A large number of the mountain people who had been living around the five mines for many years had already descended from the mountains and returned to Brettel City under the orders of the five mountain chiefs.
The news of the defeat of the four bandit groups had inadvertently spread throughout the seven grand duchies. The smaller bandits wouldn't dare to raid Brettel City again. Even the seven grand duchies that were still in conflict were shocked by the news. Overnight, Brettel City had been transformed from a city that could be bullied by anyone to a taboo existence, its new status paved with the corpses of tens of thousands of bandits.
As Brettel City was busy preparing for the Mountain People, Han Shuo left Dorcas and the others a few instructions and then disappeared silently.
All the magic crystal ores had been used up. These weren't easy to come by either. Although unlike the goblin missiles for the war chariots, they were extremely rare and monopolised by the various empires for use in magical formations. Han Shuo had already instructed Fabian to acquire some more crystal ores, but now Fabian also began to think of other ways to obtain crystal ores.
Han Shuo's first thought was the underground world. The last time he'd been in the Dark Forest, he'd heard that this world had magical crystal mines. Now that Brettel City had temporarily calmed down, Han Shuo once again made his way to the Dark Forest on his own.
Upon arriving at the Dark Forest, Han Shuo didn't linger and went straight to the entrance of the underground world.
He didn't rush in immediately, but instead released a Yin Demon to sweep a five-mile radius. After the Yin Demon covered the area, Han Shuo found no trace of the Redbud Knights, which meant that they had either stopped exploring the underground world or had gone inside.
He didn't spend too much time hesitating. Han Shuo hadn't informed the forest trolls this time either, and ventured into the underground world alone. After a long, winding underground tunnel, he gradually reached the depths of the world. Since his power had increased greatly since his last visit, Han Shuo only needed an hour of uninterrupted flight before he officially entered the underground world.
There weren't many changes from the last time. According to the stratification of the underground world, the lizardmen were one layer above Han Shuo, while the Dark Dragon City seemed to be one layer below.
The underworld had a clear hierarchy. The weakest races lived in the upper layers, and the lower a race lived, the more powerful it was. According to legend, some races that lived at the very bottom of the underground world were so powerful that they were even a headache for the gods. However, these races were said to be cursed. They were bound by an unknown force, forever unable to leave the subterranean world, which had no year-round light.
"Had I known earlier, I would have summon Gilbert here. He's from the underground world and must be familiar with the lizardmen. I could save a lot of trouble with him here." Han Shuo couldn't help but lament after entering the underground world. He had forgotten that he had no idea where the lizardmen lived.
The underground world was just as vast as the world above ground. The paths were endless, numerous and complicated. If you didn't know your way around here and got lost, it would be difficult to find your way back. Fortunately, Han Shuo's memory was amazing after his brain had been developed by his magical cultivation. He slowly walked along the road where he had encountered the lizardmen earlier.
The last time in the underground world, Han Shuo had gotten into a conflict with the dark elves. It was because of Gilbert's presence that he had become familiar with the lizardmen. Just as the humans saw the lizardmen as all the same, in the eyes of the lizardmen, all humans looked the same. Han Shuo didn't know if the lizardmen could still recognise him.
Relying on his memory, Han Shuo walked back to where he'd met the lizardmen. Along the way, he encountered many strange races. There were goblins with grey-blue skin, dark batmen who liked dark, damp places, and even dark elves, but he didn't see any lizardmen.
The Yin Demon that Han Shuo had unleashed was also scouring the area for any sign of the lizardmen, but even after a long time, there was no sign.
As Han Shuo entered a dark, humid area, a deafening screech suddenly assaulted his ears. He looked up to see a mass of black shadows flying towards him, which turned out to be a group of men who could transform into bats. Surprisingly, they were about to attack him.
"Human, leave everything you have here and we will consider giving you an easier death!" One of the batmen at the front of the group spoke awkwardly in the common language and aimed directly at Han Shuo's head.
The Batmen's bodies were smaller than an average human's. However, they had umbrella-like wings and sharp claws that humans didn't have. These batmen liked to live in flocks and were as notorious as the forest trolls above ground. They didn't hold back when they came across easy prey, baring their fangs to tear their prey apart and plunder their targets.
