Master Of None

Chapter 2812: 2812. Dangerous Undergrounds

Before the pair had fully cleared the way, Walker sensed the arrival of a few guard squads. He had a few papers with them detailing other landmarks being found by scouts and a small report from those exploring the islands and the underwater.

”They found underwater volcanic vents. So there is magma under the water on the bottom of the ocean, itʼs just not dangerous enough to poison the water or heat it too much to be unlivable. But the larger island and the smaller islands near it are not safe for the merfolk to set down some roots.”

It was technically bad news, however, it was also partially some good news in Walkerʼs opinion.

Just knowing that the magma was still flowing in this underwater mountain range turned island proved enough to him that they would need to always have a close eye on this area. If there was any volcanic activity, the entire area could change. They had already been present for similar events where islands collapsed or grew due to these sorts of natural happenings.

Besides this, he also saw that the notes sent to him referenced that there was a high density of monsters living around the volcanic vents. Since the water was not poisoned by them and the water was not devastatingly hot, these monsters were in high numbers. The ecosystem created would provide a valuable food source.

Besides just food, the materials harvested from monsters could prove even more valuable as the merfolk tried to make their home in these waters. Yet, it also added to the fact that they would need to travel from water to shore more often so that they could trade. Making the desire of some Genesis leaders to establish a city here one day even more popular if Walker were to speak out now.

He just didnʼt want to push that forward since he knew that it would change the wilderness here. Preserving it as a place where people could explore and hunt forever would be more valuable. But it was a long run versus what was working now battle.

The second city that Genesis was building was producing jobs and a consistent need for materials through all the systems Genesis created for its people and growth. Simply put, it was expansion that fueled the creativity and growth of skill. If this was lost in some way, then what would happen?

Stagnation?

That was the argument set forth by some and it was not hard to accept that as a justified belief for the future. Yet, what everyone should focus a bit more on was what would happen if every land was hunted and controlled like the Genesis territories.

Would there be monsters left that couldnʼt be tamed or kept on farms? What about the herbs that couldnʼt grow anywhere but specific environments out in the wilderness that were impossible to replicate or nearly impossible to achieve overall?

The argument had happened and not reached a full conclusion just yet. Walker just had to dwell on it for a longer time as he gathered information about the new lands.

”Sir, before we set a more solid camp, we should let you know that they have also found remnants of what we believe to be a dark affinity magic tower. It is a cavern with clear evidence that stone was built up to block the cavern. There is a dense amount of black and purple coral growing there and it can not be approached since the coral has venomous barbs on it.”

Raising his eyebrows and realizing that another ruined tower had been found Walker tried to understand how exploring a place like that would go. ”It might not be accessible for a long time. If a coral started growing there and feeding off the remnant mana, then it could be through the entirety of that cavern. Itʼs too dangerous to risk until we have countermeasures. If it is flooded, there may not be anything left we can utilize. It has a lower priority.”

The guard captain nodded and sent off one of his assistants to send a message through communication crystals. They would make sure that no one took unnecessary risks exploring such a place.

This did make Walker think even more.

”All guard captains!” The sudden announcement halted the recently arrived squads who began making a camp. Some were adventurers and they were prepared to explore right now if they hadnʼt been stopped.

”We are entering these ruins, teams of three to five should follow behind. Others should scout the area and beware of any evidence of sealed places. We know for certain that the ancient mages of this tower survived and thrived by sealing away certain monsters while assisting others trying to survive in this land. They were powerful and their enemies were also powerful.”

One of the focuses on everything Walker said related to the sealed monsters that these mages might have left behind. Everyone knew full well that some of the dormant eggs and monsters in general could be awakened under the right circumstances. If people were not mindful… it was better not to think about it.

”Teams that follow us, be aware we are handling undead mages from ancient times. There appear to be traps set utilizing potent earth magic that they can also use. They may not have proper intelligence, but they can attack with the desire to crush and kill intruders.” A small pause as Walker used his buffing skills on everyone present. ”They survived tooth and nail in their lives, no in their death they are still trying to survive. Everything should be an enemy to them.”

The atmosphere changed even for those who were not entering the ruin. They all understood that Walker was serious because there was a real threat here. Enough to cause problems for everyone and not just the party who were taking the lead.

As if to reinforce this, the airflow from the opened ruins to enter the underground let out the ancient scent of decay and dry bones. It made everyone grasp the fact that they were more or less wandering in to a crypt instead of an established magical tower with the knowledge they needed to hunt down.

Turning away, Walker told Mela to remain here, she had already lost one of her scouting mouse dolls and he knew that it took a toll on her. She was still too inexperienced and weak to manage a fight against something like an ancient undead. She also needed to see what the guards did and how she could grow in her own way. It was better to take it slow. What she has seen from the party this far should be enough to guide her path at the start.

The party moved forward in their usual formation, but Alice was already humming a tune softly allowing the light to encompass everyone slightly. It was resonating with a few light ball spells that Walker created to light the area better.

It was one of the reasons that the scent of decay has somewhat lessened. It was also the very reason they could see that the dusty walls were covered in some spiderwebs hiding carvings. The intricate designs were some forms of rune formations too degraded to be used. But the walls themselves were solid enough that cave ins might not be an issue at all.

This made Walker even more interested in how the ancient earth mages could craft and condense walls so well making literal stone alloys. Things that didnʼt seem possible even though he had seen the appraisal of the stones they already found.

Some of the spider webs seemed to be old and falling apart, but what Walker noticed were the few here and there that appeared to be newer. Like a spider had walked through here leaving threads behind so that it could sense if anything changed. Like a monster patrolling territory but never finding anything different in its habitual movements.

This wasnʼt just noticed by him, Gil was taking a lot of focus on the threads since he knew all too well that if certain threads of spider silk were pulled at that the spider responsible for laying them there might notice they are touched. It was basically an alarm system.

Regardless, if there was a monster like that here, it could be handled. The danger they faced was that they had just entered in to a small chamber completely empty except for the dust and spider webs that had seven different tunnels leading away. All were holding up well and didnʼt have a sign that anything else was down them other than more mystery.

”I sense undead mana but I canʼt say itʼs just from one place. All the mana here has been stagnant because it sat too long. We will have to move slowly and mark where we are traveling.”

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