Amelia looked at Banner’s impatient expression and knew the plan to continue exploring was scrapped.
She curled her lip and said in a mock-serious tone, “Fine, fine~ Who told me to be the sister who loves you the most in the world? Let's head back then!”
Hearing the words “loves you the most,” Bai Xuan’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch.
He subconsciously glanced at the faint red mark that seemed to remain on Banner’s forehead.
There might be love, but Banner’s head was likely the one feeling the most “pain” from it.
Since the decision had been made, Anna said no more and quickly whispered instructions to the three guards to adjust their formation and prepare for the return journey.
Then, Frank’s dry, calm voice broke the slightly excited atmosphere.
“You all head back to town first. I intend to stay here for a while to examine this newly revealed ruin.”
Amelia immediately looked over with concern. “Grandpa Frank, you’re staying alone? The undead activity here has only just subsided...”
Frank shook his head slightly, the deep wrinkles on his face softening as he offered a comforting expression.
“It is merely the ruins of an ancient kingdom from thousands of years ago. Both its magic and technology have long been left behind by the current era.”
His voice was indifferent. “Only commoner adventurers would treat such a dungeon like a treasure. There might be some unique aspects worth a look, but even if there are any traps, I can handle them.”
“On your way back, though there shouldn't be any major issues, you must still be cautious. Wait for news from me in Blackcreek Town.”
As he spoke, he raised his withered right hand and waved it casually behind him.
Beneath the giant caiman that had been lying quietly nearby, a magic circle composed of glowing runes instantly expanded.
In a flash of light, the massive body of the giant caiman vanished like a phantom.
Bai Xuan listened from the side.
Frank’s words revealed a clear disdain for the magical system of a once-vast kingdom.
He even referred to its magical technology as backward.
He felt more and more that this old man was unfathomable. Could he be even stronger than that Level 15 Hero Rank Grand Duke?
However, out of safety concerns, Bai Xuan dropped any thought of investigating. Some boundaries were not meant to be tested lightly.
“Then Grandpa Frank must be very careful!”
Amelia urged, then turned to Bai Xuan with a smile returning to her face. “Big brother, it looks like our adventure is ending early.”
“But don’t worry, I won't go back on my word regarding the commission reward I promised you.”
Returning was exactly what Bai Xuan had originally intended.
Resupplying, resting, and digesting the gains from this trip—there was no more ideal outcome.
He breathed a sigh of relief. “I will follow your arrangements, My Lady.”
The team turned around and set off on the return journey to Blackcreek Town.
...
The 6th layer, Crystal Silver Mine Tunnels.
Luminous moss glowed faintly on the narrow walls of the tunnel, illuminating scattered fragments of ore embedded within.
The air was thick with the faint smell of metallic rust.
Decayed and broken pickaxes and overturned ore carts were scattered across the ground.
The overhead supports in some areas groaned under the weight, and water droplets slowly seeped from the rock crevices.
A group of adventurers was proceeding cautiously.
It was the same team of wolf riders from before, though they were currently without their mounts.
In this terrain, walking was the wiser choice.
They maintained a standard adventure formation, showing their seasoned professionalism.
The leader, Kaylon, carried a disassembled and maintained spear on his back.
His brow was furrowed as his gaze swept across another empty, abandoned mine pit, constantly observing the environment.
“Captain Kaylon, it seems there’s nothing here, just like the layers above.”
Beside him, Ronid adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses. His eyes behind the lenses scanned the dim tunnel, his voice elegant.
“Perhaps some fool triggered an ancient magical residue, and it was all a false alarm. We should head back.”
Kaylon didn't look back, his voice low and steady. “We’ll talk after we reach the seventh layer. It’s too early to draw conclusions now.”
Ronid clicked his tongue softly, his voice carrying a hint of impatience. “Suit yourself. My patience is limited. If the next layer is the same, I’m leaving.”
“My lovely new toys are still waiting for me at the Sweet House... The process is only halfway through, and it’s not good to leave it interrupted for too long.”
As he spoke, the corners of his mouth curled into an expectant arc.
“Shut up!”
Kaylon’s low growl suddenly exploded in the tunnel.
His expression changed abruptly, as if he had thought of something extremely disgusting.
Coupled with the fact that they still hadn't found any clues regarding the anomaly, Kaylon’s frustration was ignited.
He stopped in his tracks and turned to glare at Ronid.
