Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 1353: Chapter 80: Pandora

The scarecrow labeled “Boss Luo” quietly lay in the bronze coffin, and the twelve archdukes found themselves at a loss to such an unsettling situation.

In an instant, many possibilities emerged in their consciousness—for example, whether this was a prank by the Torrido Duke, or whether this was a deliberate act by the Torrido Duke… It’s very possible he did something to the Lost Fangs, and thus fled before the dukes arrived.

“No… why does this scarecrow have the same aura as that fellow Torrido?” One of the archdukes frowned at this moment.

The next moment, he directly tore open the scarecrow in the bronze coffin—inside the scarecrow’s body lay an ancient black wooden box.

Clearly, the aura of the Torrido Duke was emanating from this black box—had they not seen it with their own eyes, the archdukes would have sensed only that the Torrido Duke was still here, without having moved at all.

Another duke pondered for a moment, then tentatively opened the black box.

But another archduke, at the moment before the box was to be opened, suddenly felt a bad premonition and hurriedly whispered, “Wait!”

But it was already too late… The archduke who intended to open the box had already unclasped the box and opened it slightly.

Nothing special happened… The box was just slightly opened.

Seeing no unusual occurrences, the archduke signaled to the others that everything was fine, only then fully opening the box—a blood-red light suddenly spread from the box, illuminating the entire ancient cave.

“What is this…”

When they saw what was contained within the box, all the archdukes couldn’t help but change their expressions slightly—because they saw, astonishingly, a heart that was still beating!

This heart was currently nailed directly in the box by a wooden stake.

This was… the heart of the Torrido Duke—they could not mistake it!

The twelve dukes stared at the heart nailed in the box, first in prolonged silence, then as an aura of fury emanated from them.

Even if this was not the heart of the Torrido Duke, but merely the heart of a bloodsucker not even considered an aristocrat, this manner of handling was a great provocation to these dukes.

Upon further contemplation, this was the territory of the Thirteen Clans, and more importantly, the resting place of one of the thirteen, the Torrido Duke, yet now, without the dukes knowing a thing, a duke’s heart was thus nailed in place!

If this was the work of an enemy, it would be the greatest mockery of all the defense systems within the territory of the Thirteen Clans.

The enraged archdukes, their mere wrath now caused the ancient cave’s stone to begin cracking under pressure… And at this moment, a faint sound of footsteps was heard from a distance.

It was the passage leading to this ancient cave—a normal passage.

The twelve archdukes had entered through a violently forced hole… At the moment they heard the footsteps, these twelve archdukes simultaneously looked in that direction.

A figure holding a candlestick slowly walked into the ancient cave… The candlelight was enough for the twelve archdukes to clearly see the features of the newcomer.

“Is it you… Bylegang?”

“It is truly an honor to see all of you archdukes again.”

Appearing before the twelve archdukes was the acting archduke of the Torrido Clan… Bylegang.

At this moment, Bylegang glanced around, then saw the opened bronze coffin and the torn scarecrow, and said indifferently, “It has been over a month since the last archduke meeting… Bylegang wonders what brings you archdukes here so suddenly.”

“Bylegang, do you know what has happened here?” one archduke asked in a deep voice.

But another archduke suddenly asked coldly, “Why are you here… A duke’s resting place is off-limits, even for you, without permission!”

The twelve archdukes all locked their gazes onto Bylegang.

Facing the oldest bloodsuckers among the clans, the acting archduke of the Torrido Clan looked somewhat unconcerned, “It seemed that something that shouldn’t be opened was opened… So there was nothing else to do but come in without consent… In fact, archdukes, you really shouldn’t have opened the box inside the scarecrow.”

One archduke sneered, “Without opening it, no one would know the current plight of the Torrido Duke… nor know he has been murdered… Perhaps, the murderer is you, Bylegang?”

The twelve archdukes not only locked their gazes but also their intent to attack… Should Bylegang show even a hint of hesitation, he would be subject to the most intense attacks from the twelve archdukes.

Together, the twelve archdukes feared not an acting archduke of a single clan—even though Bylegang was a survivor of the great war a century ago, he had yet to ascend to the status of archduke.

