Chapter 251: Chapter 252: Divine Artifact Fragment? Is This Thing For Real? (5200 words mini chapter)

“Divine Artifact??”

Glancing at Yul’s fearful demeanor before him, Lide swiftly detached himself from the greed that the mention of a divine artifact had inspired and regained his composure in the shortest time possible, his eyes narrowing slightly.

He didn’t have a comprehensive understanding of the goblin race, relying only on the data collected by the Crimson Moon analysis department and the messages from Grote to gain a general understanding of the race.

This race, famed for its intelligence and proud arrogance, had received the news of a legendary divine artifact and rather than zealously guarding it, chose to use it as a bargaining chip in exchange?

Lide’s keen instincts made him sense that there was something more complex beneath the surface.

Right now, he was in an absolutely dominant position, holding the initiative that the goblins could not resist.

In such a circumstance, the goblins chose to reveal their trump card, which was too foolish.

They hadn’t even started the negotiations yet, and they were already putting all their cards on the table. Did they want to play games??

Was this a conspiracy? Or was it the goblin’s own initiative? Or was it some unfathomable, mysterious existence testing him?

Lide’s gaze flickered uncertainly, and his expression gradually turned somewhat colder.

And at this moment, the goblin Yul Grey Mountain, under Lide’s intense scrutiny, had sweat dripping down his face like rain, swallowing his saliva incessantly.

He felt as though he had caught the attention of a giant dragon.

With the slightest mistake, he feared he would immediately be devoured by the evil dragon before him.

In his mind, Yul recalled all the terrifying legends about Lord Ilo, and his fear was magnified countless times by this particular context.

In the dimly lit hall, with the flickering light from the magic lamps and candles, the massive crimson war painting on the wall behind Lide with his sharp fangs lent him an extremely mysterious and terrifying air.

In this setting, Yul, feeling alone and helpless, with meager strength and no bargaining chips or confidence, found his legs uncontrollably trembling.

After what seemed like an entire Frost Month, Yul finally heard the voice of the one sitting in the seat of honor, so powerful as to be incalculable, speak.

“Yul Grey Mountain, tell me the goblins’ plans, why would goblins seek aid from the Dark Contract?

And I want to know about the divine artifact,” Lide demanded with an electrifying gaze, leaving no room for doubt.

Yul jerked as if shocked, and his small figure rose to his feet, the not-so-tall oval-shaped table reaching his chin.

After forcefully suppressing the panic within him and speaking with a semblance of fervor, “Your Excellency, because you are Lord Ilo, the revered Transcendent above all in Green City’s underworld!!”

The weak worship the strong and seek the protection of the powerful; this unchanging rule of Glory was well established, and with a Legend Level as high as 10 points, Transcendent Lord Ilo was clearly revered by the goblin to this extent.

“The Grey Mountain Clan can only survive with the protection of a Transcendent… We have been surrounded in Risier City by an army of hundreds of thousands of Beastmen, and they have the powerful Bimong!!

In Green City, no one but you can save the goblins and Risier City…”

This reason seemed plausible, and Lide nodded slightly.

He was now Ilo, certified as Transcendent by Wales, the level 19 Heart-eating Demon with half-demon bloodline.

With his Legend Level now as high as 10 points, whether or not he was involved in Green City’s underworld, anyone except the common populace had heard tales about Lord Ilo.

Even the wandering minstrels sang of the Dark Contract’s chairman as a mysterious and powerful Transcendent.

This was the benefit of Legend Level; the higher the Legend Level, the more easily his name would be sung and remembered.

In Glory, only powerful heroes or evil, terrifying Dark Bosses were likely to be known by a large number of commoners and professionals, their fame was synonymous with terrifying strength.

To assess if a native was powerful, one only needed to confirm if the minstrels were singing his name; further questioning was unnecessary.

Of course, there were those like Lide who operated subtly and remained undercover despite being at the top, but generally speaking, this method was quite reliable.

“Why didn’t you seek help from Lord Rock?” Lide’s eyes narrowed slightly, his suspicion not assuaged by the flattery, Rock Hart, the only Transcendent being in Green City.

Yul shook his head with a somewhat disheartened expression.

