“Since that’s the case, how can we find our way back without markings?”
“By relying on intuition.” Replied Ji Bai calmly.
“Can your answer be more dependable? Please be logical. Is it even possible for you to answer me seriously??”
“I am being very serious.” Said Ji Bai curtly.
“You… ugh… this guy.” Lil’ Sha felt like she was communicating with Ji Bai on two completely different frequencies. She sighed while kneading her sore temples.
“Let’s go over there.” Ji Bai pointed at a cave to the left.
“You didn’t choose this path because of your intuition, right??”
“I didn’t.”
“Then why??”
“I smell something there.”Ji Bai tilted his armored head meaningfully upwards. It was unknown when he had taken his nose plugs off.
‘This familiar and disgusting odor.’
“A smell? …Why don’t I smell anything, except a somewhat wretched stench?” Huo Lei expressed his slight bafflement as he sniffed all around the place.
“Over there are goblins; Quite a few of them at that.” A trace of alertness was present in Ji Bai’s lowered voice.
“Goblins? How do you even know that goblins are there?” Asked Lil’ Sha, baffled.
As weak creatures without any protection from the gods, goblins weren’t classified as either humans or demons. In truth, this type of creature was like a cockroach and had existed long before the demons invaded the lands.
Some scholars had previously suggested that these diabolical green-skinned and small beings who killed, burned, and pillaged for a living were close relatives to trolls, while some obscure documents speculated they were some ultra ancient race that had made it to the modern days. There were even some people who said that they were a crossbreed between humans and some extinct race of antiquity.
All kinds of theories and legends emerged, yet not a single one was capable of providing a clear answer.
In the end, the knowledge that mankind had managed to get about the world was not enough. Other than some history of the olden days, the events that had happened on the mainland in ancient times – the origins of the demons,【Dark】Metals, and the so-called 【Divine Veins】; In the eyes of mankind, they were mysteries.
“It’s very obvious from the smell. Moreover, someone is alive over there.” Ji Bai said in a matter-of-fact tone.
“There are still people in there?” Huo Lei, slightly shocked, immediately smashed his fists together in anticipation of a fight. “This sewer is really fishy. I was still worried about this trip being in vain.”
“So, how did you find out, obscene middle-aged man?”
“You wouldn’t want to know.” A trace of gloominess could be heard in Ji Bai’s voice.
“Ugh… You really know how to keep people in suspense. Are you trying to stir up my curiosity on purpose?” Lil’ Sha pouted her lips and gave Ji Bai two light kicks on his heels.
“Stay close to me.” Ji Bai squatted down and softly whispered a few words into Lil’ Sha’s ears.
Lil’ Sha’s face morphed from the curious expression she had carried at the beginning to a doubtful one and finally to a miserable white.
”Iya! Obscene middle-aged man! Pervert! You’re cracking dirty jokes on purpose to scare me!” Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Lil’ Sha hastily jumped away and distanced herself three steps away from Ji Bai.
“Just treat it as a joke if you want to.” Ji Bai stood up and unsheathed the fang-shaped, two-handed sword that had been tied to his back.
“Take this. It might be of use later.” As he said so, Ji Bai took out a few masks from the pouch on his waist for the others to put on.
“No matter what happens, you need to be prepared for battle. Slow down your footsteps and try to reduce the sounds you make.”
Huo Lei silently drew his massive hammer, while Xiaomu adjusted her breathing and pulled on her bowstring to test it.
“You mustn’t lose your bearings. The scale of this sewer is astonishing, so you would only benefit the cockroaches and those poisonous bugs if you get lost.”
Ji Bai’s surprise speech made Lil‘ Sha quiver as she hastily kept pace with the squad.
The four people masked their footsteps and tried their best to maintain their stealthy posture.
As they moved forward, a few vague traces of flames seemed to appear in front of them only to quickly disappear.
