Chapter 51

"Lord, we need to split up. The goblins' war wolves and riding wolves have a keen sense of smell. We must scatter to break free and shake off the trackers."

Before Luo Zhengdao could even remember this man's name, he pointed to a burly man holding an axe and said, "Vanderfark, you lead the way for the Lord. The rest of you, follow me."

Seeing this, Luo Zhengdao knew it was a strategy to sacrifice the few to save the many. He hurriedly waved his hand to stop them and smiled, saying, "Wait a moment, I have a better plan. We don't need to run."

As he spoke, the card in his left palm shattered into countless light points. Luo Zhengdao then struck a cool pose, pointing to the sky, and said, "Activate—Sanctuary!"

Before the words had even left his mouth, a faint light door appeared before everyone. This was not the time to waste on explanations, so Luo Zhengdao opened the door and gestured for them to enter. The resistance members, marveling at the magic, still had some doubts. One of them asked, "Ah! Amazing, Lord, will the goblins not be able to find us if we hide inside?"

Nodding in affirmation, Luo Zhengdao smiled brightly and said, "No one will find us here for two days. That should be enough time, right?"

None of the pursuers would have the patience to wait around for two days at the scene of the crime, hoping the criminals would return. It was rare to encounter someone foolish enough to do such a thing. Hearing Luo Zhengdao's explanation, the resistance members happily entered the door. Once Luo Zhengdao closed the door from the inside, the outside world had nothing to do with this independent sanctuary space. According to arcane theory, this sanctuary was a separate space created by a card mage by slicing off a portion of a demiplane. Even if outsiders knew where the entrance was, breaking in would be a pipe dream unless they had the ability to interpret the laws beyond that of a card mage. Otherwise, they might as well go to bed and forget it!

Feeling that they were now out of danger, Luo Zhengdao's tense nerves relaxed. He called out to the resistance members, "Don't be shy, everyone. It's very safe here. You can rest for a while! The beds, food, water, and all the necessary facilities are complete."

A spell like the sanctuary certainly existed in the list of mage skills in the New World, but it was not something a minor character could easily master. The ability to casually cast such a high-level spell suggested that the user was either legendary or exemplary.

Feeling that Luo Zhengdao's mysterious and powerful nature was beyond imagination, the resistance leader, who had a chivalrous air, tentatively asked, "Lord, are you a mage?"

This sensitive question made Luo Zhengdao, who lacked confidence, hesitant to boast. He knew nothing about the skills of New World mages, but he couldn't directly reveal his identity as a card mage. He could only vaguely say, "I am not a mage. The reason I can use magic is very complicated..."

As long as Luo Zhengdao's mind was clear, he knew that the identity of a card mage must never be exposed. Although he could display various special abilities, the New World also had magic and divine powers, and inexplicable events could be attributed to supernatural forces. Claiming to have inherited the powerful bloodline of an unknown ancestor was a good excuse, but revealing his identity as a card mage was a different matter. As a top-tier power that once stood at the pinnacle of the New World's power pyramid, it was hard to say how the gods of the current world would react to the reappearance of a card mage. Before he could be sure that his secret was harmless, Luo Zhengdao would not allow himself to be put under a microscope for others to study.

If magic or arcane power was considered a conventional weapon, then the power of a card mage was undoubtedly a strategic weapon of a different caliber. In other words, in the Old World, the three major weapons of nuclear, biological, and chemical warfare, combined with global 7x24-hour strike capability, were on par with this.

Once, as a non-divine being, he had fiercely eradicated the line of the Wild Gods. The card mage's power was so extraordinary that it could be described as monstrous in any era. It was easy to imagine that if Luo Zhengdao's identity as a card mage were exposed, even the gods, who would be troubled by the appearance of a saint in the world, would take notice. Could he ever hope for a peaceful life?

Numerous thoughts flashed through Luo Zhengdao's mind. Suddenly, he found the right words and exaggeratedly said, "...I must thank my ancestors for granting me this power."

Hearing this, the resistance members all gaped in amazement. After a while, someone finally spoke up, "That's right! I heard that Emperor of Light has dragon blood, but I never heard that his descendants would awaken as sorcerers!"

Before Luo Zhengdao could come up with a reasonable explanation, someone else had already solved the problem for him. A large fist hit the guy's head, and the person who struck him shouted, "Idiot, does Lord need to explain himself to you? I'm sorry, Lord, this guy has been bitten by mosquitoes and isn't thinking clearly."

