NOVPUB
Chapter 278: Entering the Dungeon
Aldrian disappeared from his initial position and reappeared 500 meters closer to the inner wall. He then teleported again, this time appearing inside the area behind the inner wall. Each time he reappeared, he made sure not to touch any formations to avoid alerting anyone.
Kroz, unable to resist Aldrian, felt deeply disoriented as the scene around him kept changing. This was the first time he had experienced teleportation like this, leaving him shocked even after they had already arrived inside the inner area. It was vastly different from the teleportation stations, where individuals would arrive in identical interiors designed to minimize discomfort and disorientation upon reaching their destination.
Aldrian appeared in an area filled with trees, resembling a miniature forest beside a beautiful, vast garden. He positioned himself in the shadows of tall trees and bushes, blending himself and Kroz seamlessly into the environment. He made certain that no one, not even those at the Emperor stage, could detect their presence. Aldrian remained extra cautious here, as he could sense many guards in this area, far more numerous than in the section he had just passed through.
The number of guards could reach dozens, patrolling and observing their surroundings with heightened senses. Aldrian noticed that their senses scanned the area every 30 seconds. The average cultivation level of the guards was at the Viscount stage, with the strongest among them reaching the Duke stage—a truly remarkable force for guarding a single location.
"Where is the entrance?" Aldrian asked through the voice transmission.
"There, about 190 meters ahead. The entrance is between two trees. You’ll see it if you keep walking in that direction," Kroz replied, pointing toward the area. "But as I said, the security is very tight right now, so it won’t be easy."
Aldrian did not respond as he closed his eyes, appearing as if he were meditating. Kroz wasn’t sure what Aldrian was doing but chose to wait. After five seconds, Aldrian opened his eyes and looked toward the entrance.
"I’ve already grasped the entire area."
Kroz wore a puzzled expression before the scenery suddenly changed again. When he looked around after the abrupt shift, he was shocked to find that they were already inside the dungeon! He was astonished that Aldrian had managed to infiltrate such a highly guarded place without anyone noticed, and it seemed he had done it with ease as well.
He knew about the element of space and space laws. The cultivators who mastered it were powerful figures renowned across the continent. Their control over space was feared by many due to the vast range of abilities it granted them. However, he couldn’t believe that the space laws could be this overwhelming. Aldrian moved without leaving a single trace. Normally, a movement technique would leave behind energy residue, but Aldrian seemed to bypass this limitation effortlessly.
What Kroz didn’t know was that Aldrian’s teleportation technique left no trail behind due to his deep comprehension and control over the energy in his surroundings. This was an incredibly difficult feat, even for space element cultivators, because it required multitasking: while teleporting, Aldrian also had to control the surrounding energy meticulously to ensure no traces were left behind.
Now that Aldrian was inside his domain, he could move anywhere he wished without any obstacles hindering him or leaving any signs at all.
"Where is the morgue?" he asked.
"It’s on this floor. Just walk straight, then turn right, and you’ll see it. However, we’ll have to pass a gate checkpoint," Kroz replied.
Aldrian nodded. "You don’t know the location of Jil and the others, right? Let me check their location. Is ’Jil’ his real name?"
"Yes, Jil is his real name," Kroz confirmed.
After confirming Jil’s name, Aldrian concentrated his senses within the domain he had created before entering the dungeon. His domain covered the entire dungeon, allowing him to quickly grasp its layout. The dungeon had three floors, and each floor was guarded by many guards.
He saw the morgue Kroz had mentioned, along with many cells where the Flamecrest family usually kept their captives or criminals. Some inmates were inside those cells, but he was searching for Jil. After a minute, he finally found the only person named Jil in one of the rooms on the bottom floor. The room resembled an interrogation room, with only a table and two chairs.
Jil was a young-looking man with features typical of the Flamecrest family, like their distinctive red hair.
Aldrian saw that Jil was in good condition, though he appeared tired, something Aldrian could discern from Jil’s face. It seemed Jil had his head resting on the table, as if he were sleeping in that position.
