“This place is worse than the old logging outpost.” Finn wiped sweat from his temple that wasn’t actually there, complaining.
Layla and Barton didn’t respond, seeming to think the same thing.
At this moment, the four members of the Sixth Squad had already left White Water Town. On the road towards the Serpentine Stone Mine, the snow cover grew thinner, revealing the hardened earth beneath.
The trees scattered along the roadside had twisted branches, showing an unnatural blackness. Their bark was covered in stains and tumorous bumps. A new, pungent smell had mixed into the air.
Ignis circled above their heads, stopping from time to time to wait for them to catch up.
They hadn’t walked long before a narrow stream blocked their path.
The stream water shimmered with an oily, rainbow-like sheen, emitting an indescribable fishy stench. It looked more like a sewage ditch.
Villanelle cast an earth elemental spell, creating a small earthen bridge over the stream, allowing everyone to cross safely.
“Just bear with it a little longer, we’re almost there.” Barton unfolded the map to confirm their location.
After skirting a small grove of trees that were nothing but charred trunks, the edge of the Serpentine Stone Mine abruptly appeared before them.
There was almost no proper vegetation here.
Large swathes of land were bare and exposed, devoid of snow, covered in dark red-black soil and slag. It gleamed with an uncomfortable luster under the gloomy sky.
A few low, twisted shrubs seemed to be the only “living things.” The mixed odor in the air reached its peak here, the oppressive feeling almost becoming tangible.
Many insect corpses lay scattered haphazardly around the mine’s perimeter. Their dark blue carapaces were filthy, some even fused with the soil on the ground. There was an eerie, yet strangely quiet, atmosphere.
They were all dead bodies. There were no signs of living insects.
“Seems even the bugs don’t like this place.” Finn nervously tightened his grip on his crossbow.
“Spread out and stay alert. Layla, watch the high ground and our back trail. Finn, come with me to identify the Infant Vine. Vila, you and your dragon keep an eye on the surroundings, especially underground. Don’t get ambushed.”
Barton gave quick orders, his gaze falling on the slag-covered ground not far away.
Finding the Infant Vine didn’t take much time.
At the edge of the mine, on a colorful, mottled slope, a few grotesque-looking plants grew conspicuously. Dark purple vines bore fist-sized “fruits” at their tips.
Their shape truly resembled curled-up infants, the malnourished kind. At first glance, it was quite horrifying.
Looking closer, the fine patterns on the Infant Vine’s surface seemed to slowly writhe with the wind’s touch. A faint scent, a mix of sickly sweetness and decay, drifted from them.
“Look, this is it.” Finn pointed at the vines in front of them, his face showing disgust.
“Be quick, to avoid any trouble.” Barton nodded and strode towards the slope where the Infant Vine grew. They had all drunk the antidote potion Captain Blake gave them before setting out, so they didn’t need to worry about poisoning.
Crunch.
Barton’s foot crushed a small piece of slag, sending dark red dust flying everywhere.
“Damn, this place…”
“Careful, big guy.” Finn quickly followed, pulling a specially made small shovel, a pair of protective gloves, and several sealed leather bags for containing the Infant Vine from his backpack.
Crouching before the first plant, Finn carefully dug around it with the shovel.
The soil was much looser than expected.
Soon, the entire Infant Vine, roots and soil, was dug out. Barton held the bag steady beside him, allowing Finn to place the plant inside smoothly.
“Careful not to break too many roots.” Barton reminded, while warily glancing at the half-collapsed mine entrance in the distance.
“I studied herbalism, don’t you think I know?” Finn retorted as he deftly sealed the leather bag.
The two then proceeded in the same manner, sealing the remaining plants into bags as well.
The task of collecting the Infant Vine was complete, but they still needed to scout for signs of insect swarm activity. Barton signaled for everyone to gather near the deep, narrow mine entrance.
Everything outside the mine seemed normal, but the situation inside the mine shaft remained unknown.
Ignis circled for a while, then landed back in Villanelle’s arms, conveying his current feelings telepathically. ‘I don’t feel good. There seems to be a faint trace of chaos aura here.’
“There’s chaos aura here?” Villanelle lowered her voice. “Left behind by those bugs?”
‘I’m not sure. I can’t sense that detail.’
“Then let’s go check the mine with them first.” Villanelle suggested.
Ignis had no objection, but worry still firmly occupied his molten gold pupils.
The mine entrance was like a half-open black maw, its edges littered with collapsed rubble and rotten support timbers. A cold draft, heavy with the smell of damp earth and corroded metal, flowed out from within.
Barton lit a torch and carefully threw it inside.
The flame cut through the darkness, illuminating a small area near the entrance.
The rock walls were damp, covered in dark moss or mildew. Some spots glittered with sporadic, faint reflections. From deep within the mine came a continuous, low moaning sound.
Some liquid dripped rhythmically. Drip… drip… drip… striking some unknown hard object. The sound wasn’t loud, but it was clearly discernible in the dead silence of the mine.
It looked like it had been abandoned for a long time.
“No signs of recent large-scale activity.” Layla whispered after observing the entrance. “The footprints are old, the droppings have already weathered. They probably don’t come here often either.”
“Should we go in?” Barton inquired.
“I don’t recommend it,” Villanelle shook her head. “The smell here is awful.”
“If there’s nothing at the entrance, it’s even less likely inside. Why go in? To help them purify the air?” Finn curled his lip.
“Hard to say. If this mine has other exits leading outside…” Layla mused.
“There aren’t any.” Barton unfolded the map, pointing out the routes around the mine to everyone. “This mine only has this one exit. The others were all sealed by the people of White Water Town.”
“Then that settles it. Let’s just go.” Finn was already eager to leave this place.
Barton withdrew his gaze from inside the mine and gave the order. “No signs of significant insect swarm activity at the Serpentine Stone Mine recently. Mission accomplished. We’re pulling out.”
Everyone immediately turned and left the mine’s edge at a faster pace than they had arrived, stepping back onto the path they came from.
Only after walking several hundred meters, re-entering the relatively “normal” range of the withered forest, did the lingering oppressive feeling lessen slightly.
Before they could relax, Layla, who was at the rear, suddenly stopped. She raised her hand, warning everyone to crouch and take cover, then pointed towards a patch of withered brush about a hundred meters behind them.
Three Crystal Shell Bugs clung silently to a few protruding dead branches, motionless, as if they were just lifeless statues. Unlike any bugs they had encountered before, their carapace color was black.
At this moment, the heads of the three bugs were facing the direction the Sixth Squad had retreated.
Villanelle, her nerves taut, raised her magic staff, ready to charge a spell, but Barton stopped her. “Don’t act impulsively. Don’t provoke them.”
The four humans and the dragon froze in place. The three Crystal Shell Bugs remained completely still.
After a standoff lasting several dozen seconds, Barton made a hand signal to retreat. Everyone slowly backed away step by step, fading deeper into the shadows of the withered forest.
The bugs did not pursue.
Only then did they relax, moving through the forest at a near-running pace, hurrying back towards White Water Town.