We're Joining Up

"No, haven't you found a place that connects to the old area yet?"

Suddenly, a series of slapping sounds echoed from inside the Sparkfire Church's camp. It was Lu Lu Wo, experiencing a mixture of surprise and impatience, slamming her fist on the table.

How come once I got here I can't get back? This is outrageous!

"And you just said that you've already discovered this place a week, or even almost two weeks ago?"

She scratched her hair and asked with a strange expression:

"Excuse me, may I ask what your latest exploration efforts are like?"

"We have just completed exploring three new areas: the Northern Undead Asylum, the Undead Burg, and the Undead Parish outside the city. We have also discovered previously unexplored areas such as the Darkroot Garden, the Ancient Sain Ancient City, the Catacombs, and the New Londo Ruins, and we have made quite a few discoveries."

Hervey stood with his hands on his hips, looking quite proud as he spoke.

Before Lu Lu Wo could even speak, Bei Er Tuo's lips twitched slightly as he interjected:

"We've also explored the Northern Undead Asylum, but judging by the efficiency of a normal Exploration Team, it would be difficult to survive there for even three or four hours, including the time spent fighting monsters."

"As for the Undead Burg and the Undead Parish outside the city, we briefly went in to take a look before leaving. It was indeed more complicated there. We only managed to find two hidden doors, three shortcuts, and five afterimages. In the end, we didn't go to find the leader. We went straight back to the Firelink Shrine via the church's elevator and then came out. It probably took a day and a half in total."

"To draw a comparison, the combined exploration volume of these two places is roughly equivalent to that of Farron Keep, perhaps with the addition of the Road of Sacrifices."

"Overall, it's considerably easier than places like Irithyll of the Boreal Valley or Eternal City Nokron."

Bei Er Tuo pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting a dazzling light in the sunlight.

The word "terrifying" here comes from Hervey's feeling; he felt that every member of the Skyrim Strategy Team opposite him had two words written on their faces:

Major!

Can you really explore the entire Northern Undead Asylum in just three or four hours?

Is Undead Town and Undead Parish combined equivalent to Farron Keep?

Also, isn't there something wrong with the number of hidden doors, shortcuts, and afterimages you found? It seems like there are more than we discovered.

Hervey's eyes darted around, looking a little bewildered.

Are we exploring the same dungeon???

"I think so?" Ta Mi gave a fairly honest answer.

"I wasn't asking a question, sigh."

Hervey took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, then exhaled a breath of stale air, looking at the Skyrim Strategy Team with admiration.

Don't let their seemingly comedic style fool you; they might lighten the mood with their very presence, but they're all experts at conquering dungeons, each one a master of their craft.

Ta Mi, the least experienced member, would be more than qualified to be the captain of any other Silver Rank team.

He couldn't help but recall how, when the Starfire Knight encountered something in the Zane Dungeon, they had to use their imaginations to discuss it, only to find that nine times out of ten their answers were wrong. He could only sigh and admit a fact:

As amateurs, they really can't compete with professional Strategy Team when it comes to exploring dungeons.

He looked up and saw the Skyrim Strategy Team across the way discussing the current situation.

"What should we do now? It seems we have no choice but to stay here until we find a way back in the Zane Dungeon."

"But I've heard the situation in Scamellon is a bit tense. Rather than staying in such a dangerous place, we should head back as soon as possible."

"Will we just walk back?"

"Are you stupid? Of course we need to find some means of transportation."

"Um," Hervey couldn't help but interject, "You might be disappointed. Anything that can be used to transport people, whether magical artifacts or monsters, has been controlled due to the war. Ordinary people can't get their hands on it."

"Oh dear, how could this happen!" Mi La quite disappointed.

"Can you get it? I can pay you." Lu Lu Wo didn't seem to want to stay in a messy place like Scamellon.

Hervey sighed and said, "It's unlikely in the short term. After all, transportation capacity is already scarce, and although we're on the front lines, it's not the most important battlefront, so supplies are even more scarce here."

