Chapter 217: Salt Creek
Chapter 217: Salt Creek
Crystal? Silberite? Turquoise Stone?
The underground cave was vast, and with just the torch in his hand, Lindsey couldn't grasp the full picture and details of this subterranean peak.
"The Elder is over there."
The Blind One who had been guiding him spoke up.
He pointed to the top of the underground mountain range and continued, "There are many tunnels we've dug on Crystal Ridge. Be careful when you go up. If any of my kin greet you, well... it's best not to mention anything about the Lizardmen."
As his words fell, the Blind One who had led Lindsey here all this way leaned on his spear and left, his figure soon disappearing into the darkness.
Lindsey watched him leave, thinking, "Let me go alone? Do they really trust me that much?"
Lindsey shook his head slightly and proceeded towards the crystal mountain.
Bringing an outsider to their clan's camp and then allowing them to roam freely—such an exaggerated decision made Lindsey consider two possibilities.
The first was that this was their custom, hence the choice.
As for the second possibility...
"It must be because they are confident in their strength and have no fear."
Lindsey recalled his earlier speculation.
The Blind One's current behavior greatly reinforced this likelihood.
"There's probably a Sixth Stage powerhouse among the Blind Ones."
Having come this far, Lindsey had no intention of turning back.
He opened his map and examined the peak before him.
There were numerous yellow neutral markers and some scattered green friendly markers, but no red symbols of hostility.
"Then I'll just go up and take a look."
Lindsey made his decision and began climbing the underground peak.
The crystal-clear mountain appeared to have a low transparency, and its hard texture gave off a rocky feel. But after walking a short distance, Lindsey smelled a salty scent in the air.
His gaze naturally fell on the surface of the peak below.
The unique terrain here was already quite eye-catching, and with the air's scent, Lindsey immediately had an idea and also used his item template to confirm.
【Mineral: Rock Salt】
【A mineral used for making salt, easily soluble in water. Due to the difference in buoyancy between it and rocks, it has a certain degree of fluidity.】
【A relatively common mineral with low value.】
"So... this is a salt mountain?"
In his past life, Lindsey had also known about rock salt and had even purchased Himalayan pink salt to try.
"But this is just right."
Lindsey casually picked up a couple of pieces and put them in his bag as a salt reserve before continuing his climb to the top of the hill.
Indeed, he encountered other Blind Ones along the way.
Some were digging holes in the salt mountain, while others were going about their daily routines. Everything Lindsey saw exuded a primitive, tribal lifestyle, and the Blind Ones had seemingly made this place their homeland.
As for the Blind Ones he met on the way, they could discern that Lindsey wasn't one of them through their acute sense of sound and reception organs.
However, they would only ask a couple of questions at most.
Upon learning that Lindsey was there to see the Elder who lived at the top of the hill, they would promptly let him pass, and Lindsey faced almost no obstruction on his journey.
After a quarter of an hour, Lindsey reached the top of the hill.
In the windless and rainless underground world, the Blind Ones' dwellings were simply holes dug into the salt mountain.
The Elder's residence was only slightly larger than the others.
Only at the very top of the hill was there a square, perhaps used for gatherings like the Citizens' Assembly.
"Human, you have arrived."
A deep voice echoed from the pit ahead.
Lindsey scanned his surroundings, and atop the hill, there was only this larger cave, seemingly reserved for the Elder's residence.
He walked forward and was about to speak, but before he could utter a word, the being within the cave seemed to sense his movement.
So it spoke again:
"Come in, there's no need for formality here. We can have a good talk."
"..."
Lindsey raised an eyebrow and walked in without hesitation.
As he expected, inside the cave at the summit of Salt Peak, sat an elderly Blind One.
However, unlike his younger kin, this elderly Blind One had extremely wrinkled skin, covered with flame-like red patterns.
Just by their appearance, one could understand the uniqueness of the individual before him.
This might be the leader of the Blind Ones at the sixth stage.
Lindsey made this deduction in his mind and introduced himself:
"Hello, I'm Lindsey."
"Everyone calls me Zank," the elderly Blind One introduced himself, "I am the Elder of this clan."
"Lindsey, I heard your conversation on the way here."
"We have a common enemy, and joining forces against them is the best choice. You, as an intelligent species, should understand this as well."
Lindsey's expression turned solemn.
The distance from where he fell to the summit of Salt Peak was extremely far.
Although the Blind Ones had lost their sight and enhanced their hearing, it was impossible for them to hear the conversation from such a remote location.
The only conclusion was that the elderly Blind One with the fiery red skin had, due to his leap in power, also awakened a special ability, and this super-hearing was one of them!
Facing such a powerful being, Lindsey got straight to the point:
"I understand the situation, and I do have ideas to deal with these lizardmen."
"But before we act, I have a question."
Lindsey was about to ask something he was very concerned about.
But before he could ask the specific question, the elderly Blind One spoke first:
"I am indeed powerful, but that place is equally dangerous for me. In this situation, it's even more impossible to ask other Beastfolk to explore Crystal Valley on our behalf."
Lindsey was taken aback.
The question he wanted to ask was, 'Why don't you command other Beastfolk or go there yourself?'
Who would have thought that the Blind One would answer his unspoken question.
Not only could he hear a conversation from such a distant location, but he could also make reasonable deductions based on the content and even guess the question Lindsey was about to ask...
Lindsey felt the pressure mounting.
Communicating with a being that was both powerful and intelligent was undoubtedly challenging.
He was about to ask, 'If neither Beastfolk nor you, a powerful being, can do it, why should I try?'
But as soon as Lindsey opened his mouth, the Blind One interrupted again:
"Because there are traces in Crystal Valley that I happen to know are human scripts."
This time, Lindsey's expression turned serious.
The first answer could be explained by the Blind One's powerful reasoning ability, but for the second question, it was nearly impossible to continue guessing and provide such a precise answer.
A dangerous thought surfaced in Lindsey's mind:
"Are you reading my thoughts?"
The Blind One Elder nodded candidly:
"Yes, I am."
(End of Chapter)
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