Ji Bai motioned for the three people behind him to not be alarmed as a grave and stern gaze shot out from his helmet
A spacious circular site laid at the end of the walkway, with water pipes of varying width lining up its walls. It would appear that it was a centralized sewage control facility.
It seemed like no human had been here for a long time. Instead, this place was currently being occupied by another group of creatures.
“Gigikaka…” The small, green creatures gibbered as they gnawed on something.
Ji Bai and his group kept quiet after they had hidden behind a polished square slab of stone.
Goblins were divided into a very wide spectrum. While these weak and cunning organisms with unusually high reproductive abilities inhabited every hole in the outskirts, the only place they would never appear was inside the town itself, which was under the protection of city walls and barriers.
There was only one reason why they would appear here — Someone had intentionally let them in.
‘As long as we don’t startle them, we can give them a “pleasant” surprise and wipe them out with one strike.’
Ji Bai had experienced dealing with goblins several times before and was fully aware that he shouldn’t underestimate this group of tiny creatures. If he wanted to eliminate them all, he definitely could not allow them to rally together.
Huo Lei clenched onto his stone hammer in a calm and experienced manner while Xiaomu gulped nervously. At the same time, Lil’ Sha crouched down in fear and hid behind the rest of the group.
The four of them proceeded to plan out the division of labor amongst themselves.
Huo Lei would charge in from the front, while Ji Bai would be in the center, responsible for defending the back row. The archer Xiaomu would be at the rear and Lil’ Sha would be situated idly far behind the frontlines.
“Pop!” A crisp shattering noise caused everyone to look towards the origin of the sound.
“I-I’m sorry…” Apologized Xiaomu to the other three in a panic. When they were just about to take action, the extremely poor visibility had caused her to overlook a withered and brittle bone in front of her feet.
“Yiiiii!? Guyawali?!” Screeched the goblins in a loud voice as their sharp ears twitched. They then threw the skewers in their hands to the side and picked up some crudely-made weapons. Their small golden eyes contracted as they focused their gaze on the boulder that Ji Bai and the others were hiding behind.
“Forget the surprise attack, we’re going to charge straight into the enemy.” Ji Bai took the lead and stood up, a chilly gaze shooting out from under his iron helmet.
“Be careful, you two.” Huo Lei followed after Ji Bai and stood up as killing intent flashed past his lion-like eyes.
“Yiii?! Guwahguwah!” The instant Lil’ Sha and Xiaomu showed their faces, the goblins were thoroughly abuzz with excitement as they roared and cheered.
Lil’ Sha terrifyingly held her hair and involuntarily took a step backward.
The gazes the goblins were giving her made her feel uncomfortable all over. They were just like those of the trolls who had invaded her hometown…
Only then did she suddenly recall the words Ji Bai told her earlier…
“Those filthy creatures, Goblins, don’t have any females in their race. Any female of other races who have been captured by them would rather be dead than alive. And there’s a high probability that this smell is…”
Lil’ Sha gulped with difficulty.
“Gigiguraipela! Covered in stolen iron armor, the leading goblin raised his weapon upwards while pointing and howling at the group of four.
“Huuya! Ah!” The surrounding goblins responded en-masse, their fervent and excited gazes incessantly roaming around Lil’ Sha’s and Xiaomu’s bodies.
The feeling that resembled countless hands grabbing every part of their bodies caused the pair to feel a series of palpitations and caused their complexion to turn frighteningly pale.
“Ugwaa!” The goblins charged, each holding a weapon in its hands.
Ji Bai shot a meaningful glance towards Huo Lei.
“Bring it on, weaklings!” Huo Lei shouted as he rushed forward swinging his hammer.
“Expect the unexpected! With my life as the price, all shall be split by my hammer strike! No matter what!” Bringing a tempest-like momentum, the rock hammer abruptly moved like lightning, stirring up gusts of wind in its wake. Like nails sticking out of a wooden plank, three goblins that had rushed ahead of their group were smashed into a pulp.