Along the way.
Luo Youyou worked hard to recall the route to that hidden mine tunnel.
At the same time, she quickly described the known demon distributions and potential dangers along the path.
Her cat-like eyes darted around curiously, filled with wonder.
After all, this was her first time sitting on a floating raft.
“I’m flying, meow... is this what flying feels like?”
At the moment, she was tied up securely with tough ropes and placed at the very front of the raft to serve as a guide.
Although Lin Gui had accepted her commission, his trust in her was practically zero.
To prevent this cat-girl assassin from stabbing them in the back along the way, Theia and Elvia had “politely” asked for her cooperation beforehand and tied her up firmly.
Luo Youyou was actually very cooperative, even adding a professional comment while being tied up.
“When tying the wrists, you should cross them like this; yes, tie the knot here, and I’ll be less likely to break free, meow.”
Beneath the Withered Rift, the raft zipped silently through the intricate network of ancient mine tunnels.
It was said that these dense, bottomless tunnels were originally constructed by the legendary “Tunneler Dwarves” who lived deep underground, or perhaps even older races.
Later, during the Dark Age, they were widened and occupied by gnolls.
In the Golden Age, countless adventurers came to the rift to explore and seek treasure.
Even the Royal Capital had sent armies several times to survey the area.
Although the legendary Underground Royal City was never discovered, many ancient ruins were unearthed one after another.
Magic equipment, magic artifacts, rare materials, ancient scrolls, and lost training methods... every discovery ignited a new wave of exploration.
While most known ruins had long since been excavated by the pioneers of that era, there were always deeper, more hidden ruins waiting to be found.
The place Rona had gone to was exactly such an unmarked ruin.
“Those exposed magic crystals are of extremely high purity; if they had been discovered during the Golden Age, they definitely wouldn’t be left now,” Luo Youyou added.
“Watch out! We’re about to exit the tunnel and enter the area above the rift!” Luo Youyou suddenly warned, her ears perking up alertly.
“There are swarms of Bloodthirsty Bat Demons gathered on the rift walls!”
No sooner had she spoken than the raft zipped out of the dark mine tunnel with a whoosh, and their field of vision suddenly opened up.
The fierce sun shone down, and below them was the bottomless abyss of the rift.
On the opposite cliff face, countless massive, black, sac-like nests were hanging.
Dense swarms of Bloodthirsty Bat Demons crawled and squirmed over them, emitting hair-raising screeches.
There were easily over a hundred thousand of them, practically forming a small-scale Black Nest!
The appearance of the raft instantly caught the attention of the bat demons!
“Be careful, meow!!!”
Countless bat demons fluttered up instantly like a disturbed swarm of bees.
They turned into a dense black cloud, howling toward the raft!
Lin Gui’s eyes narrowed as he waved his staff.
At the moment the raft was about to charge into the tunnel entrance on the opposite side, his Levitation spell precisely grabbed a massive rock by the entrance and pulled hard as soon as they entered!
Boom!
The massive rock fell, temporarily blocking the entrance.
However, how could a mere rock stop bat demons whose individual strength was at least Mid Rank and whose numbers were so terrifying?
After only a few moments, accompanied by a booming crash and flying stone fragments, the bat demon swarm broke through the obstacle and surged frantically into the tunnel.
They pursued the raft like a black tide!
Luo Youyou screamed in terror as she looked back at the horrific demon tide.
A wooden staff tapped her head neither too lightly nor too heavily.
“Watch the road! We’ve reached a fork; which way!” Lin Gui’s voice remained calm.
“Left! To the left!! Also, Lord Mage, hurry up and cast a concealment spell, meow!!” Luo Youyou was so anxious her tail was trembling uncontrollably.
“There’s no need.”
Behind them, Elvia stood up.
Even on the floating raft, she stood as firm as a rock.
She drew her honorary saber, and the battle force of a High-tier High Rank knight converged frantically into the blade, emitting a dazzling platinum light.
“In the name of the Knight, sweep away the darkness!”
She gave a sharp cry, and a condensed gold sword energy slashed out like a crescent moon!
It didn’t strike the bat demons, but slammed heavily into the tunnel wall behind everyone!
Boom!!!
A roar ten times louder than the previous rock blockage echoed out!
The powerful sword energy instantly destroyed the structural load-bearing points of the tunnel, triggering a chain reaction.
Large sections of the mine tunnel collapsed, rocks falling like rain, completely burying and isolating the pursuers!
Luo Youyou watched this scene in shock before suddenly shouting at them.
“You collapsed the only tunnel back! What are we supposed to do when we return, meow?!”
“Relax,” Theia giggled and patted her head.
“When the time comes, Elvia will help you clear it; as a knight, she’s plenty strong.”
Elvia sheathed her sword and retorted grumpily.
“I don’t have time to be a miner. If it needs clearing, let that Leader Rona do it herself.”
Under Luo Youyou’s guidance, the raft continued to go deep into the dense tunnel network.
For safety, the Dreamweaver party’s temporary outpost was hidden extremely deep.
As they headed further down, the ambient temperature began to rise noticeably.
The air was filled with a faint smell of sulfur and a deeper, indescribable ancient aura.
Lin Gui’s brow furrowed slightly.
It was too deep...
If a large-scale battle broke out here and caused a massive collapse of the tunnel network, it would be very troublesome.
On the way down, they occasionally saw some low-level Crypt Spiders and scattered gnolls.
However, these cave-dwelling demons didn’t seem very aggressive.
Most of them just watched warily and did not take the initiative to attack.
About ten minutes later, they finally arrived at the temporary outpost Luo Youyou had mentioned.
The outpost was a bit messy.
There were some scattered rations and discarded odds and ends.
They were clearly traces left behind during a hurried evacuation.
According to Luo Youyou, the entrance to the hidden ruin passage was just a short distance away at the end of a fork in the path.
“In that case,” Lin Gui controlled the raft to a stop.
“We’ll rest for an hour.”
“We can’t wait any longer, meow!!” Luo Youyou cried out anxiously.
“Big Sis Rona is still waiting for me to save her!”
She struggled to twist her bound body and looked at Theia.
“Besides, half... cough, cough, hasn’t this Lord Transcendent Ranger barely exerted herself?”
Theia giggled as she lifted the bound cat-girl, teasingly saying.
“I’m not the main combatant in this group~ the real carry is...”
“Cough, cough, cough!”
Several deliberate coughs came from both Elvia and Lin Gui at the same time.
Theia immediately stuck out her tongue and fell silent.
Lin Gui’s special ability was the greatest secret of this team.
Unless he had the absolute strength to guarantee his safety, it must never be revealed easily to outsiders.
This was also why Lin Gui had not used Shroud of the Gloomy Night along the way.
“Rest for a bit,” Lin Gui said in an unquestionable tone.
He downed a mana restoration potion and then sat cross-legged, entering a meditative state.
He didn't stand up and brush the dust off his mage robe until he felt his mana was full again.
“Let's go.”
Rate on N.U.
