Pearney made way.
Ivan leaned in to listen closely and discern, signaling that there was no one around and instructing her to continue digging.
Soon, under Pearney’s manipulation, a damp underground passageway was revealed.
The passage was filled with a thick fog, reminiscent of a lake on a clear autumn or winter morning, making it uncomfortable for her. What made her uneasy was the streak of green within the white fog, which stood out conspicuously.
“Let’s go this way,”
Pearney pointed to a side where the green airflow was less active.
Ivan shook his head, “That way probably leads to the sea; the opposite direction is where the wind blows.”
Pearney was apprehensive about the green airflow. Ivan pointed to the cracks above filled with mud and stones, indicating they couldn’t stay long. His recent action had indeed increased the likelihood of a collapse.
As they moved forward, the green airflow in the tunnel seemed to increase and actively approached them, evidently attracted by the Curse of Demon’s Resentment. They hurried their pace.
On the ground, they occasionally spotted traces of something having crawled by, likely left by Billerie.
As they continued, the noises ahead grew louder, forcing them to become cautiously vigilant. They had no time to concern themselves with the approaching mists of green vapor.
The passage suddenly opened up before them into a spacious underground cavern, in the center of which stood a unique grey iron obelisk. Deep green mists of vapor incessantly emerged around the iron pillar, and sounds of battle came from above it. Stay tuned for updates on M-V-L
But they couldn’t see the shadows of those fighting above.
Pearney exhaled a sigh of relief and hastened her steps around the iron pillar towards one of the passageways on the other side, only to find someone had not followed.
She looked back to see Ivan staring fixedly at the ground in the middle of the cavern, not blinking an eye.
“You go ahead and wait for me; I’ll catch up in a quarter hour,” Ivan said, taking a few steps toward the center of the cavern, his gaze locked on the runes array on the ground.
“What are you doing?”
Pearney, puzzled, had also seen the objects on the ground. It was likely a ritual array used for offerings. “You can’t possibly want to memorize the runes, right? Runes are not as simple as they seem. Memorizing them will do you no good. What you see at first glance is different from the second, and it’s not like the meditation runes etched into memory.”
Ivan did not change his mind, “I know, runes require contemplation to understand their true meaning.”
“You’re truly mad.”
Seeing him walk directly into the middle of the cavern, moving through the thick green mists, Pearney gritted her teeth and decided not to bother with him anymore, heading on her own toward another passage.
She had never seen someone like that. If understanding could come from mere observation, he would be no sorcerer apprentice but a Great Scholar, a Great Sage. This was madness if anything.
Ivan paid her no attention.
For the Curse of Demon’s Resentment that concerned his very survival, an activated runes array was like a maiden bereft of her clothes. There was no better opportunity to unravel the power of the dreadful curse.
Drawn by a mysterious force, the deep green mists continued upwards along the grey iron obelisk, floating towards the island above. Things were going better than he had anticipated.
He rolled up his sleeve and glanced at his arm; the curse mark was indeed absorbing the mists, with its color seemingly growing darker.
Ivan didn’t dare waste time. Approaching the runes array, he watched as the activated runes danced like little jubilant figures before him, constantly changing and full of life, clearly beyond the comprehension of someone at his level.
A 3rd level Light of Wisdom was activated, making his thoughts incredibly lucid. With his understanding and spirituality being inspired, he found the key to exploring the runes: the curse mark on his arm, the method for making a secondary curse taught by Toyennes, and the mists that were gathering towards the mark.
In just a few minutes, the Experience Points for Curse Skill and Runes Skill on his membrane of light increased one after another.
Then, he activated his only 4th level Light of Great Wisdom. The ten-fold increase in understanding and spirituality gave him the illusion that he was a seer in the middle of the cavern, with all the secrets of the world open to his eyes.
Delusion was just delusion, and any enlightenment had to stand on the foundation of reality. He had to focus on the runes array before him and the knowledge he had accumulated over time.
…
At the end of the passageway on one side of the cavern, there was a narrow crack with a view of the sky outside. The continuous rumbling outside indicated that many people seemed to be fighting nearby.
But where did so many people on the island come from?
Pearney knew that as long as she slightly manipulated the soil, she could create a passage to the underground. Listening to the messy commotion outside, she hesitated.
“Why hasn’t he come yet? He couldn’t have died there.”
She looked back toward the passage they had come through, agitated that the person who was supposed to follow had not shown up, making her feel unease within.
Being talented at upper-class Breathing Method is something to brag about, huh? Such a restless fellow.
Don’t think just because you have a potion talent, you can understand the runes array set up by others and consider yourself an official sorcerer, huh?
Damn it, you better not be truly dead.
“Who?”
As she cursed him in her heart a thousand times, a noise startled her, and she quickly turned around on guard.
“What do you think?” Ivan approached, his face somewhat pale but his eyes extraordinarily spirited.
He casually threw the empty bottle of Endurance Ginger Water onto the ground and clenched his fist to knock on his weary head. The energy consumption just now had been greater than he expected.
Pearney looked at him irritably: “That’s for not listening to me, suffer the consequences.”
Ivan changed the subject, “What’s the situation outside?”
Pearney shook her head: “It’s a total mess.”
“I’ll listen.”
Ivan perked up his ears to listen to the noise. The battle was a distance away, and he heard the sound of the little green winged snake and the Cloud Fog servant, the latter two fighting each other.
Farther away, where the commotion was even greater, it was likely Toyennes and Billerie.
He shared the situation with Pearney, and the two decided to take the opportunity to leave.
With Pearney’s manipulation, they left the underground passage and crouched stealthily behind the bushes near the rocks, observing the battle not far away.
For some reason, a large number of Cloud Fog servants emerged, who became Billerie’s allies—Toyennes was left only with the little green winged snake and the metal puppets.
“Look, the puppets on the ship.” Pearney pointed ahead, her eyes almost shining.
The puppets that appeared on the battlefield were indeed from the Dark Lahr, the very ones she had been longing to destroy.
She repeated what she’d said many times before: “The opportunity is perfect, let’s hijack the ship.”
“Alright.”
This time, Ivan did not refuse.
Compared to Toyennes and Billerie, the two of them were just small fry; neither wanted to get involved in the battle. Now was the perfect chance to escape.
Circling around the battlefield to put some distance between them, Ivan slowed down and hesitated before speaking: “You go first, I need to rendezvous with someone.”
“Who?” Pearney widened her eyes as if she had misunderstood him, “It’s Justine, isn’t it? You’re not crazy again, are you? How about this, when we get back I’ll arrange for a few women for you, they won’t be inferior to Justine.”
Ivan altered his course: “Should be here soon.”
“Once I’ve hijacked the ship and persuaded the Iron Ridge Giant Turtle, I won’t wait for you.”
“You will.”
As she looked on in astonishment, Ivan shook the copper Token he had just found on the ground next to the runes array.
Faced with this situation, Pearney’s frustration intensified, and she ran towards the dock with a dark expression.