The forest in front of them stretched as far as the eye could see.
In the desert, the greenery was already a rare sight.
"There's a water source in the forest. That's why we've been living here."
"That temple is in the middle of the forest."
"Great Lord, you must be careful. Those temple guards are too powerful..."
"We will guard the outside..."
Hearing the desert gnomes muttering, Richard glared at them.
"Follow them in!"
The green-skinned desert gnomes looked bitter.
But they didn't dare to say anything. They could only stand on the side dejectedly.
Richard thought for a while and selected 5 desert gnomes. He sent 4 mummies to explore the way.
"You guys, go find a safe path to the temple."
The son of a rich family did not want to risk his life. With so many soldiers under Richard, there was no need for him to take the risk.
The 5 desert gnomes who were chosen were about to cry.
Richard looked fiercely at them.
"The 5 of you, after you find a safe path, you can stand guard outside. The next time you have a mission, you will send others."
The desert gnomes finally managed to recover their spirits. Compared to the other unknown missions that the other desert gnomes might encounter, it didn't seem like it was a big deal to explore a path.
In any case, they ran fast.
Immediately, they tiptoed and lowered their bodies, bringing the mummies into the bushes in an extremely comical manner.
Richard didn't say anything and waited patiently.
Twenty minutes later…
'Rustle…'
Footsteps came from the bushes, but the mummy in front didn't warn Richard.
After a while, a few desert gnomes appeared in front of Richard excitedly.
"Lord, we found a safe passage to the temple!"
Richard glanced at the few mummies behind the desert gnomes, but they didn't show any objection.
Only then did Richard relax. Compared to these green-skinned creatures, the mummies were ten times more reliable.
"Leave a small team of desert gnomes to wait here. The rest of you, follow me to the temple."
"The 5 of you are in charge of managing the order here. Before I return, no one is allowed to leave. If anyone tries to escape, the 5 of you can execute them on the spot!"
The 5 desert gnomes who were called out were instantly extremely excited. They proudly glanced at the few companions beside them and raised their heads.
"Great Lord, we will definitely keep an eye on the others!"
Richard nodded and did not say anything else. He let the few mummies go first and followed them into the bushes.
Too many people could easily cause chaos. The desert gnomes who led a small team were easy to manage. If there was trouble, they could also be used as cannon fodder.
The bushes were very tall. Some of the dense bushes were 2 to 3 meters tall, so there was no need to worry about being exposed.
Fortunately, the shrubs grew in clusters. There was a certain interval between each cluster, so there were no problems with clusters. It would at most be a bit of a detour, so it would not be too difficult to move forward.
Under the leadership of the mummy, the speed was not slow.
But to prevent trouble, Richard still lowered his speed.
In the winding bushes, it was easy to get lost with a map.
One of the characteristics of Twilight City's territory was that residents would not get lost in the desert, which played a huge role at this time.
Richard felt that his mind was clear and not confused.
Ten minutes later, the mummy leading the way stopped.
The desert gnomes also felt something, and they all shut their mouths tightly, not daring to make a sound.
Even their legs were trembling.
Richard gestured for the two mummies to keep an eye on the desert gnomes while he walked forward under the protection of the other mummies.
After walking for about fifty meters, he gently pushed aside the bushes in front of him, and his vision suddenly widened.
In front of him was an open space covered with yellow grass.
In the center of the open space was a large tree that was more than twenty meters tall with umbrella-shaped leaves.
The tree covered an extremely wide area, casting a massive shadow on the ground.
And under this towering tree, an ancient temple appeared in sight.
In front of this temple stood nine giant stone pillars, each engraved with an ancient divine pattern.
The colors were very much lively.
The aura it emitted made people feel an inexplicable sense of awe.
Behind the stone pillars, the temple, which stood in the shadow of the big tree, opened its doors. Inside, there was a faint glow of torches.
The situation could not be seen clearly, but it gave people a very mysterious feeling.
In front of the temple, four teams of temple guards stood firmly, and 40 people blocked the surrounding area.
These temple guards were wearing black armor engraved with the picture of a lion with a human face.
In their hands, they were holding a strange weapon with a curved blade and a straight hilt.
On their heads, they were wearing pointy hats with two colored ribbons.
Richard hid his body and silently opened his attribute panel.
[Dark Temple]
[???]
[???]
[???]
They were all question marks...
Richard was not satisfied and looked at the guards beside the giant stone pillar.
In the next second, his pupils suddenly constricted.
[Guard of the Dark Temple of Ankham]
[Level: 8 (Intermediate Soldier) – Strength is increased by 15%]
[Potential: Rare 3-stars]
[Skills: Temple Guard (A-rank) -- As the guardians of the Dark Temple, they have received the protection of the gods. When within 100 meters of the Dark Temple, their strength, stamina, and recovery speed will increase by 200%.]
[Temple Blessing (A-rank) -- After being killed, as long as the corpse is placed in the Dark Temple, it can be resurrected after a day.]
[Body of Faith (B-rank) -- Immune to mind control, immune to curses, immune to plagues, immune to lethal poison, magic damage reduced by 60%.]
[Battle Song of Courage (B-rank) -- Morale will never drop when facing enemies who invade the Dark Temple. All attributes are increased by 70%.]
[Battle Master (B-rank) -- Proficient in all kinds of combat techniques.]
[Race Talent: When fighting within 100 meters of the Dark Temple, all attributes increase by 50%.]
[Fetters: When fighting within 200 meters of the Dark Temple, all attributes increase by 10%.]
[When fighting within 100 meters of the Dark Temple, all attributes increase by 20%.]
[When fighting within 50 meters of the Dark Temple, all attributes increase by 30%.]
[Description: A soldier born to guard the Dark Temple.]
"What the hell!!"
Richard subconsciously slowed down his breathing.
The guard of the Dark Temple was level 8, and its potential had reached the unheard Rare 3-star level.
The guard of the Dark Temple's extremely powerful skills made Richard feel immense pressure.
The potential of the bandaged mummy was Elite 3-star level. After being promoted, it could reach the Rare 3-star level, and after being promoted once more, it could become a Rare 4-star.
There was a huge difference between the two ranks of the Dark Temple guards.
Moreover, the other party's level was as high as level 8!
The difficulty of leveling up in the game "Shining Era" was increasing exponentially. According to the official background information, the god's level was level 30.
The god's level was only level 30. One could imagine how valuable level 8 was at the beginning of the game.
Moreover, the number of Dark Temple guards on the outside alone was as high as four small teams.
The number of soldiers hiding inside was probably not much more.
It was very likely that there was more than a squadron, which was more than a hundred people.
Just what kind of background did this Dark Temple have to have a squadron of Rare 3-star level soldiers come to guard it?
If Richard and his troop were to attack it, wouldn't they be able to get rich in a wave?