Chapter 250: Unusual Circumstances Deep Within the Castle
Elder Kent's plan was meticulously crafted. He not only intended to lead his subordinates to attack Irving's shelter but also mobilized other forces controlled by the Night Blades. These forces would serve to restrain Irving's allies simultaneously with Kent's actions.
To increase the probability of success for the upcoming operation, Elder Kent even borrowed some extremely powerful weapons from other Elders of the Night Blades. One of these weapons had never been known to any force outside of the Night Blades.
Elder Kent was filled with confidence about this operation. However, he also understood that he needed to remain vigilant until he achieved success.
"We cannot expose our operational plans! Therefore, before we launch an attack on Irving's shelter, we must ensure that all intelligence remains strictly confidential," Elder Kent said to his subordinates in a very serious tone.
The other members of the Night Blades naturally recognized the critical importance of this operation. They all nodded solemnly in agreement.
As Elder Kent made the final preparations for the impending operation, Irving was inside the castle, helping others rapidly construct the defense infrastructure.
With Irving's assistance, the defense infrastructure around the castle was nearly complete. The outermost layer of defense consisted of a series of magical attack towers. These towers could unleash powerful spells at a distance when under attack.
Although these spells posed little threat to the formidable members of the Night Blades, they could effectively hinder the advance of ordinary Night Blades members.
Surrounding the magical attack towers were two moats, within which James had set a series of traps. While setting these traps, James had specifically studied the trap-setting techniques of the Night Blades.
Not only did James place the traps in hard-to-detect locations, but he also incorporated additional puzzles within them. If any member of the Night Blades fell into these traps, they would find themselves ensnared by these riddles.
Beyond the moats stood a defensive wall. While this wall appeared unremarkable at first glance, its solidity was beyond imagination. Even if the Night Blades brandished their most powerful weapons, they would be unable to destroy this defensive wall.
The main defenses around the castle were nearing completion, and Irving no longer needed to urge others to expedite the construction of the defense infrastructure as he had before. He called Aron, James, and Benjamin to his side.
"Our defense infrastructure is almost finished, and we can leave the remaining finishing touches to the others. What we need to discuss now is the tactics we should employ during the shelter relocation process."
As soon as Irving spoke these words, the expressions on the faces of the three men in front of him turned serious.
"Relocating the shelter is crucial for all of us. Therefore, we must commit our full strength from the start of the operation. I plan to assign the Green Ivy Group and the Ocean Group to defend the castle, while the members of the Angel Guild must accompany me to ensure the safety of the shelter relocation."
Irving's plan marked a significant shift from their previous discussions. He felt that while James and Benjamin were not weak, their subordinates were not particularly reliable. The members of the Angel Guild, on the other hand, had consistently proven to be trustworthy.
Although Aron's subordinates were not significantly stronger than those of James and Benjamin, they had the ability to remain calm in the face of a crisis.
Upon hearing Irving's words, James and Benjamin exchanged glances. James stepped forward and said to Irving, "Why have you changed our previous plan? Shouldn't we be the ones ensuring the safety of the shelter relocation? I believe we can definitely accomplish this task. Even though I recently fell into a trap set by the Night Blades, that was unavoidable.
The Night Blades have been preparing for that trap for a long time, and no one could have avoided it."
James spoke with a hint of urgency in his tone. He felt that Irving's change in plans implied a lack of trust in him.
Benjamin remained silent, but it was clear that he strongly agreed with James's viewpoint. Additionally, Benjamin's impression of Aron had not improved. He had always felt that Aron would not genuinely cooperate with them. Therefore, during their previous operations, Benjamin kept a close watch on Aron's actions, ready to strike at any sign of betrayal.
After listening to James, Irving responded in a gentle tone, "I recognize your abilities. However, I hope you understand that your subordinates have not received professional training. The members of the Angel Guild have all undergone rigorous training. Without this preparation, they may not respond well in a crisis. That's why I made this decision."
Irving's explanation did not convince James.
However, James chose not to say anything further, as he knew that continuing to argue would be pointless.
"All of you prepare according to my new plan. The specific time for the shelter relocation is set for five days from now! Once the relocation begins, we absolutely cannot stop for any reason!"
Irving stated the exact timing for the shelter relocation. James, Benjamin, and Aron did not express any objections. In fact, they felt that scheduling the relocation for five days later was already a cautious decision. If James and Aron had been in charge, they would have proposed moving the shelter two days earlier.
"Since you all understand the detailed plan I've laid out, you should hurry back and prepare for the shelter relocation!"
Irving wanted everyone to be ready for the impending plan. Therefore, he decided not to keep the three of them any longer, hoping they would arrange everything as quickly as possible.
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Not long after James, Benjamin, and Aron left, Nick rushed over to Irving, looking slightly panicked.
"What's wrong? Have you encountered another attack from the Night Blades?" Irving asked, noticing the alarmed expression on Nick's face.
Nick shook his head and lowered his voice as he replied, "I just heard strange noises coming from deep within the castle walls. It sounded like the roar of a beast!"
Upon hearing Nick's words, Irving's expression changed dramatically. He looked at Nick with a hint of disbelief.
Nick spoke earnestly, "I truly believe I didn't mishear! The sound coming from deep within the castle is definitely the roar of a monster. Shouldn't we take action immediately?"
From Nick's eyes and tone, Irving could tell he was not lying. So, he quickly scanned the surroundings. After confirming that no one else had heard Nick's revelation, Irving said slowly, "You must not tell anyone else about this. The implications for the castle are significant. It's best if we resolve this before others find out."
After saying this, Irving led Nick into the castle. Although there were many people around the castle, their attention was focused on the defense infrastructure.
Irving and Nick's actions went unnoticed by anyone.
Upon arriving at the central hall of the castle, Irving immediately activated a downward teleportation lift.
"We can use this lift to reach the deepest part of the castle. Once we're there, we can thoroughly investigate whether the roar of a monster truly exists," he explained.
Irving stepped into the lift, and Nick hurriedly followed him inside. The two of them remained silent during the descent, both feeling the immense pressure of the situation.
The lift soon reached the castle's depths, and the moment the doors opened, the sound of a monstrous roar echoed in their ears.
Irving and Nick no longer needed to investigate further; they could confirm that there was indeed a monster lurking deep within the castle. However, the problem was that there seemed to be no further passage leading down from this point. Could it be that the monster was situated directly beneath the castle's foundation?
Both Irving and Nick wore grim expressions. Nevertheless, they did not give up; they were meticulously examining the deepest areas of the castle, hoping to find a way to descend further.
After searching for a quarter of an hour, they had not discovered any passage leading to an underground area. Nick, feeling somewhat disheartened, suggested, "We should inform the others. They might be able to help us."
In response to Nick's urging, Irving shook his head. "We are already the most perceptive of everyone around the castle. If we can't find a way to the underground, then it's unlikely that others will be able to."
Just as Irving finished speaking, he paused in a corner. He suddenly noticed something strange about the shadows in that area.
Normally, this corner would be illuminated by a single beam of sunlight, meaning the shadows should all lean in the same direction. However, Irving observed that the shadows were chaotic, indicating that the corner was being lit by light from different directions.
"I think I may have found a passage to the underground!" Irving said, turning to Nick with a smile.
Before Nick could react, Irving raised his staff and struck the wall of the corner forcefully.
The moment the staff made contact with the wall, a loud bang resonated through the air. Following this, the sound of gears turning echoed from within the wall, and a door slowly emerged from it.
This door was constructed entirely from anti-magic materials, which explained why they hadn't been able to detect its presence earlier.