The Era of Gods

Chapter 564: 564

Chapter 564: 564

The fourth layer of the Dark Territory belonged to various powerful Warcraft. Actually, the third layer was also home to a large number of Warcraft. The Zorel Elves had been engaged in a fierce battle with these powerful creatures for survival for thousands of years on the third layer. Even though they were currently the supreme rulers of the third layer of the Dark Territory, protected by The Lord of Darkness, beyond the traditional territories of the Zorel Elves, it was still a world dominated by the Warcraft.

The Warcraft of the fourth layer were even more terrifying than those of the third, and not even the Zorel Elves dared to venture there.

It was said that the fourth layer was the habitat of the frightful Heart-devouring Demons, adept at controlling the minds of living beings. These Heart-devouring Demons had established a Kingdom of Heart-devouring Demons on the fourth layer, enslaving various creatures.

The fifth layer of the Dark Territory was rumored to be the God Country of The Lord of Darkness. It was said that because this Lord of Darkness made too many enemies, his God Country was not in the Starworld but on the fifth layer of the Underground World. However, the fifth layer of the Dark Territory was so dangerous that even legendary adventurers who entered faced a slim chance of returning alive; nobody knew if it was true.

As for the sixth layer of the Dark Territory, it was said to be teeming with numerous Divine Aberrations that were banished, along with terrible evil creatures. The degree of danger there was such that not even a True God would dare to descend.

Regarding the seventh layer of the Dark Territory, it was unknown to everyone because so far, no one had dared to venture there. Nobody knew what truly lay within, not even the members of the Greedy Wolf Combat Team, who were True Gods themselves and had explored the Dark Territory, had only reached the sixth layer and had not entered the seventh.

The passages connecting different places in the Dark Territory and the Rotating Stone Staircase constantly changed with the terrain, and soon after they entered the underground passage, they found their way blocked by fallen rocks.

A few escorts from the caravan stepped forward with torches to inspect. They could still see the unblocked side opposite them, and after a discussion, they decided to set up a temporary camp and send someone to dig through the passage.

Unlike above ground, where taking a detour would usually be the solution when encountering such situations, the Underground World was far too complex. Taking a detour could easily lead to getting lost, so unless absolutely necessary, they almost never took detours, and would certainly dig if it was possible.

The caravan set up camp, and smoke rose from cooking fires. A Halfling cook from the accompanying merchant group was roasting meat by the fireside, while mercenaries sat around in groups, drinking beer heartily and breaking into song. On a journey like this, one had to entertain oneself to maintain a good mood. Otherwise, one could easily become depressed on the road ahead and fall under the influence of some unknown power of the Underground World.

Ma Lin took a piece of roasted meat from the rack, placed it on a silver plate, and handed it to his nephew beside him, saying,

“Give this to Lord Enigma!”

Wearing Half-body Armor, Noel responded and took the plate to the front of Lin Xiao’s carriage, where he stopped and knocked gently on the door frame, saying,

“Lord Enigma, please taste the craftsmanship of the Halfling Master from our team.”

Lin Xiao drew back the carriage curtain, and seeing the roasted meat on the plate in front of him, he ‘snapped’ his fingers. Noel felt a lightness in his hand as the silver plate with the roasted meat took flight and landed inside the carriage. His eyes instantly filled with envy and awe.

Taking up the accompanying silver knife, he cut the roasted meat into small pieces and stuffed them into his mouth. The meat was roasted to perfection, not too charred, not too tender, and seasoned with just the right amount of salt, leaving a delectable taste without being greasy.

“Not bad!”

Lin Xiao gave an earnest compliment. In the Alien World, Halflings were renowned for being gourmets, and they truly lived up to their reputation.

As time wore into evening, the guards continued chiseling the rock. The clink and clang were quite loud, and even though the carriage was soundproof, it couldn’t completely keep out the noise. He added a noise-cancelling enchantment to the carriage and then went to sleep.

The Incarnation of God could actually go without eating, drinking, or sleeping, but that would be too conspicuous. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

It took the merchant group two days to drill through the passage to create a gap large enough for the caravan to pass. The massive caravan moved slowly through and continued their journey.

In the days that followed, Lin Xiao got a sense of how complex the terrain of the Dark Territory was, far more so than any underworld he had seen in other worlds. There were jagged stones everywhere, and the only sources of light in the dark Underground World were the glowing moss on the stone walls and the torches lit by the merchant group. Walking on the Rotating Stone Staircase was like a fire dragon winding its way up the stairs.

Lin Xiao snapped his fingers, and one by one, orbs of soft white light flew out and hovered to his left and right, illuminating the surroundings.

The surrounding mercenaries looked on with envy. This was not only convenient, but in the dangerous Dark Territory, a Senior Magician’s chances of survival were far superior to theirs.

After nearly a week of traveling through this complex environment, the angle of the Rotating Stone Staircase began to ease. This meant that the first layer of the Dark Territory was nearing.

The Flame Flower Merchant Group carried a large amount of table salt and beer, as well as various other goods not found in the Underground World, which could be traded for a large quantity of minerals and gemstones, or the unique exotic beasts and animal hides of the Underground World from any race on the first layer.

Based on the total amount of goods the Flame Flower Merchant Group carried, this trip was bound to make at least several hundred thousand Gold Coins.

