Chapter 161 - Ancient Dragon Nest

"Whether it be the ancient giant dragon nest or the dark domain, we need to go down and check it out personally. Before that, it’s best we make ample preparations. I also need to return to the tribe and call a few hands over. Their help will be extremely beneficial to our exploration of this cave," Gaven decided to take concrete action, for guessing here was of no use."Okay, I will stay here and make preparations for the exploration," Stelina didn’t follow him this time. Exploring an unknown cave was a serious matter. The more thorough the preparations, the higher the chance of success.

In this respect, Stelina clearly also had extensive experience. The most update n0vels are published on N(o)vᴇl(F)ire.nᴇt

This time, when Gaven returned to Blackwell, he mainly called over two gnolls—Zack and Susie.

The former was the most skilled excavator from the Blackwell Tribe. Whether it was discerning the state of the cave itself or the use of the stone shaping spell, he was very useful.

The latter’s experience with traps was what Gaven and the rest needed most, as caves, whether man-made or natural, were filled with various traps.

This matter suffered from the lack of communication between two parties. Had Gaven known there was a cave waiting for them to explore, he would have called them over with the last troop movement.

Luckily, it was a matter of air transportation. A round trip took no more than four hours.

Upon seeing the Dragon Scale Oak for the first time, the two gnolls’ reactions, especially Susie’s, were extremely exaggerated. She knelt on the ground on the spot, kissing the land where the Dragon Scale Oak stood, her body trembling uncontrollably.

Gaven just quietly watched; this scene was not beyond his expectations.

Gnolls were very sensitive to anything related to giant dragons, not to mention an extraordinary existence like the Dragon Scale Oak.

Standing before this majestic tree, which was beyond imagination, even ordinary people would shudder uncontrollably, no matter how many times they saw it.

It took several minutes for Susie to finally calm down. She turned to Gaven and said, "Lord, I have a favor to ask of you."

"What is it?" he asked.

"When I die, please bury my body beneath this divine tree." Susie’s request was somewhat bizarre.

"Sure," Gaven readily agreed. "Let’s talk about it when you die of old age. What did you sense?"

"I sensed the pulse of life, the strength of the giant dragon flowing in this divine tree," Susie paused slightly, her face showing an unmistakable confusion. "But something seems off. I feel like the divine tree is a bit sick."

"This tree is sick? How come I didn’t feel anything?" The young Red Copper Dragon couldn’t help but look up at the lush Dragon Scale Oak, which showed no signs of illness.

"This illness doesn’t originate from the divine tree itself, but from the land beneath. It seems that something is contaminating this land, and in turn, the divine tree. The divine tree has a strong life force, so naturally, you can’t see it now. By the time it’s visible to the naked eye, the illness will have reached a dangerous stage," Susie replied reverently. "This is just my personal perception, and it may not be entirely accurate. After all, we are so insignificant compared to the divine tree."

"If the source of the illness is beneath, perhaps it’s related to the cave we’re about to explore," Gaven took Susie’s perception very seriously.

Susie’s abilities should not be judged as simply those of an eighth-level professional, especially regarding earth elements and dragons.

She had long been presiding over Dragon Seeking Ritual Ceremonies, particularly the recent large-scale dragon searches organized by the Blackwell Tribe, which brought her immense benefits.

Even Gaven, an outsider, could clearly feel that a powerful strength was awakening within Susie.

The most important thing was that in Gaven’s consciousness sea, the virtual image of the Dragon Scale Oak seemed peculiar.

This phantom image was primarily reddish-copper in color, but its roots were entwined with strange black mist, which made him feel quite uncomfortable.

The phantom image of the Dragon Scale Oak was a projection of the tree itself, a reflection of its real condition.

It confirmed Susie’s perception of illness.

However, he couldn’t explain the phantom image of the Dragon Scale Oak to others, and Gaven himself was not entirely sure about it as there was no manual, and everything was a part of his own exploration.

Now he at least had a reason to alert Stelina and the others through Susie’s words.

Yet, from their expressions, it was clear they didn’t take this matter seriously, after all, it was merely the perception of a peculiar-looking gnoll.

By the time Gaven came back, Stelina had already finished preparing, ready to move out.

Gaven didn’t waste words, he immediately activated his combat armor and took the lead.

The combat armor was made for this type of task.

Yet saying so, Gaven, a psychic sorcerer, leading a group of warriors, while not unheard of, was certainly rare.

The bright light from the combat armor obviated the need for torches as soon as they entered the cave.

That being said, aside from the three Pikespirit druids led by Atwood, all the other members had dark vision.

This exploration team, besides the four mentioned above, included four Yaling warriors led by Stelina, a young Red Copper Dragon, and two gnolls, all led by Gaven.

This twelve-person exploration team was luxuriously equipped, capable of dealing with most emergencies.

Only around the tree roots that had been bitten off were three to four meters of fresh earth, clearly created by the carrier bugs forcefully biting through and breaking the ground.

Deeper inside, there were no signs of recent excavation in the cave, which was overgrown with moss and various subterranean fungi and clearly ancient.

It was difficult to determine whether it was man-made or naturally formed.

This did not require analysis from an expert like Zack; anyone present could easily tell.

The exploration team’s pace was neither fast nor slow.

Because most of the time, there was no need for Susie to carefully check for traps.

