The Paladin in the Abyss

Chapter 328: Chapter 342: The Square

As the group passed through a gorge-like path, the city suddenly cleared before them. The twisted, bizarre towers were blocked behind by some invisible boundary, revealing a vast square reminiscent of the Twin Bridges Town arena.

But the square was not empty. In front of them lay countless shacks, tents, and dugouts. The surfaces of these temporary structures were covered with filthy grease, and the ground flowed with pus that was a mix of yellow and green. The air smelled like a hundred goblins who fed only on rats were farting at the same time, brutally punishing those foolish enough to take a deep breath.

In the center of these low buildings stood a huge statue depicting a female figure wrapped in a shroud-like plain cloth, her body alluring and her arms slightly spread. The fluttering edges of the cloth, the subtly visible body, and the well-defined curves were so realistic. The only part not depicted was the head of the statue, which was covered by layers of cloth, making it impossible to glimpse her true face.

Lancelot knew without guessing that this statue was whoever — Androlina’s supposed owner, one of the most ancient Demons of the Bottomless Abyss, “Mother of Demons” Cang Ye.

As he was examining the statue, a small bamboo slip in his mind suddenly emitted a ‘ding’ sound, bringing Lancelot back to his senses. He then realized that his condition had seemed rather strange. He turned his head to his companions and found everyone in a dazed state, as if the statue possessed some magic power that irresistibly drew their attention.

He cleared his throat, his voice containing a hint of True Yuan. This method caused a slight sting to listeners, which according to Bruto, felt like having a leg hair plucked. Of course, it did no real harm, but it was enough to jolt those who heard it from their daze.

The group, their senses restored, noticeably changed in expression and hurriedly averted their eyes, daring not to look again. Acheron tilted his head and mumbled curiously,

“That statue has stood here for I don’t know how many centuries, but it never had such sinister traits before…”

“Maybe it’s because of that.”

Lancelot pointed to the base of the statue, where there lay an altarpiece surrounded by burning candles and freshly slaughtered offerings. It wasn’t strange for Gaomendikolia, the center of worship for Cang Ye, to have such an installation, but there was a giant sign next to it written in Abyssal language with three big characters: Recruitment Office; and the stone table below was crowded with various Demons, their fanatic demeanor hard to say unrelated to the statue.

“That’s not a good sign.” The Elven Ranger gasped sharply, then began coughing violently.

“The smell must be terrible…” Kalalin said sympathetically, patting the Elf’s back. He wore a compatibility necklace from Oasis Fort that allowed him to breathe comfortably in any environment, making him the most relaxed among them at the moment.

“Cough, cough… ahem… Over there, where the statue’s right hand is pointing, follow me…”

Under Acheron’s lead, the group made their way along the edge of the square. After about ten minutes, they stopped in front of a massive tower. Like the other buildings, the tower had no entrance at its base, but there was a mural painted in a crude style on the wall depicting a goblin head on a dinner plate.

The Elven Ranger turned to count the heads, then took out eight Gold Coins from his pouch and stuffed them into the goblin’s mouth. It was then that the group noticed a crack cleverly integrated with the mural on the wall.

After the coins were inserted, no sound was made; it was as if they had vanished into thin air. But a few seconds later, the eyes of the goblin head began to move, as if coming to life. It looked over the group, nodded, and then went still again.

“Is that it?” Bruto glared and asked, “What have you been doing?”

“It should be right, I saw the person who brought me here do it like this…” Acheron poked around on the wall with confusion, “Did I forget some important step…”

Lancelot first noticed a small, blurry black dot on the ground, which then rapidly grew larger and clearer. The whooshing sound in his ears made him look up, just in time to see a circular iron disc plummeting straight towards Acheron’s head, with the bloody remains of a previous victim still stuck to its bottom.

There was no time to summon vines now, so Lancelot could only grit his teeth and rush over, managing to push the Elven Ranger out of danger at the last moment. The sound of a massive rock hitting the ground came from behind him, and when Lancelot turned his head, he realized that what had fallen was an enormous cage, tied with thick iron chains.

“Cough, cough, I knew I forgot something; it was to stand further away.” A weak voice came from the elf below him, “Uh, I think I need a potion of healing…”

Looking down, Lancelot realized he had made a serious mistake. His armor had been modified to be brimming with blades and spikes, and the fragile elf had been badly cut by his rescue efforts, bleeding profusely, indeed, half-dead.

“Uh, sorry.” Lancelot hurriedly climbed off him, the movement causing the elf to scream in pain again. The others gathered around quickly, with Koula pouring a potion into his mouth, while Alamir under the cover of his companions, released a divine art of healing, managing to stabilize the poor Elven Ranger after a while.

“Thanks for saving my life.” Acheron, with the help of others, got back on his feet, “It was my fault, if I had been smashed into a pancake, even Resurrection Art couldn’t bring me back.”

“Don’t mention it.” Lancelot shook his head, then turned to look at the cage, “What exactly is this thing for?”

“This is an elevator, used to lift people up.” The Elven Ranger walked into the cage and, seeing that no one followed him, he turned and asked with some confusion, “What are you waiting for? Come on up.”

“Uh…” The Dwarf looked at him hesitantly, “Are you sure you didn’t forget any other steps?”@@novelbin@@

“Although I’m very unaccustomed to the various facilities in the city, I’m sure I didn’t forget anything this time.” Acheron fumbled on the edge of the cage, “Ah, found it! Here is the pull ring, just pull it and we will…”

The cage rapidly ascended with the elf inside, leaving the astonished others behind.

“He’s an Elven General, right?” Bruto slanted a glance at another elf in the team, “Or some prince of Seren?”

“Um… In the Elven clan, a General is just an honorary title, mostly associated with his princely status. Every Elven warrior is very clear about what they should do on the battlefield and doesn’t really need a General to command… at least in my world.” Alamir explained awkwardly, “I’m sure he has a way to correct this little accident, so we’d better stand further back, that cage might drop down again anytime, don’t you think…”

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