Chapter Thirty: Deepstone Castle

  Deep Stone City.

  As one of the most prosperous cities in northern Paphield, it has a distinct feature that is different from other cities. A deep and massive open-pit mine constitutes its body. Originally, Deepstone City was just an ordinary small mining town, but after the natural mineral deposits beneath it were discovered, it became a thriving city of minerals. And the entire Deepstone City was built on top of this massive open-pit mine.

  From above, the Deepstone City looks like a decoration on the edge of an inverted cone-shaped pit, looking small and inconspicuous. However, only when you are in it can you feel how impressive this city is. From above, there are only finger-width roads, but they are wide avenues that can accommodate four carriages side by side. And those dense holes in the distance, only when you walk up to them will you discover that they are enormous house caves. Here, the big and small blend perfectly, forming a strong contrast that is enough to make anyone remember the existence of this city.

  Like other cities, Deepstone City also has a hierarchical division, but its regional division is slightly different from others. Those who are qualified to live on the top layer of the ground are all nobles, they enjoy sunshine and sweet river water, living a comfortable life. The commercial district and civilian district occupy the first, second, and third layers of the mine pit. Further down is the slum area, where not only is it dark without seeing daylight, but even food and water are scarce, and there are rumors that in the depths of those dark caves, demons will appear and take people away as food. So unless they are people who have no other choice or specialized miners, no one would choose to live in such a place.

  "Deep Stone City..."

  Getting off the horse carriage, Mais's expression rarely became somewhat solemn. He stood by the roadside, gazing at a huge pit in front of him that was pitch black and seemed to be bottomless, and couldn't help but exclaim.

  "Although I've been here many times, every time I see this city, I still can't help but exclaim - God bless my soul, I really can't believe that humans could dig out such a huge and bottomless pit."

  Saying this, Mais licked his lips and turned his head towards Rode standing beside him.

  "Mr. Rhodes, I don't know if you've heard, but in this city, even the oldest miner has never seen what's at the bottom of this huge pit. It's truly a mysterious and wonderful thing, they dug out this mine themselves, but there's no record of what's down there, it's really hard to imagine, isn't it?"

  "That's right."

  Rod nodded, but didn't say much more. Unlike Mays, he knew what was beneath this mine shaft - one of the top ten unsolved mysteries on the Dragon Soul continent. For ordinary people, they might not dare to take the risk. But for players who had nothing to lose even if they died, as long as they could solve the puzzle, dying a hundred or eight times didn't matter.

  Sometimes what they pay is not equal to what they get.

  As you enter the city, people's first impression is quietness, which is different from their imagined bustling and prosperous city. It seems very quiet here, with only occasional horse-drawn carriages rushing past on the streets, carrying goods, and the faint sound of iron and stone hammering in the distance.

  Rod did not, like Maisie, revel in the beauty of the city; he lifted his eyes to the blue sky at the edge of the mountains, and his gaze passed over the mountain range, faintly as if he saw that golden castle on the shores of the fairy lake, and the slender, enchanting yet strong figure dwelling within.

  In a daze, Luo De seemed to have returned to that blood-soaked hill again. The bright red sunset was as if struggling to vent its anger, pouring out its last rays of light. Under the cover of this red glow, a figure clad in magnificent armor knelt on the ground. Before her stood an army of one hundred thousand, but they halted their footsteps before one person.

  The figure, shrouded in the bloody, crimson glow of sunset, remained motionless on bended knee, her golden hair now disheveled, and even the feathers on her pure white wings began to fall with the wind. Yet, despite this, her eyes continued to gaze steadily at everything before her. Upon Rod's appearance, she slightly turned her head, and after a moment, her pale pink lips curled up into a dazzling smile.

  "Really... That's great..."

  She muttered to herself and then closed her eyes.

  Then darkness enveloped everything.

  That was Rude's second time finding his goal, and after that, he resolutely abandoned his original identity as a free player, formed a guild, and began trying to change the entire game world. He succeeded, successfully changing three eras with his own hands, but Rude wasn't satisfied because in the depths of his heart, there was still one last regret hidden.

  He thought he would never have another chance to make up for it.

  And now, the opportunity is right in front of you.

  Roth knew what was coming to this continent, a calamity unprecedented for all living things. Now it looks peaceful and calm, but that's just the calm before the tsunami, short-lived and fragile, which can be destroyed at any time. What replaces it is only a desolate scene.

  But Rode was not in a hurry, and even if he was, it would be of no use. From now on, assuming everything goes normally, he would have at least one to two years of stable period. This was enough for him to complete his preparations, and after that, what he needed to consider was how to continue surviving in this storm.

  If possible, Rode didn't want to choose this adventurous way, but he was very clear how terrible the upcoming storm would be. The entire Dragon Soul continent wouldn't have anyone spared, and all living things would be involved. Rather than waiting until the last minute like an ostrich, it's better to prepare countermeasures in advance.

  Rod pulled down the hood of his cloak, hiding his face in the shadows. This face had a tendency to stir up trouble both in reality and in the game, so it was better to avoid any potential problems whenever possible.

