That's right, that's what adventure is like!

"continue."

Not to mention that this commission is not yet complete, Roland also wants to try to improve the story's evaluation through some means, so he naturally chooses to continue.

It's worth mentioning that although the overall rating is still "third-rate," the reader comments are quite interesting.

"That fruit looks quite plump. If I could take a bite, it would definitely taste better than the jerky we had before!"

It is undoubtedly from Torgod. Although it has no special value, it can be considered a small diversion in the tense exploration and adventure.

But while adjustments are necessary, it's time to move on to the next step.

Roland marked the general layout of the two rooms and the pattern on a piece of paper, then gestured for Torg to open the only place they hadn't yet looked at: the thick manhole cover that had been covered up.

"It's me again!? Damn it, I hope it's not elf poop down there..."

Despite his verbal complaints, Torger took a deep breath, tucked his battle axe into his waistband, gripped the rusted iron rings on the manhole cover with both hands, and bulged his muscles.

Creak—Boom!

The heavy stone manhole cover was completely lifted, and with a dull thud as it hit the ground came a bloody smell far stronger than that of a slaughterhouse, mixed with the pungent smoke of burning cheap grease.

The two held their breath and peered down.

Below the manhole cover is not a vertical shaft, but a huge space sloping downwards, with smooth, flat rock walls, as if it had been magically hollowed out.

A dim, pale red light spread up from the bottom, illuminating the chilling scene.

The first thing that catches the eye is a dark red magic circle on the ground that occupies most of the space and is so complex it makes one dizzy. The array pattern is composed of countless interwoven glowing lines and flashing runes, which are slowly rotating and writhing.

At the intersections of the magic array patterns, piles of debris, including severed limbs of monsters, broken armor of adventurers, and flesh that had not yet decayed, lay scattered.

These remnants are gradually melting and decomposing at a visible rate, turning into a viscous, dark red energy stream that is being greedily absorbed by the magic array.

As they were absorbed, the figures of various monsters appeared in the center of the magic circle, from the lowest level slimes and shrieking bats to larger cave-dwelling lizards and earth dragons... Roland even saw the giant cockroach he had encountered before.

The monsters that had just been summoned did not immediately go berserk. Instead, under the influence of several huge amethyst crystals above the magic circle, they stiffly walked towards several glowing passages at the edge of the rock wall and disappeared into the intricate dungeon.

"This is..." Roland frowned, thinking of the failed nursery, "It seems that after failing to cultivate monsters many times, the dungeon lord has still chosen to use magic to summon monsters in order to maintain the operation of the dungeon."

Torgh let out a deep growl, and the veins on his hand gripping the battle axe bulged—an instinctive reaction as a half-orc facing a large number of enemies.

The rotating magic circle, in particular, gave him an extremely dangerous feeling, as if it would devour him at any moment.

Roland also had a similar feeling, but not as obviously as Torg, because he noticed a detail.

That's the place; it doesn't seem aggressive.

Dozens of animated armored figures were marching in unison, using shovels and carts to dump the collected remains of monsters and adventurers into various corners of the magic circle. Their movements were precise and efficient, and they were not wearing any weapons.

This means that, unlike the one Roland encountered before, these animated armors are not tasked with guarding, but rather with cleaning and moving.

In addition, there were some puppets made of twisted metal that were holding carving knives and repairing the dim lines on the edge of the magic circle, responsible for maintaining the operation of the magic circle.

In the distance, several bundles of walking scarecrows were using their withered arms to carry glowing crystals to specific energy nodes for replacement.

The entire space was filled with a cold, efficient, and inhuman sense of order. These magical creations each had their own function, and they all had only one purpose: to maintain the normal operation of this place.

—This isn't some kind of dungeon, it's clearly a monster factory!

This was the thought that crossed Roland's mind. It seemed that even though the level of productivity here was still medieval, the existence of supernatural abilities had led to the emergence of assembly lines.

"What do we do next?"

Torg snapped out of his daze at the shocking scene and turned to look at Roland, snapping him out of his reverie.

"Search it out," Roland said in a low voice, his gaze sweeping across the wide space. "Don't touch anything dangerous, and don't go near the center of the magic circle. See if you can find anything of value."

Having arrived here, most of the core secrets of the dungeon have been revealed, but he still wanted to try to expand on what he had gained from this trip and make the story more substantial.

Torger nodded, not forgetting that he had another task: to help his employer, Daphne, find the items she needed.

However, so far, that thing has not shown any trace. Instead, we have seen a bunch of strange scenes that we never thought possible.

pat-

Roland slid down the slope and landed on the ground. The sticky feeling of the soil under his feet, which had been soaked in blood for a long time, made him frown a little. Then he and Torger separated and each searched in two different directions.

As he expected, the magically activated armors carried out their single command on their own, showing no reaction even when someone walked past them, giving the two ample time to search.

Torger walked toward a row of storage shelves along the edge of the rock face, which displayed many tools.

Roland, on the other hand, set his sights on a corner piled high with the corpses of adventurers. In his experience, there was bound to be some "surprise" there.

Indeed, with the help of his experience looting corpses in the cemetery, he quickly found 14 gold coins, several gems of different colors, and a short sword that was still in relatively good condition.

On the other side, Torger was clumsily rummaging through the shelves of tools, showing no interest in the carving knives, measuring rulers, and the like, muttering, "What the hell does that stupid woman want? I'll know once I see it..."

My gaze swept over the rows of shelves and finally settled on an inconspicuous wooden box that stood out among a pile of tools.

Perhaps this is what Daphne is looking for?

After a moment's hesitation, Torger gripped his battle axe, cautiously leaned closer, and lifted the lid covered by the faded velvet cloth, revealing what was inside.

A natal chart.

It is very well preserved, with fine star patterns engraved on the edges and a multi-layered concentric ring that can rotate in the center. The ring is engraved with dense markings. Although the style is simple and ancient, it exudes a quiet and alluring charm.

Torger's gaze was glued to the star chart the moment it touched his eye, Daphne's words echoing in his mind again and again: "When you see it, you'll know... When you see it, you'll know..."

Gradually, the sentence began to distort almost imperceptibly, transforming into another soft voice: "Pick it up... bring it here... pick it up... bring it here..."

His gaze began to wander, and his large fingers reached uncontrollably towards the astrolabe.

"Torg? Oh no, stop!!!"

Roland, who had been keeping an eye on the orc out of the corner of his eye, sensed something was wrong when he saw the orc's infatuated gaze and immediately spoke up to stop it.

Unfortunately, we were still a step too late.