NOVEL WEB Chapter 247: Miner Tower Master
Lu Hong walked up to the official, "So where are they now?"
"I have no idea." The official chuckled wickedly, "But those two chicks were indeed quite remarkable."
Before the sound of his voice had faded, Lu Hong punched the official squarely in the face.
Poor official, he didn't have time to react, and like a cannonball, he smashed through a row of houses.
"Damn it! DAMN IT!" the official, regaining his senses, was furious and grabbed his weapon to launch an assault on Lu Hong.
His opening move was the signature skill of a Great War Master: Fatal Strike.
The skill was executed quite flawlessly, a pity that it was almost entirely ineffective against Lu Hong, who was equally versed in this technique. Even the escaping Holy Sword casually parried all the force of the Fatal Strike.
Seeing his attack easily blocked, the official was dumbstruck. He was a warrior at the Third Transition Early Stage, a notable figure in the entire kingdom. Had he not offended a powerful family, he wouldn't have needed to hide in such a small place. Could it be he had regressed over the years? How could his attack be so easily parried?
Clearly, Lu Hong didn't give the official much time to think, as he immediately counterattacked and knocked the official to the ground.
With the Holy Sword at the official's throat, Lu Hong asked again, "Where are those seven people now?"
"I..., I..." The official hadn't expected to be defeated so quickly. It was just too sudden.
Seeing the official silent, the Holy Sword moved a little further forward, piercing the man's throat.
Feeling the threat of death, the official panicked, "Don't..., don't kill me, I'll talk, I'll tell you everything."
"Start from the beginning."
"Yes, yes."
Lu Hong slightly retracted the sword by an inch, and the official confessed, "Originally I had my eye on those two women, but with the new emperor about to ascend, my master ordered me to gather some beautiful women as tribute to the new emperor in exchange for protection, so I gritted my teeth and presented those two women to the current Saintly Crown Prince."
"And the other five men?"
"They were..., they were sent to the mines to dig."
Son of a bitch, the Tower Master, you've had them sent to the mines?!
"Dare I ask, senior, what is your relationship with these people?"
"Companions."
"There's no need for senior to worry just yet. The Saintly Crown Prince is practicing a Cultivation Technique that requires virginity, and although your companions have been tributes to Saintly, he must complete the Cultivation Technique before he can consummate."
Lu Hong glanced at the official and then asked, "And when will this Saintly complete his Cultivation Technique?"
"Probably..., on the day of his ascension."
"How much longer is that?"
"About half a month."
Lu Hong nodded, the time should be sufficient, and then said to the official, "Get someone to bring back those five from the mines."
"That's possible, but could senior please move the sword away first?"
Hearing this, Lu Hong sheathed his sword and stood upright. He wasn't afraid of the official playing tricks; after all, his strength was evident. His minor skills couldn't stir up any trouble.
After arranging for his subordinates to rescue the five Tower Masters from the mines, the official sidled up to Lu Hong trying to make a connection, "Dare to ask if the senior comes from a reclusive family?"
"I am an outsider."
"An outsider?!" exclaimed the official. "Impossible, isn't it that there are no more warriors in the outside world?"
Being in the same profession, although Lu Hong had hardly taken action, the official could still sense the authenticity of Lu Hong's vocation.
"Who told you that?" Lu Hong was a bit surprised and continued to ask, "What exactly is this place? Why are there so many warriors?"
"This is a small world formed from the shattered fragments of the Heavenly God's grace," replied the official. "As for why magic is forbidden, I do not know, but there is only one profession passed down here, and that is the warrior profession."
"Sacred legacy?"
Officer shook his head, "Not the Holy Temple, but the Saint Master legacy."
"Saint Master? There is a Saint Master among warrior professions?"
"Hmm, our Saint Master was once a pupil of the War God. During the time of world fragmentation, he sacrificed greatly to protect these pure lands from falling into endless darkness and also spread the warriors' creed, educating us."
"What is your Saint Master's name?" Having been a pupil of the War God, Lu Hong couldn't recall ever having taken such a disciple.
