Digging a Hole, but I'll Definitely Fill It

At midnight, the adventurers' first day of exploration of the once again mutated Zane Dungeon officially came to an end.

Both the ancient city and the Bede City were brightly lit and bustling with people, as lively as a celebration.

A rough estimate suggests that the number of vendors setting up stalls inside and outside the city has more than doubled, selling their day's catch.

Almost everyone makes new discoveries. As we all know, the highest price for items produced in dungeons is right after they are discovered, so adventurers quickly put out all sorts of new and unfamiliar items to sell.

The items on these stalls are not all props, or rather, not many are actually useful; most are classic, fashionable little junk items.

Someone carried back several wooden frames from the Farron Keep —yes, the very same wooden frames used to bind those who hadn't passed the Wolf's Blood test. The seller, with a keen business sense, marketed the frames as sacred objects for werewolf attacks.

Judging by appearances alone, there does seem to be some truth to it.

Someone plucked some branches and said they could be used as an antidote, arguing that these trees, which grew in the highly toxic sewage of Farron Keep, were unharmed and must have some antidote properties.

Adventurers bring out the hard horns on Ghrū's head, the venom spit out by slugs, the tails of Slowpokes, the droppings of unknown wild beasts in the Forest Area, and even oddly shaped stones. They can then fabricate a bizarre story and sell it.

Based on their meticulousness and ability in raiding homes, these adventurers would be top-notch protagonists in an RPG Yugi —specifically referring to those who go door-to-door robbing innocent NPCs of their belongings.

These people's clientele is naturally not experienced adventurers; they are all in the same industry and can tell at a glance whether these things are useful or not.

Therefore, the main customers are wealthy and idle people in the city.

Especially now that a large number of caravans have settled in Bede City, these people either buy the most practical or the most fancy items, then repackage them and transport them to distant places to sell to richer, more leisurely wealthy merchants.

Adventurers make money, merchants make money, it's a win-win-win situation, because dungeons also make money.

Even Gong Qiying was surprised that the adventurers had become interested in the little piece of trash, a fact that hadn't happened in a long time, and he was taken aback for a moment.

The information on the bulletin board in the center of Bede City is updated every moment. The number of staff responsible for this task has doubled, but it is still not enough to keep up with the adventurers who are eager to provide information.

Everyone eagerly exchanged all sorts of information, from rough guides to Elite Monsters to which part of the Swamp's mud felt as comfortable as kneading milk. The staff responsible for reviewing the information often wondered if this ridiculous information was really that useful.

Because there were so many people exchanging information, the leaderboard had to be temporarily suspended. Rankings and rewards will only be implemented after everyone's contributions have stabilized in a couple of days.

It's so lively, like Yugi suddenly launching a new event.

Unbeknownst to many, the Zane Dungeon has actually gained a group of loyal "fans".

Unexpected yet reasonable.

"Let's have a meeting!"

Adventurers' Guild, second floor.

Malu slapped the table, and everyone in the lounge looked at her.

There were twenty or thirty adventurers in the lounge at the moment, all of them Silver Rank experts. Almost all the top adventurers in Bede City had gathered together.

The reason for choosing to meet in the lounge was that this "meeting" was not formal at all; it was just a general exchange of information and a chance to strengthen relationships.

"Malu, hasn't your boss come back yet? It feels like something's missing without Leon around."

"Let's wait at least another half month," Malu pouted, still resentful that Leon had set off alone without the others.

Delu changed the subject, placing a small booklet on the table and saying, "We obtained something called the Hunting Handbook, which records the monsters in the Zane Dungeon. Have you obtained anything similar?"

Half the people in the lounge have received theirs, someone said:

"The information recorded here is quite amazing. I never expected that the monster called Ghrū would be an ally of the Farron Undead Legion. If that's the case, they seem to be good people after all?"

He unfolded his Hunting Handbook, and information appeared on it:

[Hunting Handbook: Monsters]

[Name: Ghrū]

The Ghrū are descendants of demons. Residing in Farron Keep, they chose to become allies of the Farron Undead Legion, not only providing trials for those Undead Legion volunteer to join, but also guarding various parts of the Fortress against the evil forces from the abyss.

Below these lines of text is a lifelike sketch of Ghrū, depicting him holding a spear and shield.

"I don't know if he's a good person or not, but he's scratched my face so badly, I could kill him a thousand times and it still wouldn't be enough," a man with bandages wrapped around his face said indignantly.

"Why aren't you using healing spells?" Malu asked curiously.

"I'm doing this to remind myself!"

"I'm just bored."

A curvaceous female adventurer chuckled as she flipped through the Hunting Handbook, saying, "The things recorded here are quite interesting. I bet the Guild Master will emphasize this booklet during the formal meeting. How about we have a competition to see who unlocks more first?"

"Are there any stakes?" Luo Jieer asked with interest.

