Chapter 347 Mine
Azra's speed was immense, perhaps even pushing the limits of human endurance. The professor felt a little dizzy looking down from the sky. After a moment's gaze, he retreated, leaning back against someone's chest to rest. Only as they neared Osiris City did they gradually slow down at the dragon rider's command, like a giant white night owl, silently cutting through the cold air currents of the sky.
The Rime Valley Corridor snaked through the mountains like a narrow scar, its charred remains of battle visible in some areas. The majestic city of Osiris, like a behemoth entrenched among the mountains, its towering gray walls gloomily swallowing up the sunlight. Even faint wisps of smoke could be seen rising from the army's encampment.
They flew over the giant beast poised for attack from the sky without alarming anything, and the terrain below gradually softened. Soon, the iconic towering spire of Crescent Castle appeared faintly on the skyline.
"Azuka, left front." The professor's voice had regained its usual calm and rationality, and he was completely focused on his work. "I saw traces of what looks like a mine."
The dragon gradually descended. A section of the old road near the Rime Valley Corridor was indeed covered in a mass of rocks and broken logs, resembling a small landslide, the very traces of the legendary mudslide. But from an aerial perspective, one could see that if one continued deeper, one would see a series of tunnels carved into the mountainside, winding deep into the dark mountainside. The mountains on either side of the mine, however, were densely covered with lush vegetation, hardly resembling the effects of a large-scale natural disaster.
The dragon landed lightly on the gentle slope at the mine entrance, barely stirring up any draft. Without waiting for the dragon rider to help, the professor eagerly leaped down the dragon's back. The ground at the mine entrance was thick with humus, softer than he'd expected. Before he could even find his balance, the dragon reached over and grabbed the back of his cloak.
The professor, who was dragged by the dragon and staggered, said: "!"
"Ezra, let go." The savior landed steadily beside him, first rescued the man from the dragon's mouth, and then touched the big head that came over and sniffed the scent on their bodies.
"Be good and go play nearby. I'll call you again soon." He whispered in Natalin, "Don't let anyone else find us. We're fine."
Due to the height difference, the dragon rider's cloak had almost reached the professor's ankles. He simply took off the cloak that was in the way and stuffed the dragon's saliva-stained cloak into the other man's arms. Then he carefully studied the dragon's face. "What's wrong with it? Has it sensed danger?"
The dragon snorted at him, turned its head, and used its chin to ruffle the hair on the dragon rider's head.
"Perhaps," Azuka said calmly as he pushed the dragon's heavy head away. "I guess it was to stop you from running around."
professor:"……"
Great, he was actually being guarded by a dragon.
All the entrances to the Crescent Mine were blocked by thick iron fences, which were rusted and covered with dead vines. They looked like they were quite old.
"A lot of people have come here recently, and in groups. They are not ordinary hunters or mercenaries. I guess they are the army." The professor was observing the abnormality in front of the cave entrance. Unfortunately, it rained several times recently, washing away a lot of traces. The fallen leaves were rotten by the rain, and the smell was not pleasant.
Azuka stood before the pitch-black entrance to the mine, eyes slightly closed. A subtle, unnatural current of air slowly rose from his side, drawn and gathered by some powerful force. Like a pack of invisible hounds, it circled around the two of them several times before silently and swiftly leaping over the iron bars and dashing into the eerie, deep, and terrifying mine.
After a moment, he opened his eyes. The professor, who had been paying close attention to the situation here, asked impatiently, "How is it? What did Feng say?"
He always felt that the so-called "wind tells me" was very similar to radar, or the echolocation of bats.
"It's bigger and deeper than I imagined." Azuka frowned slightly. "And there are more living things moving deeper in. I guess they're humans. But there's a huge energy field deep in the mine, so I can't tell."
This statement sounded very familiar, and Nova's brows slowly knitted together: "Are you saying that there is coal concentrate here?"
Jet is the only natural mineral that can replace the warlock's driving magic circle. Its origin is unknown, and some high-level warlocks who are very sensitive to spell fluctuations can vaguely sense its existence.
Azuka nodded slightly, "That's right."
For some reason, coal concentrate was accidentally discovered deep in the mines that were originally thought to be abandoned. This is enough to explain why the city of Osiris asked the transport caravan to take a detour - whether it was an attempt to embezzle it or an attempt to block the eyes of those who coveted the precious minerals.
"Send a message to Greven. They should arrive at the Crescent Mine tonight," the professor said decisively. "Tell him there's something unusual going on in the Crescent Mine. There will definitely be someone stationed there or patrolling there for a long time. Be extremely cautious when marching. If you're unlucky enough to encounter them, evacuate immediately to avoid conflict."
Azuka agreed, and then saw his old enemy standing at the entrance of the cave, hesitating for a moment, as if he had made some difficult decision.
"Let's go," the black-haired young man turned around and said expressionlessly, "Let's leave here and go to the Crescent Castle granary."
