The little follower got the order and rushed out immediately.
The sweaty fat man asked hesitantly:
"What about the other group of people who connect the three levels?"
Kratos waved his hand a little irritably:
"You take them to another VIP room and ask them to wait for a moment. I will talk to them later!"
The fat man nodded and left quickly.
Matthew looked at Kratos calmly. For some reason, the slightly bald and wealthy businessman in front of him gave him a very subtle feeling.
I can't tell if it's dangerous or something else.
But Matthew just felt a little inconsistent.
"If you feel that the compensation of 9,000 gold coins is too little, you can continue to challenge the 4th and 5th levels, but I have to say something ugly up front, even if you win all the challenges, you can only get one sapphire, and
Not the one that was shown by mistake at the beginning!”
Kratos warned with a grim look:
"Boy, don't think I'm easy to talk to. No matter where you come from, Rapid City is my territory!"
"Also, the time for Levels 4 and 5 has been changed to 12 o'clock tonight - the entire Legend Challenge is run by me, and I have the right to change the time, as long as it is before 12 o'clock tonight!"
"Now, do you want to continue participating?"
Accompanied by his vicious warning.
Two big men walked in outside the VIP room.
These two big men had barbarian ancestry at first glance. They were extremely tall and tall. The swords on their waists were also in the style commonly used by northern warriors.
"Participate, why not?"
Matthew responded calmly.
Kratos said "hello" three times in a row.
next moment.
He slammed the door and walked out angrily:
"You'd better wait here. When Master Hood comes, I will let you know the consequences of pushing too far!"
The two barbarian warriors also made a gesture to wipe their necks at Matthew, and then left one after another.
Sif frowned:
"Why are these people like this?"
"Didn't he personally organize this competition? Why did he go back on his word?"
"It's so shameless of them to do this!"
Matthew blinked.
He was actually quite speechless:
"It's not just shameless, it's downright vulgar."
"Even if you want to make quick money and don't want to suffer a loss, your appearance won't be so bad, right?"
Sif's little chicken nodded in response:
"Yes, yes!"
"And he whispered it in front of us, as if these words were meant for us. It was simply a threat!"
Hear this.
Matthew couldn't help but feel moved in his heart.
really.
If you think about it simply, Kratos's performance is the poor performance of a simple black-hearted businessman who is about to suffer a loss.
Can a businessman with such poor moral character possess such huge assets?
This possibility cannot be said to be impossible.
I can only say it's not high.
"You wait here, I'll go out and take a look."
He said.
Sif nodded obediently.
Matthew immediately threw a magic eye next to him, then opened any door one after another, and quickly appeared in the previous square.
At this time, more people were already surrounding the square.
He squeezed in hard.
Suddenly, I discovered that the gem in the box hanging in the center of the stage had turned into a sparkling blue sapphire.
on the data column.
…
"Hint: You found the "Speed Gem" (rare item).
Swift Gem: Can be used to replenish mana.
Holding this gem, you can cast the Sprinting spell three times a day.
When you wear this gem in the inner or outer pocket of your coat, you will gain the ability to leap into the air.
Jump in the air: You can take off again in mid-air, and the take-off height is about 2/3 of the normal take-off."
…
A pretty good magic gem.
But it was too far from the Crown of Earth that Matthew had seen before.
"It's not so much that the value of the final reward has been greatly reduced, but that the Crown of the Earth itself is not a reward that a gem merchant like Kratos can get..."
Matthew couldn't help but have doubts in his heart.
Previously, he just felt that Kratos did not understand the true value of the Crown of the Earth, and he just missed it by mistake.
But now it seems that this is obviously not the case.
"Then why did he show it?"
"Is it really the fault of the people under my command?"
The more Matthew thought about it, the more something was wrong.
He began to carefully think about every detail of what he and Sif had encountered since they entered Rapids.
But after searching carefully, he still found nothing.
Until a certain moment.
Suddenly a flash of lightning flashed in his mind——
Crown of the Earth!
"Yes, that Crown of the Earth seems to be on the Druid Order's stolen list!"
Matthew quickly took out the thick list from his luggage.
really.
He found the mark of Crown of the Earth on the last two pages of parchment——
…
"The Crown of the Earth: a powerful gem that contains the power of the earth. It was stolen the night three evil organizations attacked the underground sanctuary. It is suspected that it was stolen by people from the Silver Frost Brotherhood..."
