Green, Glasses Woman, and Erha passed through Wendosk City without entering the urban area. They headed straight for the mining district, where Saintess Xiweina Ye's secret base lay hidden deep within Copper Mountain.
Years of mining had devastated the vegetation. Ore washing and sorting had polluted the water, and a pungent stench hung in the air.
The only upside was that the roads were fairly well maintained for transport. Heavy wagons had carved two deep ruts into them, but ordinary carriages could still pass easily.
Green did not head straight for the secret base. He had no idea what awaited them there and needed to scout it out first.
Xiweina Ye could not yet be certain that Glasses Woman had defected to Green. She only knew Glasses Woman had disappeared, with no way to tell whether she was alive or dead. Green did not know what measures she might take, but he held on to a sliver of hope: perhaps she was gambling on luck, or perhaps she could not bear the cost of abruptly relocating the base. If so, he might arrive to find it still bustling with activity.
Of course, if that happened, Green would never need to take Xiweina Ye seriously again. Anyone so indecisive and given to wishful thinking would never accomplish anything great.
That hope soon died. Xiweina Ye was more decisive than he had imagined. When he followed Glasses Woman to the base's former entrance, nothing looked amiss on the surface, but she shook her head at him in disappointment.
"Master, there's nothing of value left here. The entire Underground Base has been blown up!" Glasses Woman said. She had just scanned its location with her ability. The interior had collapsed completely and was beyond repair.
When Glasses Woman had last visited, the entire