Chapter 47 : Into the woods

The van went up the mountain where green forest trees dotted both sides of the road, the environment around them got greener and richer the more they went up. This mountain had a special air around it as if it was from another world.

Soon the convoy which has been going up for half an hour stopped in a forest clearing, where the movie was being shot. This was also where the road ended, about halfway through the mountain, and no car can go any further as the terrain gets very rough.

There, staff and employees were busy going around, making things ready, and checking on various pieces of equipment. The shooting didn’t start yet.

The vans parked beside the other equipment trucks after a security guard checked their identity.

Aria got out of the van first, followed by everyone, and lastly Victor, who stretched his stiff limbs as Lily helped him straighten his clothes and comb his disheveled hair.

“Ah… hello miss Aria, I am Mark Silberberg, the director of this movie, and this is John Sigma our star, There is no further need for introduction,” A thin man with gray hair greeted Aria with a smile, then pointed to the muscular handsome man beside him.

“Hello Mr. Silberburg, Mr. Sigma, I came here today with the CEO of our company Victor White,” she said as she introduced Victor and then everyone else as Victor’s friends.

“Hello Mr. White we are very pleased to meet you,” they said to Victor.

“I am happy to meet you too, why don’t you show us around?” Victor said,

The director greeted everyone then gave them a tour through the set, the shooting would need another hour to start so he was not busy, and he wanted to get closer to Victor, as he knew that this white family was super-rich. Maybe he can convince him to produce the script he wrote.

Victor to the astonishment of everyone did not act arrogantly but smiled and talked to the two men about the shooting like a real pro. That was until he ruined his image again.

“Mr. Silberberg, where is Miss. Mira, I wanted to have some private time with her.” Asked Victor as he looked around.

Mira was the female star of this movie and was a new rising actor who had started acting just last year. The two low-budget movies she started in, were both a huge success.

But Victor didn’t want her for her talent but her beauty and character, If he wanted to compare her to someone, that would be Lily. Lily had the calm and serene beauty of a spring fairy, but Mira was the opposite, she was as hot as a nuclear bomb. She was one of his girlfriends in the past, one of the faithful ones, and she was also a victim to one of his brothers’ schemes.

“Unfortunately, Mr. White, Mira would not be here, her scenes have already finished filming last week,” Mark said.

“Ah, too bad. Aria, find a suitable time for me to meet her,” he told aria who shot him a look then took a pen and scribed his command on her notebook. “Why can’t her brother be more content, he already has many pretty girls around him,” she thought.

“Mr. White, how about my new idea, can you help us with it? We have already been rejected by many production companies due to the huge cost of the project, so we propose a partial investment.....” he asked.

“How about I completely finance and produce that idea of yours? But I want the right to choose some of the actors.” Victor interrupted Mark and said.

In his previous life, those two men were very successful later, they broke records with every movie they partnered in. So he decided to invest in them now.

“Yes, of course, That would be perfect.” Said mark with a big smile.

“Good, then let’s find time later to sit down and have a talk about cooperation,” he said “Aria, make an appointment for Mr. Silberberg next week,” he told her then returned to mark, “Now you have some shooting to attend to, and I and my friends would like take a look around and meet some of the actors, so I would not bother you anymore,” Victor said to Mark and walked away.

He lost interest in the shooting after knowing that Mira was not here. He attended many shootings in his past life, so he didn't care.

After touring the set for a while and getting some autographs for the girls, Victor stood up and looked at everyone,

“I am going to take a hike and try to explore a little of this mountain, you are free to follow me if you want,” Victor said.

“I will stay with Sarah here,” said George who was holding the blushing Sarah’s hand, they seemed to have bonded together earlier and wanted some time alone.

“Fine by me, Anyone else?” Victor asked.

“Can I not go?” asked Aria,

“No,” he answered blandly, making her pout,

Margret looked at Anna and nodded, conveying her intent to go. This hike would create a good chance for her to get closer to Tom or Victor who was surrounded by many girls now. She does not mind sharing though, as long as she gets a place near a rich young master, and some allowance maybe?.

As for Anna, she didn’t want to be left alone with the lovebirds and reluctantly decided to go, as she could tell that Tom and Peter would definitely follow the twins who were serving that young master. Was it really just a bet? What did they bet on? She wondered.

Tom and Peter went forward to the girls and offered to carry their backpacks for them, but they were coldly denied, the girls knew that the young master entrusted them with these things, and they didn’t dare let anyone else carry them.

Tom looked at Lily who was carrying a large backpack, with a pickaxe at its side. Then went to her and flashed his most dazzling smile.

“Miss, can I help you carry that bag?” He asked.

“No,” she stated coldly, then turned around and began to go after her young master who began to venture into the woods. Tom hesitated a little then followed with the rest of his friends. He wanted to ask for her name, but he didn’t know who to ask without sounding like a pervert. But he really wanted to know.