His face tightened in the shadows, his eyes churning with undisguised loathing and fury.
“Ronid, this is the last time I’m warning you.”
Kaylon’s voice squeezed through his teeth. “If I hear those words from your mouth again, I don’t care if you were personally assigned by that lord—I guarantee you will permanently lose the ability to speak with that mouth.”
The elegant smile on Ronid’s face froze.
The fingers adjusting his glasses paused in mid-air. A flash of coldness darted through his eyes behind the lenses, but it was quickly replaced by submissiveness.
He then shrugged and gave a nonchalant hum, saying no more.
He followed quietly behind Kaylon as if the conflict just now had never happened.
The team continued forward.
After turning a corner filled with rubble, a magical illumination glow appeared in the distance of the tunnel.
It was another team.
“On guard.”
Kaylon raised his hand, his voice returning to its cold hardness.
The entire team stopped instantly. The warriors silently adjusted their positions, their weapons drawn halfway, their gazes locked forward.
As the distance closed, the other party’s silhouettes became clear.
When Kaylon saw the pink-haired girl in the center and the tall, prominent young man in orange armor, his expression changed visibly.
First came surprise, followed by a look of annoyance as if he had thought of something troublesome.
Ultimately, he forced it down and regained his composure as a steady adventure team leader.
Beside him, the moment Ronid’s gaze caught Amelia.
His breathing hitched for a split second.
The fingers pushing up his glasses trembled uncontrollably.
The pupils behind the gold-rimmed glasses suddenly contracted and then dilated.
A blazing light—a mixture of extreme craving, possessiveness, and an impulse for destruction—exploded within his eyes.
It tore a crack in the refined mask of gentleness he so carefully maintained.
His breathing stopped for less than a second.
But it was only for an instant.
In the next moment, he had already lowered his eyes and finished the motion of adjusting his glasses, perfectly concealing the change in his gaze.
When he looked up at the team ahead again, his face showed only the curiosity and scrutiny common when meeting strange adventurers.
Only in the peripheral vision that quickly swept over Amelia’s entire body before darting away did a trace of lingering, not-yet-faded desire remain hidden behind the lenses.
No one knew what kind of dark images were churning in his mind at that moment.
...
Bai Xuan was not idle on the way back.
His gaze constantly swept across both sides of the path.
There were many landmark signs around, and Bai Xuan etched them all into his memory.
In the future, this dungeon would be an important place for him to acquire resources, so remembering the safe paths was necessary.
The team entered the spiraling upward passage leading to the fifth layer.
The occasional playful banter between Amelia and Banner echoed in the passage.
The young girl would sometimes turn her head and use those curious eyes to look at Bai Xuan, asking about the customs and scenery of his homeland.
Bai Xuan’s answers were always vague and general, mentioning a distant East with different buildings and crops.
They traveled for some time, and the texture of the surrounding rock walls and the scent in the air gradually changed.
The smell of moist earth was replaced by dry air.
Bai Xuan realized they were no longer in the passage but had reached the 6th layer.
The tunnel structure here was complex with many branches, and the main roads connecting the layers were designed cleverly and discreetly.
The monsters that appeared had also changed.
A worm-like creature with a nearly transparent body and faintly visible silver digestive matter inside crawled slowly in the crevices of the rock walls or piles of ore slag.
【Crystal Silver Worm Lv.3】
【Status: Inactive】
【Health: 220/220】
【Mana: 15/15】
The level was not high, and the threat was minimal.
The guards at the front of the team casually dealt with the stray individuals that approached.
Amelia looked at the worms, finding them not pretty enough, acting as if she were indeed strolling through her own back garden.
The peaceful journey continued until firelight appeared in the tunnel ahead.
Another, larger team appeared at the end of their vision, about a dozen people. Their equipment was uniform and well-maintained, exuding the aura of a formal adventure team.
The leader was a man in his thirties wearing heavy plate armor, holding a fully assembled spear with the tip pointed diagonally at the ground.
Beside him, a young mage in robes and gold-rimmed glasses was whispering something.
The two teams stopped when they were less than ten meters apart.
The three guards from the Mulan family moved their feet slightly, hands resting on their sword hilts, shielding Amelia, Banner, and Bai Xuan behind them.
Anna quietly took half a step forward, standing slightly ahead of Amelia.
Banner also stopped his joking and placed his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist, his tall body turning slightly into a defensive posture.
Bai Xuan’s gaze quickly swept over the opposing team.
