Come on! Little Thieve!
The Mercenary Guild was abuzz with bets over Eddie's audacious plan to use the Thorn Flower for the Star Realm trials. The odds for successfully completing the trial with the Thorn Flower were a staggering 10,000 to 1.
Yet, no one dared to wager. They preferred tossing their coins into the Stormy Sea rather than betting on an impossible feat.
Not even the more reasonable odds of 100 to 1 for returning unscathed or 50 to 1 for lasting over ten minutes in the trials attracted any bets.
Eddie, seeing the lucrative odds, was tempted to bet himself, but the rules prohibited the participants from wagering, leaving him sighing over lost opportunities.
"Who says he can't last ten minutes? I have a plan!" Yehken's declaration caught everyone off guard.
"You've gone mad too!" someone retorted, dismissing Yehken's claim as lunacy.
"Are you suggesting he tackle the 'Zodiac Twenty Chambers'?" a mercenary leader muttered in disbelief, recalling his own crazy act of proposing to a princess via letter. "I thought I was the craziest, but this beats everything."
"I'd rather steal a dragon's egg than challenge the Zodiac Chambers!" exclaimed a thief, his face displaying sheer terror at the mere thought.
"Are the Zodiac Chambers that terrifying?" Eddie inquired, his only reference being the Golden Saints from the 'Saint Seiya' series.
"Terrifying? That's an understatement. They're absolutely horrifying!" the crowd collectively groaned in response to Eddie's naive question.
"Hmm?" Eddie wondered, half-jokingly, if the Chambers in the tower actually housed real-life Golden Saints.
"Let me explain," Yehken said, "the Zodiac Twelve Chambers in the Star Realm is a golden-tier sequential task. Since it requires twelve successful completions, it's called the Twelve Chambers. "
"It's the pinnacle of difficulty in the Heaven-Reaching Tower, and no one has ever completed it! The highest human record was set a millennium ago, when an unnamed warrior reached the ninth chamber – a feat that remains unmatched. "
"Over the centuries, the best anyone's done is five chambers, and in the past century, only three. In recent years, no one has even passed the first chamber. "
"Each chamber is guarded by a Golden King Beast, and ordinary beasts cower in fear at their sight, let alone defeating them!"
Hearing about the Golden King Beasts made Yehken's lips quiver, explaining his own disastrous attempt at the Chambers two years ago.
Eddie was puzzled, "Then how did you say you had a way?"
Yehken clarified, "In the Star Realm, warriors can't engage directly in combat; they must use contracted beasts. "
"But upon entering the Chambers, a protective shield grants absolute defense, similar to the Summoning Tome's barrier, lasting for ten minutes. "
"You'll be safe for the first ten minutes, but when the shield starts flickering, that's your cue to leave immediately, or the Golden King Beast will obliterate you in seconds!"
Yehken's idea was for Eddie to experience the thrill rather than wait idly for Sophia's return, spicing up his wait with a bit of excitement.
Eddie, learning he couldn't directly engage in combat, felt a bit disappointed, as his innate ability seemed useless there.
However, with Little Wenli, the Bull Shadow, and the Thorn Flower, he was confident about a safe retreat, if not victory. Grey, the wolf, would be more suited for distractions than actual combat.
Yehken suggested leaving Grey behind, as the Bronze-Tier Iron Ridge Wolf would undoubtedly be instantly defeated by the Golden King Beasts inside. Without a contract, Grey would likely flee anyway. "Forget about the Thorn Flower. How many can you summon at once?" Yehken then asked.
"Just one," Eddie replied. After his previous upgrade to a mid-level Apprentice following the battle with the Hell Demon King, Eddie could still only summon one beast per day, like any high-level Apprentice.
Yehken felt he shouldn't have asked, given Eddie's notorious reputation as the useless third son of the Yue family in the Dragon Raising continent.
"Using a single Thorn Flower to challenge the Zodiac Twelve Chambers? I must be dreaming!" Many mercenaries couldn't believe what they were hearing.
"Why waste money? Better spend it on drinks for everyone!" someone suggested.
"Are you really going?" Yehken was worried. While Eddie would be safe within the absolute defense shield, the fear of facing a Golden King Beast was another matter.
"Of course, let's go!" Eddie was thrilled at the prospect of the challenge. The name 'Zodiac Twelve Chambers' alone was enough to stir his excitement. Even though there were no Golden Saints guarding it, the Golden King Beasts promised an equally thrilling experience.
After paying the necessary transmission fee, they teleported into the vast expanse of the Star Realm, which was perpetually enshrouded in night.
At the entrance of the Twelve Chambers, a Gold-Armored Guard Captain's eyes bulged in disbelief.
A lavishly dressed woman with a three-tailed snow fox laughed heartily:
"Are you kidding?"
" An Apprentice challenging the Twelve Chambers? "
"Do you know how many monsters are in there? "
"Not just the Golden King Beasts guarding each chamber, but each one is protected by dozens, if not hundreds, of guardian battle puppets and Abyssal creatures. You must be out of your minds!"
"If I ignore the foolishness of your act and just consider your courage, it's quite surprising. Ignorance truly is bliss! Young man, I support you. Give it your all and break through all twelve chambers!"
Her encouragement only made the Guard Captain roll his eyes: "Lady Falling Blossom, please don't add to the chaos!"
"I apologize for forgetting your duty. Alright, I won't encourage him to challenge the Zodiac Twelve Chambers. "
"What I said earlier, I take it back. Young thief, do you have enough challenge fees?"
" If not, I can lend you some, but I'll charge interest!" The richly-dressed woman chuckled, her laughter shaking her entire body.
She even paid for Eddie's fees, and when she learned he was challenging alone, her laughter intensified. "No worries, I've paid for five people's worth of challenges. "
"You can try five times consecutively. Don't rush about the interest; I'm patient. You can pay me back slowly."
" Just remember to challenge all five times! Do you know the tactics for challenging the chambers? "
"No problem, I'll teach you. The first chamber, Aries, has a Golden King Beast this month - a three-headed Chimera. It's only a level six Golden Beast, but it's fairly easy to deal with."
" First, eliminate the sheep-headed battle puppets in front of the palace, then the sheep-headed monsters, there aren't many, maybe a few dozen. "
"They're only around level three Bronze-tier, easy to handle. Enter the grand hall, and you'll see the Chimera. "
"Don't panic, turn left. There's a small side chamber. Kill the sheep-headed priests there, and get the Silence Staff that restrains the left head of the Chimera."
" That way, the left head becomes useless. Then, get a Blinding Stone from the right side chamber. It can be used three times. The right head will be blinded too. Then your beast can engage in close combat with the middle head."
" What's your beast, by the way?"
"Thorn Flower!" Eddie replied honestly.
Lady Falling Blossom, stunned for a moment, eventually gave Eddie a thumbs-up: "Your beast choice is quite creative! You can let the Thorn Flower devour the Chimera alive. I remember it has an ability to consume corpses. What level is your Thorn Flower?"
"Level one!" Eddie stated, causing everyone present to collapse.
"That's a bit challenging, but I still support you as always. Have confidence in yourself! You can do it, young thief!" Lady Falling Blossom patted Eddie's shoulder like a leader inspecting rural areas, generously encouraging him.
"Alright, Grey, let's go!" Eddie, buoyed by the revelation of specialized items to counter the Golden King Beast, confidently headed towards the teleportation gate.
"Lady Falling Blossom, you're sending him to his death! He's doomed!" The Gold-Armored Guard Captain helplessly watched Eddie's confident stride towards the gate.