"The right to have dinner with me?"

"Tch~" Luo Jieer immediately lost interest.

"Hey, even if you don't like it, you don't have to react so obviously!"

This woman, named An Ti Li, is a high-level animal trainer who deals with wild beasts year-round. She is very sexy in both personality and dress, and when she bent over to scold Luo Jieer, a certain part of her body almost popped out.

However, Luo Jieer showed no worldly desires and said, "If you can lend me your beast for one night, I'll consider betting with you."

"Hiss!" An Ti Li gasped, looking Luo Jieer up and down, lost in thought.

"Give up, that old man is only interested in monsters," Malu, trying hard to suppress her laughter.

"Speaking of monsters, by the way, I happen to have some news about them," An Ti Li clapped her hands suddenly and said, "My apprentice told me that a group of monsters that don't attack people unless provoked have appeared in Gourmet Paradise. I was planning to go take a look tomorrow. How about it, do you want to come with me?"

"Oh?" Luo Jieer immediately sat up straight. "Then I have to go, and I have to bring my apprentice with me."

The moment the topic of monsters came up, the two immediately became like old friends who had known each other for years, chatting happily.

However, after only a few words, the two of them went outside and started fighting.

"The Azure Scale White Dragon is the strongest flying dragon-type monster. What do you know, you stupid woman!"

"Bullshit! The handsome and powerful Crimson Flame Red Dragon could crush it to death! Nobody knows more about dragons than me!"

Delu said expressionlessly, "Ignore them, let's talk about our own things."

The adventurers mostly discussed information about Farron Keep, focusing primarily on its practical applications.

They talked about things like the Swamp's toxicity had increased, the lurking monsters had become stronger, and the item locations had changed. When they got excited, they even took out paper and pen and started drawing a map on the spot.

However, everyone drew a different map. At first, they stared at each other blankly, and then they started arguing, with arguments ranging from "My map is correct and yours is garbage" to "My map is correct."

People had a variety of interests. Some were discussing the monsters' physical structure and fighting methods, some were speculating about their habits, and some were discussing whether the weapons, equipment, and accompanying Weapon Skill seized from the monsters were practical.

The topics here are far more valuable than the various items on the bulletin board.

After much conversation, everyone's topic converged on one thing—the story hidden within the Farron Keep.

Based on the information currently available, we know that this is an organization fighting against a force called the Abyss, and they seem to have a tragic past, but no further details are known.

So after chatting for a while, everyone started talking about other things.

Someone said mysteriously:

"I'm going to give you guys a heads-up, but you absolutely mustn't tell anyone else,"

"You're being so mysterious, hurry up and tell us."

The man paused, then whispered, "It's said that traces of demons have been discovered outside the city, and people in nearby villages have been killed."

Delu frowned and asked, "The exact location?"

"It seems to be in the southwest, near the Val City. Now both lords on both sides are in for a headache."

"Southwest direction."

Malu suddenly remembered something, her eyes searching through the crowd, but she couldn't find the person she was looking for.

That person's name is Da Er.

They haven't reunited since being separated by the monster tide, and they haven't even met after leaving the dungeon.

During their casual conversation, she heard Da Er mention that his family seemed to live on a farm in the southwest of the city.

Southwest of the Bede City.

An unassuming farm is located near a forest. It is not large, and the crops planted there are sparse and not growing well, indicating that its owner does not usually care about the crops.

Generally speaking, farmers keep one or two dogs as pets to guard their property.

However, if any dog were to actually enter this farm, it would be terrified.

Because it's filled with a strong, pungent wolf smell.

In the dimly lit farmhouse, Da Er huddled in a corner, looking somewhat desolate.

Pairs of eerie eyes occasionally shone from inside the farmhouse, but their gazes held no malice, only concern for their companion.

"I did something cowardly."

Da Er stroked the soft fur of the beast beside him, which responded with a whimper.

If you lit a torch, you could see inside this farmhouse.

It's teeming with wolves!

Da Er smiled; his companions always showed him concern in a timely manner.

Looking at the pack of wolves before him, a memory surfaced in his mind—something he had seen before leaving the Zane Dungeon.

An old wolf in slumber, a tombstone with blurred inscription.

It's Old Wolf of Farron!

After passing through the cave, he unexpectedly met Old Wolf of Farron before leaving Sain and felt his invitation to become a Farron Guard.

Accepting Wolf's Blood grants immense power, and theoretically, he could rival the legendary Farron Undead Legion.

But he ultimately chose to run away.

"I really am a coward. I have the chance to gain the power to take revenge, but I'm afraid of turning into a monster."

Da Er felt something wet on his face; it was a wolf licking his face.

This was probably meant to comfort him.

He chuckled softly, hugged the big guy's furry body, and muttered to himself:

"As long as you are here, I feel at ease."