The light in the pipe flickered, and smoke rings came out of Ian's mouth. The old man rode on his thin horse, tapped the ash in the pipe, and said to Allen next to him, "I've been to that damn place, the Land of Shadows, three times. Even in broad daylight, it's as quiet as a tomb. When my teacher took me there for the first time, I was not afraid of being laughed at by the adults, but I almost peed my pants. After coming back, I didn't feel anything doing that in bed with a woman, and it took more than a month for me to recover … "
"Because on that trip, I saw the Shadow Demons. Those demons that appear in the darkness and shadows, and easily tear open the belly of a horse with their sharp claws … "
No one had specific statistics on how big the Cold Ridge Mountains were. However, it was recognized that this mountain area was very deep and wide, and it was also the largest mountain area after entering the Northern Region. The route taken by the Frost Wind City guides was usually to enter the mountains and walk along the spiral stairs, which was a continuous mountain road that circled around the mountains. Going down the spiral stairs, one would enter the Gray Stone Canyon, where the terrain was relatively flat. After passing through the canyon, one could leave the mountains in two days.
As for the Land of Shadows, it was a valley located on the other side of the spiral stairs. The road was spacious, but because it was located in the shade of the mountains, the valley was gloomy and terrifying all year round. There was no sunlight even during the day, and as Ian said, the valley was like a huge tomb. The Shadow Demons were a specialty of the Land of Shadows. Those humanoid creatures with long hands and feet were good at climbing mountains and ridges. They did not like sunlight, and hid in the Land of Shadows all year round. Occasionally, they would flee to other areas, but only to hunt for prey. The Shadow Demons would only appear after sunset, and of course, in the Land of Shadows, they could be encountered even during the day.
The route provided by Ian could be said to be the backup route of the Frost Wind City guides. If there was no need, they would never be willing to go through the Land of Shadows, let alone through the Acabi Promenade. It was a long and narrow rift valley. Acabi was the local legend of Frost Wind City, the god of death. Acabi was in charge of death, so the rift valley was named after him, and had the nickname of Death Valley.
Every few years, a large number of animals in the mountains would die in the Acabi Promenade for unknown reasons. Some people had witnessed a large number of mountain black sheep suicidally jumping into the rift valley. This phenomenon was called the sacrifice of the god of death by the people of Frost Wind City. They believed that even if they did not die after entering the Acabi Promenade, they would be haunted by bad luck.
Speaking of the Acabi Promenade, one had to mention the underground tunnel. That was another ancient legend of Frost Wind City. Legend had it that the ancestors of Frost Wind City had accidentally entered a cave in the Acabi Promenade and knocked on the underground door. They had entered a majestic underground world, which was located beneath the Coldspine Mountain Range. There was an ancient and majestic city. The underground city was long and narrow. The other end of the city was far away from the mountain range, and one could enter the other side of the Northern Territory.
It was worth mentioning that there were some ugly burrowing creatures living in the underground city. They occupied the underground tunnel and occasionally appeared in the Acabi Promenade through the tunnel that was connected to the surface. However, no one had actually seen them in the past hundred years.
"We call them cave dwellers …" Ian's father said as he switched to a new pack of tobacco. "That's how our ancestors described them on the walls of the Temple of Light. "They walk like people. They have distorted facial features and sparse hair. They eat corpses and even all living things." "They even eat themselves." "We should be glad that these terrible creatures are decreasing, but God knows how many of them there are."
"They linger in the tunnel, with the shadows, and sing above the flesh." They guard the tunnel and refuse all visitors … "
Ian spoke like a poem, and finally said, "My lord, legend has it that there are more terrible demons in the underground tunnel. They are the masters of the cavemen." "These things guard the underground city, and I hope we don't run into them when we pass through the Acabi Promenade."
After listening, Allen and Lucy in the carriage quickly exchanged glances. From Lucy's expression, it could be seen that Her Royal Highness was thinking the same thing as him. If what the ancestors of Frost Wind City said was true, then the so-called underground tunnel was likely to be a relic, similar to the King Snake's land or the Blood King's tomb. It was just that it was hidden deeper and had not been discovered yet.
As time went on, Allen found that the light above his head was getting dimmer and dimmer. The mountains on both sides were also getting higher, and the sun began to be unable to shine on the ground. The road ahead was shrouded in dim light, as dim as dusk. The temperature dropped significantly, and the atmosphere became more and more oppressive. At this time, the team just moved forward silently. No one spoke, and only the sound of the wheels rolling over the ground could be heard.