…
I see.
This gem was a treasure that the Druid Order lost when it was attacked for the first time.
Although Matthew glanced at the list at that time.
But what he looked at were basically the second batch of stolen items.
Only then did I have less of a deep impression on Crown of the Earth!
So this gem was stolen from the Earth Society by people from the Silver Frost Brotherhood, and then found its way to Kratos?
Or.
The so-called gem merchant Kratos himself is a member of the Silver Frost Brotherhood?
Matthew was filled with doubts.
He even suspected that Kratos was an incarnation of the traveler god!
But if you think about it carefully this is illogical.
If the Traveler God had participated in the first attack on the Earth Society, there would be no need for him to do it again later.
And although the God of Travelers is elusive.
But he never hides anything about himself.
Not like this Kratos.
There was an uncoordinated energy all over his body.
"Next time I meet him, I have to try balanced perception."
Matthew realizes something is very wrong with Kratos!
There is even a possibility——
"He deliberately let me see this gem!"
"Then what is his purpose? To lead me into some kind of dispute? Is it related to the Legend Pentathlon Challenge?"
If that's the case.
That means Matthew was targeted as soon as he arrived in Rapid City.
It's not unusual to be targeted.
Because he came in a hurry today, he did not put on the star-weaving robe under the mage's robe to ward off the sight of the gods.
The reason why I chose Grand Rapids.
On the one hand, it is to test how important one is in the eyes of the gods;
On the other hand, it is also because this city is Hood's territory.
If something happens, at least a trusted mage will come and take care of it.
"That's not right either."
"If all this is aimed at me, there is no need for Kratos to be so impatient."
"Every word he said seemed to be provoking me..."
Matthew rubbed his temples.
Just at this moment.
He suddenly saw another entry on the first batch of stolen lists——
…
"The seeds of the Holy Oak: an extremely rare thing. Each seed has the opportunity to give birth to a complete natural dream. It is suspected that it was stolen by people from the Silver Frost Brotherhood..."
…
"Jeff..."
Matthew's mind quickly pictured the image of the merchant who handed this treasure into his hands.
It's strange to say.
Ever since Jeff gave the seeds to himself that day.
This businessman seemed to have disappeared from the world!
And in the Cross City incident I just experienced.
Holy oak seeds played a role.
Before, Matthew thought this series of events was just a coincidence.
But now it seems that is not the case!
"The Crown of the Earth and the Holy Oak Seeds are the same stolen treasures. They most likely came from the hands of one person, but who is that person? Why did he entrust Jeff's hand to deliver the Holy Oak Seeds to me?"
"If his previous actions are judged as good intentions, then does he also want to do good things by attracting me with the Crown of the Earth this time?"
Matthew only felt that he was trapped in a vast fog.
There are spider webs all around that cannot be clearly seen.
at some point.
He keenly felt a pair of eyes staring at his back.
But when he turned around, he saw only a vast sea of people.
This feeling is frustrating.
But Matthew was very calm.
He knows that he is not a master of counter-reconnaissance or prophecy, but there are many such talents in the alliance!
I really can't figure it out.
He ruthlessly went to Roderick or Ekmund, and asked them to help with divination to find out the truth.
So he composed himself.
After walking around and finding nothing else, Matthew quickly returned to the VIP room.
5 minutes later.
A series of impetuous footsteps sounded.
A young man dressed luxuriously and with an impatient expression walked in from outside.
Behind him was a train of men and horses.
Half of them are guards of Rapid City, and the other half are wearing robes and seem to be peripheral members of a certain mage tower or organization.
Matthew noticed.
The appearance of this young man is indeed somewhat similar to Master Hood.
But judging by age.
He may be Hood's grandson or great-grandson. After all, Hood is over 140 years old this year.
"Are you the one making trouble?"
As soon as the young man entered the door, he stared at Matthew unhappily:
"Don't you know who Kratos is working for?"
"No one in Grand Rapids has ever dared to mess with our Hood family!"
"You may have some skills as a spell caster, but my grandfather is a registered mage of the Seven Saints Alliance. I'll be the first to say ugly things - if you know the truth, just take the money and shut up and get out. If you don't, I'll send you to the rapids."
