CHAPTER 60: CHAPTER60-NO DEAL

Finn’s face remained smiling, but his tone was ice-cold: "I don’t have time now. If there’s a good deal, let’s talk at the palace."

Chrisman’s face instantly darkened.

Oliver revealed a cruel smile: "You really don’t know how to appreciate kindness, Finn Laine. Do you actually think you can take the Dreamscape Stone out of here?"

Finn’s expression shifted, not expecting the two to drop all pretenses and disregard any sense of righteousness and morals.

"Big brother, little brother. When the snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman profits. We’re in a secret realm where anything can happen at any time. If we three fight among ourselves and face danger, what then?"

Oliver’s eyebrows raised, his smile wildly arrogant: "So, you should take a small loss and hand over the Dreamscape Stone to us!"

Finn’s expression turned ugly: "So, there’s nothing to talk about?"

Oliver shrugged: "You don’t have a choice. Compared to us, you must have lost a lot of strength fighting that bizarre giant. I really didn’t expect you to actually defeat it."

"Tsk tsk tsk, what a pity. You made the wedding dress for us."

Finn, shocked, asked loudly: "You also faced that giant?"

"Of course, but we realized we were no match and immediately fled. Like you? Foolishly fighting." Oliver mocked, laughing so hard his shoulders shook.

Owen’s eyes flickered with light, contemplating that these two fools also encountered the giant.

So, the giant wasn’t targeting them specifically but was genuinely the temple’s guardian.

Then why did the giant kneel before the throne, lifeless?

He glanced at the Dreamscape Stone, deep in thought.

Finn turned to look at Owen, particularly noticing his chest.

The memory of that ghastly wound was still fresh in his mind.

"Although Mr. Owen didn’t mention how much the wound affected him, it definitely reduced his combat strength. Facing Oliver and Chrisman, he is most likely at a disadvantage. Now we can only rely on wits, not brute force. When it comes to intelligence, it’s my home field."

Finn’s mind raced, analyzing the situation with a confident smile on his lips.

Oliver, seeing his smile, couldn’t help but spit,

"Do you know how greasy your smile looks? It’s disgusting. Are you brewing some nasty scheme?"

Finn almost choked with anger, his brow furrowed as he retorted, "Oliver, am I giving you too much face?"

Oliver twitched the arcanergy longsword at his waist, "Do you want to test how sharp my blade is?"

"Cough, cough, cough..." Finn restrained his expression, "Little brother, don’t be so hasty. Let me explain the situation first."

Oliver retorted sharply, "Shut up, I don’t want to hear your blabbering. Just hand over the Dreamscape Stone to me."

A flash of wisdom gleamed in Finn’s eyes as he spoke seriously,

"Little brother, the problem lies right here. If I hand over the Dreamscape Stone to you, wouldn’t big brother snatch it? He will treat you the same way he treats me. Think about it!"

Oliver fell silent.

"Foolish Oliver, with no brains, he must be swayed by my words," thought Finn.

Owen’s eyes twinkled with light, pondering if these two fools also encountered the giant.

So, it seemed the giant wasn’t specifically targeting them but was genuinely the temple’s guardian.

Then why did the giant kneel before the throne, devoid of any life?

He glanced at the Dreamscape Stone, deep in thought.

Finn turned his head to look at Owen, particularly at the savage wound on his chest.

The memory of that gory injury was still vivid.

"Although Mr. Owen hasn’t spoken about the impact of his wound, it must have reduced his combat strength. Facing Oliver and Chrisman, he is likely at a disadvantage."

"We must rely on cunning now, not brute force. When it comes to intelligence, this is my playing field." Finn brainstormed, analyzing the situation with a confident smile curling on his lips.

Seeing his smile, Oliver couldn’t help but spit in disgust: "Do you know how slimy your smile looks? It’s revolting. Are you concocting some vile scheme again?"

Finn, infuriated, nearly choked on his breath, frowning and retorting, "Oliver, am I giving you too much respect?"

Oliver twitched the arcanergy longsword at his waist: "Do you want to test the sharpness of my treasured blade?"

"Cough, cough, cough..." Finn restrained his expression, "Little brother, don’t be so hasty. Let me first explain the current situation to you."

Oliver snapped back, "Shut up, I don’t want to hear your blabber. Just hand over the Dreamscape Stone to me."

A flash of wisdom glinted in Finn’s eyes, and he spoke earnestly:

"Little brother, the problem lies right here. If I hand over the Dreamscape Stone to you, won’t our big brother snatch it? He will treat you the same way he treats me. Think carefully!"

Oliver fell silent.

"Foolish Oliver, without brains, surely he’s swayed by my words," Finn thought.

Finn felt a surge of joy within, then turned to face Chrisman again:

"Big brother, I’ve always respected you. How did we come to such a pass? You know the strength of our little brother. If I hand over the stone to you, won’t he turn against you..."

He paused deliberately, pretending to be profound: "...So, we really don’t need to come to blows. It would be so unseemly!"

