Chapter 502.501. Ruins
Inside the three-meter-wide tunnel, the dwarf Torin, Glenn, and the lizardman Baroque sat side by side on the still-warm ground, each holding a ration made from delicious mushrooms.
Although dried mushrooms are not as delicious as steamed or boiled mushrooms, they still retain a pleasant and rich flavor.
The free meals provided were a welcome benefit that satisfied the group.
Behind them, the fat guy's massive body, which had been burrowing into the ground, remained stuck in the tunnel as always. Although it had stopped operating, it still emitted heat, dispelling the surrounding cold.
Several batteries popped their tentacles onto its big butt, replenishing its magic.
As the depth increases, the extreme cold severely slows down the spread of the fungal carpet, and the only way for the couch potato to maintain his activity level is by relying on these portable power sources.
In front of them was a small, newly dug hole.
Inside are several pillars that have been buried for countless years. The surfaces of these relics are covered with frost, and intricate carvings are faintly visible.
Recently, various excavation teams have successively discovered similar structures, but so far there have been no more substantial discoveries.
Glenn ran his rough fingers through his beard and put a mushroom crumb-covered mouthful into his mouth: "Torin, we've saved up enough contribution points. When are we going back to the Mountains?"
The task they are currently undertaking involves uncertain risks and relatively harsh conditions, thus requiring significantly more contribution points than usual, allowing them to accumulate enough points to redeem their freedom ahead of schedule.
Before Torin could answer, the lizardman Balrog came over first.
"Are you really leaving?" He naturally didn't want his two friends to leave him alone like this. "Isn't the mushroom burger nice? Although it's been a bit cold lately, there are heating pads everywhere, so you won't get cold, and there are so many delicious mushrooms..."
Baroque is very satisfied with his current life, which is much better than when he was in the tribe.
It's not just about food and lodging, but also about the spiritual differences.
Previously, in the lizardman tribes, or rather in almost all the northern tribes, the strong were respected.
In this respect, tribes and empires are almost the same.
Baroque, an unremarkable silver-rank lizardman, had virtually no status whatsoever.
It's common for a guy like him to be bossed around by his superiors. If he's unlucky enough to be disliked by someone, he might not be killed outright, but he'll be assigned difficult and dangerous tasks, and he can only endure it.
Unlike now!
You can choose your own tasks; there's almost no coercion or discrimination. In fact, if you have enough contribution points, you can even take a comfortable break for a while, as you please.
A few days ago, while queuing for food, he was standing behind a high-ranking warrior from a lizardman tribe.
Back when we were still in the tribe, other people's food was delivered directly to their tents. They didn't have to queue like us, and we didn't even dare to cut in line!
Of course, as long as you're willing to spend contribution points, you can still get Puji delivery service, but he definitely wouldn't want to waste contribution points like that.
Undeniably, those powerful senior warriors still lived better than him in the Fungus Castle.
But this gap doesn't come from privilege, but from their ability to earn more contribution points through their own efforts to spend.
Baroque thought this was fair.
Glenn understood Baroque's thoughts, and he also felt that his current life was pretty good.
“But it’s not safe here after all!” Grum said softly. “Fungus Fortress is indeed getting stronger and stronger, and it seems that other tribes in the vicinity have also merged in, but it’s a bit too conspicuous now! You don’t think the Empire will allow such a power to emerge in the North, do you? Who knows what will happen when war breaks out in the future…”
The lizardman wanted to retort, to say that Fungus Castle was not afraid of any enemy, but he swallowed his words back.
The power of the empire was deeply ingrained in the hearts of every northern tribesman, and he couldn't imagine how to deal with it when the empire turned its attention to them.
However, Baroque will remain in Fungus Castle. As a tribesman who has been absorbed into the tribe, he does not have a homeland to return to like the two dwarves.
All that's left of his home is the mushroom fort.
“I’m not going back,” Torin suddenly said.
"Why?" Grlum turned to look at him, his face full of confusion.
“Look!” Torin pointed to the pillar in front of him. “What is this? It’s a ruin! This must only be a small part of it. There must be an ancient and vast ruin underground! This is the adventure I’ve always wanted!”
Tolin's eyes gleamed with fanaticism: "I will not leave until I have figured out the full extent of this ruin! Glenn, if you go back to the Mountains, please send a message home for me, saying that I am still alive."
Glenn rolled his eyes in annoyance: "Go back by myself? Your family would skin me alive! To be honest, you're just daydreaming. What do a few broken stone pillars prove?"
After the fat guy finished replenishing his mana by burrowing underground, the three of them resumed their work amidst Glenn's grumbling.
Tolin and Baroque grabbed the short, thick legs of the burrowing machine from either side and pulled it outwards with force, and the machine started up again with a "buzz".
I waited a minute for it to warm up completely.
"One, two, push!"
However, the anticipated resistance only appeared for a moment.
The next moment, the rock beneath their feet suddenly collapsed, and they fell downwards along with the burrowing creature.
"A huge void?!" Torin's exclamation echoed within the void.
Baroque reacted the fastest, his long tail instantly wrapping around a protrusion on the edge of the rock wall, while his other hand grabbed Torin's collar.
However, the fragile rock face could not support the weight of the two people, and the lizardman was also pulled downwards.
Amid screams, the three fell one after another.
The first burrowing mushroom to land made a muffled thud, and half of its body shattered on the spot.
Tolin and the other two then landed on Puji's remaining half of his body. Puji's elastic buttocks cushioned the impact of the fall, bouncing them off one after another.
Despite grimacing from the fall, the two dwarfs, thanks to their sturdy builds, quickly got up, rubbing their backsides.
Only Baroque lay curled up on the ground, clutching his obviously unnaturally bent tail and whimpering in pain.
"Baroque, how are you?"
"It's just... its tail is broken..."
Upon hearing this, the two dwarves breathed a sigh of relief. However, given the mycelium's restorative properties, it would probably be fine in about half a day.
"Where am I?" Glenn took out a luminous stone from his pocket.
The not-so-bright light illuminated an incredible cluster of buildings.
They seemed to be on the streets of some huge underground city, surrounded by empty houses weathered by time.
In the distance, a massive group of stone pillars supports the entire hollow space, some of which have collapsed, leaving only half of the pillars remaining.
The most striking feature was the spiral building in the distance; from their position, they could only see its enormous shadow.
"As expected! It really is a large ruin!" Tolin trembled with excitement, completely forgetting that he had almost fallen to his death.
Glenn looked at the buildings on both sides, but was a little puzzled.
The eaves of these buildings are all very low, or rather, they are just right for someone his height.
"This is... a dwarven structure? In the underground of the North?"
Tap— Tap—
Before Glenn could figure it out, several hard footsteps sounded from the end of the street.
Glenn and Torrin held their breath, and even the lizardmen covered their mouths.
It's obvious without even thinking that what's coming is definitely not good stuff.
Tap— Tap—
A puppet, standing 2.5 meters tall and made entirely of ice, emerged from around the corner and set its sights on the group.
Cold Spirit!
"run!"
Two dwarves, one grabbing the lizardman's arm and the other his ankle, dragged him away as they turned and ran.
Baroque yelped as he bumped and slammed against the protruding stones and paving stones.
Behind them, Han Ling was chasing after them with a "thump thump".
(End of this chapter)
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