Chapter 111: Discovery of the Kurast Dwarves

"This is a Nether-Mushroom." Liu Zong stopped abruptly as he consumed the third mushroom, holding up a slice. "They only grow in places of extreme Yin energy. Where did you find these?"

Before Yuan Ying could answer, Xu Ying also ate a slice. His gaze quickly turned hazy, and the way he looked at his surroundings shifted completely.

Liu Zong felt his own vision narrow. The darkness around them no longer felt like true darkness; it took on a grayscale hue—the color of the Netherworld. Yet, he could still feel that he was alive, unlike his previous experiences living in the Netherworld while embodying Yin attributes.

While Liu Zong pondered this, he looked down and noticed that one of the mushroom slices had changed. What originally looked like an ordinary mushroom now resembled a shrunken human head.

Fortunately, as players attuned to Yin attributes, they had built up an immunity to such grotesque things upon entering the academy. It wasn't just about it looking like a head; even if a real human head were placed before him, he could still eat.

After another bite, Liu Zong realized this state was an effect of the mushrooms. He was currently in a semi-Nether state, able to see the affairs of the afterlife but unable to interact with them.

For Liu Zong, being able to see was already a significant advantage. They had entered this restricted area with one major problem: they could not interact with the Kurast dwarves, nor did they dare to. If they could see their spirits, they might at least glean some information.

Xu Ying shared the same thought. He glanced at Liu Zong and began scanning the area.

Eventually, Liu Zong spotted faint white lights in the distance. From afar, they looked like ghostly will-o'-the-wisps, but up close, they revealed themselves to be humanoid silhouettes only thirty centimeters tall.

These silhouettes were not heading toward them; instead, they were walking in a slow, single-file line in a specific direction. Liu Zong looked toward that destination but saw nothing.

The state did not last long. Soon, everything returned to normal. Liu Zong put down his skewer, stood up, and headed in the direction he had been observing. Xu Ying, having made his own discoveries, followed suit, and the others, sensing their resolve, immediately fell in behind them.

Luckily, the place Liu Zong and Xu Ying had identified was not far. After walking only thirty meters, they stopped. Liu Zong stood before a massive tree, its species unidentifiable, with a trunk so thick it would take thirty people to encircle it, completely blocking the path.

Rena and the others following behind expected them to go around, but the two men stopped. Xu Ying scanned the area, while Liu Zong knelt at the base of the tree, examining the soil near the roots.

They searched for a long time before Liu Zong finally stood up and asked, "Do you have any more of those mushrooms?"

Yuan Ying hesitated for a moment before handing the skewer she had been holding to him. Liu Zong bit into a mushroom, indifferent to the fact that it had gone cold, chewed it a few times, and swallowed.

His eyes grew hazy once more, and his steps became cautious, as if he were afraid of stepping on something. He followed the tree roots until he reached the side of the trunk. He pointed at a spot and glanced at Xu Ying. Xu Ying stepped forward to inspect it, and to their surprise, they found a piece of bark that looked exactly like a door.

This discovery lit up the eyes of the group. They knew they had found what they were looking for, and they waited in silence for Liu Zong to snap out of his trance.

Just then, Liu Zong suddenly shouted, "Something's wrong! Everyone, watch out!"

Xu Ying reacted fastest. With a roar, his Bone Lion leaped from the ground and dismantled itself, encasing him in armor.

No sooner was he armored than several blowdarts struck him. The others were also under attack; Liu Zong, in particular, was targeted by over a dozen darts at once.

As the first to sense the danger, Liu Zong was slightly faster than the rest. Before the darts could hit him, his Ghost Loli appeared before him, intercepting every one of them.

But just as Liu Zong drew his spear to counterattack, he was forced to drop it. He realized his companions had been subdued by dwarves who barely reached their knees.

There were about thirty of them, armed with blowpipes or spears. One dwarf sat atop the head of another, wearing armor fashioned from wood chips and leaves, brandishing a bronze longsword. To the dwarves, it was a longsword, but to Liu Zong and his party, it looked more like a common dagger.

The dwarves had cornered his companions but did not launch a final, lethal strike. Liu Zong breathed a sigh of relief; as long as they could communicate, there was still a chance.

Liu Zong signaled the Ghost Loli still blocking him to put down her great bear, only to discover she had fallen asleep. This was the first time his tireless undead servant had ever slept, and it made Liu Zong realize just how potent the venom on those blowdarts truly was.

Liu Zong threw his spear to the ground and raised his hands. "We mean no harm. We are here to find what the Atala insectoids left behind."

"We didn't take anything from those locust-heads," the lead dwarf said directly. Their voices were shrill, like the sound of glass shattering under a shockwave.

Liu Zong didn't explain further; he simply produced the piece of amber.

Seeing the amber, the lead dwarf's expression flickered, though he shook his head again. "We really didn't take anything from those locust-heads."

As they spoke, the dwarves released the companions. Liu Zong noticed that the weakest among them, Lu Shang, had fainted. The others were conscious but had lost their ability to fight. Only Xu Ying remained combat-capable, but seeing his friends held hostage, he too was forced to lower his weapons.

After releasing them, the dwarf added, "We truly didn't take it. Besides, this isn't a place you belong. You aren't dwarves; even if you find the Appeal Channel, it's useless."

"Appeal Channel? What is that? Are you referring to this?" Liu Zong's eyes gleamed as he pointed back at the spot he had just discovered.