Outside the Border City, within a desolate and inconspicuous deep valley, more than ten fully armed Soldiers stood on guard, surrounding a crevice in the rock wall.
Though the winter at the Border was not harsh, deep within these mountain ridges, all one could see was a quiet expanse of withered yellow, with even the midday sun failing to bring much warmth.
The howling cold breeze swept up the withered grass, entering the crevice in the rock wall without an echo.
Light as feathers, the withered grass silently skimmed over the twisted gap, drifting towards the deep abyss, some halted by the rock wall, others falling away from the airstream. In the end, a blade of grass, curling as it spun, elegantly flew into the ancient ruins, passing through a doorless entrance, gently landing on a man-made floor tile.
The next moment, this piece of withered grass was rapidly blackened, then turned into ash-like residue, becoming an inconspicuous part amongst the dense stains on the floor tile.
Yet this overly tranquil scene did not attract the attention of the young girl not far away. She lifted her head, her eyes excitedly focusing on the blurred marking ahead.
Though the marking was covered in dust and had faded over the long years, the deep imprint on the stone still allowed the Hero to recognize it in an instant—without a doubt, this was the "Hidden Passage" mark told by the village chief grandma.
"Is there a hidden passage in that room, that would allow me to reach the heart of the Sanctuary if I pass through it?"
Neither the murky miasma nor the filthy Magic Element were problems for the well-prepared Hero, and now even more so having discovered a shortcut, this feeling of everything going smoothly made her involuntarily curl the corners of her mouth, ignoring the complaints about Hunting Knowledge, and eagerly preparing to enter the room.
But as she approached the door, her pupils suddenly contracted.
Almost at the same moment, the black cat walking slightly ahead and already inside the room, emitted a low growl, its volume subdued, still indicating its level of shock.
The next moment, the black cat, its fur on end like a spring-loaded arc, leapt into the arms of the Hero.
The Hero hugged the black cat, also hurriedly stepping back two paces.
Gleaming Scale Serpent slightly intensified the light, and before them, the nauseating miasma, heavy and thick, visibly lingered in the room's interior.
Even though the underground environment was already harsh enough, the room inside was like falling straight from heaven to hell in just two steps.
Despite the multiple protections on her, the miasma was not merely an ordinary foul stench — mixed with the power of a Curse, it did not even need direct contact with the sense of smell, just probing out with Perception, one would feel the sickening breath rushing to the forehead, reminding her of the Magic Cloud driven by the Corrupted Phoenix — although different in nature, equally nauseating.
The black cat in the arms of the Hero had already stretched out two paws, miserably covering its eyes, occasionally sticking out its tongue to heave a couple of times, but not vomiting or exhibiting any trouble, just appearing to be in considerable discomfort.
In comparison, the symptoms of the Hero were slightly milder, she pinched her nose, looked again with a concentrated eye, and then made out a sticky, foul substance seeping out from the crevices of the floor tiles and walls ahead,
Though it was not prominent in the darkness, once clearly seen, it inevitably caused a wave of nausea.
"What, what is that?" The Hero took another two steps back, turning her head towards Hunting Knowledge who seemed completely unaffected.
"I haven't finished speaking," said Hunting Knowledge indifferently, "that mark, might not be the 'Hidden Passage' as understood by human scholars."
The rhythmic sound of page-turning slowly arose, Hunting Knowledge's tone was as always, calm and unflappable, seemingly forever without the slightest fluctuation.
Though its Appearance was an unrecognizable form of bizarre darkness, the tranquil atmosphere emanating from it, like that of a library, still slightly settled the Hero.
"For that ancient capital which has long perished, this Sanctuary was not only the most sacred place but also the safest location, creating a hidden passage for escape makes no sense. And in a Sanctuary responsible for Sacrifices, having a hidden passage directly leading to the abode of a God, is in itself an illogical matter."
Even though the Church of the present-day Kingdom did not worship a specific deity, it did not stop the Hero from understanding Hunting Knowledge's words.
For religions that worship idols, a God should be a supreme being, needing to pass through countless tedious steps for an audience, therefore it is unlikely to imagine that a Sanctuary would have a hidden passage that leads directly to where a God resides.
If this hidden passage were for escaping, then it would be even more illogical. Does a God need to run away? Do the followers under the protection of a God need to run away?
"Then what does this symbol really mean?" the Hero asked puzzledly.
Hunting Knowledge's form slightly writhed, Perception tentacles stretched a bit further into the room, and after an observation, it straightforwardly gave an answer:
"This combination of symbols indeed represents the meaning of 'secrecy' and 'passage,' but it has nothing to do with the hidden passage for escape that humans understand.
"The 'Hidden Passage' indicated by the symbol refers to a physiological pathway, and the object is the deity of this place. Only the deity and its offspring have the right to freely enter and leave the Sanctuary, which makes perfect sense."
The page-turning sounds hastened slightly, watching the Hero's understanding dawn upon her and her gradually disgusted expression, it delivered the final conclusion.
"Therefore, this so-called 'Hidden Passage' is actually the 'birthing canal' of the Devouring Curse Demon. Its offspring — the Young Scorpion, will use this pathway to directly go to the city outside the Sanctuary for its feeding activities."