Chapter 547 The Dreaded

547 The Dreaded

Bill's eyes widened, and any mellowing effects the seaweed would have on his personality diminished instantly. He smiled broadly.

"Finally! I was this close to getting someone else for the job, but I'm glad you finally accepted."

Someone else? Was that Bill's way of keeping Liam humble or what? He didn't let Bill get the wrong idea.

"I'm ready for the briefing. I need to make sure I'm ready for the job before anything. Especially if it's going to take any longer than a week." Bill looked a tad disappointed. He probably wanted to get the mission over as fast as possible, just to get one up over his corporate competitor... but Liam was not one to rush, especially in matters of importance.

Turning his back, Bill spoke over his shoulder with a cautious, heavy voice. "Alright. Come with me. I'll show it to you."

Liam nodded, then followed Bill into an underground passage. The two entered a vast underground training hall, lit with fluorescent lights and decorated with white floor tiles. Soldiers — decked out with full sets of inscribed, paper-thin armor — were being trained by various instructors, test dummies were being blown to bits, cut in half, burned and reconstructed in seconds, alongside duels and team battles commencing... all at once. An obnoxious clangor filled the corners of the space. "You have quite the operation," Liam commended as he took in the sights. The two were walking straight through the hall. Bill chuckled, clearly enjoying the compliment. "This is just the tip of the iceberg, dear friend." Liam side-eyed him.

'Although he seems like an idiot, I should really stop underestimating him. He could give even the Royals a run for their money.' Nêww chapters will be fully updated at novelhall.com

After a while, Bill reached another hall, then entered a long, well-lit corridor, followed by a spiral staircase leading to a small room containing a teleportation platform, which led to a top-secret, hidden compartment that required Bill's handprint to enter. Liam suppressed a grunt.

Bill cast Liam a smile. His tone was proud and trusting as he spoke:

"These are some of my best agents. Two of them are Inscription Masters, and the last is a polyglot Formationist. They're all experts in their fields."

He whispered the next few words.

Liam nodded casually. All three more varied in appearance, albeit they had simple characteristics and matching attire – resembling a half-mix of an archeologist and a scientist. After greeting Bill, all three of them gave Liam a quick smile and began with an introduction, but his mind wasn't registering their voices at all. He gave them names of his own.

The first was an inscription master – a tall, sharp-eyed woman with long black hair, braided with ornaments of gold. She had a sharp, but clever aura. She carried an inscribed clipboard. Sharpie. The second was the second inscriptionist – was so young, Liam had mistaken him for a teenager. His eyes glowed with a sharp yellow glow, and living tattoos covered his forearm and hand. Rebel. The third was the polyglot – a short, rugged, albeit giddy looking old man. He had a wise aura, akin to a homeless man who could give good advice. Giddy.

"Let us waste no more time," Bill said, and the group walked over to the hexagonal plate. "Can you guess what this is?" Up close, Liam scanned every part of the plate and burned it into his memory. The runes pulsed with an azure hue, as though it had a life of its own. Although everything else had failed the test of time, this hexagonal plate remained defiantly resilient. Not a scratch nicked its polished amber surface.

On its surface, the graceful web of runes and writings were layered, and some of them were added fresher than others. Meaning the runes themselves were not originally on the plate... they were added by Sharpie, Giddy and Rebel. There was no mistaking it.

"This is a gate, isn't it?" Bill nodded firmly, while the other three were taken aback from Liam's correct answer. Even them, as lifelong masters of their respective arts, would not answer correctly on the first try. And yet Liam did. "Not just any gate," Bill answered.

Bill paused, his gaze turning heavy and his words heavier. "This is the ancient Tomb of Naxathra, the Dreaded."