My queen is rebelling!

Cohen's voice startled the women. Except for Winsadele, the other ladies looked puzzled.

Freya's soft voice asked:

"What... what is 'Calamity Water'?"

Asuna and the others also looked inquiringly.

The elf glared at Cohen, gently patted her ample chest, and with lingering fear, explained:

"'Calamity Water' is the tear of the Goddess of Calamity.

Legend says the Goddess of Calamity's husband was seduced by a beautiful girl and betrayed her.

The Goddess of Calamity cried for three days and three nights.

She cried until she went blind, and later she cursed her tears.

Any woman who comes into contact with her tears will turn into an ugly monster.

The more beautiful the woman, the greater the power of the curse."

Hearing Winsadele's explanation, all the female companions showed expressions of fear.

Even for the most powerful women, their beautiful faces were always their most precious possessions.

Nefthys complained:

"Sir, you're doing this on purpose. You must have known that the stream here is disguised as 'Calamity Water', but you deliberately didn't tell us.

You just let us get our hopes up for nothing."

Cohen looked helpless:

"Isn't it your reaction that's too strange? You're all transcendents, do you still need clean water to clean your bodies?"

Cohen instantly felt countless malicious gazes shooting from behind.

Winsadele stared at the stream in the distance for a long time and asked:

"Is this a formation?

Why didn't I feel anything unusual at all?

Is my perception also distorted by the rules here?"

Cohen pointed at Freya, signaling her to follow him, and explained as he walked:

"It's not that mysterious. The rules can only change living things.

This is a 'Phantom Mechanism'. A portion of the Goddess of Calamity's divine duty is illusion, and her Calamity Water is blocked by a trace of phantom divine power.

It's normal that Your Excellency couldn't see it."

Winsadele slightly curled her lips, wanting to ask how he saw it.

Cohen didn't give her a chance to ask and said directly:

"As for me, I read the notes of an adventurer who had been to 'Starfall Valley', so I have some understanding of the situation here."

Cohen wasn't lying, except that this "adventurer" was a player from his previous life, and the notes were posted on the game forum.

Cohen led Freya to stop five meters away from the stream and said to the latter:

The 'Phantom Divine Power' has no offensive power. It only confuses your eyes and perception.

Therefore, when you break the formation, you must force yourself to imagine a thing or a person.

Don't be deceived by any illusions, no matter how realistic they are!"

Freya calmed down and thought for a while, and the figure of her father appeared in her mind.

However, it was quickly replaced by a young and handsome face.

The king's status, powerful strength, and extensive knowledge still brought great shock to the sorceress's heart.

Seeing that Freya was a little distracted, Cohen waved his hand in front of her eyes and said:

"Don't get distracted. Later, you will use the extraordinary power inherent in the [Mechanism Sorcerer] to activate the mechanism on the opposite side.

Walk straight in, and you can find the core of the mechanism when you reach the end."

Freya came back to her senses, her face slightly red, and nodded heavily:

"Don't worry, sir, I will definitely not let you down!"

Cohen smiled and said:

"Don't put so much pressure on yourself. I believe you can do it.

Remember, no matter what happens in front of you, even if it's an abyss or a mountain of knives and a sea of fire, you must keep walking."

After speaking, Cohen subtly winked at Nefthys in the distance.

The latter immediately understood, and soon, a spiritual channel was established between Cohen and Freya.

Cohen's low voice sounded in Freya's mind:

"Don't show anything unusual. After you crack the core of the mechanism, a dark black circular coin may appear inside.

Put it away and don't tell anyone.

Remember, from the time the core of the mechanism is broken to the appearance of the coin, there are only three seconds, be sure to grasp it."

The spiritual channel was cut off, and Nefthys's face was also slightly pale.

Building such a long-distance spiritual transmission channel was still a bit difficult for her, who was only at the second level.

Freya had completely regained her composure, her small face tense, her eyes focused on the stream in the distance.

She waved her small hand, and a faint blue magic power escaped from her body.

She pointed remotely at the stream in the distance, and a beam of azure light shot straight over.

With a buzzing sound.

The originally calm stream instantly boiled, the ground trembled slightly, and a strange magic wave spread around like ripples.

Immediately afterwards, a dark, narrow passage appeared directly above the stream, as if an endless void had been forcibly torn open.

The darkness was as thick as ink, swallowing the radiance cast by the red stars in the sky.

Before Cohen could speak again, Freya took a deep breath and stepped firmly into the passage.

Cohen's face showed surprise,

Although Freya was young, she perfectly inherited her father's perseverance and decisiveness.

When "Demon Fear" made his move just now, he could see that this little girl's willpower was extraordinary.

Originally, it was a favor to win over Arnold, but Freya gave him enough surprises.

Cohen turned his gaze to Arnold, whose body was tense, and said in a low voice:

"You can't protect her for the rest of her life.

Don't worry, the Phantom Mechanism is not lethal. If she really fails, she will just be a little frightened."

Arnold nodded silently, his eyes still nervously watching the passage.

Winsadele seemed to have noticed Nefthys and Cohen's small movements just now, and raised her eyebrows slightly:

"Do we have to crack this mechanism to continue moving forward?"

