Published at 18th of February 2026 6:46 am

Chapter 2566: Cellar

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When Angel finished asking the last question and withdrew the Power of Nightmare Illusion, Mathewsa’s eyes rolled back and she fainted on the ground.

The surrounding mist gradually dissipated, and the young boy Kolo was the first to see his mother lying on the ground.

During the days living here, Kolo had seen much death, and knew that death meant eternal farewell. He most admired his parents as "Heroes," but also feared receiving news of their demise one day.

Now, looking at his mother’s pale face, seemingly "dead," Kolo’s pupils widened suddenly, and his emotions nearly collapsed in an instant.

Kolo had previously been terrified of those few people on the opposite side, but at this moment, he seemed to forget his fear and charged at them, swinging his harmless wooden sword.

"You killed Mom... I’m going to kill you, kill you!"

Kolo’s eyes were red, like an enraged beast. But in the eyes of others, he seemed more like a mewling kitten.

The reckless charge resulted in chaos and disarray.

A large, translucent blue hand blocked Kolo’s path, and Kolo, unaware, was knocked aside and fell to the ground.

Even though he fell, Kolo endured the pain and stood up, intending to charge again.

However, Angel didn’t give him a chance, and the Hand of Magic grabbed his cloak, lifting the frenzied child into the air.

"Your mother isn’t dead." Angel’s direct statement left no room for nonsense, and he threw Kolo beside Mathewsa.

In his frenzied state, Kolo didn’t understand what Angel had said, but when he landed beside his mother and saw her chest still rising and falling, Kolo finally "awoke."

The explosion he had just experienced drained Kolo’s willpower, leaving him exhausted, sitting on the ground, silently shedding tears as he looked at his mother’s pale face.

"I said before, such a disobedient child just needs a few whips to behave. Why do you bother explaining to him? What’s the point?" Dox grumbled at Angel.

Angel simply gave Dox a puzzled look: "Are you learning from Modia?"

After a pause, Angel continued: "He didn’t do anything wrong."

To Angel, Kolo was not at fault. Even if Kolo displayed anger, wasn’t it ultimately caused by their intrusion? Thus, they were the ones disrupting the balance.

However, while Angel reflected inwardly, he went no further. He considered others’ positions when choosing between battle and negotiation, but before that, he primarily prioritized his own needs. That’s why he used the Art of Nightmare Illusion on Mathewsa without hesitation.

Now that the goal was achieved, the rest was no longer important.

"You heard Mathewsa’s words earlier. The Hero Squad has three secret gathering places, which represent three entrances to the Underground Labyrinth. But the Hero Squad only operates on the surface, never venturing deep, so we’ll have to test which one leads to the destination."

After a pause, Angel cast a meaningful glance at Dox and continued: "The target location, barring unforeseen circumstances, corresponds to the area centered around the forbidden zone, encompassing regions three, four, and... some nearby areas."

Angel was unfamiliar with the specific divisions here and could only refer to the zones he knew.

"The first passage entrance is southwest of Zone Three, connecting Zone Two and Zone Three. This is a bit far from the destination, and I personally think it’s unlikely. But the Hero Squad dared not go deep, so it’s possible there are other forks in Zone Three."

"The second passage is north of Zone Three, the Hero Squad’s initial target upon reaching the third zone. According to Mathewsa, they heard about this entrance from a dying adventurer, rumoring that inside lies gold and antique items not yet completely decayed, but also unknown dangers. The Hero Squad has recently rooted themselves near the second passage. I feel this has a higher probability since the presence of gold and antiques in an underground passage suggests proximity to then-official underground agencies, and our target location isn’t far from the official agencies."

"The third passage..." Angel looked at the wall opposite the cellar: "It’s right behind this wall. According to Mathewsa, behind this wall is an underground passage leading to a large underground structure, akin to a Colosseum. But inside, there’s no threat from Magical Creatures or mechanisms, used by the Hero Squad as a resting place and supply point."

