Chapter 232: Underground City
The vine tied with a stone disappeared into the hole, yet the two did not hear any echo.
“It looks like a big job.” Guardian Knight Leo seemed eager to try.
Vito lay down, straightforwardly reaching his hand inside and patting along the edge of the hole. He said, “Indeed, it’s a big job, but perhaps a little too big.”
Vito stood up. “It seems we need to find Puniel and Oscar for help. This should be an underground city. Fire and water won’t be able to drive them out—we can only dig this open.”
Leo chopped down a branch, stuck it into the ground as a marker, and said, “Those mercenaries are warriors too. Isn’t making them dig dirt a bit insulting to them?”
Vito replied, “Who said it’s for them to dig dirt? Don’t you also know Prayer Technique? You should understand why finding those two can get us help.”
“No, I do believe you on this. But the Bishop did warn us that, for the two of us, Prayer Technique should not be used too frequently.”
“Then why do you keep using it?”
“In truth, just now I was only judging from experience.” Leo spoke with some pride. “This hole clearly wasn’t naturally formed. And this size—it’s just right for goblins or cave dwellers to pass through.”
……
Oscar indeed had great interest in the underground city, but he couldn’t leave his place, so he recommended Cicero to them.
Thus, Cicero used a Holy Relic to dig out a massive pit more than forty meters deep. Only when he uncovered a passage large enough for three people to walk side by side did he stop and return.
The pit dug by the Holy Relic was very square and neat. The passage was equally neat—obviously made by the same method.
Puniel too had strong interest in the underground city. He gathered more than ten mercenaries to come.
“Last year, those cave dwellers nearly dug Jeffrey’s territory hollow. With this kind of technique, they really could dig out an underground city.” Puniel said. “All these Dark Creatures cannot stand the light of the Morning Star. I imagine many of them are hiding here.”
Puniel looked toward the two knights, lowered his voice, and said, “Should we let them go down first? Of course, to them, Dark Creatures are nothing but glittering gold coins. And right now, gold coins are what these mercenaries love most.”
Vito decisively refused. “In an underground city this deep, goblins and cave dwellers would be fine. But if we run into vampires, werewolves, or bear-men—Dark Creatures that aren’t weak at all—it would be too dangerous for them.”
“So Leo and I will go down first. Then they can follow after.”
As Guardian Knights of the Church of the Sanctuary, they were natural restraints against Dark Creatures.
“Alright then, may the two knights be careful.” Puniel sincerely blessed them.
Leo and Vito leapt down into the underground city, while Puniel waved his hand, signaling the conscripted laborers to build a camp here.
An underground city of unknown size still held great value.
When nearly two hours passed without word from Leo and Vito, Puniel finally waved for the mercenaries, who had already steeled themselves, to jump down into the underground city.
……
It was a vast underground city. Leo and Vito had already passed countless forks in the tunnels, leapt down numerous pits, and still it seemed endless ahead.
Holding his sword, Leo said, “I think we should have let the mercenaries come down with us. At least they might have left traces of the route behind.”
Vito stood at a fork, glanced both ways, and finally chose the right-hand passage. “With an underground city this big, those mercenaries would just lose themselves here.”
They were in an unknown depth now, where the light of the Morning Star could never reach. Total darkness surrounded them.
The faint Holy Light radiated from their bodies, illuminating only a short distance around.
“And if we brought mercenaries, we would need torches for them. Considering the scale of this place, who knows how many torches it would take to light the way?” As Vito and Leo stepped forward, the faint clinking of their armor echoed in the tunnels—sounds that seemed swallowed by the darkness.
Leo muttered, “I think we should have worn leather armor here. The clamor of armor makes the place more suffocating.”
They were already affected. Their faces were no longer relaxed, both frowning deeply.
Vito said, “If it weren’t hidden this deep, they wouldn’t have survived. How many layers have we gone down now?”
Leo said, “I haven’t counted, but at least eight layers.”
“Then let’s count it as nine layers. Each layer is more than four meters high, with a two-meter thick floor between them. That means we’re at least fifty-two meters deep. Cicero dug down more than forty meters—so now, we must be about a hundred meters underground.”
“Yes,” Leo answered. “I already feel it’s hard to breathe. Too deep, too sealed.”
Vito stopped, pointing ahead. From below came faint flickers of light. “If even we feel unwell, then even if those Dark Creatures have adapted to living here, they are still creatures.”
