I, the Supreme Overlord, Start by Enslaving the Zerg Queen

Upon returning to the inn, Charles and his companions were struck by the startling realization that no one else remained within its walls.

It appeared that all the guests had fled overnight, as if a phantom had swept through the establishment. Even the innkeeper, who was supposed to be guarding the premises on the ground floor, had vanished without a trace.

Furthermore, the chaotic state of the inn suggested that these individuals had departed in a great hurry.

"Could it be that they encountered an immense danger?" Charles pondered aloud. "Even prisoners in a jail do not manage to escape so easily, they should have taken refuge inside the inn rather than fleeing to unknown locations."

"Are there any other places perhaps more secure than the Rock Fortress? Have they all fled to the camp guarded by the Serpent Empire?"

Eck voiced his concerns, a hint of confusion evident in his expression as he turned to Charles and the others.

Charles, his face grave, shook his head decisively.

"Regardless of the circumstances, it is undeniably unsafe for us to remain here. Are you truly certain that you wish to rest for the night in this inn before we set off?"

Eck, receiving no answer from Charles, felt a twinge of disappointment. Thus, he pressed on with another question.

"Set off? Where exactly are we supposed to go?" Charles suddenly retorted, turning the question back on Eck.

Eck appeared somewhat perplexed: "Wasn't your initial intention for staying here to obtain that treasure hidden beneath the ground? Since the blind old man has been confirmed to be a skeletal lizard in disguise, the intelligence he provided must surely be false.

If that treasure does not exist, then why should we linger here any longer? Should we not hasten our departure from this place fraught with peril?"

Eck believed that his reasoning was indeed the most sensible.

Given that the treasure did not exist, and that they would likely encounter additional dangers at the Rock Fortress, why should they linger any longer?

Naturally, they ought to continue their journey forthwith.

Departing from the Rock Fortress as swiftly as possible would be the most prudent course of action for Charles and his companions.

Upon hearing Eck's remarks, Charles smiled slightly.

"It is true that the blind old man was a skeletal lizard in disguise, but I maintain that the information provided by the skeletal lizard may not necessarily be false."

No sooner had Charles uttered this than Medusa chimed in.

"Skeletal lizards typically dwell underground, which implies that they possess a deeper understanding of subterranean spaces than do the Serpent people or the other races residing at the Rock Fortress."

"Furthermore, did we not previously employ divination to ascertain the veracity of the skeletal lizard's claims? Ultimately, the outcome of the divination revealed that the skeletal lizard's words were entirely truthful.

Thus, we must locate the treasure hidden underground before we consider departing."

After delivering this statement, Medusa turned her gaze toward Eck and Johann.

Eck nodded, signaling his agreement with Medusa's explanation. Johann, who had remained silent thus far, simply listened intently to the discussions of the others.

"Very well, let us inspect the conditions of the inn. If there are no further dangers present within, we can retreat to our respective rooms to rest."

Charles felt it was prudent to retire early for the night.

After all, the hour was getting late, and if they continued to squander time, they would have little opportunity left to recuperate.

Charles planned to undertake other actions first thing tomorrow morning.

Medusa and Little Green proceeded in opposite directions.

Medusa chose to head upstairs, while Little Green took it upon herself to inspect the ground floor of the inn.

Medusa and Little Green swiftly conducted a thorough examination of the entire establishment.

They confirmed that there were no threats present within the inn, and notably, there were no other guests to be found.

"This is not a bad piece of news for us. At the very least, we need not worry about being disturbed during our stay." Charles remarked before following Medusa back to their room.

Though Eck and Johann still harbored some concerns, neither of them dared to venture forth alone.

Thus, they too retreated to their respective rooms.

Charles and Medusa quickly succumbed to sleep upon entering their chamber.

Both were acutely aware that tomorrow's endeavors would be of paramount importance, so they hoped to fall asleep swiftly in order to restore their energy.

In the adjacent room, however, Little Green remained wide awake.

Little Green inherently required very little sleep, and she felt an imperative need to keep watch.

The situation at Rock Fortress was still fraught with danger. Although the prisoners released from the dungeon posed no threat to Charles and his companions, vigilance was still essential.

However, the guards of the Serpent Empire, who were pursuing those prisoners, could indeed pose a significant threat to Charles and his companions.

