The Eternal Mineshaft, Third Layer.
In one of the few plazas within Clay City that hadn’t been converted into an ore warehouse.
Lega Weilin, the Time Devourer, the Mushroom Empress, the Illusion Mimic, the Clay God, the Earth-Core Giant Crow Leader, the Crystal-Eating Mole King, and a number of evolved Moles and Crows were all gathered here…
It wasn’t just these little Moles and Crows who felt immensely flattered…
Even their bosses, the Mole King and the Giant Crow Leader, standing beside the absolute top figures of the Eternal Mineshaft, were equally trembling with fear, not daring to breathe too loudly.
A few minutes had passed since the first scout squads departed, and no one knew what was happening on the other side.
“Little Shi, is Kaka still holed up at home?”
Kaka, the Crow God, the symbol of invincible power, one of the Guardians, was an existence even the Time Devourer admitted was superior to herself and deeply respected… Unfortunately, she was a super shut-in.
The Crow God wasn’t a world-class Demonic Beast that the Weilin Guild had defeated and tamed, but much earlier than that—when Weilin first obtained the Eternal Divine Crystal and first entered the Eternal Mineshaft…
In the deepest part of the Earth-Core Hollow Zone, she discovered this Ancient God…
Therefore, the Crow God was the true appointed Guardian of the Eternal Mineshaft. As for the others, the Clay God and Menghuan, they were all considered latecomers.
“The Crow God, huh… She’s the same as always. Since the Awakened One handles her daily meals, there’s no need to worry,” Shi Luo said helplessly.
As for how much of a shut-in the Crow God was… so far, Weilin had only seen her twice, while the other Guardians and guild members had seen her once at most.
“…I must have owed you all in a past life.”
Weilin rubbed her forehead and sighed.
Look at the Guardians from Old Bone’s place: a love-struck head maid who flirts with her master at every turn, a reliable butler uncle, the shrewd and meticulous Creator of the Blazing Hells… Most importantly, they were always on standby, single-mindedly dedicated to serving their Supreme Overlord…
Wow. What about hers?
A Creator who was a complete flake, a mushroom with a dark and chaotic heart obsessed with planting spores on people, a treasure chest lady she could never even lay eyes on, the Spear and Shield guarding a broken door until the end of time, and a Crow God who was literally never on duty…
In this deep, cold, and indifferent Eternal Mineshaft, only Snail could give Weilin some warmth.
“The Crow God is so negligent! Master rarely comes back, yet she won’t even come out to greet you. Why are you even asking about her…” The Mushroom Empress scoffed softly, her delicate body leaning towards Weilin, her voice milky and seductive. “How can she compare to me, who cares about Master so much~”
There went the Mushroom again.
Weilin glared at her. “If you don’t retract the spores, I’m going to get angry.”
“…My dear Master, how… how can you wrong me like this…” Mushroom covered her mouth with her small hands, looking pitiful, tears glistening in her eyes.
“Wrong you my foot!! The fungi have literally sprouted onto my body, ahhh!!!”
“Eh, Master, there’s movement in the wormhole…!”
“Don’t try to change the sub—ah, what!” Weilin’s expression shifted slightly, and she abruptly turned to look at the sky.
Dozens, then hundreds of white lights flared up consecutively in the Aether Wormhole. In an instant, over a hundred figures, accompanied by sky-filling screams, plummeted from above like dumplings dropping into a pot.
They were Trolls and Hobgoblins…
One would have thought they’d fall and be half-killed.
But at the very last moment, a Troll Shaman summoned a massive ‘Weightlessness Spell’ magic circle directly beneath them.
Newton had left the livestream. As gravity lost its grip, the downward speed of the Trolls and Hobgoblins stalled, then slowed more and more…
Just before reaching the ground, the magic circle abruptly dimmed and vanished. The Trolls and Goblins tumbled down from a low altitude, managing a barely safe landing. The Trolls cast respectful, grateful glances towards the Shaman, while the Hobgoblins were even more thankful, practically kneeling.
That Troll Shaman, possessing considerable authority and wisdom, immediately looked towards the direction where Weilin stood.
The Shaman had glimpsed the memories of that Void Crow before it died, so he recognized Weilin as the master of the mineshaft at first glance.
At the same time—
“ROOOAR!!”
A dragon’s roar echoed through the vast expanse, causing the entire mineshaft to tremble faintly, instantly pulling everyone’s gaze back to the sky.
It was a black Demon Dragon forcing its way through the Aether Wormhole. With its arrival, the Aether Wormhole, unable to bear the strain, rapidly collapsed and vanished in a flicker of starlight.
Like all high-ranking dragonkin, this commanding Demon Dragon possessed an enormous size, scales tough as steel, and explosive physical power.
It was even surrounded by an ominous aura of death. Matching that aura, as it looked down upon the countless busy Mole Miners below and saw the vast ores piled throughout the entire Clay City, a look of brutality, madness, and extreme greed appeared in its eyes…
Thou art an evil dragon! (in Teacher Qiao’s voice)
As if to complement its entrance, the Troll Shaman below loudly proclaimed in a magically amplified voice:
“Welcome the Bringer of the End for All Things—Lord Death Demon Dragon Ralgas!”
Immediately following the Troll Shaman’s voice, the group of Trolls and Hobgoblins, pushing air from their lungs with all their might, chanted in unison, their momentum startling:
“Welcome the Bringer of the End for All Things—Lord Death Demon Dragon Ralgas!”
“Welcome the Bringer of the End for All Things—Lord Death Demon Dragon Ralgas!!”
“Welcome the Bringer of the End for All Things—Lord Death Demon Dragon Ralgas!!!”
The sound waves surged like a tidal wave. Ralgas felt incredibly majestic and let out another low roar at the insignificant insects below, attempting to exert dual pressure—a biological level and a fear-inducing intimidation.
“…………”
It was brief… yet felt incredibly long. Weilin, the Guardians, and the Moles and Crows watched their performance in a state of utter stupor.
Were dragonkin supreme?
—Sorry, for them, living in the Eternal Mineshaft with their “frog in a well” perspective, such a concept had never existed.
A dragon, huh… wasn’t that just a daily snack for that big shot? Since when did they become supreme?
“Lady Time Devourer…” Mushroom shifted her gaze slightly and asked curiously in a low voice, “Is your clock broken?”
“Why do you ask?” Shi Luo arched an eyebrow.
“They said… that one is the ‘Bringer of the Clock (Zhong)’ for All Things? Why would a clock salesman come to our Eternal Mineshaft?” Mushroom was genuinely baffled. [T/N: Pun on ‘Zhong’ meaning both End and Clock]
“…”
This mushroom, whose personality was as volatile and toxic as a chemical agent, was only cute when she was being adorably dumb.
“I, in the name of Ralgas, have come specifically to take over this mineshaft!”
The dragon spread its wings angrily, casting large swaths of shadow. Its undeniable, authoritative dragon language, accompanied by a fierce wind, pressed down upon Weilin and the others’ heads.
The Demon Dragon hovered fifty meters in the air, beating its wings. It ignored everyone else and stared directly at the cute, innocent Clay God: “Ancient God left behind in this mineshaft… As you are the strongest here, surely you have the most say. Will you choose to submit, or do you wish to challenge me?”
“—No need to refuse hastily.”
The Demon Dragon lowered its posture slightly and made a solemn promise: “If you submit to me, in due time, when I establish a new kingdom, I will surely spread your miracles far and wide, erect your divine statue, and have you receive the faith and worship of mortals, just as glorious and limitless as the Federation Star God! Isn’t that infinitely better than staying in this tiny mineshaft?!”
