"Secret room?" Moriarty glanced at White: "What's in it?"
"It's not clear yet." White shook his head: "Because there is something similar to a magic mechanism, so I didn't try to crack it."
"The magic mechanism...it seems to be quite important."
Magic is not popular in Erathia, and it is difficult for even a baron to recruit truly outstanding mage professionals. To set up a magic mechanism, the installer must at least have a considerable alchemy foundation. Therefore, it is conceivable that
I knew that the secret room must be the core of the Luo Yanta family.
"Take me to take a look. Well, call Guderian, just in case." Moriarty thought for a while and said directly.
"OK."
Different from the remote grain warehouse, the secret room discovered by White is located in the study of a huge suite on the third floor of the inner castle. Although the suite has been damaged, many decorations and arrangements of the original luxurious appearance can still be seen.
, this was probably the living room of the owner of Loya Tower.
"Hey, Morty, what's the matter with calling me here in such a hurry?" Soon, the cheerful Guderian also arrived carrying a hammer.
"Stop talking nonsense, just stand aside and watch. We found a secret room, and Morty is about to open it." White glared at the silver-bearded dwarf and signaled him to keep quiet.
"Did you find a wine cellar for storing wine?" In Guderian's mind, only a wine cellar filled with fine wine is worth protecting.
"Heh, maybe."
Moriarty smiled slightly and turned his attention to the wall on the side of the study room. There, a huge portrait of the Griffin King had been removed and set aside. In its original place was a piece of metal inlaid with ring-shaped gem particles.
The board is shining with a faint silver light. When you first lift it up, it looks like the lid of a delicate jewelry box.
Moriarty stepped forward and knocked on the wall around the metal plate. There was a buzzing and muffled sound immediately. It was obvious that there was a large hollow behind the wall.
"Ha, is there really a treasure room? Morty, let me smash it open with a hammer!" Seeing that there was indeed a secret room hidden behind the wall as White said, Guderian, who was very curious, immediately asked for help.
"Shut up, I didn't ask you to come here just to smash the wall!" Seeing that the silver-bearded dwarf was about to carry the hammer excitedly, White slapped him aside with his shield.
"This is the 'Hadron Magic Code Lock', haha. It's not difficult." At this time, Moriarty suddenly said with a smile.
"Do you know how to open this?" Immediately, Guderian gave up playing with White and approached the metal plate with a curious look on his face, staring at it with wide eyes.
"This is an ancient magic lock. It is said to have been invented a thousand years ago by an intermediate mage named Hadron. It mainly uses a semi-mechanical and semi-alchemical array to construct a lock that can be used by ordinary people.
Combination lock. As long as the owner of the lock presses those gem buttons on the metal plate in the correct sequence, it can be opened."
"What if you press it incorrectly, or use a hammer to break it open?" It seemed that the silver-bearded dwarf still kept his original intention of violent cracking in mind and asked again.
"Haha. If you press the wrong button, you will naturally not be able to open the lock. If you want to use force to open it, the fire alchemy array pre-stored in the magic code lock will be activated, and then ignite the burning objects connected in the mezzanine of the secret room, directly destroying the entire lock.
Burn the secret room." Moriarty shook his head and said.
"Morty, you just said 'it's not difficult', so..." White also said at this time.
"After all, the 'Hadron Magic Code Lock' is an ancient product ten centuries ago. Over the years, many later mages have developed various methods to deal with it. Among them, the simplest and most effective is none other than..."
As he spoke, Moriarty suddenly raised his hand and pressed it lightly on the silver metal plate. Then, a white light floated on his palm, and then slowly penetrated into the metal plate like water vapor. About three minutes later
, only hearing a soft "click" sound, Moriarty put down his right hand again.
"How is it, how is it? Have you opened the secret room?" the impatient Guderian immediately asked excitedly.
"Your hammer is ready for use." Moriarty looked at the silver-bearded dwarf and said with a smile.
"ah?"
"The biggest problem with Hadron's magic code lock is that it is not as capable as other magic code locks in later generations in that it has targeted resistance to mental power and even detonation trigger settings. Therefore, as long as you are a mid-level mage professional or above, you can use it.
His own magic power directly penetrated the lock body and made slight changes to the fire alchemy array inside it, causing it to lose its original function." Seeing Guderian's eyes widen, Moriarty explained in detail.
"So that's it..."
"Of course, if you have the strength of a high-level warrior, you can completely destroy Hadron's magic code lock with one blow, making it ineffective before it can be activated."
"Hey, anyway, my sledgehammer can finally be unveiled." After listening to the mid-level mage's magic code lock science lecture, the silver-bearded dwarf excitedly waved the Locke bladder in his hand, and was about to go up and "strong-
dismantle".
"Don't make too much noise, it'll be done in one go!" At this time, White on the side gave special attention.
"Okay, look at me, we have lots of experience breaking things!"
Without further words, Guderian turned over the hammer in his hand, took in his breath and let out a low drink.
"boom"!
The tip of the fine gold hammer immediately hit the silver plate of Hadron's magic code lock like a cannonball. Immediately, a fine "spider web" appeared on the flat, mirror-like metal plate. Then, on a piece of delicate
With a "click" sound, the magic code lock completely shattered from the inside to the outside.
