Hilveld extinguished the torch, plunging the surroundings into total darkness.
The passage seemed exceptionally quiet in the dark. At first, no one heard the voices Elisa mentioned, but soon, Fang Hong detected a vague murmur. It came from beneath them, from a direction underground.
The sound pierced through a veil of obstruction and reached their ears, appearing extremely subtle and indistinct, making it hard to discern its content. However, it could be generally identified as someone speaking.
Moreover, it wasn't a soliloquy, because a soliloquy doesn't require pauses or feedback, making it easy to differentiate. This implied there were at least two 'people' below, though it wasn't clear if they were human.
By this time, they had gradually adjusted to the dark environment. Reed extended a claw, pointing forward, and everyone nodded. In that direction was the entrance to the staircase leading down, which Elisa had discovered earlier.
The voice originated from down there.
Elisa gestured to the others, suggesting, "Should I go down and take a look?"
At this point, Fang Hong had also forgotten about the hidden door, merely nodding in agreement.
Elisa nodded back and then silently slipped along the wall, disappearing at the entrance of the stairs. The group held their breath in the pitch-dark, listening to the intermittently audible and increasingly close voice from below.
Just as Fang Hong began to worry, Elisa's deliberately subdued voice came through the communicator: "It's quite safe down here, you all can come over."
Fang Hong looked towards the others, instructed the heavily armored Big Catfolk to stay behind to cover the rear, and directed Parker to lead the way as they proceeded in that direction. The descent wasn't very long, just over a dozen steps, and the structure at the bottom was peculiar, a square hall.
The hall was pitch dark, rendering one unable to see what its purpose served. The staircase actually did not lead directly into the hall but onto a tiered corridor above it. Upon arrival, Fang Hong and the others understood why Elisa deemed this place safe.
Because the voice emanated from the hall below—
The persons below clearly were unaware of others overhead, thus their conversation continued.
"Rolin, I trust your faithfulness, but some zealots aren't." The voice was extremely hoarse, as if something clogged the throat, and every word emitted with a slow and laborious swallowing effort.
The moment the voice uttered the first name, Fang Hong perked up.
"That individual attempts to abandon Deloan's strength, confronting Bahamut alone—utter folly."
"Yet some are always blinded by greed, and I even suspect he never truly spoke the truth to us from the outset."
Fang Hong was incredibly shocked.
Who was speaking with Rolin? And who was Deloan? Bahamut was the Shelter Protector of the Giant Dragons, that he knew. But judging from the other's tone, the former seemed to possess a power not inferior to this Dragon God. Could they be one of the Dark Saints?
And who was the individual daring to oppose Bahamut alone? Regardless of how unrealistic it might be to take on such a task, they must possess considerable strength to dare to confront a genuinely godlike entity, right?
A light emerged in the dark.
The square hall below turned out to be a crossroads, with a passage extending in all directions, north, south, east, and west. At this time, a light was shining in from the south, gradually outlining the debris and dust scattered across the hall.
The source of the light came from a Magic Guided Wand in the hands of a stooped old man. Fang Hong, observing the shuffling, trembling old figure, was astounded. Wasn't that Master Pudra from Magic Potion Studies?
But how did Pudra become like this? Watching the pallid, aged face under the light, with wrinkled and sagging skin, he had aged at least twenty years since their encounter at Fanric just a month ago.
Moreover, the voice was so foreign that Fang Hong couldn't believe it.
The young man in front of the old man was backlit, making it impossible for Fang Hong to see his features. But judging by his build and the previous conversation with the two, he recognized it as undoubtedly Rolin.
But what was the deal with this conversation between the two? It seemed that the Dragon Worship Sect's internal ties weren't as close-knit as imagined—Fang Hong couldn't help but consider whether the rift between Nikopolas and the sect arose from this.
The light continued to penetrate the hall, and the group on the hanging corridor retreated slightly, hiding within the shadows of the railing.
Below, Rolin halted, speaking: "Master Pudra, aren't you afraid I will reveal these words?"
"You won't reveal them," Pudra eyed the young man as though seeing through him, sneering a little: "I know about the deal between you and him. But he cannot give you what you desire; think for a moment, would you hitch yourself to someone destined to fail?"
Rolin remained silent, not responding.
Pudra went on: "You paid such a hefty price; how could you rely on a conceited individual for success or failure? You certainly know, the moment it's time to abandon ship, you won't hesitate."