Chapter 594: Chapter 385: A Village Emerges Amidst Dark Willows and Bright Flowers (5k)
Upon hearing Colin’s words, Conmonds was slightly taken aback and paused for a moment before speaking slowly,
"You may not know, sir, that the range of the Magic Tide Battlefield was extremely vast back in the day.
Strictly speaking, the very spot we are standing on now, including the entirety of Intuo City and even some of the farmlands outside the city, were all within the boundaries of the battlefield during that time."
"Then take me to the Underground Cave where the Magic Tide emerged back then."
Colin was not too disappointed.
After all, more than three hundred years had passed; even if the battlefield was still there, how many traces would remain? He was simply making a final attempt at investigation.
The Underground Cave was the last stop.
If what Conmonds said was true, and Alec hadn’t written nonsense in his autobiography, then it was very possible that the source of the Giant Mountain Breathing Method—which he had obtained from a monster—lay within the Underground Cave.
"But sir, it is not yet dark, and our Family has not prepared any Magic Erasure Potion..." Conmonds said with difficulty.
His words touched on Colin’s sealed memories, and he suddenly remembered—he seemed to have heard about the Underground Cave and Magic Erasure Potion before.
If he wasn’t mistaken, that was when he had just joined the Tin Saint School and had begun to change his Meditation Method.
Back then, in order to change his Meditation Method, he acquired a batch of potions used to nullify Magic Power, called the Magic Erasure Potion, from a merchant, courtesy of an introduction by Lillian.
And the Magic Erasure Potion, it had been mentioned, was a special Magic Potion specifically for Wizards venturing into the Underground Cave.
The goal was to resist a certain kind of unique magical contamination that the Underground Cave might bring.
But... why wait until it was dark?
"Why can’t we go to the Underground Cave during the daytime?" Colin asked.
"Because of cave sickness, sir," Conmonds replied. "The Underground Cave during the day is like the night above ground, not only fraught with danger, but also a greater chance of contracting cave sickness."
"Even a Great Knight, if he rashly ventured deep into the Underground Cave during the daytime without Magic Erasure Potion, would contract the initial stage of cave sickness within an hour. The skin would ulcerate, Blood Energy would dissipate, and it would take at least two months to recover.
And if it exceeds two hours, one can basically be declared dead."
"Hm." Colin nodded; this so-called cave sickness was clearly that particular cave contamination.
"I will prepare the Magic Erasure Potion, and we will set out once it gets dark," he added briefly after a pause.
He was not sure if Conmonds had misunderstood something.
Colin keenly noticed a barely discernible stiffening of Conmonds’s face, but it quickly gave way to a smile and a nod.
"All right..."
Conmonds turned and scanned the area, finally resting his eyes on Onions and said, "Onions, tonight you will accompany the sir to the Underground Cave, understood?"
Onions nodded silently.
Conmonds, satisfied, turned back to Colin to explain,
"Sir, Onions grew up near the caves since he was a child and is more familiar with that place than any of us."
"Hm." Colin nodded, with a slight guess in his mind.
Perhaps Conmonds had misunderstood his request.
But really, he was just casually looking for a guide; as long as the guide could take him near the Underground Cave and give him a basic introduction, that would be enough.
Even if they had to go down, he did not intend to have the guide accompany him... but from the looks of Conmonds and Onions, they probably thought he was looking for a sacrificial scout.
However, Colin had no intention of explaining—it would only make things messier.
’When the time comes, after Onions finishes guiding, I’ll give him some Magic Stones as a reward,’ Colin thought to himself. He did not like owing others.
Even if just for his own peace of mind, he would still offer some form of compensation.
Of course, this time it was just guiding the way, so there was no need for a reward as substantial as a spear.
"I’ll come to find you in the evening."
With those brief words, Colin left the Wood Family; he needed to prepare the Magic Erasure Potion just in case.
Walking on the streets of Intuo City, he strolled for a while until he saw a familiar commerce sign.
It was a spark scattering in all directions, which was the logo of the Chasai Commerce, where Shelley belonged.
"Welcome to Chasai Commerce, how may I assist you today?" The manager greeted him cheerfully.
Colin glanced around the interior of the shop. The decor was understated yet exquisite, and the models of most Chasai Commerce products were displayed on one side of the wall and on the counter in front.
This was his first visit to a Chasai Commerce store, and the odd-looking products of unknown use in the counter piqued his curiosity.
But after a brief moment, Colin suppressed his curiosity, adhering to the understanding between himself and Shelley, and did not look any further. Instead, he took out a badge from his person.
The badge was golden and bore the same splintering spark as Chasai Commerce’s logo.
It was the badge given to him by Shelley.
Upon seeing the badge, the manager paused briefly, then spoke with even more respect, "An esteemed customer of Chasai Commerce, how may I be of service to you?"
"Do you have Magic Erasure Potion here?" Colin inquired.
"Yes, sir, how much do you require?" the shopkeeper replied with a nod.
Because there were numerous entrances to Underground Caves outside of Intuo City, adventurers often came here for exploration.
Naturally, Magic Erasure Potion was a staple for any commerce doing business here.
"For a regular venture into the Underground Cave overnight, at least two bottles of Magic Erasure Potion are needed for a normal person. However, as the user’s strength increases, the consumption would decrease," the shopkeeper answered.