Chapter 47: Open and Honest

The road was becoming increasingly difficult. Since the first wave of enemies appeared, Leon and his group had already encountered three waves of attacks in just three short hours.

These attacks, like before, all ambushed them from underground, with each wave consisting of about thirty to forty people.

Along the way, Leon and his team suffered quite a bit, and even two of the Seven Knights IV had been damaged and deformed.

Fortunately, Victor and Leon turned the corpses into undead, making them follow underneath the Seven Knights IV, so when ambushed, they would be the first to engage the enemies, serving as both meat shields and cannon fodder.

Under these conditions, they were able to fight more easily, without suffering too many losses.

Of course, Lady Ember and her team didn't want to continue fighting like this indefinitely. After all, aside from Leon and Victor, whose powers could improve with each battle, the rest of the team would experience some form of depletion.

One or two days would be fine—they could recover through cooking or other methods—but over time, even with the Seven Knights IV, they wouldn't be able to relax.

So, after breaking through three lines of defense, Lady Ember controlled the Seven Knights IV to change direction, heading down another path. Soon, a visibly fortified base was slowly left behind in the distance.

For the rest of the time, Leon and his team remained on the Seven Knights IV. Whether day or night, the machine continued its slow but steady movement under Lady Ember's control.

As days passed, Leon could no longer tell where he was. He couldn’t even remember how many waves of enemies they had faced. He only knew they fought at least three times a day, sometimes five or six, and that the number of undead following beneath the Seven Knights IV had surpassed a hundred, with their strength almost beyond his control.

Finally, at that moment, the Seven Knights IV came to a halt. Leon, who had been studying vibration ratios, sensed that they hadn't encountered a fight. He set down the chicken bones he had been working with and stepped out of the internal cabin. It was then that he realized they had reached the "shore."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

After spending so many days on Storm Islands, Leon had learned about its geography. Despite being called an archipelago, the map was actually of a large continent, with wide rivers dividing the landmasses.

Since the rivers were so vast, from the sky, the continent appeared as if submerged in water, which is why the map referred to the area as an archipelago.

However, as the map's grade deteriorated and its energy was fully drained, the rivers gradually disappeared, replaced by quicksand rivers.

These quicksand rivers expanded, and in some places, they stretched as far as the eye could see, their edges completely obscured. Standing at the edge of the quicksand river, it wasn’t hard to mistake it for the sea.

After stopping the Seven Knights IV, Lady Ember gathered all the players together. For the first time, she spread the map before them and said solemnly, "We've almost reached the first location. Now, let me explain our plan. Although we have the Seven Knights IV, where we’re headed isn’t somewhere it can reach, so we’ll need to transfer a few times."

As she spoke, Lady Ember pointed at the map and explained, "Not far from here, within the quicksand river, lies an abandoned forward base. I’ve confirmed that this base is a branch of the ancient laboratory we’re searching for, so there must be a way to return to the ancient laboratory from here.

I can confidently tell you that this ancient laboratory is where the Seven Knights IV prototype was researched.

Once we reach the ancient laboratory, we can rest for three to five days. There, you’ll find some information that you’ll want. As for what else you can find, that depends on your abilities.

Afterward, we’ll use the teleportation array at the ancient laboratory to travel to the territory of one of the Seven Lords.

Only in the Seven Lords' territory can we find a map or a method leading to the Princess’s Tomb.

In the end, our sole objective is the Princess’s Tomb. The Seven Knights prototype I want is hidden there. Of course, if you have the skills, I won’t stop you from taking other prototypes."

At this point, Lady Ember folded the map and cast a serious glance at the players. "I've explained it in great detail. Do any of you have any questions?"

Lady Ember's explanation was thorough, and the players all nodded silently in agreement.

At this moment, Leon finally understood why Lady Ember had spent so much time searching for two Seven Knights IV units in the beginning. It seemed the Seven Knights IV was the only way to access the forward base or use it to reach the ancient laboratory, not merely a transport tool for the journey.

Otherwise, with their strength, the ten days they had already spent would have been more than enough to walk here.

While considering this, Lady Ember approached Victor. "Victor, when we enter the quicksand river later, release all your undead. This is the most dangerous area, full of unknown creatures. The Seven Knights IV can’t afford any losses, so we’ll need the cannon fodder to scout ahead."

Victor nodded firmly. "Rest assured, Lady Ember. Although we’re not necromancers and these undead aren’t our elite forces, we can definitely send them in as cannon fodder."

"Good. That’s all I needed to hear. Let’s rest for a bit longer, then go get a battle meal from Lynn to replenish your energy. We’ll set off at dawn."

With that, Lady Ember patted Victor on the shoulder and walked away without speaking to Leon.

Leon learned of the plan from Victor. He had no objections and continued practicing his skills in silence.

After another hour or so, the Seven Knights IV began moving again. Victor leaped onto the Seven Knights IV - Adrian Solis, while Leon, under Lynn’s arrangement, boarded the Seven Knights IV - Dorian Sandshade.

Unlike the previous period, this time Leon didn’t stay inside the internal cabin of the Seven Knights IV. Instead, he stood atop the control hub, a place usually reserved for two operators.

It was his first time standing here since the completion of the Seven Knights IV. Compared to the ten times he had used summoning spells before, standing here now gave him a better view, as if he were standing at the bow of a ship, commanding its direction.

At the same time, three red arrows appeared in front of Leon, indicating the control system of the Seven Knights IV. Every three minutes, the system would automatically analyze three possible routes, and the player controlling the Seven Knights IV only needed to choose which path to take.