Wizard: I crush legends with martial arts.

Chapter 111 Entering the Ruins

The following morning, Alphonse and his companions drove their carriage to the ruins of Emerald Territory.

The entrance to the ruins has clearly been repaired and reinforced, with a rather dignified and imposing stone doorway.

It must be said, Count Jürgen is quite the entertainer.

According to the information I heard, this site was discovered by mining experts. There wouldn't be any door; it should look like a mine shaft.

Outside the ruins, there are military tents where soldiers are stationed.

Soldiers guarded the entrance to the ruins, charging each mercenary who entered an admission fee.

Alphonse and his party had a warrant signed by Count Jürgen, which saved them this trouble.

As agreed, two soldiers from the Cold Wind Territory stayed behind to guard the horses and carriages.

Alphonse led Tessie, Mia, and Midio into the ruins.

It feels a bit adventurous.

Tessi is a warrior, Alphonse and Mia are damage dealers, and Jamedeo is a mage. All that's missing is a healer, making it a five-person team with a complete "iron triangle".

But in this other world, healing is hard to find.

Alphonse had never seen a professional like this before.

The ruins consisted of a doorway and a staircase leading down. The passageway was still made of rock, but oil lamps were placed on both sides, so it didn't feel dark.

On the contrary, the underground ahead seemed brighter, with light shining through.

We continued downhill for quite some time.

I could faintly hear the noise of people talking; it sounded quite lively downstairs.

Mia took the lead and walked out of the passageway.

He was stunned and stood there.

Alphonse, who was following closely behind with Midio, was also taken aback.

Suddenly, the view opened up before them, revealing a spacious area that resembled a small square.

Although it was underground, it was brightly lit, just like being on the ground.

Several stone chambers have been built around the area, and wooden signs have been hung up on them.

There are shops that repair armor and weapons, shops that sew and repair leather armor, general stores that sell drinking water and dry food, pharmacies that sell medicine for wounds, and a stone chamber with the words "Church of the God of War Healing Center" written on it.

That place was the most eye-catching; a strong, muscular man wearing a tall black cylindrical hat and a black and white robe was sitting behind a table.

There were only two things on the table: a thick book and a heavy hammer.

The stone chamber did contain beds and other facilities.

The burly man appeared to be a priest of the Church of the God of War, but he didn't look like a healer at all; he looked more like a brave warrior, as his loose robes couldn't hide his strong muscles.

In addition to these shops, many mercenaries also set up stalls, hawking their wares to passersby.

This square doesn't look like it was built temporarily. The ground and the surrounding stone bricks are extremely old and rustic, and some cracked areas are even covered with moss.

It's as if this is how it's always been.

Alphonse looked around and saw that a complete industry chain seemed to have formed in the square, selling all kinds of items needed for exploring the ruins.

The lighting in this place is rather strange.

Alphonse couldn't help but look up. He saw a bright light shining from the ceiling, which was several meters high. It was so bright that it almost blinded him. He could vaguely make out that it was a cluster of fuzzy objects that covered the ceiling like vegetation.

"How come it's so bright here when we're underground?" Midio muttered to himself.

Tessie simply looked up and explained, "It's covered in sun-glow moss, a very peculiar type of moss that glows in the dark."

As an adventurer, he had traveled to many places and his knowledge was indeed more extensive.

"Amazing!" Midio exclaimed, his mouth agape in surprise.

"Let's go," Mia urged. She could already see the passageway leading into the depths of the ruins. The light in the passageway was dim, but the entrance was quite spacious.

Actually, she didn't want to explore the ruins. With that free time, she would rather cultivate for a while and improve the strange method of "true qi".

But since Alphonse was coming, she couldn't very well stop him. However, she was inevitably a little impatient and wanted to end this exploration trip as soon as possible.

Alphonse looked around at the street stalls, which displayed things that seemed to have no value.

Some were daggers and longswords covered in rust, while others were in better condition but were still entirely black.

There were also armor and leather armor, though they looked a bit old, but they had been repaired and refurbished and looked fairly good.

There are also various bottles and jars.

Alphonse knew nothing about or had no interest in this antique from another world.

Alphonse looked over, and a stall owner immediately struck up a conversation, "Young nobleman, would you like to buy a couple of pieces of leather armor or helmet? Is this your first time visiting these ruins? You can't go on an adventure without some equipment."

They had discovered that Alphonse and his companions were not wearing protective armor, but were dressed in fine clothes to explore the ruins. Wasn't that just amateurish?

"No need." Alphonse waved his hand and walked straight over.

"These are probably items whose value can't be determined, which is why they're being sold here," Mia casually remarked. "Some of them might not even have originated from this site."

Alphonse nodded casually, then his gaze suddenly sharpened.

Alphonse's attention was drawn to a small pile of herbs at a nearby stall.

He hurried a few steps, squatted down, picked up a plant, and examined it closely.

The leaves are oblanceolate, narrow and pointed, and are not the usual green, but bluish-purple. The edges of the needle-like leaves are irregularly serrated. The uppermost flowers are ovate and tightly wrapped together. The yellowish-brown roots are unusually thick and long, reaching ten or twenty centimeters in length, with concentric rings of patterns. The entire body is covered with fuzzy bristles that are slightly prickly to the touch.

Alphonse knew very well that this herb was called Rejuvenating Grass, one of the medicines for tempering the body. Its medicinal effects were all in the root, and it was a rare and precious item in the martial arts world of his previous life.

Unexpectedly, it was displayed casually on a street stall, just like a cabbage.

A hint of joy welled up inside, but his face remained impassive. "How much are these herbs?"

The mercenary at the stall had a flushed face, almost unnaturally so, and spoke in a loud voice, "These herbs were hard-won from under the ruins. There were a lot of monsters guarding them, so they weren't cheap."

"Name your price, and I'll see if it's reasonable," Alphonse said nonchalantly.

Taisi leaned closer for a look. "Isn't this Garanten Grass? It's a bit rare in the Kingdom of Bastian, but it's still produced in the Kingdom of Bozak, for a maximum of 80 gold coins per pound."

He picked it up and weighed it in his hand, then scoffed, "It's only a little over a pound. This stuff is only good for replenishing energy and can also be used to cure night blindness."

He chuckled again, pointed at the mercenary, and said, "You must have tasted it, otherwise you'd look like this, right? It's obvious you overdosed. You probably won't be able to sleep for the next few days."

(End of this chapter)