Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2630: Chapter 2631: A First Look at the Stench Sewer

Obviously, the sudden change in the atmosphere is due to both the Black Earl and Vay.

However, it’s not just the Black Earl and Vay who are making the atmosphere heavier.

Dox and Kaier also have a part in it, even though they don’t fear the stench, they definitely don’t want to wander through the sewers.

Given a choice, who would want to go for a swim in the sewer?

Moreover, the situation in the sewer is quite unclear, it’s filled with the Dark Aura that the Ghosteye Witch absorbed earlier, and for thousands of years, these dark energies have nurtured countless Magical Creatures.

And the Magical Creature ecosystem in the sewer abides by the Law of the Strong.

Weak Magical Creatures, like mutated Carrion Squirrels, have to escape the sewer to avoid extinction.

Don’t be fooled by how easily they handle the mutated Carrion Squirrels; that’s actually thanks to the Illusionary Realm. If they were to face them head-on, the throng of mutated Carrion Squirrels would definitely pose a significant problem.

Yet, put in the sewers, even mutated Carrion Squirrels are lowly creatures that get driven away.

In other words, heading into the sewer means not only overcoming the stench but also potentially confronting numerous powerful Magical Creatures.

How strong are the Magical Creatures nurtured by the ”Dark Tainted Aura” after years of nourishment? No one knows.

This is also the reason Dox and Kaier stay silent.

”Does this path really lead directly to the sewer?” As the atmosphere became even more strained, Dox was the first to break the silence: ”I’ve been pondering whether when Naraku City was building the Underground Labyrinth, it would be a bit extravagant to spend so much just to build a road that leads directly to the sewer?”

Dox lightly sighed: ”I’ve always thought there must be a fork here, but didn’t expect the builders to be so extravagant back then.”

As Dox finished speaking, Vay nodded quickly: ”I thought the same before, that there would be a fork here. As a result, it’s actually a dead-end.”

Feeling the somber atmosphere, Angel thought carefully about his words before speaking: ”First of all, you have a misconception. The concept of a maze is something we later people have imposed on this place; back then it was simply the Underground Aqueduct. Defining it as a dead-end or open road is just our partial interpretation of this Underground Aqueduct.”

”Moreover, even if we really consider this a maze, right now it isn’t a dead-end. The path to the sewer might be difficult, but it’s still a path. Also, what we now call a sewer is only named so because no one has cleaned it for thousands of years; but in the past, the sewer must have had proper sewage treatment, it was essentially just another road back then.”

”Therefore, treating this place as a maze, that path is still a road. It’s just that after thousands of years, they’ve added some ’ingredients’ to it.”

They actually understand what Angel is saying, but... times have changed.

After a moment of silence, the Black Earl, who hadn’t spoken, finally opened his mouth: ”Angel is right; that is indeed a road. We’ve come this far; it’s impossible to retreat because of this small issue.”

The Black Earl expressed his stance, and his latter words were also a warning to Vay not to think about retreating.

The Black Earl’s sudden support left Angel somewhat surprised. Logically, the Black Earl, being the ’nose,’ should dislike the sewer the most, but he accepted it sooner than Vay... Is this the perspective of a Great Wizard?

As Angel admired this, the Black Earl continued: ”Moreover, with Angel’s Purifying Field, there’s no need to worry about filth. When facing Magical Creatures, with Red Sword Dox’s abilities, he should be able to clear the way.”

Angel:... So the roles are assigned? He’s the purifier, Dox the pathfinder.

Previously calling him a brat at every turn, now when having Dox clear the path, he even used the title.

This perspective is decent; at least it’s flexible.

However, with this arrangement, Dox’s expression clearly showed a hint of dissatisfaction.

At this moment, the Black Earl spoke again: ”Moreover, I just used a little Danger Perception, cough cough, not Divination, my reserve of Divination has been exhausted. I only activated an intuition similar to Dox’s, to conduct a comprehensive perception of the danger ahead.”