A tour of the city’s dungeons.”
"Kratos is such a fucking loser. He can't even handle a wild spellcaster. Damn it, I was going to go hunting outside the city today!"
I saw him cursing there.
Matthew didn't look at him, but glanced at Sif.
Sif acted very calmly.
She seemed 100% confident that Matthew could handle this matter.
So when the young people are talking.
She just looked forward politely, her eyes seemed a bit empty, and she didn't know what was going on in her little head.
"The registered mage of the Seven Saints Alliance is indeed a very powerful character."
"So why don't you consider that I am also a mage from the Seven Saints Alliance before you make such arrogant remarks?"
Matthew asked lightly.
The young man burst into laughter:
"How many mages are there in the Seven Saints Alliance?"
"You really dare to pretend..."
The words are not finished yet.
A blue portal appeared in the center of the VIP room.
Master Hu De walked out of it with a cheerful face:
"Matthew, are you looking for me?"
Matthew smiled and nodded.
Just when he returned to the VIP room, he used the token given by Hood to send him a spell message.
Hood came quite quickly.
"Grandpa, grandpa..."
The young man stammered and looked at the sudden appearance of Hood, unable to hold his tongue straight.
"What happened?"
Saw this scene at the scene.
Hood seemed to have guessed something, but he was also quite calm and his tone was quite calm and calm.
"Grandpa, he wants to take advantage of me..."
The young man shouted anxiously and wisely.
Hood was stunned.
The young man quickly changed his words and said:
"He wants to take advantage of our family!"
Hood was too lazy to look at him again. He just looked at Matthew with a smile:
"If you like this child, how about giving it to you?"
The young man's eyes widened in disbelief.
He wanted to say something else.
But Hood glanced at him coldly, and the latter fell silent.
Matthew stood up with a smile:
"not like this."
"But I did encounter some confusing things in Rapids. Soundproofing wards, if that's convenient?"
Hood tapped his cane neatly.
A pure white light spread quickly around.
Everyone except Matthew and Hood were pushed outside where the white light was.
Matthew pointed at Sif:
"she is my friend."
Hood glanced at her in surprise, said "Okay", and pulled Sif in.
Matthew immediately gave a brief account of his experiences in Rapid City.
"Speaking of it, we originally just wanted to have fun, but the value of that gem is quite considerable. It would be a lie to say that I wasn't interested."
"But what happened next made me wonder, how much do you know about the gem merchant Kratos?"
Matthew asked.
After hearing this, Hood frowned and said with some embarrassment:
"Ever since I started to retreat and study the art of life extension, the mage tower and family property have been handed over to the people below to manage."
"I have a vague impression of Kratos. He is a somewhat clever businessman. He relied on a little help from a grandson I don't know to become bigger and stronger in Grand Rapids. He should have some magic gems in his hands, but he definitely can't get them.
A treasure of the level of the Crown of the Earth."
Matthew nodded:
"Looking at it this way, Kratos is inseparable from the Silver Frost Brotherhood."
"But I'm very curious about their purpose for doing this. Obviously, someone deliberately used the Crown of the Earth to attract me to participate in the legendary five challenges, and my participation in this challenge may lead you out."
"I don't know the purpose of his doing this yet, but the root cause behind all this must be Kratos. There is only a small chance that he really got the gem I saw and the real reward gem wrong.
And the greater probability is that he has a big problem!"
Hood made a quick decision. He walked out of the soundproof barrier and ordered:
"If you still want to keep your position, call Kratos over here!"
That young man is not a fool either.
Knowing that this time he might have really hit a rough patch, upon hearing this, he immediately ran out as if he had grasped a life-saving straw.
The rest of the people also followed.
The VIP room suddenly became deserted.
Hood re-entered the soundproof barrier. He rubbed his hands with an embarrassed expression:
"I will definitely give you an explanation for this matter!"
"I didn't take care of my subordinates..."
Matthew waved his hand to stop Hood from blaming himself.
A registered mage like Hood owns an entire city, and his family might even be more prosperous than the city lord's family.
When there are too many people, problems tend to arise.
Hood is not a god, so he cannot guarantee that every family member is clean.
In this regard, the Necromancer is far ahead.
After all, if the Necromancer himself is immoral and corrupt.
