Chapter 61: Shadow Rift
2015-02-14
Author: Floating Tower (诸生浮屠)
The most important part of a plant is undoubtedly its roots.
Many old trees can sprout new buds even if their trunks are cut down, but if there’s a problem with the roots, they certainly won’t live for long. The mutated plant creatures of the Overseas Islands are all like this. Whether it’s a man-eating flower, a man-eating tree, or other unfamiliar mutated plants, their vital core lies in the roots. Anything above ground can be chopped off without death; in no time, it can grow back.
Plants mutated to this extent are almost like animals!
Although they don’t have as much intelligence as animals, they still behave according to their instincts. This area seems to be one of the places left behind after the Great Catastrophe, but it’s unknown what exactly lies within. With Soren’s current strength, dealing with these creatures is certainly not a big problem for him, but this place is too strange, and he doesn’t dare to venture deeper. It would be better to come back to investigate later; he has many pressing matters to attend to now.
However.
Just as Soren was about to seal off this place temporarily to keep others away, Adele Isabella seemed to see something. She raised her hand and pointed, saying, “Your Excellency, look! There seems to be something over there!”
What is it?
Soren paused his steps at her words and looked to the side, indeed spotting a grayish-black object. He cautiously approached, paying attention to the strange trees nearby, and then reached out to grasp a corner, preparing to lift it up. However, when he pulled, it wouldn’t budge; it seemed part of it was buried underground. With no other choice, he gestured to the Red-Haired Pirate Woman behind him, and the two simultaneously used their weapons to dig up the grayish-black stone.
“It’s obsidian!”
A hint of disbelief appeared on Soren’s face as he examined the grayish-black stone in his hand. Due to long-term weathering and erosion, this obsidian no longer resembled its former state, but it can vaguely be identified as part of a sculptural structure. It must have existed for a long time.
Obsidian is a very strong and durable mineral, and being weathered like this must have taken thousands of years!
This is a rare mineral.
It can be used in many ways, but the most common and extensive use is in sculptures. In Soren’s memory, it seems that there are only two significant places.
The first is Golem Puppets!
The second is Wizard Towers!
Whether it’s Golem Puppets or Wizard Towers, this area was definitely once the territory of a powerful wizard long ago. With remnants of artificially polished obsidian present, it’s highly likely that there are some wizard-related objects inside.
There may even be a Wizard Tower!
Thinking of this, Soren’s breath quickened a bit. Even a ruined Wizard Tower that has lasted for thousands of years would be quite tempting for him. Even if all its functionalities were destroyed, many of the items stored within would hold astonishing value. Moreover, if Soren is not mistaken, this site could be an ancient relic left over from the Arcane Empire. There might be surviving information and spells from the Arcane Empire, and their value is almost impossible to estimate.
“Let’s go in and take a look!”
Originally planning to leave, Soren decided to explore as he instructed the Red-Haired Pirate Woman behind him, “Keep an eye on our surroundings. Let’s try not to disturb these plants; they seem to be asleep.”
By now, the sky had darkened a bit.
Soren looked up at the sky, then signaled to Adele Isabella beside him. The two parted ways and circled around. There were many strange trees and plants surrounding them, all larger in size, resembling an ancient primeval forest. Occasionally, they brushed against a leaf, and the whole plant would shiver slightly. However, it seemed they didn’t react aggressively; these peculiar plants seemed to attack nearby creatures only when they were threatened or needed to feed.
This is quite similar to how wild beasts become less aggressive after having eaten!
The view ahead gradually opened up.
Soren saw a large patch of pale purple flowers. He frowned and observed them closely, murmuring, “Mandrake? No, wait! They just look a bit like it!”
He turned back to the Red-Haired Pirate Woman and said in a hushed voice, “Be careful. Let’s go around!”
This place doesn’t seem to have grown naturally.
Rather, it appears to be something that was artificially cultivated in the past but has survived due to some reasons. There are strange seeds on the ground, presumably left behind by these plants, but most of them haven’t germinated because the soil can’t support so many plants. Some of the seeds have already decayed and disappeared, yet some have remained, though it’s unclear what purpose they serve. Soren feels these plants are very dangerous, purely relying on the instincts of an experienced Wanderer, so he didn’t dare disturb them.
Many of these plants feel almost alive!
