Chapter 9

In the end, Zane still agreed to Verna's request, but he also put forward his own conditions—that if any treasures were found at the target location, Zane would have the first pick. Not only that, but Verna's soldiers must follow Zane's orders and not act on their own. If Verna did not agree to these conditions, then both parties would part ways.

If this were on the surface, it would be a tyrannical demand, as it would mean that Verna and her subordinates would be working for Zane for free, and could only pick up the leftovers. However, Verna did not resist this; instead, she nodded in agreement without hesitation.

This was the "deal" in the Underdark, where those with power had the right to gain more wealth and greater authority. If Zane had hypocritically claimed that they were all comrades and that helping each other was a trivial matter... Verna would have been on edge to avoid being betrayed.

Verna did not say much about Zane's request for command over the mercenaries. This indicated that her group still had value to the necromancer—otherwise, he would not need to seize her authority; he could simply wait for her group to be wiped out and then use necromancy to control their corpses.

After all, to a necromancer, soldiers were always readily available.

After the bodies of the fallen were dealt with, the group set out again. This time, the mercenaries were clearly more cautious. However, seeing Zane and Enya walking among them, the mercenaries felt relieved. After all, having two strong allies by their side always made people feel more secure.

After the ambush by the claw beasts, the group did not encounter any further attacks. However, this only made them more cautious. Zane had already hinted to Verna that they had fallen into a trap, and Verna knew there was something wrong with the claw beasts. As a mercenary who lived underground, she knew as much about claw beasts as anyone else.

But now, Verna had no better option than to push forward.

"This is the entrance to the ruins that the gray dwarves mentioned."

After some time of searching, the group quickly found the entrance the gray dwarves had spoken of. It was located on a stone wall, looking like a large hole that had been dug out. Through the thick layer of dust, Zane could barely make out the intricate carvings and reliefs on the wall.

Clearly, this place was not ordinary.

Verna made a gesture, and soon three bear goblins strode forward, holding torches high as they entered the hole. They waved their torches, probing ahead, and then signaled that it was safe.

Verna did not immediately enter but waited for a moment before giving the signal. The mercenaries then filed in, forming a defensive formation on either side, alert to any possible dangers.

I didn't expect this half-elf to do so well.

Watching Verna's actions, Zane couldn't help but be impressed. Orcs and bear goblins were a bunch of fools, and training these dimwitted creatures into competent warriors was a difficult task. While bear goblins and orcs were known for their "bravery," it was more about their reckless charges rather than disciplined combat.

After everyone had entered, Verna led Zane and Enya in. By this time, the other mercenaries had already lit the torches on the walls, illuminating everything.

The first thing that caught Zane's eye was a smooth corridor. Perhaps due to the passage of time, the once smooth and flat floor had become somewhat uneven, and a damp mist enveloped the area, mixed with the cold unique to the Underdark. The sound of footsteps echoed through the silent passage, breaking the silence.

"It looks like just an ordinary tomb."

Verna muttered to herself, staring at the long, rectangular tombs on either side of the wall. Inside, one could clearly see the skeletal remains wrapped in linen. However, these bones were already shattered and of no use. The burial goods had also been completely looted, leaving only broken bricks and tiles. It seemed the gray dwarves had reaped a good harvest.

But Verna was just talking to herself; in the Underdark, "tombs" were always fraught with extreme danger. You never knew if you would awaken a terrifying lich or demon while trying to claim a valuable treasure. This was one of the reasons why the underground residents complained about the surface "vermin."

Those foolish creatures living under the sun buried their troublesome problems underground without a care for the thoughts of the underground residents. He hoped those damn fools would be scorched to death by the giant fireball above their heads!

As they entered the passage, Zane also released his banshee guards. Their appearance instantly lowered the temperature in the passage, even the bear goblins in heavy leather armor shivered. However, the banshees paid no attention to the bear goblins; instead, they quickly flew through the walls and disappeared from sight.

"Enya, what time is it now?"

After watching the banshees leave, Zane asked. Enya took out a pocket watch from her bosom, glanced at it, and then respectfully replied.

"1:12:34 PM."

"......I see, thank you."

Hearing the report from his adjutant, Zane nodded and glanced at the system panel in front of him. Then, a hint of worry flashed in his eyes.

The daily quest had not been issued.

Zane had studied the underground city system thoroughly. Daily quests were tasks that players received in the underground city every day, but the timing of their issuance was significant. If the system determined that the player was unlikely to encounter any sudden events that day, it would issue a daily quest early, usually by noon at the latest.

For example, the tasks Zane had previously received, such as "Jump into the bottomless abyss" and "Confess to his sister," were examples of such trivial tasks.

However, if the system, through extensive calculations, determined that the player was likely to encounter a monster attack, an attack from other players, or an unexpected event, it would delay the issuance of the daily quest until the event began.

These daily quests were very dangerous and gave the player very little time (since each daily quest would reset by 6 AM the next day, and failing to complete it by then would mean it was wasted), but the rewards were also very generous.

Although Zane did not know how the system collected and calculated data in reality, he placed great importance on this feature. It was not just because of the insignificant experience points from daily quests, but because it was almost like a prophecy, warning him of potential trouble and danger for the day.

It was already past 1 PM, but the system had still not issued a daily quest, making Zane increasingly cautious. In his memory, the most dangerous daily quest he had experienced was in the Demon Realm. That day, he did not receive a quest until he was summoned by the Demon Lord and stepped into the Hall of Demons, at which point the system issued a task to "convince the Demon Lord that he could establish an underground city, rather than being executed on the spot."

One can imagine how dangerous the situation was, surrounded by his siblings, Zane had to fight for his life to assure his stepfather that he could build a powerful and glorious underground city in the barren North, thus escaping the fate of being "secretly executed" to preserve the royal family's dignity.

The reward Zane received was a map detailing the entire North's mineral deposits and races, which allowed him to build an underground city here without encountering any trouble or prying eyes.

However, unfortunately, the map only recorded existing things and did not mark the buried ruins deep underground.

Zane originally thought he would receive a daily quest to "explore the ruins," but it seemed that was not the case. If it were, the system would have given him a prompt as soon as he entered. It was already past 1 PM, and the daily quest had still not been issued, indicating that the system "predicted" that Zane would definitely encounter trouble.

The real show is yet to come.

As the banshees explored, the map in front of Zane, which was originally shrouded in mist, gradually revealed its true form. It seemed to be just an ordinary tomb, with a long, narrow passage and a structure that appeared to be part of a mausoleum.

The banshees did not encounter any enemies, but this only made Zane feel uneasy. A tomb could not possibly have no defenses, especially in a world filled with swords and magic. Even without undead guardians, traps and poison gas should have been sufficient to deter the greedy eyes and actions of tomb raiders.

"This tomb is a disguise."

Thinking about this, Zane quietly said to Enya. Hearing Zane's words, Enya was initially startled but quickly calmed down.

"Does that mean we will encounter a very formidable enemy?"

Enya's concern was not unfounded. If the tomb was indeed a disguise, it meant that the true owner of this place was powerful enough to create such a large-scale deception. For Zane, this would not be an easy enemy to deal with.

"Perhaps, or perhaps not."

Zane clenched his hand, and for safety, he could still withdraw from this adventure. But Zane could not leave; this was his best opportunity to expand his power. If he missed this chance, and after the underground city system was activated, Zane could not build a powerful city, his ultimate fate would be to die tragically in the ceremony to determine the successor to the Demon Lord.

Zane had no doubt about this.

"But we must continue forward."

In the end, Zane made his decision.