Chapter 641: Clues
He leaned back against a nearby rock, a smug smile spreading across his face.
"Only after I give her enough strength to make her feel as though she is equal to me, and perhaps even let her feel a little superior, will she willingly come to me."
Danny snorted.
"That is a very rotten way of thinking."
Hearing those words, Calix laughed.
"So what do you think?"
He looked ahead into the darkness, his expression becoming somewhat more serious.
"I just want her in my family. All the divinations she has made have come true so far. I want to ascend the throne, and for that I would need her. So I need her."
Danny laughed.
"Honestly, I think you are much worse than me. You only want her because of her talent."
Hearing those words, Calix shuddered slightly before replying,
"Not only because of her talent. I think I also want her because she is beautiful. Have you seen how attractive she looks in a nightgown when she tries to seduce and thinks I don’t understand?"
Unfortunately for them, neither of the two men realised that their conversation had already been overheard.
The faint sound of their voices drifted through the darkness and reached Lana’s ears.
She frowned beneath her blanket and pulled it tightly over her head, as though she could physically block out their disgusting conversation.
"What a pair of lovers," she murmured. "If I ever end up with this kind of lover, I will cover my ears even in my dreams."
As she spoke, Sophia’s eyes slowly opened.
She stared at the ceiling of the tent for a moment before whispering, "They are approaching us. They will definitely notice the tent."
Lana nodded calmly.
"They will. If they dare to cause trouble, then we will dare to go after them."
Sophia’s expression became slightly worried. "What if they do something before we have time to react?"
Lana chuckled.
"There is no need to worry. My pet bird is outside. If it notices anything unusual, it will croak twice."
The moment she finished speaking, Mr. Crow outside the tent mischievously let out two loud croaks.
Sophia and Lana exchanged a look. Lana immediately understood.
’They are here.’
She quickly got up and walked out of the tent.
Outside, the cold air brushed against her face, carrying the decaying smell of the Ghost Domain.
A short distance away, Calix and Danny were standing together, holding a strange-looking umbrella in their hands.
The moment they saw Lana, they chuckled. "You are very alert."
Lana chuckled in return.
"If I were not, I would never have known that there were two people who presented themselves as noble gentlemen while badmouthing a woman behind her back and even going as far as trying to endanger their own fellow participant."
Danny waved his hand dismissively.
"Do not put us on some high pedestal. We are simply people who live by our own moral standards."
Lana nodded. "Such degrading moral standards. If I had them, I would have committed suicide."
Danny laughed. "But anyway, it is too late."
The next second, he threw the strange umbrella directly toward them.
Lana was already prepared to react, but before she could make a move, Sophia stepped forward.
A translucent shield instantly appeared in front of them.
The umbrella struck the shield with a loud metallic boom and bounced backward at astonishing speed, flying straight toward Danny.
Danny’s expression changed dramatically.
He immediately moved out of the way.
The next second, the umbrella exploded right beside him and Calix.
A violent blast shook the surrounding area, sending dust and fragments of spiritual energy flying through the air.
Both men were severely injured and thrown backward. Lana stared at Sophia in disbelief.
Sophia chuckled.
"Sorry, I forgot to mention that my shield also has the ability to deflect attacks and return them directly to the original troublemaker."
Lana gave her a thumbs-up. "Good work."
Sophia raised an eyebrow. "Aren’t you upset I hid it?"
Lana shook her head.
"Not at all. I have a hidden trump card of my own. We should not reveal all our secrets to other people."
Meanwhile, Calix and Danny were severely injured. Both of them struggled to get up and eventually had to resort to using healing potions.
Lana immediately pointed at them. "You cannot use potions here."
Calix glared at her. "You two have used artifacts here!"
Sophia chuckled.
"For your information, this artefact belongs solely to my family, and only I know how to use it. So no, I am not using an artefact bought from outside. This is something I inherited."
An artefact borrowed from outside cannot be used in the competition.
However, artefacts that have been inherited or personally created by a participant are allowed.
Therefore, what Sophia used was completely within the rules.
Once Lana heard Sophia’s explanation, she gave her another thumbs-up before looking down at the two men lying on the ground.
Both of them wore miserable and furious expressions.
Lana shook her head.
"Do not worry. Whatever disgusting conversation you two had just now, I recorded it. I will send it to everyone and make sure they see exactly how disgusting some boys can be."
Calix’s and Danny’s expressions changed instantly. "Don’t you dare."
Danny clenched his teeth. "If you do that, just wait and see how we deal with you."
Lana casually waved her hand.
"Even if one of you is a rich man and the other is a noble prince, do not forget that I also have people supporting me. My boyfriend is extremely wealthy, and he can easily deal with both of your families. Not only that, but I can also use my own connections to pull you both down from your precious pedestals."
Her eyes narrowed as her voice became colder. "So do not dare threaten me."
Calix clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning pale. "What do you want?"
Lana chuckled.
"Now, that is the kind of conversation I like."
She folded her arms and looked down at the two injured men. "So, my conditions are pretty simple. You both will act as our watchdogs and guard this place while we sleep."
The moment Lana finished speaking, both Calix and Danny exchanged a stunned glance.
Lana chuckled.
"Do not even think about harming us while we are sleeping. Trust me, I am much more alert when I am asleep than you might expect. Not to mention, my pet bird will be keeping an eye on you."
With that, she pointed toward Mr. Crow.
Mr. Crow, perched nearby, turned his head toward them and gave them an intimidating look. His dark eyes gleamed faintly in the dim light.
When Danny and Calix saw this, both of them gritted their teeth.
Lana continued, "Not only that, but you will also give both of us one hundred million dollars once Sophia and I exit the Ghost Domain. If you stumble upon any clues regarding the hidden quest, you will have to tell us about them."
Hearing those conditions, both Calix and Danny fell silent. Lana noticed their expressions and chuckled.
"If you are thinking of pretending to agree but not finish, I will have no choice but to become ruthless; I will simply release the audio recording."
Danny finally spoke.
"Even if we agree to that, what guarantee do we have that you will not upload the recording anyway? What if you are only trying to trick us?"
Lana thought about it for a moment before nodding.
"Well, you have a point. How about this? I will not release the recording unless either of you provokes me again. If you dare to break your side of the agreement, then I will dare to release it."
Calix and Danny exchanged another glance. "Then write it on paper. Make it a contract."
Lana raised an eyebrow. "Do you even have a piece of Justice paper?"
Danny silently took out a parchment. Lana whistled in surprise.
"Wow, I thought all artifacts were confiscated once someone entered the competition."
Danny did not respond. He simply handed the parchment to her.
Lana calmly wrote down every condition, including the clause stating that she would not upload the recording unless either Danny or Calix provoked her.
Once she finished writing, she signed the contract. Calix and Danny signed it as well, followed by Sophia.
The moment the contract became binding, the parchment emitted a faint glow before disappearing into the air.
Calix finally spoke.
"The quest is to eliminate the Ghost King residing in the eastern area. It is approximately seven thousand years old."