Slime Immortal.

Chapter 204 I've Seen Through Everything

The quarry outside Icefield Fortress in the Ice Elemental Plane.

Hammerbone used the excuse of overseeing slaves mining ice crystals to finally leave the fortress where the air was perpetually filled with the stench of sulfur.

Having escaped the chilling demon, his tense nerves could finally relax a little.

He made an excuse, crawled into his thick animal skin tent, lay comfortably on the soft fur, rubbed his belly, and took a nap.

In his hazy dream, he saw the commander of the Razortooth Legion being persecuted by Ajax, while he, the loyal and brave Hammerbone, resolutely broke with the demon and became the new commander of the goblin legion.

To defeat the despicable demon, he trained tirelessly day and night, painstakingly building his legion, and even had to cooperate with the chubby slimes of the Eastern Swamp...

Ok?
Wait, that's not right.

The logical flaws that appeared in his dream were like a needle, instantly piercing his beautiful illusion and jolting him awake.

He opened his eyes and saw that outside the tent was still the same dark, snow-covered plain, with howling winds and snow. He breathed a sigh of relief and muttered to himself:

"Thank goodness... it was just a nightmare."

“How could a mighty hammerbone warrior possibly cooperate with those vile and cunning slimes? It’s a disgrace.”

He summoned the goblin shaman who was guarding outside and instructed him to add more durable lichen blocks and firewood to the stone brazier in the center of the tent, making the fire burn brighter and dispelling some of the chill.

Then he decided to turn over and go back to sleep.

As for returning to Icefield Castle?

It is impossible to go back.

The slaves here speak so sweetly, addressing him as "Lord Hammerbone" repeatedly, yet they are so weak that they can only be bullied by him.

There's no place like here, more comfortable than next to that capricious demon.

Moreover, deep down he had absolutely no interest in Ajax's plan for conquering different planes.

His lifelong pursuit was nothing more than to gain greater power and ultimately defeat the Rifttooth Legion Commander in a fair duel to become the new Legion Commander.

But now that the entire legion has fallen into the hands of this foreign demon, what's the point of him pursuing these things anymore?

Forget it, I don't want to.

Sleeping is fine too...

Hammer Spurs scratched his slightly itchy bottom, preparing to close his eyes and take a nap.

Just as his eyelids began to droop and he was about to drift off to sleep again, a sudden burst of panicked shouts and commotion came from outside the tent.

Moreover, the commotion grew louder and louder, mixed with goblin screams and chaotic footsteps, instantly driving away all his drowsiness.

Hammerbone's temper flared up instantly. He abruptly stood up, flung open the heavy animal-hide curtain, and was about to unleash a torrent of curses.

Then they saw groups of goblin remnants, disheveled and in disarray, stumbling and fleeing back.

Moreover, judging from the direction they escaped from, they seemed to be the legion led by that annoying guy, Grumg.

He immediately realized that something had happened at the front and hurriedly returned to Icefield Castle.

As soon as he entered the still unfinished main castle hall, he saw Ajax standing in the howling wind with a gloomy expression, his blood-red eyes scanning the area below.

The surviving goblins around him were crouching on the ground, trembling and not daring to breathe, for fear of attracting his attention.

Hammerbone cautiously approached, lowering his voice to ask the surrounding goblins for information, and that's how he learned about the situation at the front.

Slimes have also appeared in the Underdark?
And they even left that idiot Grumger there?

This news is really...

marvelous! ! !
Hammerbone almost burst out laughing on the spot, his heart instantly filled with schadenfreude. That ogre who always looked down on others because he knew a little magic was actually finished.

It was a good thing he died.

It's said that he died after crawling into the ass of a filthy creature...

Haha, serves him right.

However, Ajax was still standing in front of him, and he looked very unhappy.

He forced a serious and solemn expression, stepped forward, and asked cautiously:
"Lord Ajax, what should we do now?"

"Should we immediately assemble an army, attack the swamp, and take revenge on those damn slimes?"

Ajax glanced at him, his gaze seemingly able to see through his true thoughts.

Although his expression remained grim, his tone carried an air of unwavering certainty, as if he had already seen through everything:

"No, we all underestimated those slimes... or more accurately, we underestimated the forces that might be lurking behind them."