  "Mr. Luo De."

  Just then, Ben also came over with his men and the fat lady. Perhaps because he was back on his own turf, his behavior was a few degrees more confident than before.

  "Thank you for your help, we were able to return on time."

  "She should be fine."

  Luo De glanced at the plump girl hiding behind him, her face pale, and casually asked. When he heard his inquiry, Ben could only smile wryly in distress.

  "The young lady is fine, just a bit shocked and bruised. Miss Lijie has already treated her, there's no problem."

  He said here, I hesitated for a moment, and then lifted my head up.

  "Uh... excuse me, are you available now? The young lady would like to invite you home as a guest, to repay the debt of gratitude for saving her life..."

  "I still have things to attend to, so I won't disturb you anymore."

  Rod shook his head and declined Ben's invitation.

  "It's just a small matter, no big deal."

  "Is that so..."

  Ben's face turned slightly awkward at Rod's answer, while Helen's face flashed a hint of disappointment behind him, but no one noticed.

  As a guard captain, although Ben's abilities were not great, he was still quite good at handling people. Hearing Rode say this, he didn't insist on it and even showed some relaxation. After all, although he hadn't been with Rode for long, the pressure had been considerable, always being nervous and afraid of saying or doing something wrong and getting into trouble. Now that the pressure was finally gone, he didn't stay any longer.

  "In that case, I wish you a smooth journey. After returning, I will definitely report this matter to the clan leader, and I believe the clan leader will thank you."

  After saying that, Ben quickly left with the fat lady. It wasn't until they had walked a distance away that Helen turned her head back to look at Rode's figure, revealing an angry expression.

  "You're really useless! Didn't we agree to trick him back home and then have Dad find someone to teach him a lesson?!"

  "This is no time for fooling around, young lady."

  For this arrogant fat lady, I can only sigh and smile wryly.

  "That man's strength is formidable, you and I both saw it. Do you want to go looking for trouble with him? What if something happens?"

  "But he actually dared to hit me!"

  Helen stamped her foot in anger, gritted her teeth, and couldn't vent her anger in front of Rod, but now that she was away from the guy, Fat Miss finally couldn't hold back her temper.

  "Not even my dad has ever hit me!"

  When Helen said this, Ben could only shake his head in frustration. He really didn't want to get entangled with Rode again, the young man was too terrifying, although he didn't know if Rode's strength compared to those people from the Kailer family had any difference, but he definitely didn't want to bring trouble to the Kailer family. If this young lady was really unhappy, then there was nothing he could do about it.

  "Never mind, there will be plenty of chances to deal with him later."

  Glaring fiercely at Rod in the distance, Helen let out a cruel remark. Just then, Rod seemed to have heard her and lifted his head, looking towards the two of them. This made Helen's face turn pale, and Miss Chubby instinctively covered her mouth with her hand, as if she could put back the words she had just spoken. Ben also quickly turned around and walked away.

  "We should go, young lady, or things will get even more troublesome if we don't return home before the adults come back."

  "Ah, yeah, it is, no mistake, no mistake."

  Helen also nodded repeatedly when she heard Ben's speech, and with a lingering fear, she took another glance at Roderick, seeing that he had already turned his head away, only then did she put her mind at ease, and subsequently turned around to leave hastily.

  "Mr. Luo, we've arrived."

  The girl's crisp voice made Rode withdraw his gaze, and he looked at Lijie who was standing in front of him, seemingly a bit tense. After a moment of silence, he finally opened his mouth to ask.

  "This is your last chance, Lijie, you can choose to refuse."

  "No, Mr. Rhodes."

  However, Lijie shook her head very firmly. Then, she focused on looking at Rode, and a complex expression floated in her eyes.

  "I've thought about it for a long time, I know I'm not the right person, I also know that I'm very naive and inexperienced in this regard, and I don't know what to do. But I know that relying solely on courage and conviction is impossible. If you can help me achieve my dreams, then I won't refuse your proposal."

  The girl's eyes were firm and clear, without a hint of shadow, but Rode did not retreat because of this.

  "I think you've also seen my approach, I'd like to know how you view it."

  "Huh?"

  When Rude asked this unexpected question, Liche froze for a moment before immediately lowering her head.

  "I..."

  "To be honest."

  Although Rod seemed to be only a few years older than Lijie, at this moment standing in front of Rod, Lijie felt a strong pressure, just like the kind she had felt from her team leader and her own father, which made her feel compelled to answer their questions. The originally gentle air seemed to have been filled with lead, making it heavy, and Lijie even felt that her breathing had become somewhat difficult.

  "I... I don't know."

  Finally, Lijie shook her head.

  "I really don't know, Mr. Rhodes, I can be frank with you, your method is far from what I imagined, but... at least I don't dislike your way."

  "I understand."

  Hearing Lijie's answer, Luo De nodded and then stretched out his right hand, patted Lijie's shoulder.

  "I won't let you down."

  Luode then spoke up.