As the light entered the Giant Spiders's body, Unas confirmed its death. He drew his sword and swiftly broke open the white cocoon. The Giant Spiders's long legs were still twitching nervously. Just in case, he also cut off the Giant Spiders's head.
Sheathing his sword and turning around, he saw that the Dwarf brothers and the two fools who had been entangled had been freed. His men, seeing that he had dealt with the enemy, stood there panting.
Unas was quite dissatisfied that a single spider had thrown the so-called elite squad into such disarray. It seemed that several more cooperative drills would be needed before the official departure to enhance the team members' coordination.
Fortunately, no one was injured. Unas called the Trolls over to clean up the corpses. Just then, Nightmoon jumped down from a nearby pine tree. The arm she was holding, which was carrying the white spherical object, had a small cut, but the bleeding had stopped. Unas went up to her and cast a Holy Light on her, asking, "Is that a spider egg in your hand?"
"Yes, there are more up there. This female spider is probably in her egg-laying season, which is why she crossed the line to find a safe place." Nightmoon handed over the giant white egg. "There's a natural cave up there, and it seems quite deep."
Unas took the rugby ball-sized spider egg and weighed it in his hand. It seemed to be still liquid inside, meaning the newborn spider hadn't yet developed its form. "It seems I'll have to ask Miss Nightmoon to go up again. We must nip these monsters in the bud."
"Just call me Nightmoon. I'm your subordinate now, no need for formalities." The female Elf said coolly and prepared to go on her mission, but the Troll jogged over and blocked her way.
Haikesi stared at the white eggs in Unas's hand. "My lord, these eggs are treasures. It would be such a waste to destroy them. If we raise them, I can not only have them produce silk, but also command them to fight for us."
This guy has incredibly sharp ears; he heard their conversation clearly from this distance. His suggestion sounded very tempting at first glance, so Unas asked, "Leaving aside the food issue for now, how long will it take for them to grow?"
"Two years." Haikesi's voice suddenly became very hesitant.
"It's been two years, the opportunity is already too late!" Unas scoffed, tossing the spider eggs to the Troll. "I don't have time to wait that long, but it's a shame to destroy them. Aren't you skilled at spider cooking? You decide whether to boil or fry these eggs."
The Troll hugged the spider egg like it was his grandson, pleading with a pitiful expression, "My lord, I was referring to the natural growth time. If you let me cultivate it, it can be greatly shortened..."
At this moment, Perella, who had been silent, spoke up, "We rangers also have a tradition of taming animals to become our companions. If we raise them from eggs, the Green-tailed Spider might really be able to be of use to us. Its silk-spinning is a very good auxiliary attack method."
The Blood Elf joined in, Unas couldn't very well refuse her. "If you want animal companions, that's fine. Spider eggs are everyone's spoils. If there are enough, everyone can have some. Whether you cook them or hatch and raise them is your own choice."
The implication was that they should solve their own food problem, which was already a fair solution. Perella didn't reply, but Haikesi wasn't giving up. "I can delay their hatching until we have more food."
Unas, unable to resist his persistent pestering, finally said, "Let's see how many spider eggs there are first. Nightmoon, could you please lower a rope down after you go up? We'll go up the mountain and take a look too."
The female Elf obeyed and left. Unas told the Troll to quickly clean up the corpse of the Green-tailed Spider, then gathered everyone at the foot of the mountain wall to wait. Soon after, Nightmoon's rope was lowered.
Unas, holding onto the rope and stepping on the mountainside, quickly climbed up to the platform formed by the protruding mountain. The other end of the rope was tied to a thick vine hanging down from the mountainside, and Nightmoon was wrapping more vines around the rope to make it more secure.
There is a wide triangular gap in the mountain directly in front of us, and a huge, torn white web hangs from the edge of the hole, which seems to be the nursery chosen by the Green-tailed Spider.
Unas didn't rush to check; he first helped pull Perella and the Troll onto the platform. Then, the four of them went to the opening. Nightmoon pulled aside the swaying netting. "This seems to be its warning net. I very carefully cut a few strands to slip in, but I was discovered immediately."
"To escape unscathed like that, your skills are truly impressive." Unas casually offered a compliment, then took out a shield and went in first.
The ground beneath their feet was flat, and the air inside the cave was very humid and hot. Unas activated the Lightstone and handed it to Haikesi behind him. The Troll raised it high, and the entire Cave was instantly illuminated.
In the center of the ground was a huge, bottomless crack. Four or five ovaries woven from white silk were scattered in all directions, each containing one or two spider eggs. In addition, the walls and ceiling of the Cave were dotted with things that reflected the light of the Lightstone, like a clear night sky filled with stars.
"What is this...?" Unas pried a reflective, transparent crystal off the stone wall beside him, unsure of what kind of mineral it was. It couldn't possibly be a diamond, could it?
"White Crystal," Perella behind her also picked up a crystal to examine closely, "I didn't expect there to be such a high-quality natural White Crystal deposit here."
Before Unas could ask, the ranger captain continued, "White Crystal is an inexpensive jewel, and also a very good container for mana. Your Lightstone was made from it."
This Lightstone was also given to Unas by Gordon. It only requires a little Holy Power to generate light for a considerable period of time, and it is said to have been inlaid with a Magic Circle.
"So, these White Crystals are practically useless to us?" Jewel Unas had a bunch of even higher-grade crystals in his bag, and mana containers were only of interest to spellcasters.
"Yes, but other crystals are not necessarily like that. White Crystal is easily influenced by various elements and becomes different types of crystals with rich energy. So, White Crystal usually contain other elemental crystals. Haven't you noticed how hot it is here?"
"You mean there are Fire Elemental Crystals here?" Unas immediately understood what she meant; the heat must be because of the fire.
"We'll find out once we go down." Perella pointed to the crack in the center of the Cave. Her voice was calm, but her slightly trembling fingers betrayed her excitement. If there really was an elemental crystal mine down there, her people, who were deeply Mana Addiction, could be saved!
This matter was far more important than any spider eggs. The group quickly arrived at the center of the Cave. Unas looked into the crevice and seemed to see a faint red light shining through, though he wasn't sure if it was just his imagination.
The entire cave is an extension of this crevice, so it is very deep and only wide enough for one person to fit in. It seems to get narrower as you go down, and if you go down rashly and get stuck, you're doomed.
There was no other way but to ask Nightmoon for help again. The female Elf was skilled and daring. She refused the suggestion to tie a safety rope around her waist, put on her steel claws, and without saying a word, she crawled into the crevice.
Unas watched the female Elf's nimble figure disappear quickly; she truly didn't need a safety rope, which would only become a hindrance.
This time, it took a long time for Nightmoon's figure to reappear, and the three of them breathed a sigh of relief. Unas pulled the sweating female Elf up with him.
Without saying a word, Ye Nightmoon knelt on the ground and gasped for breath. A thumb-sized crystal that shimmered with red light came out of her mouth. Perella didn't mind that her saliva was dirty and quickly picked it up to examine it.
"How is it?" Unas felt like a new father waiting outside the delivery room.
Perella looked up and gave him a radiant smile, "It's Fire Elemental Crystal."
"Yay--" Unas's cheers immediately echoed in the cave.