Chapter 236: The Magnificent Underground World

Standing on the wooden planks of the elevator, Samis held his torch high. He peered through the gaps at the fathomless, pitch-black abyss of the Eye of the Earth below, his heart pounding.

Though he had worked in the fortress for most of his life, this was his first time descending into the Eye of the Earth.

In fact, of the tens of thousands stationed at the fortress, the number of people who had ventured into the Eye of the Earth could be counted on one hand.

Creak. Creak.

A hundred meters down, the slanting rays of the setting sun nearly vanished. Only the harsh friction of the ropes and the hardwood winch echoed through the empty sinkhole.

The torchlight only reached so far. Without a reference point to gauge his descent, Samis counted the creaks of the rope and winch.

"2231."

"2232."

"2233."

Thud.

Finally, just as the grinding of the ropes and winch grew almost imperceptible, the elevator hit bottom.

"2234."

Estimating a drop of half a meter with every creak, Samis figured he had descended over a thousand meters. He held his torch high to inspect the underground cavern.

The profound darkness pressing in from all directions threatened to swallow him whole, and Samis could not suppress a shudder.

But he had come too far; there was no turning back now.

If he failed the mission assigned by Duke Shingesa, his life would not be the only one forfeit—his family would be buried alongside him.

But if he succeeded, a promotion and a noble title would be within reach!

Samis consoled himself with this thought. Forcing himself to calm down, he carefully felt his way toward the edge of the sinkhole.

According to the intelligence provided by Duke Shingesa, a Gate of Steel forged by the Titans stood at the edge of the chasm.

The breeze from his movement made the flame flicker. Cast against the stone wall, Samis's shadow danced like a phantom baring fangs and claws.

After following the stone wall for some distance, Samis found the Gate of Steel the duke had mentioned. His jaw dropped in awe as he stared up at the massive barrier.

Forged entirely from black steel, the Gate of Steel towered forty meters high and fifteen meters wide. Relief carvings of giants battling ferocious dragons adorned its surface, while exquisite willow-branch patterns framed its edges.

Samis eventually snapped out of his daze. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the colossal Gate of Steel.

Clang, clang, clang!

In the dead silence of the darkness, the sharp rap of knuckles against steel carried far, echoing through the hollow cavern.

Samis waited before the gate, his heart filled with trepidation, like a sinner awaiting judgment.

Before long, heavy footsteps rang out from the other side. With every booming step that drew closer, Samis's heart leaped in his chest.

Creak!

Finally, under Samis's shell-shocked gaze, the gate opened.

A hulking giant stood before him—fifteen meters tall, with deep blue skin and muscles as solid as rock.

"A human?!"

The giant looked utterly taken aback by the tiny creature. A second later, he abruptly raised a massive foot and roared in fury.

"You dare come here!!!"

Staring up at the massive sole rapidly expanding above him, Samis shrieked in terror.

"I bring news of the dragons!"

The massive foot stopped barely a meter above Samis's head. Cold sweat poured down his forehead as he frantically recalled the name of the Titan leader the duke had drilled into him.

"I must see Her Majesty, Queen Delisve! Your enemies have returned!"

The blue giant gnashed his teeth, glaring at the human.

"Traitors! You! Humans! You are enemies of the Titans too!"

"Whatever you think of us, you must take me to Her Majesty! The news I bring concerns the very survival of the Titan Race!"

The blue giant glared viciously, but Samis held his gaze without backing down.

If he flinched now, everything would be over.

Finally, the threat of their bitter rivals, the dragons, forced the blue giant to yield. He snatched Samis up in his grip, slammed the gate shut, and strode silently into the tunnel.

Squeezed in the giant's fist, Samis ached all over, but he was in no immediate danger. He breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he could see the queen, his mission was already half accomplished.

After passing through the deep tunnel, the giant carried Samis into an enormous cavern.

Samis was dumbfounded.

Before him spread a lush, primeval forest. Luminous moss clung to the tree trunks, giant glowing mushrooms dotted the ground, and swarms of firefly-like insects danced in the air.

Their hazy fluorescence illuminated the entire underground world.

A straight, wide road cut through the heart of the forest, stretching far into the distance with no end in sight. The blue giant stepped onto the path and strode forward.

As the blue giant carried him deeper, Samis was amazed to spot common surface animals living in this bizarre subterranean forest—fawns, goats, rabbits, and more.

A miracle!

Samis could find no other word to describe this place.

After a while, Samis began to spot other giants. They came in various colors and were generally only seven or eight meters tall. Furthermore, their status seemed lower than that of the blue giant holding him.

Along the way, Samis noticed that whenever these giants saw the blue one, they would stop and bow in respect.

Further down the road, Samis began seeing giants that matched the blue giant's height.

Evidently, they were equals; upon crossing paths, they merely nodded in greeting.

"Gatekeeper Occam Scott. Why have you abandoned your post, and why have you brought a human here?"

Samis finally saw the speaker: a red giant a full head taller than Occam, carrying a Greatsword. Though Samis could not understand the booming Titan words, the red giant's hostile expression made it clear he was demanding answers.

Occam Scott, the blue giant, replied.

"Lord Guardian," he explained in the Titan language, "this human knocked on the gate and claimed to bring news of the Dragon Race. He clamored to see Her Majesty, so I brought him here."

The red giant frowned.

"If that is the case, wait here. I will go inform her."

Samis watched the two giants converse before the red one turned and stepped through a massive archway of woven floral vines. Occam remained where he was, waiting.

Samis could guess what was happening. This scene was remarkably similar to calling upon a human dignitary and waiting for the master of the house to grant an audience.

A few minutes later, the red giant returned and muttered something to Occam.

Occam nodded and carried Samis toward the archway.

The moment they passed through the frame, Samis felt as if he had plunged through a sheet of water. He glanced back in surprise but saw nothing filling the space within the archway.

Whatever. He had encountered enough bizarre things today; one more would not hurt.

Samis sighed, completely desensitized by now.

After traversing a vast, garden-like courtyard, the blue giant arrived before a colossal throne of flora.

The throne was woven from intertwined vines and bloomed with colorful flowers. Glowing, firefly-like insects flitted among the petals.

It was breathtakingly beautiful!

Yet, all of this beauty paled in comparison to the master of the throne.

The Life Titan—Delisve!