Chapter 235: Chapter 196: Deep Underground, Bloodhoof City
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
The yellow sand on Richard’s body surged out.
In an instant, the sand that sealed the passage seemed to come alive and overflowed.
Not long after, a small hill formed outside the underground passage.
It revealed the buried passage again.
While Richard looked at this scene, he was in an intense mood.
Yellow Sand Control, this Beyond A-rank skill, was indispensable in the desert.
The more he used it, the more he realized how powerful this skill was.
There were too many things he could do.
After the dust settled, he looked at the brave figure beside him.
“Xina, where does this underground passage lead to?”
Xina replied softly.
“Lord Richard, it leads to a swamp full of death traps.
“Outside the swamp is the territory of the dungeon barbarians. They have built a powerful underground city — Bloodhoof City.
“Because of the battle between Bloodhoof City and the gray-colored dwarves, these dungeon dwellers we hunted were forced to hide in the swamp…”
Richard nodded and asked his most concerned question.
“How strong is Bloodhoof City?”
Xina’s tone was solemn.
“Very strong. The enemy has a Bloodhoof troop formed by a glorious-level troop. And there are more than three large squads.
“There are more than five large squads under the glorious-level.
“Apart from that, they also enslave more than 100,000 cavemen.
“The lord of Bloodhoof City is a level-15 dungeon barbarian hero. He is on par with the chief of the gray dwarves.”
Xina did not stop after answering his question and continued.
Dozens of big and small forces occupied the surrounding area other than the two main forces, Bloodhoof City and the gray dwarves.
“The powerful ones are stronger than the dungeon race we destroyed. The weak ones are only a few squadrons of soldiers…
“The underground world is in a state of chaos.”
She paused to give him a few seconds to think before she continued.
“Bloodhoof City has suppressed the other small forces because the war is tight. They want to subdue them and fight against the gray dwarves together…”
Richard gradually outlined the general image of the underground world in his mind after he asked more detailed questions.
He felt more relaxed.
Chaos was not scary. The underground world union was scarier.
He did not hesitate to gather the troop when he had a clear idea.
They went straight to the underground world.
The underground world covered by a mysterious veil was like a goddess hiding in a quilt.
It stimulated his desire to explore.
What could there be in the underground world if he had obtained so much outside?
Black dragons, treasures, underground cities, ores, gray dwarves, night elves… All these words flashed through his mind.
That mysterious land filled him with anticipation.
Xina was in charge of clearing out any possible dangers. She led the blood-colored mummy forward.
Richard did not sit on the skeleton blood dragon. He controlled the sand to float in the air. He could react at any time if he encountered any danger.
He had already put the extraordinary hunter into his control ring.
He had only used this great killing machine for ten minutes. Now, the time he could fight had dropped to fifty minutes, which made his heart ache.
He did not know what he would encounter underground, so he could not use it recklessly.
He could only use it as a trump card and make the final decision at the most critical moment.
The underground passage was pitch-black. There was not a single bit of light in sight.
Richard did not let his subordinates light the torches.
Undead creatures relied on their soul perception, and darkness could not affect them.
He and Xina were the only normal creatures.
But Xina’s bloodline was remarkable. And she could maintain sufficient battle strength in the darkness.
Although Richard could not see his surroundings clearly, he could control the power of the yellow sand.
He allowed a small amount of sand to float in the air, extending a distance of 100 meters.
Through the feedback from the impact of the sand, he could sense what was in front of him.
This kind of sensing ability was even better than his eyes.
The troop gradually went deeper into the tunnel. From time to time, a breeze would blow through the tunnel. The air was not stuffy at all.
After about ten minutes, there was a sudden movement in front of them.
Xina’s voice came from the whisper crystal.
“Lord Richard, we found several cavemen in a cave.”
‘Several cavemen?’
Richard was a little interested.
He immediately ordered the army to speed up and catch up with Xina.
An enormous cave was on the right side of the passage. A kind of moss gave off a faint light around the rock wall.
The blood-colored mummy blocked the door.
It focused its gaze.
Several ugly-looking troglodytes came into view.
Troglodytes were standard underground life forms.
They had enormous gray eyes. Their arms were sturdy, and their bent backs were like broken nine-segment whips.
They were full of deformities.
There was an intensely distinct difference between them and surface life forms.
After Xina saw him, she immediately opened her mouth to explain.
“Lord Richard, cavemen are the lowest life forms of the dungeon race.
“Because they have poor appetite for food, even moss can fill their stomachs. That was why one could widely find in all kinds of forces.
“The number of cavemen here is no less than 30,000…
“When we launched the attack, they were resting, so we didn’t see many of them.”
Richard looked at the trembling underground lifeform and frowned.
It was too ugly.
He had seen one on the surface, and the other party had even revealed the information about the night elves.
But one was fine, but when there were too many of them, just looking at them was disgusting.
He immediately lost interest.
He didn’t have the slightest intention of bringing these cavemen back to Twilight City. It would take him less than three days to fail with 90 points of popular support if he brought them back.
The cost of governing the lives of different races would double if they lived together.
“What do you suggest?”
Xina thought for a moment.
