Sail Shadows in the Sea of ​​Fog

Chapter 140 The Monument in the Mine

"What do we do? What do we do?" Yun Lan asked in a panic, even though she had just been having a lot of fun.

"You're scared now?"

Yun Ji grabbed the other girl's ear in annoyance, but then the two girls simultaneously covered their mouths and began to gag.

"Let's take a rest first and then talk about it."

Cheng Lang waved his hand, pointed to the huge statue, and said weakly, "Let those wooden figures go, clean them up, and see what they are."

"Let me do it."

As the magic mirror spoke, it took the dagger handed to it by Yun Ji and floated into the air, carefully cleaning the moss off the statue bit by bit.

A moment later, the wooden figure, having recovered, also climbed up and helped, babbling as it went. Cheng Lang and the other two also dispersed after regaining their strength and began exploring the spacious underground space.

Compared to Yun Lan, who was searching for the missing staircase, and Yun Ji, who was carefully searching along the wall, Cheng Lang went straight to the low metal door, bent down, and peered into the only keyhole on the door.

The keyhole, which was as thick as a wrist, was deep enough and had an exceptionally smooth inner wall. Only at the very end did it seem to have a near-right-angle turn.

Clearly, the mechanism for locking the door is hidden behind that right-angle turn.

I tried pushing the door, then knocking and kicking it, but the heavy metal door didn't budge at all, and the sound it made was unusually dull.

I wonder how thick this door is.
Undeterred, Cheng Lang patted the metal door again. "Did you find anything there?"

"No, yes, yes, yes"

Yun Lan was the first to respond loudly, and her voice echoed long throughout the underground space.

“I didn’t find it either,” Yun Ji replied as she walked to Cheng Lang’s side, examining the metal door.

"My esteemed captain, and to the two beautiful and noble ladies, I have made some discoveries here."

The magic mirror floated down from the statue, returning the dagger it had been holding to Yun Ji as it said, "This statue seems to depict an ancient dwarf."

"Ancient dwarves?" Upon hearing this, Cheng Lang and Yun Ji went around to the other side of the statue.

As the thick layer of moss on the statue was gradually peeled away, the three of them gradually saw that the statue was indeed a group of dwarves.

Some of these dwarves carried pickaxes and oil lamps at their waists, while others held hammers or axes. Still others, though not carrying any tools, were pushing carts that appeared to be full of ore.

Without exception, the dwarves all wore unusually solemn expressions and seemed exceptionally busy.

"This statue is also made of the same metal as that door."

The magic mirror explained from the side, "I have no way to pass through it, which is very strange. I even... I have a strong fear of this statue and that door."

"Is it because this metal can imprison the undead?" Yun Lan pointed out the root of the Magic Mirror's fear incisively.

"Perhaps...maybe," the magic mirror replied uncertainly.

“I think I already know what this is,” Yun Lan said, looking up at the statue that the wooden figure was gradually cleaning.

"What is it?" Cheng Lang asked subconsciously.

"This might be a vein of silver."

Yun Lan pointed to the statue, "As for this metal, I guess it should be some kind of alloy of urn silver."

"A silver urn? What's that?" Yun Ji asked.

"It's a double-edged sword for the undead."

Yun Lan said, "Silver urns are very rare and have a very limited function. If I remember correctly, silver urns can be used to imprison the dead or to increase the soul strength of the dead. It is a very strange metal."

“I’ve never heard of such a thing,” the Magic Mirror said, frowning.

“I once mentioned that in Rica’s royal dungeon, there is a vengeful spirit who regained his sanity and memories through a spirit-gathering array.”

Yun Lan said, "The reason why Li Ka was able to subdue that strange undead is because he dressed him in a suit of armor mixed with urn silver."

Cheng Lang and the others looked on incredulously. Yun Lan continued, "That armor restrained the undead who possessed reason and memories, but it also made him exceptionally powerful."

So these.

Cheng Lang couldn't help but look at the statue, and then at the gate in the distance. There were quite a few undead on the Valkyrie!
"Although this statue appears to have used a lot of metal, it actually uses very little. I've seen the armor worn by that dungeon guard, and the alloy wasn't this pale color."

Yun Lan frowned and said, "I suspect that the statue itself may imprison the spirits of the dead, or perhaps, it's behind that door."

Before she could finish speaking, Yun Lan shuddered in fright at herself.

"Snapped!"

Cheng Lang took out his whip and cracked it loudly enough. His whip was also effective against the undead, and could even kill them, a fact that had already been proven in the royal city guarded by Ye Di.

That's why this one simple action was enough to put Yun Lan and Yun Ji, who had just been on guard, at ease.

"So now the only problem left is how to open this door," Cheng Lang said, putting away his whip.

"I think we should let Van Hart give it a try."

Yun Ji spoke up, "Although most of his body is in an undead state, he also seems to be a dwarf, doesn't he?"

"That seems to make sense."

After confirming that the possible enemy was just an undead, Cheng Lang became much bolder and took out Vanhart, who lived in the ring, with a wave of his hand.

After a whole day of digestion, Vanhart, who had stabbed several ship hearts to death, was no longer in that ghostly state. Moreover, his undead body had become much more solid, while the thorny sea cucumber on his head was drooping weakly to one side.

