Above the mage

Chapter 70 Digger

After traveling for two days, the convoy finally arrived at the town that Gru had mentioned.

The town is not big; there is only one hotel in the entire town.

The caravan will stay here tonight.

Give the horse a good meal, replenish its food and water, let it rest for a night, and then go straight to Bremen.

The food provided by the hotel was very simple, just a stew of root vegetables from the farm, served with smoked pork and salted fish.

However, everyone ate with great relish.

The hotel rooms are also very cheap, with a single room costing only 1 silver coin per night.

Of course, it was also very rudimentary.

The room contained only a bed and a table, with no other extra space; even the toilet was shared.

However, Gaode Maps didn't show the slightest disdain.

For the price of 1 silver, plus free hydration, what more could you ask for?

Moreover, he had been working in the wild for two consecutive nights and was already exhausted. When he saw such a bed, he would not be picky at all, but would only feel genuine happiness.

After eating and drinking his fill, Gao De returned to his room, pounced on the slightly hard bed, rolled around, and let out a satisfied groan.

After a night of rest, the caravan set off on time the next morning.

Having finally had a good night's sleep, Gaode sat in the carriage, full of energy, just as he had been when he set off.

Moreover, he seemed to gradually get used to the bumpy journey, and even began to try to enter a meditative state in the carriage, practicing meditation techniques.

It is said that Master Gao Huan can enter a meditative state anytime, anywhere.

Following this logic, perhaps a monk's apprenticeship could also succeed.

To be honest, I don't know if it's because of some real talent or something else, but after several attempts, Gaode actually managed to stumble into a meditative state.

Gao De was not used to his daily practice, which had to be interrupted due to his journey. He felt uncomfortable and uneasy.

Having acquired the ability to cultivate oneself during a bumpy journey is quite a significant achievement.

Although meditation is often interrupted by unusual events, it is still better than wasting time.

Flower Flame Moon, 29th.

The day after leaving the town, at dusk.

According to Gru, they should be able to reach Bremen by tomorrow afternoon.

Just as the entire caravan was immersed in the joy of their impending arrival at their destination, an unexpected incident occurred.

The carriage at the very front of the convoy suddenly jolted violently.

The people on the carriage didn't react in time and fell off.

However, the people in the caravan were all strong and burly men, so they quickly got up and stood up.

"Beast attack!" The leader of the caravan reacted the fastest and shouted loudly.

A cloud of dust followed.

A huge, segmented worm suddenly emerged from the ground and overturned the carriage at the front of the line.

The strange insect looked extremely ferocious.

The insect's legs are long and thin, with sharp claws attached to the ends.

Its entire body is covered by a hard, brown, keratinous shell.

Above his powerful jawline, two dark eyes gleamed and stared outwards.

"A burrowing worm!" Gao De didn't recognize the creature in front of him, but Gru, standing beside him, exclaimed its name and his expression changed drastically.

"What is this?"

"A carnivorous leyline creature that is adept at burrowing underground, and also one of the most common leyline creatures on the official road."

"The burrowing worm moves underground, and once it detects prey on the surface, it will burrow out to attack." The taciturn driver uttered the longest sentence Gao De had ever heard from him.

"A creature from the earth's veins!" Gao De shuddered, his nerves tightening, and his right hand instinctively pressed against the Hidden Mist Fang that he had tucked into his waistband.

"Take up your weapons!" The caravan leader roared.

At his command, all of the dozen or so people in the caravan picked up the spears that were placed beside them.

This is the most common self-defense weapon used by caravans. It can maintain a distance advantage to a certain extent and is easy to carry.

The people, who had been preyed upon by the burrowing worms, drew their spears in a panic and fought back.

This was by no means the first time they had encountered a wild beast attack on the road, so the group dealt with it in a very organized manner.

Although everyone looked serious and tense, their movements remained unchanged, and there were no panicked escapees.

Led by the caravan leader, the group, armed with crude spears, formed a tight formation around the burrowing worm.

Their faces were full of tension.

But they still mustered their courage and brandished their spears, thrusting them in unison towards the burrowing worm's eyes, like thorns in a forest, trying to stop the behemoth's attack.

