Using the phrase ‘meeting face-to-face on a narrow path’ in the underground world couldn’t be more fitting for this situation. The reason for innumerable clashes and battles here was that when two parties met, they were almost caught in a dead end. Unlike the surface, it was tough for two hostile creatures to escape in the underground, trapped by stone walls. Apart from that, there were also many other reasons for starting a fight. One of the most common reasons was…
The other party blocked my way.
That wasn’t a joke in the underground.
When Rhode’s turned the corner with raised torches in their hands, they spotted an underground lizard that was almost as tall as a horse and a dwarf mounted on its neck. The dwarf wore a ridiculous-looking shell as his hat, while the underground lizard had goods and food supplies tied to both sides of its body. This underground tunnel wasn’t spacious, but it wasn’t considered narrow either. It could accommodate up to two underground lizards standing shoulder-to-shoulder. If this encounter happened on the surface, giving way would be deemed chivalrous. But in the underground world, giving way meant weakness, which was an extremely dangerous thing to do. Not only that, but it also sent out the hidden message of ‘I can’t defeat you, so please let me leave’… This was basically no different from ‘I’m weak, please kill me’.
This went to show why battles were so common in the underground.
Upon seeing Rhode’s group ahead, the dwarf seemed really nervous. Rhode sensed the insecure trembles of his body, which was somewhat exaggerated, like a clown performing comedy on stage. But Rhode wasn’t mindful because dwarves were a race that loved making exaggerated gestures. The dwarf stared at Rhode’s group and after a few moments of silence, he patted the lizard’s head gently. Shortly after, the huge lizard moved toward the stone wall. Looking at this scene, Rhode didn’t say a word, but nodded at the dwarf in response instead, before leading the rest into the tunnel behind the dwarf.
This was supposed to be a small encounter, if the dwarf didn’t break the silence all of a sudden.
“… Wait…!”
The moment Rhode’s group sauntered past the dwarf, the latter yelled. The startled crowd turned around and stared at him, giving the dwarf tremendous pressure. The dwarf thought his behavior was a little rude. Even though these humans didn’t seem like bad guys, yelling at them in the underground was too risky, after all… But since the dwarf had already spoken, he could only brace himself and continue speaking.
“Erm… Say… You guys are adventurers from the surface, right? I don’t know why you are here, but you’d better be careful. It hasn’t been safe around here lately.”
“Oh?”
Upon hearing the dwarf’s words, Rhode twitched his brows. The reason why Rhode chose to enter the Darkness Capital through the underground tunnels was because the possibilities of the underground being invaded by Chaos was much lower than the surface’s. In the past, that was also what happened in the lands of Chaos. Even though Chaos enfolded the sky and ground, their power had always been weak in the dark underground. That was the reason why ancient inhabitants built their refuges in the deep underground.
“Did something happen?”
“I’m not too sure.”
Facing Rhode’s question, the dwarf shook his head.
“It’s just that many places have entered lockdown. No one is allowed to leave and enter the cities, which is why I have to remind you guys. Even though I don’t know if there is a guide amongst your group, many gathering places and cities are closed to outsiders right now. If you trespass, you risk getting yourselves killed.”
“All of them are in lockdown?”
This time, it wasn’t Rhode who replied, but Nell instead. As a dark elf, she was more sensitive in this matter.
“Is Carlesodar City in complete lockdown too?”
“Of course.”
Upon hearing her question, the dwarf couldn’t help but raise his guard. He gazed uneasily at the young lady who stood before him. Carlesodar City was one of the largest cities for dark elves, and it seemed like these people were heading there…
Oh, rocks, what exactly are they trying to do?
At this thought, the dwarf sized up Nell and felt even more suspicious. If it weren’t this dark elf who asked that question, he would be able to understand the situation. But the problem was that this elf’s complexion was as white as snow and unlike the skin tone of dark elves at all. In this case, the dwarf could only recognize her as an elf from the surface.
Why is an elf from the surface trying to bring a group of people into the territory of dark elves?
