“Come with me.”
In the end, Balin sighed deeply, turning to lead the way with Grom.
Lin Gui and Theia exchanged a glance and followed.
They followed Balin, winding through the labyrinthine tunnels.
Finally, they arrived at the Lord's manor, nestled deep within the heart of the mountain.
Balin's office was far from luxurious.
The walls were made of rugged, unpolished rock, covered in maps and design blueprints.
A heavy metal desk dominated the center of the room, piled high with documents.
A few sturdy stone chairs were arranged around it.
“Take a seat.”
Balin pointed to the chairs before sinking heavily into his own.
He clasped his hands on the desk, his expression solemn.
“Lin Gui, my boy, you're dead set on going to the Wall of Sighs.”
“But... do you really understand how terrifying that place is?”
Lin Gui settled into a stone chair, taking a moment to recall what he knew.
He remembered the information provided by the scholar, Eli.
“I know a bit.”
“The Wall of Sighs was once the greatest Forbidden Zone on the Akara Continent.”
Why "once"?
That was because of the aftermath of the Dark Tide two years ago.
A new Forbidden Zone, far more terrifying than the Wall of Sighs, had been born.
The never-extinguishing "Hell Mountains"—the Heras Mountains.
Lin Gui continued, his voice steady.
“As for the Wall of Sighs itself...”
He paused, his voice dropping slightly.
“It completely cuts off the north-south passage on the western side of the continent.”
“To this day, no one has ever successfully crossed it.”
“Not even the most experienced pioneering teams of the Golden Route.”
“Nor even Epic Rank powerhouses.”
He looked up, meeting Balin's gaze.
“Any weaklings who attempt to cross lose their minds shortly after stepping inside.”
“They ultimately end their own lives in a state of madness.”
“As for the powerful explorers...”
Lin Gui shook his head.
“They, too, eventually lose their way completely.”
“They end up trapped, dying amidst the thick fog and eerie echoes.”
Silence fell over the office.
Only the crackling of the fireplace broke the quiet.
“I heard that the only way to stay inside for a short time...”
Lin Gui added slowly.
“Is to use a ‘dying person’ as a guide.”
“They utilize the fading life force of these individuals.”
“Only then can they maintain a temporarily safe path within the wall.”
Having finished, he looked at Balin.
A flash of surprise crossed Balin's eyes.
He had thought Lin Gui was just acting on reckless passion, completely ignorant of that hopeless place.
He hadn't expected the young man to understand it so deeply,
Even knowing secrets like using a dying person as a guide.
Noticing Balin's surprise, Lin Gui added:
“The scholar from the North Wind caravan told me all of this.”
Hearing this, Balin couldn't help but marvel.
“It seems that little girl Freya recruited quite an extraordinary fellow.”
His thick fingers tapped on the desk.
“This piece of information is kept under tight wraps by the bounty hunting groups on the front lines.”
“For that scholar to know this, he's certainly no ordinary person.”
In long-distance transport teams, scholars held immense importance.
They were not only responsible for planning the safest and most efficient routes,
But also for identifying potential risks along the way—weather, terrain, and demon habits.
They used their vast knowledge to assist in team decisions,
And served as the team's “eyes” and “early warning system” in the face of unknown dangers.
During his brief time with Eli, Lin Gui had experienced this firsthand.
He recalled how the scholar would push up his glasses and speak eloquently,
His profound knowledge of the history of various Forbidden Zones, demon ecology, and ancient ruins flowing effortlessly.
It had made Lin Gui feel a strong urge more than once.
He wanted to recruit such a talent into his own team.
Even as a temporary companion, he would be an immense help.
Both for his own growth and the progress of the team.
Beside him, Theia keenly caught the fleeting look of hope in Lin Gui's eyes.
How could she not understand?
This guy was thinking about that “obnoxious” scholar again!
She quietly looked down at her own shapely figure,
Then glanced at Lin Gui's thoughtful profile.
Ultimately, she could only let out a soft sigh.
The gaze she directed at Lin Gui held a trace of quiet resentment.
She supposed she should be glad that the scholar was a man, and that he already had a girlfriend.
“Indeed,”
Balin nodded, a grave expression appearing on his rugged face.
“The invisible, intangible ‘things’ inside the Wall of Sighs absolutely loathe approaching a dying person,”
“Especially an elderly person whose flame of life is about to go out.”
His tone shifted, growing heavier.
