Chapter 655: Deep in the Cavern
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Barryhe. Losa held up the glowing magic stone and walked step by step into the deepest part of "Black Money."
It was a steep slope, and even with the help of his servants, he walked with great difficulty.
He was getting old, he thought with a pang of sorrow. He took over the family business from his father at the age of twenty, and today he had built the chamber of commerce into a behemoth, richer than a kingdom. Only he knew the struggles and exciting years of this period. Even though his title was only an honorary knight now, his reputation and status in the Kingdom of Dawn were no less than those of the three great families of Radiance.
But abundant achievements did not mean they could be passed down to future generations. In fact, as the chamber of commerce continued to expand, its foundation was already precarious. In order to consolidate the strength of the chamber of commerce, many large merchants, and even upper-class nobles, had joined. When he was alive, they were either reliable arms or chess pieces worth using, but what about after he died? Would they still be willing to stay in their current positions?
This question almost did not need an answer.
Barryhe had five sons and one daughter, and the most outstanding of them, Victor. Losa, was only twenty-one years old. Although he had already shown extraordinary talent in business, he was too young to suppress those cunning and deceitful partners. The chamber of commerce was not the private property of the Losa family. If Victor was forced to take over his position, it would only lead to strong backlash.
At that time, the disintegration of the chamber of commerce would be a small matter, and his offspring might be in danger of their lives.
But to hand over the behemoth that he had worked so hard to build in his life? Barryhe was really unwilling to do so.
As he was thinking about it, his foot suddenly slipped.
"Your Excellency, be careful!" The servant next to him immediately supported him.
Barryhe adjusted several times before regaining his footing.
Obviously, this body no longer had the vitality of his youth.
He was already sixty-nine years old. How many more times could he walk up this steep slope? He had to hurry.
The promise given by the envoy rekindled the flame in Barryhe's heart.
Only by becoming one of them could he solve this seemingly unsolvable problem once and for all.
The downhill gradually became gentler, and the surrounding air began to become humid. Barryhe faintly heard the sound of underground currents hitting the stone walls, like continuous thunder, muffled and thick. To be honest, he didn't like such places. Although they were hidden enough, they couldn't give people a sense of security. He was always worried that one day the water flow would collapse the cavern walls and completely swallow this place.
In fact, many similar situations had occurred in this cavern complex. Several passages had turned into deep pools due to the backflow of groundwater, and had to be closed off in the end. "Black Money" only occupied a small part of the cavern complex. If Barryhe had enough time, he could even build an underground city here.
Reaching the bottom of the slope, the light suddenly dimmed – not because the glowing magic stone had dimmed, but because the surrounding space had suddenly increased several times, and the light could no longer illuminate the stone walls on both sides.
The sound of underground water flow became very loud here, as if a branch was passing underfoot.
In the dark cave, two balls of yellow light were flashing in the distance, which were the guards sent by the envoy to receive him.
"Alright, you can take me here."
"But Your Excellency, there is still a section of the road ahead..." the servant said worriedly.
"It's okay, I want to walk the last section myself," Barryhe said slowly.
His years of accumulated prestige made them dare not say another word, "Yes, please be careful, Your Excellency."
Leaving the cave entrance, he carefully walked towards the center of the cavern – this cave, located at the bottom of the cavern complex, was very peculiar, shaped like an isolated island, surrounded by bottomless ravines. The central protruding rock mountain and the slope were connected by only a narrow stone bridge. When walking on the bridge, he was surrounded by darkness on all sides, and the magic stone could only illuminate a few feet under his feet. If it weren't for the yellow light on the opposite side guiding the way, Barryhe would even have the illusion that he was walking in the abyss of hell, and the roaring sound of water under his feet was the wailing of ghosts and spirits.
Thin mist gradually rose around him, further shortening the range of illumination, which was formed by excessive moisture. He knew he had to be especially careful, as the bridge surface was likely to be covered with moss. If he slipped off the stone bridge, even the envoy couldn't save him.
Facing the humid air, Barryhe. Losa finally arrived at the central rock island.
Before he could catch his breath, the envoy's guard had already turned around and walked back, "Follow me, the envoy has been waiting for you for a long time."
Ignoring his complaints, he took a deep breath and followed the two men's footsteps.
The top of this island-like rock mountain was only a hundred steps in radius, not very large. The place to meet the envoy was located inside the mountain. Before stepping on the stone steps around the mountain, Barryhe noticed that there was an extremely wide cave behind the cavern, echoing the slope he had come from, forming a straight line, but it was much closer to the rock mountain, and much larger. Moreover, the cave wall was a standard circle, and the edge that the magic stone could illuminate was extremely smooth, as if it had been artificially excavated.
If he guessed correctly, the envoy's guards had entered the Kingdom of Dawn through these underground passages.
Entering the rock mountain, Barryhe was so tired that he could barely stand.
Fortunately, the envoy didn't mind the posture when meeting him. The guard brought a soft cushion and let him sit in this one-foot square stone room, and then put down the heavy cloth curtain to isolate the sound of rushing water.
"Are you ready?" one of them asked.
"Yes, please summon the envoy," Barryhe wiped the sweat from his forehead. Although his body was exhausted, his heart was full of anticipation.
As soon as he finished speaking, the glowing magic stone in his hand suddenly flickered, not only his, but also the magic stones held by the other two guards.
Then the three light sources went out in turn, and pitch-black darkness enveloped the stone room. Since it was not the first time he had seen such a scene, Barryhe was not surprised. On the contrary, he was full of admiration and awe for the envoy's power. Soon a purple light curtain rose from the ground, turning the surrounding darkness into a different kind of scenery.
It was also deep underground, but what flowed below was red lava. Countless "rivers of fire" poured out from the holes in the rock wall and converged to lower places, forming a spider web-like pattern. Above, illuminated by the flames, was the envoy's torso – a huge fleshy tumor hanging on the rock wall like a plant with countless roots. The intricate surface pulsed rhythmically, as if breathing hot air.
It had neither eyes nor mouth, but it could see him and talk to him – directly through consciousness, echoing in his mind.
This was the envoy's true appearance.
It didn't need to transform into a human shape, because it itself meant extraordinary.
Barryhe. Losa respectfully lowered his head.