Chapter 71 - Abnormal Changes with the Ball (2/2)

“Don’t look forward to the day when this comes in handy.” The squad leader relieving the shift patted his shoulder. “Get back and have a rest.”

Their comrades who incessantly yawned finally left. The bearded squad leader took over the security of this area. Leaving two soldiers at the entrance, he lifted the curtain of the tent and stepped inside.

The ‘rock ball’ with a diameter of about 1.5 meters sat quietly in the center. A pit had been dug in the ground beneath it to ensure that the rock ball would remain well in place. And around it, numerous thick wooden stakes were planted. The original thick ropes connecting them had now been changed to ropes weaved with magic threads. These interlaced magic threads radiated a faint fluorescence in the darkness of the night, but its main function was to provide reassurance.

Besides that, there were also several wooden shelves and a desk in the tent. Some magical crystals and alchemical potions were displayed on the shelves, while a paperweight held down some scribbled-on manuscripts on the desk. The ordinary soldiers wouldn’t dare to touch these; they were the study notes that Heidi had left behind.

Pity there was absolutely no progress made in those notes.

“This thing hasn’t changed at all.” A soldier circled the rock ball, he restrained the impulse of using his rifle to tap the rock ball, which could be seeking death. He muttered to himself, “I heard that it’s a relic of the ancient Gondor Empire. I’d thought it would be really impressive.”

The squad leader slapped the head of this soldier. “Cut the crap. Check conscientiously whether there are any cracks on the surface and whether it has shifted. Leave after you’re done, and come in after an hour to relieve me.”

The soldiers began their checks while mumbling to themselves; meanwhile, the squad leader freely surveyed the furnishings in the tent. However, the moment his eyes shifted away from the rock ball, an indistinct feeling like static electricity began to spread on his skin, and some of his little hairs stood up.

Any person who could survive the Cecil catastrophe was no ordinary person. But despite being a squad leader of the militiamen, if placed in the territories of other noble clans, he would have just been a new knight in training. This middle-aged soldier with a full beard was instantly on alert; his hand gripped the longsword at his waist and unsheathed it slightly. “There’s a problem!”

However, in the next second, that ‘static electric’ feeling with all his hair standing on end disappeared. The two soldiers nervously held their long spears in a tight grip for a long time before staring at each other. One of them turned to his squad leader. “Chief… I think you’re too nervous?”

“No, I did feel…” The squad leader himself was also puzzled. He explained himself, but midway through, he noticed that the sheen of a magical halo on the soldier’s enchanted breastplate had gone out. “Locke! Your breastplate!”

The soldier named Locke lowered his head for a look and instantly cried out. “Ah!”

However, the moment he did, the initially dimmed enchanted breastplate returned to normal. A very dim magical halo covered his armor again as if nothing had happened at all.

Following that, the same changes happened to the other soldier’s breastplate — it first went out and then recovered; the squad leader also saw that the longsword in his hand had lost the halo of enchantment in that brief moment.

He immediately unsheathed the whole longsword. “Stay calm! Slowly retreat. This place…”

Before he could finish, a peculiar force came from the longsword, as if there was an invisible pair of hands tugging at it. The enchanted longsword which came from the ancient Gondor Empire was abruptly pulled in the direction of the rock ball in the center of the tent. The squad leader instinctively resisted against this force and exclaimed, “Quickly get someone! There’s a problem with this ball!”

The soldier Locke immediately rushed towards the entrance, but midway, a huge force came from his armor: strictly speaking, this force was towing his armor. He was dragged and thrown into the air as a result of this powerful attractive force, breaking past the surrounding fencing and ropes; his entire body was practically flying toward the rock ball.

Locke struggled in terror. He tried to remove his armor to free himself from the pull, but that powerful attractive force had caused the armor’s catch to be stuck together. He could not get out even after several desperate attempts. On the other hand, the squad leader sensed the attractive force on his longsword growing stronger. He finally lost his grip on his weapon; it promptly slipped out of his hand, let out a whistle in the air, and ended up stuck to the top of the rock ball with a clatter.

The tip of the sword and Locke’s head were only half a palm’s width apart.

Locke rolled his eyes and glanced at the sword above his head. He finally shouted at the top of his voice. “The rock ball has come alive!! There’s a problem!!”

His shouts spread through almost half of the camp…

The squad leader who’d lost his weapon stared dumbstruck at his empty right hand; he lifted his head to share a speechless gaze with the other soldier in the tent.

The armor he was wearing wasn’t pulled away, and the remaining soldier had everything intact.

This ‘rock ball’ picked and chose which items to attract?