Chapter 468, Section 467: Borrowing a Sword

On the eastern side of Scarecrow Abyss, at the border of the Dwarf Mountain and the Elf Forest, a new settlement is developing along an ancient road.

In the past, Scarecrow Abyss was known for its bizarre mechanics and was far more dangerous than ordinary dungeons.

If an adventurer is injured in another dungeon, they can try to return the way they came.

Here, once an injury slows down movement, one often falls back into the overlapping spaces before finding the boundary and returning to the upper level, eventually disappearing forever.

The relatively monotonous output in the abyss is simply not enough to match such high risks.

Therefore, unless they receive a specific commission or are tempted by a high bounty, few adventurers are willing to stay here for an extended period.

The remoteness of the area naturally prevented the development of towns like the former Silent Wind Town, which catered specifically to adventurers.

For a long time, only an elven patrol and a dwarven garrison have guarded this place, preventing the demonic tides while regularly cleaning up the curses emanating from the abyss.

However, things are different now.

Today, hordes of humans are crossing the Scarecrow Abyss to escape the flames of war.

Although the elves still strictly guarded their borders and did not accept outsiders, the dwarves' mountains did not reject these human refugees.

Every team that successfully crossed the abyss carried at least one Puji, which served as their talisman for traversing that perilous land.

As the flow of people increased, this border area, which was originally jointly governed by the two ethnic groups, naturally began to sprout new vitality.

A simple wooden inn has sprung up, providing a place for exhausted travelers to rest after days of continuous travel.

Fresh ingredients transported from afar were priced high and sold to refugees who had been eating dry rations for days.

And of course, most importantly, there's the Puji sales and recycling industry!

This once desolate land is now radiating vitality in a rough yet vibrant way.

The tavern was filled with the aroma of ale and tobacco.

Although the wooden table wasn't full, the sounds of conversation, clinking glasses, and occasional bursts of laughter created a lively atmosphere.

People gathered in small groups, and the conversation invariably revolved around two things: the escalating conflict in the north and...

"Have you heard? Another group of people have fallen into the abyss." A burly man with a weathered face took a swig of wine and slammed his wooden cup down.

The thin companion beside him lowered his voice: "That's right, seven people in total! The people in the group behind them watched helplessly as they vanished in a flash, not far in front of them. It's been days, and there's still no news. I'm afraid..."

The burly man shook his head and sighed, "Without any preparation for falling into the deeper levels, how could we possibly climb out? Now there are a whole bunch of cursed slimes down there, making it even more dangerous than before!"

"How could they suddenly fall? Didn't they bring any 'puji'?" A young man with a slightly immature face at the next table couldn't help but interject, his face full of confusion.

The burly man scoffed, "What else could it be? Of course, they bought fake Puji! They're taking advantage of the refugees who don't know how to distinguish real Dungeon Puji, so they're passing off ordinary Puji caught nearby as genuine ones from the Dungeon."

New settlements have sprung up on both sides of the Scarecrow Abyss, but since they have all formed spontaneously and no official force has intervened to manage them, they are still in a relatively chaotic stage, and no one is specifically dealing with these kinds of serious incidents.

"Just to save a little on shipping costs?" The young man's eyes widened. "This is a matter of life and death!"

Hearing the young man's words, the men exchanged glances and burst into laughter: "Kid, first time venturing out, huh? Don't even mention fifty silver coins for shipping. In this world, some people will risk other people's lives for just two silver coins!"

Amidst the laughter of the crowd, the creaking wooden door of the tavern was suddenly pushed open.

A ragged swordsman stood at the doorway, the setting sun behind him outlining his weary yet upright figure.

Strangely, as he entered, the sounds in the tavern gradually subsided, turning into whispers.

The young man looked around in confusion, then leaned closer to the burly man and whispered, "What's going on? Why is everyone suddenly..."

"Fool!" the burly man also lowered his voice: "See the corrosion marks on his armor? It's not just the leather armor, even the metal parts are corroded like that... This is a ruthless character who crawled out of the deep zone!"

