Chapter 143 Discovering the Underground Palace
[Onomesis, what's going on now? Have we...have we reached the lair of the Fire Dragon Lizard?]
Shu Li was shocked.
Hundreds of fire dragon lizards gathered nearby, each as large as a bus, even the smallest barely larger than a sedan. Their immense size didn't hinder them at all, their four pillar-like legs scraping the ground as they charged forward like a locomotive, their tails sweeping the ground and sending clouds of dust soaring into the air.
What scares Shu Li the most is that they can dig holes in the ground.
The two front claws dig the soil very quickly, and can dig a hole that can accommodate them in a few seconds.
This is a desert, the soil is loose, and it is not very convenient to drill holes.
Shu Li was a little worried about whether it was safe for the mother tree's roots to emerge here.
"Yes, this is where the Fire Dragon Lizards gather," the mother tree replied.
Shu Li continued to release his external perception and accidentally "saw" two fire dragon lizards superimposed on each other, performing indescribable behaviors. He was stunned and immediately withdrew his perception.
Don’t look at anything indecent! Don’t look at anything indecent! Don’t look at anything indecent!
[Why did you find this place so quickly?]
Only one day and one night had passed, and the adventure team had actually found the gathering place of the Fire Dragon Lizards. How amazing!
"It was the dark elf named Morrissey who suggested going back to find the fire dragon lizard that attacked them, then trailing it far behind and following it all the way to this lake."
Shu Li smacked his lips.
The dark elves' minds are indeed not simple.
A normal person attacked by a demon beast would likely develop a certain level of fear, and wouldn't even have time to hide from the beast. Yet, he dared to risk his life and follow that Rank 8 Fire Dragon Lizard.
Adventurers are really a bunch of gamblers.
However, Shu Li was very grateful to these adventurers because they saved him a lot of time and energy.
Where are they hiding now?
'The Gobi Desert, 300 meters from the lake.'
Shu Li said "Oh".
They hid quite far away. I guess we should wait until Fire Day is over and all the fire dragons and lizards have left before we can investigate?
But Shu Li didn't have their worries. With the help of the mother tree card plug-in, it was easy and convenient.
[Oenomisis, have your roots discovered a palace underground?]
he asked excitedly.
Since the dark elves speculated that the gathering place of the fire dragon lizards was the ruins of the Temple of Eddas, the mother tree could use its roots to search underground.
There is only a lake nearby, and it is hard to tell that there once was a towering temple.
In contrast to Shu Li's excitement, the mother tree's tone was full of regret.
"My roots can only reach a depth of more than two hundred meters underground. So far, no trace of any temple has been found."
[Huh? Then... this isn't the place anymore?] Shu Li was so happy for nothing, she was deeply disappointed.
"Even though I haven't found the temple, it doesn't mean this isn't the remains of the Temple of Eddas." The mother tree soothed gently.
[What did you say?] Shu Li felt that the mother tree's words were full of meaning, so he perked up.
"I found a slate brick at the bottom of the lake, more than 200 meters away."
[Slate tiles?]
"Slate bricks are only used to build palaces, so I guess the Temple of Eddas is at the bottom of the lake."
"The lake bottom?" Shu Li was surprised. "Really? I have a magic water-repellent bead that allows me to swim to the lake bottom!"
"No, I mean the bottom of the lake. I mean the bottom of the lake itself."
Shu Li was stunned. [Under the lake? Are the water-repellent magic beads useless?]
"Yes, it might even be hundreds of meters underground," said the mother tree.
Shu Li was stunned.
No wonder countless adventurers have been unable to find the Temple of Eddas for thousands of years. It turns out that it sank hundreds of meters underground, with a lake above it as a cover.
[Is there a way for us to get down?] Shu Li could only place his hope on the mother tree's powerful roots.
"Sperion, are you sure you want to go underground alone to search for the Temple of Eddas?" the Mother Tree asked solemnly.
[Sure!] Shu Li answered firmly.
Now that we are here, how can we give up so easily?
This is the only way to find the Fire Spirit, and he must not miss it.
"If there's any danger, I'm afraid I can't save you," the mother tree said worriedly.
The Ergoga Desert is 18,000 miles away from the Elf Kingdom, and even the Elf King cannot reach it.
