The First Magic World War

Mason, holding the giant axe, breathed laboriously; he had to protect his teammates behind him.

In front of him stood a monster resembling an upright goat, strong and majestic, wielding a huge stick, its eyes filled with cruelty and a bloodthirsty glare.

Hannah from the former Giant Axe Adventure Group had already gone "missing," and the other team members had been injured. Mason now deeply regretted letting Charles join them, otherwise he and his companions would not have faced such danger.

As the goat monster charged forward with large strides, Mason's eyes were filled with a solemn readiness to meet his death.

In an instant, however, the goat monster suddenly vanished into thin air.

Emerging from the shadows, Charles strode forward with a relieved smile and called out, "Luckily, I arrived just in time! Mason, Homonsa, everyone follow me; I'll take you to a safe place." It was his first time manipulating the Labyrinth, deliberately crafting a crisis and appearing in front of a few familiar faces at the most critical moment.

The hatred in Mason's heart dissipated without a trace, and with gratitude for surviving the ordeal, he led the team and quickly followed Charles.

Charles soon found all the members of the adventure group and brought them back to the meeting hall.

Fortunately, the losses for this hastily assembled adventure group weren't too severe, with only seven or eight dead, keeping their numbers over a hundred. Most of them had injuries, but with timely treatment, those who were seriously injured wouldn't face life-threatening conditions.

The Maze-ification of Machu Picchu had also assimilated the animals, monsters, strange creatures, and Evil Spirits that roamed this ancient fortress; they wandered around, somehow coming into conflict with the adventurers.

Normally, the adventurers should have been obliterated.

But because they'd become Labyrinth NPCs during the Maze-ification process, enjoying the biased protection of the Labyrinth's rules, there wasn't a massive loss of life.

Leaders of over a dozen small adventure groups gathered, showing subtle resistance to Charles. All experienced adventurers, they surmised that everything that had happened was related to Charles.

A leader of a small adventure group named Yasi stood up and said, "We are not spies of Byron, nor do we wish to get entangled with those Vampires. Let us leave, and we promise not to speak of this; we'll even forgo our payment."

Charles didn't respond directly but with a beaming face announced loudly, "First, I want to thank everyone!"

"I have found my family's treasure!"

With this statement, he silenced all other voices as nearly every adventurer was captivated by the topic of "treasure found." The prospect of treasure, wealth, and money took over the adventurers' thoughts, eclipsing everything else.

"I had sworn to the Goddess that if I could find the treasure, I would give five percent to those who found it with me."

"I will honor my promise!"

The enthusiasm of the hundred or so adventurers was instantly ignited; no longer did anyone want to delve into why they had been abandoned in Machu Picchu or faced such danger. Each one only considered how much money they could get.

Charles's gaze swept from left to right and then from right to left, making sure he had tempted everyone, before speaking with a devilish voice, "Unfortunately, the treasure I've found is not in the legal currency of Fars."

"So, I cannot distribute money to everyone right now."

"As you know, this treasure comes from ancient Beastmen nobility; it needs to be converted into Gold Aegeus and Silver Fu Er in Strasbourg..."

"And Sheng Ding, what even is that?"

"Ladies and gentlemen present here! You are all going to be wealthy."

His words immediately won the cheers of the hundred-plus adventurers.

Spreading his arms and shrugging his shoulders, Charles said loudly, "So, I must ask all of you to accompany me to Strasbourg and claim the wealth you deserve."

"No problem."

"We'll go with you to Strasbourg!"

"Your generosity is truly unparalleled."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"May I ask, roughly how much money will we be splitting?"

"Is going to Strasbourg considered a commission?"

The adventurers bombarded him with their noisy inquiries, but Charles answered them all patiently. Once everyone had calmed down a bit, he led the adventurers away from Machu Picchu.

Before leaving, he glanced back into the depths of Machu Picchu and murmured, "Last time, I said I would find you and expose you to the sun to watch you turn to ashes."

"I misspoke!"

"I was in a hurry to tend to some private matters."

"Now…"

Charles discovered that the monster who had killed Hannah, although trapped by the Labyrinth, was still able to resist being turned into a Labyrinth NPC.

As to why Lord Leo could easily become an NPC while this monster could not, Charles didn't have time to research at that moment.

"I'll come back eventually to fulfill my promise, to expose you to the sun, and watch you turn to ashes."

Lord Leo was in quite a predicament now.

He only wanted to take his servants and leave, but never expected that the ancient fort of the Orc Kingdom would suddenly become an endless maze from which he could not escape.

Stay tuned to empire

Luckily, vampires' survival abilities are top-notch. Although the Blood Clan usually values elegance, in such dire straits, they could eat anything.

Lord Leo even ate several live moles, which are plentiful in any desolate ruin.

Charles did not know how to deal with this Lord of Byron, so he temporarily gave up on meeting him. After all, vampires are hard to "nourish to death."

His carriage was stocked with a pile of food, along with drinking water and fine wine, all purchased when leaving Strasbourg.

The adventurers who escaped the Machu Picchu maze had a feast, regained their spirits, and returned to Strasbourg full of anticipation, following Charles.

With so many adventurers, Charles of course would not bring them back to Elysian Pastoral Street No. 58; instead, he sent them to the office of the Patrolling Army in the Lucavaro District—Sparrowhawk Street Number One.

Although it had been abandoned for who knows how many years, the basic structure was still sound. With some minor repairs and a thorough cleaning, it would be habitable.

These adventurers, often sleeping outdoors, were not too picky about their living conditions. Coupled with the prospect of soon receiving money, they had no complaints about Charles's arrangements.

After taking care of the adventurers, Charles did not have time to return home and went straight to the Central Government Office, seeking out his "former boss," Madam Aldergonde, a very staunch and authoritative senior government official.

Madam Aldergonde was quite surprised by Charles's visit and asked, "How are things at Kilmainham Prison? Is your work going smoothly?"

Charles laughed, "I've been transferred to the Lucavaro District, and I've joined the Patrolling Army."

Madam Aldergonde looked slightly puzzled and remarked, "Is there a Patrolling Army over there? I recall that the patrolling armies of the outer fifteenth district—you know—are just on the payroll in name only."

Charles certainly knew that, and even if he hadn't before, a visit to Sparrowhawk Street Number One in the Lucavaro District made it quite obvious.

He said with a smile, "That's why I need to re-establish my records; otherwise, I won't be able to draw a salary."

Madam Aldergonde nodded subtly, signaling her understanding. Charles had been her subordinate, and she was willing to grant him this small favor. She immediately issued a document for Charles; her assistance would end there, and he would need to handle the rest of the red tape himself.