What the hell.
From now on, I'll make sure he wears a hat no matter what!
Cheng Lang glanced furtively at the two girls who were both looking up at the statue, and he had already made up his mind.

Vanhart's appearance was really unpresentable, not even as pleasing to the eye as Hiss, the pet snake next to Mist Shadow.

Not only that, even though he had defiled so many ships yesterday evening and taken advantage of them, this Vanhart still looked like a dim-witted idiot.

Go open the door.

Cheng Lang pointed to the metal door not far away and gave the order without any hope whatsoever.

Using his eight arms to support his body, Vanhart looked up at Cheng Lang, then turned around and looked around.

However, to everyone's surprise, after pacing around in circles for a while, the strange Spider-Man Vanhart did not walk towards the metal door. Instead, he walked to a mirror and began to examine himself in the mirror. He even used his four hands to smooth the drooping sea cucumber on his head.

"Snapped!"

Yun Ji slapped her forehead, realizing that her suggestion had overestimated Vanhart.

"Why don't we go ask the night watchman?"

"Wait first"

Before Yun Ji could finish speaking, Cheng Lang waved his hand and even lowered his voice.

Under the watchful eyes of the three of them, the magic mirror, and the little wooden figures, Vanhart picked up the mirror with two of his hands and then moved sideways like a crab to the doorway of the metal door.

"Boom!"

Before anyone could react, Vanhart used his other two hands to pull the sea cucumber off his head.

"puff!"

The sea cucumber also promptly spat out a clump of internal organs, spraying them all onto the mirror, and unsurprisingly, it made the magic mirror shudder—it was disgusted too.

Vanhart's next move once again surprised everyone. After spitting out streams of white viscera, the sea cucumber in his hand shrank rapidly and was then stuffed into the hole in the metal door.

Immediately afterwards, Vanhart actually put his mouth to the hole, puffed out his cheeks, and began to blow air into it with all his might!
As he blew, the metal door gradually emitted a clattering sound of mechanical movement, and Cheng Lang and the other two held their breath in their throats.

"Hiss—" In a split second, a hissing sound rang out, and the metal door slowly pushed open after the hissing sound disappeared. Vanhart, as if he were French kissing someone, frantically began sucking on the keyhole of the door.

He even braced all 12 of his hands against the door panel, which was over a meter thick, for leverage.

"Boom!"

With another soft sound, he finally managed to suck the sea cucumber out and put it directly in his mouth.

Despite tumbling several times with the sea cucumber in his arms, Vanhart didn't seem to care. He simply grabbed the sea cucumber, pulled it off, and with a "snap," stuck it back onto his head. Then, he hugged the mirror containing the sea cucumber's entrails again, turning around and continuing to examine himself in the mirror.

Is this the development of self-awareness?
As Cheng Lang secretly speculated, the Magic Mirror was the first to step through the heavy door.

Behind this door is a damp mine shaft. There is light in the mine shaft, but the faint glow comes from fungi such as mushrooms.

By the faint blue light, Cheng Lang and the others could also see some neatly arranged, but severely worn, tools along the way near the door.

These tools, such as axes, hammers, and pickaxes, were all packed in a small metal cart, the front of which faced the depths of the mine.

Before long, the two little wooden figures worked together to snatch the dirty mirror from Vanhart's hands and followed him into the mine. They also used the bright light from the mirror to illuminate the mine brightly.

As for Vanhart, he didn't follow. Instead, he climbed up the statue and carefully examined the sculpted figure. No one knew what he was thinking.

Cheng Lang and the other two were too lazy to pay attention to him, so they simply sat down again and looked at the situation in the mirror held up by the two little wooden figures.

The mine shaft was excavated in an exceptionally neat and straight manner! This was the only description Cheng Lang could think of.

Although the mine shaft was indeed rather low, the rock walls on both sides, as well as the rock walls above and below, were all treated with exceptional care.

They could even see that the two grooved "window sills" deliberately carved into the rock walls on both sides of the mine tunnel seemed to be specifically designed for growing those glowing mushrooms.

As they continued deeper into the magic mirror, they came across a vast and fully functional space.

In this space, there is clear water flowing down the rock wall and continuing into the pool, as well as long tables and benches carved from stone. The long tables, in particular, are even decorated with glasses and plates.

As they continued walking, they saw equipment such as furnaces and stoves.

Strangely, these stoves had no chimneys, and there was no fuel in sight.

As they continued deeper into the magic mirror, Cheng Lang and his companions found themselves in rooms with metal doors.

The doors to all the rooms were closed, but none of them were locked.

As the magic mirror pushed open the door again and again, they saw through the mirror that behind each door seemed to be a complete home, full of life, with even some glass bottles that still seemed to contain wine and oak barrels that were not completely rotten.

But apart from these, there was nothing else here. There were no people, no remains, no spirits, and not even any written records.

With each opening of the door, the magic mirror reached the end of the mine.

This is a small square, with several beautifully carved pillars around it covered in glowing mushrooms and adorned with ancient-looking ship lanterns. At the other end of the square, however, are rows of mine shafts sealed off with stones.