“I feel… they are waiting for us.” He said.
Leo grinned, snapping down his visor. “Then we’ll let them know—I’ve long wanted to pay this visit.”
Suddenly, the faint Holy Light on his body flared bright. Leo charged ahead, leaping down the tunnel.
The ground below was carpeted with vines speckled with faint glowing spots. Leo landed with the weight of his armored body, crushing and snapping several vines, spilling out crimson liquid.
“Hahaha, incredible! Living plants?” Leo laughed.
The vines moved as if alive, coiling slowly toward him.
“Haah!” Leo roared, swinging his longsword and easily severing the vines. Crimson liquid sprayed, splattering over his armor.
These vines were not particularly tough. Leo could slice through them with ease. But the more he cut, the grimmer his face became. At last, when his arms grew sore, he stopped and shouted upward, “Vito, pull me up! These things are strange!”
At his call, a knotted rope was lowered. Grabbing it firmly, Leo kicked against the wall. Vito hauled him up with force.
“They’re all those living vines. I felt as if they wanted to eat me. And I was only able to cut them because of my sword’s sharpness—they weren’t afraid of Holy Light at all.” Leo said, lifting one of the severed vines he had brought up, examining it closely.
“I think… the liquid flowing from the cut vines is like blood.”
Vito asked, “So we can’t advance?”
Leo shook his head. “No. These vines stretch as far as the eye can see.”
“Alright, then we must return and ask the scholars what this is.” Vito said.
Leo agreed readily.
When they had come down, they followed instinct. But going back up, they had to use Prayer Technique—since in the pitch-black underground city, there was nothing to guide them.
……
Inside the monastery’s library, books piled high. Besides the scholars’ own collections, there were also the fruits of more than a year’s research.
“I dare say, the value of these books surpasses that of an entire kingdom.” Scholar Dennis said proudly.
He was hosting a guest—Scholar Marcus, who had come from the northern territory of York.
Marcus had received the monastery’s invitation long ago, but he had truly respected Cliff, so he stayed in Cliff Village, teaching him governance. Only recently, when he felt he had nothing more to teach, did he come to the monastery.
The moment he stepped into the lands of the Church of the Sanctuary, he felt the breath of civilization. And when Dennis led him into this library, he was certain—this was civilization.
“No, no, no, Scholar Dennis. I believe this is the treasure of all human civilization.” Marcus’s eyes could not leave the bookshelves.
“Hahahaha, yes, yes, Scholar Marcus, I think you are quite right.” Marcus’s exaggerated praise made Dennis laugh.
Only after his eyes grew sore did Marcus ask, “But now that you’ve gathered so much knowledge, are you not afraid of curses? Back in the Association, such things happened more than once.”
Dennis casually sat in a chair. “Of course we worry. But if we worry, should we do nothing?”
Shaking his head, he said, “Scholar Marcus, do you know? Just by writing down the knowledge we record, and then teaching it to those apprentices who know nothing, we ourselves learn new knowledge.”
“We believe this is the right way. Only by passing knowledge on, and testing it against each other, can knowledge become the steps leading toward the future.”
“As for curses, yes, we worry. But we are no longer afraid. At least, for us now, this is the right thing to do.”
“Of course, it’s also because the Bishop of the Church of the Sanctuary told us not to bother with curses, only to preserve and test knowledge.”
“You can see it yourself—our collection here is already twice as large as the Association’s greatest library ever was. And yet, it remains tranquil.”
Dennis’s expression was satisfied. At least, he thought, even if he died now, it would be worth it.
Marcus heard the meaning behind his words and asked cautiously, “So… that one… is truth?”
Dennis smiled, pulling a cross from his collar and showing it to Marcus. “Who knows? We no longer wish to think about such things. We only know the Lord truly guides our path forward.”
“Whether it is truth or not doesn’t matter. What matters is that the knowledge we uncover seems to become truth.”
Marcus grew dazed. At last, he sat down quietly, then said, “I heard Greenwood City has been slaughtered?”
Marcus had only contact with low-level officials. He might have heard rumors, but how could that compare to the monastery’s scholars?
Dennis nodded. “Yes. Greenwood City was slaughtered—more than a hundred thousand dead. The Grand Duke’s castle was destroyed. And the Association’s headquarters near the castle was destroyed as well. Who knows how many scholars perished in the slaughter.”
His tone was calm, unshaken even at the death of scholars.