Chapter 17: The Underworld
The dirt and rock formations had been pierced by the massive tentacles, and the cracked ground cressures stretched into the dark depths of the earth as if they were endless.
In the process, a huge fleshy arm flashed, covered with eerie white and purple spots, squirming desperately, presumably as part of the giant underground creature. The four rolled down the sloping ramp and landed on a large patch of soft dirt.
"Yo~" A familiar voice sounded, "It's really a place where you don't meet in life!" β
"Mercury, you're still alive!" Xiao Yan shouted in surprise.
Mercury in front of him was holding a war stick that shone like a star, and his whole temperament was very different from before.
"What's on it, I can feel the strong pressure here, and I can still survive thanks to you." Mercury looked at the four contractors in front of him.
"Aren't you okay with that! Where did you find this glittering stick? Galadia said confusedly.
"There's a lot of differentiation in the world." Mercury said to everyone, "Come, I'll show you what I've found." It's not a good thing to stay where you are, and the giant tentacles are clumsy, but they can still burrow down to find you again after a certain amount of time. β
"How did you survive the decline in SAN values?" Valkyrie asked.
"I found a plant called the Dream Flower in the ground, and after eating it, I can restore the SAN value." Mercury said, "What about you? β
"We eat roasted green mushrooms." Xiao Yan said. Before he could finish speaking, Galadia suddenly interjected and asked, "How did you know that what you eat is called Dream Flower?" β
"I gained some occult knowledge when I lost the SAN, and I was able to find some stone walls and stone carvings in this underground cavern, which recorded the events of an underground ancient civilization, including the location of the Dream Flower. I can read some of it, and I'll show you. Mercury handed over a smooth slate.
With the help of the faint light of the torches, Xiao Yan and the others carefully looked at the words and patterns carved on a rock.
"Can you read ancient texts?" Freya looked at the twisted and scribbled patterns for a long time, but did not grasp the meaning.
"yes, don't you understand?" Mercury took it for granted.
"What did it say?"
"From here there belong the remains of the underground city of a lost civilization called Emmanleyer. The role of this slab is similar to that of a street sign. Mercury shrugged, "I've seen some magnificent stone walls before, and there are more records on them. Come with me. β
As Mercury walked, he told everyone about the information he had obtained.
This massive underground cavern spawns all the way to the depths of the earth. Relying on the heat of magma, the indigenous people of the underground have built a grand and prosperous city and civilization.
Guided by rocky signposts, adventurers will eventually arrive at the underground city of "Emmanleye", literally "Spark", which holds the remains and knowledge of a forgotten underground civilization.
"In addition to the ancient civilization that has been destroyed, there is also the palace of the ancient gods, just below the city of Amanleye." Mercury pointed ahead, "You see, the light that passes through that cliffside path, and the stars in the distance, is the light of the crystals and fungi in the ruins of the city of Emanleyer, rightly named!" β
Xiao Yan and the others followed Mercury and walked cautiously along the narrow path on the edge of the cliff.
Beneath the cliff lies a pitch-black abyss. The entrance to the abyss was extremely wide, as if a huge mouth was opening towards the sky.
"Hold on to the vineman next to you." "The trail is very slippery, and you have to hold on to the plants to avoid falling down." If you fall, you will definitely die, and you don't need me to say that you know it. β
At this moment, suddenly from the abyss below came an indescribable roar, which rushed and collided wildly in the rock walls and cliffs, as if the creatures were crying out in extreme pain and torment, and shook people's heads dizzy.
The roar of even the most terrifying desolate beast could not be compared.
Galadia felt as if she had been hit the head, and immediately faltered and fell into the abyss.
Xiao Yan also felt a splitting headache, but he was barely able to control his body. With lightning speed, he grabbed the thick old vine beside him with one hand, and with the other hand, he took Galadia, who had fallen towards the abyss, into his arms.
Galadia was completely unconscious and collapsed in Xiao Yan's arms.
"Be careful! Be careful! Mercury was also taken aback, but the narrow road prevented him from reaching out.
"Don't stop, keep going!" Valkyrie tried to hold on, and Freya fainted, and was held in Valkyrie's arms, "You can't help here!" β
Mercury hurried forward. Xiao Yan and Valkyrie withstood the dizziness that swept in, hugged their fainting teammates, and moved forward with all their might.
The terrifying roar did not sound again, and it was easy for the group to reach the end of the cliffside path.