“But the ‘rules’ inside are extremely harsh when it comes to being ‘near death’.”
“Every guide capable of carving out a safe passage for a team...”
Balin held up three fingers, his eyes sharp.
“Almost always has to have their remaining lifespan measured down to ‘dying of natural old age within three days’.”
“But who could ever predict something like that with absolute certainty?”
He shook his head, a deep sense of helplessness in his voice.
“Even if you get lucky and find an elder who fits the bill,”
“Three days to cross the Wall of Sighs, which is at least several hundred kilometers wide in a straight line?”
Balin looked at Lin Gui, his voice filled with emphasis.
“It's simply impossible.”
His gaze swept over Lin Gui, then flicked to the faint silhouette of the flying vessel visible outside the window.
“Don't even think about using that flying vessel of yours to just blindly charge through.”
“What exactly lies inside the Wall of Sighs...”
“No one truly knows to this day.”
The reason he went out of his way to point this out
Was because he knew the potential of that flying vessel all too well.
If that human girl kept supplying Lin Gui with energy...
They could rely on the full power of the wind pressure cannon to push through those several hundred kilometers of death zone.
Perhaps they really wouldn't need three days.
A single day, or even less, and they might actually force their way through.
When it came to this vehicle, whose speed he had personally “maxed out,”
Balin understood its terrifying, explosive speed better than anyone.
He was also terrified that Lin Gui would try to brute-force it with an old person in tow.
“Do you know?”
Balin leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice.
“To pioneer that Golden Route across the Wall of Sighs,”
“Do you know what kind of price our dwarven kingdom... promised?”
Theia blinked, tentatively guessing,
“One hundred million gold coins?”
Balin looked at her speechlessly, his beard twitching.
“Little girl, one hundred million gold coins?”
“Let alone a legendary Forbidden Zone like the Wall of Sighs,”
“That might not even be enough for a standard Golden Route between ordinary city-states.”
Theia tilted her head.
“Then... what exactly did you promise?”
Balin slowly held up one thick finger.
Theia frowned.
“Ten billion gold coins?”
“Greedy little girl,”
Balin spoke in a heavy voice, each word landing like a hammer strike.
“It's a Divine Artifact.”
“To cross that damned Wall of Sighs,”
“To pioneer a path of life for the dwarven kingdom,”
“Our noble Mountain King promised.”
“To bestow the ultimate treasure of the dwarven race, our sole Divine Artifact...”
He took a deep breath.
“‘The Heart of the Towering Mountain,’ to the pioneer who succeeds.”
Theia's eyes lit up, and she blurted out,
“I know that one!”
“It's the most useless one among the ‘Ten Divine Artifacts’!”
The air froze instantly.
Balin and Grom's expressions stiffened at the same time.
The next second,
“Nonsense!!!”
Both dwarves slammed their hands on the desk and stood up, their eyes glaring with rage.
Spit nearly flew right into Theia's face.
“That is the purest gem, containing the most profound mysteries!”
Balin roared so hard his beard shook.
“Through it, one can even peer into the domain of the gods!”
Grom's face flushed red as he chimed in,
“It is the stepping stone to the Demigod realm!”
Theia quickly wiped her face with a look of disgust.
Blinking, she threw out a killer question:
“If it can help one break through to the Demigod realm...”
“Then why didn't you dwarves keep it for yourselves?”
In an instant,
Balin and Grom looked as if they had been choked.
All their roaring died in their throats.
The two exchanged a glance and stiffly sat back down in their chairs.
Balin picked up his teacup and took a sip, trying to look elegant.
Grom looked down and adjusted his collar, which wasn't even messy to begin with.
“Ahem... In any case, to obtain the Mountain King's reward,”
“A great number of powerful experts have thrown themselves wave after wave into that lifeless place, all trying to forge a Golden Route.”
The two clumsily changed the subject.
Beside them, Lin Gui, who had been watching in silence,
Finally couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle.
Why didn't they keep it for yourselves?
Because throughout the thousands of years of dwarven history,
No one had ever managed to break through to the Demigod realm using the Heart of the Towering Mountain.
And it wasn't just the dwarves.
On this Akara Continent, with the sole exception of the demons,
The absolute ceiling of strength for all living beings was firmly locked in place.
That limit was High-tier Epic.
That invisible barrier had yet to be truly shattered by anyone to this day.
Rate on N.U.