Cohen replied with a hint of apology:

"Not necessarily, it's just that my team member has just become a [Mechanism Sorcerer].

She doesn't have any practical experience, and it's rare to encounter a mechanism that isn't lethal.

Let her try it out.

It won't take too long."

Ifeel O said:

"Team Leader, you are too polite. Actually, it's also the first time I've seen a [Mechanism Sorcerer]. It's a rare experience to witness a [Mechanism Sorcerer] cracking a mechanism."

Ifeel O was now completely convinced by Cohen. He was now calculating how to do it after the "Starfall Valley" trip ended.

Bring this powerful adventure team to his family.

Yes, powerful.

Although Cohen was only at the third level, and the strongest in their team was only at the fourth level, in Ifeel O's heart, they were the most powerful.

Ifeel O was already convinced that the reputation of this adventure team would shock the continent sooner or later.

Rather than waiting for them to become truly powerful before trying to get close, it was better to invest now while they were still rising.

Leaving aside Ifeel O's inner calculations, soon, the dark passage that everyone was watching suddenly trembled, and then disappeared without warning.

Seeing this scene, Arnold's face instantly showed worry, but Cohen smiled and said:

"Don't panic, Freya has already succeeded.

What an amazing child!"

Hearing Cohen's words, everyone gradually put their hearts back in their stomachs.

The stream that was still boiling not far away, at this moment, seemed to be enchanted, gradually returning to calm.

The rolling waves subsided, and the water surface became as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the scarlet star in the sky clearly.

As time passed, the flow of the stream gradually decreased, as if it was slowly drawn away by an invisible hand.

The sound of gurgling water became weaker and weaker, until it finally disappeared completely, leaving behind a silence.

The riverbed became dry, and the golden stones and gravel were exposed, covered with a layer of blood-colored tulle.

Immediately afterwards, a figure bathed in golden light appeared above the riverbed.

The light disappeared, revealing Freya, who was slightly panting.

Freya walked to Cohen with light steps, her face showing tiredness, but her eyes were full of excitement, and she chirped:

"Sir, I succeeded, um, I succeeded!"

Cohen naturally knew that Freya's repeated words meant that she had also found the coin.

He turned to look at Arnold:

"Mr. Constantine, your daughter has completely inherited the tenacity and courage from you, you can rest assured now."

Arnold's eyes were mixed with relief and emotion.

After the few people finished their emotions.

Cohen led everyone into the dry riverbed, pointed to a bright crystal teardrop-shaped gemstone floating in the middle of the riverbed, and said:

"That contains the 'Calamity Water'. If anyone is interested, you can take it away.

But remember not to keep it on your body for a long time.

After all, it came from the 'Goddess of Misfortune,' so it would inevitably be tainted with some power of misfortune.

If you keep it for too long, you'll encounter some bad luck.”

Hearing this, Ifeier Ou, who was originally eager to try, instantly dismissed the idea.

Winsader, however, didn't stand on ceremony at all. With a wave of her slender hand, the teardrop-shaped gem flew towards her.

A ray of light flashed, and it was unknown where she had put it.

Winsader smiled faintly:

“This special envoy has always had good luck, so I'll accept it.”

Naturally, no one had any objections.

The newest novels are first published on Liu 9 Shu Ba!

After resolving the matters here, Cohen led everyone to continue forward.

… …

They had been walking for an unknown amount of time when the sky suddenly darkened, and everyone looked up.

The red star that had been guiding their direction was suddenly obscured by a cloud of mist.

Cohen stopped, his voice low and filled with unprecedented seriousness:

“Everyone, please prepare yourselves mentally.

We are about to encounter the most dangerous thing before entering the ruins of the Arcane Empire—Nightmare Mist!”

Hearing Cohen's words, the somewhat lively atmosphere of the expedition team instantly tensed up.

Everyone dared not take it lightly, as Cohen, who was usually calm and collected, was now so seriously reminding and warning them.

Ifeier Ou's eyes widened, his muscles tensed all over, as if facing a formidable enemy.

The team was eerily quiet, and everyone's breathing could be heard clearly.

Even Winsader Windrunner, the most powerful seventh-tier peak wing elf in this place, showed a solemn expression.

She had vaguely heard records of the horror of Nightmare Mist. Once entangled by this kind of thing, it couldn't be shaken off by mere powerful strength.

As if to confirm Cohen's words.

Before Cohen's voice fell, bizarre and grotesque gray mist emerged like ghosts on the road ahead.

It was like a layer of mysterious veil, slowly spreading across the sky and earth, bringing an unspeakable sense of oppression.

The mist seemed to have life, quietly surging and constantly changing shape.

It was approaching them step by step.

In the hazy grayness, there seemed to be pairs of invisible eyes, silently watching the adventurers who were about to step into their territory.

A strange and bizarre aura permeated the air, and everyone's heartbeats couldn't help but quicken. The indescribable unease and fear that penetrated deep into their bones almost drove people crazy.

Until a voice like a savior pulled them up from the peak of despair:

“Nightmare Mist will amplify the fear in your hearts. Later, after the Nightmare Mist comes over, you will encounter all kinds of bizarre and strange things.