It is also difficult for the undead under his command to actively cause trouble.
"Let's do this. I'll ask them to find Kratos and ask about the origin of the gem."
"In the meantime, may I take you to visit my mage tower?"
"As for the Legendary Pentathlon Challenge, if you are still interested, I will ask them to arrange another one for you."
Matthew smiled and shook his head.
With his strength, participating in this kind of challenge is completely a dimensionality reduction blow.
In the unlocking level in the water, when the fat man showed the parchment to Sif, he directly used soul projection, turned into a ghost and passed through the glass jar, copied the answer openly and then opened the lock;
Walking with the Beast and Night of the Dead are even simpler.
Matthew's majesty as a dragon slayer is enough to frighten ordinary beasts, and temporarily instigating a few zombies and ghouls is a piece of cake for his professional counterpart.
No matter what the challenge is for the remaining two projects.
He's probably got it right.
A challenge that completely loses its challenge is naturally no fun.
He is now only interested in the Crown of Earth and Kratos himself.
"There is no need to visit the Mage Tower. I will ask Kratos about the whole story later, and I plan to go shopping elsewhere."
He said to Hood calmly.
Hood glanced at Sif and showed an expression of sudden realization.
At that moment, he raised his hand and removed the soundproof barrier, and threw a few more sound transmission spells:
"Where are the Kratos people!"
"Haven't you found it yet?"
There was a hint of anger in Hood's voice.
After a while.
A guard and the fat man ran over from the corridor in a panic.
The fat man said nervously:
"Mr. Hood, just now Lord Kratos said he was going to VIP Room 3 to talk to another group of contestants, but the people nearby in VIP Room 3 said they had never seen Lord Kratos at all."
"We just searched the theater several times and couldn't find him!"
"He seemed to have suddenly disappeared from the world!"
Hood said angrily:
"Nonsense, how can a good person disappear from the world?"
"How do you manage your theater? Who is responsible for the final reward of this Legend Five Challenge?"
The fat man said tremblingly:
"The final reward of the Legend Challenge has always been discussed and drawn up by Master Kratos and Master Hood..."
"Call that little beast over here!"
Hu De was so angry that his teeth itched.
Not long after.
The young man turned back with a depressed expression.
Apparently he couldn't find Kratos either.
Matthew was not surprised by this result. He had already been prepared for this when he noticed the abnormal source of the Crown of the Earth.
"What exactly is the reward for this challenge?"
"Why not let someone get the final reward?"
Hood asked with a face on his face.
The young man said aggrievedly:
"Kratos is working on the specific details. I remember that the final reward this time is a sapphire, worth about 30,000 gold coins..."
Matthew looked at each other with careful eyes.
The young man didn't seem to be lying.
Just at this moment.
Suddenly someone ran over from outside:
"Master Hood, we found a very strange corpse in Mr. Kratos's office!"
Matthew and Hood looked at each other.
"Let's go take a look."
Hood decisively took the lead.
Matthew pulled Sif and followed him.
A few minutes later.
In a spacious and luxurious office in the theater.
A huge bookshelf was rotated 75 degrees, revealing the secret room inside.
The secret room was cleaned very clean.
There are various torture instruments inside.
There were even some black and red blood stains on the walls of the secret room.
An extremely strange corpse was placed haphazardly in a corner of the secret room.
Matthew just glanced at it, and his eyes became extremely serious.
This corpse has no face, no facial features, and even no gender characteristics!
He checked briefly.
He showed a "Sure enough" expression.
Hood stood beside him, his eyes also full of surprise:
"What's going on with this body?"
"Why does it seem like everything has been taken away by some evil force?"
Matthew nodded slightly:
"All the elements of life have been stripped away."
"If I guess correctly, the Kratos who just talked to me in the VIP room is probably a kaleidoscopic person!"
"The Thousand Changers"!
Hood had obviously heard of this special race.
His face suddenly became very ugly:
"Is it really the Thousand Changers?"
"I have heard some rumors. Some people claim that the bloodline of the Thousand Changers is reviving, but isn't Jia Sliwen still sealed in the Eversong Forest?"
"Is there really a thousand-changer who can perfectly replace one person?"
Matthew shook his head.
At this time, he realized why he always felt that something was wrong with Kratos.
The elements on the other side are simply not coordinated!
