan?" Leila asked, looking equally exhausted. The past few days of fleeing had left everyone physically and mentally drained.

　"It's simple." After suffering for so many days, the old sage finally recovered from his short-circuited nerves and revealed his roguish smile again. "Since the harpists' contact points are unreliable, then we won't contact the harpists themselves."

　"You mean?" Ellastra asked. "You Lin, you're free, you Lin, are you..."

　"Find the locals who are being hunted." Elminster blinked. "Think about it, who is the Ice Queen hunting? It's definitely those who are still resisting. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, isn't it?"

　"That makes sense," Kelburn nodded. "Besides, the locals don't play those complicated verification tricks."

　"That's right." Toothpick perked up too. "They either trust you or they'll just kill you. Simple and direct, unlike those liaisons, they're all such drama queens."

70. Old folks who can't keep up with the times

　With the new strategy finalized, Elminster and his party finally abandoned contact with the Sossal Harpists' Alliance and instead tracked the Ice Queen's army in order to find the local forces still resisting. After wandering the snowfields for only half a day, they discovered a clue.