"Haha, my craftsmanship is not bad, right?"
Pointing to the magic code lock that was completely destroyed by one blow and the surrounding walls that were unscathed, Guderian laughed triumphantly. However, both Moriarty and White ignored the complacent silver-bearded dwarf.
Instead, he continued to frown and look at the exposed hole in the wall.
"Hey, what are you looking at?" Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, the dwarf, who was never willing to be alone, also put his feet up and looked into the opened gap: "Huh? There is light!?"
It turned out that there were a few rays of light shining out from the hollow wall.
At this time, even Guderian immediately became serious.
Obviously, if there is light in the secret room, there is probably someone there. And only the core members of the Luo Yanta family can hide in such a place. Of course, if the person in the secret room is a dead person, it is not a big problem. They can find a clean place to bury them directly.
That's all; but if it's a living person, hey, the silver-bearded dwarf also plans to turn him directly into a dead person. Anyway, now Rheinburg belongs to Olympus, if there are still one or two people with the surname "Luo" hidden in the secret room.
Those guys who say "Yanta" can only admit their mistakes and wait for the "dictatorship" of the dwarves.
"Let's go in and take a look." After a moment of silence, Moriarty said.
"I'll open the way. Guderian, get ready." As expected, White had the same thought and gave the dwarf a direct look.
"Don't worry. Except for the three of us, there will be no living creatures here today!" The silver-bearded dwarf also chuckled, with murderous intent in his eyes.
"Kakaka..."
Turning a mechanism in the wall, the door to the secret room finally opened slowly. At this time, a smell mixed with putridity and blood slowly poured out from the originally sealed space, covering the mouth and nose.
"Hold on."
Moriarty stopped White who was about to step in. At the same time, he waved his wand, and a magical whirlwind was summoned out of thin air. It whirled and whirled into the secret room. Soon, a large thorn came out.
The dust and black particles from the nose were swept out by the whirlwind. After waiting for a while, the disgusting smell dissipated.
"That's it."
Moriarty nodded, and White went in first, followed closely by the silver-bearded dwarf, and finally the mid-level mage.
Behind the wall is a stone corridor as wide as one person. It is not high and almost reaches the top of the head. With no intention of hiding his traces, White's boots made a dull sound when he stepped on the ground paved with stone bricks. The corridor is not long.
, and after about ten meters, turn left, and that's where the light comes from.
Without pausing, White, who came to the end of the corridor, raised his shield and turned the corner, while Guderian was as close to his butt as he caught up with him.
"Holy shit, there's really something alive!"
Amidst Guderian's strange screams, a fully enclosed secret room about ten square meters in size appeared in front of Moriarty. The wall on one side of the secret room was covered with bookshelves, and there were rows of bookshelves in them.
It was filled with parchment and parchment. On the other side, there were two open standing cabinets. In the cabinets, gold bars as long as index fingers and silver bricks as thick as arms were neatly stacked; there were also two tightly packed leather bags the size of fists.
The mouth was placed on the top level of the cabinet. In the middle of the two vertical cabinets, there was a bright yellow oil lamp. The light was bright and stable, and from time to time a strange aroma emitted from the flames.
In the center of the secret room is a high-backed bench. On the chair, a skinny old man with white hair and a dirty look, exuding a pungent odor, is sitting upright. Moreover, his sitting posture is a bit too upright, even
It can be said to be old-fashioned. However, on both sides of it, there are two white skeletons lying on the ground, which looks weird and abnormal.
"Who are you?" The old man's voice was dry but sharp, as if there were many foreign objects blocking the box.
"We are the new owners of Rheinburg." Moriarty looked at the old man's face carefully. It was obvious that he was not the little Luo Yanta who inherited the family title after the old Lord Luo Yanta died of illness, so he asked: "What are you doing again?"
who is it?"
"New owner? Oh, when did the people of Ensberg become the owners of Rheinburg? And he was the eldest son who was kicked out of the house?" Ignoring the other party's rhetorical question, the old man suddenly smiled coldly, with a face like a dead tree.
There was a strong mockery on his face.
"you know me?"
Moriarty couldn't help but frown. Logically speaking, he had been to Bracada for many years, and most of his original connections with Kent County had long been severed. Moreover, there was no impression of the old man in front of him in his memory, and it was obvious that he had not interacted with him before.
Cross-talk. So, who is this old man hiding in the secret room of Luo Yan Pagoda?
"Of course I know you. Because of you, Fox lost his family inheritance, and was eventually forced to death in a pig pen on a certain farm by Luo Yanta." The old man looked straight at Moriarty, his eyes as calm as ice picks.
"Oh? Sir Fox has passed away? What a pity." As if he had transformed into the outstanding aristocratic child of the past, Moriarty suddenly sighed lightly, with a look of mourning on his face.
"Haha, it seems that Brakada's career as a mage has not wiped out the noble blood in you. You are still a hypocritical gentleman. No wonder Fox couldn't play with you back then." It was like meeting a close friend. The old man kept saying it.
