Fifth Layer! Forward!

Saundin II -

It was indeed not the resurrection of Saundin.

Zhou Qing gave the other person a deep look, then turned and walked towards the Gate, saying, "Send those Fallen One to the Third Layer. Also, please don't tell anyone else about our affairs."

"I never lie."

Saundin II indicated his attitude.

"But you don't have to say it." After saying this last sentence, Zhou Qing walked through the Gate and disappeared without a trace.

"Yes, you don't have to say."

Saundin II nodded. "However, there are some things I forgot to tell them: the time on the Seventh Layer, and the Guardian... never mind, with his intelligence, he could sense it even if I didn't tell him, and might even know more than I do..."

Upon entering the Gate, Zhou Qing found himself enveloped in an invisible membrane, rapidly moving downwards along the surrounding beams of multicolored light.

Three minutes later, a brighter exit appeared below.

Wave!

Zhou Qing left the passage and landed on the ground. Looking back, he saw Gate that was exactly the same as the one on the Fourth Layer.

"During the descent, I could not feel any deceleration, but the pressure upon landing was similar to walking... It really is a peculiar spatial teleportation."

As he sighed inwardly, Zhou Qing glanced around. Romantina, Dugu Bo, the Rabbit Girl, and Riko were already standing around him, observing the environment of the Fifth Layer just like him.

Unlike the Fourth Layer, there are no buildings next to the Black Pillar on the Fifth Layer. The sky is a pale pink with yellow clouds. All around, there is a continuous range of mountains, some nearly a thousand meters high and some only forty or fifty meters high, with some low shrubs growing among them.

But overall, it looks quite bare.

"The Fifth Layer is called: Fallen World."

Riko to explain, "This floor is inhabited by a large number of Fallen One. They were Explorer who went to the Sixth Layer, but were Ascension Curse during their ascent and transformed into Fallen One. They dared not go to the upper floors in their ugly form, so they settled on this floor..."

"This layer contains various rare metals, but because the Ascension Curse of the Fifth Layer is very severe, it can cause people to lose their six senses and lose control of their strength, leading to the situation where they tear themselves apart. Therefore, it is very difficult to mine and transport them to the upper layer."

The Gate can only transport people and their possessions. Theoretically, without a large number of Storage Soul Tool, even Fallen One would have difficulty transporting ore up there.

However, Zhou Qing carried a Gray Pouch with a large storage space, and the Inner Scenery World could also be used to store items. If he encountered a suitable mineral deposit later, he could store it there, and he could even ask Dugu Bo for help.

"So, how do we get to the Sixth Layer?" Besides the various rare mineral deposits, Zhou Qing was most concerned about how to get to the next floor.

After all, once you go through the Gate behind you, you can only go upwards, and you'll also have to endure the Ascension Curse.

Riko took out a map from her adventure backpack, pointed to the eight red dots marked on the top, and said, "These eight dots are the gathering places of the Fallen One. Each place has Sky Ladder leading down to the sky, but you need to mine for three years first."

"Mining?"

Dugu Bo frowned. "Isn't there an easier way? For example, could we defeat the strongest among them and go down directly?"

"No, the Abyss People are not warlike. It's an exchange: we help the Fallen One mine the ores they need in exchange for the weapons they build to defend against the ferocious creatures on this level, as well as for the maintenance of the passageways and so on."

Riko shook her head. "These eight Sky Ladder need to be maintained with a purified Red Iron called Red Iron Ore. The Sky Ladder will actively absorb this ore."

"Hachijo?"

The Rabbit Girl asked in confusion, "I remember there used to be only seven?"

"The most recent one was discovered nearly two hundred years ago by a group of Fallen One. This Fallen One village was quite unique; they never ventured out, instead using unusual sounds to lure predators from this level into the village for their hunt. Their village architecture was also extremely peculiar, supposedly capable of autonomously hunting and absorbing nutrients from its prey. Furthermore, the area surrounding the village was governed by peculiar rules: all transactions had to be based on equal exchange; no one could take advantage of another, or they would be punished by the rules..."

At this point, Riko realized that this village was very likely the transformed form of Riko's friend, Namiki. Because the Fallen One of Namiki had completely lost its humanity and had its own internal space with special rules.

However, there is one difference: the people in this village cannot go out and can only attract prey by making noise.

But the Rabbit Girl believed that it was Namiki!

"Alright, Riko, then you lead the way to this village." Through the map, Zhou Qing learned that this village was the farthest from their current location, but his purpose in coming here was not only to go to the lowest level, but also to understand the main resources contained in each level.

The first level, Place of Relaxation, is a vast grassland, suitable for grazing.

The Second Layer, the Mist Forest, is mostly swampy wetlands and boasts abundant flora and fauna.

The Third Layer, the Holy Cup Fruit Forest, primarily features unique Tree Hot Spring and the fruits of the Holy Cup Tree.

The Fourth Layer, the Sea of Corpses, is like a fertilizer processing plant, serving as the center for the recycling and reuse of materials in this Abyss Ruins.

This Fifth Layer clearly contains a large amount of mineral resources containing common and rare metals.

Throughout the Abyss, the traces of human intervention are extremely obvious. Following the principle of outward diffusion, as long as one walks outward along a straight line, the distribution of mineral deposits in the entire Fifth Layer can be determined within a general range.

Besides--

Do you need a reason to help others?

"Thank you so much." The Rabbit Girl was deeply moved.

"This is also part of the adventure," Zhou Qing said with a casual smile.

Romantina let out a long "Eh," covered her flushed cheeks, and said Youyou, "She doesn't even spare grandmothers who have lived for hundreds of years. She's truly the worst of the worst."

"Shut up!"

Zhou Qing was utterly speechless.

Fortunately, Romantina was very obedient and actually shut her mouth: (⊙x⊙;), but her "wise" eyes were so wide open that it was hard not to smile.

"This is youth... Thinking back to my own days..."

Dugu Bo also chimed in, describing his past with a nostalgic expression.

Zhou Qing was speechless.

It's one thing for Romantina to be acting crazy, but why do you keep reminiscing about the glorious past?

And so, the group of five set off toward the location described on the map.

Along the way, with the help of his guide Riko, Zhou Qing collected a number of rather peculiar-looking ores and learned what Red Iron Ore looks like.

This is a mineral with a surface as red as blood, a very rough texture, and a slight warmth.

However, according to Riko, this ore undergoes special processing to extract the Red Iron. After cooling, its surface has a diamond-like luster, and under sunlight, even the slightest vibration can create visible reddish waves, as if it possesses a special magnetism...