After crossing between the surface and the underground, the terrain of the first layer of the continent was relatively stable, although the ground was still rugged, it was comparatively smoother.

Ma Lin led the merchant group around a certain area for a while, found a large stone pillar, and discovered the marks they had left on their last trip. Using this mark as a center point, they determined the direction to go, and the merchant group headed towards a Gray Dwarf Castle.

The Flame Flower Merchant Group preferred doing business with the Gray Dwarves, who were close relatives to Dwarves and possessed equally proficient forging skills. The merchant group traded much-needed salt and the Gray Dwarves’ favorite beer for their exquisite weapons and equipment, which could be sold at a high price on the surface.

Lin Xiao prepared to follow the merchant group to the Gray Dwarf Castle, where he would stay for a few days to gather some information about the Underground World, before deciding where to go next.

Although he already had a suitable destination in mind, it wouldn’t hurt to learn more beforehand.

They hadn’t encountered any monster attacks or terrible Zoel raider squads along the way. The mercenaries and guards, who had remained highly vigilant, began to relax, some even cracking jokes.

However, as the caravan was passing through a narrow underground valley, a huge shadow suddenly dropped from the top of a pillar into the midst of the caravan. A scream rang out, followed by the shadow swiftly leaping back up before other mercenaries could react, quickly climbing another pillar and swiftly maneuvering behind it onto a high platform.

By then, the guards who reacted began shooting arrows or bolts, while some threw javelins and torches. But that shadow was extremely agile, leaping back and forth between the pillars. Munching and screaming could be heard intermittently – the caught mercenary was not yet dead.

Lin Xiao frowned slightly. As an Incarnation of God, he naturally possessed Dark Vision and could clearly see that the agile shadow was a Dreadclaw Beast, around three meters tall with sharp and deadly claws. It was one of the most common predators in the first to third layers of the Underground World.

This type of monster would eat anything, from ordinary wild beasts to Zorel Elves; it was both extremely ferocious and cunning.

The mercenaries were completely powerless against this nimble beast, and the clamor grew louder as Lin Xiao faintly heard crawling sounds from afar, indicating that more Dreadclaw Beasts were approaching.

Shaking his head, he pointed a finger, and a ball of white light flew into the air, exploding fiercely. In an instant, it was as bright as hundreds of watts of lightbulbs, and a sudden bright flash illuminated everything around them. The mercenaries below, dazzled by the light, scrambled in disarray, while several Dreadclaw Beasts on the pillars fell straight down.

“Crack!”

A thick chain of lightning blasted forth, turning several Dreadclaw Beasts in mid-air into flaming fireballs, which landed as charred carcasses.

The mercenaries, now recovering from their initial shock, stared in astonishment, then turned their gaze back filled with reverence.

Even tenth-level warriors found these Dreadclaw Beasts challenging to deal with. In such a dark environment, it would probably cost the lives of over ten people to kill these few beasts, but for Lin Xiao, it was simply a matter of snapping his fingers. The mercenaries’ looks shifted from envy to sheer reverence.

Two days later, the caravan crossed the long underground canyon and arrived on a plain, where they could see a massive stone castle in the center of the plain.

Halfway there, they spotted a Gray Dwarf patrol riding low Underground Lizards, which moved smoothly over the rough terrain, reaching them quickly.

The leader of the merchant group, Ma Lin, was well-acquainted with the Gray Dwarves. He went forward to chat familiarly for a while before handing over a hefty bag, and then they were smoothly let through.

Soon, they arrived at the great doors of Stonehammer Castle. The brass doors were studded with large bronze nails, and the entrance was a vast trading square with four radial streets. Both sides of the streets were filled with short stone houses, and along the streets, they frequently saw weapon shops with hammer signs swaying, with various races coming and going.

On the streets, they also occasionally encountered various Beastmen, Humans, Halflings, Gray Dwarves, Minotaurs, Goblins, and others.

These Human and Beastman were mostly explorers from the surface, adventurers, or criminals unable to make it above ground. Here, no one cared about their pasts so long as they didn’t cause trouble and would be allowed into the city.

After paying an entrance fee of ten Gold Coins, the merchant group entered the castle successfully. Ma Lin spent twenty Gold Coins to rent a space in the trading square as a stall fee, unloaded their goods, and arranged them with the guards before starting to shout:

“The finest salt and the best wheat beer from the surface!”

While shouting, he uncorked a barrel of wheat beer and scattered a scoop on the ground. Immediately, the aroma of the wheat beer attracted the surrounding Gray Dwarves, along with some Beastmen and other races.

Although the Gray Dwarves here were more deceitful and cunning than their surface counterparts, they had the same weakness: an irresistible attraction to wheat beer.

Wheat, essential for making wheat beer, could not be grown in the Dark Territory, a fact Ma Lin knew well. As such, the most abundant commodity the caravan brought this time was wheat beer.

Soon, offers rang out in the square:

“I’ll trade ten suits of Steel Half-body Armor for two barrels of wheat beer!”

“I offer twenty Fine-crafted Longbows for a barrel of wheat beer!”

“I’ll trade fifty sets of Exquisite Plate Armor for ten barrels of wheat beer!”

As the wheat beer dwindled, the Gray Dwarves who hadn’t secured any were nearly green with envy, as bids rose ever higher. Lin Xiao watched, his eyes wide with surprise, and he too was very tempted.