”The final result is positive. I believe, at least in the sewer, there shouldn’t be much danger.”

The Black Earl’s words were actually to reassure Dox.

Whether he succeeded in comforting Dox or not, during this process, Angel who had the slate with the Black Earl’s nose didn’t sense any energy fluctuations.

What Danger Perception? Who would believe that?

It was definitely the reserved Divination, previously when the Black Earl released Divination, there was no fluctuation. Thus, saying his borrowed Divination uses are exhausted is simply untrue.

No wonder the Black Earl was the first to express his stance; it wasn’t about perspective, he was sure there was no danger, he didn’t need to act, he could stay within the Purifying Field, which isn’t much different from the current situation.

Although Angel figured out the Black Earl’s thoughts, the Black Earl, staying with him, probably knows Angel will understand the situation clearly. Yet despite this, the Black Earl spoke out. He was evidently aware that Angel wouldn’t expose him.

Indeed, Angel had no need to expose the Black Earl; the most crucial thing now is to persuade everyone to enter the sewer.

Once truly inside the sewer, suggesting retreat would be too late.

Therefore, Angel remained silent, just quietly observed Dox and Kaier.

As for Vay, there was no need to look; the Black Earl had clearly expressed his stance, Vay neither could nor dared to refuse.

Though Dox wasn’t keen on entering the sewer, it matched the common saying — since we’re here.

Since we’re here, having reached this point, there’s no real need to go back.

Moreover, Dox isn’t particularly fearful of filth and stench, just that he would prefer not to come into contact with it if possible.

Dox: ”Indeed, we’ve come this far; turning back isn’t realistic. Let’s move forward; if we delay any longer, I guess the ones coming behind us will soon catch up.”

Black Earl: ”No need to guess, they are indeed almost here. They’ve passed the second narrow path, and are not far from where we are.”

Upon reaching the narrow path where they are located, passing through a stable path leads directly to the living area where the Ghosteye Witch resided earlier.

Black Earl: ”By the way, the smell of the group coming is quite close to the Underground Labyrinth, with even a hint of the old sewer stench. They must be a team that frequently operates in the Underground Labyrinth, and likely adept at solving various issues there.”

This time the pursuers are the Grey Merchants and their followers, who indeed are skilled in dealing with the Underground Labyrinth’s various affairs. So when Dox learned of this, he was even less inclined to wait.

The Ghosteye Witch might delay them for a moment, but probably not for long.

Thinking of this, Dox immediately took a step forward.

No one else objected, Kaier naturally followed the crowd and silently went forward with Dox.

With Dox leading the way, the group’s pace quickened, and within seconds, they arrived at the maze’s end, observing the dark cavern connecting to the sewer.

Previously, they never had such a close-up view of the sewer, always presuming the cavern was simply a sinkhole.

But in actuality, the path to the sewer, though dark, isn’t as primitive as a sinkhole; it’s equipped with very complete stairs, with no negligence in the materials used.

From here, one can simply deduce that what Angel mentioned was indeed correct, the sewer back then was undoubtedly different from now. Perhaps there was even a living area within the sewer back then.

Due to being in the Purifying Field, everyone couldn’t perceive the outside smell, thus didn’t harbor a great fear of the sewer. Dox still took the initiative to step onto the stairs, with the others following closely behind.

As they kept descending, the surrounding smell grew noticeably stronger, with dark-tainted air wafting around, leaving no space for evasion. Hence, even the Speedy returned to the Moving Mirage.

Speedy’s retreat showed how bad the external situation was.

Without Speedy’s wind sensing, the specifics of the front couldn’t be determined easily. Moreover, others clearly didn’t want to extend their spiritual power beyond the Purifying Field at this moment.

Angel pondered a while, attempting to have Earl Mi diffuse shadows to scout the external condition.

