Chapter 203: Necessary Flexibility
The moment Benjamin and Aron were surprised to find themselves inside the ancient door, they rushed back toward it as quickly as they could. The quickest among them was undoubtedly Benjamin, the most agile of the group. However, even he was unable to stop the door from closing in time.
With a heavy thud, the ancient door slammed shut behind them, leaving the group to accept the reality of being brought into the underground tomb. Benjamin turned to face Elder Lawrence, his voice filled with rare anger as he asked, "Why did you do this? This seems to be quite different from our previous agreement."
Elder Lawrence didn't even glance back; he simply continued to move forward slowly. "You all are moving far too slowly. I don't want you wasting too much time. We will encounter more dangers in the underground tomb, and we must proceed quickly to fulfill our plan."
As he spoke, Lawrence did not slow his pace. After finishing his statement, he had already walked a hundred meters ahead. Although Benjamin and the others were furious, they found themselves with no options. Since they had entered the underground tomb, they had to follow Elder Lawrence.
They understood that acting alone would lead to numerous dangers. However, moving through the underground tomb brought with it an unbearable chill that pierced through to their bones.
Benjamin and the others felt as if they would freeze to death in the underground tomb if they stayed there much longer. So, each of them began to use their skills to find ways to maintain their body temperature within normal ranges.
At the same time that Elder Lawrence entered the underground tomb, Irving and the werewolf leader finally arrived at Shadow City. However, they faced another awkward situation: they could not enter Shadow City without being noticed. Every entrance to Shadow City was guarded by members of the Night Blades.
To gain entry, they would have to eliminate these Night Blades, but doing so would certainly alert even more members of the organization.
"What should we do now? Should we charge in directly? If we do that, the two Night Blades elders will be able to prepare for us, and our chances of success will be extremely low," the werewolf leader said, having regained much of his strength, and he was now in the mood to joke with Irving.
Irving shook his head. "We can't engage in battle with the two Night Blades elders right away. But I also believe that they will avoid fighting us immediately."
After saying this, Irving took out a few weapons from his pocket. "I think we don't need to take action ourselves; we can let your werewolves handle the Night Blades minions. If stronger enemies do show up, we can always choose to intervene then."
Irving began distributing the weapons to the werewolves.
After the werewolves received their weapons, they were unsure of what action to take and could only look to their leader for guidance.
The werewolf leader pondered for a moment before nodding. "Your plan is indeed the most reasonable, so let's proceed with it." After saying this, the werewolf leader immediately ordered his subordinates to take action.
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Although the werewolves were not particularly strong in combat, the weapons in their hands were exceptionally powerful. The weapons Irving had given them were rare, which meant the werewolves could easily defeat ordinary members of the Night Blades while wielding them.
The werewolves moved with remarkable efficiency, and both Irving and the werewolf leader entered Shadow City without expending any energy. However, their movements were soon detected by the members of the Night Blades.
The Night Blades members quickly reported the whereabouts of Irving and the werewolf leader to Elder Howard.
Elder Howard's mood darkened further. "I really didn't expect them to dare come directly to Shadow City! Don't they know that Shadow City is the core stronghold of our Night Blades in the Desolate Canyon area? Don't they realize that we have even greater power within Shadow City? Do they really think that defeating us in the recent battle means they can act with impunity?"
Howard vented his frustration in a rapid succession of words. However, none of what he said would help change his situation.
Elder Kent slowly stepped forward, his injuries nearly healed. "Don't be too hasty. The appearance of Irving and the werewolf leader might not be a bad thing for us. Perhaps we can use them to flush out Lawrence."
Kent's words caused a look of hesitation to cross Elder Howard's face. "How can we make that happen? Are we supposed to send Irving and the werewolf leader to the last place Lawrence was seen?"
Elder Howard and Elder Kent referred to Lawrence differently. While both believed that Lawrence had betrayed the Night Blades, Howard still held a certain respect for him, hence he continued to address him as Elder Lawrence. In contrast, Kent had no respect left for Lawrence and simply used his name.