The Savior raised his eyebrows in surprise and asked with a hint of relief, "You don't plan to explore the mine?"
Getting this person to stand before a puzzle and choose not to delve deeper is harder than getting a cat to stop scratching and biting a ball of yarn with exposed yarn.
"Just for now. After all, you wouldn't agree to let me go in alone." Those smoky gray eyes quickly glanced at him. "If the coal concentrate is really radioactive as I think, you've been to so many mines and are now a high-risk group. It's not suitable for you to go in again. Wait until we find the right protection."
Azuka's eyes softened instantly, and he couldn't help but chuckle, "Sir, are you feeling sorry for me?"
At this moment, something strange happened.
The Savior's gentle expression suddenly turned serious. He grabbed the wrist of the black-haired young man beside him and pulled him behind him. The professor was still a little dazed, but soon he also heard a strange noise coming from deep in the mine.
There was a continuous sound of running, from more than one person, accompanied by intermittent, hoarse, and shrill cries for help. Although the voice was tinged with tears and distorted by fear and despair, it was not difficult to hear the childishness in it. It was from a child: "Help! Don't come over here! Mommy, wua ...
The source of the sound was not far from the cave entrance, just behind the iron fence, deep in a fork in the road. A small figure, ragged, skinny, and covered in mud and coal dust, was crawling and running desperately in the dark, deep, and rugged mine tunnel.
The boy looked no more than seven or eight years old, tears streaming down his terrified face, and every gasp was like a broken bellows. Turning the corner, the suddenly brightening light at the end of the mine shone upon his young face, but that sudden surge of hope quickly gave way to deeper despair: the entrance to the outside world was blocked by an iron fence as thick as an arm.
He turned around abruptly, trying to find another way to escape, but it was too late. Behind him came a deliberately suppressed and extremely vulgar shouting.
"Run! Why don't you run anymore?!" Two men with weapons and clothes that made it impossible to tell who they belonged to appeared from the end of the bend and blocked the people in front of the iron fence.
"Don't come over here - Mom! Mom!" The child screamed for help in despair to his non-existent mother. He instinctively tried to retreat, but was tripped by a protruding stone and fell heavily to the ground. His palm was instantly cut by the sharp gravel, and blood mixed with coal ash flowed down, leaving a small bloodstain on the ground.
The boy had no choice but to lean against the iron fence and huddle in the corner, shivering.
"Damn, this little bastard can really run! He's exhausted me!" One of them spat on the ground and said, "Wait and see how I'm going to deal with you!"
"Okay, don't kill him." The other man gasped and reached out to grab the curled up child. "The higher-ups said they wanted him alive, so don't—Ah! This brat actually bit me!"
He pulled his hand back abruptly, looked at the teeth marks on his hand that were slowly bleeding, and then, in a rage, he kicked the boy in the stomach. The child, in horror, held his head tightly, curled up into a small ball, and prepared to endure the severe pain from his abdomen.
The severe pain did not come.
The child waited and waited, but found that the fierce shouting and cursing in his ears had disappeared. He finally opened his eyes carefully, but the two men who were chasing him were stunned in place, their eyes confused and their expressions dull, as if time had suddenly stopped.
A golden figure bathed in sunlight stepped past him, the swaying hem of his clothes creating a striking boundary between light and dark.
The thick iron railings seemed non-existent to the man. The hard metal bent and deformed in front of him like a melted candle, and collapsed to both sides, forming an entrance large enough for one person to pass through.
The other party didn't even glance at the two men who were like nightmares to the child. Instead, he said calmly to the outside of the cave: "Sir, there is no one else at the moment."
Immediately afterwards, another tall and thin black-haired young man walked in from the forcibly torn hole. His cold and sharp eyes swept over the two men who were deeply trapped in the confusion spell, and then fixed on the child who was curled up in the corner and trembling all over.
When those icy, smoky grey eyes, as clear as glass, looked at him, the boy couldn't help but shudder violently. He subconsciously shrank even further, wishing he could crawl into the crack of the rock behind him.
However, to his surprise, the black-haired young man who looked very indifferent and serious squatted down in front of him and tried to keep his eyes level with him.
"It's okay, you're safe now." The professor tried his best to keep his voice calm and gentle. He was really not good at comforting children, especially one who had just escaped death and was deeply terrified. This made his expression and voice seem rather stiff and strange. "Can you tell me why they were chasing you?"
But the child was trembling, looking at him in extreme fear, not saying a word, just crying, and looked frightened.
The professor was silent for a moment, then tugged at the hem of the savior's coat. "Come here," he said, looking up at the guy's chin and silently mouthing the words.
Azuka looked at him helplessly, and he also squatted down in front of the child. His gentle and handsome face was illuminated by the sunlight outside the cave, which made him seem to be glowing in the boy's eyes.
"Don't be afraid, we're not bad people." Someone, already experienced in coaxing children from the tribe, smiled and extended a hand. "The bad guys have been pinned down. They can't hurt you anymore. Now, can I help you up?"
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