Bylegang shook his head, “I believe you might have misunderstood… What I said shouldn’t be opened doesn’t refer to what you thought, but rather… the box itself ought not to be opened.”

“No need to waste words with him, capture him and drain his blood, then slowly interrogate him!” An archduke known for direct action coldly laughed, “Perhaps we might learn a little about the events in the rift.”

“Events in the rift?” Bylegang’s face showed a hint of doubt… He seemed lost in thought.

But two of the twelve archdukes had already made their move.

These oldest bloodsuckers, each possessed tremendous power, and centuries of existence provided them with battle experience extended to the utmost limit—two archdukes making a move, naturally expected to capture a younger member successfully.

Yet, an irregularity occurred.

As these two archdukes approached Bylegang, their bodies instantly displayed alarming signs of aging… Their vibrant skin, youthful faces, in that moment appeared as if washed by the years of millennia, entering a state of decay swiftly.

Power… fell to unprecedented lows in just an instant—and almost simultaneously, similar anomalies appeared on the other ten archdukes.

In an instant, hair turned white, and bodies transformed from plump to unsightly and emaciated.

“Bylegang… what have you done to us!”

A voice filled with fear.

The twelve archdukes were shocked and angry—this state of aging was unthinkable for bloodsuckers. Even starvation could never lead to such decrepitude.

They even felt the encroaching presence of death.

“Did I not say, there was something that shouldn’t be opened that was opened.” Bylegang casually brushed aside the two archdukes before him.

The two archdukes who had aged instantaneously were unable to resist, their bodies being simply flung aside, crashing into the cave’s rock wall.

“Your rate of aging is much faster than I anticipated…”

Bylegang slowly approached the damaged scarecrow, as if in mockery, “It seems you archdukes have indeed spent much effort preparing for the next Ceremony of the Holy Blood… Surely, you have drawn quite a bit of your source blood?”

“No way! We know your capabilities… You don’t possess the ability to cause aging!”

The archdukes’ voices were rather certain… yet amidst their certainty lay a thin veil of terror.

Their stamina and strength have suddenly plummeted to a terrifying low point… now even seemingly inferior to a newborn bloodsucker!

“Oh? Did I ever say this was caused by my own powers?” Bylegang shook his head, reaching down to pick up the box from the ground, “It’s this… this is it.”

“What is this?!”

At this moment, Bylegang let out a light chuckle, “Pandora.”

“Pandora… Pandora’s Box?”

The twelve Archdukes, already reduced to mere shadows of themselves, now all wore expressions of extreme horror on their faces.

As Archdukes of the clans, they are figures of the ruling echelon within the Unhuman Domain and are naturally quite aware of the essence of the Unhuman Domain.

Here—actually built upon the remnants of the destroyed Greek God’s Divine Nation, forming a special magical space—within this former Divine Nation, many treasures from the Greek Gods have remained intact—such as the Magician’s Association’s Crimson Flame Tower Master who possesses a legendary Golden Apple Tree.

“You actually… actually placed such a terrifying object in the dormancy site of the Clan Archdukes?!”

It’s no longer time to consider how this terrible object fell into Bylegang’s hands, but rather… the current dire situation!

They went through a few seconds’ transformation from shock to disbelief, to near despair, plummeting from the pinnacle of their Unhuman existence directly to the brink of a powerless death, and such a dramatic decline, even the long-lived tribulations they had faced over the years could not swiftly adapt.

“I never forced any of you to open it, did I.” At this moment, Bylegang expressionlessly closed the black wooden box slowly, “I never forced any of you.”

“Bylegang…!!!”

A furious Archduke, despite his awful condition, madly lunged forward. Yet his entire body now resembled a corpse, barely advancing, as flesh continuously fell off his body.

He kept stretching his hands, flailing… wrists began to fall off, arms came down… eventually, he became a skeleton-like structure, directly collapsed to the ground, becoming a pool of shocking pus.

Even at this time, one could still differentiate between the strengths and weaknesses of the Archdukes… The stronger ones naturally resisted for a longer time period.