Most members were around Lv.3, with two warriors reaching Lv.4.
The information for the two leaders, however, made him instantly alert.
【Kaylon Stan】
【Class: Wolf Spear Rider Lv.7 (Practitioner)】
【Health: 1100/1100】
【Mana: 250/310】
【Potential: 2-Star (Squire)】
Another Lv.7.
As an adventure team leader, this level was quite normal.
It was just that he had never seen a rider-type Class before; based on the name, it should be a wolf rider.
Since he was a rider, where was his mount?
Bai Xuan quickly scanned the opposing team and the surroundings but saw no mounts.
It seemed that in these narrow tunnels, the mounts had been stowed away.
As a rider Class, his Class traits should be related to his mount.
A rider without a mount would have their charge advantage and mobility significantly compromised, meaning the actual threat might be lower than what the level indicated.
Next was the mage.
【Ronid Finley】
【Class: Shadow Mage Lv.5 (Practitioner)】
【Health: 560/560】
【Mana: 290/380】
【Potential: 2-Star (Squire)】
His level and potential were mediocre.
Bai Xuan made an objective evaluation, and it certainly wasn't because he had seen too many high-rank, high-potential people lately and was looking down on him.
However, when his gaze hit this person’s status bar, his eyelid twitched.
【Status: Lock-on, Assessment, Desire, Fanaticism, Disguise】
This string of words was another first for him.
The gap between the status and the outward appearance was far too large.
What was with this guy? If he couldn't see the status through his panel, Bai Xuan wouldn't have been able to imagine it.
Bai Xuan looked at Ronid, and the other man happened to look up, his gaze seemingly sweeping casually over the Mulan family’s side.
Their eyes made extremely brief contact.
Bai Xuan felt a very slight sense of discomfort crawl across the skin on the back of his neck.
The mage’s gaze looked calm and gentle, even carrying a bit of a scholarly air.
But this person was definitely not as refined as he appeared on the surface.
However, even if there was a problem, it wouldn't amount to much in front of this elite group from the Mulan family, so there was no need to overthink it for now.
The two teams stood off in the narrow mine tunnel, the torchlight casting long shadows against the jagged rock walls.
After Kaylon saw who the newcomers were, his metal-armored body seemed to stiffen for a moment, and his fingers on the spear tightened and then loosened.
He immediately thudded the butt of his spear onto the ground while raising his right hand, making a fist and holding it level with his left chest.
He performed a standard, though slightly hurried, knight’s salute.
“Lady Amelia, Master Banner.”
His voice was louder than usual. “I did not expect to encounter you two here. It is my honor.”
Amelia blinked, a smile blooming on her face as she recognized an acquaintance. “It’s Uncle Kaylon! Why are you here too?”
She looked around curiously. “Where is your big fluffy doggy? Did it not come?”
Beside her, Banner also leaned in, his eyes shining. “Yeah, that big dog! It was so warm to pet!”
The corner of Kaylon’s mouth beneath his helmet twitched slightly. “The tunnel environment is complex and unsuitable for its movement, so I’ve let it rest for now.”
“Once we return to Blackcreek Town, if the Lady and Master are interested, I can let it out at any time.”
He spoke a bit quickly and immediately shifted the topic to his team. “We intend to conquer the eighth layer of the dungeon and are currently making our way down. Our schedule is quite tight.”
Amelia’s small face immediately fell, and she drawled, “Aww—I see...”
But she quickly smiled again and waved her hand. “Then you should do your best! I haven't been to the eighth layer yet!”
Just then, from behind Kaylon, the young mage with the gold-rimmed glasses took a few steps forward.
His steps were very light, and he wore a carefully adjusted, gentle smile, looking like a well-educated mage.
“Captain,” Ronid’s voice was peaceful.
Then his gaze swept over Amelia as if unintentionally.
Finally, it stopped politely on the side of Kaylon’s face. “I wonder who these people are...?”
Kaylon snapped his head toward him, his gauntleted hand instantly clenching, the knuckles rubbing against the metal with a faint creak.
He stared at Ronid, his eyes glaring at the other man.
That gaze was filled with a cold warning, even carrying a hint of ruthlessness, as if saying: 'Don't you dare say something out of line.'
“These two,” Kaylon’s voice was very low, but each word was bitten out with exceptional clarity:
“Are Lady Amelia and Master Banner of the Mulan family from Myriad City. They are distinguished guests.”
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