She knew how dangerous these dungeons were, and as a four-star magician she did not feel ready. Liping felt sympathy for her, because nobody knew anything about his magical skills, and they were not impressive.
But Hawthorne made it clear that they were only needed to complete the head count. The real danger his wives would handle, and the others would get some tens of thousands of gold coins out of the treasure.
That was all Annie needed to hear, and she went straight from the edge of tears into gold-dreaming mode.
Liping looked at Elizabeth to see what her opinion was. She was so busy with the pudding that the decision was left to him.
Then came the magic measurement. Hawthorne ordered a fancy crystal ball from Glee, the kind that reveals a person's magical level. Annie explained how it works as if she were giving a lecture.
Hawthorne's level was already known. Four Star Demon Spirit. His wives were in the middle range of four to five star grand mages. Now he had to know the level of the others.
Annie put up her hand first. Three hundred came out. Respectable.
Then came Liping's turn. He placed his hand on it with full confidence. He fully expected the ball to confirm that he was the legendary hero. Everyone waited for the ball's verdict.
Zero. Absolutely clean. A big, fat zero.
Liping's face fell like a failed soufflé. Reality slapped him hard. Years of farming are no substitute for magical training. He announced that his real talent lies in agriculture. To prove it, he offered bananas to everyone. The wives politely declined, and wondered among themselves why a farmer was being brought along on a treasure hunt.
Finally it was Elizabeth's turn. She was averse to being pulled into any of this, but still she put her hand on it. From that same moment, raw power burst through the room. Everyone had to close their eyes.
Liping was trying to look calm on the outside, but he was completely freaked out inside. If Elizabeth's real identity were revealed, it would not be trouble, it would be a total disaster. He gave her a silent look of distress, and Elizabeth picked it up. She controlled her magic and held it at exactly the level Annie had mentioned for a high-ranking demon spirit.
The faces of Hawthorne's wives looked like they had seen a ghost. Liping breathed for the first time in maybe five minutes. Hawthorne was thrilled. Elizabeth's power was confirmed. Getting the treasure was now almost certain.
Annie, who was new to all of this, was excited to see dungeons and treasure hunts. Hawthorne had Glee use a teleportation scroll, and in the blink of an eye they were somewhere else.
Liping got a little dizzy from it, but teleportation also looked awesome. Watching Elizabeth's complacency, Annie was trembling.
Hawthorne was in a hurry to enter the dungeon, but Elizabeth announced that she wanted to go home. Everyone practically exploded. Gasha was furious. Glee and Galia were angry. It made no difference to Elizabeth. She practically challenged them to do whatever it was they wanted to do.
Liping intervened and requested that at the very least they should be allowed to see inside the dungeon. Annie noticed that the energy coming out of the cave was similar to Elizabeth's own energy. Liping got curious too. But before he could say anything, Hawthorne set him aside and turned to Elizabeth, promised to protect her, and requested her cooperation.
Elizabeth completely ignored him. She turned to Liping and agreed. Hawthorne gritted his teeth.
Elizabeth walked into the cave, and Liping went along beside her, excited like a puppy. As soon as they entered, the barrier closed behind them.
Liping's mood worsened. Panic started. Elizabeth scared him further by telling him there were only two ways out. Either be stronger than the builder of the barrier, or complete the task.
Glee tried to give everyone, or maybe just herself, some confidence. Gasha made her be quiet. Annie's barrage of questions got stuck in her throat. Galia assured them that there would only be treasures and gold coins.
Then the way split into different directions. Hawthorne asked Glee to find the shortest route. She spread her magic out, but even after spreading it for three kilometres she could not find the end, and she exhausted herself.
Galia suggested the spirit divination power, although she herself did not believe in it. Lo offered the idea of splitting into groups, with the clone technique for backup.
Meanwhile, Liping quietly learned from Elizabeth that the maze is actually an illusion. He suggested that she help them. But Elizabeth was enjoying the show. Why bother, when they can dig their own graves, with the bonus of pulling Liping along as well.
Annie pointed towards the third curve. She was feeling something special about it, though she admitted that maybe it was just a gut feeling. Nobody paid attention, and her instincts were dismissed. Annie said it was fine and kept quiet.
Glee went for the last passage, because there seemed to be the fewest monsters there. She wanted to explore all of it. Gasha said they should stay together. Hawthorne decided to go with Glee.
To Annie, the last passage seemed like a terrible idea. To prove it, she sent her doll in first, and exactly what Annie had predicted happened. A bizarre mimic worm destroyed the doll. Liping saw that disgusting creature and almost had a heart attack. Elizabeth explained that a mimic is a parasitic beast that usually gets inside other monsters and reports their condition to everyone else.
But there was more interest in leaving. She moved forward with Liping. Annie tried to intervene again. She suggested sending a clone in, but Hawthorne refused. Elizabeth's complacency was instilling confidence in him. His decision was not random. It came out of pure confidence. He walked along behind her.
There was someone in the shadows of the passage who was waiting for them.
Hawthorne and his wives were fighting an endless army of monsters. They were multiplying much more quickly than had been bargained for. Liping and Annie had found the safest place in the world, which was behind Elizabeth. Liping's acting was so bad that even a blind dog should have understood it. But she did not say anything.
Glee was giving Elizabeth dirty looks. She was furious that Elizabeth had led them onto the monster field path. Elizabeth explained that it is normal for monsters to gather around magic. Glee was not in the mood for explanations, especially when Elizabeth, a powerhouse, was just standing around and watching the show.
Hawthorne tried to cool it down. Glee did not agree. It seemed to her that Elizabeth was trying to seduce her master.
Galia and Gasha suggested rest. Elizabeth refused. She had not come here to waste time. Galia and Lo told her to go ahead without them.
Hawthorne decided to take a break, and he requested that Elizabeth drink the elf potion. Liping heard the name of the potion and immediately got excited.