Chapter 126 - What Exactly Is Buried and Hidden in This Land (1/2)
“This is the entrance.”
After resting and reorganizing, Sir Byron who had recovered some strength had led Gawain and the group to the forest that was nearby the Goering Mill. They then looked for the tunnel entrance at the bulging slope. The entrance wasn’t large and was hidden between the rocks and tree roots at the bottom of the slope. Furthermore, the outside had been covered by an overgrowth of vines and dead leaves. If Sir Byron didn’t guide them, anyone that walked through this place would definitely overlook it.
When Byron left the tunnel back then, he destroyed a portion of the plants that were covering the entrance. Afterward, he did some work to cover the entrance again, but there were still traces that someone had entered and exited from here. Pittman squatted down in front of the entrance and observed the situation inside before giving a judgment. “This place isn’t supposed to be an entrance. It was probably an earthquake or some giantwood roots that opened up a crevice, connecting this cave to the underground tunnel.”
While talking, the old man chuckled and said without thinking, “It seems like the southern underground is truly buried with plenty of things.”
Gawain instantly felt that the old fellow was implying something and responded, “You have included me inside those things too!”
Pittman forced out a laugh before taking out a small magic crystal. He poured in a little magic to make the crystal emit a bright and constant radiance before throwing it into the cave. He then made a ‘you go first’ gesture to Gawain and said, “This is the moment for you to make a move.”
Gawain shrugged his shoulders and stopped Sir Philip who wanted to jump down first. Subsequently, Gawain jumped down.
He felt he had stepped on a layer of loose, moist leaves and branches that were decaying and rotting. The surrounding was a narrow and cramped space of soil and rocks. The magic crystal that landed on the ground had illuminated the surroundings, allowing Gawain to see deeper. There was a winding and downward slope ahead, and there were no signs of man-made works. It was more like the old druid’s analysis: this cave was probably created by natural elements that connected with the man-made tunnel.
Gawain picked up the magic crystal and waved it twice as an indication that it was safe at the bottom. He then started to walk forward.
A moment later, Amber’s presence caught up. The half-elf thief was obviously like a fish in water when she entered the underground space. She was twirling her precious dagger cheerfully and looking around curiously. “It is constantly extending downward.”
“If it really is those ‘combat tunnels’ dug back then, it would definitely go very deep,” Gawain casually said. “After all, the Dark Wave’s presence would seep in from the surface regularly. If they didn’t dig deeper, the refugees inside the tunnel would be easily invaded.”
The downward slope persisted for a small section, and the surroundings started to become spacious and dry. Gawain noticed that the soil and natural rock shards were starting to lessen on both sides of the tunnel. They were replaced by man-made support beams, bricks, and firm walls processed by earth-element spells. As they continued to advance, the surface of the ground was getting smoother, and it didn’t slope downward anymore.
Looking at the surrounding scene, Gawain’s brows started to clench together.
Amber quickly noticed something abnormal and stopped to fiddle with her dagger. She ran to a nearby wall and examined the material and the patterns on the wall. Soon after, she ran back to Gawain’s side while feeling bewildered. “This isn’t right… The style of this place is different from the tunnels that we used to escape from your tomb…”
“That’s right. They are different. These aren’t the underground works that I took charge of constructing in the south back then.” Gawain lifted the magic crystal and illuminated the surrounding walls and the surface of the ground. “No wonder… When Sir Byron mentioned that there were underground tunnels beneath Tanzan Town, I felt that it was strange. Because back then, there wasn’t any development plan in this region. Even after I died for a long time, no one probably developed it… So, who would construct tunnels in this place…?”
Amber frowned and said, “After taking a closer look, it is rather similar to the ancient fortress at the Dark Range?”
Gawain was finally enlightened, and he realized the source of the familiar and fuzzy memories.
This underground tunnel’s construction style and materials used were very similar to the giant ancient fortress at the Dark Range!
Sir Byron was also greatly surprised. He examined the surroundings and was bewildered. “It really… looks very similar. Back then I was dizzy due to the torment of the curse and actually couldn’t see it!”
“An underground facility left behind since the Meteoric Era, there is actually one here too…” Another climax surged in Gawain’s heart. “So that ancient fortress at the Dark Range is actually a portion of a large scale ruin? Or is it…”
His mind emerged with a very bold thought, ‘Could the hidden fortress at the Dark Range be connected to this underground tunnel?!’
‘These ancient tunnels would cross over the northern lands, cross over the White River and the forest north of the mountain. They are actually all connected?!’
But the bold conjecture in Gawain’s mind didn’t persist for long. He quickly shook his head as he felt that it wasn’t really possible. Even if the Gondor Empire was extremely wealthy and powerful, their productivity would be limited. The distance from the Dark Range to this place wasn’t just far, there were also complicated terrains like mountains and rivers. How could it be that easy to construct a facility of such a scale?
To be honest, if the Gondor Empire was determined to connect this entire land, it was actually possible to construct this ‘underground city’ in the vicinity of the Dark Range if they used the entire nation’s strength. But Gawain couldn’t understand what thing would be so worth it for them to put in such insane investment. Furthermore, it was a hidden construction that none of the Gondor Empire’s citizens and their descendants knew about…
Could it be… the human body experiment that Nicholas Egg mentioned and those so-called ‘divine evils’?
“Hey! Hey, hey! What are you thinking about?” A voice by the side of Gawain’s ear had interrupted his thoughts. He regained his senses and saw Amber reaching out her claws and waving them in front of his eyes. The half-elf young lady’s face then leaned over. “You are distracted in such a situation?”
“No, nothing.” Gawain quickly pulled back his attention and set his conjectures aside for the moment as it wasn’t the time to think about them right now. “Judging from our position, we should be under the White River’s bed.”
“Really?” Amber looked with disbelief as the ‘rocks’ above were still dry and firm, without a trace of water. She couldn’t hear any sound of water flowing at all. “Heavens… this place is really deep. How can those people dig a tunnel under the riverbed—?”