"From love comes grief, from love comes fear; separate from love, there is no grief or fear."

"What does this make you think of...?"

"You're heading in the wrong direction, last year's contest was worthless." "Why do you say that?" "The core of each stage in the contest is different, as it was never planned by any single person." "But we can still find patterns. For example, the first round is easier." "Seven years ago, the contest's first stage eliminated 80% of the contestants."

"Emotions."

"So are you suppressing your emotions?"

"I've always done that."

"As we go further north, we'll approach the Cursed Title trial area, perhaps we can try our luck?" "Foolish idea. You outsiders don't understand the horrors of the forbidden zone. Each year, 30 people die in the Swamp." "30 people?" "I think she means 30%, either way, it's indeed not a good idea. Tovani, what do you think?" "I don't know... uh, maybe His Excellency Lu Li has a solution?"

The group turned their attention back to Lu Li after their discussion yielded no results.

"The Bloodline Family Alliance knows what the exit is." Lu Li recalled the tone of the young man he talked with. "They stay in the mining area to hunt."

"They themselves are also prey." Heinz Ellis mocked those more arrogant than him: "Do you plan to return while they are off guard?"

"The Swamp is filled with their eyes, we need to find a way to approach more discreetly." Pasha Rivas pondered.

"Hold on, everyone, I have a better idea!" Kaiser suddenly shouted, his face flushed with excitement like a young boy: "We can return to the mining area through the sludge, they wouldn't expect us to suddenly appear inside!"

"Provided that the Earth Dwellers haven't snitched."

"It can be confirmed."

Merchant Anthony came as called, contacted the mining area through the Earth Dwellers' Guild, and obtained beneficial information from them: the abandoned mines have not been exposed.

Considering the trade volume generated in recent months by merchants transporting goods to Vena Ice-Free Port and the Land of Light underground, they are trustworthy.

Before charging back to the mining area to show those arrogant folks some colors, Lu Li asked Merchant Anthony to contact Claire and Kiluat, Margaret and the others.

Claire responded first, Lu Li inquired about the exit information, but unfortunately, she knew nothing.

"But I eliminated twenty-three guys, including a hated Monk Family scion."

Compared to Lu Li, who was still dodging and hiding despite alliances, Claire seemed like the undefeated protagonist of a knight novel.

And Kiluat, Margaret, even Fudote, Yege, and Naxi couldn't be contacted.

This might mean they either didn't carry locatable eyeballs, or something unexpected happened.

Hopefully, it's not the latter.

...

The Bloodline Family Alliance contestants wouldn't expect them to return.

Even if they return, they wouldn't care — two Aztec Clan bloodline powers are the uncrowned kings of the Swamp.

Despite still being puzzled about how Nunes and others who were originally imprisoned left the mining area.

Following the traces only Heinz Ellis noticed back to the sludge side, Pasha Rivas was the first to enter this time without taking off his armor.

Then Kaiser, Ida, Tovani, and Lu Li consecutively returned to the sludge, appearing in the abandoned tunnel.

After Heinz Ellis stepped out of the sludge water curtain, they returned along the mine shafts.

The swaying of the mine lights brought light and shadow interplay, Pasha Rivas suddenly stopped, pinching a clump of sludge squirming out from the seams between his inner lining and armor.

"I've been marked. Tote, have you?" Pinching the sludge that seemed alive, Pasha Rivas looked at his companion.

Tote frowned and opened the shoulder armor junction, seeing a sludge worm-like creature crawling along the inner lining.

"Me too."

Tote reversed the shoulder armor, trying to smudge off the sludge.

"It will be detected." Pasha Rivas shook his head to prevent it.

To avoid surprises and save time, Lu Li and others would not stay, Pasha Rivas and Tote retreated to the sludge side, dealing with the marks outside of perception before regrouping.

Leaving behind a mine lamp and a fluorite lamp, Lu Li continued forward.

With the sound of metal friction from lost armor, the abandoned mine became silent, the mine lamp's glow only hovered around, brightened when they arrived, dimmed when they left.

After passing the fork, while still a distance away from the core area of the mine, they encountered a tremor again. A distant tremor spread from the depths of the earth, gravel falling, dust rising, obstructing vision, and choking the nose, preventing further progress.

Different from the surface feelings, they were in the mine's underground, closer, the narrow mine tunnel echoed a hum, like some lament from a certain place underground.

Dozens of seconds later, the tremor gradually weakened, the falling gravel stopped, and the dusty air thinned.

Lu Li surveyed his four companions, they too seemed to be caught in some contemplation due to the lamentation.

On reflection, the tremor every few tens of minutes indeed did not seem like some rock breaking method.

It was too frequent and... prolonged.

Whether it was caused by the Earth Dwellers or hidden agendas of the Swamp, these were unrelated to them. Slightly speeding up, they arrived at the exit of the abandoned mine within a few minutes.

They could already hear the echo in the underground hall of the mine area, Earth Dwellers and their equally unique squealing arguments —

"... Can only escape from the mine."

"If I say I haven't seen it, then I haven't seen it!"

"... Humans... come in..."

"Damn mine slave! You lost your food today!"

The aggrieved mine slave burrowed into the main tunnel.

On the side, in the unattended abandoned mine, shadows squirmed in the darkness.

"Still won't admit?" Derek McCalester said coldly.

"I haven't seen it means I haven't seen it!" The Earth Dweller miner boss showed a refuse-to-admit attitude.

"The McCalester Clan has always maintained cooperation with the Earth Dwellers' Trading Company, as a Deep Dive Tier..."

Shadows squirmed, Lu Li retreated to his waiting companions.

"Ida, can your web bind the enemy?"

"It will get everywhere, and can't be peeled off."

"Doesn't matter. This is a mine, they are the enemy."

...

Even bringing up the family didn't make the Earth Dweller relent, Derek McCalester realized this concerned that 'Legend.'

The rumored 'Legend' was said to be as wealthy as a nation, aristocrats of the entire Midnight City combined weren't as wealthy...

The sudden impact from behind made McCalester fall forward, regaining consciousness, he was adhered to the ground, several figures slowly approached.

"Earth Dweller territory forbids—"

"I am Lu Li, a Core Tier client."

The sharp scream suddenly transformed into fawning attentiveness: "Do you need a rope, honorable guest?"

Everything went more smoothly than imagined.

Lu Li stopped in front of Derek McCalester, lowered his gaze, calmly staring at him: "Tell us the exit location."

"The family will not submit to anyone, even 'Legend'." Derek McCalester stared mockingly at Lu Li.

Emotions overwhelmed Ida, who was eager to try.

"What if you were interrogated?"

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