PNB Chapter 135 The Dark Region
Chapter 135 The Dark Region
Chapter 137 The Dark Region
For the gray dwarves, forging a palm-sized metal sheet is not a difficult task; they simply need to repeatedly stretch and pull large blocks of iron ore and then cut them into shape.
As for the patterns on the metal sheet, there is no need to carve them one by one—a template made of harder sparrow stone can be directly stamped and hammered onto it.
Dozens of gray dwarves temporarily put aside all their work and focused intently on the task at hand. In less than a day, they produced hundreds and thousands of such metal sheets.
To make these specially made "business cards" more recognizable and attract the attention of subterranean creatures, Thor deliberately mixed in trace amounts of dragon crystals.
Doing this won't give these metal pieces any magical effects; they will simply emit a faint glow and subtle energy fluctuations in the dark.
With everything prepared, Thor officially set off for the Underdark.
Accompanying them were 5 grey dwarf land seekers, 1 insect controller, and 20 kobolds.
The grey dwarf seekers acted as guides and scouts, helping him find suitable paths in the intricate underworld; the insect controller manipulated the giant black foam beetles, making them serve as pack animals; and the 20 kobolds were purely servants.
As soon as Thor gave the order, everyone quickly took their positions; each one was an elite of their respective race.
Tana, with her dragon horns and scales and increasingly prominent bulges on her shoulders, was also in the group, but what attracted Thor's attention the most was still that jet-black, glossy "giant rhinoceros beetle".
What can be seen is that the gray dwarf insect controller wears a headband inlaid with white crystal on his forehead, from which an invisible psychic energy is emanating, controlling the simple-minded black foam beetles.
As children of the earth, dwarves are a race that should not possess psionic talents, but the grey dwarves are an exception.
During the years they were enslaved by mind fiends, their brains underwent certain changes due to constant control and stimulation by psychic energy, and they thus gained some psychic talent.
And so, a strangely shaped group set off. To accommodate his men, Thor had to slow his pace.
Even so, they traveled much faster than ordinary humans on the rugged mountain path. Before long, the fissure at the foot of the low mountain, leading underground, came into view.
The entire massive crack is about 30 meters wide and 10 meters high, looking like a gaping mouth, black inside, as if it could devour all life.
For ordinary creatures, going to a place like the Underdark is indeed a death sentence; it's not an exaggeration to say that their lives are being devoured.
The gray dwarf seekers, who also serve as wanderers, are the first to enter the rift. They will spread out within a range of about one kilometer ahead to check for possible enemies and traps in advance.
Only then did Thor step into the gaping hole that resembled a crack in the mountain. Nearly 10 meters high, it would be considered wide for most creatures, but when he looked up, the flames burning overhead had already touched the cave ceiling, igniting the moss and ash clinging to it and producing a series of crackling sounds.
With a width of about 30 meters, he was unable to spread his wings at all, and could only let his wings fold up like two thick giant shields on both sides of his body.
The oppressive atmosphere made Thor frown, and his tail swished instinctively, leaving a trail of sparks on the ground.
Upon seeing this, the black spittle beetle trailing behind immediately stopped. Its simple mind allowed it to more clearly sense the emotions of the terrifying creature ahead, and driven by instinct, it only wanted to flee as far away as possible.
The gray dwarf insect controller had to increase his psionic output to barely suppress his pet's fear, but he still dared not get too close—because wherever Thor walked, the ground was scorched by the high temperature emanating from his body, a temperature hot enough to cook raw meat.
The narrow terrain, coupled with the need to manage the subordinates he was bringing, meant that the journey ahead would be quite tedious for a long time. Thor decided to rummage through the general information in the Dragon Legacy in his mind.
The Underdark is a collective term used by surface inhabitants to refer to all underground areas, and it is also one of the most dangerous regions in the multiverse.
It consists of a network of underground caves and rivers, and most of the area is pitch black, with only a few glowing mushrooms and molten lava providing light.
Deformed and malevolent creatures thrive on this land, hiding from the sunlight. They are all extremely aggressive in their struggle for limited resources.
As they continued to descend deeper, the faint light filtering through the cracks could no longer be seen when they looked back, but the entire tunnel was not plunged into darkness—the incessant flames burning on Thor's body, like blazing torches, illuminated a large area.
But he soon ran into trouble: after going down about three kilometers, the tunnel ahead began to narrow.
The height that was originally enough for Thor to walk normally soon forced him to lower his head, his wings scraping against the rock wall on both sides, and in the end, even curling up, he could not pass through.
This was the first time he had experienced the inconveniences of being too large.
It is said that gold, silver, and bronze dragons can naturally awaken their shapeshifting abilities upon reaching adulthood, gaining another humanoid form; while brass and copper dragons do so a little later.
As for the five-colored dragon, it will never have the ability to transform into human form without relying on its own learning or external help.
It would be great if I could transform into a smaller humanoid form at this moment.
The oppressive feeling coming from all directions, coupled with the stones that kept scraping against his wings and head, made Thor feel a surge of anger.
As his anger surged, the fire element in his surroundings began to gather, causing the flames burning on his body to swell and radiate light and heat wildly.
The rising flames engulfed the entire tunnel, causing the surrounding gray dwarves and kobolds to scatter in all directions.
The surrounding rocks and soil began to melt, and soon dripped down like syrup, gathering into a pool of crimson lava at Thor's feet.
Feeling the space around him gradually expanding, Thor couldn't help but raise his head in delight, and decided to widen the entire tunnel completely.
Subsequently, he began to absorb the surrounding earth element. Under the influence of a certain innate power that was gradually awakening, the surrounding rock walls quickly became brittle. Rocks that would normally take several seconds to melt now melted at the slightest touch, like candles that could not withstand high temperatures.
This astonishing power was so great that even from a great distance, it began to be sensed by the surrounding underground creatures.
One by one, strangely shaped creatures poked their heads out of the caves where they were hiding, curiously looking in the direction from which the violent magical power was coming.
Two umbrella-like heads peeked out from a crevice in a giant rock, excitedly gazing at the distant light and heat.