After knowing the entire layout of the dungeon and identifying the locations he needed to reach, Aldrian disappeared with Kroz and reappeared inside Jil’s room. Though Jil had his eyes closed, he was still awake and stunned when he suddenly sensed a presence beside him. He turned his head, his eyes widening as he saw his captain and a stranger.
Kroz was also stunned to find that they were already inside a room, with his underling, Jil, right in front of him.
Before Jil could ask anything, Aldrian blocked the entire room with a formation, ensuring that no sounds or anything else could enter or exit. Aldrian sensed that there were two guards at the Viscount stage standing outside the room’s door.
"Captain Kroz, when did you...? Wait, what are you doing here? Did they also catch you and interrogate you?" Jil asked in a low voice. He couldn’t believe his captain had suddenly appeared inside his room without entering through the door. Did he not hear them entering? No, that’s impossible!
"No, I’m just here to give directions to this young man. He wants to meet you," Kroz replied.
Jil then looked at Aldrian with a puzzled expression. He had never seen Aldrian before, so he felt confused. From his features, it seemed he wasn’t from the family. Aldrian then took a seat across from him and placed his hand on top of the table.
"Hello, Jil. As Kroz said, I’m here to meet you, and the reason I want to meet you is about Commander Marcus," Aldrian said with a smile.
Hearing it was about Commander Marcus, Jil released a tired sigh and looked at Aldrian.
"What do you want to know? I’ve already told you guys many times that I really don’t know anything about Commander Marcus. At that time, it was just a coincidence that my group saw him in that condition."
Aldrian remained silent for a moment after hearing Jil’s sudden words. From the way he spoke, it seemed the Flamecrest family was suspecting Jil.
"No, I’m not representing the Flamecrest family, so I don’t really know what you’re talking about. I move on my own, and I want to know what you saw in Commander Marcus that day. I need every single detail about that time," Aldrian said.
"You don’t have to explain anything beyond my questions unless I ask. I just need some information to solve this devil problem because I find it strange, that’s all."
Jil was stunned. He looked at Aldrian with confusion. If he wasn’t from the Flamecrest family, then why would he be here? But he was with Captain Kroz, and his reason seemed believable. He hesitated for a moment, but in the end, although he still had some questions, Jil began recounting the story he had already told the Flamecrest interrogators who had come to him many times.
"The night of the accident, my group and I, consisting of five people including myself, had just returned from a stroll in the east district to have some fun. As we passed the road after Vardam Tavern, we saw Commander Marcus, his back to us standing in a staggered posture, leaning against the wall. At that time, we didn’t find it suspicious, as we thought Commander Marcus was drunk. But then..." Jil exhaled.
"Then we saw Commander Marcus turn his head toward us. What we saw shocked us, because Commander Marcus didn’t seem well—his face was extremely pale, as though there was no blood in his veins. His eyes had turned red, and he was exuding devil energy. Not long after, his pale skin turned crimson, like he was about to transform into his devil form. It seemed like he intended to attack us. Realizing what was happening, we immediately ran toward the nearby patrol, which had cultivators with higher cultivation than us. Although we knew it would be futile, since Commander Marcus was at the King stage,"
"However, the strange thing was that he didn’t pursue us. This gave us time to report it, and the elder came to subdue Commander Marcus, who had actually stayed in that same spot. The rest is history."
Aldrian pondered for a moment before asking again.
"Besides your group, it is said that there were others who saw Commander Marcus. Do you know who they are? How many of them?"
"At that time, we were passing that road, which is usually quiet with not much activity. There were just six people outside of my group. We don’t know their identities, so I can’t really give you any information about them. They were all coming from the opposite direction, that’s all I can say," Jil replied, leaning back in his chair. 𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑝𝘶𝘣.𝑐𝘰𝘮
Aldrian sensed that all of Jil’s answers were truthful, so he pondered again. From the information he had gathered, the most suspicious detail about Commander Marcus stood out. Pale skin, as if there was no blood in his veins? Suddenly exuding devil energy? Aldrian smiled with satisfaction. These could be the clues needed to solve the problem!
