Chapter 539 The Dwarf’s Tombstone
In the age of mythology, many spells had not yet been invented. A huge maze with a large number of traps was enough to repel and delay many intruders.
But it's different now. Aldai has enough magic to solve this problem, and the rest is just pure walking.
In order to prevent being discovered, the three of them did not light up the lights. Aldai used a group dark vision spell to allow herself and Zola, who did not have dark vision, to see clearly in the dark.
As for Nemea, don't worry, tieflings are born with darkvision.
The only unsettling thing was the deathly silence around them. Most of the time, they could only hear their own footsteps, but occasionally they would hear some, similar to the subtle noises made by insects crawling across the ground, so the three of them had to move around every time. Pay attention to every corner of your body at all times to prevent being surprised.
Since the route was found using magic, the maze itself did not pose a threat. At most, one had to pay attention to some warnings to avoid alerting the enemy.
Plus, it's so damn big.
The three of them walked in the maze for almost three hours without seeing the exit. Even according to the signal of detecting magic, they might have to walk for another three hours.
In the age of mythology, the manpower and material resources required to excavate such a huge underground labyrinth would be incalculable. However, such a huge project did not leave any records, which is very abnormal in itself.
Maybe someone deliberately erased this history, or maybe they got help from something else when digging this maze.
In the age of mythology, the magic of the demons was very imperfect, but at that time, the magic of the elves was already outstanding among the others.
If you use magic to dig the maze, it shouldn't be too difficult.
But to this day, all traces have disappeared, and it is difficult to determine how it was done.
On the fourth hour after entering the maze, the three of them took a short rest, ate something to replenish their fluids, and then moved on.
At the seventh hour, Aldai cast the detection spell again and confirmed that the exit was not far away.
This news made Zola and Neemia very excited. It was very uncomfortable to be in a dark and silent environment for a long time, unable to light a lamp or speak.
When it was close to the eighth hour after entering the maze, the three finally saw the exit, but the exit was blocked by a large ball of spider webs, which were densely packed like large balls of cotton.
Aldee examined it and said:
"It's the ghost-faced spider's web. This kind of spider builds its web very quickly. Judging from the size of the blocked passage and the remaining dust on the spider web, someone should have passed through here a day or two ago."
The ghost-faced spider is not a monster. This spider is only as big as a fingernail and has a pattern on its belly that resembles a ghost face, so it is named the ghost-faced spider.
They are social creatures, not like spiders, but more like ants. Once something touches the spider web, they will immediately crawl out of the darkness and attack in groups, and they do not care about the size of the prey.
In other words, if you touch the spider web casually, you will be attacked by a large group of ghost-faced spiders. These guys are poisonous.
However, it is easy to think about it.
Aldai raised her staff towards the spider web, and a large thick fire shot out from the tip of the staff, instantly burning the spider web blocking the road. Countless spiders the size of fingernails ran to the corner in panic. At this time, If you look carefully, you will find that the walls on the left and right sides are densely covered with ghost-faced spiders. If they come, they will be killed on the spot.
Ghost-faced spiders are afraid of fire, but any adventurer with some experience knows how to deal with them. Ghost-faced spiders will not dare to approach if they hold a torch in their hands, not to mention Aldai's spell is like a flamethrower.
Passing through the passage easily, the exit of the maze is connected to a cave. Above the cave, you can see shallow pits of different sizes, which look like huge lotus pods.
I don’t know how this kind of terrain was formed. Those shallow pits on the rock wall always give people the illusion that they are like the footprints left by some kind of monster.
The cave was very humid. As soon as I entered, I felt a damp cold air hit my face, as if I had been licked by some huge invisible beast. To be honest, it was not comfortable.
But now you can see some slightly shiny moss and mushrooms. Compared to the unchanging maze with only stones, the scenery here is already beautiful. Continuing to move forward, the three of them soon noticed a large collapse mark on one side of the cave.
I don't know if it was caused by the movement of the earth's crust or some external force. The rubble almost blocked most of the passage, forcing them to take a detour.
While trying to go around, the three of them discovered something that shouldn't be here.
"Is that a... grave?"
"To be precise, it's a part of the tomb. It should have been squeezed into this cave by the debris due to the collapse."
There is only one tombstone left in the tomb, which is buried by a few fragments of gravel, but because it is so flat, it can be seen at a glance.
The reason why it shouldn't be there is because of the shape on the tombstone.
There was no name written on this tombstone. It was carved out of marble with majestic mountains and sparkling mineral veins. Below it was a string of beads-like patterns, and at the bottom, all three of them saw a string of words.
This text is not a common language, nor is it the language used by the demons in the mythical age.
"This is the dwarven language, and it says 'Here the faithful of Mountain Shield rest.'"
"What is the Mountain Shield?"
"A deity in the dwarven pantheon, also known as Dumason the Silent Defender, is the patron saint of mining and exploration among the dwarves."
It is very impolite to call a god by his name. The moment your name is spoken, it will be noticed by the god. If you are petty, it may cause trouble for you.
But now that all the gods have fallen, there is no need to worry about such trivial matters.
Aldee's real concerns were other issues.
"Why are the believers of the dwarf pantheon here?"
Yes, Zola's question is exactly what Aldai cares about most.
The time span of the mythical age is very large, from thousands to tens of thousands of years ago.
The dwarves are considered outsiders in the realm of demons. Originally, there were only demons here. Later, mortal races such as dwarves, elves, and halflings moved in through natural portals, gradually forming the current structure.
And in the ruins where the Demon King's Ring is stored, there are actually the graves of followers of the Dwarf God...
This is not right.
The dwarves who moved to the demon territory did bring their own beliefs, but they were only spread among the dwarves and had nothing to do with the demon king and god.
Ao Dai suddenly had a bold idea.
What if the dwarves are not outsiders, but the outsiders are actually the Demon King's Ring?
Is there a possibility that this place was not built by the rebels of the Demon King God, but that they just occupied the magpie's nest and used it as the sealing place for the Demon King's Ring?
If you explain it this way, the huge maze you just passed through can be explained. Dwarves are the race best at dealing with rocks and soil. If they dug it in the mythical age, then everything would be logical.
But then again, the rebels of the Demon King God chose to seal the Demon King's Ring here. I always feel that it is impossible to simply have a ready-made place available. Maybe...
Is even the dwarven pantheon involved in the secrets of the mythical age?
(End of chapter)