Chapter 172: Chapter 129: Silver Clan, Guiding Crystal Ball
「The next morning.」
After finishing breakfast at the inn, Roy left Blue Water City and headed for the Lost Cave, over a hundred kilometers away.
The Lost Cave, as its name implied, was an underground cavern easy to get lost in, much like a labyrinth.
Furthermore, the cave was home to many Extraordinary Creatures.
To this day, no one could say for sure just how large the Lost Cave was or how many different species of Extraordinary Creatures lived within it.
One thing was certain, however: to make it out of the cave alive, luck was more important than strength.
After the Lost Cave became famous, many skeptical Official Knights and Great Knights had deliberately entered to investigate.
The vast majority of them never made it out alive.
According to incomplete statistics, the survival rate for those who entered the Lost Cave was only about one in ten.
Even though many had proven with their lives just how dangerous the Lost Cave was, plenty of people still entered for all sorts of reasons.
These reasons included, but were not limited to, curiosity, skepticism, treasure hunting, and simple impulsiveness.
While enjoying breakfast at the inn that morning, Roy had overheard several other guests discussing the Phoenix Knight and the Lost Cave.
From their conversations, he managed to piece together the whole story.
It all started a little over a month ago.
One day, a little over a month ago, a few Adventurers arrived in Blue Water City with a batch of secondhand weapons and armor to sell at the outer city market.
Initially, these Adventurers didn’t attract much attention.
However, once they revealed that the weapons and armor for sale had all been scavenged from the Lost Cave, they were immediately mobbed by the market crowd.
Anyone who made it out of the Lost Cave alive was bound to attract attention, and these Adventurers were no exception.
While people were asking how they had managed to get out, someone noticed that a Broken Sword they had brought back from the Lost Cave bore the emblem of the Phoenix Knight.
Before the Adventurers could explain where they had found the Broken Sword, they were taken away by the City Guard.
The very next day, news that the Phoenix Knight’s tomb was located in the Lost Cave—and that he had left his legacy within it—spread throughout Blue Water City. From there, the rumor began to propagate outward.
If it were rumored that other Golden Great Knights had left legacies in their tombs, most people probably wouldn’t have believed it.
But the Phoenix Knight was an exception.
The Phoenix Knight was one of the few Golden Great Knights in the Sal Empire to have come from a commoner background.
Not only that, but he was also the only Golden Great Knight in the history of the Sal Empire to refuse a title from the Royal Family.
Even more surprisingly, the Phoenix Knight went his entire life without marrying, having children, or taking any students.
Many noblewomen at the time had wanted to marry him; even the Royal Family had considered marrying a Princess to him.
However, the Phoenix Knight rejected them all, regardless of their background or beauty.
The same was true for those who wished to become his disciple.
Compared to other Golden Great Knights, the Phoenix Knight was an absolute maverick.
No wife, no fiefdom, no children, no disciples!
Aside from his Cultivation and fighting for justice, the Phoenix Knight lived a life much like that of a desireless monk.
It was precisely because he never married, had children, or took on disciples that people believed he must have left his life’s legacy in his tomb.
On his way from Blue Water City to the Lost Cave, Roy encountered quite a few other Knights also heading for the cave, including several Great Knights.
Unlike his own leisurely pace, these Knights were all moving at top speed, rushing toward the Lost Cave. They were afraid that if they were even a step too slow, the Phoenix Knight’s legacy would fall into someone else’s hands.
Even though he wasn’t moving at full speed, he still easily left those other Knights in the dust.
The other Knights didn’t even get a clear look at him before he effortlessly left them far behind.
In less than an hour, Roy arrived outside the Lost Cave.
The entrance to the Lost Cave was located within a forest and looked no different from an ordinary cave.
The entrance was only about three meters wide and three meters high. Inside, it was pitch-black, and nothing could be seen.
Hundreds of Knights clad in all kinds of armor were gathered outside the entrance.
These Knights were split into two clearly distinct groups.
The smaller group, consisting of just over twenty people, stood like guards before the entrance, blocking anyone else from getting in.
Despite their small numbers, not one of the other Knights dared to try and force their way past.
This was because their armor bore the emblems of the Molten Beast Knights and the Gem Whale Knights.
Clearly, their mission was to remain behind and prevent others from entering the cave, ensuring their companions inside would not be disturbed.
Seeing them monopolizing the cave entrance, Roy didn’t hesitate. He immediately retrieved a black, mask-like face covering from Chaos Square and put it on.
Though it was unlikely anyone from the Sal Empire would recognize him, he decided to wear the mask anyway to avoid unnecessary trouble.
With his mask on, he walked straight toward the cave entrance, preparing to force his way into the Lost Cave.
Just then, a voice suddenly rang out from the crowd.
"There are only about twenty of them! If we all attack together, they won’t be able to stop us!"