Within the quiet, dark Underground River.
At one point, two bats flew past, one behind the other. The bat behind quickly caught up with the one ahead and began screeching in midair as she attacked the other frantically. Blood soon splattered everywhere.
The other bat reeled in pain. After struggling for a while, he hurriedly dodged upward and struck the rock ceiling. His sharp wings sliced through the rock above, sending layers of stone tumbling down. The bat pursuing him from below neatly shredded them with her claws, but the dust and rubble impeded her senses and movements.
The injured bat above seized the opportunity to escape, flying unsteadily deeper into the river passage.
After spending some effort clearing the obstacles, the bat below immediately took flight again, pursuing him in the direction he had disappeared.
The pursuit continued until, before long, this stretch of dried-up Underground River reached its end.
The pursuing bat flapped her wings and landed, transforming into Mai.
Looking at the dead end ahead, Mai searched the ground with her senses, then soon looked in another direction. Some kind of dark green, broad-leaved underground plant covered the rock wall there.
Mai stepped forward and lifted a broad leaf, revealing a narrow passage behind it.
"Let's see where you can run now!" Mai sneered and slipped inside without hesitation.
During the pursuit, she had already realized that her opponent was only a Viscount. A Viscount had no chance of resisting a Count, so she was not worried about her safety at all.
The passage was somewhat shorter than she had imagined. After rounding two corners, the space ahead suddenly opened up.
Mai found herself inside a vast underground cavern. It had been artificially converted into a Potion-Making Base, with all kinds of herbs and instruments arranged around