The next morning, Lin En went to the Adventurers' Guild to see if there were any lucrative quests he could take on.
Katheryne had just finished wiping the counter when she saw Lin En arrive and nodded to him.
Lin En went straight to the commission board, scanned it, and suddenly saw a newly pasted note at the top row. The ink was not yet dry, and the association's red stamp was stamped in the lower right corner.
"Explore the underground mining area of the Chasm to find the Geo sample box carried by the missing exploration team. Reward: 500,000 Mora. Minimum two-person team required."
Lin En rubbed his eyes, making sure he wasn't seeing things. Five hundred thousand. His hands were shaking as he tore the note off.
"The early bird catches the worm!"
"Five hundred thousand Mora."
Lin En read the note again to confirm that there were no errors. Although doing the quest in the Chasm would take longer, the money was plentiful!
"Once this order is done, I won't have to worry for months."
He took the authorization slip and walked to the counter.
Katheryne took the note, glanced at it, then looked at Lin En, and pushed it back.
This quest requires a two-person team. You only have one person, which doesn't meet the requirement.
Lin En paused for a moment.
"Two people? Is that written on it?"
He picked it up again and looked at it carefully. In the lower right corner, there was a line of small print. "This commission requires at least two people to participate."
"Can't you do it alone?"
Katheryne shook her head.
"The association stipulates that team formation contracts must meet certain requirements."
Lin En opened his mouth, as if to say something, but then swallowed it back; he certainly couldn't disobey the request.
"Can I find someone else to team up with?"
"Yes, as long as the other party is a registered adventurer, the association will accept the application."
Lin En was about to go back and discuss with Ronava where to recruit someone when a voice suddenly came from behind him.
Can I come with you?
He turned his head and saw a blue-haired boy standing at the door with a bundle on his back. He looked like he had also come to accept a commission. It was Chongyun.
Lin En recognized him; the young sorcerer from an exorcist family was quite well-known in the Liyue Harbor area.
Chongyun walked over and nodded to him.
"I overheard you guys talking about forming a team. I've been looking for high-paying quests too. I've been looking at this the Chasm quest for days, but I still can't find enough people."
Lin En looked at Katheryne, and Katheryne looked at him too.
"If you agree, I'll add his name."
"Agreed, agreed."
Lin En nodded quickly.
Katheryne wrote Chongyun's name in the register, took back the authorization slip, stamped it, and then handed a confirmation form to Lin En.
"The commission is valid for ten days. After completion, bring the sample box back, and the association will contact the client for acceptance."
The three of them left the Adventurers' Guild and discussed something at the entrance.
Chongyun said he would go back and pack his equipment, and they would meet at the west gate of Liyue Harbor in an hour.
Lin En also went back to the inn to repack his belongings, packing everything he could, including dry rations, water pouches, and bandages.
An hour later, Lin En met up with Ronava and Chongyun at the west gate.
Chongyun carried a bulging bundle, which contained not only dry food and water, but also a bunch of talismans and ritual implements for exorcising evil spirits.
I've been down into the Chasm underground mine once.
Chongyun said as he walked.
"The terrain below is complex, with some areas having several levels, making it easy to get lost. Furthermore, the mine is perpetually dark, and some areas contain toxic gases; you have to follow the ventilation shafts."
What were you doing down there last time?
Lin En asked.
"To exorcise evil spirits."
Chongyun's expression was very serious.
"The miners said there were strange noises down there, so I went down to check. It was just a few Geo Slime rolling around in the mine, the echoes were just loud. But that place is really eerie, the Ley Lines energy is very chaotic, and it's easy to get dizzy if you go too deep."
Ronava listened without interrupting.
Lin En knew what she was thinking. It was normal for the Ley Lines's energy to be chaotic below the Chasm because of the Nail of Retribution. However, last time they only went to the layer where the spikes were located and did not go any deeper into the mining area.
The three of them walked westward along the official road for two days until the huge crevice of the Chasm appeared at the end of their sight.
