Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory-Chapter 106: Is there a problem?

"Alright, I’ll trust you on this."

Ethan nodded, then got straight to the point. "Second question—what was up with that Corpse Red Dragon earlier?"

Lilith pulled out a black lantern shrouded in an eerie aura of death. Without wasting any words, she held it out to Ethan with both hands. "It was because of this Strategic Artifact!"

She took a deep breath and continued, "The great Lord, this is a Tier-3 Strategic Artifact—the Dominator’s Lamp. It was one of my mother Malenthia’s most prized possessions! I stole it when I betrayed her and fled the castle."

"Dominator’s Lamp?" Cicero’s eyes lit up in realization. "So that’s what it was... No wonder!"

Ethan turned to him, curiosity piqued. "Cicero, you know about this Dominator’s Lamp?"

"Yes, Master," Cicero nodded, his voice steady and precise. "Dominator’s Lamp—a Tier-3 Strategic Artifact, one of the four key components of the Death Dominator, a legendary artifact of the Necropolis faction. It’s said to have the power to control the corpses of Legendary Units!"

At the same time, Ethan’s vision filled with the artifact’s details.

Dominator’s Lamp ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

Tier-3 Strategic Artifact

Can control the corpses of Legendary Units up to Tier-13, as well as lower-tier units.

Tier-13 Legendary Units retain 30% of their original strength.

Units below Tier-13 retain 50% of their original strength.

Maximum control limit: five corpses.

One of the four key components of the Tier-4 Strategic Artifact—Death Dominator.

"Corpse control, huh..." Ethan muttered under his breath. He glanced at Seraphina, Cicero, and Eldorin. "Any of you want this thing?"

The response was immediate—everyone shook their heads without hesitation.

Not only that, but their expressions were filled with unmistakable disgust.

It was obvious. As members of the Light Alliance, desecrating the dead and manipulating corpses was something they simply couldn’t accept.

And Ethan felt the same way.

The Necropolis faction had no qualms about it because, well, they were already dead. It made sense for them.

But him? A living, breathing person?

The thought of using something like this made his skin crawl. There was just no way he could stomach it.

With that in mind, Ethan shook his head and casually tossed the Dominator’s Lamp back to Lilith. "you keep it. I don’t want it.."

Lilith froze.

For a moment, she looked completely stunned—like she couldn’t believe what she had just heard.

Her hands hovered awkwardly in the air, unsure of what to do.

"If you want to live under the sun, the first thing you need to learn is to respect the dead. Because in doing so, you’re also respecting yourself." Ethan’s voice was calm but firm. Then, without giving Lilith a chance to respond, he shifted the topic. "Tell me about this Malenthia you mentioned. Is she some kind of lord in the underworld?"

Lilith shook her head, a flicker of fear flashing in her eyes. "No... Malenthia isn’t just a lord. She’s the King of the underworld."

"King?"

Ethan’s brows lifted slightly in surprise.

In the Inferno, Necropolis, and Dungeon factions—the three major dark forces—titles like Lord, King, and Overlord carried significant weight.

From weakest to strongest, Lord was the lowest rank, while Overlord was at the very top.

Anyone who bore the title of Overlord was almost certainly one of the highest-ranking figures in their respective faction. In the entire world of Glory Lords X, such beings were exceedingly rare—powerful beyond imagination and feared by all.

And just beneath Overlord was King.

While not as terrifying as an Overlord, a King was still an absolute powerhouse. Every King in the Inferno, Necropolis, and Dungeon factions was a force to be reckoned with—monstrous in strength and influence.

More than that, the title of King signified that they commanded a vast domain, one that could rival, or even surpass, the great nations of the surface world.

A prime example? The Infernal Demon King Baelthar from earlier.

A Tier-13 Devil Hero.

Starting rank? Crimson Ultimate.

If that wasn’t terrifying, what was?

"Yes, a King," Lilith confirmed with a firm nod, her voice barely above a whisper. "Malenthia rules over the Third Layer of the Underworld. She controls six fortresses and commands nearly thirty unit heroes. Her power is overwhelming—she’s easily one of the strongest Dungeon rulers in the entire Third Layer."

"On top of that, she herself is a Tier-12 Hidden Special Unit—a Shadow Matriarch! She possesses power that comes dangerously close to Crimson Ultimate!"

"Dangerously close to Crimson Ultimate?"

Ethan paused for a second before immediately understanding. "So... an SSS-rank Orange Legendary Hero?"

That was both good news and bad news.

Good news—she wasn’t Crimson Ultimate.

Bad news—an SSS-rank Orange Legendary Hero was still ridiculously strong. Not just strong—insanely strong.

After all, anyone who could claim the title of King in the underworld wasn’t going to be some pushover.

Still, since she ruled the Third Layer, it wasn’t like he’d be running into her anytime soon... right?

Ethan exhaled slightly, shaking his head. "I want everything you know about the underworld—the maps, the locations of major Lords and Kings, intel on gold mines and the six key resource points. Anything useful. In exchange, I’ll let you live."

Lilith froze.

Her eyes widened in shock. "Y-You... You’re planning to invade the underworld?!"

