The Princess And The Lord

A labyrinth is a strange phenomenon where there is a large area underground with complicated and irregular paths that appear out of nowhere. No one knows clearly the reason for the emergence of this underground labyrinth, but several theories are circulating saying that this place was once an abandoned palace and was covered in earth until an earthquake or other reason caused the entrance to open. 

Even so, there is a theory circulating among the people that says that the Labyrinth was created by powerful beasts that dug holes in the mountains as a place to hibernate, therefore it is known that the deepest part of the labyrinth is usually occupied by powerful beasts.

While strong monsters rested in the deepest areas, weak monsters would flock to the labyrinth to take advantage of the intimidating aura emitted by the powerful Beast that resided in the deepest area to avoid other powerful beasts at the same time they also can avoid turf war that usually happened between powerful beasts. 

But even so, beasts were naturally very territorial creatures because of that they tend not to live in the same area so often the outer layers of the labyrinth will be filled with weak beasts while the deeper areas will be dominated by stronger animals, and the deeper you go into the labyrinth the stronger the beasts that inhabit it.

There is also another theory that says that there are ancient artifacts that lure the beast to come so it would protect the artifact, therefore it is commonly known that there are many treasures hidden inside the Labyrinth, and for that reason, many brave or stupid hunters dare to risk their lives to get that elusive treasures.

Lory herself had entered the labyrinth several times in the past and most of them were at the 'Priest' level therefore Lory knew how dangerous the place could be and with Zhao Li Xin's level right now she wasn't sure if he could handle the danger inside the labyrinth sadly as usual the man undeterred by the news at all.

However, this was an expected reaction from Zhao Li Xin. If Zhao Li Xin could be so easily frightened then he would not have lasted so long in the imperial Palace without anyone's protection and emerged as the strongest person in the cultivation world.

Lory could only swallow her anxiety she could only put her faith in Zhao Li Xin's abilities. Lory looked at Natahlie and nodded firmly "We will take this task, is there a set time to complete this labyrinth?"

"Okay...no, we don't expect you to complete the entire maze but we would appreciate it if you could add to the contents of this map and provide as much additional information as you can and if you find a valuable object from the maze you are required not to sell it to anyone except the Guild us" Nathalie explained the terms of their Guild.

"Of course" Lory agreed, after all the Black Crow Guild not only provided information but also weapons, potions, and everything needed to explore the labyrinth so it was natural that they asked for any findings in the labyrinth to be sold to them exclusively.

"Then you just have to sign here and we will immediately register your assignment, oh you also need to mark this special box if you agree then sign it" Nathalie gave an example of the last point marked with an asterisk which states that all risks occurring during the assignment will be borne by hunter who carries out this task.

Because the person carrying out the task was Zhao Li Xin, the person who had to sign the letter was Zhao Li Xin. Lory then gave the pen to Zhao Li Xin [You only need to write your initials here and then write your name here...] Lory pointed to the line at the end of the contract letter.

Zhao Li Xin read the contract letter then chuckled [I have never seen such a frank and honest contract like this before, I like it~]

Lory shrugged [Well that's how it is, but you have to read it carefully and if there's something you don't like, you can discuss it with the guild]

The corner of Zhao Li Xin's lips curved into a faint smile and the coldness in his face faded quite a lot which stunned Nathalie, she became curious about what they were talking about, what Lory said that could melt the cold man's face.

as Zhao Li Xin carefully read the contract, Lory turned her head to Nathalie, "Do you guys have any high-grade crystals?"

Nathalie nodded, "Yes, what high-grade crystal do you want?"

"Do you have Elysian crystals?" Lory asked.

Nathalie's movements stopped for a second and so did the man who was typing beside her however Nathalie is a professional so her expression immediately back to normal, "Yes, we got three!"

Elysian crystals are very valuable because of their durability to contain high-level spells also these crystals are rarely found and even if they are found they are usually guarded by powerful beasts who will absorb the energy from the crystals to increase their strength.

Crystals are often used by those with powerful gifted people to store multiple high-level spells in case of emergencies and some creators also use these crystals to create advanced tools making the price of Elysian crystals very expensive.