Margret looked amused as she watched Tom’s repeated failures, Unlike the other’s she has been keeping an eye on everyone, and she knew that Tom, although looked like a gentleman, was as possessive and lecherous as any other man. She doesn’t mind though, she was not that clean, and her childhood was not a pretty one, she dated many guys, some were much older than her, and came to know that most of them are just the same, Perverts in sheep clothes. But like all girls her age she yearned for a true lover. So she decided to find some rich young master to be her husband, at the very least she would still be with a rich pervert. At first, she set her eyes on Tom who became rich overnight, then she met Victor, and that made her hesitant.

She knew Tom from her childhood, knew him enough to read his dirty mind. He was always timid and introverted, but suddenly one year ago, after the summer break he returned to school as a new person, he was more confident, charming, and most importantly Rich. He said that he won the lottery, but Margret was not that naive, she could tell that he held some secrets.

Then she looked at Victor who was leading everyone arrogantly. She only met him yesterday, but the feeling she got from him didn’t match his image.

He looked like an arrogant rich young master. But she had a feeling, that this guy was a dangerous monster, and if she messed up with him, he would eat her whole. In addition to that, the twins seemed to be unnaturally obedient to him too. But when she looked at the way Lily looked at him, she seemed to find the feeling she was searching for, that of dependence and real trust. Maybe that guy had secrets too, who doesn’t?. Most importantly, he was filthy rich, far richer than Tom.

“What are you looking at?” asked her Peter, who has been pestering her for a while. She didn’t like this guy, he is a petty person, and unlike Victor, Peter felt more like a fake young master who was trying too hard to wear a suit that did not fit him. although he was rich, he was an idiot, and would probably spend all his parents' fortune sooner or later.

“Nothing,” she said and kept moving to catch up with the rest. She didn’t want to stay alone with him.

They had been walking in the woods for half an hour. The woods slowly turned from a somewhat normal mountain forest to a mythical place, the grass was still green and the trees were still tall, but the scene was different, but no one could tell why. Suddenly, Victor stopped after leading them into a very beautiful clearing filled with flowers, grass, and some boulders pocking from the ground.

“We will rest here,” he said.

They didn’t know it, but Victor had reached his destination, now he has to find a way to activate it.

He left the group, who seemed to be a little tired, and began to inspect the grounds searching for the signs he read about.

“What are you doing, young ma.., Victor?” Asked Mina.

“Don’t mind me, I am just investigating this mountain, I am certain that I could uncover its big secret. That street oracle said that my luck would be at its peak today and the planets are aligning in my favor, just stay close,” he said arrogantly as he continued to look around. Making the girls shake their heads.

They started to look around them too, they were amazed by this place, it looked ethereal with all the blue and white flowers blooming under the sun.

If there was really a secret on this mountain it should be here.

They got tired soon and found a place to sit down and rest.

After a few minutes, Tom took the opportunity when the girls were admiring the flowers and slowly approached Lily who was standing alone watching Victor go around and pock at random rocks with a wooden stick like a maniac.

“May I know, what is your name miss?” He asked like a gentleman.

“Lily,” she answered without looking at him,

“Ah. Miss Lily, what a beautiful name, may I inquire about your relationship with Victor? You seemed very close to him.” he asked with a smile. He is into cold girls, he likes the feeling of conquering them.

“I am his personal maid,” she said blandly.

“Ah, I see……..What?” he was surprised, no wonder she allowed victor to Sleep on her lap like that. He must be molesting her. And what is the difference between a normal maid and a personal maid? Could it be that? No, no, no. It can’t be. That Victor must be using some evil means to control her.

Tom didn’t know why he hated Victor, nor that his very existence was screaming at him, Victor was a danger.

But, He, who fancied himself a hero, decided that he must save this miserable girl from her horrible fate. From the clutches of this evil young master.

“Don’t worry miss Lily, I wi……” he tried to say but was interrupted.

“HA HA HA HA HA, I found it, Look at this, doesn’t it look like magic? Come look at it.” Yelled Victor, making everyone look at him then go to look at what he had found.

Victor was standing in front of a flat white rock, which had some foreign symbols on it.

He was tapping at it with his stick in excitement.

“Isn’t this just some scribbles on a rock? Some kids have probably done it as a prank,” said Peter who poked his head from behind.

But Tom who was much more experienced and was watching carefully saw that the symbols were changing, very slowly, like clouds in the sky of a summer day, they were definitely changing, then they began to move faster and faster as Victor continued to tap at it

Tom who realized something suddenly yell,

“No, Stop, Get away from ….”

But it was too late, the stone shattered as if it was made of glass, and a blue tide of light came out of it, sweeping over them and swallowing everyone in the clearing, including Aria who was a little further away, then shrank again leaving a blue revolving vortex where they stood before. It only took two seconds.

Victor, who was being swept away, smiled and let the vortex swallow him as he looked at the blue shimmering screen above his head.

Dungeon Opened.

Congratulations you are the one who discovered and opened this dungeon.

Dungeon discovering reward.

1. Dungeon Map

2. 10 free allocation points

3. E Rank Skill book (Spear arts)

Further rewards on clearing.

GOOD LUCK