The young man took a deep breath and immediately fell silent.

The swordsman walked heavily to the counter and slapped two silver coins onto the wooden board: "A room, and some food."

The shopkeeper stared at the two silver coins, opened his mouth as if to say that the money wasn't enough to stay there, but after seeing the marks on the other person's body, he cautiously chose to remain silent.

This down-on-his-luck swordsman was none other than Fifteen, the personal disciple of the Sword Saint Elwin.

The reason it looks like this is because he also bought a fake Puji!

Little did he know the intricacies involved. In his haste to get on his way, he inquired briefly about the uses of the "Puji" and was astonished to learn that it was such a convenient thing.

I excitedly found someone to buy one right away, but who knew that even fake Puji can be real?!

The result was that he fell all the way to the bottom of the Scarecrow Abyss, and fought his way out entirely with the long sword in his hand!

Despite his mission, he was exhausted and definitely needed to rest.

After wolfing down her food, an exhausted Fifteen collapsed onto the bed in the guest room and fell into a deep sleep almost instantly.

At dawn the next day, before the first rays of sunlight had pierced through the fog, he was already fully prepared and ready to go.

Going against the flow of people heading to the Dwarf Mountain, his destination was the Elf Forest!

As early as when Sword Saint Elwin was ambushed and seriously injured, and the army retreated to Three Mountain City, before the demons had completed their encirclement, Fifteen was ordered to break out.

On this journey, he carried a crucial mission: to obtain an elven artifact for his master!

On the outskirts of the Elf Forest, Fifteen did not make any attempt to conceal himself and was quickly discovered by the forest rangers.

Two feathered arrows were embedded in the soil in front of his feet, a warning commonly used by elves.

However, instead of retreating, Fifteen took a step forward and tried to explain his purpose.

This action enraged the forest ranger hiding in the woods, who ignored Fifteen's explanation and decided to teach him a lesson—every guy who tries to trespass into the forest and is discovered has a similar explanation!

Fifteen had no choice but to draw his sword, and within a few breaths, the entire patrol team was subdued by him.

He deliberately controlled his strength, only temporarily incapacitating them, but the sounds of fighting had already alerted more forest rangers.

Just as things were about to take a turn for the worse, a familiar figure emerged from the depths of the woods.

Eko, the former Elf King's guard captain who had been transferred to the position of commander of the Forest Guard, raised his hand to stop his subordinate from firing an arrow after seeing Fifteen's face clearly.

He had a duel with the Sword Saint before, so he naturally recognized Fifteen, the Sword Saint's disciple.

Although he had some reservations about the sword saint who was full of sharp tongues, Echo had no intention of making things difficult for the younger generation.

Upon hearing that Fifteen had important business to discuss with the Elven Royal Court, Eko decided to personally escort him to the capital. With him, the commander of the forest rangers, accompanying him, Eko was not afraid that Fifteen might have any other intentions.

Along the way, Fifteen's gaze kept drifting to the top of Eco's head, where a little creature sat on Eco's head, bouncing up and down with Eco's steps.

Fifteen really wanted to ask, but felt that since they were just acquaintances, it was inconvenient to ask. She struggled to hold it in the whole way.

As Fifteen stepped onto the winding tree-lined path of Isildorin, he was even more surprised to find that the elven capital was filled with the figures of Puji, completely different from when he last came here.

Looking at Puji, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, Fifteen felt a strange feeling that she couldn't quite put her finger on, but she didn't have time to think about it.

In the deepest hall of the palace, he finally met Galadriel Twisted Song, who was temporarily acting as the king. Galadriel sat on a throne woven from moonlight vines, exuding a cool and aloof aura.

Fifteen knelt on one knee and solemnly stated her purpose: "Honorable Lady Muge, I have come on the orders of my master, Elvien, to humbly request permission to borrow Longyue!"

Upon hearing this, all the elves present turned their gazes in the same direction: the sword leaning against the throne in the moonlight.

(End of this chapter)