Earl Mi accepted the command without hesitation, and after the shadows spread out of the Mirage, with no abnormal feedback, Angel finally breathed a sigh of relief.

I have to say, the Black Earl’s previous remarks made Angel cautiously mindful of Earl Mi. Now confirming their connection remained smooth and viewing the outside from Earl Mi’s perspective, Angel felt considerably assured.

Being mentally in tune is not just a literal interpretation; it implies Earl Mi has no privacy toward Angel. Every emotion, every stray thought could be detected by Angel.

In fact, information that Earl Mi once pillaged from other Ghosteye Witches, if Angel desired, he could explore.

This is absolute control. The power of the Seed of Distortion is embodied in this.

Through telepathy, Angel confirmed that Earl Mi was unharmed, and there were no significant emotional stirrings. It’s just that the floating miscellaneous information within the shadow was a bit excessive, but it didn’t affect anything for now. Once they got out, a thorough check and cleanup would suffice.

In the blink of an eye, they descended a staircase about twenty meters high.

Surrounding them was still the drifting aura of darkness. Without the probing of spirit tentacles, everyone now had no idea where to go.

Fortunately, there was still Earl Mi.

Through Earl Mi’s perspective, Angel saw the general situation here—

The sewer, when viewed as a whole, was no different from the labyrinth above, still with high walls and sheer cliffs, and still possessing the Magical Energy Array. The only two differences were the aura of darkness and impurity; and the ground was mottled and damp, occasionally showing long pools of filth.

Because this place was excessively humid, combined with the contamination of impure aura, the walls and floor showed signs of erosion. Some inner shell Magical Energy Arrays were even exposed, with some already failing altogether.

Angel simulated the scene he saw through illusions. The illusion solved the vision problem for everyone, ensuring they wouldn’t be like blind bats.

”This is the general situation. Currently, there are two paths, front and back. I suggest continuing forward. The path behind is more dilapidated, and the damage to the Magical Energy Array is relatively severe. If the Hanging Jail Stairway is really to be built in the sewer, it will certainly have the best protection...”

After Angel finished speaking, he looked at everyone, wanting to hear their opinions.

”Let’s go the way you said. After all, there are only two roads, back and forth. The Hanging Jail Stairway shouldn’t be too far. If we can’t find it ahead, it’s not much trouble to come back.” Dox said.

The Black Earl had no objections either, so everyone set off again, the target being the path directly ahead.

Angel was constantly updating the situation outside, which deepened everyone’s understanding of the sewer. Any entity, once the veil of the ’unknown’ set by it is pierced, no matter how difficult, can give everyone some confidence.

”Putting aside the impurity, this place is really not much different from the top. Maybe, in another hundred or even a thousand years, the top might become like this, more ruin-like.” Dox sighed and looked around: ”I haven’t seen any signs of Magical Creatures, really.”

Earlier, Dox thought the Black Earl saying it wasn’t too dangerous here was just comforting words. But now, it seemed that the Black Earl was indeed right.

Angel knew the Black Earl got the answer through Divination, but the Black Earl only gave the answer; he didn’t explain why that was the answer.

Angel privately asked the Black Earl, and the Black Earl’s answer was cryptic, sounding like some diviner.

But after spending a lot of time with White Bear, this kind of ’cryptic talk’ was something Angel was very familiar with.

In short, the Black Earl himself didn’t know why the answer was what it was. But as long as he spouted some nonsense and cited fate as a shield, the prestige would instantly increase.

Although the Black Earl didn’t provide any constructive advice, Angel pondered several possibilities himself.

After all, this place wasn’t far from the Hanging Jail Stairway. Could the builders have anticipated that the aura of impurity would affect the Hanging Jail Stairway and thus made precautions in advance?

Or, perhaps this area is actually the territory of some large Magical Creature, and other magical creatures dare not intrude?

Of these two possibilities, Angel leaned towards the former. Because if there really was a large magical creature, how did that Wood Spirit originally escape into the Hanging Jail Stairway from outside?