Little Green felt it was her duty to ensure the safety of her master.

Eck and Johann, meanwhile, had not yet fallen asleep in their room.

Eck quietly turned to Johann and inquired, "Do you truly believe that our previous decision was the right one?"

"What decision are you referring to? We have made numerous choices, and the overwhelming majority of them have proven to be erroneous."

Johann replied, his tone remarkably somber.

Since Johann joined The Explorer's Association and became part of this expedition as arranged by them, he had not encountered a single normal occurrence.

He felt an overwhelming sense of regret for every decision he had made.

"The decision I refer to is joining Richard and his group. Although Richard appears to be relatively normal, his two companions seem anything but.

Medusa and Little Green possess an extraordinary level of power. I cannot believe they are ordinary individuals. So, can the person who commands them truly be just an average person?"

Eck had begun to harbor doubts regarding Charles's true identity.

He sensed that Charles was not as simple as he appeared on the surface.

"Oh, you mean that decision. Although I regret the vast majority of my choices, I do not regret this one at all.

If we had not aligned ourselves with Charles's group, where would we have gone? Acting independently would simply have led us to our demise. While joining Richard's party may expose us to certain dangers, it is far safer than striking out on our own."

After uttering these words, Johann had no intention of continuing the conversation further.

He also felt that he should retire early for the night, considering that they might encounter even more dangers the following day.

"Alright, you need not worry so much right now. Let us hasten to sleep, perhaps tomorrow we will face further situations that will exhaust our strength." he said.

After uttering these words, Johann fell silent.

Although Eck did not entirely agree with Johann's perspective, he recognized that there was little he could do at this moment. Thus, Eck chose to close his eyes and succumb to sleep.

At the moment when everyone, except for Little Green, had drifted into slumber, a shadowy figure appeared on the top floor of the inn. This indistinct silhouette belonged to the Serpent Knight.

The reason there were no other patrons in the inn was that the Serpent Knight had driven everyone away. Upon entering the establishment, the Serpent Knight immediately sensed Medusa's presence.

Despite Medusa being significantly more powerful than the Serpent Knight, her aura was exceedingly difficult to conceal.

Once the Serpent Knight detected Medusa's essence, he promptly deduced that she was an exceptionally formidable Serpent being.

Since all the prisoners in the Rock Fortress prison had been released, the Serpent Knight assumed that Medusa was a particularly powerful inmate.

When Charles and his companions returned to the inn, the Serpent Knight had already detected their presence.

However, the Serpent Knight did not take immediate action.

At that moment, he had already sensed Little Green's existence.

The combination of Medusa and Little Green was a force that the Serpent Knight could not contend with. Thus, the Serpent Knight decided to wait until the majority of the group had fallen asleep before launching a surprise attack.

Silently, the Serpent Knight ascended to the second floor of the inn. He now stood just outside the room occupied by Eck and Johann.

He pressed his ear against the door, straining to listen to the sounds emanating from within.

"These two individuals in this room are exceedingly weak, launching an ambush against them would not significantly aid my objectives in battle."

Having assessed Eck and Johann's capabilities, the Serpent Knight proceeded directly to the door of Charles and Medusa's room.

The Serpent Knight immediately sensed Medusa's presence.

In that instant, he raised the spear he held in his hand.

"At last, I've caught you!"

The Serpent Knight hurled the spear with great force towards Medusa's position within the room.

However, before the spear could penetrate the door, a dagger flying from a distance struck it, deflecting its trajectory.

The Serpent Knight swiftly turned his gaze toward the direction from which the dagger had come.

A pair of massive wings appeared within the Serpent Knight's line of sight.

Confronted by the sudden appearance of an enemy, the Serpent Knight did not succumb to panic.

Instead, he simply retrieved a mirror from his pocket.

The moment the mirror was produced, Little Green suddenly experienced a searing sensation.

"Your attack is ineffective against me! Your gravest mistake was failing to ambush me before I made my move. Had you chosen to strike first, you might have already succeeded in killing me."

The Serpent Knight spoke coldly.

In his view, Little Green should have directed the dagger's attack at himself, that might have caught him off guard.

Yet, just as the Serpent Knight's words faded, a spear suddenly thrust forth from within the room.