"I don't know."
Following some idle chatter, Lu Hong came to understand the layout of this small world—it was truly part of the continent that had split off during the Age of Divine Grace. Within this world, there was a kingdom known as the Saint Peace Kingdom, and within the kingdom, there were seven Third Transition Peak warriors, revered as the Seven Saints of the Kingdom.
Apart from the human realms, there was also a monster realm in this small world. The two realms were in constant conflict, the warfare never ceased.
In Lu Hong's opinion, these wars might not be about annihilating the opposing side, but rather about reducing the populations as both realms had upper limits to their carrying capacities due to their size; without the wars, overpopulation could make life difficult for everyone.
Soon, the five emaciated, wounded Brahmins were brought before Lu Hong.
Seeing the despair on their faces, Lu Hong was quite moved. Once, they had been figures atop an empire's zenith, yet now, they had fallen into such a state.
Seeing the five still in shackles, Officer was livid. He had finally started forming a relationship with Lu Hong—were his subordinates too blind to see?
"Aren't you going to unlock those shackles quickly!"
"Yes, yes, yes." Under Officer's stern orders, the group finally got rid of the heavy fetters.
Officer immediately rushed to the Brahmins' sides, helping each one up: "My apologies, you've suffered too much because of me. It's my fault, and I promise to compensate you adequately. I hope you can forgive my ignorance."
"Hmph! Officer, what are you scheming now?" Wei Li snorted coldly, "And where have you taken Danni and the Divine Su Yu?!"
"My lords, as I explained to the senior before, I... I'm going to cook and boil water for you." Officer knew that staying here was likely no longer an option for him. Given the hatred these people had for him, they could easily persuade Lu Hong to execute him.
Lu Hong didn't stop Officer's hasty exit and instead instructed, "Make sure the water is hot and prepare plenty of food."
"Right away, sir, I'll remember that."
Only after hearing that familiar voice did the Brahmins lift their heads, recognizing the man standing behind Officer: "Tukuru?! Is it really you?!"
"My lords... Tower Master, greetings to you all!" Lu Hong laughed heartily, "I really never imagined you'd end up captured and sent to the mines. Damn, it's too funny."
"Tukuru, how can you still laugh? Danni and the Divine Su Yu have been taken away!"
"I know. They were given to the Crown Prince of this realm. But for now, they are not in any danger. I will rescue them."
"Are you sure?" Red Beard was still very anxious and sought confirmation once again.
"I suppose so. Danni is my woman; don't you trust me?"
"Well, okay then." Seeing Lu Hong put it that way, everyone else also felt somewhat relieved.
Following that, Lu Hong took the five coal-black figures for a comfortable medicinal bath to cleanse their wounds. Then, under Officer's arrangement, they enjoyed a hearty meal.
Through casual conversation, Lu Hong also roughly learned why the seven of them had ended up in this place.
It was a rather fantastical tale. During the battle in the Star Sea, they combined their efforts to summon a Heavenly God apparition. Initially, fighting those lowly beastly Heavenly Gods went without major problems, but with the arrival of the Blood Frenzy, the situation flipped instantly.
The apparition of the Heavenly God had been relentlessly hunted by the Blood Frenzy. The seven Tower Masters, as controllers of the apparition, ran all the way to the extreme northern whirlwind of the death zone.
In the end, they were obliterated by a punch from the Blood Frenzy and fell into the whirlwind.
As it turned out, this world completely forbade magic. After struggling for survival outside for a number of years, they barely managed to heal their internal injuries. When they finally entered a city, they were all captured in a roundup by Officer—the men sent to the mines, the women taken away.
It was as miserable as can be.
"At least you are all still alive," Lu Hong then proceeded to recount all the significant events that had recently transpired in the Star Sea.
Upon learning of the current plight of the Human Race, the five Tower Masters became quite emotional. But at least they could now settle down, especially knowing that the War God had opened the legacy of the Holy Temple, they began discussing whether they should establish an Eighth Tower and proposed elevating Lu Hong to the status of Tower Master.