The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 154 The Truth of the Dungeon (10,000 words, please subscribe and vote!)
"Wait, why are you able to reveal these inside stories?"

Tang Qi suddenly realized that this crucial information was actually conveyed through Black Panther's words.
"Weren't you silenced by the [Fair Contract]?"

"Of course we can talk about these things freely on our turf—otherwise, a lot of work related to the underground city would be impossible to carry out."

Tang Qi was genuinely curious: "Maybe you should show me around."

"There's not much to see. Most areas here are heavily guarded, and people who aren't staff members of those areas are not allowed to enter."

Once the yak was led away from the corridor, Black Panther continued walking at the front, whispering in a voice barely audible to the two of them.

“For gang members like us who are responsible for robbery, the only places we are allowed to enter are the [Archives] and the [Demolition Den].

"A den of iniquity?" Tang Qi glanced at Chen Xi subconsciously.

"It's the place where looted goods are confiscated."

"You're not just going to write reports and keep records, you're also going to confiscate things? What's the point of you robbing people then?"

"Of course, we're not handing over all the stolen goods. We're allowed to keep some for ourselves. Otherwise, how could Little Payton say he's stumbled upon a 'fat sheep'?"
Besides, we do receive a salary—

I said, this is work.

We're not the goblins who robbed people on the Three Pigs Trail!

Black Panther was actually quite expectant, seeing Tang Qi's expression of sudden realization.

After all, to outsiders who are unaware of the truth, they are just a group of thieves who rob and plunder.

But often, Black Panther felt like he was just doing a job.

Of course, this job is hardly glamorous.

Although most of the time they only looted and vandalized, rather than slaughtering the adventurers.

The so-called "slaughtering the fat sheep" only refers to robbing them of their belongings, not to harming their persons.

However, it is inevitable that too many people will be motivated by greed and evil thoughts, and thus commit even worse acts.

He was the same; it was impossible for him not to have lives on his hands.

But even the rats in the stinking ditch sometimes yearn to see the light.

They might also wallow in the mire, deceiving themselves by telling themselves it's all just for work.

Tang Qi didn't care what he thought, and asked curiously:
"So who will end up with all this stolen goods?"

"Of course, they were reorganized and distributed to various areas of the underground city."

Tang Qi blinked, as if he understood something:
"So, those so-called treasures in the dungeons were actually placed there by you? You placed the treasures there, but then you planned to collect them back during the adventurers' triumphant return?"

"Yes."

Black Panther turned around and looked at Tang Qi with some hope.

"You want to know why?"

"I think I can guess it."

Can you tell me what you want?

"why?"

"That way I'll feel a sense of superiority."

"Then I don't want to."

Black Panther's feelings were somewhat like those of someone eating fish at the Tianjing Restaurant, only to have the chef mistakenly put in the wrong pre-made vegetable package, giving it a plate of flies instead.

Hope leaned close to Tang Qi's ear and whispered:

So why did they do that?

"In order to keep the underground city running."

Tang Qi guessed,
“Treasure is finite. Once the underground city’s treasure is exhausted, the entire adventurer community will fall apart.”

Black Panther was surprised that Tang Qi could guess the key point and led them around a corner.

"So the [Dragon Treasury] was also a false rumor you spread?" Tang Qi suddenly asked.

"That's real. It's just that the treasures inside were collected or purchased from outside and then stored in the treasure vault, waiting for adventurers to discover them."

Because the 'Dungeon Mushroom' craze is about to end, there's a need for something new and exciting to encourage adventurers to venture deeper into dungeons.

"I was curious before, how come those goblins who were enhanced by dragon blood had brand new standard equipment? Wait, could the so-called 'dragon blood' just be a gimmick?"

"It's true. The magic that permeates the dungeons causes these monsters to mutate and even evolve."

"A legend about living beings in the dungeons?"

