What appeared in front of Vahina was an abyss. A natural stone bridge connected the two ends of the abyss, the gray bridge about two to three feet wide extending straight ahead until it disappeared into the shadows.
The cold wind blowing from both sides of the abyss seemed to carry visible shapes. It was as if pale ghosts were emerging from the darkness, whistling as they swept past the stone bridge. Vahina's laced lapel and collar were blown up by the wind, covering her pale face due to excessive blood loss.
The dim light of the torch flickered, and the girl's eyes that were as blue as the sea appeared even more profound under the flickering light.
A long line of people was advancing on the stone bridge. There were people from Cruz and Fanzin, led by Valla, Veronica, Cidney, Rodrigue, and a few dukes. Behind them were a group of Knights and human soldiers.
Vahina followed behind Andrique and Mephistopheles. Mephistopheles introduced the place to everyone along the way. It was once the home of the Alcalá dwarves, the Anlong Mines. The dwarves built an ancient kingdom here, but the tunnels that went deep underground opened a connection between the Beehive and the surface world. Countless monsters swarmed out of the darkness, and the dwarven kingdom was soon destroyed by the monsters' invasion.
Vahina had heard of this terrible underground city. Hidden in the darkness were treasures that coexisted with danger. Many adventurers came here through Mehotofen and disappeared into the labyrinthine system of underground caverns. Some people said that the ones who took their lives were the ghosts of the dwarves of the past who wandered in the mines. These ghosts wandered in the dark corners, repeating their endless chatter and regret day after day. The voices hidden in the gloomy wind made people shudder.
Vahina coughed a few times, which pulled at her wound, causing her face to turn pale. She covered her collar to prevent the cold wind from blowing into her neck as she whispered to the vampire siblings in front of her, "Andrique, Mephistopheles, is Brando here too?"
Andrea turned around and looked at her. Her eyes were as pure as blood, flashing with an unpredictable brilliance, but she didn't answer. Mephistopheles responded with an apologetic smile, "Master is not here. We are here because of a coincidence."
"Is it safe here?" Rodrigue, the leader of the Order of the Silver Horse, asked. His face was as calm as water, and his eyes flashed with the light of contemplation. It was obvious that he did not trust the vampire siblings.
"Don't worry, everyone. We're under the mountains of Alkash. Those monsters won't be able to find us easily. Besides, we're in the ruins of a saint. There are two holy statues on the other side of the bridge. They'll stop any intruders."
"Holy Relics?"
"The dwarves built defensive facilities at the entrance of their kingdom. They can drive away all evil creatures in the darkness."
"Unfortunately, they didn't expect that destruction would come from the other side." Andrique mocked in a cold tone.
These words made the Cruz people fall silent.
"Where does this lead to?" Rodrigue asked again.
"This underground passage has not been used for hundreds of years. It leads to the southern foot of the Alkash Mountains. That is the forest north of the Wilderness of Four Territories." Mephistopheles replied.
"Is it reliable?"
"Very reliable."
Rodrigue was silent. He was not familiar with the vampire siblings, but he could see that they knew the Cruz people. So he looked at Veronica, who was beside him.
"Did Brando ask you to come here to guide us, Mephistopheles?" Veronica finally opened her mouth. Her voice was a little low, just like her current mood.
Morpheus shook his head. "No, Madam Veronica. Ever since we left Rushta, we were separated from our master. It was by chance that we ended up here. We knew that you were trapped here because of some other fortuitous encounters."
"Adventure?"
Everyone walked along the stone bridge. On the platform at the other end of the long bridge, the outlines of two huge stone statues gradually appeared. In the darkness, two giant dwarven statues gradually appeared. They were about 60 feet tall. Everyone was like ants under their feet. The two statues held war hammers high in their hands.
The edges of the war hammers emitted a cold light.
Everyone, including Valla, was captivated by this underground wonder. No one, including Valla, thought that there was such a place under the Alcala Mountains.
"In fact, there is a lord who wants to meet you," Mephistopheles' voice continued. "He told us that there will be a war at Mount Ordos that will affect the future of the Cruz people. But the future is hidden behind a heavy fog. He asked us to come and guide you —"
"What a big talk." Rodrigue was very dissatisfied with this statement and snorted.
Veronica, on the other hand, was a little surprised. To be able to predict the battle at Mount Ordos Pass, this person must be one of the top astrologers in the world. She asked respectfully, "Sir, did he already predict the battle at Mount Ordos Pass? Did he already know the origin of the monsters outside? "
"I'm sorry," Mephistopheles smiled. "Andrique and I are not very clear about this. In fact, this is all we know."