Undoubtedly, in a hierarchical authoritarian society, questioning a superior required not just courage and wisdom but also the support of those around you. Before Luo Zhengdao could sigh, the rash man bowed and apologized, "Ah! Lord, I was terribly rude. Please forgive me."

Seeing this, what could Luo Zhengdao say? He could only smile faintly and then changed the subject, "Well, since we have time now, let's discuss how to rescue Captain Blazing Flame."

The saying "if you don't court death, you won't die" is not without merit. The nobles of the Light Empire played internal power struggles to the point of their own demise, and they dragged ordinary people into becoming slaves. Such a life was far from peaceful and comfortable; it was more like living in a hell on earth.

The humans on the mainland lived under the rule of alien races, and their living conditions were easy to imagine. Even without the efficiency of mass killings like in Auschwitz, the minimum standard of life was far from pleasant. The psychological trauma of being a slave was one thing, but the goblins could kill any human they disliked on the street, paying a small sum to the slave owner, which was not considered a crime. Under such brutal and oppressive rule, the human remnants were full of resentment, but they dared not speak out, waiting for the opportunity to rise up and sing the song of liberated peasants.

Captain Blazing Flame, who was about to be hanged by the goblin executioners and had only a few days left to live, was not captured because of his resistance against alien rule. Instead, he had the audacity to target the enormous treasure the goblins had plundered from the entire island of Qiongzhou.

A while ago, he had a conflict in a tavern over the right to a barmaid, leading to a fight with a minor official of the puppet army. This free-spirited captain inadvertently offended someone, who then reported him to the goblins. When he decided to take action, he was ambushed by a large group of goblin guards in the treasury, leading to his capture and the threat of execution. Regardless of whether Captain Blazing Flame was a greedy and lustful man, his expertise in navigation was what Luo Zhengdao needed, so he had to try to rescue him, no matter how difficult it might be.

"Lord, the green-skinned brutes confiscated all metal objects in Qiongzhou, leaving not even a nail. Now we have to tear vegetables with our hands. Fortunately, this has made their security less strict. The distance from the prison to the execution ground is less than a thousand yards, and it's right under the goblin army's nose. The green-skinned brutes never expected any trouble here."

Listening to the resistance members' opinions, Luo Zhengdao studied the map and determined that the information was useful. After a while, he asked, "By the way, what happened to the treasure Captain Blazing Flame was planning to rob?"

The human resistance members had not organized an armed uprising, primarily because they feared the invaders would brutally retaliate against civilians. They had also focused most of their energy on gathering information. One of them replied, "Of course, it's in the goblin governor's mansion in Haikou City. I heard that in two months, it's the green-skinned emperor's birthday, and this treasure is a gift from the Redstone Brigade."

Hearing this, Luo Zhengdao was puzzled and asked, "The treasure is in Haikou City, so why is Captain Blazing Flame imprisoned in Hainan City? Isn't that strange?"

Mentioning this, the resistance members suddenly looked at each other, and then they burst into laughter, dispelling the earlier tense atmosphere. While they laughed heartily, Luo Zhengdao was left confused. A young man with a sharp tongue explained, "Lord, Captain Blazing Flame couldn't resist going to the treasury in Hainan City to gather information about the treasure before he figured out where it was. Hahaha, the goblins didn't catch him, but he couldn't find the treasure in Hainan City either!"

Hearing this, Luo Zhengdao couldn't help but laugh bitterly. He had seen many greedy and lustful people in both the New and Old Worlds, but such a persistent and simple-minded treasure hunter was rare. Captain Blazing Flame was indeed a delightful and amusing character!

Money isn't everything, but without money, one can't do much. In any world, to survive and thrive, one needs capital. In this chaotic new world of great voyages, not only does one need money to live comfortably, but it's also crucial to have powerful strength. Of course, strength can be divided into two parts: one's own inner strength and external power. Although being a card mage brought Luo Zhengdao many troubles, and the curse of the Wild Gods could strip him of his life and soul at any moment, having this last-ditch ability was better than having no means to struggle at all.

Before Luo Zhengdao could achieve the great power of his predecessors, this strength was not invincible. During this period, seeking external help was also essential.