In the very center of this small square stands a massive, two-meter-high, jet-black stone monument.

This stone tablet is densely engraved with square characters belonging to this world.

“Demon Mirror, read it,” Cheng Lang said.

"As you wish, esteemed Captain."

After the magic mirror finished speaking, it directed the wooden figure that had followed it to adjust the angle of the "lens" and then said, "There are words on both sides of this stone tablet. Let me see. I'll read the contents of this side first."

With that, the magic mirror cleared its throat and began to read aloud.

Written before the decisive battle:
Poseidon's power is growing stronger and stronger. All the port cities on the Starsea Continent have been occupied by the sea monsters, and all the warriors have become food for the sea monsters. Only Luo is still fighting. She is the only warrior who has a chance to defeat Poseidon, but she is still missing a weapon that is enough to kill Poseidon.

The task of forging weapons was entrusted to our Dwarven Windmill tribe. We came here carrying the fire born from the God of Forging, and after digging in the mines for 15 months, we finally forged a spear for Lo that was powerful enough to kill Poseidon.

Today, we will evacuate the windmill mining complex to the designated battlefield to make final preparations for the upcoming decisive battle.

After the war ends, if anyone is still alive, we agreed that the survivors would return here and light the furnace one last time to cast a statue for their fallen comrades.

Having read this far, the magic mirror circled to the other side of the stone tablet, cleared its throat again, and read, "Written after the final battle:"
After a fierce battle, Luo killed Poseidon at a great cost. The dwarven Windmill tribe was reduced to less than one-tenth of its members, and I was the only one who returned here alive.

I am Dor, an apprentice of the Windmill tribe of dwarves. As promised, I rekindled the furnace and cast a statue to commemorate the fallen.

But the furnace did not go out. Loth ordered me to lead the surviving dwarves in forging seven spearheads to seal Poseidon. It was a long and arduous task, but it would buy enough time for the Starsea Continent.

To better accomplish this task, Lo's servants moved the mine to the Star Sea and found a precious wind belt.

It's windy here all year round. Thanks to this convenience, we completed this glorious task in just seven years, and I am about to witness the sealing of Poseidon.

I forgot to mention that Luo now has her own unique title; people on the Starsea Continent and sea monsters in the ocean are willing to call her Valkyrie.

But I know she is still Luo.

Written in the third year after completing the spear:

Over the past three years, I have traveled with Luo across the entire ocean, sealing Poseidon's seven hearts in various locations.

Luo made a huge sacrifice to accomplish this, and she probably will never have the chance to wake up again.

Upon returning here, I have officially extinguished the furnace fire and am preparing to return the embers to the furnace of the God of Forging.

For those who have the opportunity to come here and see this stone tablet, there is nothing of value here, but I built a windmill above the mine entrance.

If the windmill is still there when you find it, and if you are willing to help me lock the outer gate again, you can go to the top of the windmill and take away a gift I left for those who come after me. It is my last work.

Finally, may the god of forging bless you.

"So the Valkyrie's name is Luo."

Cheng Lang retrieved Vanhart, who was still lying on the statue, from the ring and said, "This is probably the biggest gain. Magic Mirror, let the wooden figure come back."

"We're already heading back," the Magic Mirror replied respectfully.

They didn't have to wait long before the little wooden figure carried the mirror back, and Cheng Lang, with the help of Yun Ji and Yun Lan, sealed the heavy metal door completely.

Immediately following, amidst the sound of rocks grinding together, a stone wall quietly descended, and the previously vanished staircase reappeared before everyone's eyes—along with the rushing seawater and a small boat that wasn't very big rushing down.

Upon seeing this, everyone immediately climbed onto the small boat, letting the rushing seawater lift it up in circles, causing it to rise remarkably steadily.

With the floating ladder bidding them farewell, Cheng Lang and the others returned to the top of the spiral staircase, and then dived back to the bottom of the well.

"I'll go."

Yun Ji said in a low voice, then darted up to the second floor in a few steps, went around to the window, and then leaped steadily onto one of the windmill blades.

With a creaking sound as it turned, the blades carried Yun Ji to the very top of the windmill.

Not long after, she grabbed a fan blade and returned to the ground.

Under the cover of night, the three of them, along with the wooden figures, returned to the conference room of the Valkyrie. The wooden figures that had returned to the Thorn on their own also babbled and pulled Yafso into the lower deck.

Under Yafso's expectant gaze, these little wooden figures each opened their chests, took out mushrooms of various colors and held them in their palms, while looking up at Yafso with their big, watery green eyes.

"You're all good kids! I knew you wouldn't let me down!"

Yavso looked at the mushrooms that emitted various colors of light and immediately let out a series of excited cheers.

She instructed the wooden figures she had bribed to put the mushrooms into the oak barrels she had prepared beforehand, and generously gave each of them a large cup of nutrient solution as a reward.

Meanwhile, in the Valkyrie's conference room, Yun Ji took out what she had obtained from the top of the windmill and placed it on the long table.

It was a small wooden box, covered with a metal called "urn silver," and inside were two models of carriages.

(End of this chapter)