If I had used balanced perception at that time, I might have been able to see through the identity of the Thousand Changers in advance!
"Sir, when we found this body, this bookshelf was open to the outside..."
An attendant reported.
Hood's brows furrowed even more.
Matthew nodded slightly:
"He doesn't care at all whether we find out his identity. It's even possible that he let us know on purpose."
"Looking at it this way, Kratos' identity is no longer valuable to the Thousand Changer. He may have become another person."
Hood was a little confused and said:
"Then why is he making such a fuss?"
"First, I used the Crown of Earth to attract you to participate in the challenge, and then dressed up as Kratos to trigger a conflict between you and me?"
"This is too ridiculous, isn't it? Even if there is no friendship between the two of us, it is impossible for two registered mages to have conflicts over this matter?"
Matthew looked thoughtful.
After a moment he muttered:
"Is it possible that his purpose in doing this is not to cause us to have conflicts?"
"He just wants us to meet?"
"Just imagine, if we met in Rapid City, besides inviting me to visit your mage tower, what else would happen between us?"
Hood thought for a while:
"There is a banquet tonight, which was held by the city lord and several of my grandsons to celebrate my success in extending my life. If you are willing to visit my mage tower, I will invite you to the banquet next."
banquet?
Matthew narrowed his eyes:
"Where is the party?"
Hood looked at the young man next to him, who hurriedly said:
"That banquet was prepared by Danny and the others, it has nothing to do with me."
"The banquet was held at a manor owned by the city owner in the Upper East Side. I've only been there once or twice. There were many beautiful women there, but there were also some weird people. I asked about it out of curiosity before, and Danny told me that
They are the disciples raised by the city lord, and I heard they are all warrior monks from the Far East."
"Of course I'm not interested in those bald heads, so I didn't ask more about them."
Matthew and Hood had a quick exchange of opinions.
During this period, he learned that Danny was another grandson of Hood. During Hood's retreat, Danny supported most of the family business and was a rare shrewd and capable talent in the Hood family.
"Lead the way, let's go see the banquet venue!"
Hood scolded.
The young man immediately obeyed.
Matthew looked back at Sif.
He hesitated:
"How about I take you back first?"
Sif gently held his hand and insisted:
"You agreed that you would accompany me this afternoon."
Matthew scratched his head.
At that moment, he recited a spell, quickly summoned the soldier, and ordered him to protect Queen Sif.
The group of people rushed towards the Upper East Side in a hurry.
Inside the theater.
VIP Room No. 3.
Tyrani, the general of the Wind Chaser who had passed three levels in a row, looked impatient:
"what happened?"
"Didn't you agree to arrange the fourth project immediately?"
"Why is there no one there now?"
Beanna pursed her lips and yawned somewhat boredly:
"These projects are not a challenge to you at all, so why do you insist on completing them?"
Terrani said with a look of reminiscence:
"This has something to do with my father and mother. When I was a child..."
However, her words were quickly interrupted by a hurried message:
"General!"
"While we were chasing the remnants of the Silver Frost Brotherhood, we found that they entered a very special manor."
"According to our investigation, the owner of the manor seems to be the city lord of Rapids City!"
"What should we do next?"
Telani was slightly startled:
"How could the city lord of Rapids be related to people from the Silver Frost Brotherhood?"
"Are you sure you read it correctly?"
The wood elf replied:
"Without a doubt!"
"And we also found a few suspicious monks nearby..."
Telani suddenly stood up.
He said to Biana:
"I'll take you back to camp."
Beanna bit her lip:
"I thought I was already a qualified Elf Sword Chant."
Telani thought for a while:
"Then follow me closely."
"It shouldn't be such a big problem."
Said.
The group of people left the VIP room one after another.
…
A few minutes later.
In a palatial manor on the Upper East Side.
A crow flew quickly over the manor.
The scenery inside the manor is panoramic.
Matthew blinked.
The information on the data bar is beating rapidly.
…
"Hint: You discovered Rose Manor.
Warning: You have discovered several members of the "Shadow Fists"!
Shadow Fist: A monk organization from the Far East, notorious for its arrogance and lewdness, and its evil deeds. They believe in the evil Queen Barbassa...
Warning: You have discovered the "Devil's Labyrinth", a ritual site from the abyss!"