nagpurpolice Chapter 121: Members Discovered in the Ring of Ashes
Chapter 121: Members Discovered in the Ring of Ashes
Chapter 121: Members Discovered in the Ring of Ashes
After becoming Flame Cleansers of Radiant Rock City, the living conditions of Rolin and his companions improved.
They were housed in a detached stone house on the outskirts of the lord's fortress. Although still simple, it was more spacious and equipped with basic furniture and a native boy named Garu who was responsible for delivering their meals.
Their area of operation was restricted to the vicinity of the fortress and a specific route leading to the mine, and each time they went out, they were "accompanied" by a small squad of soldiers.
Lord Karug clearly didn't fully trust them, but with the threat of the Purple Plague Stone looming, he was willing to offer resources in exchange for a possible solution.
The next day, escorted by soldiers, the three went to the mine again.
This time they carried tools provided by the lord, some specially made high-temperature resistant and corrosion-resistant stone tongs and containers, as well as several warm firestones for stabilizing energy.
The depths of the mine were even hotter and more stifling than the outer areas, and the chaotic energy fluctuations in the air were also stronger.
As you descend along the newly opened, narrow passage that bypasses the area where the Purple Plague Stones are scattered, more ominous dark purple veins begin to appear on the surrounding rock walls, spreading like blood vessels.
"Energy erosion is intensifying."
Roland whispered to Flame Shield and Nightingale, the sensations from the echo unit in his mental sea becoming increasingly clear.
As he walked, he touched the rock wall with a crystal provided by the lord that could react to specific energies with color, recording the extent and depth of the erosion.
The young boy, Garu, followed behind, his face showing awe and a hint of fear, clutching a leather bag containing tools tightly.
After going in for about 100 meters, a fork in the passage appeared ahead.
The main passage continued downwards, extending into deeper veins, but the energy detection stones showed that the contamination reaction of the purple plague stone there was unusually strong.
The other fork in the road is relatively narrow and appears to be a naturally formed crack, where the detection stone reacts much weaker.
"Let's go check out the fork in the road first."
Flame Shield made a decision.
The main channel is too polluted; entering it rashly would be too risky.
The narrow crevice is only wide enough for one person to pass sideways. It is dark inside, with only faint illumination provided by the luminous crystals scattered in the rock walls.
After walking about ten meters, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a small natural cave.
In the center of the cave, there is a small pool of steaming, dark red water.
At the edge of the pool, several clumps of strange moss, emitting a faint blue-purple fluorescent glow, grew.
On the ground beside the pool, there were several pieces of pebbles that clearly showed signs of processing, and—half of a metal kettle that had been crushed and did not belong to this world!
Luo Lin's pupils contracted slightly, and he immediately signaled for silence.
Flame Shield and Nightingale tensed up instantly, their hands gripping their weapons.
The soldiers were puzzled, but seeing the three men's solemn expressions, they immediately raised their spears in a guarded manner.
Luo Lin stepped forward and carefully picked up the half of the kettle.
The kettle is made of an alloy common in the material world, and its surface has a flame emblem of a ring of ash, which is severely deformed and rusted, but still faintly discernible.
The marks on the nearby rubble also look like they were left by an energy blast or digging tools.
People from the Ash Ring have been here, and they may be nearby!
"Outsiders have been here."
Rolin spoke in a low voice to the squad leader, pointing to the insignia on his canteen.
Although the indigenous people do not recognize the symbol of the Ash Ring, they can understand the concept of "outsider".
The soldier squad leader's expression changed. He leaned closer to look at the water bottle, then warily scanned the cave.
"Search! Be careful!"
The soldiers dispersed and carefully searched every corner of the cave.
Luo Lin squatted by the pool, carefully observing the blue-purple moss.
The echo unit reported that these mosses contained a strange energy that seemed to have a weak absorption and transformation effect on the source of corruption, perhaps a product of this special environment.
Just then, from behind a huge rock deep inside the cave, came the extremely faint sound of gravel sliding down!
"There's someone behind us!"
The nightingale let out a low cry, and its figure vanished from its spot in an instant, darting behind the rocks as if blending into the shadows!
Flame Shield followed closely behind, with the tower shield protecting him.
A short gasp and a burst of magical light came from behind the rocks!
This was followed by a dull thud from the clash of metal and the collision of energy!
Rowling and his soldiers rushed over immediately.
Behind the rock was a smaller depression, where two human wizards, dressed in tattered dark red robes and covered in burns and stains, were leaning against the rock wall, barely managing to withstand the attacks of Nightingale and Flame Shield.
Their eyes were sunken, and their faces showed exhaustion and panic; they were members of the Ash Ring!
Moreover, judging from the energy fluctuations, he is a first-ring wizard, but his condition is very poor.
Seeing more soldiers and Rolin disguised as a native appear, despair filled the eyes of the two Ash Ring wizards.
"Surrender! Or die!"
Flame Shield blocked a weakened fireball with his tower shield and shouted sharply in the common language of the Prime Material Plane.
The two wizards exchanged a glance, seemingly giving up the fight. One of them spoke in a hoarse voice, "No—don't kill us—we surrender—"
Nightingale stepped forward, quickly removed their staffs and dimensional bags, and bound them with specially made ropes. The soldiers, meanwhile, curiously observed these two "strange-looking, weak-soul-flame" outsiders.
Luo Lin walked closer and examined him carefully.
The two individuals showed signs of corruption from the source of energy, but only slightly; the damage was more from the harsh environment they had endured.
Why did they appear in this remote cave?
Did they get lost while exploring, or were they intentionally avoiding it?
"What are you doing here? Is there anyone else here?"
"I asked in Common Language," Rowling asked in a deep voice.
The two wizards were surrounded by native soldiers, and their psychological defenses had long since collapsed.
One of the older members answered in a trembling voice, "We—we are the advance exploration team of the Ash Ring—"
We were ordered to explore this area in search of resource points and — possible allies or relics — but we encountered an energy storm and a monster attack, and the team was scattered — we fled here in a panic and have been trapped for several days —
Seeking allies or relics?
Luo Lin sneered inwardly.
They're probably looking for usable indigenous forces or remnants related to the passage to that scorching hell.
How much do you know about Purple Plague Stone?
Rowling changed the subject.
The younger wizards, upon hearing "Purple Plague Stone," paused for a moment, then understood what the other person was referring to, their faces showing fear: "That stone—it's very eerie!"
"The energy is chaotic and it will erode the soul! One of our companions accidentally touched it and soon went mad and spontaneously combusted—we dare not go near places with those stones."
It seems they also lack effective methods to address the source of corruption and pollution.
"Take them back and hand them over to the lord for punishment."
Rowling spoke to the squad leader, gesturing with his fingers to indicate the words "prisoner" and "outsider."
The squad leader nodded and ordered his soldiers to escort the two Ash Ring wizards away.
The captured staff and dimensional bag were collected by Flame Shield and will be inspected later, but not in front of the natives.
Two infiltrators from the Ash Ring were unexpectedly captured; this is important intelligence.
This indicates that the Ash Ring has penetrated this area more deeply than expected, and there may be more than just this one team.