Having bypassed these strange flowers, remnants of broken buildings emerged in front of them. Due to severe weathering and the surrounding growth of strange foliage, Soren couldn’t pinpoint exactly what they were based on his experience. He even couldn’t find an entrance to the building in front of him, making it impossible to assess the situation from the outside. Not all underground ruins provide you with an entrance, nor do they help you dig a tunnel for exploration.
In higher-end or older locations, many underground ruins won’t even leave you a hole!
What would you do then?
Dig!
Dig it yourself!
Creating a hole, digging a tunnel; many high-end adventurer teams had done just that. Many sunken cities in the desert would often collapse due to quicksand, with many people having dug their way through seeking treasures. When Soren saw that this ruin hadn’t left him even a single hole, he realized today’s exploration could only end here. The building had completely sunk underground; it might even be filled with seawater—many situations could arise.
It was impossible to enter at this time!
Soren had to open a passage here, then arrange for people to come and dig, finally seeking a tunnel through which they could enter together.
He lingered a moment to observe.
Preparing to memorize the surrounding environment along with some landmark features, but at that moment, the Red-Haired Pirate Woman suddenly said, “Your Excellency! Look at that corner of the wall; there seems to be something unusual!”
Such strong searching abilities!?
Soren looked at the Red-Haired Pirate Woman, a bit surprised, and moved toward the wall. This woman seemed to have either a strong intuition or exceptional basic skills, appearing slightly better than him in terms of observation. Before him was a plant resembling a lantern fruit, and he didn’t dare get too close but instead circled around to the back. There, he saw a peculiar grayish rift.
“A spatial rift!?”
Soren’s expression turned slightly astonished. He glanced at it and muttered, “The Shadow Plane?! This building is connected to the Shadow Plane? It seems like a permanently stabilized dimensional rift! Could it be that the previous owner opened a stable teleportation channel here?”
The Shadow Plane.
The non-material plane that Soren is most familiar with.
Just by glancing at the spatial rift before him, he had already guessed its general purpose and cause, and he was confident that the likelihood of him being correct was over ninety percent.
This isn’t arrogance; it’s confidence!
He has traversed the Shadow Plane countless times in the past and even survived there for a while.
“Let’s go.”
Soren looked up at the darkening sky and said slowly, “We’ll come back later; it’s too dangerous to rush in now.”
The Shadow Plane should not be trespassed lightly.
Although it connects to the Material Plane, the environments of the two are not the same, and there might be ancient and dangerous creatures present. In the Shadow Plane, you could encounter monsters with challenge levels above the Third Tier at any time, and the ratio of near-legendary special life forms and legendary-level monsters is significantly higher than in the Material Plane.
Moreover, many areas have Shadow Dragons!
…
The two carefully retreated, and at this point, the camp was almost completed.
Although it was still very rudimentary after just one day’s time, Soren didn’t impose any strict requirements. What they discovered in the strange jungle was the focus of Soren’s attention. The slaves had been corralled together by the pirates and, after a half day of labor, received some food. Although it was very coarse and of poor quality, at least it filled their stomachs. Soren wasn’t a stingy person; if he didn’t feed the slaves, they wouldn’t have the strength to work—it’s a simple principle.
The night passed quickly.
Just as Soren woke up and prepared to contemplate how to explore that strange place, the Half-Elf First Mate rushed in with a grim face and said, “Your Excellency! Three slaves escaped quietly last night!”
What!?
Soren’s expression darkened instantly.
Noticing his expression, the Half-Elf First Mate quickly added, “But two of them were caught just as they ran out; the other one escaped into the jungle, and I’ve sent people to catch him.”
“The ones who escaped are all Indigenous Persons!”
“Your Excellency, I suggest putting shackles on these Indigenous Persons for labor; they are much less obedient than the other slaves!”
Soren’s face turned very somber.
After hearing the Half-Elf First Mate’s words, he gently shook his head, then said coldly, “No need! Send my orders to prepare two crosses and nail the two escaped slaves to them; let the crosses be erected where those slaves are working.”
The Half-Elf First Mate revealed a hint of cruel amusement at this and quickly nodded, “Understood! Your Excellency!”
“I’ll take care of it right away.”
They are pirates.
Pirates are not a merciful profession; they need to make these slaves understand fear!
… (To Be Continued ~^~)