He laughed, but soon stopped because of lack of strength.
"Hey, old man, you're too wordy."
On the side, the silver-bearded dwarf seemed unable to accept that someone was more arrogant than him. He immediately clapped the hammer in his hand and stopped with a grin.
"It's only been a few days, and it's impossible for the demon army to be driven out of Kent easily. And you were able to take back Rhineburg from the demons. It seems that you brought a strong army from Bracada. Well, since you are
A member of the Sberg family, even if he is a has-been who has been deprived of his inheritance rights. But in the current severe war situation, as long as he has enough strength, he can still join forces to gain the support of his family and other nobles. By the way.
, I heard that Viscount Salk’s daughter has a good relationship with you. I imagine that the Viscount will not let go of a rare good ally. So in this case, the entire Kent nobles should fall in love with you, right? And accordingly.
The fallen Luo Yanta was undoubtedly treated as a victim in exchange for your goodwill and support?" The old man didn't look at the murderous dwarf at all, he just muttered to himself.
"Wise elder. Your agility and wisdom are undoubtedly rare in my life. So, of course you can predict what will happen next?" The other party's performance can be said to be subtle, but Moriarty does not seem to be interested in exploring him anymore.
Who it is, tell me directly.
"Oh, now that Rheinburg has a new owner, the old owner should quietly disappear. Right?"
"Yes." Moriarty nodded calmly.
"Well... if... if I am willing to be loyal to you and become your retainer, can you keep my life?" After a moment of silence, the old man suddenly spoke.
"Ha, old man, you want to lie to us?"
Beside him, Guderian immediately yelled with disdain. The old man's disregard for the silver-bearded dwarf just now made him feel very embarrassed.
"Sir, a living me will definitely bring you much more benefits than a dead one." Still ignoring the clamoring dwarf, the old man just looked into Moriarty's eyes.
"Your name and identity?" Moriarty thought for a while and asked.
", he was the chief steward of the Luo Yanta family." This time the old man had no strong points and answered directly.
"I see."
Moriarty nodded. He had a feud with the Luo Yanta family back then, and it seemed that the old Lord Luo Yanta had investigated him in detail. The old man in front of him must be the actual person in charge, so he knew his information so well.
"So, what can you bring me?"
"Everything about the Luo Yanta family." Harold raised his hand with difficulty and pointed at his head.
"Ha, Rheinburg is ours now, no matter how different it is from you." Guderian immediately blew with disdain.
"Rheinburg? Haha, although Rheinburg is extremely important, it is far from everything to the Luo Yanta family." Finally he looked at the silver-bearded dwarf, but the old man's eyes seemed to be looking at an idiot, and then he looked at Moriarty.
: "The management of the manor, the operation of the caravan, the overt or covert external contacts, and some secrets that cannot be exposed to the sun... Your Excellency, you have the thinking of a true Erathian noble, so you naturally understand what I am talking about."
"These...are good...but they are not enough." After looking at each other for a moment, Moriarty shook his head gently.
"Your Excellency, with all due respect, this is a time of war against the invasion of demons. Relying on a strong army, you may be able to conquer Kent County and even the southeast of the kingdom without any resistance. But what happens once the war is over? The other veteran nobles
How will you treat the newly rising Rheinburg? Will you continue to welcome the newly emerged Rheinburg with a smile, or will you secretly slander you? Or even join forces to suppress you?" Seeing that what he just said did not seem to impress the other party, the old man was not discouraged, but continued
Talking eloquently: "You should understand that in the world of aristocrats, there are no unchanging friends, only unchanging interests. Even your father didn't expel you from the family for a little land and gold coins? So, in
In addition to the army and strong men, you really need a butler who is proficient in noble affairs and familiar with the rules of the game to help you take care of the mundane affairs outside the magic world. And I am the most suitable candidate."
"I have no doubts about your ability and experience. However, I trust my loyal subordinates more." This time, Moriarty did not refuse immediately, but was critical.
"Loyalty does not come from the subject's autonomy, but is created by the monarch's violence and talent." Harold smiled slightly and retorted.
"Hmph, fallacy!"
On the side, White, who had been silent for a long time, was the first to speak up. Obviously, he had an absolutely negative attitude towards the old man's weird "monarch-subject thinking".
"Little guy." Harold glanced at White and curled his lips.
"Last question: It has been dozens of days since the demons captured Rheinburg. How have you survived until now?"
At this time, Moriarty suddenly asked the last question. After this question, the old man's final fate will be officially announced.
"What do you rely on to survive, haha?"
It seemed that he had been asked a very interesting question, and Harold laughed again. Then under the doubtful gazes of the three people, the old man tried his best, stood up tremblingly, and then spoke with a very standard Erathian noble
The butler saluted Moriarty and others in a welcoming gesture.
"Please allow me to introduce you to my original owners." As he spoke, Harold half-turned around and pointed his right hand at the ground: "Lord Luo Yanta, and his wife."
There, there were the two extremely clean white bones.
"You...this old pervert!"
Looking at the old man and then at the skeleton on the ground, Guderian seemed to suddenly understand something and couldn't help but curse loudly. (To be continued...)
