Labyrinth of Roots (1/2)
Year 164
We kept digging into the depths, and I soon discovered a second limit. There was a limit of how far the chain of roots and trees can go underground. That range, as of now, was about 500 miles. I can go a max of 500 miles deep, or wide, or underground, or whichever, then I need to go back to the surface.
That said, this also meant it may be possible to tunnel all the way to the other continents, as long as I make a little surface trip every 500 miles. Perhaps, a super tall tree from deep underwater, or a long vine that breaks through the earth and extends all the way to the surface, kinda like a super long kelp forest?
If there are island chains along the way, It’s still possible to make ‘hops’. Else, it’ll be like a whale surfacing to get a breath.
Strange that the trees need such a thing. Perhaps it’s just some magical mambo-jumbo just to deal with such a loophole. Or maybe the system just decided that I shouldn’t be allowed to dig so deep. Hah!
In the depths, we soon found more long-forgotten cities. The Margmarian Dwarves were not the first, and those Dragon Bones were not that rare either. There seemed like there was a time when dragons were extremely common, though most of these bones were a lot smaller. Their magic had decayed over the eons.
Sad.
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I theorised that ancient civilisations would also choose to use ley lines as a form of natural power source, thus following the ley lines underground did lead to a few other interesting locations.
We discovered a large tomb-like structure in the depths, filled with long-dead corpses, their bodies fully decayed. In fact, the bones pretty much disintegrated on contact, and they left behind some magical books and items, their magic also fading.
This was when I felt torn. I either could call on the wider crowd of mages with the right ‘preservation’ and ‘ice’ skills to preserve or freeze these objects, and doing so would reveal these ancient sites to the wider world, or use the Valthorn’s own mages who are more combat focused.
There were also strategic issues that would reveal how deep I could dig... in the end, I decided to use Valthorns, but equipped with magical artefacts that slow decay. As we kept digging, and followed the ley lines, eventually we discovered most of them had some old tombs, and ancient smaller cities.
Most had some degree of magical protection, and some looked like the muck had flooded the entire city. It was a lot of work, trying to excavate such massive cities, and so much time had passed that the structures that made up the walls, and the muck itself is almost indistinguishable.
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“These ancient places are amazing, and they speak of gods that have long been forgotten.” A few of the Valthorn analysts came to the subterranean city. Alka, too, as my Chief Researcher. It was one of the inspiration trips. They had to be equipped with a whole set of artifacts just to tolerate the pressure, natural heat and the lack of breathable air.
Even among the various races that call the Central Continent home, few are adapted to subterranean living. Treefolks suffered from walking in the depths a lot more than the others, their bodies seemed to despise going underground for long periods. Some groups of lizardpeople were much more fond of the underground, but only up to a certain level. Beyond that the heat is unbearable. Dwarves, true to their heritage as miners and diggers, performed the best, but even they needed artefacts.
The lense remained on its pedestal. I took it out temporarily to study it, and since then returned it. I still could not understand how its made.
One of the thoughts shared with the Valthorns, was the use of this location as a hideout. True, they were functionally buried alive, but this ancient city is the perfect apocalypse bunker. The fact that it stood despite the eons was sufficient proof of it’s success as a bunker.
“This is a rehash of Aeon’s old sewer bunker idea isn’t it?” One of the older Valthorns laughed. The history of New Freeka was not totally lost.
“Indeed, but this space is significantly larger and uses a power source independent of Aeon.”
There were kinks to work out, and the druids that made the trip down soon wanted to plant a wide range of fungi that generated light, and also some plants that could survive with the indirect light from fungi. I think the ultimate problem is one of comfort. The idea of living underground is appalling, that only dwarves and certain lizard-people subspecies would consider it for any decently long period of time.
Centaurs and treefolks hate it with a passion, and I think maybe that’s why they will be the first to go extinct. Or maybe the gods will just repopulate the world with them based on some kind of cookie cutter racial template.
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Also on the line of ley lines and underground, I made a dungeon underground in an area with a few ley lines and somehow, this was my first Level 120 dungeon. It was a simple premise. Ley lines are more powerful underground, partly because the energies are concentrated.
Because it’s so far hidden underground, I decided that this was a Valthorn-exclusive dungeon. Not that anyone else could even challenge it.
In fact, right now, only Lumoof and Edna have any chance of surviving a battle with the monsters of this dungeon. Thankfully the dungeon wasn’t going to go wild, else I’d be dealing with Level 120 monsters.
Their first reaction to seeing a Level 120 dungeon was pretty much, some variant of what-the-fuck.
But, this was the best way to level up, so, out of the sheer value of farming a Level 120 dungeon, began the first recreation of the underground pre-dungeon savepoint. A large continent of Valthorns with all types of skills, including support and crafting skills, were chosen to set up this mini city.
I even created a few additional artificial minds just to oversee this city’s administration.
The thing is, when high level individuals are not spotted for long periods of time, it tends to fuel rumors of death. Thus began the first vanishing of Edna and Lumoof and a lot of other higher level Valthorns. They would camp down there, right outside the dungeons and make battle with the dungeon’s monsters.
Eavesdropping on the conversations of foreign intelligence agents were part of my entertainment.
“Lady Edna vanished?”
“No one has seen her for months!”
“Not just her. A large group of the best warriors have all disappeared!”
They fought hard, and even the level 80s and 90s levelled quickly when faced with Level 120 monsters. And they have not even fought the boss or the minibosses.
“She has not reported in her home position in the Six Ports for months! The Valthorns have assigned new individuals to take over all their places.”
“But they are not listed as dead.”
The other temples would want to have a gauge on my combat strength, so they keep tabs on these individuals. I had thought of killing them altogether, but it’s better to lull them into a sense of complacency. I also noticed I learned a lot more about the other temples when they are alive, and they share information with other fellow agents.
So, I let them live. It’s only when they tried something unacceptable that they would encounter some unfortunate coincidences and accidents.
I imagine the intelligence setup is kinda like a Venus flytrap. Let them venture a little too near and wham! Dead bugs.
At the same time, a few of my artificial minds sorted data by their risk levels. I was willing to let foreign intelligence agents get certain information, after all, just like nuclear bombs, letting other countries know I have such nuclear weapons is a deterrent of its own.
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“What news do you have?” Kei asked Lausanne, on the war in the northern isles. She worried for her two friends, those two bastards that didn’t even come and help her.
Lausanne shrugged. “They’re doing alright. The Demon King isn’t here yet, just regular ‘mobs’.” The elven girl had gotten used to Kei’s lingo, and even used some of their terms.
Kei nodded. “Ah yes. True. They won’t lose to regular mobs... right?” I still don’t understand why she’s worried. Heroes with their absurd stats won’t lose to regular demons. “What kind of demons have they met?”
“Seems to be some kind of worm. In addition to the regular hounds.”
“Worm?”