Chapter 167 Underground Cell

Nie Yan had so many pieces of special equipment that he could put them on display. He didn't need to wear them all the time. He could just keep them in his bag and switch them out when needed. Anyway, his bag had plenty of space.

He had collected a total of five lustrous gems. These gems could be used to craft special items and improve their effects. Several of Nie Yan’s special items were due for upgrades, but he would have to wait until he returned to find a suitable gem craftsman.

After quietly emptying the box, Nie Yan carefully walked out of the gap between the boxes and headed towards the distance.

The Gnome Ring’s transformation lasted for an hour, so he had plenty of time.

He stuck to the corner of the wall, slowly approaching the throne.

As he got closer to the back of the throne, he saw the Bloodthirsty Thief walking towards him. He immediately stopped and shrank into the corner, not daring to make a single move. The Bloodthirsty Thief’s eerie eyes swept around, then it walked away, further and further into the distance.

Taking a glance at the Bloodthirsty Thief's back, Nie Yan quickened his pace while he had the chance, and went around to the back of the throne. Behind the throne was a pit with a spiral staircase leading down.

Following the spiral staircase down, a chilling coldness wafted up, along with the scent of blood.

The environment in the prison was somewhat dark and damp.

System: You have discovered the Underground Prison.

Nie Yan arrived in the prison, only to see the ground in a mess. Straw was scattered everywhere, with a narrow passageway in the middle leading forward. On both sides were iron cages, each with a black hound chained in front of it.

These hounds were Level 70 elites, capable of spitting Soulfire, making them extremely difficult to deal with.

Each cell held commoners or nobles, their clothes tattered, though one could still faintly make out that they had been dressed in extremely luxurious clothing before entering this prison.

Normally, grinding down the hounds one by one and opening the cell doors would take at least ten hours, or even several days if done slowly, and one would have to deal with the Soulfire attacks. But now, he didn't need to go through all that trouble.

Nie Yan stealthily approached a corner of the prison. He turned his body to the side, contracted his chest and abdomen, and slipped through the bars of the cage. Inside the cage, a ragged commoner was pacing anxiously. Nie Yan tossed a Single-Use Teleportation Scroll on the ground.

The commoner sighed and suddenly noticed the Single-Use Teleportation Scroll on the ground. He picked it up, a look of ecstasy on his face. He looked around, saw nothing, and used the scroll. A flash of white light, and he disappeared.

Using his small size, Nie Yan moved between the cages, avoiding the hounds, and distributed the Single-Use Teleportation Scrolls.

One commoner after another teleported away.

Nie Yan took a look.

Quest Progress: Rescued Hostages 56/100.

The number was still rising. Nie Yan moved very quietly, taking great care to avoid the hounds. The hounds didn't notice Nie Yan at all. With their limited intelligence, they couldn't figure out why the commoners in the cages were mysteriously disappearing.

After rescuing one hostage after another, Nie Yan reached the lowest level of the prison. He glanced at the number of hostages, which had reached ninety-nine. But just one more to go! Nie Yan searched the entire prison but couldn't find it.

He searched the prison and found a damp cave with a staircase leading down.

He was about to go down and take a look when he suddenly felt his body start to swell, becoming extremely large. He had returned to his original form.

After thinking about it, there was no other way. He could only continue climbing down, gradually delving deeper into the dungeon. He saw that it was dark and muddy, Nie Yan traveled through the narrow passage, heading into the distance.

Where this narrow, damp passage led, he didn't know.

Nie Yan guessed that the remaining hostage might be somewhere in this passage.

As for the Ashen Verdict Set, he estimated that he would have to clear out all the Shadow Thieves in that hall to find the remaining three pieces. But he absolutely couldn't clear out all the monsters in that hall by himself.

Nie Yan thought for a moment. It shouldn't be a problem for Brilliant Diamond and the others to deal with those Shadow Thieves as a team. It might be a bit difficult to deal with that group of Shadow Thieves as a team in the normal way, but Nie Yan remembered a rather good tactic: using Entangling Vines, Ice Wall, and AOE magic to defend the hall entrance, frantically bombarding the inside with AOE magic. The Shadow Thieves inside definitely wouldn't be able to withstand it.

The number of players in the Nilfgaard Guild who had learned Advanced Magic had reached as many as seventeen. It shouldn't be a problem to blast this group of Shadow Thieves to death. As for the Bloodthirsty Thief near the throne, if there was only one left, he could always think of a way to deal with it.

With Brilliant Diamond and the others’ equipment, they could withstand Level 70 monsters without any problems.

Under normal circumstances, a shield warrior with average equipment could withstand a Lord of the same level. A shield warrior with slightly better equipment could withstand a Lord ten levels higher than them. A shield warrior with top-tier equipment could withstand a Lord thirty levels higher than them. This was quite normal. Therefore, an excellent team could often grind Lords several dozen levels higher than them. In particular, the Nilfgaard’s Priests were equipped with Beginner Resurrection. Three Paladins had learned Blessing of Protection, which could protect the Priests and allow them to escape from battle without aggro, thus avoiding the danger of the team being wiped. Of course, this would also result in some experience loss.