"Mephistopheles …?"
"Lord Sword Saint came here with us. He seems to know the lord, but he didn't tell us."
Everyone looked at each other, not knowing who the mysterious lord was.
"Mephistopheles," Vahina said at this time. "On the battlefield, you are much stronger than when you were in Rushta. Is it also because of that lord?"
Vahina had fought side by side with Mephistopheles and the others in Rushta. She naturally knew that his strength was around the level of Elemental Activation. But when he saved her from Crystal on the battlefield, his strength was obviously higher than that. He also showed a strange power that she had only seen in Brando before.
"Yes," Mephistopheles replied. "This is the opportunity that the lord gave to me and Andrique. With this power, we can return to Master's side sooner."
Vahina was stunned. For many people in this world, Elemental Activation was the highest level that they could achieve in their lifetime. But according to Mephistopheles, the mysterious lord seemed to be able to raise people to a higher level with just a lift of his hand. What kind of power was this?
For a moment, Valla, Veronica, and Cidney who knew about the vampire siblings could not help but feel a storm in their hearts. On the other hand, the nobles of Cruz and Rodrigue who had not seen Mephistopheles and Andrique before were calm and did not have any direct feelings about it.
Vahina could not help but bite her lower lip. She faintly felt that the distance between her and Brando was getting farther and farther. Back in the Loop of Trade Winds, she was still the student of the Empire's only female Sword Saint and the most favored daughter of the Mehotofen family. But in an instant, the status of the two had changed. Now that the Empire was falling apart, her family was naturally not spared. Now that she had matured little by little, she could only watch the backs of the two people moving forward.
Elise followed behind her sister. At her age, she was not too interested in these adult topics. Although the Empire had fallen, at least her family was still around. So she did not feel much sadness. Instead, she asked curiously, "Mephistopheles, what kind of person is your master? Why did you call my sister 'Mistress' before — Ouch!"
Before she could finish her sentence, her sister clenched her teeth and gave her a hard tug.
"Hehehe, are you shy, sister?"
"Shut up, Elise!"
After passing by two dwarven stone statues and a long, dark passage, the outline of a door gradually emerged in the darkness. The door seemed to be carved out of a huge stone. The surface of the door was embossed with golden lines. The pattern on it was the history of the birth of the dwarves. Sparks flew out from the furnace of the God of Craftsmen, Eam, and fell on the Silver Plains, forming the image of the dwarves.
This was the history recorded in the Pale Poem, and everyone recognized it. In fact, there was a similar underground city gate in the Dwarf Kingdom in the Broken Sword Mountain Range, but the scale was much smaller. It was said that the Alcalá Dwarves inherited part of the Rune Dwarves' culture, and now it seemed that the rumors were true.
Valla, the Great Seigneur, remained silent. His eyes fell on the two doors. He had been thinking about something. He recalled some of the rumors about the Sacred Mountain and the scenes that happened here sixty years ago.
The door was tightly shut. It was more than forty feet tall, only slightly less than the height of the two colossal statues. One had to look up to see the whole thing. When the crowd approached the door, it automatically made a dull roar and slowly opened inwards, as if welcoming guests.
Everyone was shocked by this scene. Only Rodney frowned and muttered, "Pretending to be mysterious."
Behind the door was an extremely spacious hall. The hall seemed to be immersed in deep darkness. Huge square pillars stood tall under the light of the torches. They were shaped like tree trunks in a dark forest. The light of the fire stretched out the thick shadows, sticking close to each other.
The top of these pillars were completely merged into the dark shadows. Only a part of the dome could be seen when looking up. This cave may have been formed naturally. The shadows were densely covered with inverted stalagmites.
In the depths of the hall, Vahina saw a ball of fire.
The firelight was located in the central area surrounded by dozens of pillars. It was emitted from a silver candlestick on a short table made of red pine wood. Beside the table was a long bench, and an old man wearing a silver robe and a monocle was sitting on the bench.
Before the crowd arrived, the old man held a thick octavo book in his hand and was reading it attentively. As if he noticed Vahina's gaze, he suddenly closed the book and looked up, revealing a pair of bright red eyes like agates.
The Miirnas.
Everyone's heart trembled.
… …
PS: I've resumed the update. By the way, I recommend the book "Ascension into Sainthood".
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