EFB Chapter 35: Loot Dropped by the Old, Old, Old Deng
Chapter 35: Loot Dropped by the Old, Old, Old Deng
"boom!--"
The high concentration of underground methane gas that had accumulated over many years was ignited by the flames, and the huge shockwave from the explosion, carrying waves of fire, swept through the mine.
The entire mine was shaking violently, and countless pieces of gravel and dirt fell from above.
If Jack's wind shield hadn't blocked the direct impact of the explosion, the two of them would definitely have been thrown out.
After an unknown amount of time, the roaring gradually subsided, leaving only the sound of falling rocks coming from deep within the mine.
The wind shield dissipated, and Rom rose from the thick layer of dust. He snapped his fingers, reigniting a fireball.
By the firelight, the two men were covered in soot. Jack spat out a mouthful of ash and said with lingering fear:
"Good heavens, the mine's blown up! Boss... is that a new explosion effect from your Fire Wall spell?"
"If you lack common sense, read more books. This is an underground methane explosion."
Rom patted the dirt off his clothes and looked around.
Fortunately, the mining site they were at had a lot of solid rock strata, so although a lot of soil fell, there was no complete collapse.
"Let's go. All the spiders should be dead from that explosion."
The ground was littered with the charred remains of the demon spiders. Unfortunately, these tiny spiders did not have enough elements gathered in their bodies to form any magic crystals.
Moreover, after the explosion, the road we came from was mostly blocked by rubble.
Fearing a secondary landslide, the two dared not delay and crawled back using both hands and feet.
Just as they finally managed to climb out of the rubble and return to the original fork in the road, Jack suddenly stopped.
"Boss, look over there!"
On the right side of the fork in the road, a large crack appeared in the stone wall, revealing a hidden, downward-extending small cave.
A cold wind was blowing in gusts from the newly exposed hole.
"Was this formed naturally?"
Rom walked forward with the fireball in his hand and glanced at it, but his gaze was suddenly drawn to something deep in the cave that was reflecting the firelight.
That appears to be a human figure.
The two exchanged a glance and carefully crawled inside.
This is a small cave of less than ten square meters, with some twisted and strange black runes carved on the stone walls.
And leaning against the corner was a person wearing a black cloak.
Jack curiously approached and used his staff to lift the hood of the cloak.
"dead!"
Although Jack was mentally prepared, he was still so frightened that he took two steps back.
Beneath the black cloak lay a withered skeleton, with only a layer of gray, dry skin clinging to the bones.
Judging from his attire, he was clearly a monk.
Judging from how well the remains had dried out, it was impossible to tell how many years he had been dead here.
"Is he a mage trapped here?" Rom looked at him with some curiosity.
"It must have been a predecessor who was trapped here by those cave spiders and eventually starved to death here..."
May the god of wind guide his soul… Let's not disturb him any longer, just pray for him and that's enough. Hurry up and go, boss.”
Jack seemed to be very averse to the nameless corpses that died in the wilderness. He hurriedly drew a symbol representing the wind element on his chest, then turned around and tried to pull Rom away.
"He wasn't trapped here by monsters."
Luo Mu stood still, calmly analyzing the situation:
"This area was a mine in Blackrock Town decades ago, and miners often went in and out."
Even if there really are magical beasts, how could a mage, with his strength, be unable to even survive and be trapped here to die?
Moreover, this stone wall was clearly sealed off by human hands.
"The body was in a peaceful position, clearly without struggling or suffering."
I suspect he deliberately hid in this cave and then sealed the walls off from the inside.
"You could tell that? Don't tell me... you're a detective!" Jack's eyes widened.
Romulus did not answer, but squatted down and picked up an item from under the corpse's cloak.
It was a staff made of black wood, and it felt heavy in my hand.
The handle is carved with exquisite and intricate patterns, and a black gemstone with a dark luster is set at the top.
The reflection that Rom saw outside was from this gem.
"The craftsmanship and materials of this staff are far superior to the one you have," Rom said, weighing it in his hand.
"Anyone who can afford such a high-level staff must have been of a higher rank than you in their previous life."
Upon hearing this, Jack curiously approached and took the black staff.
He carefully blew away the dust, and his eyes lit up; he immediately fell in love with it.
"Wow, the craftsmanship is so exquisite!"
This black gem is obviously very valuable, even more impressive than the ones used by the nobles of Red Dragon City…”
He couldn't help but swallow.
In this world, the staff is not only a weapon in battle, but also a symbol of status and position.
If I could take this thing back to Red Dragon City in the future, I could definitely show it off to those classmates and acquaintances who used to look down on me!
"Boss, can I have this staff?" Jack asked Rombe longingly.
"Take it if you want it."
Rom can cast spells with his bare hands, so he doesn't have much interest in these fancy "physical peripherals".
I've heard that the old sorcerers in the city are still comparing what kind of material their staffs are made of, what famous designers have designed them, and even polishing them until they develop a patina.
Playing with frivolous things is a waste of time; you should study code properly instead.
He continued to lift the corpse's cloak, trying to see if he could identify the person.
Inside the cloak, the deceased was wearing a black vest, his chest bulging.
Luo Mu reached into his pocket and pulled out a rotten cloth bag.
The bag had been stored for decades, and the leather straps had long since rotted and broken. Before Romé could even untie it, the bag completely fell apart.
Everything inside crashed to the ground.
By the light of the fire, Rom clearly saw the three things that had fallen out:
A pure black rhombus-shaped magic crystal, a yellowed booklet, and a fist-sized sphere covered in scales.
Romulus flipped through the papers, his brow furrowing slightly. "Why aren't there any mage badges?"
The mage badge is not only a mage's identity verification, but also a pass to enter major cities.
Even in death, most mages would clutch their badges tightly as a symbol of honor.
High-ranking mages who do not possess a mage badge typically fall into only two categories:
Either they were permanently expelled from the guild for committing an unforgivable crime;
Or, they're the kind of guys who are completely outside the mainstream system.
Rom picked up the booklet, hoping to find out the deceased's identity information.
He discovered that the booklet was filled with characters he couldn't understand at all.
However, he knew what it was.
It's a script called "Earth Elf Language." Teacher Hamelin has a book on it, so I can ask him about it later.
...
"what!"
Just then, Jack suddenly screamed.
He suddenly threw the black staff to the ground and stumbled back several steps.
"What's wrong? Why are you so startled?"
"Don't you really like this staff? Be careful not to break it."
Luo Mu frowned.
"Black...black sorcerer!" Jack's voice trembled slightly.
"Boss, this guy's a wanted sorcerer!... We're doomed!"