"I think sometimes we need to be more flexible. Given the current situation, we must ally with Irving and the others. Only in this way will it be most beneficial for us," Kent stated directly.
Kent's perspective shocked Elder Howard to the core. "Don't forget what our mission is! Our task is to eliminate Irving and ensure the safety of Shadow City. How can we cooperate with our greatest enemy?"
Howard's face displayed an exaggerated expression as he loudly questioned Kent.
"Before we uncover Lawrence's scheme, what you said is indeed our most important task. However, once we discover Lawrence's plot, as elders of the Night Blades, we must prioritize dealing with Lawrence. If Lawrence learns the secrets of our Night Blades' power, the threat he poses to us will be many times greater than that of Irving," Elder Kent said with unwavering conviction.
After a moment of silence, Elder Howard ultimately agreed with Kent's reasoning. "You're right. So what should we do next? How do we cooperate with Irving?"
"What we need to do next is quite simple. We will share all the information we have regarding Lawrence with Irving. Additionally, we must inform him about the whereabouts of Irving's companions. Once we do this, Irving will understand our intentions. Given the current situation, Irving will definitely cooperate with us," Elder Kent explained.
Elders Kent and Howard had already received some intelligence from the members of the Night Blades. They now knew that Irving's companions were acting alongside Elder Lawrence. Under normal circumstances, the two parties would be at odds. Therefore, their cooperation likely meant that Elder Lawrence had coerced Irving's companions.
As soon as Irving became aware of this information, he would undoubtedly prioritize rescuing his companions.
Elder Howard immediately acted on Elder Kent's suggestion. He dispatched a member of the Night Blades to swiftly reach the path that Irving and the werewolf leader would inevitably take.
As expected, once Irving and the werewolf leader entered Shadow City, they found themselves lost. After all, neither of them had spent much time in Shadow City before. Although Irving had hidden in Shadow City previously, he was only familiar with the layout of its sewers.
"Where should we go next? I feel like we're completely lost," the werewolf leader said, sniffing the air and scanning their surroundings.
Irving felt a bit of a headache as well. Although he held a map in his hands, it lacked detailed information about the locations within Shadow City. "I can't make out the specific layout of Shadow City on this map. We might just have to explore slowly."
Just as Irving finished speaking, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye and became alert. He had keenly picked up on the presence of a Night Blades member nearby.
Irving signaled one of the werewolves to move closer to that direction. However, just as the werewolf began to act, the hidden Night Blades member stepped out into view.
"You are Irving and the werewolf leader, right? Our elder has ordered me to bring you some important news," the Night Blades member said, visibly frightened but compelled to carry out the elder's command.
Irving and the werewolf leader exchanged glances. Both of them realized that the Night Blades member did not appear to be very strong, and could even be considered quite weak. Therefore, they didn't feel the need to be overly cautious.
Irving gestured for the Night Blades member to come a bit closer. The member then proceeded to relay all the information regarding Elder Lawrence and Irving's companions.
After hearing the information, a complex expression crossed Irving's face. "Are you sure this information is true? Are you certain you're not trying to deceive me?" he asked in a low voice, his tone dripping with menace.
The Night Blades member's face turned pale with extreme fear upon hearing the question. "I don't know if this information is true or not. I was just following the elder's orders to come here and tell you this."
Irving scrutinized the member from head to toe. "Alright, we've heard what you had to say. You can go back now!"
Upon hearing Irving's words, the Night Blades member quickly took off.
"You just let him go? Shouldn't we have killed him outright?" the werewolf leader asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.
"Is killing him going to help? He's just a small fry. Besides, I believe the information he provided is all true. Elder Lawrence has likely betrayed the Night Blades. The two elders of the Night Blades want to use us to eliminate their enemies!"
Irving's gaze suddenly turned fierce. He despised being used by others, but at this particular moment, he had no choice but to accept the manipulation of the two Night Blades elders. After all, it was the only way he could obtain useful information from them.