As the goblins outside stared into this gaping hole in wonder. Tect and the Scouts proceeded through the door in the far side of the control room, which System indicated would lead them to the main gate. The door was made of heavy stone but when Tect pushed it open it swung effortlessly as if made of air. Behind the door was a set of ornate stairs with gold lettering that seemed to glow. As Tect stepped onto the stair his foot was held fast and he unconsciously brought the other foot forward. As soon as his other foot touchedit, it too was held fast and then the stair began to move downward carrying Tect along. The scouts joined him soon after and they all quickly arrived at the bottom where the hold on their feet was released and they were allowed to step off. Shota looked back at the steps with longing in his eyes. "That is the greatest invention ever. If I could, I'd put it in my cave so I'd never have to walk again." Tect shook his head, "Shota you have got to be the laziest person I have ever met." There was a short tunnel ahead of them and they could see light. As they exited the tunnel they found themselves in a much wider tunnel that was open to the surface on both sides. From start to finish it was maybe 300 feet. Tect looked up the left ramp and could see the other goblins. He waved, "Still exploring, Nothing to worry about." Tect then turned right and began to move up the ramp, he had gotten used to the cold winter air and now the air in the tunnel was stiflingly warm. Cautiously Tect and the scouts reached the top of the ramp, and the sight before them left them in awe. The Entire mountain was hollow, but it was no dead volcanic caldera. The inside of the mountain was full of life. The first thing that tect noticed was the pristine road that stretched before them. On either side of the road were rows of massive trees, laden heavy with fruit. Beneath which gelatinous creatures of many colors moved. Some would absorb the fallen fruit, some were squirting out water, Still some had found a dying tree and had begun to shred the tree from the top down while others spread the chips around the bases of the other trees. Occasionally one of the creatures would spit out a small colored crystal. When they did they would stop their activity and carry it away. Truly Tect had never seen such a sight in his life.
This was only the beginning of the strangeness. Tect looked up to the sky, clouds floated by, seemingly unhindered by the high mountain walls, and bright light descended from high above even though he could not see the sun. The space inside the mountain was as massive as its exterior appearance, Tect looked left right and forward but could not see the walls of the mountain, it simply curved off into the distance and was gone. There appeared to be enough space for a capital city and the farmland to support it.
There was just one problem. Excluding the road, there seemed to be no buildings anywhere nearby. No homes, no markets, no stables. This is supposed to be a main gate, it would be reasonable to assume it was a major trade route back when it had been lived in, but nothing was left. Given the state of the road, and the control room it would make no sense to not see even a crumbling structure but to see nothing at all was weird.
"Lets see if those slimes are aggressive then split up, scout the area, and look for dangerous beasts. We have to be back at this spot with reports in 6 hours. That will leave us 6 hours to get everyone in, which should be more than enough." The scouts nodded. "Good let's get moving."
The group split up. Shota ran over to the orchard, and began to poke the slimes with a stick. The slimes did not react to his presence at all so he tossed the stick away and grabbed for a fruit. The slimes that were tending the fruit moved away and Shota picked it with no issues. The fruit appeared to be a peach, but it was much larger than what Shota had seen previously. He took out his knife and cut the fruit in half. The first thing he noticed was that it had a pit that was about the size of a normal peach pit. Then the smell hit his nose. Without hesitation Shota shoved as much of the peach into his mouth as possible, and when he bit down juice shot all over his face and ran down his chest. " Iss so ood!" Tect shook his head, "Don't talk with your mouth full idiot. Second, How do you know it's not poisonous?" Shota swallowed and smiled, "If I die from this it is worth it. It's like sex but food. Hey you know what we should call this thing? A sex peach… or a juicy sex peach… oh oh or a sexy juicy peach. We'll figure it out later but I get to name it. If i die though just call it a Sex Juice Peach. That'll piss Moidra off good." Shota couldn't help but laugh at his own stupidity. Tect shook his head but he couldn't help but chuckle. Shota ran off to the east, the scouts moved south and north. Tect decided to follow the road north east from the gate. It took almost an hour to get through the farmland. Either side of the road for miles was covered in fruits, and vegetables, all being tended by slimes. Once Tect got clear of the farms he found rolling hills covered in bright green grass. Herds of animals grazed the hills, Tect was able to somewhat identify cows, goats, and sheep. There were a few animals that looked like an abnormally large and colorful chicken, and a small group of lizards the size of horses. The Lizards were eating a large leafy plant and seemed to not care as Tect approached them. Their scales had a metallic sheen and their colors ranged from dark green to gold. Tect came close enough to touch them. As he reached out the lizard turned its head, saw Tect, and quacked like a duck. It took all he had to keep a straight face, but as the lizard turned back to eating he managed to touch it's flank. The scales were smooth like polished stone and slightly cold, Tect decided to list these lizards as safe. As Tect was walking away the lizards began to quack loudly, suddenly a large insect that looked like a grasshopper jumped from the bush. As soon as it touched the ground the lizards ripped it apart. Tect's eyes went wide, "Ok maybe I should keep the smaller goblins away from them just to be safe." The lizards finished their meal then went and laid in the grass together. Tect had another couple of hours to explore so he continued on down the road.