The rock face at the edge of the crack was still that abnormal dark gray, barren of everything, and the air was filled with a damp, mineral smell.
Chongyun stopped at the edge of the rift, took out three talismans from his bundle, and handed one to each person.
"This is a Qingxin talisman; sticking it on your body can protect you from poisonous gases. The air down here isn't very good, so it's better to be prepared."
Lin En took the talisman and stuck it on his body; a faint minty scent wafted from it.
The three of them followed the same route they had taken before. After reaching the bottom of the upper level, Ronava led the way into a side path that Lin En had not taken before.
This side road was much narrower than the main road, and the rock walls on both sides were embedded with luminous minerals, which made the passage appear to glow with a faint blue light.
After walking for about half an hour, the passage split into three levels: one upper, one middle, and one lower.
Chongyun squatted down to examine the marks on the ground and pointed to the one in the middle.
"There are footprints, fresh. The exploration team must have come from here."
The three of them crawled into the middle passage. The further they went, the stuffier the air became, and the gravel under their feet turned from dry to damp. At the end of the passage was a circular underground cavity. On the ground in the center of the cavity, there were a few things scattered: an overturned wooden box, several broken ropes, and a rusty pickaxe.
But no one was there.
Lin En squatted down and rummaged through the wooden box. Inside were several pieces of rock wrapped in oilcloth. Their color was different from ordinary ores, with a faint golden-blue luster.
He picked up a piece and held it up to the light, then suddenly felt a burning sensation in his palm and immediately threw it away.
"Self-illuminating? Does it emit radiation? Could I have picked up something bad?"
Ronava walked over and glanced at it, then frowned.
"This is a high-concentration crystal of Geo. You can't find this kind of thing in normal mines; it can only be mined from deep within."
Chongyun leaned closer to take a look, his expression turning serious.
"Where are the exploration team? The stuff is here, but the people are gone?"
The three looked around. Besides the passage they had come in through, there was another, narrower, dark exit on the other side of the cavity, its destination unknown.
But since the footprints led inward, we had to follow them and take a look.
Chongyun held the talisman in his hand and walked at the front, with Lin En in the middle Ronava at the back.
The air in the narrow passage was stuffy and hot, and the gravel underfoot made an uncomfortable squeaking sound.
After walking down the winding passage for about fifteen minutes, I suddenly heard a sound ahead, like someone talking, but I couldn't quite make it out.
Chongyun stopped and put a finger to his lips.
The three held their breath as the sound came through intermittently, mixed with a low hum, as if something was vibrating.
"... Don't touch that... it's happening again... it's happening again..."
After hearing this clearly, Lin En said something.
"There's someone inside!"
Chongyun nodded, replaced the talisman in his hand with another yellow one, folded it into a triangle and tucked it between his fingers, and then continued to feel forward.
After walking a dozen steps, the passage suddenly opened up, revealing a larger cave with a ceiling about two or three zhang high. Several stalactite-like rock pillars hung down from the ceiling, emitting a faint glow.
There were two people inside the cave. One was sitting against the wall, and the other was squatting on the ground, scratching something with a stone.
The two men were dressed in tattered clothes, their faces covered in dust, in the style of exploration team uniforms. The one leaning against the wall had a strip of cloth wrapped around his leg, clearly indicating he was injured.
Chongyun went in first, and the two men looked up abruptly. The one who was squatting immediately grabbed the pickaxe next to him.
"Who!"
"Don't panic, we're sent by the Adventurers' Guild to find you."
Chongyun quickly produced the association's authorization letter.
"Are you from the exploration team?"
The person squatting there paused for a moment, then slowly lowered the pickaxe in his hand.
"Sent by the association?"
He glanced at the three of them, then at Lin En and Ronava, and suddenly became excited.
"We're saved! We're saved! Old Chen, can you hear that? Someone's coming to rescue us!"
The man leaning against the wall, " Old Chen," grinned and then hissed.
"We still have some team members trapped at the bottom. Please, please save them!"