The northern district of E-Rantel was no longer smooth; the once even streets had become uneven. Beneath the dilapidated cobblestones, the earthen ground was exposed, and murky, foul-smelling water filled the potholes of various sizes. Even in the shadows of the ramshackle houses lining the roads, one could clearly see excrement.
This was the slum of E-Rantel. Compared to the glamorous city center, this place was synonymous with filth and stench. There was absolutely no order here. Ordinary commoners didn't even dare to approach, as venturing inside was a gamble for their lives.
Moreover, due to the negligence of the ruling nobles of E-Rantel, the entire slum had become a dark gathering place for the city. Even seemingly pitiful children on the roadside could easily take the life of an ordinary person.
Here, chaos and disorder reigned supreme.
"Master."
At this moment, Yuri, who had been walking behind Lu Minghao, suddenly stepped forward, pointing with a frown at a dark alleyway in the distance. Several children in tattered clothes were staring at them like hungry hyenas.
If the five adventurers hired by Lu Minghao didn't appear so formidable, Yuri had no doubt that those children would rush out and snatch all their valuables, food, and even clothes.
"Ignore them."
Lu Minghao casually glanced in the direction Yuri pointed. From the moment he stepped into this place, he had noticed gazes from the corners constantly fixed on him and Yuri. Those gazes were like a predator spotting delicious prey, waiting for the opportune moment to kill and devour them.
"Don't worry. With us here, those guys won't dare to come out. But that's only if these young nobles and your maid don't stray too far from me."
One of the adventurers, who had been playing with a dagger in his hand, overheard Lu Minghao and Yuri's conversation. A sinister smile crept onto his lips as he surveyed the corners of the surrounding streets. Lu Minghao and Yuri were the prey they had set their sights on, and they had to protect them, at least until they reached the cemetery.
As for why they chose this route to the cemetery, it was simply because it was the shortest path in that direction. Moreover, due to its proximity to the cemetery, ordinary residents dared not approach. Those who lived here were either genuine paupers, criminals who had violated imperial law, or denizens of the dark world.
It could be said that here, a mere murderer was the lowest of the low, because stronger and more evil individuals were commonplace.
"Is that so? Then I shall rely on you adventurers to protect me."
Upon hearing the adventurer's words, Lu Minghao smiled gently, but in reality, he was watching with great interest the alleyway not far away. There, several teenagers had just ambushed and killed a bald, tattooed man. The teenagers were now meticulously stripping all the valuables from the dead man's body.
Their practiced movements suggested they were veterans at this, as if such events were a daily routine for them.
‘The scenery here is truly remarkable.’
Watching the teenagers skillfully discard the corpse into a pile of garbage after they finished looting, Lu Minghao couldn't help but curl his lips. These ruthless and efficient teenagers could be considered excellent 'tools' for the things Lu Minghao was about to do.
Moreover, there were many, many more like them here. People like these, who had grown up in darkness, wouldn't care about the source or method of obtaining power once they had the opportunity.
The dog-eat-dog worldview would lead them to embark on a path of pursuing power, and they would freely vent their instinctive desires after obtaining it.
"This is indeed a good place."
After sighing in a voice only he could hear, Lu Minghao retracted his gaze and followed the adventurers ahead. The most important thing at the moment was to capture that guy called the King of Undead, as the Eight Fingers, who controlled the entire underground force of the kingdom, would be very useful to him.
Subsequently, as they advanced, the surrounding houses became increasingly dilapidated, and even the residents hiding inside became fewer and fewer. The silent street was occupied only by Lu Minghao and his party as they headed forward, and the atmosphere around them began to turn eerie.
This already counted as the edge of the city, not far from the cemetery where undead roamed. Even the most vicious individuals in the slums were unwilling to approach this area, as the deathly aura permeating from the cemetery was something that anyone who didn't want to die would avoid.
After completely leaving the dilapidated streets, an old city wall that had clearly not been repaired or maintained for a long time appeared before Lu Minghao. Several soldiers in armor were sitting on the wall, chatting idly, showing no vigilance whatsoever.
"We are adventurers from the Adventurers Guild, and we have a mission to go to the cemetery."
At this moment, the adventurer at the front stepped forward and skillfully tossed a few bottles of wine onto the wall, then pointed to the outside of the city gate. The soldiers above couldn't help but reveal smiles upon receiving the wine, and without any questions, they directly opened the city gate.
"Let's go."