"How big the crystal do you have?" Lory hoped it would be big enough to contain her power.

"We have three, one is a three-and-a-half-inch diameter, the other one is a three-inch diameter and the smaller is a two-inch diameter, how much do you want?" Nathalie inquire.

"All of them" Lory readily said.

Nathalie's face lit up with the opportunity to make a lot of money, so the beauty mark at the corner of her red lips evidently lifted. "Please come to our VIP room to collect the items."

Nathalie's reaction confirmed Lory's guess that the Elysian crystal had been collecting dust in the guild storage for quite some time. Even though these crystals are known to be extraordinary, unfortunately only a handful of talented people, including creators, can use these special crystals, therefore selling these crystals is not an easy matter especially if you don't know the right channel, moreover in this day and age.

Is not hard to guess that after the war people were more concerned about housing, clothes, medicine food, and other daily necessities so Lory guessed there would not be much demand for these crystals.

However, after the appearance of the strange beast at today's festival, things might have changed so Lory thought that buying as many as she could would have become a good investment for her besides with the support of the Hamilton family money was not a problem for her.

Nathalie invited Lory and Zhao Li Xin to the second floor of the building. When they arrived there, they found an elegant room covered with dark brown wooden panels, then in the corner of the room, there were several antique armoires and wooden shelves decorated with crystal vases, porcelain plates, and unique pottery sculptures.

Meanwhile, in the middle of the room there is a spacious sitting room with a light brown leather sofa and an antique wooden coffee table with carved leaves on a large gray carpet then above the room there is a chandelier made of carved iron adorn with crystals, overall the room feels rustic but very elegant.

"Please have a sit, do you prefer coffee or tea?" Nathalie clasped her hands in front of her stomach and acted in a business-like manner.

"Tea will be fine" Lory answered before she then sat together with Zhao Li Xin on a leather sofa that was too soft for him so he had to change positions several times until he finally felt comfortable.

Nathalie picked up the phone and then ordered her employees to deliver drinks. After that, she opened the glass door on the wooden armoire and then pressed the code on the safe. A few moments later she took out three black boxes.

Nathalie gracefully walked towards them with several black velvet boxes in her hands, she sat opposite Lory and Zhao Li Xin later on she carefully placed the boxes one by one in front of Lory "You may check the item first," 

Lory opens the box while Zhao Li Xin looks with eyes full of interest. At first glance, the Elysian Crystal looks like an ordinary crystal, but if you look closely one would see flickering rainbow lights inside the crystals.

A female employee then knocked on the door and entered to deliver drinks, after that, the employee took a polite bow and then left the room quietly.

"I'll take all of these, and if you have more I hope you contact me first" Lory returned the crystal to its box.

"Yeah, about that" Nathalie looked a little hesitant before saying "We got information from the people who survived the labyrinth that the labyrinth contains a lot of Elysian crystals then again that would explain why the labyrinth appears in the first place but that also means whatever beast is hiding there it would be very strong..." there was a warning in her voice.

Lory frowned but Zhao Li Xin's expression remained flat, though the truth is Zhao Li Xin was delighted to know that a powerful being might reside there as it meant his chances of a breakthrough would increase.

Nathalie didn't know what Zhao Li Xin thinking right now but Lory did, she drew a sharp breath "So, how much are all these crystals?" 

Because Nathalie had done her job explaining the advantages and risks of the labyrinth, Nathalie didn't try to stop them because if they were successful this would be very beneficial for both parties.

 "It will all be five million Rom.~" her eyes glow as she speaks.

"You accept bank card payments?" Since Lory already had an identification card, she could save at the bank so she didn't need a Beast's Slayer Guild card to save her money since she was expelled from the guild.

"Of course!" Nathalie happily replies.

A few moments later they finally finished their business before leaving. Lory suddenly asked, "Oh yeah, does the Lybirinth have a name?"

Nathalie tilted her head pondering for a few seconds "The labyrinth doesn't have an official name, but I heard hunters call it ' A Death knell"

Lory's mouth twitched "We're not very good at giving names, are we?"

Nathalie covered her sexy full lips and giggled "We are~"