“Lord Rock declined the goblins’ request for aid; I couldn’t even meet him. The Undead in the North have taken up most of Lord Rock’s attention, moreover… the Nolan Empire’s pact with the Beastmen, it seems Lord Rock has no intention of breaking it…

The goblins have to rely on themselves now…”

Lide nodded slightly, understanding that for the Nolan Empire, it didn’t matter how the Beastmen approached, but they were not to use high-end force.

The common people on the borderlands are worthless in the eyes of the great nobles; only the land matters, something they must control. These nobles may never cultivate the land of the borderlands in their lifetimes, but this does not hinder their desire to dominate.

This is also why the Beastmen only raid and never occupy the territory of the Nolan Empire.

Because the Beastmen clearly know, even if they were to occupy the land of the Nolan Empire, they would not be able to hold it.

At this critical moment, the Undead to the north are humanity’s natural enemy; as long as the Beastmen don’t go too far, Green City is almost unable to extend their hands against them, as the annual invasions have long since numbed Green City.

Lide shook his head.

The weak never have the power to control their destinies.

A goblin with what it thought was a generous bargaining chip went in but couldn’t even see a Transcendent face, one can imagine how great the blow was.

That he could find him was perhaps because, apart from being an “Extraordinary” existence, there is also a chance he might take action.

After all, no one could ignore a Divine Artifact like the Twelve Magic Scrolls. The more high-end the life is in power, the more they aspire to high-end items like Divine Artifacts,

Because only existences above the Transcendent can truly unleash the power of Divine Artifacts; below the Transcendent, holding a Divine Artifact only allows for the use of very superficial powers.

Seeing that Lide was not speaking anymore, Yul felt his heart jumping to his throat.

Although he knew there was great risk in seeking an audience with the Dark Life, if he came there might only be his death, but if he did not come, the entire Grey Mountain Clan, numbering thousands, would all perish under the Tusks of the Beastmen.

The Grey Mountain Clan had no choice left.

“Very well, goblin from the Grey Mountain Clan, I find your reasoning acceptable.

Now, tell me what you know about the whereabouts of the Divine Artifacts.”

Lide did not talk about what reward they should ask for after saving the goblins; he was straightforward in his questioning.

He held the upper hand, and now the goblin had no choice—negotiation? Sorry, the goblin didn’t even have the qualifications to sit at the negotiation table.

Yul, who seemed to be prepared for this, did not hesitate and directly said, “Lord Ilo, the Divine Artifact is within the Underworld…”

Lide raised his eyebrows, looking at the small creature with green skin and large eyes with some puzzlement.

“The Underworld, the one you live in?? Wasn’t it occupied by Beastmen?”

“No,” Yul shook his head, “Our territory is just part of the Underworld…

Hundreds of years ago, the Grey Mountain Clan once lived in a vast expanse of the Underworld.

But the Underworld was too dangerous, and our race constantly faced destruction.

So, in search of a new path, the Grey Mountain Clan spent a full three hundred years.

Finally, we found the Land of Hope.

Yes, that’s now our territory, the Underworld occupied by the Beastmen,” Yul said, his expression slightly downcast,

“We followed the edge of the Underworld and found a passage to our current territory.”

Lide’s expression grew stranger. Why did it feel like things were getting more complicated? But he did not interrupt Yul, letting him continue.

“Although we live in the Land of Hope, every year we would use that passage to go back to the Underworld for trade… Day after day, over the years, the Grey Mountain Clan grew from a few dozen members to five thousand.

However, we could never avoid a crisis, and ten years ago, a Black Dragon that suddenly emerged from the swamp disrupted our life.”

Swamp? Black Dragon?!

Hearing these two attributes, Lide stood up sharply, his eyes sharp as blades, staring at Yul.

“Are you sure it was a Black Dragon from the swamp?? Does a One-eyed Giant Tribe known as the Thunder Tribe live by the swamp?”

Yul shuddered at Lide’s icy gaze, stuttering, “I’m sorry, Lord Ilo,

The Muddy Swamp is too vast; the Grey Mountain Clan has only explored a very small area, we have not heard of the existence of One-eyed Giants…”

Only then did Lide retract his startling gaze and slowly sat down, but his mood had already changed somewhat.

