However, Tadiff said no more, nor did he volunteer to lead the way. He simply did what he was supposed to; whatever the employer said, went.
Upon entering the cave mouth, it took only a few steps for darkness to engulf the entire party. Their vision montarily failed as their eyes adjusted to the abrupt change from light to darkness. Fortunately, no monsters ambushed them. Otherwise, they likely would have panicked for a mont before organizing a counter-attack.
The Beast Lair was gloomy and cool, so it was no wonder the Pign refused to venture out during the day; it was the kind of weather in which only beasts of burden would toil under the scorching sun.
But for humans, such an environnt was torturous.
What are sewers for? Disposing of waste. And the sheer volu of a city’s waste?
Beneath their feet lay filth accumulated over who knew how many years, settled into a semi-dry, indescribable black sludge where the water flow had long ceased. Various kinds of filth and excrent were visible on top, trampled and mixed into the muck. No normal person could bear to set foot in such a place, where each step sank into either excrent or foul leachate. Fortunately, the mud at the bottom of this long-abandoned sewer had dried out; otherwise, stepping into it would have been even more excruciating.
Besides the gri, the scene was one of horror and gore. The stench emanated not only from monster feces but also from leftover scraps, mangled flesh, and shattered bones. Various types of bones were scattered everywhere. The most recognizable among them were undoubtedly human skulls. There were so many that they were clearly visible even in the dim light, indicating the primary food source of these beasts.
"Most of these bones are very old," Dismas remarked. He had stepped on a skull, and with just a touch, it shattered into fragnts. Human skulls are very tough, so these remains were clearly not recent.
Lance remained silent. His ancestor had originally used this place to dispose of experintal waste. Why, then, did he later turn to pigs? It was because too many humans had been used as experintal subjects. Lance had no concept of this before coming here, but now he understood.
"Let’s go. We’ve entered the Beast Lair now. Be cautious of the enemy," Lance said.
Lance continued to lead the team deeper. Contrary to their expectations, the tunnel opened into a surprisingly large space. There was enough room for two people to walk side-by-side comfortably, and the ceiling was likely over three ters high. When operational, it could have handled an enormous volu of drainage. A city requiring sewers of this scale would undoubtedly have been comparable to Totnes. Moreover, these were not re tunnels dug from the earth. The surrounding walls were entirely constructed of brick and stone. Heavily rusted sluice gates, now hoisted up, were still visible. It possessed all the features expected of a sewer system.
Lance, being involved in construction himself, understood the difficulty and expense of such projects. Constructing such a grand complex with a complete brick and stone structure would have required an investnt of manpower and materials likely amounting to millions of Gold Coins. And this was rely a section of the sewer system, abandoned due to urban expansion and redevelopnt. It hinted at the imnse power and wealth Hamlet possessed before its decline.
He should have been enjoying the decadent life of nobility. But damn it all, his ancestor had savored every last bit, smashing the proverbial rice bowl and leaving him nothing. None of this concerned him anymore... The pain... It was too much...
"Candles! Why are there candles here?"
Soon, the team discovered sothing intriguing. Irregularly placed, partially burnt candles lined both sides of the passage. There were quite a few, appearing at intervals, as if deliberately placed to mark a path.
"’They’re just ordinary candles. Looks like they were used frequently until recently but have been left untouched for so ti. Surely those beasts don’t need candles,’ Dismas comnted after a brief examination. His final comnt wasn’t a genuine belief that Pign used candles, but rather an observation that entities other than Pign frequented this place.
"’These candles were likely placed by the Heretics,’ Lance added. ’They’ve been active here before. Besides mapping the area, we’re also tasked with investigating their sches.’ Piecing things together, he concluded it could only be them.
The ancestor never cared about the lives of his followers. To him, their only purpose was to die on Hamlet’s soil. Thus, he needed to constantly manufacture death, compelling his followers to guard the exit—the Pigman respawn point—to level up. On one hand, whether Pign or believers died, his power would increase. The surviving believers were the ’fittest,’ selected by eliminating the weak. On the other hand, before the large-scale arrival of refugees, the Beast Lair might have served as the larder for the Ascension Sect. Otherwise, what would so many people eat, given they didn’t farm and regularly perford Flesh Rites? In the eyes of these Heretics, whose values were utterly twisted, only flesh mattered. They would consu human flesh, let alone that of Pign.
As they delved deeper, every few passages led to a node room connecting to the next section of the conduit. These chambers, also built of brick and stone, were several tis larger than the passages and could accommodate a dozen or so people. Until now, it had been a straight path, but finally, they ca across a crossroads.
Lance wasn’t too surprised, however, as he already had a general understanding of the Beast Lair’s layout. This explained why it was so difficult for the army to clear out the Beast Lair. The narrow passages and complex routes would fragnt an army, preventing it from leveraging its collective strength. If a large beast appeared, it would be like an impregnable chokepoint, but one controlled by the enemy. However, if powerhouses like Reynard were to lead, the following soldiers would be bottlenecked by the passages. This would make the experts hesitant to engage, fearing their retreat could be cut off, thereby losing tactical flexibility. This was the rationale behind today’s operation: with him leading, any monsters or demons they encountered would be re trifles, like ’stinking fish and rotten shrimp.’
Lance took out a prepared chisel and carved a ’1’ in this chamber. He then carved ’1-1,’ ’1-2,’ and ’1-3’ into the respective passages. He then sketched a map by hand, marking it with the corresponding numbers. With this system, they wouldn’t have to worry about getting lost or other misfortunes. It also laid the groundwork for future operations.
"’Take route 1-2. We’re scouting; the path isn’t confird,’ Lance declared without hesitation, imdiately moving forward.
The environnt was appallingly harsh. The deeper they ventured, the more intense the stench beca, as if they were wading through a churning sea of excrent. Not to ntion the bizarre substances clinging to their feet; even these natives, not overly concerned with hygiene, found it almost unbearable.
"’My Lord, why don’t we simply smoke them out and wait outside?’ Dismas asked. He had just stepped on sothing with a strange texture. Looking back, he saw with disgust that he had crushed a fat maggot. Realizing this, he grimaced and posed his question to the Lord. He had experienced the battle at Hamlet, where they faced similar tunnels. This tactic had proven effective there, killing most Heretics within the tunnels, while those who fled were cut down by soldiers waiting outside. To him, such efficient slaughter was a proven and highly successful strategy. Why wasn’t the Lord using it?
"’For two reasons: space and air,’ Lance calmly explained. ’The tunnels here are too large; they aren’t narrow passages requiring one to stoop. Moreover, the Beast Lair covers an enormous area. To effectively smoke them out, the volu of smoke would have to be imnse; otherwise, it would simply rise and hover at the top, never settling down. Secondly, although it’s all underground, the air circulation is different. Strong air currents have ford here, which would disperse any amount of smoke.’
In reality, Lance had another reason he hadn’t ntioned: the monsters here were notoriously poison-resistant in the ga. To them, poisonous smoke might even feel sowhat refreshing. Honestly, it was less effective than an e-cigarette. After all, having lived in the Beast Lair and acclimated to its toxic atmosphere, such smoke was likely less poisonous than the putrid air they breathed daily.
Suddenly, Lance halted and fell silent, raising a hand to signal the others. They understood imdiately, and an instant quiet fell over the group. In the silence, the distinct snorting sounds of Pign beca audible.
A stir of excitent ran through the group. They had co so far without an encounter; finally, it seed action was imminent.
But before they could react further, the snorting in the tunnel suddenly turned into a piercing scream.
"We’ve been discovered!"
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