Chapter 26 - 23: Demon Cross Ruins
Leonard Churchill was originally curious about the outside world, but as soon as he stepped out, he heard Camilla’s voice.
The urgency in her tone immediately indicated something.
Without any hesitation, he followed her and dived into the fog.
Surrounded by thick fog, he didn’t know where he was, and it seemed to be night, devoid of any light.
Fortunately, having fused with thefjoker Card], his night vision had greatly improved, making it roughly unhindered to see around.
The ground was a concrete floor, and the dark figures on all sides seemed like tall buildings.
Leonard guessed that he should be in a cluster of buildings.
Weeds, cracks, shadows of unknown creatures…traces of decay left by the passing years were everywhere, making it look like some ancient city ruins.
Camilla didn’t speak but led the way, moving at a brisk pace.
It wasn’t until they arrived at a platform that they finally stopped.
Upon examination, Leonard found that it looked like the roof of a building. The fog above had even taller buildings, with some lower ones underneath.
Before he had the chance to figure out where he was, Camilla suddenly took out a bottle of potion and sprinkled it all over Leonard like a disinfectant.
Leonard, not quite understanding what was happening, heard his teammate say, “This is the[Deodorizing Potion].”
Camilla, knowing his intellect, understood that he would definitely comprehend the reason behind it, so she didn’t bother to explain further.
As Leonard heard, he immediately understood the intention.
Just from the name, he knew it was a measure to prevent tracking.
His teammate was, as always, cautious.
And it also confirmed his previous speculation. He had broken out of the Alternate Dimension and hence, was in trouble.
Although there was a small probability that Camilla was after something he possessed, he absolutely preferred his teammate, who had suffered alongside him, over the Young Master of the Miller Family.
“Hold on tight!”
After using the potion, Camilla suddenly snapped.
With time being pressing, she had no intention of explaining. She grabbed Leonard’s tactical vest at once.
Then, she took a leap and jumped down the cliff, shrouded in thick fog and of unknown depth.
She had already seen that Leonard was intelligent, but still had to admit that his physical condition was really bad.
If she let him jump on his own, he would likely fall to his death on the spot.
Leonard guessed that they were escaping, but her abrupt jump off the cliff made his heart pound.
Before he could react, his body was rapidly falling, led by Camilla?
Yes!
It was free fall, just like bungee jumping.
His soul was still on the platform, and his body had already fallen into the abyss. His soul desperately chased after him.
Camilla launched the steel cable from her mechanical arm in mid-air, and there was a “hiss” as it extended. Then, it seemed to hook onto some iron frame with a clang.
Leonard immediately felt a decelerating force acting on his body, and his soul finally caught up with it.
A cold, damp wind flushed his face.
A layer of mist formed on his anti-gas mask. He watched as the girl, who seemed to be half a head shorter than him, casually swung him around like a swing in the foggy buildings.
Although this way of moving was a bit scary, the displacement speed was very fast.
After launching the steel cable seven or eight times, they had already managed to get far away from the previous building.
“Clang.”
Leonard’s feet landed on the ground. Upon a closer look, the two were standing on a huge metal pipe.
The fog was dense, and he still couldn’t see the bottom of the pipe. But he could hear the sound of trickling water, implying that the height was at least twenty to thirty meters.
Without looking back, Camilla continued to lead the way. As she walked, she cautioned, “Be careful. There are some mutation monsters in the gutter below. It will be troublesome if you fall. Making noise will also draw attention.”
“Mm.”
Surrounded by thick fog, the pipe was wet due to the moisture in the air. Leonard had to tread cautiously to avoid slipping off.
It was at this moment that he took the opportunity to say, “Thank you.”
Obviously, his teammate had just done him a huge favor, perhaps even saved his life. So it was only right to give thanks.
Camilla responded in a flat tone that didn’t seem interested in acknowledging indebtedness, “There’s no need for thanks. It’s just a mutually beneficial cooperation. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to get out of the Alternate Dimension.”
She was well aware that without Leonard’s mind-boggling problem-solving ability, she would not have been able to exit the dimension successfully, let alone gain such substantial profit.
Not only did she gain materials for her class change which exceeded her expectations, but she also attained an A+ rating upon exiting the dimension.
Achieving an A+ in a dimension of this difficulty level was extremely rare.
This allowed her to draw a card that was compatible with herself.
Therefore, Camilla felt she owed a debt of gratitude.
But it was precisely because the rating was high that she suspected it could lead to big trouble.
She knew all too well that if she got an A+ rating, then her teammate’s rating must be even higher.
S rating?
The probability was quite high.
But once someone achieves an S rating in the Alternate Dimension, the entire dimension will inevitably collapse and disappear.
And there will undoubtedly be big trouble following such an event.
Thereby, Camilla stayed behind.
And as expected, without having to wait long, the Alternate Dimension number 407 suddenly collapsed.
The Fourth Master of the Miller family probably thought they were dead or were just card apprentices. Therefore, he only dispatched a few mercenaries from the Blackwater Group to keep guard.
Moreover, after the dimension collapsed, the exit position would become random.
This gave Camilla the idea to offer help.
Thankfully, everything went smoothly.
It was extremely easy for her to deceive a few mercenaries with her skills. She manipulated the fog to become thicker. By the time those mercenaries could make sense of the situation, she had already found him.
Hearing these words, Leonard chuckled dismissively and said, “You’re being too formal, Miss Camilla. Without you, I wouldn’t have been able to make it out alive.”
Pausing, he continued, “Furthermore, you have saved me again.”
