Chapter 78

The captain of the guard stammered, seemingly very unwilling. Fang Yi observed the other's expression and silently recorded this strange scene in his mind. However, the matter still needed to be resolved. Only after Fang Yi proposed to consult the village chief Il did the guard captain reluctantly reveal a piece of information.

It turned out that the place where Green Creek Village now stood was, in ancient times, a large architectural complex. For some unknown reason, it was almost completely destroyed, and now only the temple of the Magic Goddess and a vast underground waterway remain.

One day a year ago, the villagers of Green Creek Village suddenly suffered from a collective poisoning, an event that had not occurred in nearly a century. The guard captain immediately began to trace the source of the poison and soon found that it came from the water source.

The Long Arm River could not be the problem, so the poison must have come from the waterway. After closing the waterway's valve, Il led a team into the underground waterway to investigate. However, not long after, the villagers on the surface felt a massive tremor from underground, followed by a rumbling sound, as if the entire earth was shaking.

"Only Il managed to escape after that, saying that the underground waterway had collapsed. He then ordered the collapsed section to be sealed off, and since then, the village has been using another section of the waterway that was later excavated."

"What about the poisoning?" Fang Yi asked suspiciously. This old man was too dishonest, speaking vaguely and dragging his feet.

"The village chief said... a monster appeared in the underground waterway, polluting the water source. However, the monster was too powerful. The village chief destroyed the passage in the battle and barely managed to escape, trapping the monster inside."

Isn't that clear enough? Fang Yi stared suspiciously at the guard captain in front of him. Why didn't you say this earlier? Why does it feel so strange?

"Can I go see that abandoned passage?" Fang Yi asked persistently.

The guard captain looked troubled, unsure how to respond, but his eyes brightened when he saw someone behind Fang Yi. At the same time, Fang Yi heard Il's voice from behind: "I'll take you there, adventurer."

Fang Yi turned around, and the village chief Il had already changed his clothes, with the staff he used during the battle in the forest back in his hand. Il signaled the guard captain to return to his post and then led Fang Yi to the south of the village.

They walked in silence and soon arrived at the southern part of Green Creek Village. After a series of turns, they came to a pit covered by shrubs. Waving away the villagers guarding the area, Il chanted a continuous spell, and the thorny shrubs slowly parted, revealing a stone door stained with water.

"Since the incident a year ago, this place has been sealed. I'll go in with you," Il said, holding his staff and looking at Fang Yi. "This is something I should have done myself." Fang Yi nodded, remaining silent throughout—there was definitely something hidden in the incident from a year ago. Fang Yi drew his weapon, glanced back at the dark forest, and turned to enter the passage.

The air in the underground passage was surprisingly fresh, clearly connected to the outside world somewhere. With the light from Il's staff, Fang Yi could clearly see the old water stains on the stone walls, almost reaching the top of the passage.

After walking for a while, the number of forks in the underground waterway increased, and Fang Yi knew they were now under Green Creek Village. However, Il, who was walking in front, seemed unaffected and walked straight through the chaotic passages. Soon, a section of the passage blocked by rubble appeared before them.

But Fang Yi's brow furrowed. The passage was indeed blocked by rubble, but there was a clear gap near the top, as if an animal had dug a hole. Looking at Il, who had his back to him, Fang Yi felt a strange atmosphere in the underground waterway and gripped his weapon tighter.

***

Leng Ruobing maintained a stealthy posture, feeling his fingers stiffen from holding the staff. He thought about getting up to move around and dispel the cold, but after glancing at his terrifying partner lying quietly beside him, he wisely abandoned the idea.

What a strange encounter! Leng Ruobing looked at the ambush mission in his task list, and the excitement that arose quickly dispelled the chill of the underground world. With such a powerful helper sent by those people, it would indeed be inexcusable if I couldn't complete the mission.

Though this mission might align me with the evil faction, getting a piece of fine equipment would be worth it. The rewards from outdoor adventure missions are far better than the fixed drops from dungeons. Leng Ruobing checked the druid spells in his skill list and couldn't help but think of the rogue who had escaped with him: He must have been eaten by the wolves, hehe. How could I possibly bring a burden on an outdoor adventure?

Immersed in his fantasies, the druid suddenly felt the person beside him lift his head and growl at the pile of rubble across the passage. Someone? The druid raised his staff and focused on the opposite passage. The mission wouldn't be so easy, but who could stop a level 17 druid like me now?

***

Fang Yi, after crawling through a narrow crack near the top of the passage, keenly sensed something unusual ahead. What's there?

Il's Light spell had a limited range, so he couldn't see the distant part of the dark passage. At this moment, our village chief seemed to realize the problem and chanted a spell, releasing a large circular light that floated forward.

Although the duration of the Dancing Lights spell was limited, it was enough for the two to see the situation in the dark passage. Something seemed to be moving in the shadows, but it was quickly enveloped by a thick fog and disappeared into the darkness.

A Concealment spell? Fang Yi left the glowing Il and entered a stealth state by the wall. Il had cast all the protective spells on him, and Fang Yi thought it was better to hide in the dark and strike first.

With Il's level, he could almost seamlessly cast zero-level cantrips. The light from the Dancing Lights spell filled the entire passage, but the grayish-white fog did not dissipate. Il pointed his staff forward, and a red glow from the Fireball spell slowly appeared at the tip of the staff. In the next moment, it shot out, drawing a red line toward the fog.

Fang Yi was startled. Casting a Fireball spell in such a narrow passage would also hit us. Thinking of this, Fang Yi quickly jumped back to find cover.