"Lynch, what should we do? It seems the matter with the northern tunnel isn’t as simple as it seems." Deluo couldn’t resist the silence any longer and spoke to the mage gazing out the window.
"It’s nothing at all, we’ll take a look tomorrow and decide then."
"But Lynch, shouldn’t we first go to the infirmary to check on the injured and sick guards? At least we might get some clues from them and prepare in advance," Nimo asked puzzledly.
"There’s no need to see those so-called patients. I believe there are no patients there at all. Koravos is not an honest man," Lynch said calmly.
"So they’re deceiving us? Should we still go to the northern tunnel? It’s definitely full of dangers there," Nimo looked worriedly at the other two.
"What’s there to be afraid of? Am I not here?" Deluo patted his chest, raised his head, and closed his eyes slightly, giving a thumbs-up to himself. "Who am I? I’m Deluo. No matter what happens ahead, I can solve it for you!"
"I still prefer staying close to Lynch," Nimo stood by Lynch’s side.
"You..." Deluo pointed at the dwarf, speechless for a long time.
However, regardless of their concerns, since they had agreed to check the northern tunnel, they had to go. Lynch couldn’t guarantee that if he showed reluctance to accept the task, the grey dwarves would still come back with such a generous offer for their help.
When they stepped out of the "Red Mushroom" the next morning, Koravos was already waiting for them at the door. He hurriedly approached and said to the mage, "Mage sir, would you like me to take you to see the patients, the guards who returned from the northern tunnel? One of them just woke up this morning."
Lynch stared into the grey dwarf’s eyes but couldn’t discern any emotional flaw—a pair of clear big eyes full of anticipation. However, the more flawless it seemed, the bigger the flaw actually was. Lynch wasn’t unaware of the temper of the grey dwarves; their lives were full of deceit. As the ’Governor’ Koravos, without schemes and exceptional disguise, how could he ever climb to such a high position?
"No need to trouble you, we’ll head straight to the northern tunnel." Lynch turned his head and walked north, with Nimo following closely and Deluo quickly catching up after retrieving the giant sword he had asked for from Koravos yesterday.
Watching the three walk away, Koravos straightened from his previously stooped and flattering posture, squinting at the trio heading north, his mouth twitching slightly before striding away towards the south.
To the north of Hanmosidun City lies a large cluster of mines, where traces of the miners’ past works are easily found. Wooden or stone frameworks support the tunnel walls and roofs; every so often, torch brackets can be seen on the walls—although gray dwarves do not require light to work in the darkness, it appears they’ve used a large number of slaves, some possibly captured from the Surface World, who need illumination. Continuing forward, they could still see rusted carts toppled in dark corners, with some debris discarded aside.
The cavern always carried a faint, corrupt odor. Deluo, holding the Unextinguishable torch, walked slowly at the front, casting a soft white light on the jagged rock walls and crisscrossing frameworks, throwing twisted and horrific shadows. Nimo clutched his crossbow tightly, eyes wide open as he glanced around, stepping forward nervously. Get full chapters from novelFɪre.net
Since being ambushed by the lizards last time, Lynch dared not let his guard down. He remained vigilant of any movement around, not letting any potential spot for ambush or assault escape his notice.
The dark tunnel seemed endless, always meandering forward. It was as if a large gaping maw swallowed adventurers’ courage and patience. Lynch looked at the map given by Koravos, marking each intersection as they passed. He was acutely aware that getting lost in the Underdark wasn’t a joking matter, especially in such a mining route terrain, where taking a wrong path might leave them unable to find their way back out.
After walking for nearly a day, they finally arrived at the place designated on the map.
It appeared to be just an ordinary cave, with its entrance fortified by stone, looking exactly like the numerous entrances they had seen throughout the day. The only difference was a conspicuous sign standing next to the entrance, with the words "Danger, Do Not Enter!" written on it in Dwarf Language, Underground Common Language, and Dark Elf Language.