"It's fake. Actually, only the first and second floors are movable because they are built above the Red Scarf Gang. In reality, they have all been modified by the gang and can be moved using a specific device—that thing is in the [Dispensing Room]."

"No wonder only the shallow part of the underground city looks like it was built by man."

As Tang Qi muttered to himself, he suddenly remembered the witch he had encountered earlier.

"So you also have ways to monitor adventurers and spontaneously create obstacles for them, right?"

“Someone will use the [Arcane Eye] to monitor the whereabouts of each adventurer team and report in real time. Then, they will use the [Anywhere Door] to target obstacles, so that the selected adventurers are ‘exhausted’ before our raiding teams are mobilized.”

Now, even the old hag's previous confusion, and the reason why they discovered Hope's 'betrayal', were answered:
"The Secret Eye, huh..."

Including the entire 'Abyss Illusion', Tang Qi has realized that the so-called Red Scarf Gang can hardly be described as a gang that lives underground.

more like...

A sophisticated machine operating in the underground city.

He seemed to understand why he did this, and therefore wrote it down—

'Dungeon' is actually a very broad concept.

Just like the 'adventurers', they all have their own reasons for embarking on their journeys—

Some are there to form a lifelong adventure team, some to earn money to visit brothels all over the world, and some simply enjoy the thrill of adventure...

The reasons for the emergence of dungeons are not all the same—

Perhaps it's a city or cave long lost to history, perhaps it's the coffin where a lich sleeps, perhaps it's a fortress used for experiments by a legendary mage...

Or, they could simply form the components of a city, enabling it to prosper and flourish.

'Deep Well', an underground city that adventurers see as alive.

According to word of mouth, this natural mine was eroded by the blood of an ancient dragon, causing the mine shafts and nests to 'come alive' and form a moving labyrinth.

The magic brought new life to the underground, enabling the monsters there to evolve and reshape their remains into new life forms, launching an endless onslaught against the surface.

This is indeed its history.

But it is clear that in this world, the 'history' that people remember must contain elements of fabrication.

The dragon's flesh and blood did indeed corrode this land, shaping the most basic outline of the vast underground city—

The landscape as a skeleton, the monsters as flesh, and the treasure as blood.

This brought the initial accumulation of wealth to Longjincheng at the beginning of its construction.

However, the development of an underground city always has its limits.

But after thirstily drinking its blood, what value does the 'dragon', which is left with only a thin layer of flesh and a desolate skeleton, still have?
This is a question the rulers of Dragongold City should consider after the underground city's treasures have been completely divided up.

Those monsters that died and were reborn in an endless cycle, as if their souls would never find peace, inspired them.

To maintain the stability of this city, they need to expend a great deal of manpower to suppress the threat lurking beneath the deep well.

But they don't have to invest manpower for nothing.

Instead, it allows adventurous explorers to venture deep into the underground city on their own initiative, acting as cleaners and removing the 'flesh and blood' of the underground.

However, to attract adventurers, you need a 'reason' to entice them.

A tempting offer that would keep them going, leading them deeper and deeper into the underground.

And there is little in this world that is more popular or more alluring than the desire for 'wealth'.

If it were me, I would set aside a portion of the dragon's treasure, or bring in a new batch of treasure and use it as 'blood' to infuse the dungeon.

That's exactly what Long Jincheng did.

Thus, the Adventurers' Guild came into being.

Gradually allocate a portion of the blood supply to form the foundation.

Then, the registration and entrustment of other cities' troubles will be handled by the relevant authorities.

This attracted a large number of greedy adventurers who camped around the deep well, dreaming of striking it rich.

However, adventurers are never a peaceful group.

The arrival of a large number of adventurers will inevitably give rise to all sorts of restless and violent elements.

They are different from ordinary people; what they pursue is not a stable life, but rather an outlet for their pent-up emotions.

Taverns, brothels, and all sorts of entertainment establishments arose for this purpose.