“Excuse me… Miss Elf. I don’t know why you are heading there, but I received news that the Bailey Family has sealed off all of Carlesodar City and put up defenses. Frankly, we don’t know what’s going on either. After all, even though the underground isn’t always peaceful and there are clashes happening daily, everything has been stable and we aren’t aware of anything that would lead to such a situation.”
I see.
Rhode and Nell exchanged glances with each other. In the Country of Darkness, although underground races were also vassals of the Country of Darkness, they were more like dominions. Undead creatures showed contempt against races who only knew how to drill holes in the underground and didn’t waste time controlling the underground world. As long as the underground races weren’t up to no good, the undead creatures would be unconcerned about them. Now that the Country of Darkness was in such huge trouble, the cunning dark elves had definitely heard of relevant news. In order to avoid being forced by the Dark Dragon to become able-bodied men for war like those pitiful undead creatures, the dark elves chose to put their own safety before matters of principle. Even though they were vassals of the undead creatures, be it dark elves or duergars, they were still mortal races. Although they stood on the same side as the undead creatures, they politely declined the opportunity to put their lives at risk.
It was especially so for dark elves with extremely low fertility rates, as they basically lost their lives in internal battles.
“Thanks for the warning.”
After pondering the situation for a while, Rhode had a further understanding of the underground situation now. It was apparent that the undead creatures were as sensitive as he had anticipated. The current situation was to see whether Ion would dispatch undead creatures to deal with these underground inhabitants like when he handled Garcia earlier. In terms of absolute power, even though underground creatures definitely didn’t stand a chance against enemies of the Chaos Lords’ caliber, the underground environment was their best advantage. If a fierce battle were to break out, perhaps their winning chance would be 50-50.
But this has nothing to do with us, at least for now.
At this thought, Rhode nodded at the dwarf.
“Just like you said, the surface isn’t peaceful right now. I know dwarves dislike battle, but you’d better seal up your city and hide in safety like the dark elves. It will be best to prohibit anyone from entering and exiting your city. I think that will be beneficial for you guys.”
“Thanks for the reminder, surface adventurer.”
The dwarf revealed a smile at Rhode’s reminder. Even though Rhode didn’t tell the dwarf what exactly the trouble was, the dwarf recognized the truthfulness in his warnings. Besides, based on the current situation, there was indeed a need to seal off the entire city. Dwarves possessed an unique and nimble ability to conceal an entire city in rocks, so intruders wouldn’t be able to find them. The dwarf reached into his pocket and retrieved what it seemed to be an exquisite badge, tossing it to Rhode. Upon noticing his action, Rhode moved his arm and caught the badge.
“My name is Neo. Thanks for your reminder; I’ll be sure to warn my tribesmen. Surface adventurer, I can see that all of you are kind people. If you face any trouble or need a place to rest, you can come to our city. As long as you show that badge at the end of the stream, my companions will allow you entry. With tens of thousands of gems, I bless all of you, wishing you a smooth journey in the underground.”
Neo spoke, waved goodbye to Rhode’s group, and spurred on the lizard. The group watched as the petite dwarf and huge underground lizard vanished into the other end of the tunnel.
“Anne thought these underground creatures would be scary and bothersome. Seems like there are still some good guys around, huh? That dwarf seems really friendly.”
Gazing at the tunnel ahead, Anne couldn’t help but shake her head and comment.
“That’s because we haven’t entered the real underground world yet.”
Facing Anne’s words, Rhode answered quickly.
“Even though this is the ‘underground’ to us, we’re still on the ‘upper level’ of the underground creatures, which is where the kind races, such as dwarves, live in. But if we continue with our journey, we won’t be meeting friendly dwarves like him anymore. What’s waiting for us will be the razor-sharp fangs of underground creatures and the daggers of the dark elves,” Rhode said, extending his hand to pat Anne’s head gently. “Alright, let’s continue. I have a feeling that this trip will not be as peaceful as we imagined.”