Hammerbone was somewhat bewildered: "M-Master, there's...someone else behind them?"

Ajax scoffed, "Silver Oak Tree People, those are ancient trees that only elves could cultivate. Do you think those arrogant and xenophobic elves would just hand over such an ancient tree species to a bunch of slimes?"

Hammerbone finally realized what was happening, and he gasped, "You mean, there's an elven force behind them?!"

Ajax's calm tone carried an unquestionable certainty: "The nameless kingdom, which dominated the swamp in just six months, could not possibly have appeared out of thin air."

His eyes gleamed with wisdom, and his face was full of confidence, as if he had already seen through the layers of fog to uncover the truth.

"There is only one possibility: the council elves of the Western Mountains have finally been unable to resist and have extended their reach here. They are brewing a shocking conspiracy."

His voice carried a hint of excitement at discovering a secret: "They might want to use the swamp as a base to completely besiege Golden Radiance Valley."

"What they could never have imagined was that even on the seemingly remote edge of this swamp, the abyss was already watching them."

"I have seen through their plot!"

Hammerbone's head was buzzing.

Elf-related plots and conspiracies... Is it really that exaggerated?
Ajax waved his hand and gave the order: "Immediately send someone back to the Golden Valley as quickly as possible to report the situation here to Lord Kasarik and tell him that the Council of Ancient Trees has already reached here."

"Yes, Commander!" Hammerbone accepted the order and was about to turn around to make arrangements when he remembered those troublesome slimes.

Then he asked in a buzzing voice, "Commander, what should we do with those slimes? Should we just let them go for now?"

Ajax, with his back to him, gazed into the distance and said cautiously, "They have the support of the Council of Elves. Sending just one mature Ancient War Tree would be enough to crush all our current power."

"We will make a decision after receiving Lord Kasakrik's reply."

"Let them go for now."

"Perfect timing! Some adventurous little mice have arrived from the south. Let them explore the castle first, then we can harvest them slowly..."

Little mouse?

Adventurers from the southern kingdoms?
Before Hammerbone could speak, Ajax's murmured words made his heart pound. "Soon, very soon. The souls and chaos needed for the ritual will soon be gathered..."

ceremony?

Demonic rituals often involve soul sacrifice and chaos, which are their primary means of increasing power, and are essentially no different from various trials.

I happened to have learned about Hammerbone from Grumger.

He vaguely guessed that expanding the size of the Filthy Legion was not just for conquest, but more likely for completing the trial.

This land is about to welcome a newborn great demon.

……

The third day after the end of the Battle of Thorn Outpost.

That morning, the town of Shibao was unusually quiet.

At this time of day, the young stone descendants would usually be practicing on the training field, or the residents would be starting their busy day, but today they have all gathered outside the town.

On the edge of the town, at the starting point of the path Arno first walked when he first entered this place, a brief blessing ceremony was being held.

Arno stood side by side with the other Stoneborn Shadow Assassins on the path paved with fluorescent moss.

An elderly Shi Yi ancestor awoke from his slumber and personally presided over the blessing ceremony for them.

He extended his hand, speckled with stone spots, and gently sprinkled holy water mixed with shadow dust onto the foreheads and weapons of the four expeditionary warriors.

The old man chanted in a low voice, the ancient Stoneborn prayer echoing in the silent air, asking for the protection of the Lady of Shadows and the guidance of their ancestors.

After the ceremony, they will leave the stone fortress and head towards the deeper, unknown regions of Gor to explore the legendary gargoyle lair and uncover the mystery of the power left behind by Grand Duke Castor.

No one knows what lies hidden in those depths.

But decades ago, their heroic ancestor Castor also embarked on this path here, received a similar blessing, and ultimately returned successfully, ascending to the transcendent and leading a subjugated gargoyle army to rewrite the fate of the Stoneborn.

Since then, countless Shi Yi, bearing this mission, have followed one after another on the same path.

Some were forever lost in the darkness, some escaped by chance but were filled with fear of the depths, but no second extraordinary person was ever born.

Today, Arno and his companions will also embark on this perilous journey to uncover the final secrets of the Stoneborn.

