Elite Mages' Academy

Chapter 327: Going Through the Mine Tunnel

The second the black resurrection tower was destroyed, the entire Wildfire Town seemed to undergo a slight fluctuation. Xiao Lin immediately frowned, and he felt that something in his body was drawn away along with black tower’s collapse. Lilith seemed to feel the same way and she nodded at him.

Xiao Lin understood in an instant. That strange feeling probably meant that he was no longer within the scope of the resurrection tower. Earthlings who obtained the resurrection law possessed a thread-like connection with the resurrection tower. Once the structure disappeared, the connection would also be severed and the change was a noticeable one.

It basically verified Xiao Lin’s previous underlying concern. Sure enough, the other resurrection tower closest to that place had also been deliberately destroyed, and the purpose is to bury Lilith there!

After destroying the black resurrection tower, they came back to the mine in the basement.

Xiao Lin and Lilith each took a magic lamp from the door and explored the depths of the mine tunnel under the dim yellow light. The air inside was not very good, but the airtightness of the mine tunnel prevented death energy from coming in. They walked and observed that there were many wheels and footsteps on the wet ground. It was clear that someone had entered and exited there just recently, which meant that there was a functional exit on the other side of the mine.

Of course, it was inevitable that they would consider various other possibilities. For example, there might be more monsters that could resurrect just like what happened a day ago, or perhaps Asabanor himself might engage them in battle. On the other hand, Xiao Lin and Lilith’s physical strengths would have dropped after going two days without food or drink.

Most importantly, they were not within the scope of the resurrection tower at that moment, so it did matter how much lifespan they still had because their life would end if they were killed. Neither could not afford to die, and it would be ridiculous for them to claim that they were not nervous at all. Xiao Lin did not retract the undead swordsman but continued to have him lead the way instead.

If they encountered a possible attack, the swordsman would be there to cushion them like a human shield. However, Xiao Lin was well aware that his mental energy would continue being used up the longer the undead swordsman stayed outside. In any case, their hopes of survival caused them to gradually quicken their pace.

The mine tunnel was longer than expected, proving that it could not have been completed in a short time. No one knew how many years ago that place was dug out.

The deeper they went, the fewer the presence of magic lamps. The light was not very strong when they relied on the lamps that the three of them hold. In addition, the mine tunnel was twisted and extremely narrow. Encountering an enemy there would be very troublesome, so their pace once again slowed down.

Two hours later, Lilith, who was still in the mine tunnel, could not but break the silence, “We should’ve already left the Wildfire Town area, right?”

Although she deliberately lowered her voice, it still reverberated in the mine for quite some time. So far, they did not encounter any monsters or enemies, so the mind was either abandoned, or the miners had left after nightfall.

Xiao Lin nodded. “We might be a bit slow, but Wildfire Town isn’t that big. Where are we going if we’re leaving Wildfire Town?”

Xiao Lin was not very familiar with Silver Province. Based on the initial plan, they were supposed to rest in Wildfire Town and rendezvous with Judge Academy’s people before departing. Neither of those people had the final say on where they were supposed to go, but that was also a silver lining—leaving Wildfire Town was equivalent to leaving the confinement of that thick fog.

Lilith knew nothing about what lies beyond the exit, but she was quite sure that it would not be any of the presently-known mines. The fact that someone dared to secretly mine starmetal in Silver Province under the noses of many colonial colleges was an incident that surprised her even more than Asabanor.

Half an hour later, Xiao Lin and Lilith felt yet another strange feeling in their hearts, similar to when the resurrection tower was destroyed earlier on. However, the present feeling was that of reassurance. They understood it to mean that they had re-entered the resurrection tower’s area of effectiveness.

The subsequent journey was much easier. Xiao Lin did not have to strain himself to maintain the undead swordsman’s presence and his exhausted mental energy could finally take a break. What made him a little strange was that the Holy Soul Sword seemed to vibrate slightly in his hand when he retracted the undead swordsman. It was something that never happened before, but it was not the time to be fretting over such trivial matters and Xiao Lin quickly forgot about it.

Without the undead swordsmen, Ibeiya volunteered to lead the way because the vampire race had better vision in the dark than humans, allowing her to sense any danger in advance. The speed of their journey continued to accelerate, and in addition to Ibeiya, Xiao Lin and Lilith’s hunger is getting stronger and stronger.

At that point, it was probably nightfall outside of the mine tunnel, which meant that they had gone two whole days without eating or drinking. The mine tunnel that they were originally wary about was slowly becoming a point of annoyance at that moment. They could not wait to see the light at the exit. On the way, Ibeya continued to explain more benefits of becoming a vampire to Xiao Lin, making Xiao Lin feel as though she had the potential to become a multi-level marketing sales girl. With Ibeiya as the intermediary along the way, the other two did not feel too bored.

About two more hours later, Xiao Lin clearly heard the sound of strong wind and the mine tunnel gradually became bigger. Surprised and delighted, he quickened his pace again. After another quarter of an hour, their eyes suddenly lit up, with the starry double moon sky appearing right before their eyes.

Xiao Lin took a breath of fresh air and his lungs felt unusually refreshed. If he had not considered the fact that they were not entirely safe yet, he would have loved to yell into the sky a couple of times.

The journey lasted more than four hours, and because the second half of the journey was done at a quicker pace, the entire journey added up to nearly half a day. Such a long-distanced mine tunnel left them wondering what the original purpose of developing it was.

“I think we’re in the southern part of Silver Province now.” Lilith estimated based on the distance and time.

They were located in the depths of a valley, surrounded by stretches of mountains that had lush jungles on top of them. There clearly seemed to be an absence of towns nearby, and according to Lilith’s understanding, the entire southern region of Silver Province was surrounded by mountains. Going past those mountains, one would then enter into the central area of Silver Province, where a large basin was situated. It was also the main area that was rich in starmetal.

The three of them advanced slowly and vigilantly through the valleys. At the foot of the mountains were a number of mining tools lying around. Several huge crucibles were also present on the empty ground not far away. However, some of the crucibles had fallen to the ground and the remaining contents were completely solidified, signifying that they had been abandoned there. Despite that, it appeared as though they had not been left behind for too long, perhaps maybe a few weeks or a few months.