They had entered the Shadow Land.
There were many forks in the Shadow Land, and the environment did not change significantly. In addition, the light in this area was dim, so it was easy to get lost. However, the guides of Frost Wind City did not rely on the geographical environment to find the way in the Shadow Land. They relied on the direction of the water vein. Ian stopped from time to time to dig up the soil and smell or taste it. The residents of Frost Wind City were not born guides. An experienced guide like Ian would accept some students before he retired and pass on his experience and knowledge.
Ian's knowledge of identifying the direction of the water vein was also taught by his teacher. Whether it was looking for a water source or in a place with a complex environment like the Shadow Land, as long as one could grasp the direction of the water vein, they would basically not get lost. Ian did not go to the Shadow Land many times, but he could find the exit by following the water vein. Regarding this, his father was quite confident.
However, in the evening, Ian stopped more and more, and his face began to show an anxious expression.
"What's wrong, Ian's father?" Allen stopped the team and walked to the old man.
Ian was digging up a piece of soil. He lay on the ground like a saint on a pilgrimage, and tasted the moisture of the soil. Then he stood up and said in a heavy tone, "I'm not too sure, my lord. I seem to have lost my way, and it's like the water vein has changed its original direction. Although I haven't been here for a long time, I still remember the general direction of the exit. But now, the water vein I'm following is no longer flowing to the location I know. It's going somewhere else. "
Allen was stunned and asked, "Will the water vein change its direction?"
"Yes, but the process is very slow. It's impossible to do it without hundreds of years of effort. The last time I came to the Shadow Land was only ten years ago. In such a short time, the water vein should not have changed, unless … "
At this time, Edward came to the two of them and whispered to Allen, "Something's wrong. We found a mine ahead."
"A mine?" Ian almost jumped up. "Impossible. There's nothing worth mining in the Shadow Land except stones!"
Edward shrugged and did not want to explain more. Allen patted his shoulder and said, "Let's go and take a look."
Sure enough, they did not go far. When the team turned a corner, they could see a mine in front of them.
At this time, it was finally dark.
After coming out from the corner, they could see a mine that was submerged in the dim light. Facing the corner was the open gate of the mine. One side of the gate was still fixed on a wooden bolt, while the other side was scattered on the ground, covered by a thick layer of dust and gravel. An iron plate on the gate was constantly shaking in the wind, and the words on it were so black that they could not be seen clearly. On both sides of the gate, there were wooden walls that were two meters tall. Some parts of the wooden walls had collapsed, and it seemed that they were hit by external forces.
Behind the wall, there was a tall wooden building that looked like a sentry tower or something. One side of the roof of the wooden building had collapsed, and there was a flag that was half burned on it.
After walking through the gate, they could see a reservoir. The pond was overflowing, and a channel wound its way up the hillside. Then, Allen saw a manger and a stable behind it, a row of wooden houses, a half-collapsed warehouse, broken carts, simple tracks, and so on.
The caravan followed him into the mine. Looking at the abandoned mine, Ian opened his mouth wide, as if he could not believe his eyes. The team stopped in front of the wooden houses, which looked very simple and crude. Some of the houses had collapsed, but most of them were still intact. The rooms were not comfortable, but they were enough for one night. Allen planned to let the caravan spend the night here, and Fares began to arrange for people to be on night duty.
Allen called Regis and the others, and brought a dozen soldiers to check other parts of the mine. The mine seemed to have been abandoned not long ago, and from the traces of the buildings, it seemed that they had been attacked by something. Many of the outer walls of the buildings had traces of sharp objects scratching them, and many places had traces of burning, as well as scattered bullets. Of course, there were also a lot of bloodstains. Most of them had turned into dark patches, and some were even mixed with the lime. If one did not look carefully, it would be difficult to distinguish them.
As for the mines, the inside had collapsed and been blocked by falling stones. Some scattered tools could be seen among the stones, but not a single corpse. This made the mine look unusually "clean", but also lifeless.
"What is being mined here …"
Allen and the others walked out of a wooden building, which seemed to be the residence of the mine's foreman, but they could not find any record of the mine. They did not know if it had been taken away or destroyed. Returning to the wooden house, Ian said worriedly, "Sir, we should not stay in this place. This place makes me very uneasy. Maybe we can find another place to camp for the night. "
"Father Ian, you can see that everyone is very tired. And the night in the Shadow Land is so dark, I don't think it is a good idea to travel in the dark at this time. " Allen shook his head and said, "Let us spend the night here. I will send more people to prevent any accidents. You can rest assured."
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