Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

Ariel Mines was the biggest ore vein in the southwest of Peru. The mines spread across two mountains. The number of miners working there could easily match the scale of a town.

Currently, beneath the two mountains of Ariel Mines, strange-looking apes were crowding the area. They had white fur, and their tails and claws were white, too. Their other body parts were black.

Each monster ape was over three meters tall. Their limbs were muscular, and their bloodshot eyes flickered with violence, as if they were going to tear any living thing they came upon into pieces!

The mines had their own army. Unfortunately, just this morning, the Chinese mercenaries stationed here had withdrawn suddenly. As such, Ariel Mines was in quite a vulnerable position, and suddenly, the place was under attack.

Thousands of people were trapped in the mines. The area, buildings, and machinery outside the mines were occupied by the monster apes. No one dared to leave the mines.

"What the heck is going on?" asked the overseer of the mines furiously.

"We don't know either; we have no idea where these monster apes came from."

"Damn it, I wasn't asking about that! Why did the Chinese mercenaries leave? How are we going to protect the mines if they left?" cursed the dark-skinned Commander.

The mines were full of energy, and would easily attract demon creatures. It was common for a bigger mine to attract demon creatures, so it was common for the mines to be under attack. The problem was, half of the soldiers that were protecting the mines had withdrawn that morning. Their mines were suddenly defenseless!

"I have just received some news. It turns out that General Mott has offended the people in China that were cooperating with us. They are not willing to provide our mines with any more protection," said a person-in-charge of the mines, now soaked in sweat.

"Damn it, is Mott out of his god*(&^d mind? The soldiers that help us protect the mines in the southwest are all from the same military district in China. They are in charge of protection, while we handle the mining! Without them, we are all going to die in the mines! Tell that idiot to apologize to China at once!"

------

The situation at the mines was soon relayed to General Mott. His face turned ashen when he saw the shocking number of deaths.

The miners were all citizens of Peru, and the soldiers of a certain military district in China was in charge of their protection. They were referred to as mercenaries in Peru.

Mott did not expect that the commander providing protection to the mines would withdraw all the soldiers in just half a day. It immediately resulted in countless deaths at the southwest mines, leading to great losses!

"Our soldiers are not obliged to sacrifice their lives for your people, either," Ai Jiangtu said to General Mott coldly.

General Mott looked at Ai Jiangtu and immediately realized that the young Magician must have a shocking military background, if he was able to withdraw all the soldiers that were cooperating with their country so quickly.

More terrifyingly, as soon as the Chinese soldiers were withdrawn, the mines were immediately attacked. The biggest mine in their country, Ariel Mines, was overrun by monster apes. Thousands of people were trapped in the mines!

Mott was fully responsible for it, for the lives of the Peruvians that were trapped in the mines!

As more condemning messages and documents arrived, General Mott and his advisors finally realized how idiotic their decision had been.

The truth was, with Lima's defenses, a horde of monster birds would not necessarily pose any threat to it. If they managed to call a Super Magician for help, they would have been able to reduce the casualties to a minimum, too. After all, the city was protected by a Magic Barrier...

But now, they had paid a greater price than the price they would have paid if they decided to fight the horde of bird monsters instead!

Even though he was discharged from his position, he still had to resolve the situation taking place at the Ariel Mines!

"Please, let's all calm down. Isn't your team being troubled by Nazca, the God of Death, too? I believe you have the urge to resolve the situation too," Ariosto spoke up.

"Do you have a way to get rid of it?" asked Mo Fan.

Even though it felt satisfying to vent their spleen on the arrogant General Mott, they had to solve the problem they were facing too!

"To be honest, we don't know, but you must go to Nazca to find the answers. The good news is... now is the best time to go to the forbidden land in Nazca. Since your team has recently survived the ambush of the monster birds, you will have more than a week's time to move among the creatures of Nazca freely, as long as you don't provoke them," said Ariosto.

"Are you being serious? You're asking us to go back to that place?" yelled Zu Jiming.

No way they were going back to that place! They were in so much trouble, and they almost lost their lives too!

"You have to go. Otherwise, the next wave is going to be even deadlier. Trust me, the attack previously isn't the last time!" Ariosto told them grimly.

"Lao Ai, can you gather the soldiers that are defending the mines?" asked Nanyu.

"I can."

