Li Shaolin initially thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. But when he looked closer, the water rippled again, and another person went in!
Good heavens, it looked like more than one person had gone inside. Sneaking around like that, they were clearly up to no good. Could they be here to steal ore?
After thinking it over, he happened to see Homor arrive and asked, "By the way, do you keep watch here at night?"
"Yeah, we do. But most of the workers go home. Quite a few are from the farms. Since the harvest has been poor, they came here to earn enough to eat," Homor said.
"Fine, arrange a room for me. I'll be staying here tonight. Also, no one is allowed into my room without my permission. Oh, and find me some bones."
"Hehe, that'll be easy." Homor opened his large mouth and laughed.
The rain grew heavier and heavier, with no sign of stopping. By then, the workers had finished dinner and were gathering their rain gear to head home. Because of the rain, darkness had already fallen early.
With a crack of thunder, rain poured down in sheets!
After it had rained for some time, it was completely dark outside.
Inside the wooden shack, three Skeleton Warriors appeared before Li Shaolin as black mist rose. All three now had green names, each equipped with a Bone Blade and Bone Shield. Two of their frames had grown larger, from their usual height of about five foot seven to over six and a half feet. Barbs had sprouted between the gaps in their white bones. Those points in Skeleton Mastery had really been worth it.
Holding a section of boar bone in his hand, he began chanting. The bone gradually turned into mist and enveloped the two larger Skeleton Warriors. As the mist swirled, a sound like lightning tearing through the air rang out. Amid flashing sparks, white bone armor began extending down from the skulls of the two skeletons.
In the blink of an eye, the bone armor completely covered the two Skeleton Warriors.
Li Shaolin stepped forward and inspected them closely. The armor was woven from white bone vines. From afar, it looked no different from chainmail. The white bones gave off a faint, cold glow, each as thick as a little finger, twisting and wrapping around one another. Even the Skeleton Warriors' heads were completely enclosed.
"So these are skeleton generals?" He had no idea how powerful they were, but judging by their appearance, they could not be too bad. If he found them a couple of hooded cloaks, they should be presentable enough to show in public.
It was pitch-black outside. The weak mining lamps could illuminate no more than three yards, while the workers and guards assigned to night watch had long since returned to their rooms, chatting and boasting.
Then again, apart from civilians, the Defias Brotherhood, and Kobolds, few others were willing to come here. Civilians naturally would not dare steal ore; if caught, it was a capital crime. The Defias Brotherhood's gathering place was far from here, so they likely would not come either. Even if they did, the few guards here would not be able to stop them. As for Kobolds, they had long been wiped out in this area.
Li Shaolin opened the umbrella Homor had sent him, casually opened the Book of the Dead, and stored away two skeleton generals and one Skeleton Warrior. He did not put the book away, instead walking into the rain with an umbrella in one hand and the book in the other.
The mine entrance was right before him. Looking inside, all he could see was a stretch of murky darkness. Chilly gusts blew out from within, striking his face hard enough to sting. The night-watch workers saw Li Shaolin but did not dare come forward to greet him. Homor was probably already asleep with his wife, so naturally no one stopped him.
With the Book of the Dead open in his left hand, the clay golem appeared amid billowing black mist inside the mine. However, the thing was afraid of water, and the outer section of the mine was mostly damp from the rain. The golem did not stop walking and hurried farther inside.
Li Shaolin stepped into the mine.
With another summon, the three skeletons reappeared. Two skeleton generals led the way while one Skeleton Warrior watched the rear. He shook the raindrops from his umbrella and put it into Storage Space. Fortunately, the Storage Space was divided into individual slots, so he did not have to worry about the other items getting wet.
He turned to a page in the Book of the Dead and tapped the illustration of the white bone shield with his finger. With a clatter, three Bone Shields formed around him.
After ordering his summons to advance, he slowly headed deeper in.
Fortunately, several oil lamps still lit the interior. They appeared to have been kept burning year-round, saving him the trouble of preparing a torch. The light was terribly dim, but enough to see by.
Those two or more people who had entered were probably Rogues or something similar. Could another faction be here to claim a share of the profits? Or were they members of the Defias Brotherhood? Li Shaolin thought as he walked. No, if I just go in like this, they can hide anywhere and avoid me. Realizing this, he immediately stopped.
He looked at the golem ahead of him and suddenly got an idea.
Wasn't there a golden golem stationed in here? That thing could turn into mud and travel through the mine. He could have it help search. The problem was that Li Shaolin did not know where it was hiding, and their mental connection did not reach far enough for him to find it quickly.