The adventurer with the gloomy face looked back at Lu Minghao and Yuri with a smile as he watched the city gate open. At this moment, the malice in his eyes was no longer concealed in the slightest, as it was perfectly normal for employers like Lu Minghao to die after leaving the city gate.
After all, it was well known that adventurers faced danger.
"Mm."
Lu Minghao completely ignored the malicious appearances of the adventurers beside him, and pulled Yuri towards the outside of the city gate. On the city wall, the soldiers were happily drinking the wine in their hands, not bothering to care about what would happen below, even if they knew.
He was just a small soldier who had been ostracized and had no power. The passion and justice of his youth had long been smoothed out by the beatings of reality.
"Boss, something seems a little off?"
Watching Lu Minghao and Yuri walk out in front of them without any defense, the adventurers were completely bewildered. According to past practice, Lu Minghao and Yuri should be looking at them with fear, even handing over all their belongings without them even having to lift a finger.
Lu Minghao and Yuri were acting completely differently. Their malice had reached a point where even slightly normal people could see it, yet Lu Minghao and Yuri showed no reaction whatsoever.
"Tch! Who cares if he's pretending to be stupid or really is stupid? In the end, there's no difference."
The man with the gloomy face glanced at his companions, spat harshly, and stared fiercely at the backs of Lu Minghao and Yuri with a face full of ferocity. He didn't bother to care so much at this point, and he had secretly tested Lu Minghao and Yuri on the way here.
From any aspect, they seemed to be just ordinary people who had not undergone any training. To them, a few mithril-ranked adventurers, they were completely weak chickens that could be killed at will.
"Follow!"
"Yes, Boss!"
Subsequently, the adventurers walked out of the city gate and followed Lu Minghao and Yuri, even skillfully surrounding them. This way, no matter what Lu Minghao and Yuri wanted to do, they were confident that they wouldn't let anyone escape.
"What a peaceful day!"
On the city wall, a drunken soldier watched the departing Lu Minghao and his party with blurred eyes, a strange smile on his face. He grabbed the wine bottle and drank all the wine inside, then leaned against the city wall and fell asleep. As for what would happen after they left the city, even if he knew, so what?
He was just a small soldier who had been ostracized and had no power. The passion and justice of his youth had long been smoothed out by the beatings of reality.
Outside the city, as they continued forward, the surrounding environment became increasingly eerie. The withered trees lining the road were filled with crows, their harsh cries constantly echoing in the sky, pairs of bloodthirsty eyes fixed on the figures passing below.
“Caw, caw, caw!”
Just then, a black crow perched atop a collapsed tombstone suddenly took flight, circling above Lu Minghao and the others, screeching incessantly. The unpleasant sound caused Yuli to instinctively look up and glare at it. The next second, the crow exploded, scattering blood and feathers all over the ground.
“!!!”
Nearby, several adventurers who had been watching Lu Minghao and Yuli noticed this instantly. The gloomy-faced leader's eyes widened considerably, filled with horror as he stared at the crow that had turned into minced meat and the seemingly dull and foolish maid.
‘What exactly just happened?’
This question simultaneously arose in the minds of the five ill-intentioned adventurers. Especially when Yuli turned her head to look at them, a sweet smile appearing on her delicate face, a strong sense of unease completely enveloped them.
“Oh? What's wrong, esteemed adventurers?”
Suddenly, Lu Minghao, who had been walking in front, stopped and turned around, looking at the adventurers whose foreheads were beaded with cold sweat, asking with a smile. However, that gentle smile now seemed so eerie.
“N-nothing!”
The gloomy-faced leader, acting as the captain, immediately put on a friendly smile, raised his head, wiped the cold sweat from his face, and indicated that they were fine. Then, after seeing Lu Minghao and Yuli turn around and continue forward, he breathed a sigh of relief.
In that instant, he seemed to have seen an indescribable, terrifying being leering at them. He had the intuition that if his reaction had been a second slower, they would have all been dead.
Before long, as Lu Minghao and his party continued, almost all the surrounding trees had disappeared. As far as the eye could see, the empty ground was covered with endless tombstones. Occasionally, one or two overturned graves could be seen, with decaying bones casually discarded to the side.
And in the center of the graveyard, watched over warily, stood a dilapidated church. Unlike those churches that seemed full of holiness, this church in the middle of the graveyard gave people the feeling that they wouldn't be surprised if a bunch of undead suddenly came running out of it.
“That church, do any of you know what's going on with it?”
