Published: March 11, 2025
Chapter 24: A Good Place
After emerging from the space, Merlin's expression was very excited. It was no wonder, as he saw Yu's sigh interrupting Zhao Hai's train of thought.
Zhao Hai turned his head to look, and it was indeed Merlin. Merlin was now gazing at the colorful mist, and with a long sigh, he said, "What a beautiful sight. Who could have imagined that such a beautiful scene is actually the deadliest thing on the continent? This seven-colored toxic fog is the greatest barrier of the Corpse Swamp. Since records began, no more than ten people have survived after entering this seven-colored toxic fog. Moreover, all of those who came out were top experts on the continent. Even for such capable individuals, they do not live beyond five years after emerging from the seven-colored toxic fog. No matter how powerful a priest or a pharmacist is, they cannot save them."
Zhao Hai felt a chill run down his back. As he looked at the mist, its colorful brilliance appeared so eerie, as if countless evil spirits were grinning at him.
He dared not look any longer and said to the wooden figure waiting ahead, "Let's go." The wooden figure responded and walked forward.
They were now walking from the top of the mountain toward the back of the iron ore mountain. It was strange—on the front side of the iron ore mountain, the grass looked malnourished, while on the back side, the grass was thriving, dark green and full of life. However, it did not grow abundantly like on the front; instead, it was clustered in small patches here and there, while other areas were barren, resembling a mangy creature with just a few tufts of hair.
Merlin followed closely beside Zhao Hai and said to Zhao Hai and the wooden figure, "Young master, Wooden, be careful not to touch those grasses. They might be poisonous. Wooden is strong and sturdy, so he might be fine, but young master, since you drank the Void Water, you must avoid these things."
Zhao Hai was taken aback. Although he thought Merlin was being a bit overly cautious, he did not dare to let his guard down. The Corpse Swamp had a notorious reputation, so it was best to be careful.
Carefully avoiding the grasses, they followed the wooden figure for about five hundred meters and soon saw a small cave. This cave was not very large; it could barely fit three people inside and was only about two meters high. The cave appeared dark and echoed with the sound of water.
Merlin stepped ahead of Zhao Hai, conjuring a light orb that illuminated the path ahead, leading Zhao Hai into the cave.
It was evident that this cave was also a mining tunnel built by the dwarf clan. It was constructed very neatly, with stones stacked in a very even manner.
After walking for about five minutes inside the cave, they came to an open area. This space was clearly a temporary resting place or storage area for the dwarf clan. There were no living quarters here, just a flat area of over three hundred square meters, with the sound of water coming from their right side.
The wooden figure turned to Zhao Hai and said, "Young master, over there is a mountain lake. I don't know if it is connected to the mountain lake behind our castle, but if we head left, we can enter that valley."
Zhao Hai nodded. He did not look at the mountain lake; according to his estimate, the water here was likely linked to the lake behind their castle. Since they did not have large lighting tools, even if he looked, he wouldn't be able to discern much, so it was better not to.
The two followed the wooden figure into the left mining tunnel, which was quite wide, allowing ten people to walk side by side. It was also five meters high, and the ground was very dry, making it quite comfortable to walk on.
After walking for about another ten minutes, bright light suddenly appeared ahead. Merlin extinguished his illumination technique and quickly moved alongside Zhao Hai toward the source of the light.