Richard and Mr. Waltz left Shambala Town and headed to the location of the No. 13 Mine outside the town.
In front of a small hill, Mr. Waltz stopped, pointed to a winding mountain path beside them, and said, "Follow this path all the way up. It won’t take long before you reach the No. 13 Mine. I’ll wait for you here."
"Hmm?" Richard looked at Mr. Waltz and asked, "What, Mr. Waltz, you’re not going up with me?"
Mr. Waltz took a deep swig of his drink, gave Richard a deep look, then lowered his eyebrows and said, "Master Wizard, I am not like you. You possess extraordinary power, and I’m just an ordinary person, worse than average even, as I’m not young anymore.
More than half a month ago, the miners on this mountain, including my nephew Hua Nuo, over a dozen strong young men, were killed overnight. In my opinion, such power is completely irresistible.
You are a Wizard. You naturally have confidence in protecting yourself, but if we encounter the power I mentioned before, how could I possibly protect myself? Should I place my hope on you intervening to help me? Forget it. I won’t trouble you, Master Wizard. I’ll just wait here."
"Actually, if you come up with me and we do encounter danger, I would protect you. Of course, if you don’t want to go, I won’t force you." Richard said to Mr. Waltz, "Ultimately, the choice is yours. If you want to stay here and wait, then wait. But are you certain that waiting down here is truly safe?"
"This..." Mr. Waltz’s expression stiffened slightly, wanting to justify himself but the words caught in his throat.
Richard didn’t argue further with Mr. Waltz and took strides up the mountain path.
Footsteps sounded as Richard walked along the mountain path to the No. 13 Mine on the mountain, carefully observing the site. While doing so, he suddenly heard indistinct panting from behind.
Turning his head, Richard saw Mr. Waltz, who had initially insisted on staying below, running up in a breathless state, drenched in sweat.
"What’s this, Mr. Waltz, have you changed your mind?" Richard asked, looking at him.
Mr. Waltz opened his mouth, took a few deep breaths, and tried to regain his composure before speaking to Richard, "Alright, Master Wizard, I admit what you said earlier makes sense. After considering, I realized that agreeing to accompany you from Shambala Town to here was a mistake, because once I left the tavern, my safety was no longer guaranteed.
In this case, rather than betting on my luck waiting down the mountain, I might as well follow you. I hope, Master Wizard, you will keep your promise and really protect me when danger arises."
"I will." Richard replied, then turned his head to look at the five exposed mines in the mining area, asking Mr. Waltz, "You’re here at just the right time. As the Mine Owner, you should know which mine those murderous creatures came from. Show me, so I don’t have to explore each one by one."
Upon hearing Richard’s words, Mr. Waltz’s expression twisted slightly, clearly recalling unpleasant memories. But after a while, he lifted his hand and pointed to the far left mine, saying, "It’s that No. 5 Cave—opened not too long ago. Things were fine during the initial days, then suddenly something happened. My nephew, Hua Nuo... when we found him, it was at the cave entrance."
"Sorry for your loss." Richard offered his condolences, stepping towards the No. 5 Cave pointed out by Mr. Waltz. Mr. Waltz quickly followed as the two entered the mine.
The mine was vast, and their footsteps echoed as they walked inside.
Richard and Mr. Waltz ventured deeper, stopping momentarily in front of a stone wall with a conspicuous breach that exposed another tunnel behind it.
Gesturing to the broken opening in the stone wall, Richard asked Mr. Waltz, "Mr. Waltz, do you know what’s going on here?"
Mr. Waltz looked surprised seeing the breach, "Huh! This... shouldn’t be! The mines were all planned out in advance; there shouldn’t be such a break here, at least not initially, otherwise I would have known.
This broke likely appeared later... after the massacres. I only dared come in to retrieve Hua Nuo and the others’ bodies with a few miners. We never explored further in, so I really don’t know what’s going on..."
Pausing, Mr. Waltz grew vigilant, asking Richard, "Master Wizard, do you think... this could be the rumored passage to the Abyss? Could Demons have emerged from here and slaughtered Hua Nuo and the mine’s guards?"
By the end, Mr. Waltz’s face turned pale. Though he had some sense, he was still limited by his status and power, remaining fearful of things like Demons—in a typical case of scaring oneself.
Seeing Mr. Waltz’s demeanor, Richard shook his head gently, unafraid, and softly said, "Whether it’s the Abyss entrance, or if Demons inhabit it, speculating from outside is pointless. We’ll know upon entry."
As he spoke, Richard stepped into the breach, with Mr. Waltz hesitating for a moment, then gritting his teeth, entering behind him.
Inside the breach, they found another slightly smaller mine, not much different from the exterior one. The only difference was the faint stench in the air, reminiscent of piled-up flesh.
Richard caught a whiff of the scent, furrowing his brow, he heightened his alertness and proceeded forward, Mr. Waltz following closely.
After walking several dozen meters, Richard’s eyebrows raised. He abruptly halted as if he’d discovered something, turning to warn Mr. Waltz, "Careful!"
"Huh?" Mr. Waltz wondered, initially oblivious until he heard a "rustling" sound above, akin to insects scuttling.
Mr. Waltz jerked his head upward, spotting a palm-sized black spider hanging there, seemingly poised and awaiting. It opened its mouth, ejecting a blob of green liquid towards him.
Seeing this, Mr. Waltz froze, his mind blank, unable to react.
As the green liquid threatened to strike his face, Richard intervened.
A faint light shimmered over Richard, his strength surged, and he swiftly grasped Mr. Waltz, effortlessly lifting him like a child to the side.
The green liquid missed and splattered onto the ground.
Though successfully rescued, Mr. Waltz showed no relief or gratitude, standing dazed as though petrified.
At this moment, the spider above, enraged after its failed attack, let out a shrill "squeak," poised to strike again.
Richard was unperturbed, squinting as he lifted his hand to form an Ice Cone. Tossing it forcefully, the Ice Cone shot out like a dart, targeting the spider.