Chapter 41 Dungeon

The map? I'll talk about it last. From what she said, it was more valuable than all the treasures and equipment she had.

Galos glanced at the few coins she pulled out, then fixed his gaze on the wanderer.

"Kill you, and all these things will be mine."

He said, "You're trading my things for mine? That doesn't seem like it can buy your life."

The wanderer knelt on the scorched earth, her trembling hands holding a yellowed sheepskin map. She had removed her leather armor, and her inner clothes were already soaked with cold sweat. There were still traces of her companion's splattered blood on her forehead.

Under the moonlight, the edges of the map in her hand faintly gleamed with a metallic sheen, like anti-counterfeiting patterns woven with mithril threads—something no ordinary adventurer could possess.

"If you kill me, you'll only get a regular map; you'll need a special method to see the path."

The wanderer pleaded, "I ask for nothing more than to survive. Please forgive my previous offense."

Galos did not answer. His tail gently curled over the map. The edges of the dragon scales on the map were as sharp as blades, but under his control, they fit together tightly without scratching the map.

Garos picked up the map with his claw and examined it closely.

The surface is covered with messy, disorganized threads, showing no trace of a map, as if it had been encrypted in some way.

“Lift your head and look me straight in the eye.”

"Tell me, where did a low-level adventurer like you get clues to legendary alchemical artifacts?"

"Garos asked."

Although it was a young dragon, its words already carried an unquestionable sense of command that made the wanderers instinctively raise their heads.

This is a super-powerful dragon, born in its juvenile stage. We're so unlucky to have encountered such a dragon. The wanderer trembled with fear under the gaze of the red-iron dragon's black eyes and said, "That's how it is."

She recounted the events in fits and starts.

Because of her fear and terror, her words were somewhat incoherent, but Galos still understood the specific process.

in short.

This map was obtained by the wanderer from a novice adventurer in a tavern through seduction and theft.

When drunk.

The novice adventurer boasted that the map was related to the whereabouts of a legendary alchemical item. It came from the lost Grey Dwarf dungeon, and the location marked on it was [Marnes], which was the former site of the dungeon.

In the underground city of Marnes, the corpses of tens of thousands of grey dwarves are buried.

Its fall is said to be due to the loss of control of a legendary alchemical artifact, which was subsequently lost in the Grey Dwarf Dungeon.

The Grey Dwarf Dungeon, Marnes.

It did exist, and it flourished for a time, producing many powerful weapons and equipment, some of which are still in use today.

However, with the changing times and the passage of time, things have changed.

With the fall of Marnes and his subsequent burial under the earth, few people know the exact location of this underground city.

The news of the legendary alchemical artifact continues to attract many adventurers to explore it, but none have succeeded because they cannot find Marnes's address.

The wanderer initially didn't believe that the novice adventurer's map contained the location of the Marnes dungeon.

But later, a count in her city-state was furious and issued a warrant for her arrest.

She then learned that the adventurer was the count's son.

Because of his passion for adventure stories, the count's son stole the map from his home, intending to form a team to explore it, only to be met with a harsh blow from reality.

Before they even left the city or formed a proper team, their money pouch and map had been stolen by wanderers. If it weren't for the large number of people around, they probably wouldn't even have their underwear left.

Galos shook the map and said, "What you're saying sounds like a fantastical story, not the truth."

The existence of the Grey Dwarf Dungeon is mentioned in his legacy.

This is an underground city buried in the torrent of history, and that is true.

As for the reason for its destruction, there are many different opinions, but the most widespread one is the Wanderer's theory that it was destroyed by a legendary alchemical artifact that went out of control.

There are other explanations as well.

for example.

He touched upon the true essence of alchemy and was thus rejected by the gods, suffering divine punishment and destruction.

Well, among many bizarre accounts, the claim that legendary alchemical artifacts went out of control and were destroyed is actually quite credible.

As for the gray dwarves...

These intelligent beings are dwarves, possessing their strength and exceptional talent in forging. However, their personalities are drastically different from those of normal dwarves; they are insidious and vicious, hate most races, and are generally unwelcome by any other species. They reside in dungeons year-round.

at the same time.

The wanderer earnestly assured him, saying, "I swear on the peace of my dead companions! I swear on my own grandparents! I have not lied in a single word!"

Galos grinned: "You know the price of deceiving a dragon is ten times worse than death."

He looked at the wanderer and tossed the map back to her.

“Show me the location of the underground city.”

Upon hearing this, the wanderer hesitated.

This was her only bargaining chip in negotiating with the dragons in front of her, and she didn't want to throw it away immediately.

After a moment's thought, a humble, ingratiating smile appeared on the wanderer's face as he tentatively asked, "Honorable dragon, now that you know the coordinates of the dungeon, will you forgive my offense?"

offend?

Galus didn't take it seriously.

He smiled and said, "I swear in my mother's name that I don't care about your offense and will allow you to leave my territory safely. A weakling like you is not worth my attention, whether you live or die."

The situation is what it is.

The wanderer had no room for bargaining and was afraid of angering the evil dragon before him, so he echoed it, flattering the dragon and saying, "I believe your promise. A dragon's promise is more precious than a jewel, and a dragon as excellent as you is more valuable than a thousand pieces of gold."

Immediately.

The wanderer, map in hand, walked to an open space under Garros's watchful gaze, raised the map to the moonlight, and then tore it to shreds.

The fragments flew everywhere, but none of them landed on the ground.

They danced and spun in the air, then gathered together again, transforming into a brand new map.

Galos picked it up again and took a look.

The surface is etched with a section of wilderness landscape, including hemlock hills, with wastelands, lakes, and forests. The carving is exquisite and detailed, while in the southeast corner, a circle is outlined with silver lines as a special mark.

"According to the map, the Marnes Underground City is located beneath an abandoned mine."

The wanderer flattered, "With your strength and wisdom, you will surely be able to obtain the legendary alchemical artifact and become a mighty dragon that will dominate the wilderness in the future."

Galos stared at the map, ignoring her, but waved his paw at her. Samantha also curiously craned her neck to look over, her gaze falling on the map.

The wanderer slowly retreated.

Galos glanced at it but did not stop him.

Seeing that the other party had no intention of stopping him from leaving, the wanderer turned and walked into the thick darkness, then ran for his life, not daring to stop for a moment, weaving through the huge hemlocks on the hills.

(End of this chapter)