Han Shuo was not frightened, but rather delighted to see the Batmen fly out of the large, dark and dank cave. He sneered viciously, bloody lights shooting from his ten fingers as they danced in the air like an invisible piano. Each light was as sharp as a blade, crisscrossing to form an inescapable streak of light. As they sunk into the incoming mass of flapping batmen, agonised, piercing screams echoed through the air as they fell.
Han Shuo didn't actually touch the talking Batman. His small, beady eyes glowed with the light of fear as he watched his companions being massacred by Han Shuo without the slightest resistance. He turned quickly, trying to get away from this ogre of disaster.
"And where do you think you're running to?" Han Shuo shouted lightly, releasing his mental power. His recently practised necromancy spell, 'Soul Tremor', immediately surged into the Batman.
The Batman's body crashed like an airplane out of fuel. He tried in vain to break his uncontrolled fall, but hit the ground with a thunderous crash, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.
When the Batman managed to come to, he was greeted by the face of a human, smiling diabolically. The Batman's individual strength was almost negligible, so he swept his small, beady eyes around to see none of his brethren. His wings trembling with fear, the Batman shouted in a common continental language, "Mighty human Mage please forgive the offence of this lowly little bat, I beg you to forgive me!"
"You speak human language very well, otherwise you'd be dead by now." Han Shuo kicked the Batman into the air just as he stood up. Han Shuo laughed heartily and didn't wait for the Batman to laned before kicking him around like a rubber ball.
"Fine, I forgive your insults now!" Han Shuo stopped his tormenting when he saw that the Batman was about to collapse and smiled happily, "Now you'll answer every question I ask. I don't mind dismantling your fragile skeleton if your answers are not good enough.
The best way to deal with these Batmen was to be brutal and domineering. This breed bullied the weak and feared the strong. They would bite the weak without a second thought, but would be meek and honest in front of someone stronger. The way Han Shuo dealt with this Batman made him abandon any thought of running or lying. He replied in a shrill voice, "Mighty human Mage, my answers will surely satisfy you. We Batmen are aware of everything that happens in this underground world!"
"Very good!" Han Shuo nodded. He smiled and asked, "Did a large group of humans enter the underground world recently? If so, where did they go? Where are the Lizardmen? I heard that the lizardmen recently discovered a magic crystal mine, do you know its location?"
As soon as the scared Stiff Batman heard Han Shuo's question, he immediately replied, "So you are a treasure hunter as well. The lizardmen have indeed discovered a magic crystal mine. Many people have entered the underground world recently, but the largest group seems to be a knight brigade, and their target is definitely the lizardmen's mine. Are you with that group?"
"Cut the nonsense, just answer my questions!" Han Shuo secretly rejoiced. The Redbud Knights had indeed already entered the underground world. This might have something to do with the Golden Dragon's threats, otherwise Celt wouldn't have been in such a hurry.
"Yes, yes, Lord Mage, please ask!" The Batman started in fright and spoke hastily.
"Any other humans besides this group of knights? And where are the lizardmen and the magic crystal mine? Has anything important happened lately?" Han Shuo continued his questioning.
"There were several human groups in addition to these knights, but their members were not many and their professions were too random for us batmen to know the details."
"Only the lizardmen know the location of the magic crystal mine. I only know where the lizardmen live, honest!" The Batman replied quickly.
Staring at the Batman for a while, Han Shuo realised that this Batman only seemed to know so much. He casually asked a few more questions. The information the Batman knew was indeed limited, so after a short interrogation, Han Shuo ordered, "Alright, take me to the Lizardmen and I will spare your life."
The Batman didn't dare mess around after being threatened by Han Shuo. He led him through the complex, winding streets straight to the area where the lizardmen lived. One had to admit, the underground streets were winding with countless twists and turns, and even Han Shuo with his amazing memory was confused along the way. If it hadn't been for the Batman, a native of this underground world, leading the way, Han Shuo simply wouldn't have been able to find the lizardmen.
After more than an hour, through who knew how many deep caves, twists and turns, the Batman finally stopped at a valley. Pointing to a densely caved area ahead, he said to Han Shuo, "This is where the lizardmen live, they like caves even more than we do. The large and small caves you see are their homes."
"The lizardmen of the underground world really live in such a place?" Seeing the Batman's beady eyes flicker, Han Shuo was once again suspicious and asked for confirmation.