At this point, Oliver, who had been holding a stern face, suddenly burst into laughter, slapping Chrisman’s shoulder:

"Big brother, haha... you were right... this clown, hahaha, wants to set us against each other... hahaha, to divide and conquer."

After his laughter subsided, Oliver turned serious and glared at Finn with killing intent:

"You don’t know, do you? Big brother promised me the Rampage Blade in exchange for my help to snatch the Dreamscape Stone from you. So your little scheme, it’s completely ineffective."

Finn’s face turned ashen, and he clenched his fists tightly: "You... you really have no brotherly love at all!"

Diana watched the drama unfold, silently observing.

Owen whispered to her: "Aren’t you going to help? Not planning to intervene?"

Diana rolled her eyes at Owen: "I am a saint of the human race, not a saint of the Laine Kingdom. I have no interest in royal family disputes."

"You do seem quite at ease," Owen remarked.

At this moment, Charlie jumped forward, pointing at the two princes and berating them:

"Well, now I see your true colors. Do you know how much the Second Prince values brotherhood? When Mr. Owen was fighting the giant, with its terrifying power that could shatter stones and tear the sky, the Second Prince didn’t retreat even a step, never even mentioned fleeing. Compared to him, you two are far behind."

Hughes twitched the corner of his mouth, and Finn’s eyelids jumped wildly.

Both felt awkward and did not experience any pleasure from being praised.

Oliver lost his temper: "Who are you to talk to me like that?"

With his eyes reddened, Charlie held up his sword and declared,

"I want to be like Mr. Owen, never giving up in the face of a formidable enemy, and vow to protect the Second Prince to the death."

Owen touched his nose, feeling somewhat awkward inside.

His battle with the giant was to temper his body with the giant’s help.

Moreover, he could escape at any time if he wanted to.

How could Charlie dare to do this?

If he were assigned to Oliver or Chrisman, wouldn’t he be played to death by the esteemed princes?

The young man is still too naive!

Chrisman, seeing the situation getting out of hand due to Charlie, stepped forward to take control:

"What is this mess? It’s simple, Finn, hand over the Dreamscape Stone, and we’re still brothers. If you don’t, I’ll just have to help Father check how well you’ve done your homework."

Finn’s eyes nearly popped out in anger: "Chrisman, do you really dare?"

"Hmph, you were in the wrong from the start," Chrisman’s cold snort completely overwhelmed Finn.

He was in the wrong? Chrisman coldly looked at Finn:

"Father’s intention was for the three of us to join forces, defeat the giant, and then obtain the Dreamscape Stone. Even if any one of us was missing, it would have been impossible to get the Dreamscape Stone."

"This was deliberately arranged by Father to teach us the importance of unity, but you broke it."

"You took your people to challenge the giant alone, aiming to monopolize the Dreamscape Stone. Isn’t that your mistake? You were the one who first defied Father’s order! "

His emphatic justification left Finn feeling dizzy.

Was it really his fault?

Finn began to doubt himself.

Diana cast a deep glance at Chrisman and commented in a low voice,

"This man indeed has the makings of an emperor. Skilled in both martial and literary arts, he’s truly talented."

Owen looked at Chrisman without making any comments.

It took Finn a while to collect his thoughts. Pointing at Chrisman’s nose, he retorted,

"Oh, so you’re framing me first. "

"When did Father ever say we were to cooperate in the royal court? He clearly stated that it didn’t matter who brought back the Dreamscape Stone. What mattered was that there should be no conflict or bloodshed among us."

"You didn’t listen to a word of it, did you? And here you are, waving the banner of righteousness at me."

Chrisman’s face changed slightly, squeezing words out from his throat, "Slick talker. Oliver, attack! Paladins, form up!"

The sound of uniform footsteps rose.

Paladins flooded into the temple, clad in shining armor and wielding solemn longswords.

Their steps were firm and strong, and a vast power surged within them.

As they entered the temple’s hall, a thick aura of killing intent spread.

The paladins quickly formed a massive killing array, enveloping the entire hall within it.

This formation seemed like an invisible wall, separating the enemy from the paladins.

Owen watched as the paladins gathered, noticing wisps of red mist emanating from their heads.

The red mist converged above them, forming a cloud that seemed to hide a colossal beast within.

With the paladin formation set, a tense atmosphere permeated the temple, as if any slight movement could trigger a battle at any moment.

Chrisman approached the paladins, his face masked with icy coldness:

"Finn, hand over the Dreamscape Stone. I won’t kill you, but crippling you is definitely possible. Think it through."

Finn took out the Dreamscape Stone from his space ring.

Chrisman and Oliver’s eyes blazed with fervent desire at the sight, their throats rolling involuntarily.

"Yes, give it to me..." Chrisman gasped, beckoning Finn with his hand.

Unwilling to give up any opportunity, Finn dangled the Dreamscape Stone in front of Oliver:

"Third brother, are you really willing to hand over the Dreamscape Stone? The Rampage Blade is merely a legendary weapon, but the Dreamscape Stone is far more powerful."

Oliver’s expression fluctuated violently, clearly tempted.

Chrisman’s eyes turned icy, brimming with murderous intent: "Kill!!!"