Chapter 168 NO FLAG!
Five minutes after Miyuki nimbly leaped down the shaft alone, I shook my head, which was slightly stiff from tilting my head for so long, and finally heard several echoes coming from the depths of the shaft.
According to the signal we agreed upon before the heavy snow fell, this should have been the resounding clang of her sword striking her blade, signaling her safe landing.
The reason for the response might be that the shaft in front of us is not perfectly straight.
I had an epiphany, and I quickly shared Shen Xue's safe landing with the people who were patiently waiting nearby, along with my own speculation.
"That's great, I was worried something might have gone wrong."
Hikari, who had been squatting to the side, anxiously rubbing her hands together, repeatedly standing up, pacing back and forth, and then squatting down again, finally let out a long sigh of relief.
"You don't need to worry so much."
I reached out and gently patted her ankle: "Shinyuki is currently the strongest among us in terms of martial arts, and she is also a martial artist who specializes in honing her own abilities and skills. Even if she encounters any unexpected events, she has the ability to fight back from a desperate situation, and it is not easy for her to make any major mistakes."
“But that’s an unknown place after all…” Hikari tried to explain in a low voice.
I interrupted her worries by speaking directly: "Before she went down, didn't I have you throw some things down? Although it wasn't for the main purpose, it could be used for environmental testing. The humidity here is indeed a bit high, but at least the toxic and potentially harmful gases have been confirmed to be absent. Although there is still some residual magic in the cave, it's just from the normal circulation of magical atmosphere."
"but……"
"Since this doesn't reassure you either, how about we consider it from another angle?"
I paused for a moment: "The cave hidden in the mountains that Shenxue discovered before was most likely just an accident, but judging from the map alone, this place almost overlaps with the legendary hiding place of the team. Those archmages who went into the mountains to carry out the great cleanup before obviously wouldn't have overlooked exploring this place, right?"
Hikari tilted her head and thought for a moment, then nodded slightly: "That makes sense."
"Then at least show some respect for the work of those great people."
I gently patted the little idiot who was deep in thought twice more, then turned my head to look at him.
Hearing the noise from below, Aian had already gathered up the books she was reading by the light, and lightly jumped down from the rock where she was sitting, standing quietly to the side. Meanwhile, Annie, the main discoverer of this cave in the team, stepped into the area where the firelight could not reach, with her hands behind her back, tilting her head back and looking at something.
Curious, I jogged over and quietly climbed onto a slightly higher and thicker stone curtain. From a distance, I called out, "Hey, Annie, what are you doing? We should go!"
"Hmm? Is it all done?"
Annie, who had turned around in a daze, seemed to have tripped over something. After struggling to regain her balance, she looked down and stared at it for a while before picking it up and making her way towards it from the left and right.
No one knows how she managed to find that place in the darkness. There was hardly a smooth path. On her way back, several times she had to step on a small, slightly recessed area among a circle of stone pillars, tiptoeing and sliding through it as if dancing.
What did you find?
I flicked my ear, put a little force on my back foot, and as Annie passed by, I jumped onto her shoulder and peered down by the firelight I had summoned.
“What else could it be but a stalactite that fell to the ground?” After saying that, Annie glanced at me warily. “Let me make this clear beforehand, I didn’t break it off. You saw it just now, I tripped over this thing. And it was already lying there like this before that.”
"...Do you think I'm blaming you?"
"Who knows!"
I am naturally aware of this.
Judging solely from the appearance of this stalagmite, which is as thick as a stick and as long as a forearm, it is clear that it naturally detached from the cave ceiling and fell to the ground. Tiny cracks have almost destroyed its root joint, and the cross-section presents an uneven, wheel-shaped bevel. If it had been forcibly broken off by hand, perhaps so many cracks would not remain on the surface, and the cross-section would be somewhat smoother.
"Hey, don't you two feel cold? Wow!"
Seeing Annie approach, Hikkali finally snapped out of her reverie, her eyes widening in surprise as she tried to stand up from her crouching position.
But perhaps because she had been squatting for too long and stood up too suddenly, Hikari swayed and her legs went weak as she was about to sit on the ground.
Fortunately, Anne, who had already walked close, caught him quickly, preventing him from actually falling.
"Take it easy, take it slow, and keep breathing deeply."
All I could do was watch the situation unfold and offer some advice to help: "You stood up too suddenly, and the blood couldn't get to your legs, so your feet went numb from squatting for too long. Take it slow and let them recover. If it gets really bad, sit down nearby and drink some water."
The little fool obediently nodded and, with Annie's help, moved to a nearby empty seat.
After thanking the girl for her help, she caught her breath for a moment, a look of confusion flashing in her clear eyes, and continued with the question that had remained unanswered: "Annie, why did you take off your sweater? We're still up in the mountains, aren't you cold?"
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