“Let me test it, and we shall know,” Arbiter said, maintaining her usual theatrical flair as she pulled back her eyepatch and directed her blue eyes toward the shallow pit.
With just a single glance, Arbiter cried out in her heart. Caught completely off guard, an agonizing pain shot through her eye.
She instinctively covered her eye and let out a muffled groan. A stream of bright red blood-tears seeped through her fingers and trickled down.
“Arbiter?” Bai Ci rushed forward to support her by the arm, reaching out to wipe away the blood-tears on her face, her voice filled with worry. “Are you all right?”
Zhou Caiwei also hurried over. “Big Boss Arbiter, are you okay? Is this crappy mud pit actually some kind of big deal?”
Arbiter leaned against Bai Ci for quite a while before finally recovering. She pulled her eyepatch back down, covering her injured eye once more.
She sniffled. “I am fine. The entity resting beneath this abyss is by no means ordinary. The thick, surging, corrupt energy is far beyond any common evil of this world.”
“I have discerned that the stagnant energy lurking here seems to share its source with the place entwined by the wisteria.”
“Even if it hasn't unleashed any hostile attacks, such is the nature of forbidden things—merely gazing upon its form or sensing its presence is enough to cause corrosion and severe harm.”
Bai Ci instantly understood what Arbiter meant.
They already knew that Wisteria was a thrall of the Mountain God, and the aura in this mud pit shared the same source.
“So, this depression also has some sort of connection to the Mountain God Vigi mentioned?” Bai Ci asked to confirm.
“I know not,” Arbiter said, slowly straightening up and shaking her head.
Zhou Caiwei stroked her chin. “In that case, this mud pit really isn't just an ordinary hole. But we can't make heads or tails of it right now. We can't exactly dig it up, can we?”
“With so little information, it's best not to act rashly,” Bai Ci advised.
“My dearest friend speaks the truth. In this endeavor, we must tread carefully at every step and remain vigilant.” Having just been strictly warned by Yan Zheng not long ago, Arbiter agreed.
“Our immediate priority is to find the belongings left behind by Vigi's father. Perhaps the truth of this place lies within, enough to shatter the anomalies and unveil the long-buried mystery.”
Bai Ci nodded in agreement. With their current clues cut off, the manuscript of Vigi's father was undoubtedly their only breakthrough at the moment.
“We've seen enough here. Let's head back first,” Bai Ci said, supporting Arbiter by the arm as they made their way back toward the wooden cabin.
Zhou Caiwei followed close behind, muttering as she walked, “I hope that manuscript is actually at the surveying station. I'd hate for this to be another wild goose chase. This mountain is so cold and wet, it's absolute torture.”
The three of them quickly returned to the wooden cabin.
“You're back.” Hearing them enter, Yan Zheng turned around. His gaze landed on Arbiter's face, and when he noticed the traces of blood on her eyepatch, his brow furrowed slightly. “Did you use your ability again?”
“It matters not. A minor flesh wound is not enough to shackle my actions.” Arbiter waved her hand dismissively, walked straight to the table, and sat down. She then explained their recent findings to Yan Zheng.
Upon hearing this, Yan Zheng's expression turned grave. “Let's eat first. Once we're done, we'll head to the surveying station.”
Violita took a few bites of the wheat porridge and put down his bowl and spoon. His body was still very weak, and he really couldn't eat much.
After putting it down, he looked up and met Bai Ci's gaze.
He spoke first, cutting off the concern she was about to express. “The surveying station might be dangerous. Be careful out there.”
In reality, Bai Ci had only happened to look over at him. “Don't worry, Mr. Violita, I'll be careful. Make sure you get some good rest.”
Everyone finished breakfast quickly. Yan Zheng packed the prepared rations and water into a cloth bag, then looked at Zhou Caiwei. “Lead the way. We're setting off.”
Zhou Caiwei patted her chest. “Leave it to me, Big Boss Yan Zheng. I remember the way perfectly. I definitely won't get us lost.”
Once everyone was ready, they stepped out of the cabin.
The light rain in the mountain forest continued to drizzle. The mountain path was muddy and slippery, overgrown with weeds, making it quite difficult to walk.
Zhou Caiwei walked at the front, identifying the direction using her memories from last night, occasionally turning back to make sure everyone was keeping up.
“Look, bosses, it's that slope ahead.” After walking for about half an hour, Zhou Caiwei suddenly stopped and pointed to a gentle slope not far away.
“The abandoned surveying station is right up there. When we passed by the foot of the slope yesterday, I clearly saw the wooden sign.”
Everyone looked in the direction she pointed. Sure enough, they could make out the faint outline of a dilapidated building on the slope, half-hidden by the surrounding trees and weeds. It looked like it had been abandoned for a long time.
The group quickened their pace and headed up the slope.
After walking for another ten minutes, they finally arrived at the entrance of the surveying station.
This surveying station was larger than the wooden cabin they had stayed in before. The walls were peeling and mottled, with some sections even showing signs of cracking.
There were also holes of various sizes in the roof. Some paper-like items were soaked in rainwater, looking wrinkled and torn, as if they had been repeatedly drenched countless times.
Seeing this, they could only pray for good luck, hoping that the important information hadn't been ruined by the rain.
Yan Zheng was the first to step inside. He turned on his flashlight, the beam illuminating the interior of the station.
The surveying station wasn't small, but it consisted of only a single room.
The furnishings inside were extremely simple. A few worn-out wooden tables and chairs were scattered haphazardly. The tables were covered in thick dust and torn papers, while some discarded instruments and junk were piled in the corners.
A lot of trash was also scattered across the floor, with wild grass growing randomly. Beneath some of the weeds, faint traces of white shredded paper could be seen, making the entire place look like an absolute mess.
“Let's split up and search,” Yan Zheng said, dismantling his large flashlight into several smaller ones. Although the brightness dimmed significantly, it made it much easier for them to search separately.
“On it!” Zhou Caiwei replied.
She somehow produced an apron, oversleeves, and gloves, putting them on one by one. True to her background as a professional cleaning girl, she carried her work gear with her at all times.
Having armed herself, she utilized her class skill's specialty, focusing specifically on retrieving the water-soaked, decaying document fragments buried under the weeds.
Those stains and wrinkles were completely countered by Zhou Caiwei's class skill, which meant they didn't hinder her ability to gather information in the slightest.
She was actually quite accustomed to this kind of messy environment, and her search was exceptionally efficient.
Arbiter walked over to a corner to inspect the discarded instruments and junk, though she didn't understand the purpose of those devices.
Although they were supposed to be searching separately, Yan Zheng was clearly not entirely at ease with Vigi. He followed him toward the dustiest table, picked up a worn-out folder, blew off the dust, and began flipping through it.
Seeing everyone else in action, Bai Ci also found a corner, crouched down, and began organizing the papers scattered on the floor.
Most of these papers had already yellowed and deteriorated, the writing on them blurred and illegible. Some were even reduced to mere fragments. Finding useful information among them would be no easy task.
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