Chapter Seventy-Six: Encounter with the Spider Once More

With a piercing scream that seemed to tear through his eardrums, an armed zombie collapsed to the ground, its body enveloped in white smoke. This was the tenth zombie Sun Licheng had slain. Now that he had discovered an effective way to deal with them, Sun Licheng became a veritable god of slaughter, cutting a swath through his enemies and, with Mr. Nimblefingers at his side, pressing forward to the deepest part of the mine.

Here, several pillars supporting the roof had crumbled, and the ground was littered with rocks and soil, making the tunnel chaotic and treacherous. Corpses emerging from the shadows at intervals lent the place a hellish atmosphere.

“Boss, there’s a big hole here!”

Sun Licheng, who had been rummaging through tools scattered on the ground, heard Mr. Nimblefingers shouting not far off and hurried over. As he drew near, he saw a large opening in the cavern wall, wide enough for two people to walk side by side. A steady stream of deathly aura wafted from within.

This abrupt opening puzzled Sun Licheng; it was evidently not dug by the goblins. What could have made it? Perhaps this was the true source of the undead. With that thought, he gripped his long blade tightly and stepped inside with caution.

Within, Sun Licheng found the cave walls unnaturally smooth and, when he touched them, sticky with some kind of slime.

“I’ve seen something like this somewhere before… but where?”

He pondered for a while, failing to recall, then knocked his own head lightly and pressed on. This newly discovered cave was far deeper than the mine, and much steeper. Who knew how long they walked before Sun Licheng saw a sudden brightness ahead—another cave entrance!

“What is this, a series of linked caverns?” he muttered in amazement, pressing his body against the opening and peering inside.

This chamber was vast, at least five meters high by his estimation, and six or seven meters wide. It was clearly not a natural formation. Though the walls were covered in moss and other growths, the carved patterns beneath could still be discerned. From the ceiling, a few stones emitted a dim, amber glow, bathing the entire passage in an orange light.

Seeing no immediate danger, Sun Licheng gripped his blade carefully and entered, Mr. Nimblefingers guarding his side.

“Boss, these are materials from the Goblin Empire!”

Mr. Nimblefingers, after a moment of excited study on the stone walls, flew back to report.

“Oh? Is this a ruin of the Goblin Empire?” Sun Licheng asked, a trace of doubt in his voice.

Mr. Nimblefingers nodded. “It must be. And a sizeable one at that. But what it was used for, I haven’t a clue.”

With questions in mind, they pressed on in the direction from which the undead aura emanated.

Ten thousand years had passed, and what had once been a clean, orderly corridor was now transformed. The stone walls bore many collapsed sections, and groundwater, as if from countless springs, seeped through cracks, forming small streams across the floor. Their footsteps splashed noisily through the water.

After a while, they were stopped short by a wide chasm. Looking down, Sun Licheng saw only pitch darkness, as if it led straight down to hell.

With no other choice, the two followed the edge of the chasm. Before long, they found a stone bridge—crude, evidently hastily constructed, and still quite new.

Just as Sun Licheng was about to set foot on the bridge, he stopped. Across from him lay an open space, with a large tent pitched upon it. Beside the tent stood a stone pillar, its surface covered in intricate carvings, from which a strong aura of death continuously seeped. Sun Licheng guessed that this pillar was the source of the undead.

Guarding the pillar was a spider, larger by far than the iron spider of Salt Mountain. Now, the spider fixed its four pairs of eyes—like bronze bells—on him, watching intently.

“What should we do?” Sun Licheng asked Mr. Nimblefingers.

“What else? We fight our way through,” Mr. Nimblefingers replied, glancing around and brandishing his weapon.

Thinking of the iron spider’s near-impenetrable hide, Sun Licheng glanced at his own blade and sighed. “Looks like it’ll come down to hand-to-hand combat again.” With that, he planted his sword in the ground and drew forth the Jade Shard from his coat.

A sudden message echoed in his mind: “Stranger, do not come any closer! Or I will not be merciful!”

Startled, Sun Licheng paused mid-charge. “This spider is clever indeed, able to communicate directly—surely a magical beast!”

Given its size and intelligence, Sun Licheng decided it was not wise to rush into a fight. He opted for diplomacy.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“I am waiting for my master to return. Master said to allow no living creature near this place—any who approach are to be killed. So don’t force me to attack you. Leave now!” The spider’s response was blunt.

“And where is your master? Could I speak with him?” Sun Licheng pressed.

“My master went ahead long ago and hasn’t returned. I’ve been waiting all this time. I’m so hungry…” The spider’s reply left Sun Licheng wondering if something had befallen its master.

It seemed negotiations were at an impasse. Sun Licheng dropped his smile, brandished the Jade Shard, and roared at the spider, “Move aside, or you’ll end up like the others—I’ll kill you, take your magic core, and that pearl in your belly too.”

He’d intended it as a pre-battle threat, but to his surprise, the spider reacted at once. As he charged onto the bridge, the spider sent another message, this time tinged with excitement: “What? You found the treasure pearl? Give it to me—if you do, I’ll let you pass.”

Sun Licheng was taken aback. “I always thought I was born to play the villain, but who would have expected you, with your honest face, to betray your master over a mere trinket?”

Though he had opinions about the spider’s faithlessness, Sun Licheng was pleased that matters could be resolved peacefully. At his order, Mr. Nimblefingers raced back to camp, returning not only with the pearl but also a good supply of dried meat.

“Did these undead come from this pillar?” Sun Licheng asked the spider, who was now feasting contentedly. True to its word, the great spider had let them pass after accepting the white pearl.

“Yes. My master can summon those things from the underworld. Flowerback hates it. Mmm, delicious…” the spider replied between mouthfuls. Though the communication was somewhat muddled, the main idea was clear.

Sun Licheng surmised that the spider’s master was a necromancer—the sort that wielded a staff and consorted with the dead. Presumably, the necromancer had discovered something here and unleashed skeletons and other abominations to drive out the goblins. Yet, according to the spider, the master had not returned for a long time—most likely, he had perished somewhere in these depths.

“Adventuring is risky business. One should be cautious,” Sun Licheng mused.

Having grasped the general situation, his curiosity now piqued, Sun Licheng allowed Mr. Nimblefingers to persuade him to venture further. After all, this was an important military base of the Goblin Empire—who knew what treasures might be hidden here? As a compulsive collector, he couldn’t just walk away.

Just as they were about to move on, Flowerback called them to a halt.

“What? You want to come with us?” Sun Licheng was astonished when he understood the spider’s intention.

“I never imagined that beneath your ugly exterior lies such a brave heart,” he remarked, seeing Flowerback’s determined expression unmoved by his words. “You really are one of those reckless adventurer types.”

“Very well—let’s go solve the mysteries of this place together!” With a sweeping gesture, Sun Licheng led Mr. Nimblefingers and Flowerback into the passage ahead.