Chapter 77 - 28: [Sittika’s Hunter and the Red-Brown Sage]

Chapter 77: Chapter 28: [Sittika’s Hunter and the Red-Brown Sage]

"Send two Demonizations to see me?" the Feather-crowned Demon Crow asked coldly. "Are you looking down on me?"

"We wouldn’t dare... If we were coming specifically for an audience with you, we would certainly be accompanied by several high-tier Demon Race members and an honor guard of dozens of Demonizations to show our respect," the black-robed woman explained. "This hunting mission is to pursue an Exile, led by a high-tier Demon Race commander. We originally didn’t want to disturb you, but that Exile fled near your territory. The situation was sudden, and we had no choice but to cross the Kana Plain."

"Therefore, the commander sent us ahead to seek an audience with the Monarch and convey the sincere greetings of Master Sittika." The black-robed man lifted the large box in his hand. "Additionally, we brought a small gift for you—a specialty from the Eastern Desert. It isn’t particularly precious, just a small token of Master Sittika’s goodwill."

"Come in." The Feather-crowned Demon Crow spread its wings. FLAP FLAP FLAP. It fluttered toward the underground passage.

The two followed behind the Demon Crow, passing through the underground passage. As they passed through the Insect Maze of the fifth ring, the Magical Beasts and carnivorous flora and fauna backed away slightly when facing the duo. Although not as panicked as when facing the Demon Race, the Magical Beasts still dared not attack them under the intimidation of that Feather-crowned Demon Crow.

The crude architecture of the fourth ring resembled an insect nest. Countless tower-like structures of earth and stone were covered with holes large enough for a person to squeeze into. Worm-like, pale Burrowers crawled within them, carrying pickaxes, hammers, and chisels as they excavated and carved.

Rot Root Balls could not endure extremely high temperatures, and Burrowers would prey on them; therefore, basically only Burrowers lived in the fourth ring. Dozens of small Burrowers, barely reaching a human’s calf in height, comically hugged freshly dug ore blocks. They lined up and passed in front of the two Demonizations, sorting the raw ore containing various metallic minerals, pushing them into different storehouses or tossing them into the smelting furnaces.

Sneaky Burrower scouts hung upside down from the ceiling, crawling between the ceiling and the caves on slimy arthropod limbs. The smelting furnaces below burned Demonization materials from the fifth ring, mixed with seven or eight adventurer corpses. Several helmet-wearing Burrowers grabbed the fuel with their shovel-sized giant claws and threw it into the furnace’s fuel ports. Pale Demon Fire subsequently spewed from the ports.

Dozens of robust, giant stone-shelled Burrowers surrounded the furnaces. Burrowers were pale humanoid worm creatures, and their bean-sized eyes had almost no vision. They sensed the heat and outline of the iron billets using receptors in their long, narrow nostrils, felt out the shape of the billets with three tentacle-like tongues in their large mouths, and repeatedly hammered the pig iron with their giant, rock-covered carapace fists.

BANG BANG! BANG BANG! BANG BANG BANG!

Pale Demon Fire roared in the furnace. Accompanied by the wild sounds of hammering iron, one crude yet sturdy and durable Demon Quenching Giant Blade after another gradually took shape. The red-hot, broad pig iron blades, covered in fist marks, were tossed into the armory, glowing in the darkness with the faint blue light unique to Demon Tempering Weapons.

Compared to a normal insect nest, the number of Cave Dwellers Warriors and Shamans in the fourth ring of the Kana Dungeon seemed much smaller. They would need to breed for a while longer to replenish their numbers. The two Demonizations exchanged a glance but didn’t ask further.

When the Feather-crowned Demon Crow passed by, the Burrowers knelt and bowed in salute one after another.

"Master. God," they spoke in slurred, slimy tones. "Lord of Kana. Lu Ka, Kakala."

"Lu Ka! Kakala!" they shouted the devout prayers of beasts.

"Piss off and get back to work," the Feather-crowned Demon Crow squawked and roared impatiently, leading the two guests away from the labor zone.

Passing through the fourth ring, they officially entered the underground world of the Demon Race in the third ring. The high, distant dome was supported by dozens of massive black stone towers, entwined with a garden-like, gorgeously dark-green ecosystem.

Luminescent fungi, flora, and fauna twinkled on the dome. Fireflies gnawed on star-colored mushrooms, and moonlight spiders preyed on the fireflies. Peculiar, snake-like Magical Beasts spread the thin membranes between their ribs to glide beneath the dome, occasionally seizing the opportunity to snatch away a moonlight spider.

In a Black Stone Fortress not far away, a few tattered tents remained, looking like the traces of human adventurers. However, it was completely empty inside. Only seven or eight Rot Root Balls rolled around, fighting with each other and scrambling for a few bloodstained broken swords in the camp. One Rot Root Ball kicked its kin flying with one foot, triumphantly shouldered a broken sword that was slightly too large for it, and bolted into the nearby bushes.

The two weird, dark-brown-skinned people in black robes stared at the broken sword and the dilapidated camp, then looked up at the Feather-crowned Demon Crow leading the way in front of them. The Demonizations under Valak looked down at the two outsiders from the windows of the black stone towers and Black Stone Fortresses. Like ghosts from Hell, they chuckled and whispered, discussing something among themselves.

CREAAAK—CLANG!

In front of the Fire-formed Rock city walls in the distance, the drawbridge gate leading to the second ring fell heavily. The gates of the Underground City’s Inner Ring opened for them.

Fully armed Burrower Heavy Armor Knights, towering over three times the height of a person, patrolled the city shouldering giant blades the size of two people. Some High-tier Demonizations trusted by Valak also resided in the city of the second ring, strolling around and conversing with one another. Upon seeing the Feather-crowned Demon Crow approaching, they all bowed in salute.

The surging sounds of a Burrower insect nest came from beneath the second ring, along with the soft sounds of eggs hatching. Clearly, Valak was not foolish enough to leave the entire main Burrower nest in the fourth ring. The Burrower Empress was located underground in the heavily guarded second ring, maintaining a reserve of a terrifying legion that could be hatched at any time.

Over a dozen high-tier Demon Race members were dressed in luxurious casual robes. Some had horns on their heads, some trailed long tail feathers, and some had scales on their faces. They sat on chairs by the street reading books or playing unknown, complex musical instruments. Following the soft, brisk music, some held each other’s hands and danced lightly. Others set up drawing boards and paints to capture the scenery of the Underground City, or sipped from delicate teacups while chatting, moving small wooden chess piece models on tabletops to play some kind of war chess game.