With a thought, he directed this golem to go in and search. This golem was not high-level. Though it had fought for so long without leveling up and remained at the same level as its master, the range of its mental connection had expanded considerably.
Though the mine was gloomy and dark, he was a skeleton-summoning class player to begin with. After getting used to it for so many days, he had gradually adapted.
Just then, a shadow flickered faintly behind him!
When he turned around, a child wearing a burlap hood and holding a small knife had somehow appeared behind him!
Two black holes in the mask revealed the child's eyes, though the darkness made them impossible to see clearly. A chilly breeze drifted over, raising the hairs on Li Shaolin's body and making his heart tremble.
Wasn't this the fishing child he had seen by the dock outside Skinner's house that day? Why was he here? Could it be...?
Li Shaolin's heart tightened. White light flashed, and two Bone Fangs immediately condensed around his fingers, circling and dancing in the air!
"Who are you? What are you doing in the mine?" Li Shaolin shouted. His three summons had already formed a defensive ring around him.
The child said nothing. Without even the sound of footsteps, he slowly moved closer. At once, the cold wind intensified!
Li Shaolin shouted, and the Bone Fangs shot forward! Yet he was secretly startled. His magic could not lock onto the target. This was the first time such a thing had happened!
With two sharp thuds, the Bone Fangs struck the mine wall. Unable to lock on, they naturally lost their accuracy, and the two fangs missed by who knew how far.
Just as he was about to command the Skeleton Warriors to attack, the child lightly flicked his small knife. Blood sprayed through the air, and a figure appeared beside him!
The unlucky man clutched his split throat and made two muffled sounds, but no words came out. He fell backward and died instantly! Judging by his clothing, he was dressed like a standard member of the Defias Brotherhood.
Li Shaolin was startled, not because of anything else, but because he noticed that the man was wearing a Red Silk Mask!
From his conversation with Homor that afternoon, he had learned that the Defias Brotherhood ranked its members by the material of their masks. Silk masks were still worn only by high-ranking members. So far, he had seen two such masks. One had been found when he accidentally killed Receiver Morgan at Blackwell's Pumpkin Patch. Aside from that schedule and ring, there had also been a silk mask. The other was the one worn by this man. Could VanCleef, the leader of the Deadmines, be setting his sights on Fargodeep Mine? Or had he discovered something about the death of Receiver Morgan?
His mind was in utter chaos. How could he make sense of it all so quickly? Meanwhile, the child seemed to stick out his tongue beneath the tattered burlap mask and lick the small knife before walking toward him again!
"Is this thing human or Ghost? How can it be this strong? That Rogue was no low-level fighter. He must have been lurking in the mine for a while, and I never noticed him, yet he was killed instantly. Damn it, should I fight or run?" Li Shaolin hesitated.
In that brief blink of an eye, the child had already reached him! A faint, sinister chuckle sounded, and the small knife slashed down!
Before the knife could land, one skeleton general shuddered and swung its Bone Blade!
The child seemed wary of the white Bone Blade and shrank back, dodging the strike. But before he could react again, the other skeleton general swung its Bone Blade and closed in as well.
For a moment, dirt sprayed from the mine walls!
Li Shaolin finally felt somewhat relieved. It seemed the skeleton generals could restrain the child. Otherwise, Old Li would have had no choice but to flee. Yet although the skeleton generals were fierce, the child moved like a Ghost, darting, twisting, and weaving around them. For the moment, they could not injure him.
Just then, the child sneered. The sound was like a ghost crying in the night, and echoes immediately filled the mine, each piercing Li Shaolin's ears!
A wave of weakness struck Li Shaolin's mind as if he had been hit hard! The soul flames of the skeleton generals flickered, and their movements hesitated for a moment. Taking advantage of that delay, the child had already closed in!
The small knife came down, and it was too late to dodge!
"Hmph-ha!" The earth beside Li Shaolin suddenly gathered together. An oppressive pressure descended as a fist the size of a washbasin shot out and struck forward!
The golden golem had revealed itself.
One punch sent the unpredictable child flying back. Then another punch struck the air with a wet splat, blasting apart a Defias Bandit who had been lurking for a long time!
The golden golem clenched its fist again, strode forward, and threw another punch!
The child seemed extremely afraid of the golden golem. He let out a sinister chuckle, his figure flickering and drifting repeatedly as he dodged the golem's fist before darting out of the mine in an instant.
Only the faint patter of rain could be heard outside. Other than that, there was no sound at all. For a time, the mine was terrifyingly silent.
Li Shaolin's legs gave out beneath him, and he collapsed onto the ground. Though he had not personally joined that battle, the terror he felt was even greater. One careless mistake, and Old Li would have died here today.
"Too close!"
Before you continue