"You reminded those two gargoyles earlier, and now they’re lying down. Originally, I intended to knock them out like the old lady on the third floor, but they were unexpectedly fragile."
Just as Angel started the conversation, Dox immediately sensed it and spoke before Angel could say anything.
The gargoyles are lying down? Clearly, Dox’s embellishment. Angel didn’t need to speculate to know that those two gargoyles had already shattered into countless pieces.
"By the way, thank you for that poker card. Otherwise, navigating this trap-ridden corridor would have been a bit troublesome for me."
Angel: "...You know poker?"
Dox: "Of course, if you had gone into the Cross pub earlier, you would have seen at least ten tables with people playing cards. I bet if you went in, you’d be invited to a game."
Angel remained silent for a moment. He originally wanted to ask about the Princess Castle, but after hearing Dox’s words, he couldn’t resist continuing, "How did poker cards make it to the Sandworm Market?"
Sandworm Market, in Angel’s impression, was a very remote Wizard Market, surrounded by vast desert, and not many people went there.
Yet, even in such a remote place, poker was becoming popular? It hadn’t been long since he taught poker to Sharley.
"Oh, it came over from Mesomyia. It’s said that it all started when a magician had a grand performance there. I don’t know what exactly the performance was, but the poker cards began spreading from then on." Dox added, "Apparently, the magician was a woman, traveling around various countries, performing magic shows."
Angel: ...Alright, he understood.
The magician conducting the continental tour must be Sharley, or someone closely related to her. Angel hadn’t expected Sharley to go to such lengths to promote poker magic.
After a sigh, Angel also felt slightly relieved, at least for now it seemed, poker hadn’t been seen as an imported item and was thus not ostracized.
Poker, like the shadow box Angel created, actually originated from Jon. Although Jon appeared to be a nondescript, critically ill ordinary person, the other kind of human civilization he brought had silently integrated into wizard culture.
From this, we can see that Jon, though unnoticed, was also influencing the cultural progression of the Wizards’ Realm...even if it’s entertainment culture.
"Did you contact me this time just to discuss poker? If you’re interested in poker, when we return to the Sandworm Market, I’ll take you to the Cross pub to play." Dox’s message came through the Mind Ribbon.
Angel: "Poker was just incidental; I contacted you to ask about your affairs in the Princess Castle."
Dox emitted a weird laugh: "Why, are you also intrigued by the Princess’s antics?"
Angel quietly explained, "There are two Talented Ones we haven’t found, and according to the information we got, they seem to have been taken by the Princess last night."
"One is named Golos, with a fair complexion and light golden hair; the other is called Bruiser, dark-skinned, deep brown hair, and seems to have bandages wrapped around his hands."
"Did you see any trace of them in the Princess Castle?"
Dox remained silent for a few seconds and then sighed, "So those two are the Talented Ones you’re looking for, well, well."
Angel detected the peculiarity in Dox’s tone: "You’ve seen them?"
Dox: "Of course, in the exciting performance I mentioned earlier, they were the main characters...oh, no, the Princess was the main character, and they were more like supporting roles."
Angel: "They’re in the Princess’s room?"
Dox: "Uh-huh."
"How are they doing?" Angel implied, are they still alive?
Dox: "I didn’t see the end, so I don’t know, but with the Princess’s games, if they’re not dead, they’ll probably lose a layer of skin."
...
Angel ended the communication with Dox and said to Melo next to him, "I got their location; they’re in the Princess’s room."
Angel: "We’ll head over now."
After finishing speaking, Angel turned first, heading towards the stairs to the first floor, and the others quickly followed.
Melo originally wanted to ask Angel what information he had received about Golos and Bruiser, but before he could open his mouth, he heard movement on the first floor.
There was also a faint scent of blood.
Angel also smelled it, but he didn’t stop; instead, he quickened his pace and went up to the first floor.
As soon as he reached the first floor, Angel saw the familiar gargoyle.
The gargoyle flapped its fleshy wings, hovering overhead, its gaze fixed on a human below. At this time, the first floor’s main door had been sealed by it, trapping the human as if in a birdcage, rendering escape impossible. Meanwhile, it could play around at will...until it finally killed him.
The malicious gaze of the gargoyle followed the human, who was already covered in multiple wounds, unaware that others were also watching it from the first floor.
"What’s happening? That person seems to be wearing the standard armor of the Princess Castle, so why is he being chased by the gargoyle?" Lady Melo asked in confusion.
"Probably because he didn’t properly hide the smell of blood on him and got discovered by the gargoyle. He’s a traitor," Angel remarked lightly.
The human being chased by the gargoyle was the same little Tom who had accompanied the team leader to the prison earlier.
His movements were agile, but it was obvious he hadn’t undergone formal training. Even with a sharp dagger in hand, he could barely fend off the gargoyle that could dive attack from above at any time.
Soon, a few more deep gashes were added to little Tom’s body.
A large amount of blood flowed out, and if he didn’t stop the bleeding soon, he would bleed to death from blood loss alone.
And this was clearly the gargoyle’s intention. If it truly wanted to kill little Tom, it could absolutely execute a one-hit kill, but it didn’t. It probably wanted little Tom to watch himself bleed out and die.
"My lord, what should we do now?"
The speaker was Lady Melo, who wasn’t unsure about what to do, but rather inquiring about the deeper choice to be made.
The first floor’s main door was sealed by the gargoyle. To leave, they had three options.
First, break through the walls...but the walls were engraved with numerous Magical Energy Arrays, bolstered by the prison itself, making it not that simple to break through.
Second, kill the gargoyle. Once the gargoyle dies, the door it controls will naturally open.