When the deaths of the Archdukes came to pass, they weren’t much apart in timing… Watching them die, one after another, in pain and fury—what a suffocating way of dying they had never imagined!

“You… why… have no… nothing… this… box… why you!!”

Bylegang didn’t respond to the question from the persevering Archduke… He didn’t even look very much at these most superior figures of the clans struggling on the brink of death; instead, he began to tidy up the torn-up scarecrow.

Picking up those loose straw, then sitting on the ground, he began to reassemble the scarecrow back to its former appearance… meanwhile listening to the dying cries and curses of these Archdukes.

Until… the last Archduke, also during his begging, ultimately turned into a pool of pus, the scarecrow was rebuilt to its original form.

Only then did Bylegang slowly rise to his feet, quietly tidying up everything inside the ancient cave—even to place the scarecrow back inside the Bronze Coffin.

Later, he picked up a broom, donned an apron, and began to clean up what was left behind by the deceased Archdukes.

“A hundred years ago, you all got too many things from that place… But it seems you weren’t satisfied.”

Sweeping away all the remains of the Archdukes, only Bylegang’s voice echoed, slowly.

“Following the proposal of First Tower Master Dazzle, you even swiftly decided to destroy that place and seize everything without much thought… You were like spectators in the arena, sending everyone into the beast’s confrontation… Did you ever think of the despair we faced during that terrifying battle, which none of you experienced—just like now.”

When the last shred of debris had been swept away, only then did Bylegang pick up the candlestick again, sealing the ancient cave’s entrance… Before leaving, Bylegang stood by the stone gate, leaning against it, speaking to himself.

“Consider this as seeking justice for you all… Although not in the way I initially conceived, but also quite unexpectedly happened suddenly…”

“Rest in peace… my comrades.”

After he left, the place returned to quiet once more… Hidden within the box, the archduke’s heart kept emanating the Archduke’s aura.

It would keep the bloodsuckers of the Torrido Clan at ease… But relatively, at this moment, unprecedented terror was rampant within the territories of the other twelve clans.

Bloodsuckers of the twelve clans, all now painfully kneeling to the ground… The death of an archduke wouldn’t strip them of anything, but it would inflict intense grief and distress upon them.

And… if an archduke dies, who should assume the role?

…

…

“Is this the cave?”

Standing in front of a dark, murky cave entrance… The Golden Dragon cast a slanting glance.

Norman didn’t bother to respond to this, simply proceeding into the cave first… The Golden Dragon, contemplating whether to maintain decorum before the beauty or not, felt it might be appropriate right now to give this pesky little vampire a taste of dragon flame… Roasted bats might even taste decent.

With this thought, the Golden Dragon expressionlessly walked in, as one stepped in confidently, “Feel free to follow me, beauty. If anything dangerous arises, I’ll protect you… Ouch! What’s this??”

Looking down, the Golden Dragon was incredulous to find a small stone spike emerging from the floor… It had pierced through the sole of its foot – it, the Golden Dragon, scales aren’t something any sharp thing can’t resist??

“Miro-chan, you seem to be in pain?” With this, Boss Luo casually inquired.

“Oh… nothing.” The Golden Dragon smiled slightly, “It’s just a small thing, you see.”

With that, the Golden Dragon directly stepped out with its unpierced foot, taking a step forward… Shh—!

The second one.

It hurts so damned much—!!!

Maintain decorum, maintain decorum, maintain decorum… Maintain it on your sister, heck!!

“Miro-chan?” Boss Luo called softly.

The Golden Dragon elegantly turned around, covered its mouth with a light chuckle, “Thanks for your concern, it’s… rather heartwarming.”

Despite those words, this time the Golden Dragon learned its lesson and no longer tread solidly, instead subtly floated a few inches above the ground… Not absorbed of magic elements in this place? Go to hell!

Then, Fafnir’s head accidentally knocked against an inexplicably long stalactite extending from above the cave…

God knows why the stalactite wasn’t broken instead, but the Golden Dragon’s forehead ended up with a huge bump?