The only spot on the burrowing beetle's body that isn't covered by a keratinous carapace is this area, which is its weak point.

The caravan members understood this principle, and the burrowing worm understood it even better.

It turned its head to dodge the spears thrust at it, while simultaneously swaying its body and flicking its tail at the two drivers at the front.

The spear pierced the burrowing worm's thick cuticle, leaving only white marks, barely causing any damage, not even a scratch.

Its massive body possessed immense power; its rock-hard tail swept the two coachmen away, sending them flying three or four meters.

Seeing this, the caravan leader's eye twitched, but he gritted his teeth and said, "We can't retreat! We must continue this standoff, or this beast will devour us all!"

Wild animals are mostly bullies who prey on the weak and fear the strong.

If you show weakness, it will take advantage of you.

But if you resist fiercely, after a stalemate, they will usually choose to retreat unless they have been starving for several days.

It's just a meal, no need to risk your life!

The same applies to organisms living in the earth's veins.

The caravan leader, who had been in this business for many years, was very experienced and understood this principle perfectly.

When faced with an attack from leyline creatures, one must fight back desperately in order to have any chance of driving them away.

However, he also knew in his heart that several people in the caravan would likely be seriously injured, and if they were unlucky, one or two might die.

When you encounter an attack by ley line creatures, there's nothing you can do; you can only blame your bad luck.

boom!

Facing the caravan's spear formation, the burrowing worm charged, attempting to use its immense strength and hard shell to break through their formation.

However, the caravan's seamless teamwork was also surprising.

Several of them planted their spears into the ground, and just as the burrowing worm charged forward, they tilted their spears upwards, using the "lever principle" to trip it up.

"Well done!"

"Gru, fire!" The caravan leader shouted as he saw the burrowing worm trip over it.

"Fire, yes, fire, the burrowing worm is afraid of fire!" Gru suddenly realized.

As burrowing monsters, burrowing worms live in the dark underground year-round. Their eyes are severely degenerated, and they are extremely afraid of things like fire, which have both high temperature and high brightness.

The problem is that everyone has just settled down, set up camp, and hasn't lit a campfire yet. How can they immediately find something to throw with fire?

Now or never.

Under the fierce attack of the spears, the burrowing worm cleverly closed its eyes and tried to turn over, almost managing to flip itself over.

Just as Gru was in a state of extreme panic, a scorching wave of heat unexpectedly tore past him from the side.

It was a beam of flame, blazing with intense light, that pierced the sky and hurtled straight toward the burrowing worm.

The flames, like an arrow, struck the burrowing worm's tightly closed right eye, bursting into a dazzling burst of light.

The usually calm burrowing worm panicked at the sudden attack and began to writhe wildly.

The intense heat of the flames caused it great pain.

The gravel road, due to its struggle, constantly kicked up dust, creating a chaotic storm.

call out!

It's not over yet.

Another burst of flame shot towards the burrowing worm's other eye, like a meteor.

The burrowing worm, which had rolled over and fallen to the ground, was like a sitting duck, unable to make any effective dodges.

Two beams of flame blasted open the carapace covering the burrowing worm's eyes.

Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, the caravan members didn't have time to think about the source of the flames. They all thrust their spears into the exposed eyes of the burrowing worms.

A mournful wail rang out.

Soil and gravel flew up during the vibration.

Everyone gritted their teeth and moved swiftly and decisively, spear after spear piercing the eyes of the burrowing worm.

The burrowing worm gradually began to struggle weakly, a sign that it was about to lose its life.

"Get out of the way!" a low shout rang out.

In such a tense atmosphere, no one recognized whose voice it was, but they all instinctively obeyed the order and made way for each other.

Another burst of scorching flame struck the dying burrowing worm precisely in its right eye.

It was like the last straw that broke the camel's back.

The burrowing worm twitched once, then fell silent, having lost its life completely.

The caravan members stood around the burrowing worm, panting heavily.

Their eyes held both the joy of victory and a hint of shock.

Once they calmed down, they naturally realized what the three flames were.

Spell!

From whom?

He will be the only outsider in the entire team.

(End of this chapter)