Chapter 212: Searching for the Entrance
Chapter 212: Searching for the Entrance
"Is this the place?"
Hong frowned in dissatisfaction.
She had expected to witness some rare and extraordinary spectacle.
But this terrain, with its common ground depressions and collapsed stone pillars, was genuinely uninspiring.
Lindsey, on the other hand, had a different perspective:
"You can't judge by appearances alone."
"Besides, this is just a wasteland created by the aftermath of war. We can't expect to find anything significant here."
As he spoke, Lindsey took the lead and started walking down.
A rumbling sound echoed.
The gravel beneath their feet began to shift.
From the high point to the bottom of the collapsed ground, numerous sharp-edged stones were stacked upon each other, each one locked in place, maintaining a fragile balance.
As Lindsey and Hong walked past, this balance was disrupted.
One stone, then ten.
Ten stones became hundreds.
The movement spread across the entire slope.
The rocks tumbled and rolled downward in large numbers, and although Lindsey and Hong could maintain their balance with their exceptional abilities, they couldn't escape the landslide.
A rockslide had begun!
"What the heck is this!"
Hong was extremely displeased with being in such a passive state.
After being pushed along by the stone waves for over ten meters, she couldn't take it anymore. She grabbed Lindsey by the arm and jumped high into the air.
Amidst the deafening roar, the two landed on a nearby mound.
At this moment, they looked back at the adjacent area.
Countless stones continued to roll downward with loud noises, and the terrain above quickly caved in, resembling a dent at the bottom of a toothpaste tube.
"It's not going well from the start."
Lindsey raised an eyebrow.
Hong, unconcerned, tugged at Lindsey and headed downward:
"Lindsey, where should we start searching?"
Lindsey immediately opened the map.
Due to the war many years ago, the underground caves in this basin were scarce, and the connecting passages had collapsed and broken.
The only creatures that could thrive in such conditions were those capable of digging through the earth.
Even for magical beasts, survival would be challenging.
Lindsey shook his head slightly and shared his findings with his companion:
"The ground beneath us is almost entirely collapsed and compressed."
"We need to find the two races that inhabit the underground."
"I suggest starting our search from the edge of this basin, ideally finding a direct entrance to the underground world."
Hong didn't hesitate and firmly agreed:
"Let's split up and search; that'll be the fastest way!"
"Wait a moment!" Lindsey called out to the impatient Hong and handed her a specially made torch from his backpack, "Take this; it can stay lit in most situations and will last for several days."
The two then agreed on a method of communication. Lindsey summoned a bat with his bat staff, and it followed Hong.
If Lindsey found something, he would recall the bat, and Hong could simply follow it back; conversely, if Hong discovered something, she could send the bat back to Lindsey, allowing him to locate her quickly.
With their plan in place, the two split up and moved forward, searching along the edges of the basin.
Lindsey had a significant advantage in speed.
Utilizing the map's excellent reconnaissance capabilities, he only needed to walk around the perimeter to understand the layout of the underground space below and identify any hidden passages nearby, all without the need for inch-by-inch exploration.
As expected, the underground space beneath the basin was tightly compressed.
However, as they explored outward from the edges, they discovered scattered, spacious underground caves, and occasionally, they could see tunnels extending into the distance.
Unfortunately, Lindsey didn't spot any markings indicating the presence of living creatures on the map.
"The collapsed terrain might make this area unsuitable for survival.
"So the Blind Ones and the Lizardmen have relocated to a place far away from here?"
As Lindsey was speculating about the possibilities, his gaze paused, and he noticed a red dot on the map.
It was in a cave almost level with the bottom of the basin, located directly to the east. The red marker remained stationary within.
"The Blind Ones? Lizardmen?"
"Or other underground creatures?"
Lindsey immediately issued a command to the distant bats, ordering them to return.
The signs of biological activity indicated that this place was highly likely connected to other underground caves, rather than being an isolated, enclosed space.
Exploring from here was obviously the best choice.
"..."
"That's you!"
Lindsey didn't bother searching for an entrance nearby and instead took out the meteorite hammer, beginning to dig a tunnel straight ahead, tall enough for a person.
Although this place was a battlefield ruin, it was essentially just an ordinary piece of land.
The meteorite hammer easily dealt with this type of material.
With the clanging sounds, a straight tunnel extended outward at a visible speed, soon reaching the adjacent cave.
Lindsey watched his position on the map.
"This cave should be about half a meter away..."
He didn't immediately break through the tunnel but instead cautiously pressed his ear against the earthen wall, listening to the sounds coming from the other side.
Whoosh—
Hiss...
"A faint gust of wind and some sort of panting?"
Having recently fought the Dark Tide Lizards underground, Lindsey was quite familiar with the sounds these lizards made beneath the ground.
The sounds coming from the other side were very similar to these noises.
"So I've found the Lizardmen's lair?"
Lindsey's heart was filled with a mix of surprise and joy.
In his mind, the Lizardmen were the most likely species to have a connection with the Dragon Beast, and finding them first would undoubtedly expedite the exploration process.
With this thought, Lindsey raised the meteorite hammer high.
"Here I go..."
Boom!
Suddenly, a loud noise came from the earthen wall ahead.
Before Lindsey's meteorite hammer could land, the earthen wall exploded, and a powerful force collided with his body.
"Ah?"
Lindsey was knocked back by the impact, and his expression quickly shifted from daze to calm.
The sound of his tunnel excavation must have been heard by the creature on the other side! This guy probably sensed the danger and, upon realizing Lindsey's attempt to break through the wall, launched a preemptive attack.
Thud—Thud—Smack!
Lindsey stumbled and collided with the walls of the tunnel he had excavated.
Finally, he managed to stop and quickly stood up, first putting away the meteorite hammer and then drawing out his weapon.
"Roar—"
A fierce roar and a putrid, corrupt smell arrived almost simultaneously.
Lindsey had just smelled it when he felt his head spinning.
"Poisoned as well?"
Lindsey vigorously shook his head, and the dizziness caused by the poison quickly dissipated.
This poison might have caused him significant trouble in the past, but with the poison resistance provided by the Forest Brooch, Lindsey didn't even need to drink an antidote to deal with this poison.
A firm shake, and he completely overcame the negative status on his body.
"Poison, and lizards."
'Smack,' Lindsey snapped his whip, and flames and frost simultaneously coiled around it.
"It's probably that guy again?"
Lindsey smiled wryly as he looked ahead.
Indeed, deep within the tunnel, a pair of yellowish snake-like pupils stared at him.
(End of Chapter)
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