Chapter 165: Into the Tunnels (1/2)

”Ahem... We've been here far too long, I suggest we move now so we can get there faster.” Heisenberg shamelessly changed topics, eliciting a wave of laughter from Ricardo and Calvin.

Old Zhong also smiled.

The atmosphere around the group seemed to have lightened.

Heisenberg didn't even dare to comment nor stay any longer as he moved forward and ahead of the group.

Old Zhong laughed out loud and the group continued on their journey.

”The former Village Chief left me some words of advice. He said that if the day that I needed to personally enter the Village of Tulog came, I must be respectful at all times. There are dozens of taboos in the Village of Tulog and if I was not careful, I might violate one of them and end up dying...”

”Dying...?” Ricardo frowned, ”Are they that bold to actually kill people?”

Old Zhong shook his head, ”I also asked that question to the former Village Chief, but he told me that those people are fully capable of killing you without suffering any consequences...”

Heisenberg snorted, ”Well, if they dared to harm a single passenger of that wagon, then we will definitely make them pay the price.”

Calvin was silent. From his memories, he knew that the Village of Tulog was indeed capable of concealing everything from the Church. If not for that particular information leak, then the church might've still been oblivious to their presence. What's more, when the church discovered their existence, they had already grown so strong that a Cardinal's power was needed to exterminate them.

The continued existence of the curse and the so-called cult within the Village of Tulog was akin to a time bomb for Calvin. If he wanted to feel safe staying in Ashmelion, then he must defuse this time bomb and exterminate all of its members. Calvin had already decided long ago that he must destroy the cult before he left the Village of Tulog.

”There is one particular custom in the Village of Tulog that requires you to only knock a maximum of three times every time you request to enter a person's house. If you knock more than three times, it's considered bad luck and you might be punished. I would love to talk to all of you about the taboos of the Village of Tulog, but it would take too long for me to tell you all of it verbally...”

”This is why I wrote it in a notebook...” Old Zhong revealed a crafty smile.

Heisenberg's interest was piqued and he turned around to snatch the notebook.

”Hey, old man! We still haven't read it!” Ricardo asked.

”I'll handle it. I'm the older one, so I should lead you kids down the so-called dangerous tunnel.” Heisenberg smiled.

”Are you sure that you can handle being in the front?” Calvin asked with a smile.

”What? Are you doubting my abilities?” Heisenberg lifted his crystal orb.

As a Priest, he was indeed suitable against enemies lurking in the dark.

But for Calvin, Priests might be powerful but they had a weakness. Their chanting takes too long to complete. In such a tight and enclosed place with nowhere to go but forward and backward. Calvin predicted that Heisenberg might eventually be overwhelmed. But Calvin didn't give this advice to Heisenberg.

Why?

Because he thought that it was amusing.

Fortunately, the monsters lurking in the tunnels shouldn't post a security risk since most of them were probably Specters or apparitions. As the holder of the Emperor's Commandment, they weren't even enemies to Calvin. At first, he planned on leading the group into the tunnels, so he could annihilate the monsters in front of them to ensure a safe passage.

But since Heisenberg was being so arrogant...

Calvin planned on giving him a chance.

”Old man, you better don't get spooked. You should know what kind of creatures lurk in an enclosed space like the tunnels.” Ricardo teased.

He fished out a bracelet from his pocket and Calvin was astonished to see the bracelet that he casually wore on his wrists.

”Is that a gem made out of Holy Amber?” Calvin asked.

”Yeah...” Ricardo turned to look at him, ”You sure know your stuff for your age... Now, this makes me think that you aren't as young as you look... Are you perhaps a hundred-year-old old monster that reincarnated into a young body?”

”W-What...?” Calvin was startled.

A cunning smile crept up Ricardo's lips as he laughed out loud and patted Calvin's shoulders, ”Hahaha... Come on, man! I was obviously joking... Don't be so serious.”

'Yeah, your joke almost gave me a heart attack...' Calvin shook his head and bitterly smiled. He criticized Ricardo deep in his heart, but at the same time, he discovered that Ricardo seemed to be more observant than he thought.

'It seems like I need to be careful around this guy...' He whispered to himself.

The group talked here and there until they eventually arrived in front of three cave entrances. The caves didn't look any different from each other whatsoever apart from the fact that they seemed to lead to different places.

But Calvin begged to differ.

He was about to open his Predator Senses and look at the cave entrances with his Vision when Old Zhong suddenly spoke.

”And now, we're here!”

”The former Village Chief told me that there is only one correct entrance that will lead to the Village of Tulog. It's the entrance of life.”