It feels like you're having a nightmare.

But don't be afraid, as long as you persevere for thirty minutes, the Nightmare Mist will automatically disappear.

The only advice I can give you is—

No matter what happens, be sure to remain calm and ensure that your will does not collapse.

Also, unless necessary, do not use extraordinary power!”

As soon as the voice fell, the gray Nightmare Mist suddenly turned into a ferocious monster, pouncing on the group of nine!

… …

When Winsader reopened her eyes, she found herself wearing a white coat, like laboratory protective clothing.

She also wore a thick protective mask on her face.

The material of the mask was very strange, as if it could block the invasion of magic power.

She looked up, and the scene before her shocked the wing elf lady greatly.

A magnificent and huge building, like a towering behemoth, stood in front of her, obscuring the sky.

The exterior of the building was a bizarre shape resembling a Möbius strip, presenting perfect symmetry on the left and right.

Huge glass curtain walls shimmered with cold light in the sun.

On both sides of the building's gate hung huge signs—

“Arcane Empire Ancient Elf Culture Heritage Research Institute” and “Arcane Elf Friendly Cultural Exchange Center.”

Inside the building, bright lights illuminated every corner, and the rooms were filled with many strange magical props flashing with metallic textures.

It looked like the work of the Alchemy School.

Through the glass, she could see many people dressed like her, fiddling with these strange magical props.

She could even clearly see a female researcher spilling coffee on a short, fat man, and several men in purple uniforms, presumably leaders, gathered by the window talking about something.

There were also many people in yellow uniforms, who looked like security personnel, constantly converging towards a central room.

Winsader shook her head slightly and shifted her gaze downward. The most shocking scene appeared.

Without any magic power or magic circle fluctuations, the entire research institute was actually floating!

What kind of power could make such a huge building float completely?

Just then, a researcher in a white coat walked to the very bottom of the towering building, took out a white card from his left pocket, and flashed it slightly in the air.

Then a white halo appeared in front of him. The man stepped into the halo, and the whole person disappeared instantly.

Soon Winsader found his figure again in the research institute.

Space teleportation array!

At this moment, a cold voice sounded in her ear:

“Floating stone… This research institute is entirely carved from a huge floating stone.

There is also the space teleportation magic circle that has been lost for thousands of years…

The extraordinary level and exquisite craftsmanship of the Arcane Empire are truly breathtaking!”

Winsader was shocked and looked back.

A young man in a white coat, wearing a thick protective mask like her, had already stood behind her at some unknown time.

From those calm eyes and familiar voice, Winsader quickly judged the other party's identity and asked:

“Are you the leader of 'Endless Blade'?”

Cohen nodded:

“This should be the scene of the Arcane Empire Research Institute thousands of years ago. I didn't expect Nightmare Mist to bring us here.”

For the first time, Cohen felt that things were out of his control.

It shouldn't be, it's really strange, why did Nightmare Mist bring him and Winsader together?

I haven't heard that Nightmare Mist can target two people at the same time!

And the most unreasonable thing is, why did they appear in this place—

The Arcane Empire Research Institute thousands of years ago!

The scene here only appeared in the promotional video of the previous life's game, and there was no such plot in the game!

This place had been destroyed for thousands of years when the game was loaded!

Cohen focused his gaze and, like Winsader, began to observe the situation inside through the glass window.

Inside the research institute, staff members in various colored uniforms walked back and forth.

According to the level, they are divided into white, yellow, purple, and black.

Among them, the researchers in white coats are the most numerous.

Strangely, no stairs were found in the entire building.

But almost every corridor has large and small white halos at the end.

The staff members who come and go step into the halo and can instantly appear in other places of the research institute.

Winsader asked:

“Are there all kinds of space teleportation arrays inside the research institute?”

Cohen withdrew his gaze and replied:

“More precisely, the entire research institute is covered by a huge space magic circle.

The various teleportation points inside the research institute are actually the spatial nodes of the magic circle itself.”

A look of shock flashed in Winsader's eyes.

Such a behemoth was actually covered by an array. What a magnificent feat this must be.

Cohen continued to move his gaze.

He found that in the lobby at the entrance, a huge scrolling screen was embedded in the background wall.

There were dates and times on it.

Seeing the date and time on the screen, Cohen's body trembled suddenly, and a look of astonishment appeared in his eyes.

Winsader looked around warily:

“Didn't you say that Nightmare Mist would bring very bizarre and terrifying things?

Looking at it this way, it doesn't seem like anything special has happened. Are we just waiting here for thirty minutes?”

Cohen retracted his gaze, took a long breath, regained his composure, and a hint of weirdness appeared in his voice:

“How do you know that nothing will happen!”

Before he could finish speaking, a shrill scream suddenly came from under the ground.

The sound pierced the eardrums like a sharp blade, followed by a thunderous roar in the ears.

Then, the towering, sky-obscuring research institute seemed to be controlled by a mysterious force, rushing straight into the sky at an alarming speed!

Looking at the huge research institute rising from the ground, a fiery color gathered in Cohen's eyes!

If his guess is correct, then that thing may still be intact inside!