The clear marks left by the carrier bugs on the ground meant that even if there were originally traps, they would have been destroyed by them.

"Wait a moment," Susie, who was just a few steps behind Gaven, suddenly called for a halt.

Gaven immediately stood still, knowing that at times like this, following the expert was invariably correct.

It wasn’t just him, the entire team behind halted, as when near traps, the worst thing to do is move rashly.

Susie approached cautiously and began to scout around with her hands.

"What is it? Did you find something?" Gaven whispered.

"Don’t you think that this tunnel is a bit too straight and steep? If a huge rock were placed on the other side, wouldn’t it make a terrifying rolling stone trap?" Susie explained as she pressed her claws against the ground, conducting an elemental perception.

Trap Makers, unlike ordinary Thieves in searching for traps, rely not only on experience and observational skills but also on elemental perception.

The Earth Element within the ground served as her third eye.

It aided her exploration and perception, especially for items that resembled trap contours and elemental fluctuations, offering convenience in detecting magic traps, perhaps even more so than physical traps.

"Here." Susie retracted her claws and looked up towards the ceiling of the cave.

"I’ll go up and take a look," Atwood volunteered, fanning his dragonfly wings and ascending gently towards the direction Susie had indicated.

"Be careful," neither Gaven nor Stelina stopped him.

His small stature and ability to fly made him the best choice for this task.

Soon, Atwood’s voice came back, "You’re right, there’s a falling rock door up here. It’s physical, and the mechanism has been jammed shut."

The group couldn’t help but let out a long sigh of relief.

Physical mechanisms were more manageable; they tend to have a shorter shelf life and often malfunction on their own after years without maintenance.

If it were a magic trap, it would be more troublesome, as its longevity is linked to the strength of its creator.

The more powerful the creator, the longer the duration of the magic trap they set, with many lasting for centuries.

Those active traps in ancient tombs and ruins are often of the second kind.

The next second, Gaven and Stelina looked at each other and exclaimed in unison, "This really is a Dragon’s Nest!"

If there were traps, there must have been a creator.

Such a vast and grand cavern could not have been carved out and used by mere ordinary people.

"Let’s not jump to conclusions too soon and mislead ourselves. Zack, use the Stone Shaping Spell to completely disable that falling rock door," Gaven said to another Gnoll named Zack. He did not want to rely on the possibility of the rock door being rusted shut, especially a door situated behind them.

If in a critical moment of escape, such a door were to suddenly fall followed by a rolling rock, that would indeed be a life-threatening situation.

In cave exploration, one can never be too cautious, especially in such unknown, timeless explorations.

Even if it means wasting some spell slots and time, it would be worth it.

They could always retreat and rest for a day before coming back the next day.

Without waiting for Gaven to speak, Atwood took the initiative, "I’ll take this gentleman up."

Atwood circled around Zack, sprinkling a trail of Fairy Dust, and Zack began to float.

The two Gnolls from the Blackwell Tribe, who had not participated in the Fairy Banquet, couldn’t help but widen their eyes in amazement at this magical sight. Did such a magic capability exist?

In Zack’s heart, his reverence for his leader, Chief Gaven, rose to a new level.

He was a true elder of the Blackwell Tribe, one of the first to lead his people to join in allegiance and personally witness the unfolding of this miracle.

In fact, throughout the entire process, Zack was utterly confused and in a daze.

If asked to explain how this miracle came about, he would stutter and struggle to articulate the details.

Counting the days, it had only been a brief three months, with spring not yet finished.

The numbers of Gnolls from Blackwell, Eagle Cliff Burrow, and the pitfalls, the three large tribes, had already surpassed tens of thousands and were still rapidly increasing.

The most important point was that they had a dragon, a True Dragon.

Different from what Zack originally thought, with the addition of this True Dragon, Chief Gaven’s status didn’t decrease; in fact, it seemed even more exalted, because to this True Dragon, Gaven was the closest person, supposedly her owner, but in reality, it looked like she was working for Chief Gaven.

Gaven was the Leader of the Gnolls.

The Gnolls saw Lord Aivensa as their master.

Lord Aivensa appointed Gaven as the overseer of the Gnolls.

Gaven used the wealth created by the Gnolls to employ Lord Aivensa.

Lord Aivensa was very pleased with Chief Gaven’s employment and held him in even higher regard.

Not just the Gnolls, but even the most astute human merchants would be confounded by this convoluted account.

Yet, in a twist, Gaven had somehow become affiliated with a group of Elves and Fairies from the Fairy Wilderness.

They were here to excavate the treasure of an Ancient Giant Dragon, and by the looks of it, especially those Little Fairies, the respect for Chief Gaven was genuine and deep-seated.

What earth-shattering feat had their Lord accomplished this time?

While internally praising Gaven, Zack felt a sense of pride because he had recognized Gaven’s potential early on and had decisively led the Cangya Tribe to join the Blackwell Tribe despite opposition from the majority of his people.

That early decision was now reaping great rewards; Gaven ensured that Zack always had a seat reserved at every meeting held in the Blackwell Tribe, a place within the top five.

While absorbed in these thoughts, Zack had already floated to the top of the cave and quickly gathered his focus, pressing his claws against the cave stone and initiating the third-level Stone Shaping Spell.

The Earth Element converged, and the surrounding boulders, as if coming to life, slowly moved towards the spot he concentrated on.