He had not expected the goblins to possibly have a connection with the Underworld where Koso resides; the information here seemed complex.

Slender fingers reached out, tapping lightly on the tabletop, “Continue.”

Yul finally snapped out of Lide’s imposing presence and hurriedly continued speaking.

“At the time, the Grey Mountain Clan was excavating an Ancient Ruins left behind by the goblins, where a great number of Ancient Alchemy Items appeared.

We were extremely excited and were just about to claim the ruins when the Clan Leader unearthed a magic scroll that seemed to be made of sheepskin material…”

At this point, Yul’s eyes flashed with an irrepressible greed.

“The Twelve Magic Scrolls, those were the Ancient Runes inscribed on them!

The aura shimmering from that scroll caused a terrifying Magic Tide to appear around us, and the Clan Leader who held the scroll went straight from Level 13 to Level 15!!”

Yul’s voice grew more intense, “It was an epic scene, the great Grey Mountain Clan, while excavating the Ancient Goblin Ruins, found the legendary Twelve Magic Scrolls, and their Clan Leader obtained the power bestowed by a Divine Artifact, leaping into the ranks of the strong in an instant!!”

But, just as Lide was about to ask further, Yul’s voice suddenly dropped, like an opera shifting abruptly from a climax to a downturn.

“Regrettably, the aura of the mysterious scroll was too exaggerated, which alarmed a Black Dragon that happened to be out hunting… Undoubtedly, we were defeated.

The goblins of the Grey Mountain Clan had no power to resist the giant dragon… The magic scroll that gave the Clan Leader such great power was also taken by the giant dragon, who then began a brutal slaughter.

Five thousand clansfolk… only a thousand remained after half a day had passed.

If it wasn’t for the Clan Leader finding the core of the Ancient Ruins and activating the Teleportation Array, perhaps the Grey Mountain Goblins would have been wiped out by the Black Dragon.

And when we returned to the Grey Mountain territory, whether because the core of the Ancient Ruins had been activated, resulting in its self-destruction and causing a severe earthquake, the passage from Grey Mountain leading to the Underworld was destroyed…

The Grey Mountain Clan also lost contact with the Underworld.”

After hearing the cause of it all, Lide finally nodded with some realization.

“So, this is why you later cooperated with Risier City?”

A few traces of gratitude appeared in Yul’s large black eyes,

“Yes, my lord, deprived of the underground passage, the Grey Mountain Clan lost all supplies. In just two years, we almost faced extinction.

At that time, the young Andabella City Lord entered our territory, and that astute young lady won the friendship of the Grey Mountain Clan with her scholarly wisdom.

In return, we exchanged Alchemy Bombs and various alchemy items for food and supplies… City Lord Andabella is a friend of the goblins, so I earnestly request Lord Ilo to help City Lord Andabella.”

Having finally unraveled the sequence of events, Lide felt a mix of emotions.

“Do you know the strength of that Black Dragon? Where is it now?”

Yul shook his head, “No one knows where the Black Dragon’s lair is, the Mire Swamps are too vast…”

After hearing this, Lide couldn’t help but feel somewhat disappointed, but he didn’t dwell on it too much. Black Dragons, the Underworld, these weren’t within Dawn City’s reach to explore just yet; he needed time to develop further.

“How can I be sure that the message about the Divine Artifact is true? If you only have such pointless news, then it’s meaningless to me.”

Hearing Lide’s interrogation, Yul turned pale, clenched his teeth, and suddenly, a piece the size of a thumb appeared in his hand.

“Lord Ilo, this is a corner that the Clan Leader tore off from the scroll before the Black Dragon took the Twelve Magic Scrolls…”

Lide’s eyes lit up when he saw this. He wasn’t interested in some corner, but rather, this goblin actually possessed Space Equipment??

That was exceedingly rare.

As for that thumb-sized piece that resembled a grey sheepskin scroll, Lide didn’t pay it any mind. If it were a Divine Artifact, how could it possibly be torn off by a goblin? Was this some kind of joke?

Taking the piece from Yul’s hands, he began to examine its attributes with an air of nonchalance.

Mysterious Fragment

Attached attribute: Restores 10 Magic Power per second when worn, immune to all Investigation Skills below Legendary level, immune to Mind Control, and reduces Magic backlash by 50%.

