The deeper you go into the mine, the more humid the environment inside the cave becomes.
Hilvy carefully avoided the dripping water droplets overhead, holding the torch and moving slowly through the cave—though the True Eye wouldn't be hindered by darkness without light, he did this merely to conserve Magic Power.
"Here we are at the fork," the nightingale leading the way paused. "Which cave is this?" "The first junction of Cave 23 and Gate 2." Lightning glanced at his notebook.
"Let's hope this is the end," Sylvie murmured, opening her eyes molded entirely by Magic Power. "Left... no ore left. Right... the same." Lightning recorded the results. "Then this cave still has one final door to inspect." "Let's go." Nightingale circled back from the front of the group to the rear, leading everyone back the same way. Her abilities seemed far more than just invisibility—Sylvie could only faintly see Nightingale's shifting Magic Power, unable to capture her form or movements. According to Lightning, she was the most powerful combat-type Witch in the Guild of Assistants.
This might explain why Roland chose her to follow him—rumors circulated that the mine had once been the lair of a mysterious creature, with several miners having gone missing before. Before setting out, Your Royal Highness had repeatedly warned her to exercise extreme caution, advising her to retreat from the mine if encountering any uncertain situation and report back to him.
Hilvy couldn't believe it. No creature could escape the Demon Eye's surveillance. Even the animal carcasses and writhing soft-bodied worms hidden in the stone walls were clearly visible to her.
The "Exploration Team" consisted of four members: herself, Nightingale, Lightning, and a young girl named Lucia. Whenever she discovered a mineral, she would turn it into various fragments, carefully sort them, and place them in her pocket, claiming they were meant for Your Highness to identify.
Lightning was in charge of mapping the mine's terrain, and as she put it, no adventure could do without her—her proud tone reminded Sylvie of the captain who had temporarily stationed himself on the Sleeping Island.
Cave No.23 was a massive deep cavern near the mine's base. After descending hundreds of steps, it forked into three paths. Further exploration along these branches would reveal more tunnels, but by then they'd likely have strayed far beyond the mining area. With little chance of finding ore veins, they decided to stop at this point.
At the original fork in the road—the 'gate' documented by Lightning—Hilvi activated his ability to observe the three additional gates in Cave No.23.
The wider the Real Eye's field of vision, the greater the Magic Power consumption, which also imposes a heavy physical burden. Thus, she opts to inspect each crossroads once, probing one passage at a time.
"Three more gates... Hmm, no mines. At the end..." She paused. "There are five forks, one of which appears to loop back downward." "Downward?" Lightning repeated.
"Indeed," Sylvie observed again. The narrow passage soon curved downward, heading straight toward the mining area. As she tried to follow the forked path, a wave of intense dizziness overwhelmed her, severing her connection with the Demon Eye. "Perhaps it leads to a deposit," she mused. But this explanation seemed far-fetched—the labyrinthine caverns of the North Slope Mine were clearly not man-made and would never be deliberately carved for ore. The previously discovered unexplained vein, sandwiched between two forks, had been hidden beneath the stone walls and soil—only the True Eye's ability to pierce through barriers could have revealed the metallic stones concealed there.
"Whatever it is, just go and see for yourself," the Nightingale said, shrugging her shoulders.
A group of people entered the cave through the third door in single file, and after about fifteen minutes, they reached the end of the passage.
The passage split into five branches at this point, with the narrowest one barely passable—only crawlable. The peculiar passage Sylvie had seen earlier lay midway between these forks, its terrain plunging steeply into a vertical slope that nearly met the ground beneath them.
"It looks quite deep," Nightingale said, holding up the torch. "I can't help but feel these caves resemble those in the Desolate Cliffs." "Let's get back after inspecting this," Lucia urged, grabbing Nightingale's arm. "I don't like this place... It feels like something's watching us from within." "There's nothing here but mud and rocks," Sylvie replied. Though she too disliked the quiet, damp surroundings, her ability confirmed it was safe. "All four paths are mineless—this is the exit," she said, scanning the straight fork before turning her gaze to the central one. A moment's hesitation followed. "...Hmm?" "What's wrong?" Lightning asked.
"I... can't see what's down there." "Can't see?" the girl exclaimed in surprise. "Is it exhaustion causing the ability to fail? Take a rest." "No, it's not about the ability," Sylvie closed her eyes and opened them again, but the darkness remained as if her vision had been stripped away. She forced back the headache and tried to widen her field of vision, yet nothing changed—the surrounding soil remained clearly visible, except for the central area completely shrouded in an impenetrable darkness, thick as ink. "Something's blocking my view." "Stay put," Nightingale drew two gleaming silver weapons. "I'll check it out and be back soon." "Don't go!" Sylvie pressed her swollen forehead to stop her. "Only one thing can cause this. You'd be in danger if you go." "What is it?" "The God's Stone," she gritted her teeth. "There's a God's Stone underground—one that covers the entire area!"
Upon learning the news, Roland immediately mobilized the First Army troops to the northern slope mine.
The final investigation confirmed Sylvie's suspicions—the vast God's Stone deposits were indeed hidden in the deep caverns at the mine's base.
After confirming the absence of danger, Roland entered Cave 23 under the protection of the Imperial Guards, determined to witness firsthand the appearance of the God's Stone that could banish all life at the mountain's base.
"Your Highness, be careful," Carter cautioned, "the exit is right ahead." "Magic Power isn't allowed here. It's safer for you to stay upstairs," Roland said, turning to Anna, Nightingale, and Lightning who were following him. "Why don't you learn from Sylvie?" "I'm stronger than you without Magic Power. If you can come, I can come too," Nightingale said with a pout.
"Where there is adventure, there is me," Lightning declared with a proud stride.
Without uttering a word, Anna fixed her gaze on Roland. When she saw those clear eyes glowing with the torchlight, Roland knew his words were in vain.
"Very well," he sighed, "you must stay close to me and not stray too far." As he followed the sloping cave to its end, Roland suddenly understood what Chief Knight meant by the "exit."
Suddenly, a vast and profound cave came into view before him.
Even without firelight, he could see the cave's full view—light streamed from God's Punishment Stones, crystal prisms rising from the ground, each spanning twenty to thirty meters in diameter, towering like neon towers before his eyes.