Kolo’s presence in the cellar was due to coming out from the supply point, waiting for the return of his mother Mathewsa.

"However, they didn’t find any other passages inside, suggesting it might be a dead end. Yet a standalone underground building with only one exit is quite peculiar. I sense there might be other routes hidden inside."

After briefly analyzing the information on the three passages, Angel turned his gaze to Dox: "Dox, what’s your take?"

Dox looked skeptical: "How could I know? Didn’t you already analyze it?"

Angel: "I mean, which path do you think we should take?"

Dox reflexively answered: "How would I know... You’re not treating me as a Prophet Wizard again, are you? I’ve said before, my intuition only appears more frequently than other Wizards, not to the extent you’re imagining!"

Angel simply pursed his lips, acknowledging Dox’s ignorance. Actually, Dox’s spiritual intuition was already forming a talent, as evidenced by almost every correct choice being unconsciously driven by him, though he himself hadn’t realized it.

Angel didn’t point it out, as breaking this illusion might cause a contrary effect. Only when Dox sees through it himself will this talent truly manifest.

Angel turned to the slate held by Vay: "Black Earl, do you have any suggestions?"

Black Earl: "I’m just a nose, not a brain, don’t ask me such questions. Besides, my luck decision is exhausted, you better make the choice yourselves."

Black Earl emphasized "yourselves," clearly recognizing Dox’s situation and ignorance, otherwise he would have directly said "you decide" without including "yourselves."

"’Yourselves’ means letting Dox choose, and Angel make the decision."

Dox didn’t catch Black Earl’s deeper meaning, murmuring under his breath: "I don’t believe you’d easily exhaust such a trump card."

Black Earl: "When I say it’s exhausted, it’s exhausted. Are you doubting me, Red Sword boy?"

Dox hurriedly waved his hands: "I believe, I believe. I mean, Black Earl certainly has other trump cards sufficient to guide our direction."

As Dox’s old friend, Vay chimed in supportively: "Of course, Dox isn’t questioning the lord’s authority."

Black Earl ignored Vay, reduced to a tool, merely exerted energy pressure to intimidate Dox, then turned to Angel: "Don’t waste effort, figure out how to make decisions, if necessary, try each one."

Angel: "Let’s do this, we’ll vote in order from left to right based on our current standing."

The current standing, from left to right: Kaier, Vay, Dox, Angel.

After Angel spoke, he looked at Black Earl.

Black Earl naturally understood Angel’s intention: "Although foolish, it’s a plan, let’s proceed, but I’ll be last. Vay’s vote doesn’t count as mine."

"Since Black Earl agrees, let’s proceed. No problem with Black Earl as the finale, final judgment." Angel: "By the way, to prevent peer influence, I’ll establish a one-way Mind Ribbon for each one of you, linking you all. You just need to state your vote in the Mind Ribbon."

"Finally, no abstaining from voting, even a random choice is better than abstaining."

After speaking, Angel established a mind ribbon, connecting everyone with himself as the center.

"Alright, let’s start the voting process, beginning with Kaier."

Angel looked at Kaier, and soon, a one-way mind ribbon connected to Kaier transmitted a message.

"The second one." That is, the one on the north side of the third zone, suspected to contain gold and antiques.

Angel didn’t comment, instead, he looked at the second voter, Vay, who also chose "the second one".

Finally, it came to a critical moment, Angel turned to Dox.

The other choices didn’t matter, they weren’t even necessary to listen to. The real reason for voting was to hear what Dox had to say.

"I don’t know." Dox’s indifferent voice came through.

Angel: "If you don’t know, just vote randomly, later everyone will reveal their votes, and we’ll go with whichever passage gets the most votes."

Dox frowned: "It’s such a hassle, then let’s go with the cellar path first, I’m too lazy to run."

Angel nodded expressionlessly, then turned to look at the Black Earl.