Generally speaking, a newborn Wood Spirit is only slightly faster than a Stone Spirit. If even a Wood Spirit could escape into the Hanging Jail Stairway, it indicates the danger here is indeed not significant.

Continuing forward for about three hundred meters, the road began to widen, and the surrounding dark aura became thicker.

Because, as the road widened, the ”sewer” finally appeared.

The literal sense of sewer.

It was the old drainage pipeline of Naraku City.

Angel didn’t send Earl Mi to investigate what exactly was in that long drain, mainly because the sticky liquid inside was pitch-black, and just by the color, one could almost smell that overwhelming stench.

Even though Earl Mi was hiding in Angel’s shadow and couldn’t smell it, having Earl Mi, who had been through a filthy ditch, still made Angel uncomfortable.

Although the real sewer had appeared, and the signs of corrosion on the walls became even more severe, there was still no presence of magical creatures around.

In their cautious yet puzzled state, a slight light suddenly appeared ahead.

When they approached the location of the light, they discovered that the light was coming from an offshoot.

Yes, an offshoot.

The first offshoot since they entered the sewer had appeared.

However, looking at that glowing offshoot, everyone only felt a chill down their spine and had no intention of diverting.

Because that offshoot wasn’t on the ground but on the wall.

It was very similar to the small hole on the wall from before, or rather, except for the fact that there was light here, it was exactly the same.

If the Black Earl hadn’t left a mark beside the small hole, they might have always thought that hole in the wall was the road to an unknown destination. Who would have thought that the hole on the wall could close on its own and actively open when it sensed a living person?

Although they didn’t know whether this hole was the same as the previous one, they didn’t want to take that path.

Moreover, the light was too much like bait.

As if it was deliberately luring people in.

Anyone else coming here, seeing nothing but darkness, might be drawn to the light, but with Earl Mi and Angel’s assistance, their vision wasn’t impaired. Naturally, they were unwilling to venture blindly into a potentially high-risk narrow path.

They promptly ignored the small path and walked past it quickly.

Until they turned a corner ahead and couldn’t see the light anymore, Dox finally spoke: ”Lord Black Earl, did you leave any scent marking nearby that hole? Is it closed now?”

The Black Earl remained silent.

Angel, on the other hand, sighed and said: ”You could’ve left a Wizard’s Eye to observe it yourself. You didn’t leave one, so do you think Lord Black Earl would?”

Dox: ”...” It seemed that was the case.

Angel: ”However, if you want to know whether that entrance has closed, it’s quite simple.”

As Angel spoke, he displayed a Light Screen in front of everyone.

At the edge of the Light Screen, there was initially a light spot. But gradually, this light spot faded away.

”I discreetly placed a purely mechanical creation without any fluctuations—a Puppet Eye—at a distance from that light spot.”

”Through the Puppet Eye, you can see the light spot has gone out, which means... it closed.”

The other side used light in the darkness to attract their attention, but Angel could also use the same method to determine if it closed.

Now that the answer was clear, everyone felt more horrified by that offshoot.

Even though they didn’t know whether that hole was a mechanism or some other ’thing’, it was unmistakable that choosing the illuminated path would surely result in a dire cost.

”That entrance, could it be the same as the previous entrance?” Kaier swallowed hard and asked.

After a moment of silence, the Black Earl replied: ”I don’t know. The previous entrance is already closed and cannot be determined. But I feel, probably not.”

”However, there’s no need to worry too much about the entrance. Whether it’s alive or dead, as long as you don’t go in, there will be no trouble.”

Kaier still looked anxious: ”That’s easy to say, but if that hole were magnified several times and established on the ground, looking like a normal-sized offshoot, then it would be hard to judge.”

Kaier’s concern was not unfounded.

If such a situation really happened, it would indeed be hard to guard against.

Originally, the people rejoicing over avoiding a disaster now found their hearts once again tinged with a slight shadow.