"No no no, it's better not to rely on someone else. Nazca is a forbidden land!. If you bring an army into it, Nazca will summon a bigger horde to wipe out the army! I already told you, you have more than a week's time! If you can obtain Nazca's forgiveness during this period, you will be able to break free from the endless curse!" said Ariosto.

"So it looks like going there is our only choice?" said Mo Fan.

"A week should be enough for us to learn more about this scary Nazca," said Nanyu.

"The monsters in Nazca are currently attacking our cities and mines. I'm sorry for what General Mott has done to you, and he has been punished accordingly. However, you're our best chance to visit the forbidden land of Nazca. I sincerely hope that you can resolve the situation for us. I'll intervene and ask the country to give you the resources that are allocated to our national team, if you can save the people that are trapped inside the mines..." Ariosto said in a sincere manner.

"You're asking us to help you after what you've done to us?" Zhao Manyan asked in an unpleasant tone.

"(sigh) Forget it, we would already be dead if it weren't for the ancient castle that Ariosto told us about. That General Mott is an asshole, but Ariosto is a nice person. Not all Peruvians are the same," Jiang Shaoxu said wisely.

"Yeah, we should focus on getting rid of the curse. Who knows how many monster birds there will be in the next wave!" agreed Mo Fan rationally.

"But isn't Ariel Mines being attacked by a bunch of monster apes? What does it have anything to do with us going to Nazca?" asked Jiang Yu in confusion.

"Oh, you will know once you arrive there. I'll arrange a helicopter to bring you to Nazca," Ariosto smiled when he saw how logical the team of Magicians was being.

It was important to solve the problem beforehand. Ariosto was a calm and sensible man. General Mott's arrogant, hot-headed, and impulsive character would not be able to solve the problem. It was useless even though he had sent troops to the Ariel Mines, as the monster apes would only keep coming!

It was important to find the source of their problem, and that source was none other than Nazca. The Chinese students who had just survived a hundred thousand monster birds from Nazca were their best chance at solving the problem!

Anyone in Nazca had to follow its rules. Sending an army or a group of Magicians would only result in greater wrath, as Nazca was never short on numbers!

"Mister, you mentioned that you'll give us the resources that were initially allocated to the national team, are you sure?" asked Mo Fan.

"Of course. On top of that, General Mott and his advisors will publicly apologize to you. The Royal Magicians will express our gratitude to you, too. Peru will always welcome you," confirmed Ariosto.

After General Mott was dismissed, Ariosto was the person-in-charge at Royal Felipe Castle!

"It's a deal then!"

The team had to get rid of the monster birds, and they would also receive other benefits from Peru's government. Why wouldn't Mo Fan gladly accept the offer?

----

A helicopter soon arrived at Royal Felipe Castle. The team was just about to get on board when Zu Jiming voiced his disagreement.

He was reluctant to go. He was never going back to that shithole again. He also did not believe that the strange birds would return again. He assumed that Ariosto was just bluffing them.

"No one is forcing you. Stay here then," said Jiang Shaoxu.

It was obvious that the team was divided on the matter. As soon as Zu Jiming voiced his opinion, Mu Tingying, Guan Yu, and Li Kaifeng decided to stay behind, too. Nanrong Ni had just gone through a situation of life and death, and before she could collect herself, the team was departing for another deadly adventure. It was obvious that she was not willing to follow them to Nazca, either.

"Can...Can I not go, too?" Zhao Manyan asked softly.

"Do you believe I will not toss you into the ocean to feed the sea monsters right now?" replied Mo Fan mercilessly.

Zhao Manyan helplessly boarded the helicopter.

"I'll make it clear; if you choose to stay here, Ariosto promised us that they will protect you if the strange birds attack you again. However, you will not receive any of the resources that Ariosto promised us," Nanyu pointedly told the members that decided to stay behind.

"We don't care! I seriously don't understand; they were trying to get us killed, and now you're so keen to do them a favor. Either way, I didn't trust a single word he said; just go if you want!" Zu Jiming dismissed her words.

"Alright, take care!" said Nanyu.

Those who believed that they were in great trouble boarded the helicopter. Those that did not stayed in Lima. It was actually better for the team, as without them, the remaining members on the team were more united. Mo Fan definitely preferred the team as it was now.

If the people on a team could not unite, the team would have trouble achieving greatness!

Lingling also collected some information about Nazca. Her involvement would be great help for getting rid of the curse!