Everyone actually understood in their hearts that tomorrow might be a one-way trip, so they ate and drank heartily this evening.
Even Hillena stood up from the main seat in the final moment, instantly quieting the entire room.
The bright moonlight shone on her, as if it had coated her with a layer of dreamy silver glow.
Her slender fingers gently held the crystal glass, "To every warrior present here!"
Her voice was not loud, yet carried the unique majesty and tenderness of the royal family, "Without your courage, loyalty, and sacrifices, we couldn’t have come this far. Tomorrow, we will surely return triumphantly!"
"Long live Her Highness the Princess!"
Du Wei, this tower-like man, actually had reddened eyes at this moment. He tilted his head back and drained his drink in one go, not even noticing the wine trickling down his beard.
"For Your Highness, we’re willing to brave fire and water!"
Lina, the only female member of the Grave Digger Team, held her wine glass with both hands, her eyes shining with a nearly devout light.
Even the usually taciturn Yorick stood up, his sleeves still dripping with the undried potion from the earlier experiment.
"Your Highness." The voice of this alchemist trembled unusually, "You made me believe that there truly exists a power stronger than the Transcendent in this world."
Hillena’s lips curled into a smile dazzling enough to outshine a hundred flowers.
She gently swayed the glass in her hand, the moonlight casting flickering shadows on her perfect profile.
"No!" She shook her head, her cascading hair flowing like a waterfall, "You are the ones who made me believe that the true power of a leader comes from those willing to follow her." New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on novel•fire.net
Everyone almost shouted in unison, "For Her Highness Hillena!"
The sound was so loud that it scared the nearby pack of wolves away.
Amidst the simple outdoor dining table, cheers rose and fell. Everyone knew that stepping into the depths of the mausoleum tomorrow might mean death. But at this moment, seeing that dazzling figure bathed in moonlight, everyone was willing to die for her— not only because she is the Great Imperial Princess of the Empire, but because she is worthy.
Watching this scene, Lynn couldn’t help but feel that Hillena’s personal charm was indeed unparalleled. No wonder she was the number one female protagonist in the original work, with subordinates willing to shed blood, even sacrificing their lives for her.
Compared to Hillena, Ivyst suffered a bit in this aspect.
Because Ivyst was more adept at doing rather than speaking.
At this moment, with just a few words, Hillena had stirred the emotions of the crowd, each one appearing extremely excited.
"If it were on the battlefield, Hillena could excite the soldiers with just a few words, fully arousing their innate bravery, and their combat power would soar several times over."
After arriving at the camp, Lynn had been sitting in the corner, watching this scene quietly. Hillena seemed to sense his gaze, turning to meet his eyes.
The next moment, Hillena refilled her wine glass with red wine and then raised it towards Lynn.
Although she doubted the phrase "fulfilling the promise" from Lynn, they were, after all, about to step into the mausoleum tomorrow, where life and death were uncertain.
This wine was to toast Lynn, soon to be her comrade-in-arms.
Lynn was also not one to be ignorant of etiquette, and he likewise filled his glass with red wine.
However, he did not specifically toast Hillena alone.
Instead, he toasted everyone.
Lynn’s voice was not loud, yet it struck every heart like a heavy hammer. He raised his glass, his gaze sweeping over each unfamiliar face.
"When we return to the Imperial Capital, I’ll treat you to the finest wine of the Saint Laurent Empire!"
This was Lynn’s promise.
He entered the Helius Mausoleum with his own purpose, and if he were to rely solely on himself, success would likely be daunting.
So in some ways, Lynn indeed needed the help of Hillena and this Grave Digger Team.
The next day, before dawn, the mist of dawn, like a layer of gray gauze, covered the entire wasteland, and everyone prepared and set out in full gear.
Not far away, the Great Rift Valley loomed like a jagged wound cut by the Divine’s sword, stretching under the gray sky curtain.
The cliffs on both sides had an unnatural dark red hue, as if soaked in the blood of ancient Demon God’s blood.
In that bottomless darkness, the faint light of the cave entrance could be seen flickering—that was the main entrance to the Helius Mausoleum.
As the first rays of sunlight finally pierced the clouds, Lynn and his party had already stepped onto the narrow stone path leading to the rift.
Their figures were dwarfed by the massive rift, as small as ants.
Descending into the rift, they soon saw the cave entrance. Although Lynn had never been here before, he had read detailed descriptions in the original work.
But what he didn’t expect was that this cave entrance was narrower than imagined, accommodating only two people side by side.
For someone with Du Wei’s large build, only he could fit through.
Along the way, as the captain of the Grave Digger Team, Du Wei recounted to Lynn some of the information they knew about the Helius Mausoleum.
Because Hillena had specially introduced Lynn yesterday, and his final words during dinner had led the Grave Digger Team to accept Lynn as a member of their group.
"I have entered the Helius Mausoleum three times and saw a broken stone tablet inside, from which I made a rubbing of some of the information."