Bunigu seemed a bit hesitant, but Fang Hong didn't back out on his promise and nodded at him with the ring in hand.
Under the night sky, the ring appeared dark and unremarkable; its surface patterns almost worn smooth over the years. However, he was aware of its material—the rings made from the same magnet would resonate with each other. Istania merchants used these magnet rings to locate one another in the desert to prevent getting lost.
The ring seemed like something that should belong to a desert merchant family making a living on the Silver Sand Sea, perhaps passed down from his grandfather's generation.
At that moment, Reed approached, took the ring from his hand, and asked Bunigu with his silver eyes: "This ring looks ordinary. Would the Blood Shark Sky Pirates be interested in it?"
Bunigu immediately replied, "They took almost everything, including my grandfather's ring."
"Then how did this ring remain with you?"
"Well, maybe because I hid it well... Since they were going to force us to do hard labor here anyway, they didn't search us thoroughly."
"Nicely answered."
Reed tossed the ring to Parker beside him and patted Fang Hong on the shoulder: "Let's go, we need to find the secret passage first."
Fang Hong looked up at Reed, sensing something unusual in the Big Cat's behavior, but he nodded silently.
The group proceeded to the depths of the valley, stopping in front of a weathered cliff. At that moment, the ridge on the other side blocked the rising moonlight, casting a bright glow over the barren mountaintop, creating a desolate atmosphere. This direction, however, was shrouded in a misty shadow, and Fang Hong saw Bunigu suddenly step aside and vanish.
Just as he was surprised, he saw Bunigu reappear, half his body visible, beckoning to them:
"Found it!"
After his pupils adjusted to the dark, Fang Hong slowly got used to the pitch-black surroundings and realized Bunigu hadn't vanished. Instead, there was a huge rock, at least thirty feet tall, nestled against the cliff. He began walking into the crevice between the giant rock and the cliff. At first glance, it seemed he had disappeared.
Fang Hong then remembered seeing this giant rock in the afternoon. It blended seamlessly with the environment, showing no signs of concealment from a distance. He and the Big Cat entered the crevice first. The Big Cat had to bow his head to get through, while the others followed. Elisa curiously touched the rock surface.
Once inside the crevice, Fang Hong noticed a long crack along one side of the rock wall, hidden from outside view by the massive rock's size.
The crack was naturally formed with no signs of craftsmanship.
Bunigu looked around and confidently declared, "This is it."
Atira then lit a resin torch, the smoke swirling, the bright light outlining the contour of the crack—it was about four meters tall, a long, narrow triangle from top to bottom, impenetrably dark within.
Fang Hong peered inside, then turned around to ask, "How do you know this is the place?"
"There aren't any other entrances nearby, and this location matches the records," Bunigu, worried about their trust, added, "though it's been years, I'm unsure if it's still navigable inside, but it should be relatively safe unless the Blood Shark Sky Pirates have discovered this passage too."
"Do you think they might have found it?"
"Well..."
Hilveld suddenly interjected, asking nonchalantly, "What's the situation on the other side of the exit?"
"This passage has more than one exit."
"Then which exit would your grandfather and his people typically use? Surely he mentioned it in the records?"
"As far as I know, one exit is in a well, one in a wall gap, and another in a tunnel."
"Would the Sky Pirates guard these exits?"
"With so many exits, they can't possibly cover them all, can they?"
"Could they have possibly entered the tunnel?"
"That's certainly a possibility..."
"Alright," Hilveld turned back and smiled at everyone, "I've asked all I wanted to know."
Fang Hong nodded, realizing the tunnel might not be as safe as initially thought. Considering the Blood Shark Sky Pirates' extensive digging in the city, discovering a tunnel was quite plausible. However, with prior preparations and having the Clockwork Fairy, he felt confident that even if the Sky Pirates entered, they could avoid them in time.
He left Bunigu there and also had Bakins stay back—partly to protect the unarmed Bunigu and partly to keep watch. Should anything arise outside, Bakins could use Luo Yu's communication crystal to contact them.
The bosun understood the order, took a gun, and sat near the entrance.
Only then did everyone enter the crack.
The passage was long and narrow in places, just enough for one person to squeeze through sideways. If he wasn't aware there was a secret inside, Fang Hong would have given up several times. The others managed, but the Elf Miss encountered some trouble.
Elisa looked at Atira, who was stuck between the rock walls, and couldn't help but tease, "Sometimes I really envy Miss Atira..."
Hilveld also smiled beside them.