“Cavemen are only suitable to live in the dark underground environment. If they live in an environment that is too bright, they will lose sight.
“I suggest that they stay here temporarily. We can make these people who are naturally good at digging into the labor force if we need to build a city underground in the future.”
Richard nods. After he thought for a moment, he waved his hand and left Baal, the knight hero, behind.
He asked Baal to lead the giant axe death knights to guard these cavemen.
The underground world’s environment was harsh. And it is a swamp to go out, and it is difficult for the cavalry to play.
It was suitable for guarding.
After Richard dealt with it, just as he was about to leave, his expression suddenly froze.
He suddenly turned his head and looked in a direction of the cave.
His gaze was somewhat playful.
“A rat is hiding in here.
“I’ve caught you.”
The moment he finished speaking.
The sand on the ground suddenly surged out.
It pounced towards a corner.
They could hear an unbelievably angry roar.
It forcefully lifted a transparent figure into the sky.
Countless grains of sand cover, one could see a figure frantically struggling and twisting.
Richard controlled the grains of sand and brought the human figure to him.
Perhaps, knowing there was no hope of escaping, the other party took the initiative to reveal himself.
It was a medium-sized humanoid with two short bull horns on its head.
It wore gray leather armor, and strange runes were engraved on its exposed skin.
It looked strange.
[Dungeon Barbarian, Level 9, D-rank hero, Shadow Stalker]
After Richard glanced at the other party’s stats panel, he became somewhat interested.
“And a hero?
“You’re from Bloodhoof City?”
When the dungeon barbarian hero heard the question, it was still angry a moment ago. It panted and unexpectedly calmed down.
That pair of blood-red eyes looked directly at Richard.
“Lord,” it said respectfully.
“Respected human champion, Gray Horn sends you the noblest greetings.”
Then he added, “I am a member of Bloodhoof City.”
Gray Horn?
When he looked at its two short horns, Richard smiled.
This name was quite good.
After he sized up the other party, his smile disappeared and his tone became solemn.
“Hero of Bloodhoof City, what is your purpose for coming here?”
“Respected human powerhouse, my mission is to find the traitor of the gray dwarves!”
Gray horn replied honestly.
“When I arrived, the gravel blocked the passage. To find out what happened, I hid here.
“After the gravel was cleared, you appeared…”
Richard narrowed his eyes.
“Your mental state is normal. Very good. You didn’t lie. You won the chance to live.”
These words made the other party heave a sigh of relief.
When it lowered its head, its tone became more respectful.
“Bloodhoof City has always liked to make friends, especially with a powerhouse like you.
“If the Lord knew that you came from the surface, he would treat you warmly.
“The Dungeon Race’s hospitality? Are you sure it’s not a cold joke?”
Richard thought for a moment and said softly.
“You are now my prisoner of war. During the war, you will be executed immediately.”
These words made the other party’s heart rise to his throat again.
After Richard said these, he changed the topic.
“But I can give you a chance. You can use treasures, resources, or enough information to exchange for your life.”
The understatement made Gray Horn feel an indescribable heavy pressure.
The other party’s words could decide his life and death now.
His fate was no longer in his hands the moment they discovered him.
He let out a long sigh.
“Respected human powerhouse, I would never dare to hide what you need to know.
“It seems you have chosen to use the information to exchange for your life.
“I like smart people.”
Richard stared at him.
“Do you know about the mithril lode?”
“Mithril?”
This word stunned Gray Horn, and he hesitated.
“Respected powerhouse, mithril is very rare and precious underground.
“I have never heard of any faction occupying the mithril lode, but…”
As he spoke, he glanced at Richard and waited for him to signal for him to continue speaking.
“But Bloodhoof City once obtained a portion of mithril.”
“The castellan is currently using it as a mission reward. As long as you can complete the mission, you will be able to obtain that portion of mithril.”
Oh?
This news was out of Richard’s expectations.
Xina had previously said that she had interrogated a half-snake man and found out that the grey dwarves seemed to possess a mithril lode.
She did not expect Bloodhoof City did not to have this information.
She looked away and focused on another point — blood hoof city also had mithril.
“What kind of mission is the reward of mithril?”
When Gray Horn that Richard seemed interested, it became more spirited.
“A lot of food and liquor.”
Richard was stunned and turned to look at Hina.
Didn’t they say that mithril was very precious?
Why was it used to exchange for food and liquor?
Xina saw his confusion and explained in a soft voice.
“Lord Richard, the war between Bloodhoof City and the gray dwarves has made the underground world, where food is already scarce, even tense.
“You’d better not view the underground world from the surface.
“The rules here are starkly different from the surface.
“Food is even more precious than gemstones.”
When Richard stared at the dungeon barbarian in front of him, he nodded.
Richard suddenly realized.
He found a way to open the underground world.
A smile appeared on his face.
“Sir Gray Horn, Twilight City has always been kind to people and likes to make friends as much as Bloodhoof City.”
“I’m very interested in exchanging food and liquor for mithril that you mentioned.
“Of course, other than the exchange of mithril, we also need other goods.
“My territory also uses all kinds of delicious food. Maybe, it can help you…”