Worried about alerting others, she dared not venture deeper.
She sensed that if she got any closer, she might be discovered; there seemed to be a unique kind of magic lingering in the air, hovering like a barrier.
Ying quickly gathered intelligence and retraced her steps, noting down the path she’d taken.
Returning to the surface, she joined Gauss and the others; almost two hours had passed since she entered the mine.
"Why did you take so long inside?" Gauss breathed a sigh of relief. "We all feared you encountered trouble and were about to go in to look for you."
"There was a bit of an unexpected situation."
"So what did you encounter in the mine?"
Gauss quickly asked.
Ying described to Gauss and the others what she had seen underground.
"Many Kobolds, it seemed like a town belonging to monsters."
"But exactly how many there were, I couldn’t tell; the environment there is very complex, with lots of cover and buildings."
"Hmm."
Gauss rubbed his chin, lost in thought.
Seeing Ying describe large numbers and choosing not to continue the investigation, it was clear the scale of the monster town beneath Brenan Mine was considerable.
"Let’s move farther away to discuss this."
Gauss led the team away from the hill overlooking the mine.
They set up a temporary camp and began analyzing the situation based on the current intelligence.
Current intelligence is:
Firstly, the environment inside the mine is complex.
The simplified map of the mine they had was now outdated, its usefulness greatly reduced.
According to Ying, the internal passages crisscross, many newly dug out by monsters, forming a maze-like complex structure.
Fortunately, the mine’s height is not low, suitable for combat without feeling restricted.
As for where Ying ended up, it was the convergence point of all passages, the main fortress of the monster nest, which had been transformed into a structured habitat.
Secondly, the intelligence from Jon, president of Gold and Silver Town’s Adventurer’s Guild, was somewhat inaccurate.
According to him, there should be conflicts between the monsters, as they found on previous expeditions organized by them.
So either Jon intentionally provided false information.
Or these were disguises by the monsters, and Jon did not mention the underground monster town that Ying discovered.
Judging by his observation of Gold and Silver Town, he didn’t think past reconnaissance missions were very thorough.
Lacking manpower, and without discovering obvious threats, they likely just cleared out the periphery briefly and then returned.
Don’t be fooled by Ying’s initial discovery of the monster base, it was all due to her powerful innate abilities.
She can merge into shadows, a born assassin and scout with a keen sense for the unknown and danger.
Moreover, when investigating, she doesn’t alarm the creatures within the nest.
Her achievements in two hours of exploration far surpass those of ordinary wanderers who search for days, even longer.
Furthermore, Ying noted that discovering the entrance to the monster’s base was partly thanks to luck.
She stumbled upon it by accident.
Therefore, they face an organized and disciplined monster group.
Additionally, the special magic like a barrier that Ying sensed indicates that the creatures there possess considerable magical capabilities.
"Can the Fireball Technique be used?"
Gauss asked Ying.
"It definitely won’t work in the mine passages; we’d be buried alive," Ying stated seriously.
"But the large cave inside has sufficient space, though collapse is still a concern."
"That’s also an issue." Gauss nodded.
He believed that in the confined underground space, his Fireball Technique could cause devastating damage.
But they would also be affected by the destruction caused by the Fireball Technique.
If a chain collapse were triggered, escaping from inside would be difficult.
Though Ying can move through solid matter, she mostly adheres to the surface of objects, as she needs to breathe and rest while in shadow form.
And moving while carrying others would increase the energy consumption.
If buried underground, escape wouldn’t be easy.
"When underground, the effectiveness of the Flying Technique is also greatly diminished."
Overall, this action shouldn’t be rushed.
"We need to go back to Gold and Silver Town and make some preparations."
"Agreed."
The preparations for this mission are based on their original plan.
With the changed enemy intelligence, new preparations are necessary.
After scouting the monsters, they can’t blindly rush in for a fight, that’s just something seen in virtual games from Gauss’s past life; they need more comprehensive preconditions and supplies.
Mounting their steeds.
Before long, the group returned to Gold and Silver Town.
They headed straight to the Guild’s premises.
Guided by the staff, Gauss knocked on the office of Guild President Jon.
"Come in."
Gauss entered.
"Why it’s you, Gauss my friend?"
Jon was sitting at his desk, leisurely drinking tea and reading the Guild’s official monthly magazine.
Seeing Gauss enter, he seemed surprised.
Glancing at the time, not much had passed since Gauss and team left at noon.
Did they clean out the mine’s monsters that quickly?
Even for the Guild’s secretly cultivated talents, the efficiency shouldn’t be so high, right?
"Come, have a seat."
Gauss and the group settled into cushioned seats.