Chapter 596: Chapter 385: Another Village After the Grove and the Flowers (5k)_3
"The closest cave entrance to Node One is right there on the triangular peak in front of you."
Colin raised his eyebrows slightly, "Conmonds was right; you do have a thorough understanding of the caves."
Onions hesitated so subtly that it was almost imperceptible, "Perhaps it’s because I always dreamed of adventuring here as a child. So, after becoming a Great Knight, I collected a lot of information about the caves."
Colin nodded slightly; he had to admit that Onions’ knowledge of the caves was indeed beyond his expectations.
Conmonds had unexpectedly recommended quite a good guide.
"Then we’ll start exploring from the cave at Node One," Colin said.
By this stage of the investigation, hope had become very slim.
The number of cave entrances before them was easily in the thousands, and while they passed through several fixed nodes, many more were not overlapping.
If he were truly to investigate the caves.
He would have to spend years, maybe even decades, to thoroughly explore all the cave passages, and that would only cover the shallow layers.
The further one descended in the caves, the stronger the unique contaminant fumes became.
At that point, something like a Magic Erasure Potion would be of no use. In fact, this was the fundamental reason that prevented wizards from exploring the entire cave system.
Most adventurers who came to the caves tended to move through the shallow passages, hoping to discover relics left by predecessors, or rare treasures that were unique to the caves, or to slay unique subterranean creatures for Magic Stones.
However, having come all this way... Colin landed at the edge of the cave area.
"Do you need me to accompany you, my lord?" Onions asked calmly.
He had accepted the arrangements of the Wood Family and knew that his family couldn’t bear the wrath of an Official Wizard. So, for his family, he was willing to be cannon fodder —
—even though Onions didn’t really like the Wood Family, it was still the only home he had.
"No need; just wait here, and after I come out, you can direct me to the closest entrance to the next node."
Colin’s words floated lightly, and Onions startled slightly, slowly lifting his head.
But by the time he looked up, Colin’s figure had already vanished.
For some reason, Onions was suddenly reminded of the spear Colin had generously given him... His feelings became complex.
As an Official Wizard, Colin initially didn’t need to pay anything to obtain the family’s Breathing Skill, but in the end, he had still presented him with an expensive spear.
Furthermore, now in the exploration of the caves, he could have taken him along as cannon fodder—Elder Conmonds and the others had probably assumed that was the case, which was why they sent him without hesitation...
Beneath his rigid helmet, Onions’ expression wavered...
He didn’t know what Colin was looking for in the caves.
But if it had something to do with the Giant Mountain Breathing Method...
"Onions, take me to the next cave entrance."
Just as Onions was indecisive, Colin’s voice suddenly came through.
He looked up, only to be surprised to find Colin had returned already.
"Alright..." Not daring to ask further, Onions nodded and pointed to a rhombus-shaped cave nearby, "That’s the entrance to the cave closest to Node Two."
"Okay." Colin nodded and flew off once again.
After entering the cave for a moment, he released Frost Shadow and then returned.
For something like exploring the caves, it was clearly more convenient to leave it to Frost Shadow.
In less than an hour, Colin had sent the remaining five Frost Shadows into the caves.
"Let’s go," Colin beckoned Onions to walk back with him.
He planned to live near the caves for a while and let the Frost Shadows explore inside in hopes of stumbling upon anything suspicious by blind luck.
After all, most of the wizards coming to the caves for adventure were apprentices or First Rank Wizards. In contrast, the Second Rank Advanced Frost Shadows could obviously explore much deeper, perhaps discovering something in places previously untouched.
Moreover, as he had tested, Frost Shadows were much less affected by the contamination than wizards—probably because Frost Shadows did not have independent souls.
This meant that Frost Shadows could explore even deeper.
Of course, it was just a bit less affected; over time, they would still disintegrate due to contamination.
But that wasn’t a problem; as his Frost Shadows gained power, the requirements for the casting materials had actually decreased.
Even if the Frost Shadows were to suffer damage, Colin would need only some time and Magic Power to quickly acquire new Frost Shadows.
"By the way, this is for you."
It seemed like he remembered something, Colin suddenly pulled out a hundred Magic Stones and handed them to Onions.
"This is for tonight’s work."
Onions stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Colin, his hard helmet hiding his expression.
"Take it. Your knowledge of the caves has saved me a lot of time, and you’ve earned this."
Colin smiled faintly, speaking casually.
Onions silently accepted the Magic Stones, carefully putting them away.
After walking with Colin for a while, he finally made a decision and suddenly spoke up:
"Sir Colin, regarding the Giant Mountain Breathing Method, I actually have a discovery that I never shared with anyone else."
"Oh?" Colin paused in step, raising an eyebrow, looking at Onions.
He had assumed that Onions wanted to share some experience related to cultivation, but the next sentence from Onions took him by surprise.
"I’ve found that some plants in the caves are very helpful for the Great Knight stage of practicing the Giant Mountain Breathing Method.
They not only speed up cultivation but also slow down the gigantification process without affecting the growth of physical strength... It’s like adding a layer of restraint to the body, compared to before, the rate of muscle and bone density growth becomes much greater!"