CHAPTER 399: A MOUNTAIN

Daniel stood on the flying ship, gazing into the distance. From the corner of his eye, he glanced at the two commanders the Lionheart family had sent along.

Both of them were peak Rank A, heavily equipped with powerful items and gear, clearly prepared for any possible variables.

Since the beginning of the journey, neither of them had spoken a single word. Each stood or sat apart from the other, keeping their distance.

This left Daniel a little confused. Why was there such a cold atmosphere between the two? Weren’t they both from the same family?

The way they acted, they seemed more like members of two families with a blood feud.

In the end, he found no answer, only letting out a sigh before dropping the thought. He remained standing there, staring at the horizon.

He too had made his own preparations for this trip. Just to be safe, he had left Rynor behind at Andreas’s palace, so that if something happened, he could escape using Fallen Step.

He had also figured out how to use Fallen Step to take one other person along with him. That way, he could bring Ilaris with him if needed.

While lost in thought, one of the commanders quietly approached him and greeted him.

"Pleasure to meet you. My name is Frederick."

"Oh? Hello. I don’t think I need to introduce myself," Daniel replied with a smile. He hadn’t expected one of the commanders to suddenly approach him.

"That’s right. Even though you’ve only been in the family for a short time, your reputation has already spread almost everywhere," Frederick nodded.

"Well, can I ask why you came over? I didn’t think either of you were the social type," Daniel asked curiously.

"Well, I was a bit bored, and I also wanted to meet the ally of young lord Andreas. I’m one of the people who pledged loyalty to him and agreed to stand by his side."

"Oh? Interesting. I didn’t think he had other allies besides me," Daniel smiled.

"When he returned home a few months ago, he had changed a lot. He went to all the commanders, trying to gain their support. At the time, everyone but me rejected him," Frederick explained with a smile.

"And why did you accept?"

"Because his father asked me. The Patriarch told me to serve his son. When I asked why, he didn’t answer—he just said I wouldn’t regret it. And it seems his words were right."

Daniel raised his eyebrows at that. He hadn’t expected this. Did that mean Andreas was truly valued in his father’s eyes? But why?

And more importantly, why was this man telling him all of this?

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because right now we’re on the same side. More importantly, I wanted you to trust me," Frederick answered.

"Trust you in what way?"

"That other commander sitting over there is one of young lord Tormyn’s subordinates. Something might happen during this trip. Please be careful."

In truth, there was more that Frederick didn’t say. For one, he was one of the most loyal commanders directly under the Patriarch, and his true mission was to investigate the Corruption Worshipers’ involvement with the Lionheart family.

That was also part of why he had joined this trip. He had already discovered some things, but before reporting, he needed to be sure.

Daniel didn’t reply further. Instead, his gaze shifted to the other commander, keeping his attention on him the entire time.

Their journey took about three hours in total before they finally arrived at their destination: a barren mountain range surrounded by nothing but sand and desert for hundreds of kilometers.

They stopped nearby, releasing their auras to announce their presence. As expected, it didn’t take long before several figures appeared in the distance, approaching them.

Daniel frowned slightly as he saw them. They wore the same robes and carried the same aura as the Corruption Worshipers he had faced before. In fact, he even felt a strange sense of nostalgia.

"You must be the envoys of the Lionheart family," one of the Corruption Worshipers said gruffly.

"That’s right. We’re here to deliver what you asked for and to take back the ones we came for," Frederick stepped forward and answered.

"Don’t rush. Come with us," another of the Corruption Worshipers said before turning and flying toward the mountain.

Daniel, Frederick, and the other commander exchanged glances before following after them. As they neared the mountain, they could see an entrance.

Following the Corruption Worshipers inside, they discovered that within the mountain, an entire large base had been built. Arrays covered the place—both hiding it and protecting it.

They climbed stairs and were led into a massive hall. The hall wasn’t overly luxurious, but it wasn’t plain either.

Instead, it was filled with the symbols and emblems of the Corruption Worshipers, along with statues of some of the most powerful corrupted beasts that had ever appeared.

Overall, it was unsettling.

"Wait here. Our leader will come to meet you shortly," one of the Corruption Worshipers said before leaving with the others.

"Who would’ve thought they built themselves a base inside a mountain? Who knows how many more mountains hide something like this," Frederick muttered, the thought alone terrifying.

But Daniel frowned at his words. He realized that the Corruption Worshipers had no reason to reveal this place to them. On the contrary, they had every reason to keep it hidden.

Yet they had shown it to them so casually.

’I hope I’m just being paranoid,’ he thought.

From the moment he had stepped inside, he had activated his spiritual senses to gauge the strongest Corruption Worshipers here.

But one of the arrays blocked his senses completely. Still, from what he could sense, the ones who had brought them here were only peak Rank B.

If they were lucky, and the strongest here was only peak Rank A, then there would be nothing to worry about.

Before long, the doors to the hall opened, and four figures entered—one of them a girl, an elf.

"Ilaris?"