All the transactions and consumption that result from this will drive the economic prosperity of the entire city.

Thus, cities invest their wealth in underground cities, adventurers settle in cities and spend money because of the underground cities, and the wealth generated by this spending gives back to the cities...

This almost perfectly solved the 'threat bred underground' and the 'chaos of adventurers,' and even spurred the city's development, resembling a sophisticated, ouroboros-like, closed-loop machine. But that wasn't enough.

A machine with only a framework cannot run perfectly and for a long time.

Just as the number of adventurers is never fixed, the number of monsters they clear each day and the treasures they take away vary from moment to moment.

Perhaps they take away 10,000 gold coins today, and 100,000 tomorrow.

Therefore, a set of bearings to lubricate the machine and a system to operate it are needed to help it quickly handle problems and maintain the stability of the dungeon within a certain range.

The 'Red Turban Gang' was born out of this need.

While adventurers are clearing out monsters, they also carry away a large number of treasures, resulting in 'anemia' (a condition where they are physically weak or depleted).

If the extermination is too ruthless, the monsters' 'resurrection' will be slowed down, thus failing to pose an obstacle to adventurers.

So the Red Turban Gang stepped in to plunder, recovering some of the treasures and reorganizing them in the treasury to replenish their 'blood'.

When they realize that there are few monsters in the dungeon, they bring out goblins and monsters from the surface to repair their 'flesh and skin'.

They certainly wouldn't stop every adventurer.

It's like a game; there need to be losers, but even more so, there need to be winners.

They need the winners' success to provoke the losers to go even further.

However, who wins and who loses will be decided by them.

Thus, a system was formed that differed from macro-level resource management, ensuring that the wealth that was taken out and the wealth that Long Jincheng re-injected could maintain a certain degree of 'balance'.

This allows the dungeon to remain vibrant and continue to exist 'eternally'.

This is the truth about the 'deep well'.

"Equilibrium is eternity."

With a chant from the black panther, they finally arrived at the [Archives].

Still scattered, but with their faces hidden by masks, the gang members sat in this 'box' made of sheet metal, writing reports on today's operations.

Tang Qi was already tired of the same old steel walls and white crystal chandeliers.

Fortunately, the huge filing cabinet deep inside the room, filled with densely packed, yellowed scrolls, relieved some of his visual fatigue.

This allowed him to contemplate the consequences of revealing the entire 'underground city secret'—

Such a sophisticated 'machine' requires immeasurable human and material resources. If the truth is revealed to the public, it could potentially lead to the collapse of the entire 'underground city economy' if not handled carefully.

"The main issue is that it's uncertain whether 'discovering the Red Scarf Gang's secret' counts as a story. If it doesn't, releasing it would only cause trouble..."

It will also affect the tavern's business.

This might lead to a surge in sales of "The Dragon City Guide" in the short term, but it could negatively impact its long-term profitability as a "beginner's guide."

With that in mind, Tang Qi temporarily abandoned his plan to copy it into his log.

They waited patiently for Black Panther to review the document.

The report record wasn't a document worth hiding, so someone in charge of archiving helped him search for it, and he quickly found the report record about 'Little Horton'—

"Got it, it's here."

He took the yellowed scroll, unfolded it in front of Tang Qi, and scanned the crooked handwriting on it.
"As a human being, his standard script isn't even as good as mine."

Everyone can speak common language.

However, learning complex languages ​​has become a challenge for most people.

But Tang Qi could still vaguely make out the text content:

"They made their move on August 5th, after observing the adventurer for a month prior—"

【Star】, a third-circle spellcaster from the 【Starlight Mage Academy】, is overconfident in his abilities and often collects alchemical materials in dungeons.

However, as long as an ambush is set up in advance and several encounters are arranged to deplete her spell slots, the ambush will be easy.

Finally, we took the wand and ring, handed over the other magical items to the gang, and gave our guide, 'Hope,' 30 gold coins as a tip. Mission accomplished.