Nie Yan sent the coordinates to Guo Huai and asked Guo Huai to relay them. At this time, Brilliant Diamond and the others were clearing another Lord, so they would be over in a while.

The Nilfgaard Guild players were still too low level. When their levels were a bit higher, Nie Yan could take them to clear Level 100 Lords.

“How is your class advancement quest going?” Guo Huai asked. He had previously learned that Nie Yan was challenging the Expert difficulty class advancement quest and couldn't help but sigh. Nie Yan was really bold. Many players preparing to advance in class didn't even dare to accept the Normal difficulty class advancement quest, and usually accepted the Easy difficulty one.

“Just one last step,” Nie Yan said.

“So fast.” Guo Huai was stunned. It would take the average player several days to complete a class advancement quest.

In fact, if another player were to do Nie Yan's class advancement quest, it would take at least ten days, possibly more. Just finding the entrance to the Underground Prison wasn't simple. One would have to wander around the Nylan Arena for several days at least.

“Not bad. Has Warblade Bloodthirst made any moves?” Nie Yan asked.

“I heard that the Century Financial Group has invested in Warblade Bloodthirst again, supposedly seventy thousand gold coins. Warblade Bloodthirst has also given subsidies to his players who have been killed. He’s putting out the word that if we’re willing to admit defeat, they’ll let it go and this matter will be over.” Guo Huai said with a smile, “The Century Financial Group has indeed invested in Warblade Bloodthirst, but it definitely wasn’t as much as seventy thousand gold coins. I don’t believe the Century Financial Group can still come up with seventy thousand gold coins.”

“They definitely can’t hold out anymore. Post a message on the forums that the Nilfgaard Guild's kill order against Warblade Bloodthirst will never be lifted until the Warblade Bloodthirst Guild collapses!” Nie Yan said. Warblade Bloodthirst’s financial resources had reached the point of exhaustion. It was the perfect opportunity to take down Warblade Bloodthirst in one go, otherwise there would be endless troubles after Warblade Bloodthirst recovered.

“Your move is ruthless enough. If Warblade Bloodthirst sees this message, he’ll probably be desperate.” Guo Huai thought for a moment and said that once this sentence was posted on the forum, it would have a great impact on Warblade Bloodthirst’s players. Their confidence in continuing to stay in Warblade Bloodthirst would be shaken, and it was estimated that it would trigger a peak of players leaving Warblade Bloodthirst.

“Be careful of Warblade Bloodthirst’s frantic counterattack, and pay close attention to their movements. Report immediately if they come to Calore. We must give them a warm welcome.” Nie Yan smiled slightly. If they were to fight across cities, Warblade Bloodthirst’s strength would be greatly reduced. The Nilfgaard Guild’s position in Calore was unshakable. Even if the Nilfgaard Guild encountered trouble at that time, he could still summon all the members of the Azure Temple, the Holy Roman Empire, and the five branch guilds under the Nilfgaard Guild, and pile them up with people to death!

“Understood.” Guo Huai nodded. He wasn’t worried about Warblade Bloodthirst coming to Calore at all.

Nie Yan gave Guo Huai some instructions, cut off the voice chat, and continued forward.

Guo Huai posted Nie Yan’s original words on the forum: The Nilfgaard Guild's kill order against Warblade Bloodthirst will never be lifted until the Warblade Bloodthirst Guild collapses!

As soon as this statement came out, all the players gasped. This sentence from the Nilfgaard Guild was equivalent to blocking all escape routes. How ruthless! From this sentence, players also read the absolute strength of the Nilfgaard Guild. Could Warblade Bloodthirst withstand the Nilfgaard Guild’s fierce counterattack?

Back then, Warblade Bloodthirst’s Guild Leader, Bloodthirst Mad Blade, had made a bold statement: whoever takes down the kill order first is a grandson!

Warblade Bloodthirst’s situation could be described as extremely awkward. Were they going to keep dragging on with the Nilfgaard Guild? In the past few days, the number of their guild members leaving had suddenly increased. In two days, there were already more than six thousand, which greatly shook the confidence of Warblade Bloodthirst’s players. If this trend continued, the number of people leaving Warblade Bloodthirst would increase. With Nie Yan’s words stimulating the situation, the development would become even more serious.

Nie Yan was at ease. After the money problem was solved, the Nilfgaard Guild no longer had to worry about the expenses of the kill order. He had plenty of time to leisurely complete a few quests, and go underground in a few days. The second transaction income would give the Nilfgaard Guild a new look!

He traveled through the dark cave. In the distant depths of the earth, heavy breathing sounds came over, and waves of hot air spewed out from within, and the surroundings were filled with a white mist.

When this air wave sprayed on Nie Yan's skin, it immediately produced a strong burning sensation. Fortunately, he had the Molten Heart in his hand, so he could be fearless of these fire damages.