In front of the graveyard, Lu Minghao raised his hand, pointed to the distant church, and asked the adventurers beside him. In Lu Minghao's perception, the aura of death was most concentrated there in the entire graveyard. If there were no surprises, that little ant called the King of the Undead was also hiding there.
“I don't know. That church has been there for a long time, but very few people dare to get close to it.”
One of the adventurers quickly spoke up after hearing Lu Minghao's words. As a local who grew up in E-Rantel, he also knew about the church in the center of the graveyard, but he never dared to get close to it.
“Is that so? Thank you for the information. Also, according to the mission request, you have completed the task by bringing me here.”
As he spoke, Lu Minghao looked at the five adventurers beside him. The adventurers who were swept by Lu Minghao's gaze instinctively wanted to pull out their weapons because of fear, but their bodies completely refused to obey, as if the one standing in front of them was a being of a higher order, and even the thought of resistance was not allowed by their bodies.
“Yuli, I'll leave the rest to you. I'm going to that church to take care of something.”
“Okay, Master, don't worry!”
Hearing Lu Minghao's words, Yuli nodded, looking foolishly at the several adventurers in front of her who were completely unable to move. Yuli had known what these guys were thinking from the first moment she saw them. After all, as a subordinate of [Lust], she could easily sense the desires they exuded.
“Mm.”
After casually glancing at Yuli, Lu Minghao was too lazy to pay attention to what would happen next and walked directly towards the cathedral in the center of the graveyard. Behind him, shrill and desperate screams and pleas rang out continuously.
A few minutes later, the gloomy-faced adventurer, acting as the captain, fell heavily to the ground. His blurred consciousness reminded him of the people who had begged him for mercy when he killed them... So this is what death feels like.
On the other side, Lu Minghao, who had entered the cathedral, casually looked around, his gaze directly penetrating the walls and the ground, looking at the undead hidden within. Then, he lowered his head and looked towards the ground, his gaze directly passing through the thick ground to see the natural cave deep underground.
“Found it!”
As soon as the words fell, Lu Minghao's body disappeared from the spot and appeared in the cave deep underground. The dimly lit cave walls were inlaid with glowing magic stones, and in the cave, on a stone chair, an old man wearing a red mage robe, a string of skull necklaces around his neck, and an ugly face that looked like a corpse, was staring at the suddenly appearing Lu Minghao in shock.
“You are the King of the Undead, Khajiit?”
Lu Minghao raised his head, looked at the old man on the chair in front of him, and asked calmly, completely ignoring the undead emerging from the corners and the several black-robed mages staring at him intently.
“Who exactly are you? Why are you here?”
As he spoke, the King of the Undead, Khajiit, stood up from the stone chair, looking at Lu Minghao with a ferocious expression, he asked. The news of him hiding here was completely unknown to others except for a few people.
“Who I am is not important. What is important is that I need you to become my ‘tool,’ or rather, I need the ‘Eight Fingers’ that you rule.”
“Huh? Eight Fingers? When did I become the leader of Eight Fingers?”
Opposite him, the King of the Undead, Khajiit, showed a puzzled expression after hearing Lu Minghao's words. He didn't remember when he had become one of the leaders of Eight Fingers, who ruled the entire underworld of the kingdom. He certainly knew about Eight Fingers, but he didn't remember being one of their leaders.
“Huh? You're not the leader of Eight Fingers? Wait, let me think…”
On the other hand, Lu Minghao was also staring at Khajiit with a confused look. In Lu Minghao's perception, Khajiit was indeed not lying, which meant that he seemed... possibly not the leader of Eight Fingers.
Thinking of this, Lu Minghao began to carefully recall the information about the Overlord world, and then Lu Minghao realized that it seemed that Khajiit had never been one of the leaders of Eight Fingers from beginning to end.
“Well, sorry, I seem to have misremembered. Really, I should sort out my memories properly.”
Inside the cave, Lu Minghao, who already knew that he had made a mistake, raised his hand and waved it at Khajiit above. It turned out that he had been wrong from the beginning, and fortunately, he was the only one who knew about this, otherwise…
“Oh! Right, you also know about this, so now please say goodbye to this world in peace.”
After speaking, Lu Minghao didn't give Khajiit time to answer, and directly raised a fingertip, a dark red magic cannon the size of a grain of rice emerged. The next second, Lu Minghao's figure disappeared from the spot and appeared on the ground above, followed by a huge roar from underground, and the earth began to tremble continuously.
“Really, it seems that the Eight Fingers thing still needs to be sorted out when I get back to the royal capital, but at least the purpose of coming out this time has been achieved.”