At this point, he suddenly remembered Todd. That guy seemed to have run away with the Magitech Pegasus. What a lucky guy. If he had stayed, the Magitech Pegasus would have been "voluntarily handed over".

I wonder where Todd is now, and how he's doing. He always seemed so preoccupied back then.

"Really? That's a shame. Wait, what did you just say?"

Lu Lu Wo had already turned her head away, but suddenly noticed something and looked up abruptly, her beautiful eyes widening in an unladylike manner.

"This is the front line!?"

The entire hut seemed to jump from the sound, and the nearby trees rustled and shed Fallen Leaves.

"Hey, calm down first. There's a saying Reed has, what's it again? 'Since we're here, we might as well make the best of it.'"

Hervey gave a wry smile and raised his hand to comfort them, he hadn't expected that the other group was only now realizing the situation.

"This is not the time to calm down," Lu Lu Wo sighed, rubbing her forehead. "We can't stay here any longer, even if we have to walk. We're not mercenaries like the Light Eagle Legion; we don't want to get involved here."

Even Iliphis and his Light Eagle Legion were to be resurrected, they would likely be bogged down in Swamp of war once they marched into Scamellon. Of course, this is all on the premise that Iliphis retains his human identity, as the situation there is far too complicated.

The Skyrim Strategy Team members all wore worried expressions, which was not surprising. No normal person would want to get involved in a war, even if the Sparkfire Church originated from the Zane Dungeon and even if they had acquaintances within the Sparkfire Church.

However, Lu Lu Wo and Hervey are only acquaintances, and their relationship is at most that of ordinary friends.

If Elsa or Leon were here, she might have stayed.

"Alright, since you want to leave, I'll go find you a map and mark the area."

Hervey already knew he couldn't keep them. He had originally thought that the Skyrim Strategy Team was so famous that he could use their strength to explore the Zane Dungeon and make rapid progress.

But he had no reason to keep them, and he couldn't bring himself to put acquaintances in danger.

Not long after, he returned with a map, spread it out, marked it with a red pen, and explained:

"You're quite lucky. There are a few official roads under our church's control that you can take, and the Holy Light Church hasn't attacked yet. Now is the best time to leave. Even if the Holy Light Church attacks, we'll be there to block your way, enough for you to escape, unless the Holy Light Church plans to flank us."

"Wait a minute," Lu Lu Wo suddenly interrupted him, "Are you fighting the Holy Light Church right now?"

Hervey nodded, and then asked, "Which faction within the Holy Light Church is in charge of commanding this battlefield?"

"You even know about such secretive internal factions?" Hervey asked, surprised, but still answered truthfully, "It's the old-fashioned faction that sticks to tradition. The leading bishop is named Mei Gen Basque, a newly appointed bishop, but it's said that she has a powerful figure backing her. He's quite old, so he hasn't been to the front lines."

Lu Lu Wo noticed the familiar Basque surname, but her attention wasn't on it at the moment.

Her brows furrowed slightly, her chest heaved more dramatically, and her tone suddenly turned somber as she spoke:

"Is that important person surnamed Spak?"

Hervey was taken aback, blinked somewhat confusedly, and after a moment's thought, actually nodded. "How did you know?"

"I'll stay," Lu Lu Wo suddenly said.

"Huh?"

This surprised not only Hervey, but also everyone else in the Skyrim Strategy Team.

The atmosphere around her changed completely. The relaxed atmosphere vanished in the blink of an eye, and suddenly became as heavy and oppressive as her black clothes, making it hard to breathe.

There's a murderous aura about him!

This murderous aura made Hervey feel a strong threat. He looked at the other party in shock, not expecting that the Black Bat's strength had increased so much during their separation.

This kind of aura is undoubtedly enough for him to be Gold-Rank Adventurer!

How come the transfer of goods is so fast?

In an instant, a host of possibilities flashed through his mind, and finally, he cautiously uttered the most likely guess:

"A grudge?"

Yes, there is.

Lu Lu Wo answered crisply and concisely.

"Not small?" he then asked.

"Very big."