Hearing this, Camilla remained silent.
Both were intelligent individuals who didn’t bother with beating around the bush or exchanging pleasantries.
They continued down the pipe, and Camilla in front, jumped down, landing on another horizontal pipe four meters below.
Was this a height that any Extraordinary Man could easily jump?
However, looking at this height, Leonard Churchill, the weakling, felt a slight twitch at the corner of his eye.
Reason was not afraid, but physical conditions did not allow.
He figured, getting injured from the jump is one thing, but the real probable event was falling off the pipe and into an unknown depth of mist.
Leonard Churchill was not embarrassed in the least, and with a smile said, “Miss Camilla, if I fall, could you catch me?”
Camilla gazed at him after hearing that.
His behavior compared to his dominance over everything back in the Alternate Dimension, now hesitating to jump a pipe, seemed like a stark contrast. As if he was a completely different person.
But it seemed that seeing him like this, Camilla felt somewhat balanced in her thoughts.
Seeing that she agreed, Leonard Churchill simply jumped.
He landed with a “thud,” swaying to the left and right, just as he expected, about to fall.
At the moment he lost his balance, a hand pulled him back up.
Leonard Churchill stabilized himself and said, “Thank you.”
Camilla didn’t respond, but continued, “The S-level rating for clearing the Alternate Dimension will disappear. In other words, everyone now knows that the most important treasure is in our hands. The Fourth master of Miller family who discovered that something in the dimension was taken will definitely not be content. Besides, Space 4.07 is quite well known, and many people in the Demon Cross Camp are watching it. You’d better get back to Sinless City as soon as possible before the news gets out. Once you’re in the city, even the Governor’s Mansion would have a hard time finding you…”
As she approached this point, Camilla suddenly stopped.
“Epic Source Card” wasn’t something everyone has heard of, she intended to remind him of its value.
But as she spoke, it felt like her words were superfluous.
Someone as smart as him surely understood this.
But Leonard Churchill paused after listening to this, then what?
He could certainly think of the threats.
But he was completely clueless about this world, what “Demon Cross Camp,” “Sinless City,” he had no idea.
He had hoped to hear more from Camilla, but she unexpectedly stopped talking.
Leonard Churchill had guessed her thoughts, but evidently obtaining information was more important, so he asked directly: “So, what do you think is the safest way for me to return to the Sinless City now?”
Although Camilla found this question strange as it seemed strange for him to ask such a question, she responded, “In half an hour, the cargo train of the Hunter’s Association is leaving the Demon Cross. Now that the news hasn’t gotten out, it should be your best chance to leave.”
Leonard silently noted this.
So there are trains.
If one is to leave, the sooner the better.
The Elder Master of Miller Family values the Epic Source Card so much, even if he knows it was taken by others, he wouldn’t announce it broadly.
Taking advantage of the fact that the news hadn’t spread, leaving this relic was the best choice.
Of course, the precondition was that he could successfully leave.
The two walked down the pipe for more than ten minutes, which looked like an enormous steel mill, filled with all kinds of big and small pipes.
The architectural style of the surrounding buildings was distinctive, tall and slender, like tall towers. Each building also had various pipes and corridors, with a heavy magical punk style.
If Leonard remembered correctly, Camilla had mentioned the name more than once, seemingly called the “Demon Cross Ruins”.
As they continued, the two had reached a platform, which was quite high within the ruins, offering a broad view.
The mist stacked like a sea of clouds below the waist of the buildings.
They were right at the waist, surrounded by towering buildings.
It was broken, ancient, vicissitudinous… traces of time were everywhere, and the entire city was permeated with a mysterious and ancient charm.
What surprised Leonard more was that this was an underground city?
He looked up at the sky and saw no stars, just a pitch-black sky.
The light source of the entire city seemed to come from some cave plants and buildings’ materials that emitted a faint glow.
Then, of course, the volcano off in the distance.
A huge active volcano at the end of his vision?
Yes, an underground volcano!
Leonard realized why he had been smelling sulfur in the air.
The red lava flowing from the summit of the volcano was particularly noticeable in this dim underground world.
Looking carefully, the arrangement of buildings in the entire relic formed a gigantic “cross”.
Observing from a high altitude, it seemed like a mysterious symbol with some sort of magical effect.
No wonder this relic was named “Demon Cross”.
Leonard was amazed, “What a magnificent underground city, what in the actual world is going on…”
From the sound of it, such a magnificent city was simply an ancient relic.
The human habitation, Sinless City, was located elsewhere.
Not far from their vision, a cluster of buildings were ablaze with lights, bustling with noises, probably the “Hunter’s Campsite”.
Camilla stopped here, seemingly about to say goodbye: “The camp is just up ahead, there aren’t many Mutation Monsters around here, so this is where we part.”
“Alright.”
Leonard Churchill nodded.
Her escorting thus far was more than enough.
He could walk the rest of the distance himself.
He had originally thought that Camilla wanted something in return for her help, but it seemed he was just overthinking it.
This partner simply did not want to owe any favor.
As they were parting, Camilla added one last thing: “One more thing. No matter who asks, you’d better not mention that you’ve seen me; otherwise, it would only cause you endless trouble. Also, you’d better not tell anyone about your gains in this Alternate Dimension; otherwise, it would be very troublesome.”
Leonard Churchill knew of course, “Take care.”
Camilla didn’t say a word, and with a leap, she was gone.
As Leonard watched her agile figure disappearing into the thick mist, the surroundings seemed more dangerous now that she was gone.
He didn’t waste any more time and proceeded toward the camp.
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