Chimaera's Conquest: The Legend Of The Devourer-Chapter 225: Temple Run (2)

"What did Lady Maria say about Adrian?" Henry Johnson asked one of Maria’s followers.

"Keep up the security protocols. We can’t take any chances."

Henry sighed. He had already been informed that they had turned Adrian away from the gates and ensured that he had left the premises entirely. It didn’t make sense to deploy even more guards for a risk they had evaded.

’To make things worse, we even had to remove some guards from the hidden facility just for patrolling.’

In the eyes of the public, the open dungeon was a temple. However, it wasn’t the true. It was a secret facility built for Lady Maria to increase the goddess’s influence over the mortals.

However, mere tales of love and kindness weren’t enough to make the populous believe in the goddess. Only fear could make them believe in the goddess. That’s why they had been training mindless warriors away from the prying eyes of the DRA.

These mindless soldiers were like ticking time bombs, trained to ensue chaos everywhere they went. They would cause terror attacks, which would be thwarted by none other than Maria’s Holy Celestial guild.

In this way, they would force the people to believe in the goddess and increase their influence over the world. That was Maria’s ultimate goal. What she had planned after that was a mystery even to someone as devoted as Henry.

Not only that, the temple also housed many relics along with rare ores and minerals that couldn’t be found anywhere on Earth. One could say these were the backbone of Maria’s new operations.

As such, the security was always tight around the temple. However, Maria had been anxious following the goddess’s warning regarding Adrian Fenrir.

Henry didn’t know why someone like Adrian could have targeted them, but since the goddess had voluntarily contacted Lady Maria, it had to be serious. That’s why he ensured that Adrian didn’t even get inside the dungeon.

But it seemed the goddess was still paranoid about him, strangely so. Either way, thanks to their paranoia, they would have to search the entire dungeon again for Adrian’s presence, even though Henry was sure it wouldn’t yield any results.

"Check the facilities once again," Henry radioed his men. "If anyone is found loitering around, take them into custody without any questions. The use of excessive force is permitted. Protect the facilities at all costs."

Once done with his task, Henry turned to his assistant, an A-ranker like himself.

"Abigail, take a few ghost soldiers and scan the perimeter for any suspicious activity," he said. "Report to me immediately if you find something is amiss, no matter how small it might be."

"Sure thing," Abigail replied, popping her bubblegum before heading out of the room.

"This girl is never serious," Henry sighed, shaking his head. "Let’s hope that moron doesn’t return to the temple for sightseeing."

***

[Skill <Mimic> has been activated.]

Adrian used the skill to change his appearance into that of one of the staff members. Being an old man was fun, but he was forced to walk at a snail’s speed, testing his patience.

’This feels much better...’ Adrian thought, breathing a sigh of relief. ’Would you look at that, finally at the steps of the grandest temples in the entire dungeon...’

Adrian stood before the massive temple dedicated to Hera. The temple was constructed of gleaming white marble, its towering columns reaching towards the sky, welcoming worshipers into its massive halls.

Each column was adorned with intricate carvings depicting scenes from myth and legend involving Hera.

Two colossal statues of immortal soldiers flanked the temple’s entrance. Their stern and imposing faces carved out of stone were turned towards the entrance, seemingly watching over all who approached their goddess.

The surrounding area was full of activity. People enjoyed the beautiful garden surrounding the temple, and worshipers and pilgrims bustled about, offering prayers and sacrifices to the goddess.

Adrian was a bit surprised by the upkeep of the place. The other temples were in good condition, too, but something about it had him wondering how much Maria had spent on it.

’...I hate to admit it, but I almost feel sad about tearing this place down. Focus, Adrian, Focus! Maria is rich. She’d have this place rebuilt in no time.’

It was a shame Adrian couldn’t use [Analysis] due to the causality of losing against the Kitsune. But if he could, he was confident he’d discover some hidden secret within the temple.

However, it looked like things were about to go south. Adrian was about to enter the temple when a hand grabbed his shoulder. Startled, he spun around to find a woman, chewing gum and flanked by guards.

At that moment, Adrian knew it had to be someone high-ranking and immediately lowered his head, as he had seen the guards behave like that with the higher-ups.

"What are you doing here?" Abigail asked, annoyed. "Don’t you know all breaks have been cancelled till further notice?"

"My apologies, Ma’am. I’ll leave immediately-" Adrian replied in a morphed voice but was interrupted.

"No need to leave, scaredy cat," Abigail rolled her eyes before turning to one of her guards. "Henry was complaining about not having enough people in the facility. Take him there. Having a pair of extra hands should cool him off a bit."

"Yes, ma’am," the guard replied before nodding at Adrian to follow him.

Abigail stayed there, staring at their retreating forms before turning around to check the entrance as she was asked.

Meanwhile, Adrian was surprised. He wanted to wreck Hera’s reputation, but it seemed like he had stumbled upon something even better.

Whatever this facility was, he doubted it was legal. Had it been legal, then there would’ve been no need for them to keep it a secret. Besides, Adrian was sure he would either find the boss monster there or at least some hint as to where they had been hiding the creature.

"We’re here," the guard said, swiping the card to enter the room filled with protective gear. "Don’t forget to swipe your card and wear a hazmat suit-"

THUD

Adrian hit the guard in the back of his head, knocking him out.

"Thanks for the help, but I won’t need it anymore," he said, stripping the guard before locking him inside one of the lockers.