"...Where is it?"
The "tall" figures were only tall compared to the goblin. The leading black-robed man ignored Groo's greeting, scanned the surroundings, and then lowered his head to stare at the goblin who barely reached his waist, his voice hoarse.
"Are you new here? What happened to Rock before?"
The goblin shook his head and did not answer. Although his demeanor seemed respectful, he clearly remained vigilant.
"...Dead."
After a moment of silence, the black-robed man shook his head and spoke sparingly.
"Oh, alright, what a pity."
Despite the words of pity, Groo's expression remained unchanged. He then lifted his head, his gaze fixed on the man's chest, "Well then, according to the rules, I need to verify your identity now."
The black-robed man did not react to the tone, obediently reached into his robe, and tossed an object to Groo.
Groo caught the item thrown at him—it was a pitch-black, semi-transparent stone with a faint golden glow inside. He examined the stone closely, a hint of amazement flashing in his eyes, but he said nothing, only slightly exerting force in his palm. The next moment, a scarlet magic circle identical to the one previously lighting up the ground slowly appeared on the surface of the stone.
"Alright, I didn't expect your rank to be so high?"
Groo raised his hand, severing the link with the Seik stone, nodding to indicate that the identity verification was successful.
"So, where's the item?"
Holding the returned gemstone in hand, a trace of impatience crept into the black-robed man's voice.
"Don't rush. Rock was much more patient the first time he came—"
Groo frowned, gestured for the two black-robed men to step aside, and bent down to touch a floor tile. The scarlet magic circle appeared for the third time, but this time it didn't disappear as quickly. At the center of the array, a colossal steel cage slowly rose, separating the group of black-robed figures and the goblin on either side.
"Clack clack—"
Next, a series of unnerving grinding sounds echoed, accompanied by reverberations from all directions, making one's sanity plummet.
"No matter how many times I've seen them, these things are still so disgusting..."
Groo quickly retreated, and at the next moment, a hideous red-brown tentacle lashed past where he stood a moment ago, leaving a terrifying mark on the stone floor. The goblin took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat dripping from his forehead.
...
"What are those things?"
Rubbing the goosebumps on his arm, Ron lowered his voice, looking at the deformed creatures in the cage, he asked somewhat bewilderedly.
"No idea... But Bill's superior is actually colluding with the Black Wizard?"
Fred's focus differed from Ron's. He already recognized the goblin's identity as Goblin Groo, who had accompanied them all the way here. This discovery suddenly gave him a bad premonition.
"Black Wizard? How do you know?"
"...Nonsense, anyone can see it—their attire isn't something a good person would wear."
George irritably interrupted Ron's naive query, frowning and turning to Fred, "We need to find a way to leave—" Though they always seemed playful, Fred and George were not fools; they knew when to be serious.
"Moreover, the magic circle unmistakably reeks of Dark Arts—"
Fred continued explaining to Ron, but after hearing George's query, he paused and scanned the surroundings quickly, making a swift decision, "Alright, let's return to where we came—"
With that, the boy took the lead and sprinted toward a nearby tunnel, illuminated by red torches, negating the need to fumble blindly.
Ron followed at the end, turning back for a glance as he left. But the next moment, perhaps due to swinging his arm, the magic wand he held suddenly shone brightly, the pale light stark against the red backdrop.
The boy momentarily felt a world of silence, even the grinding noise from the creatures in the cage paused for a moment.
"Who's there!"
Goblin Groo's voice was shrill, and the black-robed person beside him reacted faster, lightly pointing his wand, sending a pale-yellow charm whizzing past the boy's head.
"Run!"
By this time, George and Fred also realized what was happening. Seeing the charm hit the wall, scattering ashes, their faces paled. George quickly grabbed the trembling Ron frozen in place, pushing him toward the tunnel, while Fred reached into his pocket, gripping a handful of fireworks-like objects.
"Eat my Filibuster Fireworks!"
Fred shouted, dousing the fireworks with a water charm he had prepared. Immediately, dazzling fireworks burst forth, completely overshadowing the red glow of flames. The blinding fireworks illuminated the entire space like flashbangs, revealing the chamber's true appearance to Fred.
It was a vast palace—all decorations shrouded in pitch-black, and above the ceiling hung a somewhat weathered mural. The central theme depicted a scale with a jackal-headed figure holding a staff beside it.
The Egyptian mythological God of Death?
"What are you looking at?"
George's call snapped Fred from his thoughts. Observing the fireworks that concealed their figures, he wasted no time, joining the others in squeezing into the narrow tunnel.
Several dozen "Dr. Filibuster's Wet-Start-No-Finish Fireworks" exploded at once, creating a grand spectacle that made Groo instinctively step back.
"Click—"
The subtle mechanism's sound wasn't prominent at this moment, but Groo clearly realized he had triggered something, raising his head stiffly, wearing a rueful expression.
"...What have you done?"
The black-robed man's hoarse voice carried confusion. Just as he attempted to pursue the children, he was halted by a tug on his robe.
Groo didn't respond, merely pointing behind them, causing an ominous premonition to rise in the man's heart as he turned silently—
"Clack clack—"
The quintapeds, almost mountain-sized, ceased their in-fighting and "gazed" toward the few they faced. The iron cage separating them had already vanished like water.
"—Seriously?"
The second black-robed man, silent until now, spoke with a tremor. Observing the familiar scene, his mouth twitched involuntarily.
"...Encountering these beasts never ends well."
The first black-robed man sighed; he seemed unworried about the XXXXX-level magical creatures that now considered them prey. Raising his wand, he said, "Uh, you catch those three brats running around; I might not be able to hold off all—"
Fiendfire!
The next moment, a deep blue fire dragon surged into the air.