Shu Li clenched his fists involuntarily and was silent for a moment. He said stubbornly: [I want to go!]
Victory is right in front of us, how can we be afraid?
My father often said that when it comes to achieving great things, half is God’s will and half is human effort.
Since he had successfully found this place, it meant that God had given him an opportunity. If he didn't seize it, he would have missed it.
There are certainly dangers, but if you are afraid and stand still, you will never go further.
[Onomishis, please tell me how to proceed!] Shu Li urged.
"...Okay," the mother tree said, "If you cast a wood growth spell on me, my roots will be able to grow infinitely deep into the ground."
Shu Li's eyes sparkled, and he quickly took out a high-level magic wand from his storage ring.
[Isn’t this simple?]
He immediately cast a silent wood magic spell on the roots of the mother tree, and the wood elements in the air surged and gathered on the roots of the mother tree exposed on the surface.
The high-level Fire Dragon Lizard noticed something was wrong and patrolled the territory vigilantly, but did not find any foreign invaders. A hint of confusion appeared in its sharp eyes.
Underground, the roots of the mother tree received pure wood elements and grew wildly, extending all the way to the lake, and then exploring rapidly downwards.
Shu Li continuously casts growth magic to provide the mother tree with a constant supply of energy.
In the Gobi Desert, 500 meters away from the lake, the adventurers huddled in a dry cave to avoid the scorching sun.
The white magician sat cross-legged and meditated, absorbing the fire element in the air and drawing it into his body to condense it into magic power.
The goblin and the dwarf sat facing each other playing cards.
Five years ago, a unique kind of playing cards suddenly became popular in Daoto City of the Dalia Empire and was loved by the nobles and the rich.
There are many ways to play cards, which can be used for endless fun and gambling.
As a result, more and more people became addicted to playing cards. In just one year, it became popular throughout the continent. All casinos opened card games and gamblers flocked to it.
Goblins and dwarves like to go to Daoto City to buy ore and are the first to learn how to play cards.
Nowadays, playing cards has become their favorite. When they are bored, playing cards is the best way to pass the time.
The orcs hunted three gerbils and were holding a boning knife, skillfully skinning and gutting them in preparation for today's lunch.
The dark elf was fully armed, with only a pair of blood-red eyes showing. He stood quietly at the entrance of the cave, releasing his perception to explore the lake three hundred meters away.
Suddenly, his muscles tensed, his eyes looked straight ahead sharply, and he exuded a wary air.
The adventurers in the cave noticed his abnormality and turned around at the same time.
The White Mage stopped meditating, frowned, and asked, "Is there something wrong?"
The dark elf withdrew his perception and said with a hint of doubt: "Something is wrong over there in the lake. The wood element is surging."
The elements will only surge when the magician casts magic.
He used his perception to search carefully and found only fire dragon lizards near the lake, and no other creatures or humans.
Strange, what is going on?
Shu Li, who caused the dark elves to be suspicious, cast silent magic without stopping, and the roots of the mother tree had grown to three hundred meters below the ground of the lake.
At the beginning, the soil is loose and the growth rate is very fast. It becomes more difficult as you go down and gradually comes into contact with the rock layer.
The underground structure of the desert is very complex. In addition to rock layers, there are also rich minerals and large amounts of fresh water.
The mother tree's roots must overcome various difficulties if they want to penetrate deep into the ground.
Four hundred meters, five hundred meters, six hundred meters... When it reached eight hundred meters, even if Shu Li cast more growth spells, it would be difficult to break through.
[Onomichis…did you find her?] Shu Li’s face was covered in sweat.
Casting advanced growth techniques on the mother tree for more than an hour consumed a lot of physical strength and energy.
"It's blocked by a solid rock," the mother tree replied.
Shu Li wiped the sweat from his face. [It's this deep, and we still haven't found the temple... Did I make a mistake?]
"Don't worry, I'll try another way."
The mother tree took its time and changed the direction of its root growth, trying to bypass the rock that was blocking the way.
However, after walking around for a full hundred meters, they still hadn't gotten around the huge rock.
Shu Li put down his magic wand and asked hesitantly: "Is it possible...that it's not a rock?"
It's a stone wall.
A wall surrounding the Temple of Eddas.
