Chapter 248: Terms of Compromise: Thotmudo’s Agreement
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“Can you both pause for a moment? 1 have some questions I want to ask you.”
Ji Chen’s words caused Elin and Thotmudo to stop. After all, Ji Chen was the first person to arrive here in thousands of years, and he was their only hope of escaping, so they showed him respect.
Elin quickly spoke, “Feel free to ask any questions. As long as it helps me get out of this d.a.m.n place.”
Seeing this, Ji Chen nodded and voiced his curiosity, “What are the reasons that led to you being confined in this place? Or what crimes led to your imprisonment here?”
“Prison?” Elin raised her eyebrows, surprised. “Where did you hear that? This place is far from being a prison! It’s a workshop where that d.a.m.ned pervert keeps experimental subjects. It’s an experimental facility!
Metal cages hold us captive, continuously draining our energy to maintain and reinforce the seals. After thousands of years, instead of weakening, the seals have only grown stronger. It’s inhumane!
More importantly, 1 didn’t even do anything wrong! At most, I just exchanged a few words with that pervert and got locked up here! Just a few words, and they imprisoned me for thousands of years!! How is this fair?!”
Elin’s emotions escalated as she spoke, her face showing a mix of frustration and innocence, revealing the weight of her grievances.
Listening to her, Ji Chen was somewhat taken aback.
Being imprisoned for just exchanging a few words? That was truly harsh.
“And what about Thotmudo?”
Upon hearing this, the dwarf Thotmudo spoke in a subdued tone, “I didn’t do much either, just stole a few materials from that pervert.”
Though Thotmudo’s expression was similarly filled with grievance, Ji Chen had a feeling that the so-called “materials” were not ordinary things.
“Who is this pervert you’re talking about?”
“A perverted old lich of the worst kind! The creatures and races imprisoned here, aside from a small number who were innocently caught, are all its experimental subjects and materials.”
Hissing-
Ji Chen was familiar with liches, a highly advanced type of undead creature. Each lich was a formidable spellcaster of the undead, possessing great expertise in experiments, alterations, and dark rituals.
Ji Chen gestured toward the monstrous bug in the distance.
“What is that thing?”
“That’s a hatchling of a Void Crawler, capable of freely navigating the Void. Its vitality is extremely robust. It was here when we arrived and is currently in a dormant state.”
Moving through the Void without constraints?
Ji Chen’s gaze became somewhat awed. The Void was utterly unsuitable for the existence of living beings, teeming with void fissures and vortices. A single misstep could lead to being engulfed and torn apart.
Even as a hatchling, the Void Crawler was dozens of meters long. Ji Chen couldn’t help but wonder how terrifying it would be in its mature form.
“And what about that creature with wings and a serpent tail?”
“I know!”
Thotmudo chimed in this time, despite Elin glaring at him fiercely. He didn’t seem to mind and continued, “It’s called Selim Angel.
It’s a Sea Naga with a mutated bloodline. It had been imprisoned here long before we arrived, likely for tens of thousands of years. About three hundred years ago, it chose to enter a deep slumber to slow the loss of its life force.” Sea Naga?
Did that have some connection with the Naga Berserker?
Ji Chen nodded in understanding.
However, even so, he was still deeply shocked.
Being able to capture and imprison 79th-level epic-tier Elin, along with 78th-level epic-tier Thotmudo, as well as so many formidable and intimidating creatures, the strength required for such an act is truly unimaginable.
What concerned him the most was whether the lich was still alive.
If it found out that its experimental facility had been invaded, wouldn’t it imprison Ji Chen here as well?
Thinking about this, he couldn’t help but shiver.
When he raised this question, Elin and Thotmudo waved their hands dismissively. “That perverted lich hasn’t appeared since imprisoning us here. Maybe it has already died outside. After all, even a powerful lich wouldn’t want to abandon so many experimental subjects.”
Ji Chen found their explanation quite reasonable.
In addition to the Void Crawler and the Sea Naga, within the numerous metal cages present here, with only about a dozen being empty, there were also dozens of curious creatures and races confined in various conditions.
It must have taken considerable effort and time for the lich to capture them all.
After much contemplation, Ji Chen spoke with a thoughtful tone, raising his head and looking determined. “How can 1 save you?”
Upon hearing this, Elin and Thotmudo’s eyes lit up, their faces filled with boundless joy.
They quickly responded, “Deeper within lies the lich’s central laboratory, where the control mechanisms for the metal cages and the sealing mechanisms are located.
However, before releasing the seal, you must deactivate the automatic defense array left behind by the lich. Otherwise, both you, and us, who are currently weakened, will be killed by the array…”
Suppressing their excitement and exhilaration, Elin calmly recounted the details as best as she could.
Seeing the opportunity to break free from their cages and gain the long-awaited freedom, Elin and Thotmudo, despite their high-level strength, appeared much like ordinary people.
The longer their lifespans, the more they felt despair in this seemingly endless imprisonment.
Ji Chen nodded, firmly capturing all the details that Elin had shared in his memory..