Eventually, Tect came to a small stream with a bridge over it. The bridge was made of the same white stone of the road pavers. It had beautiful carvings of water creatures along the handrail, and at the midpoint there were two water dragons holding a pearl. The pearl was dark blue and iridescent. The sale of that one pearl alone could probably buy Tect a full smithy in one of the major cities or he could just buy Nadteifelt whole. Under the bridge in the slowly flowing stream Tect could see the fattest fish he'd ever seen. They all looked like they were made of gold, silver, and copper. One, the largest of the group, had a red spot on it's head shaped like a tear drop. As Tect watched the fish swimming he noticed a swirl in the deeper water. Then as fast as lightning a long sleek fish shot through the silver and gold fish. Blood temporarily bloomed on the surface of the water and all the fish were gone. After a few minutes the water cleared and Tect could see the predatory fish. It had a long dark mottled green body, and a mouth full of sharp teeth. It's eyes were large and upturned to view its prey from below. Sitting on the bank of the stream Tect noticed a small creature. It looked like an otter, but it was covered in bright blue scales. It noticed Tect staring at it and jumped into the stream, as it touched the water it seemed to melt away.
Tect was at a loss, he felt like he had stepped out of hell and into a magical fantasy land. How could any of this be real? Tect turned around and returned to the gate to await the return of the scouts. The walk back was just as peaceful as the walk to the bridge, Tect noticed a few more things as he traveled but nothing that indicated danger to his tribe. As he came back through he picked a fruit that looked like an apple, it's peel was a bright pink and it smelled wonderful. He decided to take a chance and bit into it. This was a mistake, the apple was extremely sour and bitter. Clearly it wasn't ripe yet, Tect spit it out and dropped the remaining apple. A small clear slime crawled over and ate it. When it did it turned green and dropped a small green crystal. Before the slime could grab it Tect did. The crystal had a faint glow and felt like it was softly vibrating. Tect gives the crystal a light squeeze and it pops turning into dust. Where the dust falls small plants sprout up quickly growing to six inches in height. A group of green slimes rushes over and absorbs the plants. "What a weird creature. They are caring for larger plants but kill the small ones." Tect shakes his head and walks across the road to a field of plants that look like carrots. He gently digs along the sides of the carrot before pulling it from the ground. The soil is incredibly soft so he didn't really need to dig it out, the carrot is about 10 inches long and a vibrant shade of red, Tect is hesitant but takes a bite anyway. The carrot is firm and has a nice crunch, but the flavor is unbelievable. Tect has never had such a sweet and flavorful carrot before. He picks another to act as his lunch and walks back to the Main Gate. The scouts and Shota are already standing there. Their stomachs bulge like melons, clearly they have been trying the produce as well.
"Well did you guys find anything dangerous or did you all just go on a feeding frenzy." Shota put on his best pouting face, "Can't we have done both?" Tect laughs, "Did you find anything dangerous or not." "Nah boss, it all looks, and tastes, good. Belta said he saw a giant bronze bird take a goat and fly off, but I don't think we will have to worry about it as long as everyone has a weapon and stays vigilant. Compared to outside where there are wolves, bears, and humans I think I'd prefer just the bird." Tect nods, "Yeah I agree, it seems rather safe here and the resources could support us for a very long time. I found a stream full of fat fish, and I think it's about time we had some nice grilled fish to eat. Let's get everyone in before the door closes. I'll stay here just in case I need to open the side passage. We should set up camp tonight about one hour up the road. I found some awesome carrots and I think there are some potatoes too. I say we get everyone set up, have a good feed, and sleep as late as possible tomorrow." The scouts cheer at this idea, they have been exhausted for a while. A nice lazy day is what they all need right now.