Something that could make Lu Lu Wo change her mind so quickly must be something very important.

"I'll stay here and help you explore the dungeon," she clenched her fist, a sinister smile creeping across her face. "The Sien has been upgraded recently; the stuff inside is incredibly useful and will definitely give the Holy Light Church a huge surprise."

She looked at Hervey and said, "I will provide you with assistance in exploring the upper reaches of the Zane Dungeon. In return, you must send people to cooperate with me unconditionally. Moreover, when we reach the headquarters of the Holy Light Church, I want to capture Spek first."

What's the difference between this tiny request and getting a free Dungeon Exploration Master title?

Hervey was overjoyed upon hearing these terms, but after calming down, he said:

"No, the battlefield is too dangerous. As your friend, I hope you won't get involved."

However, Lu Lu Wo seemed to ignore his words and turned to the rest of the Skyrim Strategy Team, saying, "You all go back. I'll be returning to the Arnor Kingdom to find you soon."

Even though the situation changed so suddenly, the members of the Skyrim Strategy Team are all people with deep feelings for each other, and they certainly cannot leave Lu Lu Wo here alone at this moment.

Therefore, when faced with her request, everyone naturally waved their hands and said no.

"Then stay and help me," Lu Lu Wo without any hesitation, "But once you find a way back in the Zane Dungeon, you must get back to me immediately."

"No problem, Captain!"

It seems like I won't have a chance to chime in given this atmosphere.

Hervey wanted to ask Lu Lu Wo what grudge she had against the people in the Holy Light Church, but she hadn't found a suitable time to bring it up.

Because after a friendly exchange, the other party's Skyrim Strategy Team immediately got into a working frenzy.

Bei Er Tuo drew a map of the Northern Undead Asylum in just a few minutes, Lu Lu Wo instantly marked the available shortcuts on it, and Ta Mi clearly marked the distribution and strength of the monsters in each area.

These three were clearly the most skilled at creating guides within the Strategy Team. In less than half an hour, a shortcut map for the Northern Undead Asylum was freshly produced.

Hervey was completely stunned. Was drawing a map really that simple?

Upon closer inspection, wow! Look at the level of detail and the simple, easy-to-understand instructions—it's absolutely a masterpiece. Having this in hand will make subsequent explorations much easier!

What Lu Lu Wo next took him even more by surprise.

"This is just a draft right now. I've only marked the shortcuts in the Zane Dungeon on it. My own 'shortcuts' haven't been drawn yet."

With her hands on her hips and an air of self-importance, she said, "Show this to your bishop, and he'll understand the value of keeping me here."

"This is extremely valuable."

Soon after, Hervey sent the draft of this work, which far surpassed the quality of many others' finished products, to Bishop Vinsmoke and quickly received a reply filled with astonishment.

And so, the Skyrim Strategy Team successfully stayed with Hervey.

These adventurers, specializing in dungeon exploration, quickly demonstrated their professional skills upon joining.

Except for Ai Si Ai Mu, each of them is capable of leading a team into the dungeon on their own. Each time they go in, the team members become more familiar with and understand the structure of the Zane Dungeon. After going in a few times, they develop into a team of veterans who can lead other newcomers into the dungeon for adventure.

While training talent to explore dungeons, the Skyrim Strategy Team also took the time to create a complete map of the Undead Burg and a partial map of the Undead Parish.

The resource points marked on the map and the large number of trained dungeon explorers greatly improved the efficiency of the Sparkfire Church in mining the Zane Dungeon, allowing large quantities of strategic resources to be moved out.

Not only the Sparkfire Church, but they also took the opportunity to train people from other churches, and something very strange happened during this Hervey.

That's because the bishop and his son from the Wild Forest Church always seemed to be smiling at him for some reason.

That sinister smile gave him goosebumps. What did it mean?

Currently, the consolidation of the Rebel Army's exploration of the Zane Dungeon presents a thriving scene, and presumably the problem of resource shortages will be resolved soon.

But things can't always go that smoothly.

As they explored the dungeon, a threat from the Holy Light Church drew ever closer.