The Black Earl didn’t cast a vote but directly asked through the mind ribbon: "Which path should we take?"

Angel: "The cellar path."

The Black Earl acknowledged, then said no more.

Only then did Angel look at everyone, and under their speculative gazes, he slowly spoke: "Everyone has voted, now I’ll announce each of your choices. Whether true or false, you know in your hearts."

"Kaier chose the second entrance. Vay chose the second entrance. Dox chose the third entrance, which is the entrance to the cellar."

Pausing, Angel continued: "I don’t have any particular inclination, but the cellar is closer, so we can start exploring from the nearest one. So I also choose the third entrance."

"As for Lord Black Earl, his choice is the same as mine, which is the cellar."

The Black Earl snorted coldly: "It’s been said that any path could work, surely we start with the closest. Those who forego the near for the distant, I wonder what they’re thinking."

The Black Earl’s sarcasm confirmed that he indeed chose the path to the cellar.

It’s just that, both Vay and Kaier’s expressions turned a bit unpleasant. After all, they chose the "distant" route.

"The results are in, three to two, so we’ll start with the cellar path." Angel made the final decision.

No one objected, it was chosen via voting, the majority wins, so they followed the majority.

However, Dox vaguely felt something was off, he walked over to Angel and muttered in a low voice: "How come the three of us all chose the cellar?"

"The apprentices are enthusiastic and want to start with the most promising option. As for us, we’re more pragmatic, choosing to start nearby, it’s quite normal." Angel said.

Dox: "Is it really like that?"

Angel: "Of course it is. But in consideration for little Gold, if you want to change your vote, I can give you a chance."

Angel’s words didn’t even receive a counter from the Black Earl, evidently, the Black Earl also conceded to Dox being able to change his vote.

After all, the future isn’t single-threaded; perhaps Dox’s changed vote was within the realm of inspiration.

As for how Angel planned to justify it if Dox changed his vote, there was no need to worry. If Dox changed his vote, it would either be the first or second entrance.

Choosing the second entrance would still result in a 3 to 2 vote, so they would still follow Dox’s choice.

If Dox chose the first entrance, it would be a 2 to 2 tie, with Dox holding the swing vote. Angel would then say, in the case of a tie, they would revote, or inquire if anyone else wanted to change their vote as well.

No matter the excuses, in the end, it was all about following Dox’s decision.

Dox: "Can I really change my vote?"

Angel: "You can change if you want, no one will stop you, so go ahead if you wish to change."

Dox thought for a while, then eventually shook his head: "Never mind, let’s still start with the cellar, since it’s closer after all."

Angel nodded, no longer paying attention to Dox, and instead walked towards the wall, preparing to activate the mechanism as described by Matilda, to open the passage to the underground stronghold.

Dox stood there, watching Angel’s back, silently pondering: Why do I always feel like I’m being watched? Is it just my imagination?

Dox shook his head, dismissing it. As long as there was no malice, it was fine.

The method of opening the passage was simple, it was still the line behind the cabinet. Cutting this line would trigger a crossbow trap to kill any intruders. But as long as the line wasn’t cut and was gently pulled instead, the internal mechanism would activate, revealing a hidden entrance.

Sure enough, following the instructions, Angel lightly pulled on the string, and the wall trembled slowly, revealing a small door.

"This mechanism doesn’t seem to be a modern product, it should be from before The Garden Labyrinth became a ruin?" Kajier, who often studied ruins, crouched before the small door, carefully examining the setup.

"If it truly is a mechanism from before the ruins, think about it, a residence above, with a cellar hiding a passage leading to an unknown underground structure. Could it be possible that it belonged to some villains from the Garden Labyrinth, like followers of some Demon God sect?"

Kaier mused and fantasized, his face clearly showing his longing.

Angel didn’t understand why Kaier would feel such longing at this moment, but he had a rough understanding of why Kaier loved exploring ruins.

Perhaps, he was someone who pursued history.

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