NOVEL NEXT Chapter 200: Imperial Mentor: Schroeder!
Bai Pu had a particularly strong memory of spatial locations.
Although he navigated through twists and turns at the Royal Alchemy Academy, passing through several circuits, the moment he saw the bunker, Bai Pu instantly recognized it.
The location of the bunker was quite special, merely a few meters thick from the ancient passage they traversed to reach here!
Thus, Bai Pu had been diligently trying to penetrate the rock wall to drill directly from the bunker into the ancient passage.
In the ancient passage, a swarm of dark bats attacked once again.
"These are... mutated Blood Bats!" Dean Harvey pressed against the wound on his shoulder, panting heavily, "Hold on, apply this Concealing Potion on yourselves!"
Bai Pu had heard of the Concealing Potion, an auxiliary potion capable of eliminating one's scent, heartbeat, and disguising a living being as a rock statue! He immediately took the Concealing Potion and applied several drops on himself, Luz, and Dean Harvey.
Sure enough, the mutated Blood Bats ignored Bai Pu and the others, swarming back to the crevices at the top of the passage, hanging upside down to rest.
Bai Pu carried Harvey on his back, Luz hefted the lead coffin, and they sprinted forward at full speed.
As an Alchemy Master, Harvey's Concealing Potion was evidently of excellent quality, allowing them to sprint quietly without making any noise.
"Good, taking Harvey was indeed a brilliant move. With the presence of the Concealing Potion, I don't need to activate the Flesh Armor, and these mutated Blood Bats will serve as a hindrance, blocking the pursuit of the Blood Ring Guard for me!"
Bai Pu thought silently; he had originally planned to use every means available, including Raging Fury, fighting while retreating, as long as they could reach the underground river, it would be considered a major success.
Behind them, shouts and curses echoed, clearly indicating that Ralph, leading his guard soldiers, had already advanced into the secret passage!
Under Bai Pu's Spiritual Detection, he also identified two familiar figures—Hidden Snake and Crazy Zen!
Evidently, Hidden Snake and Crazy Zen had volunteered to assist General Ralph in recovering the princess's lead coffin and capturing the arrogant perpetrator!
However, these pursuing mutants soon encountered the attacking mutant Blood Bat swarm lurking in the corridor!
A black storm swept across, the sensation of countless Blood Bats sucking blood was terrifying. Even the fearless mutant soldiers sensed the threat of death!
Yet, under orders from a higher-ranking general, they continued their charge, getting absorbed to death by the swarm while pushing forward!
General Ralph roared, emitting a burst of blood-colored energy aura, blasting the surrounding Blood Bats away! However, this move, similar to Mad Rhino Luz's "Ring of Shock," could not be sustained long; one wave of Blood Bats was driven back, only to be replaced by another relentless wave!
Hidden Snake and Crazy Zen had to rely on tools for protection, not daring to charge into that black Blood Bat storm.
At this moment, a slightly aged voice suddenly spoke: "Kids, it seems you need a little help."
A circle of blood-colored energy wave detonated after a brief power-up.
This energy wave was exceptionally powerful, and extremely precise in control! It killed all the Blood Bats surrounding the group without injuring anyone at all.
Such formidable Blood Magic prowess, there was no second individual at the Royal Alchemy Academy—
Emperor Gustav's instructor, a renowned Northern European Erudite Scholar, a wanderer across the lands:
John Schroeder!
A gentle white light rose up, adhering to the ceiling of the passage. Ralph, Hidden Snake, and Crazy Zen saw Schroeder the Scholar's visage in this gentle white light.
Schroeder was not wearing traditional wizard robes but rather a set of Northern European noble hunting attire, appearing quite lightweight.
This scholar liked to travel the world, and even before the outbreak of the Flesh and Blood Plague, he was Emperor Gustav's teacher.
Despite his formidable Blood Magic prowess, he did not consider himself a Blood Mage but a truth-seeking traveler.
The black storm of mutated Blood Bats attacked once again, but Schroeder simply clenched and then opened his hand, releasing a circle of blood ripples that once more killed a wave of mutated Blood Bats.
"Excellent, with Scholar Schroeder's guidance, we will surely reclaim the princess!" Ralph exclaimed loudly, at last having a solid sense of direction.
"Has the princess indeed been taken?"
Upon seeing there was trouble with the bunker holding the princess, Schroeder already had this ominous suspicion. Now that the suspicion was confirmed, his aged face turned grim:
"The princess is the foundation of the Empire; losing her means we can't control the power of the Blood Ring Curse Seal! You two, follow me quickly!"
He was speaking to Hidden Snake and Crazy Zen, who were considered rising stars at the Blood Ring Fortress, specializing in Agility, and deemed fitting by Schroeder to serve as pathfinders.
After pausing, Schroeder swiftly wrote a note to General Ralph: "Quickly send someone to notify Prime Minister Oxensterna. Stockholm must enforce a complete lockdown and deploy fleets to search the surrounding seas, rigorously inspecting any suspicious ships."
Ralph agreed, dispatching two Blood Ring Guard soldiers with Schroeder's note to the surface to notify Duke Oxensterna.
Immediately, Schroeder and Ralph led the way, followed by a dozen elite Blood Ring soldiers, with Hidden Snake and Crazy Zen at the rear.
Hidden Snake did not reveal to the natives that "Crazy Zen is in league with Bai Pu," mainly because Crazy Zen's Reputation Level at Blood Ring Fortress was not low, trailing only slightly behind Hidden Snake!
Without the natives witnessing Crazy Zen's betrayal firsthand, a report by Hidden Snake would likely be ignored by the natives.
Schroeder indeed lived up to being a Blood Magic Master; his "Blood Ripple" skill killed approaching waves of mutant Blood Bats effortlessly, as though taking a leisurely stroll.
Later, the mutant Blood Bats scrambled to devour the corpses of their kind. The Blood Ring group finally passed through the perilous corridor.
The barrier of black vines and death beetles couldn't hold Schroeder either. After a Blood Ring soldier was bitten, Hidden Snake immediately stepped up, breaking the wound open and capturing a hard-shelled beetle to present to Schroeder.
Schroeder scanned the beetle with his Spiritual Power, then said calmly, "These beetles have blood within them as well, though the amount is minimal, but sufficient... Blood Extraction!"
Schroeder stretched his left hand downward, spreading his five fingers, remotely enveloping the black vines ahead! His right hand extended, gripping his left wrist, as a dark ripple spread out.
In the black vine thickets, chirping rose sharply, as the bodies of black beetles rapidly swelled and from their intersegmental gaps and mouthparts, threads of grayish viscous fluid were extracted, their bodies swiftly disintegrating and withering, resembling beetle specimens dead for ages!