Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 2043 2015. Underground Starry Sky
"What the hell is this place?"

Margarita had been in a good mood since meeting Lann.

But having suddenly arrived at this place from the golden, dusty, and sandy Yatan Plateau, which was at most prone to earthquakes due to the power of Rataen, she still couldn't help but swear.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the female sorcerers are all beautiful and charming when they first enter the palace and various banquets and social occasions; in fact, few of them are not fiery-tempered.

Forget about swearing; tearing hairpins and slapping people on the spot are all part of their dramatic daily routine.

Of course, Lan En's understanding of them in this regard was limited to simply knowing that such a thing existed.

These women, or rather all the women, all possessed a remarkable air of dignity in his presence... if one were to exclude the gazes fixed on his body.

Lan En gently patted Margarita's shoulder in his arms, soothing her intense reaction caused by the environment.

He quickly scanned everything in front of him, gathering environmental information and making judgments.

Just as they could feel in their nasal passages, what lay before them was a lake of blood. The overwhelming expanse of crimson was all they could see.

The lake of blood, just like any normal lake, was covered with a layer of mist, except that it was a blood mist.

Scattered islands emerged from the surface of the blood-red lake, and some plants appeared to be growing on them.

This blood lake wasn't deep; at least where the Qilin stood, the blood only reached its ankles. And in the distant mist, shadowy creatures could be seen moving about within it.

Even though the depth wasn't great, there was still so much blood here that it made one wonder how many people and creatures' blood must have been released to accumulate to this extent.

However, those who have just been transported from the pool of blood will know that this blood can also appear out of thin air.

Looking around, Lan En judged that the creatures in the blood mist were quite far away from their location, so he felt a little relieved.

The blood mist spread about three or four meters above the liquid surface, obscuring the view. Even if someone trapped inside looked up at the sky, their eyes would probably be covered by a blood-red filter.

"Don't be impulsive, Marlenia!"

After walking only a few steps, Lan En simply called out to the Valkyrie, who was also standing in the blood pool.

The prosthetic limb made of pure gold stood directly in the lake of blood, and the hem of Marlene's simple long dress was stained with blood.

Fortunately, Valkyrie is often on the battlefield and has a much higher tolerance for harsh environments than Margarita.

As Lann called out to the Valkyrie who was about to unleash her prosthetic blade, his Eagle Vision also spread out, scanning the area around him like radar waves.

To ensure that no unexpected surprises will suddenly appear from your side in this unfamiliar environment you've just arrived in.

Lan En found a protruding rock on the surface of the blood lake and pulled Marlene up with him.

The height of the rocks freed them from the pervasive blood mist, and the smell in the air also improved significantly.

Margarita seemed to be relieved and let out a long breath.

Lan En put her down on the Qilin, and then got down himself.

Margarita had also experienced the battlefield of Sodeng Mountain, but even in a battlefield with hundreds of thousands of people, the smell was not as terrifying as this lake of blood.

The sorceress clutched her chest, breathing heavily, while simultaneously drawing upon the stored chaotic magic from her magical jewelry to replenish her body.

Margarita hadn't expected that she would consume so much chaotic magic so soon after arriving here.

This is her first time in another world, and she doesn't have much experience with the troubles that can be caused by the different environments between worlds.

At this moment, Lan En directly asked Malenia, who was already harboring murderous intent, "Do you know where this is? The underground ruins from the Eternal City era that Torina mentioned?"

Under Lann's intense gaze, the Valkyrie, who had at least folded her prosthetic sword back behind her elbow, nodded at the head of her head.

“Look at our ‘sky,’ this must be the underground.”

Following Marlenia's gaze, Lan En no longer had any doubts.

"Wow!" Margarita, having caught her breath, finally had the energy to observe her surroundings. She exclaimed in amazement, "This is underground? It's really beautiful!"

Looking up at the 'sky', what people see is a false starry sky.

Perhaps due to the stone structure that forms the continental shelf at the boundary, this huge underground cavity, at least a thousand meters high, is located within.

The rock ceiling above was covered with glittering highlights.

These bright spots make the area, despite being underground, surprisingly bright, comparable to a night with good visibility, and not at all dim.

Perhaps due to the nature of the rock, the 'ceiling' beneath the boundary appears hazy, like mist or stardust, when viewed from a distance.

A myriad of bright spots create a dreamlike purple starry sky.

