After flying for an hour, a massive crater appeared ahead of them, set against the yellow ground.
"The mine. Yell, go into that hole," Rylan said, staring intently at the opening.
Upon hearing the command, Yell glided and dove into the crater, which turned out to be enormous inside, with an indeterminate height and several staircases descending to the bottom.
As they descended, Rylan noticed there were people on the staircases. Some struggled with the heat, others descended slowly, while a few, seemingly children of the wealthy, hurried down quickly.
Seeing this, he sighed. This was the reality of the world: weak, disadvantaged people suffer; those with some luck go as far as they can; and the rich enjoy great advantages.
'I guess I can be considered part of the second category, right? Thanks to luck, I met Lucy on the way and managed to awaken my power and learn how to cultivate. If that hadn't happened, I would have died on these stairs already.'
Thinking about the last part, he felt a deep sense of gratitude toward Lucy.
'My luck seems good since I left the village: I met Lucy, caught the attention of Old Wu, who gave me a pill... But how far will this go? I can't rely on luck alone. Only strength matters. I don't want to depend on others or luck. I want to achieve everything with my own strength!'
He thought, clenching his fists as his determination to grow stronger reached its peak.
As he lost himself in these thoughts, Yell had already reached the bottom of the mine. Estimating the entire descent, Rylan figured they had gone down about a hundred meters from the top. It was truly a massive place.
Shaking off his daze, Rylan looked around the mine. Ahead of him, there were eight tunnels, the result of excavations over time.
Five young people, dressed in elegant linen clothes, were at the entrance. The leader appeared to be a blonde-haired boy.
Upon seeing the boy and the beast, the five fell silent, observing every detail. To make it this far, one couldn't be ordinary.
"Hey, what's your name? You're the beast tamer, right? That's amazing!" said the blonde-haired boy with excitement.
Hearing this, Rylan tilted his head and thought, A noble, huh? He's talking to me... Does he want to befriend me? Well, I am a beast tamer. I don't know how esteemed this profession is on the continent, but judging by how I'm treated, it doesn't seem like something weak.
After a moment of reflection, he decided to be polite and responded to the young man: "Rylan. And you?"
The young man smiled. "Daniel August."
He then pointed to the others and introduced them:
"This guy with the barbarian look, carrying an axe, is Duan. The blue-haired boy is Rosty. That blonde girl is my sister, Helena. And this strange guy in the robe is Axel."
Rylan observed the five calmly. When he finished hearing their introductions, he decided to introduce his companion: "This green bird is Yell."
As he looked at the five figures, he noticed something odd. When Yell was mentioned, Helena's eyes sparkled.
So what my grandfather said is true? Women love cute things? He smiled and patted Yell on the back.
"My companion, you need to grow up to be respected. If you keep looking like this, they'll only think you're cute."
Yell, hearing this, was not happy at all and shot toward the fifth tunnel. Realizing what was happening, Rylan called out to the others:
"Sorry! My familiar seems to be in a hurry. See you later!"
He vanished into the darkness, leaving the five young people in silence.
"Brother, what was that?"
"I don't know."
"I think you scared the bird. Look at the way you looked at it, like a beast staring at prey."
Helena, hearing this, felt embarrassed:
"I was just curious about what kind of bird it is. It's the first time I've encountered a bird of this species."
"I know. No wonder they call you the Mad Scientist of the Sun Empire."
"But isn't this little guy interesting? And his cultivation level for his age is not bad. This test is getting interesting, sister."
"I agree," Helena said, staring at the fifth tunnel.
---
Inside the tunnel, Rylan encountered a deep darkness. The only thing he trusted was Yell's vision.
The bird continued forward until they reached a spot lit by orange crystals, which illuminated the area.
Dismounting from Yell's back, Rylan approached the crystals and tried to pull one out, but couldn't. Despite using all his strength, he failed.
"Damn it! How do we get these crystals out? Help me, Yell."
The bird rolled its eyes. "Why do I feel more like a butler than a familiar lately?" it thought. "Searching for information, carrying him, and now this... Red Lake, hurry up."
Thinking about the hunt for the tritons that would happen in the Fourth Region, the bird felt excited. As a spiritual beast, its greatest joy was fighting.
Going to the crystals, Yell used its claws to slice through them effortlessly, leaving Rylan in disbelief.
"That was so easy... Am I weak? But my cultivation level is higher. How did he manage that so easily?"
While stunned, a voice echoed in his mind:
"Let's go. We don't need many crystals. One from each region is enough to pass. Plus, we're out of space, Primogenitor."
Hearing this, Rylan felt even more humiliated. He slumped, his head hanging low. His familiar was more useful than he was.
"Don't you have any feelings?" he asked, looking at the bird.
Yell remained silent for a moment before responding:
"Primogenitor, sorry to say this, but where's your pride? You look like a cub..." It was about to continue, but then it looked at Rylan and realized, "This kid really is a child. How old is he?"
"Twelve. And I know what you're thinking, damn bird," Rylan grumbled and continued, "Let's go!"
He climbed back onto the green bird's back and flew out of the tunnel, heading beyond the mine. According to the information Yell had gathered, ahead of the mine lay the Fire Valley.
After flying for a long distance, the yellow ground began to change, turning into a floor of embers with small steaming pools. The desert gave way to a mountain range covered in charred remnants, with orange flames licking the air.
"So hot..." Rylan murmured, feeling the intense heat as they entered the new environment.
Yell wasn't doing well either. Its advantages were gone; unlike the blazing desert, this place was a true hell.