Introduction: Appears to be an insignificant fragment from the corner of a Divine Artifact.

What the hell?? Some kind of international joke? This unimpressive-looking scrap of paper is actually a piece of a Divine Artifact???

Lide’s eyes were about to pop out.

This was utterly absurd. How could a weak goblin tear off a piece of a Divine Artifact?? If one had the power to damage a Divine Artifact, why not go slay the dragon directly?

This was too strange.

So outlandish that even if a fragment of a Divine Artifact were laid before Lide, he would find it difficult to accept.

Originally, he just wanted to bring the goblins back to Dawn City to have them make bombs for the Magic Language Bats, aiming to enhance Dawn City’s Air Force strength.

But now, suddenly tying in the Twelve Magic Scrolls, more ludicrous was that a little goblin had actually produced a fragment of a Divine Artifact.

It was too dreamlike and absurd.

This sudden major twist really complicated the emotions of Lide, who was totally unprepared for it.

Of course, Lide naturally pocketed the fragment of Divine Artifact, which restored 10 Magic Power every second when worn; such a powerful attribute he would not let pass, as for any objections the goblin might have… he believed they wouldn’t have any either.

Thrilled with his loot, Lide’s mood greatly improved, getting such a powerful piece of equipment for nothing, simply wonderful.

“Is this the only piece?” he asked the diminutive goblin in front of him, throwing in an extra question.

But unexpectedly, Yul shook his head, “Lord Ilo, there is another piece twice the size of this one, presently in the hands of our Clan Leader.

All of it will belong to you, as long as you can rescue the Grey Mountain Tribe.”

Cough cough, Lide nearly choked on his saliva, does it ever end? You’re already pushing it by tearing off a chunk from a Divine Artifact, but to tear off two?!

Could it be that I’ve entered the wrong world? Since when did Divine Artifacts, which are said to be indestructible by any forces less than the Divine, tear as easily as paper?

It’s simply unfathomable…

But this did not interfere with Lide’s plans.

After a brief moment of astonishment, his expression changed, filled with a righteous indignation, as if the Beastmen had committed an unforgivable crime.

“I’ve always had a fondness for goblins, this smart and wise race deserves the respect of all.

And those damned Beastmen to dare to bully Risier City and harm the brave goblins.

Dark Contract will not stand idly by!”

After finishing, he looked at the excited Yul without waiting for a reply, eyes narrowing slightly as if offhandedly saying, “Yul, it seems that goblins are particularly adept at making Alchemy Bombs?

I’ve heard from Grot that goblin Alchemy Bombs are as esteemed as Dwarf Forging by all races of Glory.”

Upon hearing this, Yul’s eyes instantly lit up, and he began to warm up greatly to Lide.

Equating goblin Alchemy Bombs with Dwarf-forged weapons was the highest of praise.

“Your discerning eyes are enough to draw the praise of the Life Goddess, Lord Ilo, indeed, only goblins can make the most powerful Alchemy Bombs, unsurpassed by anyone…”

His tone carried a hint of pride.

Lide’s smile grew even brighter.

The Divine Artifact Fragment could directly enhance his strength, while Alchemy Bombs could improve the foundations of Dawn City.

Both were valuable items.

Children make choices; he, naturally, wanted it all.

“Very well, Yul, I believe this crisis will not pose a threat to the long history of the Grey Mountain Clan; perhaps this is a new beginning for the Grey Mountain Tribe.

Now, we need to devise a plan to rescue your tribesmen, and I hope to save every single one,” because losing even one would cause him pain.

“Yul, trust me, you will not regret your choice today…”

Yul finally heard the promise he had hoped for, had he not put all his chips in from the beginning for this very assurance?

“Lord Ilo, your character and virtue are the most noble in this world, comparable to the moon, and the most worthy of respect and worship by goblins.

Yul Grey Mountain sincerely praises you, you are our hope, the eternal sun~”

Lide looked at the excited goblin, his expression filled with pleasure.

Indeed, the smart goblins are the most honest people in this world.

Praise the Goddess.

Unwittingly, Yul had sold himself and was even happy to pay the very human trafficker who had sold him, grinning like a child at the moment.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated on N𝘰vgo.co