Gryphon… King!
Lorenzo couldn't help but shudder.
That man who, in just a few years, had risen from an obscure border lord to become the ruler of Gryphon, his reputation was well-known within the church. No intelligence could explain why he rose so quickly, even Hermes, the Holy City that was working to unify the continent, had been defeated by him.
The reason why Lorenzo could make a decision so quickly and resolutely break with the church was largely due to Roland Wimbledon—in his eyes, the church and Gryphon had formed an irreconcilable feud. If he still held the position of bishop, he might suffer a devastating disaster at any time. If he didn’t take off this cassock now, when would he?
It's just that the other party had just ascended the throne not long ago, and his attention should be focused on his own territory. Now, he suddenly intervened in the border between Dawn and Wolfheart, and made it known to everyone in a high-profile manner. His purpose was very thought-provoking.
“Are you sure?” The Count looked at Heger, “Tell me in detail!”
“The credibility of this news is absolutely no problem, and it has been verified by multiple parties,” the latter said confidently, “First of all, the troops stationed at the foot of Cage Mountain are from Gryphon. Their attire and dress are completely consistent, which is undoubtedly the style of that strange army. Secondly, the Dawn region has received a call-up order for death row prisoners. Not only is the gathering place the Cage Mountain area, but some people claim that the object they serve is the King of Gryphon!”
“Cage Mountain… death row prisoners…” Lorenzo paced back and forth, suddenly a glint of light flashed in his eyes, “Could it be that he came for that thing—"
“Very likely, Your Excellency,” Heger nodded in response, “No… it should be said, it must be so.”
“But how would he know about this?”
“It’s not strange that he knows. The people who discovered the ruins in the first place just relied on some luck. I have always believed that these ruins are not isolated. They may have had some connection before—and Roland happened to be ahead of everyone.”
Even until its demise, the church could not definitively determine the reason for the rise of the Fourth Prince of Gryphon, but there were several theories circulating internally. Leaving aside absurd claims such as divine incarnations and demonic spokespersons, one explanation was widely believed: that he had obtained the inheritance of a certain ruin, and from then on, he had mastered incredible power.
Even if the three archbishops dismissed this claim, many believers believed that this was the truth of the matter, and Lorenzo was one of them.
Otherwise, how could the other party be above the Holy City?
And when it comes to Cage Mountain, the most incredible ruins are the Temple of Curse.
Back then, the Army of Divine Punishment swept across the entire Wolfheart Kingdom with the force of a thunderbolt. The Wolfheart nobles either died in battle or surrendered. Even the Azurewater Queen and the Wolf King working together could not stop the church’s offensive. As the former bishop of Grand Duke Island, he participated in most of the logistics and mopping-up work, sending the looted supplies to the front lines or storing them in a unified manner. And during a search and seizure operation in Cliff Ridge, he happened to learn about this century-old legend—
Legend has it that a group of villagers stole a batch of treasures from the Temple of Curse on Cage Mountain, and then died one after another. The treasures also fell into the hands of the local nobles. The ancestors of the Earl of Cliff Ridge were very interested in this, believing that what caused all of this was not a curse, but something related to the batch of things that were brought out. Therefore, after spending some means and energy, they purchased a part of the treasure from Dawn.
After some research, plus the cost of more than ten lives, the old Earl did discover a different object—it looked ordinary, but it could produce deadly rays. Its effect was very similar to a curse, and it could be called a weapon that kills people invisibly!
However, after using it a few times, it no longer responded, as if its power had been exhausted, and it became a dead object. Although the old Earl sent people to the border to explore many times, and even ventured into the temple himself, he never found a way to restore it. So he wrote this story into the family history, hoping that future generations could find the answer, and that object was also kept as a family heirloom, until more than a hundred years later, when Cliff Ridge was conquered by the church, it changed hands again.
At that time, this thing aroused Lorenzo’s interest, but the "no more movement" mentioned in the family history was also a fact. After tinkering with it for a while and still getting nothing, he packed up the batch of treasures and threw them into the warehouse, planning to wait for the Holy City to dispose of them collectively.
After all, the family history books don't all record the truth—there are noble families everywhere who boast of long bloodlines and amazing wealth. If you believe all of them, how could the church so easily wipe out Wolfheart and Everwinter? They would have been swept away by others.
However, with the disastrous defeat in the Battle of Coldwind Ridge, the church’s good situation took a sharp turn for the worse, and the seized supplies became unwanted. He also put this matter behind him. Now, listening to the housekeeper mentioning it, Lorenzo suddenly remembered such a thing.
If the King of Gryphon also came for the treasure of the Temple of Curse, then its credibility would be greatly improved.
The Earl couldn’t help but get excited, “Keep talking!”
“Yes, Your Excellency.” Heger nodded, “Assuming Roland Wimbledon got the news of the treasure from other ruins, then he is also very likely to know the operating principle of the treasure, or even the method to restore it. If we can find out this information, then it is equivalent to having a guarantee that can replace the Army of Divine Punishment.”
That’s right, a weapon that can release curses! Its deterrent power will definitely make the Wolfheart nobles flinch, and Grand Duke Island will win more time to find the whereabouts of the Holy Book.
Lorenzo stamped his feet, "Follow me to the supply warehouse, now!"
“Your Excellency?”
“I have to confirm that the thing is still on Grand Duke Island—since it is so important, it can’t be guarded by ordinary guards anymore.”
……
In order to prevent the news from leaking, Lorenzo personally searched the supply warehouse with the housekeeper for most of the day. After swallowing a belly full of dust, he finally found the bag of packed “treasures” in an inconspicuous corner.
And the Earl was also glad that he didn't ask a third person to help.
Opening the mouth of the burlap bag, he noticed the peculiarity of the “treasure” at a glance.
Compared with other items such as luminous pearls and exquisite statues that were also looted from the ruins, it was as plain as a stone—the outline was square, the length and width were no more than a palm, and the surface was rough and unadorned. Even granite that has been polished twice is smoother and more beautiful than it. If it weren’t for some sapphire stripes inlaid on the surface, I’m afraid no one would be willing to move it back.
The family history of that Earl of Cliff Ridge did mention that the cost of acquiring it was the least of all the "treasures."
But now, a square stripe on this stone is slowly flickering, and a soft blue light is surging from one end to the other, as if indicating the direction.
The two looked at each other and revealed a look of ecstasy!
The stone that had not reacted for nearly a hundred years had changed, and Roland's men appeared at the Temple of Curse again. It would be too bizarre to say that the two were not related.
If the previous words were just speculation, then after seeing this scene, the probability has become 80 to 90 percent!
Roland does have a way to restore it!
“You have to go to Cage Mountain,” Lorenzo carefully held the stone in his arms, “I don’t trust anyone else besides you. You can have as much money as you want, as long as you can find out the information on how to use the treasure.”
“I understand, please rest assured, Your Excellency.” Heger put his hand on his chest and responded.
“There is one more thing you need to keep in mind,” the Earl instructed word by word, “You must not attract the attention of the King of Gryphon. Since he can destroy the church, crushing us is probably no different from crushing an ant. Unless the treasure can show a power that can contend with it, you must act in secret… the safety of Grand Duke Island is entrusted to you.”