However, Margarita's praise was short-lived. The sorceress then looked at the surrounding blood lake and mist and muttered, "But the surface part of this underground cavity... it's utter garbage."

Lan En still doesn't know what those shadowy creatures moving about in the blood mist in the distance are.

But without a doubt, the waste they produce from eating, drinking, and defecating should all be incorporated into this pool of blood during their lives.

Blood imbued with the power of the true mother has a pleasant fragrance that is somewhat alluring, at least not causing a strong sense of rejection upon contact.

“I haven’t been underground many times, but I know that this is not the norm for the underground environment.”

Marlenia's golden prosthetic foot moved across the rock, making a metallic clanging sound.

"The underground Sivra River basin is a beautiful sight, at least that's what the travelers' books say."

"Torina said that this place is near the Sifra River basin. So the blood here now must be a result of some kind of influence."

"Mikaela...is right here!"

In the end, the Valkyrie's words were filled with such cold-blooded killing intent that they seemed to emanate from her voice, sending chills down one's spine.

However, after hearing Marlenia's confirmation, Lan En raised his hand to signal her to calm down.

“We’re here to help you get Michaela,” the Witcher said, staring unwaveringly at the observation grille on Malenia’s winged helmet. “This should really be considered a hostage rescue operation, not a military operation of attack and occupation. Do you understand the difference in nature between the two, Malenia?”

Lann first reiterated his position as a helper to Marlene.

This stance is hard to criticize or resist, especially when facing someone like Marlene, who, though aloof, is actually sharp and principled.

After making sure that his stance was enough to calm Marlenia down, the Witcher went on to explain further.

“Your brother was kidnapped. You probably don’t want to run rampant here, leaving a trail of corpses, only to have Michaela threatened in the end, right?”

The sentence structure is a bit off, but Lan En's meaning is very clear.

This isn't a war; the main objective isn't to kill, but to save lives.

Saving someone is certainly not as satisfying as killing them.

Marlenia thought about it and realized it made sense, so she pressed her helmet and asked in a low voice, "So what should I do, Lann?"

She was the youngest of the demigods; according to the distorted concept of time among the people of the Golden Tree during the Golden Law era, she was practically a little kid.

Dealing with simple battles and wars is manageable, since although she is young, she is not weak.

But when it comes to delicate tasks like 'rescuing hostages'...

“This is someone else’s territory, filled with the power of blood,” Lan En said in a deep voice. “No matter what, we should find Michaela’s exact location first before we can think about what to do next.”

“This requires the ability to operate covertly,” Marlenia said, frowning.

Although she hadn't met him many times, she knew that Lan En was very resourceful.

But she still didn't know if this faded person could handle a task that should have been done by an assassin.

“I really should have called Cassandra to come along too.” Lann scratched his head. “Or we could have just taken that black-knife assassin from Rodel’s prison.”

Although the Black Knife Assassin carried out Lani's plan and was the direct culprit of the Black Knife Plot Night, from the moment Lann heard that 'Lani killed her own physical body,' the Witcher felt that this group had probably been deceived by the 'Moon Princess.'

Lan En spoke with the Black Knife Assassin, especially with the younger Dish, whose lower leg he had severed.

This black-knife assassin kept spouting things like "changing the era" and "Marika and the Golden Law can't occupy the Elden Ring forever."

Clearly, their words revealed their stance, and Lan En guessed that they were truly loyal to the two-finger who had chosen Lani.

It was because of this two-finger command that they cooperated with Lani and risked doing such a big thing.

However, for the gods to seize the Elden Ring and establish their own era, a physical body is an essential element.

The phantom of the Elden Ring needs to reside in the body of a god-man in order to become a deity.

Lani killed her own physical body, which was tantamount to declaring, "I will not compete for this divine position."

Although it's unclear how Lani, a being burdened with a law, could so casually withdraw from the God Elimination Tournament, this action is tantamount to betraying the two fingers that chose her.

Lani and her two fingers are bound to break off their relationship and become enemies. Therefore, the Black Knife Assassin becomes a potential candidate for negotiation and cooperation.

Lan En believed that if he could go and say a few words to Dixi, he would probably succeed.

Unfortunately, Rodel has now been caught in a vortex due to Ratahn's strong interference. He was lucky enough to escape in time, but he doesn't want to get caught up in it now.

(End of this chapter)