After Arno finished bestowing the blessing, he solemnly and carefully removed the slime that had been perched on his shoulder and placed it in Nelly's outstretched palm.

To ensure that the trial conditions of their ancestor Castor can be replicated, they will sever all contact with the outside world after entering the depths of Gol, and will have to rely solely on their own strength, wisdom, and courage to face all challenges.

Bringing in any external support that might disrupt the balance, such as a slime, is prohibited.

"Boss, don't worry, I'll be back soon."

Arno stood beside his docile swamp lizard mount and patted his muscular chest vigorously.

Chen Yu bounced on Nellie's palm, jumped onto her shoulder, then turned around and looked at Arno.

"Remember, if you can't beat them, run away. Don't be stupid and just stand there and try to fight them."

"If you really can't get through, keep an eye out for the local specialties, like strange minerals, plants you've never seen before, or monsters, and bring some back for me to try."

To be honest, with Arno's current strength, even if he returned to the White Horse Kingdom, becoming a knight captain would be a piece of cake, and it wouldn't be impossible for him to compete for the position of knight commander.

If they were to encounter the gargoyles that attacked them when they first entered Gore again, Arno's sword strike would probably be as easy as cutting melons and vegetables.

Even if we ultimately fail the trial, a safe retreat shouldn't be a problem.

Moreover, Chen Yu secretly prepared a lot of logistical supplies for Arno, such as talent orbs and magic leaves, which were placed in the bag carried by the lizard mount.

Nelly crossed her arms and looked at Arno, reminding him, "You are the first in our family to enter the depths of Gol as a knight, and your survival skills are much stronger than those of other Stoneborn."

"But no one can say for sure what the situation is deep inside. If we encounter a danger that we can't handle, we should come back first. Even if we only bring back some information about the deep inside, it will be very valuable to the family."

Chen Yu looked at Nellie and asked curiously, "By the way, how long have you been here? Have you gone inside yourself?"

Nelly yawned widely.

“My dear lord, haven’t you heard that a true gentleman never asks a lady’s age?”

She waved her hand, her tone tinged with complaint: "As for going in, I still have to stay in the stone fortress to keep an eye on this bunch of energetic little ones. I don't have the time to go on an adventure deep inside."

Arno listened to their conversation and couldn't help but chuckle.

He checked the map, dry food, water, and emergency medicine in his bag one last time, and after confirming that everything was in order, he nimbly mounted the swamp lizard.

"Go, uncle!"

"come back earlier!"

Ella, Leon, and Max squeezed through the crowd and waved excitedly at Arno.

"Goodbye."

"Boss, Auntie, wait for me to come back!"

Arno waved vigorously to the people seeing him off, his gaze lingering on Chen Yu and Nili's faces for a moment before he resolutely turned the lizard's head and disappeared along with the other three silent Stoneborn figures at the end of the path.

"Ugh……"

Nelly gazed in the direction they had disappeared, sighed softly, and revealed a sense of melancholy.

"I feel like I've gotten another year older."

She was used to these partings, so without lingering, she turned around, hugged Chen Yu, and walked back into the town.

Along the way, Chen Yu inquired about many things about the depths of Gor, such as the known terrain, the special monsters that might be encountered, or whether there were any landmark locations.

But Nili's answers were mostly "uncertain", "vague records", or "it feels different every time I go in".

"You Shi Yi have lived here for so long, haven't you ever tried to develop a route into the depths?" Chen Yu couldn't help but ask.

Nelly shrugged and explained, "It's not just dark inside; even your sense of shadows will become blurry once you're inside."

"There are also all sorts of dangerous monsters and dangerous ancient magic traps. Even if we spend a huge amount of money to barely open up a path, it may not be the same as before when we go to look for it again the following year, or we may not be able to find it at all."

"Huh? Wait a minute..." Nelly was saying when she suddenly seemed to remember something and stopped in her tracks, causing Chen Yu, who was on her shoulder, to sway.

The problem with pioneering deep-sea roads is that they are difficult to maintain.

But what if they commissioned the Slime Kingdom to use their strange construction abilities to build a tunnel leading into the depths...?

It seems that it really works.

(End of this chapter)