Tang Qi frowned, looking at the most jarring name in the entire text:

"Hope."

He turned around, wanting to ask the cunning 'red weasel' a question.

But they discovered that one person was missing from their team, and they didn't know when it happened.

Because he had been busy recording his observations of the Red Scarf Gang, Tang Qi hadn't paid much attention to her, and now he could only look at Chen Xi:
"What about her?"

Chenxi shook her head: "I didn't notice."

"How could it slip away so quietly without your soul's perception?"

Tang Qi suddenly heard the conversation the two had had before they rested—

When was the last time you did something for them?

"It's been a while... about two weeks ago? It was the Goblin Slayer we encountered today, the one that was carried out on a stretcher by the medical staff."

The date recorded by Payton Jr. was August 5th.

It hasn't even been a week since then.

For a moment, he even laughed out loud, not feeling much surprise.

Although she didn't know what Hope's purpose was in deceiving her.

But he never thought this woman was simple.

Now that we have the clue of [Stars], all we need to do is return to the surface and investigate in the direction of the Mage Academy.

They also unexpectedly discovered the truth about the Red Turban Gang, so there was no need to stay any longer.

"Is there a recent exit from the dungeon?"

He looked at the black panther.

Black Panther also realized Hope's disappearance and was momentarily nervous, but considering the previous [Fair Contract], he nodded and led Tang Qi out of the archives:
"In order to place the treasure in various corners of the underground city, the bunker has several fast passages connecting the different levels. If you want to leave the underground city as soon as possible, you should go to the northwest. There is a passage at the end that can directly help you go to the first level."

"What about other pathways?"

"The second floor is in the southwest, and the third, fourth and fifth floors should all be in the east."

Tang Qi didn't encounter anyone else along the way.

Black Panther seemed to have led Tang Qi to a central hall.

The hall still has steel walls, but it acts as a hub, connecting various wide corridors.

"Go this way on the first floor—"

"and many more."

Just as he was about to lead the way, Tang Qi suddenly grabbed his shoulder.

"Besides that, is there anything else worth noting?"

"No, no." Black Panther shook his head.

"Be honest. You really don't have any?"

"No, really not. Why do you ask that—"

After a moment of hesitation, Black Panther saw the curved blade that had pierced his abdomen.

Blood flowed from the dark blade, dripping onto the stone floor beneath his feet, before he could even feel the stinging pain of the blade being withdrawn from his abdomen.

"How...how could you?"

He didn't understand why, despite the constraints of the "fair contract," Tang Qi was still able to kill him.

I don't understand where Tang Qi found the flaw—

"I gave you a chance."

Wasn't it supposed to be monitored through the [Arcane Eye]?

However, the Arcane Eye's observation range is only 10 meters, which means that to know the movements of a specific adventurer, this invisible eye needs to follow the adventurer in real time.

In other words, my position has always been controlled by the Red Turban Gang.

But you did nothing.

Tang Qi believed that there was no reason for them to monitor him in the third layer of the swamp, and then withdraw their secret eye after leaving the suspension bridge.

"I guess they are wary of my and Chenxi's strength, so they plan to set up an ambush on the only way, or maybe it's some other means."
The guard patted me on the shoulder, probably to confirm whether I was 'Nolan' or not?
But it doesn't matter anymore, I've already confirmed the direction.

As Tang Qi spoke, he turned to flee eastward—

Due to his fear of the Fair Contract, Black Panther cannot reveal any information about himself, but that doesn't mean he can't help the gang and lead himself into the pre-arranged ambush.

Therefore, it would be safer to escape further away from the 'first-floor passage'.

The faint sounds of commotion were getting closer and closer.

Tang Qi knew that pursuers might be arriving, and it was no longer safe to stay there, so he quickly shouted:
"Dawn, unleash the [Swift Aura]!"

We're getting ready to run away!

(End of this chapter)