Upon hearing this, the mother tree spread out its roots like a spider web, conducting a full-scale exploration of the "rock". Ten minutes later, she gave Shu Li feedback.
'You guessed right, it is indeed a stone wall.'
Shu Li was overjoyed. [We found the Temple of Eddas!]
"Yes, Sperian, you are very lucky." The roots of the mother tree climbed densely on the stone wall and quickly found a gap to enter the palace.
Shu Li danced with joy, and if he hadn't been concerned about the fire dragon lizard near the tree roots, he would have wanted to shout loudly.
[Onomishis! Quick! Take me there!]
He can't wait.
"Sperien, calm down and listen to me first—" the mother tree confirmed with him again, "The air underground is thin, it's dark and there may be terrible creatures hidden. It's full of dangers. Do you really want to go in alone?"
Shu Li nodded without hesitation. [Yes.]
He is now a high-level magician, able to deal with magical beasts below level six. In addition, his swordsmanship has reached the level of a swordsman.
Even though he was beaten to a pulp by Ilio during the day, he was actually more than qualified to be a bodyguard for the nobles in the human world.
Seeing his firm attitude, the mother tree stopped trying to dissuade him.
"Then... please prepare yourself..."
In an instant, Shu Li felt like he was teleported to another place.
When he regained consciousness, he was surprised to find himself in a huge stone palace.
Just as the mother tree said, the air here is thin, dark, eerie and silent.
Shu Li swallowed.
To be honest, it is indeed terrifying, but... How can you get a tiger cub without learning the tiger's blood?
He had to overcome his fear and take a step forward.
Taking a deep breath, Shu Li crawled out of the roots of the mother tree and immediately smelled a damp and moldy smell.
He quickly covered his mouth and nose to prevent the mold from being inhaled into his body, and at the same time waved the magic wand in his hand, emitting muffled spells.
The air underground is thin and the wind element is scarce. He can only mobilize the magic power stored in his body and release wind magic to form a protective shield around his body, clearing the air, removing impurities, and leaving oxygen.
After the protective shield was formed, he lowered his hands from covering his mouth and nose and breathed freely.
[Oenomisis, I'm going in.] He took out the magic lantern, and a little light came on in the dark underground palace.
"Sperian...stay safe."
I will.
Shu Li held his head high and chest puffed out, his eyes firm.
The brave man is fearless, he believes that he can find the fire spirit.
He is now in a tiny state, carrying a cylindrical magic lamp, flying in the huge underground palace like a firefly.
Even if you encounter a powerful monster, you won't care about a tiny firefly.
Shu Li remained alert at all times, flapping his wings and flying forward continuously, casting wind magic every once in a while to replace the oxygen in the protective shield.
As he went deeper, he saw towering stone pillars, lifelike sculptures, murals with still bright colors, majestic stone gates... Everywhere there was a gorgeous and mysterious atmosphere, and thousands of years had left no trace of time on it.
How wonderful!
The more Shu Li read it, the more unbelievable it seemed to him.
When he passed through a stone door, he was surprised to find light ahead and the air became thicker.
Shu Li did not remove the air protection shield.
Don't let your guard down just because there's enough oxygen.
He flew forward cautiously and saw that the light was emanating from the crystals embedded in the pillars.
Shu Li was familiar with this crystal stone. It was produced from the bottom of the sea and would automatically glow. It was the favorite ornament of the mermaids and was called Sea Moon Stone.
Ten years ago, the Mermaid King gave him a bunch of thank you gifts, including several precious sea moon stones.
Shu Li gave the Sea Moon Stone to the Elf King to decorate the Crystal Castle.
Each of the stone pillars in front of you is inlaid with four ping-pong ball-shaped sea moon stones, illuminating the entire corridor.
Shu Li was amazed.
As expected of a temple dedicated to the God of Fire, it exudes extravagance everywhere. If adventurers come here, they will probably be so happy that they will frantically dig up the sea moon stones from the stone pillars!
The light from the sea moon stone made things convenient for Shu Li. He turned off the magic tube lamp to save energy, and flapped his wings continuously, making his journey smooth.
There is no one here, let alone monsters, there is not even a bug.
Shu Li flew to the end of the corridor with a lot of doubts in his mind, and then was blocked by a wall.
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