"Mighty Lord Mage, most of the lizardmen gather in this place. The total number of lizardmen is far beyond your imagination, they are scattered in thousands of such areas all over the underground world. You're not going to force me to take you to every single one of them, are you?" Seeing Han Shuo squinting at him, the batman let out a hasty yelp as he couldn't stop the shivers from running down his body.
Han Shuo had actually entertained the idea. However, the Yin Demon suddenly spotted a human sneaking around. This human's outfit was a bit familiar, so Han Shuo turned to the panicked Batman, waved his hand as if he was swatting away a fly, and said, "Go away, your role here is done."
The Batman felt that he had been pardoned when he heard Han Shuo say this. However, its movements were awkward, its tiny eyes fixed on Han Shuo as it carefully flapped its wings backwards.
Seeing this strange action, Han Shuo asked in surprise, "I already told you to leave, why are you still here?"
"I'm afraid you'll kill me to keep me quiet. The whole underground world knows that you humans are the worst at keeping promises!" Contrary to Han Shuo's expectations, this pathetic batman looked at him pitifully and replied fearfully.
Han Shuo was stunned, then snapped, "You're worthless to me, I won't waste my mental energy if killing you won't bring me the slightest benefit."
The batman finally heaved a sigh of relief when it heard this. No longer daring to stay next to Han Shuo, it flapped its wings and turned its body, quickly fleeing far away.
The sneaky human hid behind the rocks. Han Shuo was certain they were Dark Mantle when he saw their outfits and hoods. The members of the Dark Mantle usually wore this stealthy, loose outfit when they went on missions.
Han Shuo jumped out like an arrow towards his colleague who was hiding behind the grey boulder after the Batman had left. They blended in perfectly, one with the rock. Han Shuo didn't make a sound to alert this person as he approached. When his big hand patted the fellow, they were startled like birds frightened by the twang of a bowstring and leapt from their resting position. They quickly began to chant two fireballs.
This colleague was wearing a hood that hid her face, but the magical chanting revealed her identity as a woman. The only thing visible were her eyes, which were filled with terror. As the fireballs erupted, she suddenly exclaimed, "Bryan?!"
Han Shuo waved his hand. Two inconspicuous purple flashes shot out in the blink of an eye, and the two fireballs were scattered into sparks. Han Shuo looked at this hidden fire mage with some astonishment and then asked in surprise, "You know me?"
Pulling back the hood to reveal a familiar youthful face, it was the fire mage, Chrissie, whom he'd last met at the Dark Mantle headquarters. The short-haired Chrissie gave a surprised cheer, then waved her hands around as she quickly explained, "I am Chrissie, we met last time at the Dark Mantle headquarters, have you forgotten me?"
With Han Shuo's memory, even a glance was enough to never forget someone's face. Chrissie was no exception. Hearing her words, he nodded his head with a smile and replied, "So it's you. Ah, I didn't expect to see you again here in this underground world. What a coincidence."
"Yes, yes, quite a coincidence. I heard that you are the city lord of Brettel. Wow, you are really impressive, already a count! Mm, right, shouldn't you be in Brettel, why are you here? Could it be that you are also on this mission? If so, that's great, I heard you even defeated Leah Cain..."
Chrissie didn't stop once she opened her mouth. Question after question came in quick succession in her sweet, crisp voice. As the excited Chrissie seemed to have no intention of stopping, Han Shuo had no choice but to cough slightly, interrupting her endless interrogation.
"Uh, Chrissie, can you take me to the person in charge first? Oh, if you know where Lady Emily is, it's best if you take me to her directly." Han Shuo finally got the chance to ask when he saw Chrissie's babbling pause.
Han Shuo had known that Cecilia had been in charge of this mission the last time in the Dark Forest. Emily was acting as her assistant, and he would be able to get all the information he needed if he could find her.
"No problem, I know where Madame Emily is, I will take you to her right now!" Chrissie readily agreed after taking off her hood.
"Then thank you Chrissie." Han Shuo said smiling.
Chrissie didn't continue to search for the lizardmen's movement, but happily acted as Han Shuo's guide, turning left and right on the complicated streets while she told him about the current status of the underground world.
Han Shuo smiled slightly as he listened to Chrissie. Every now and then, he would ask a few questions about things he was interested in, gradually gaining an understanding of the current situation in the underground world.