"Is there a problem?" Ethan asked in return.

"..."

Lilith was completely stunned.

She was at a loss for words, utterly dumbfounded! She wanted so badly to tell Ethan that, throughout history, it had always been the underworld attacking the surface world. As for the surface world taking the initiative to invade the underworld... Come on!

How... how was that even possible?!

The underworld was crawling with bloodthirsty monsters and demons who killed without hesitation. They would love nothing more than for someone to come down and fight them!

Wasn’t this basically a suicide mission?!

That was exactly what she was thinking, but in the end, Lilith didn’t dare say it out loud. After all, with Seraphina and Cicero—two Crimson Ultimate heroes—standing right there, she had more than enough reason to keep her mouth shut. The sheer presence of these two powerhouses was enough to make her think twice before blurting out anything reckless in front of Ethan.

At the same time, seeing Lilith remain silent, Ethan’s eyes flickered slightly. He spoke in a calm, measured tone. "You don’t want to tell me?"

"N-no, no, no! My great lord, please don’t misunderstand... I’ll tell you everything I know!" Lilith trembled all over, shaking her head frantically before nodding just as quickly. She didn’t dare zone out or hesitate any longer.

To her, there were no secrets in front of someone this powerful.

Besides, this was such a simple request.

There was no reason for her to refuse...

Without hesitation, Lilith pulled out an old, yellowed map. "My great lord, this is the map my father left me—the one that helped me escape from the underworld!"

"A map?"

Ethan’s gaze sharpened as he took it from her.

But instead of keeping it, he casually tossed it to Eldorin. "Eldorin, check how old this map is."

Lilith shuddered again, her mouth opening slightly as a chill ran down her spine.

But at least she wasn’t panicking too much.

Meanwhile, Eldorin carefully examined the aged map before respectfully handing it back to Ethan. He nodded and said, "My lord, this map is approximately three thousand years old."

"Excellent."

Ethan smiled and turned his gaze back to Lilith. "I’m glad you didn’t try to deceive me. I like honest people."

"I-it’s my honor," Lilith forced out a smile, feeling as if she had just narrowly escaped death.

Thank god she hadn’t lied. If she had, she’d be done for... As expected, a lord powerful enough to command two Crimson Ultimate heroes was no fool.

That was way too close... She had almost screwed herself over.

Ethan then raised the underworld map in his hand and asked, "Does anyone here know how to read this?"

"My great lord, I can translate it for you!" Lilith immediately offered.

"You? No. I can’t trust you just yet. Understand?"

Ethan shook his head and turned to Cicero. Without hesitation, Cicero nodded and said, "Master, leave it to me. I can read every strategic and non-strategic map from any faction."

Cicero had a unique talent—Vast Knowledge.

And this was exactly where the Vast Knowledge skill shined!

He knew an incredible amount about the world of Glory Lords X. But it wasn’t just basic knowledge—he had mastered it, understood it inside and out.

That alone was terrifying.

Know your enemy, know yourself, and you will never lose a battle.

In a way, knowledge was the ultimate power—an unstoppable force.

"Take it." Ethan tossed the underworld map to Cicero, then turned to Lilith, who looked a little dejected. His voice was calm, almost indifferent. "Alright, you can go now."

"Huh?"

Lilith froze, staring at Ethan in disbelief.

It was as if she couldn’t trust her own ears.

She had never expected Ethan to actually... let her go?

"You didn’t understand me? Fine, I’ll say it again. You can leave. Now." Ethan repeated, his tone unwavering.

For a moment, Lilith’s expression flickered between shock and joy. She was visibly shaken.

But then, to everyone’s surprise, she clenched her teeth, dropped to her knees, and said, "Great Lord, your presence alone commands my loyalty. I... I want to join your castle! I swear on my life—I will never betray you!"

"Never betray me?" Ethan chuckled, shaking his head. "Coming from someone from the underworld, that doesn’t exactly inspire confidence." His voice remained calm, but there was an unmistakable finality to it. "I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. Now leave. Don’t test my patience."

Lilith’s eyes trembled. Her face paled slightly, and deep in her gaze, a flicker of disappointment surfaced.

But she had no choice.

She stood up, bowed deeply, and turned to leave.

"Thank you for your mercy, my lord..."

Ethan had made himself clear. If she pushed any further, she’d be digging her own grave.

With that, Lilith’s figure disappeared into the distance, her silhouette carrying a quiet sense of defeat.

A long silence followed.

Then, after a while, Seraphina suddenly spoke. "Master, I actually think she’s... different from those other wretched underworld creatures."

"I think so too," Ethan admitted. "But feelings don’t mean anything. If she wants my trust, she’ll have to prove herself. Understand?"

He smiled slightly but didn’t elaborate. Instead, he turned to Eldorin. "Eldorin, you have half a day. Search The Lost Realms—every inch of it. I want a full report on everything in The Lost Realms in the Emerald Castle conference room by then. Any issues?"

"No issues!"

"Good. Seraphina, Cicero, we’re heading back."

"Yes, Master!"

"Understood, Master..."

...