As soon as they reached the end of the road, Xiao Yan and Valkyrie fell to the ground, gasping for air. Staying awake in the aftermath of the shock of the roar almost shredded their brains. Galadia and Freya were placed on the ground, relieved a little.
"What kind of monster was that?" Valkyrie said with a sigh of relief, "It's as if the whole abyss is its big mouth." β
"That's not a monster." Mercury shook his head, his face gloomy, it seemed that the roar just now made him uncomfortable, "How can there be such a monster." I reckon it was the abyss that connected to the subterranean sea, and the sound of the tides was amplified in the tunnels and holes, and finally formed such a terrifying sound. After all, this is near the city of Emanleyer, and if there were such terrifying monsters, the city would have been razed long ago. β
"But aren't ancient civilizations also gone?" Freya sat up and cupped her forehead, "Maybe it was some powerful monster that killed all the survivors of an ancient civilization. β
"Regardless, we seem to be on the right path." Xiao Yan helped Galadia up and let her lean on her shoulder, "In Emanleya City, we should be able to get some information about this world, which is much better than wandering around in the forest. β
Since the attributes of the crowd have been suppressed to the level of normal people, exploring in this world has become an extremely dangerous thing. The huge tentacles encountered outside the village before almost wiped everyone out.
The faint light faintly reveals the grand outline of the underground city of "Emmanley". Xiao Yan could recognize the towers, towering walls, and cascading houses, which showed that the technological level of this civilization was not low.
There were no animals or bones of any creatures along the way, and the ground was dry and solid.
Galadia's situation is even worse than Freya's. She was lying on Xiao Yan's back, the roar just now made her almost vomit her stomach, and she could barely even speak after she woke up.
"Xiao Yan." Galadia's arms wrapped tightly around Xiao Yan's neck, and whispered in his ear, "I'm afraid." β
Xiao Yan was also shocked, he had never seen Jialadya like this. The girl's shiver came from his back, making Xiao Yan feel the fear from the bottom of her heart.
"What's wrong with you?"
Galadia clung to the boy's body, "That voice...... From an incomparably terrifying existence. It's definitely not the tide or the wind. I could feel the resonance that seemed to come from my soul. β
"Hmm." Xiao Yan responded, in this weird world, it would be strange if there was no strange voice.
He thought for a moment and asked Mercury, who was walking in front, "What is the SAN value that has appeared since entering this world?" Is there any mention of ancient civilizations? β
"Unfortunately, nothing." Mercury turned around and spread his hands, "Perhaps the existence that affects our minds came after the demise of ancient civilizations. β
β¦β¦
Emman Ryeye occupies a vast area, and the majestic ruins can vaguely tell the extent of the prosperity of the ancient civilization. The faint light from the extremely high vault illuminated the blurred silhouettes in the distance, as if they were some kind of toppling diamond-shaped structure.
Writing and murals can be seen vaguely on the crumbling walls. Xiao Yan struggled to identify it for a while, and found that it was all a recollection of past prosperity, and he did not get any useful hints from the fragmentary information.
"In this ruin, there is a temple of an ancient civilization." Mercury wiped the marble pavement beside him, then pointed to the spire in the distance, "Let's go there and investigate." There should be a transcript for reference. β
Xiao Yan nodded, turned to look at Valkyrie and Freya on the side, and saw the two of them staring at the diamond-shaped object in the distance with incredible expressions.
Galadia had already recovered, and instead of letting Xiao Yan continue to carry it, she stood side by side with him. Obviously, she also noticed Valkyrie's strange surprise, and leaned into Xiao Yan's ear and whispered, "Do you remember what I told you before, that some contractors are not from the same world as us? Valkyrie is one, now it seems ......"
"The same goes for Freya."
Except for himself and Galadia, the other three were suspicious. Xiao Yan thought quickly, Valkyrie and Freya were probably from this dimensional world, but they had never been exposed to such a secret before; Mercury's situation is even more careful, and Xiao Yan even suspects that he has regained some of his power after his disappearance and has hidden something from everyone.
Mercury had discerned the direction and was about to beckon everyone to leave, when he suddenly flashed to the side with agility.
A spear wrapped in red flames swooped into the stone slab where Mercury had been standing, sending out a powerful shockwave.
Everyone present was shocked and hurriedly scattered. More than a dozen figures appeared in the gloomy ruins around them, and they had already surrounded Xiao Yan and them.
(End of chapter)
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