Farming in a Parallel World and Becoming a God
Chapter 637 - 480: Without Access to the Gate_3

Chapter 637: Chapter 480: Without Access to the Gate_3

If it were an ordinary Adventurer, they would probably have started checking their equipment, preparing their longswords and magic, and would have charged directly into the cave to see what secrets it held.

But Gaven was not an ordinary Adventurer, and naturally, he did not take conventional paths.

He simply let the Gnolls employ a siege tactic.

He was actually curious to see how long they could last without water and food.

Of course, there was a possibility that these caves directly connected to the Dark Domain, though the chance was slim.

Not every cave could connect to the Dark Domain, and if they did, the signs of those creatures’ activities on the surface would not be so frequent.

When Gos had indeed gathered the Gnolls of the Stone Bridge Hills, Gaven soon encountered a new problem—discomfort with the new conditions.

Forget comparing with the carefully selected Dragon Blood Kobolds; even against the ordinary Gnolls from the Dragon Oak Territory, they were greatly inferior.

Not just in terms of their physiques, but also their professional abilities.

To send them back to the Dragon Oak Territory for training would definitely not be worth it.

If it were that easy, he would not have thought about recruiting on the spot.

They had to make do for now. After all, quarrying was not a skilled job, and when the time came, it would mainly depend on the Quake Bombs—the Gnoll Alchemists would of course be summoned from the territory.

After much hassle, the situation here had become somewhat awkward, far from Gaven’s initial expectations. What remained to be seen was whether the Swift Roc, with its gathered Gnolls, had anything unique to offer, if it could bring any pleasant surprises.

The Gnolls of the Stone Bridge Hills were disappointing, but the Stone Stallion Inn, which had been quiet for several nights, was bustling once more.

This time, however, The Weeping Witch was no longer crying but appeared as a silent phantom visible to the common eye, wearing a black robe, barefoot, with her long hair completely covering her face—like a ghost, drifting through the inn.

The moment Anna saw her figure, she ordered all the repair workers to withdraw and informed Gaven.

When she saw Gaven, a line of mist-like, boldfaced letters immediately appeared above her head, "Take your people and leave this place, or the next time we meet, I will have to kill you, to kill all of you."

These letters were not just large but also bolded, reflecting the owner’s anger.

Gaven did not respond directly to The Weeping Witch’s words; instead, he began to wander inside and around the inn, observing the progress of the repairs.

Her anger only confirmed one thing—that they were getting close to the goal.

As expected.

The rubble on the first floor had been mostly cleared away, revealing the entrance to the staircase below. However, it was also collapsed, blocked by several large stones.

The female phantom followed closely beside Gaven, and when they reached the basement entrance, the misty phantom uncontrollably fluctuated slightly. Although it was very slight, it did not escape Gaven’s Perception.

Clearly, her secret was below.

Gaven sensed for a moment that the remaining rubble was not much, hardly enough to block him. A single Fairy Step was all it would take to teleport inside.

But he did not do so, well aware that basements and Underground Cities were likely to involve Traps.

Rushing in recklessly, he was afraid he’d get smacked in the face.

After all, success was imminent, and it wouldn’t matter to wait another day or half a day.

Gaven focused his attention on the misty phantom and tried to coax her with a mix of pleas and demands, hoping to pry more useful information from her.

Unfortunately, once she realized she couldn’t scare Gaven and his people away, the misty phantom refused to communicate.

But she was just a phantom, able only to frighten people with visuals and utterly incapable of causing any real harm to Gaven. When the sun rose, she disappeared.

This behavior was quite similar to a ghost’s, no wonder people mistook her for one.

Once the misty phantom disappeared, Gaven called all the construction workers back in. With all hands on deck, it only took two hours to clear the entrance to the basement.

The exploration process was unexpectedly smooth.

It was precisely because of this smoothness that Gaven frowned; it was as if this was just a regular hotel’s basement, with no Traps set at all, used simply as a junk room and storeroom, piled up with various odds and ends and vegetables and food.

Apart from some food with long shelf life that was still intact, the vegetables and the like had long since completely rotted, leaving behind nothing but a dry, mud-like sludge.

The junk consisted mostly of damaged tables, chairs, and other furniture. As it was underground, the fire hadn’t reached here; a little fixing and most could still be used.

"Clear this out," Anna waved her hand, ready to have the Gnolls move all the junk out.

"Wait, I’ll clear it, you move it," Gaven decided to personally inspect every single item in the place.

He was using the Eye of Truth, Magic Disguise could not hide from him.

A broken chair.

A broken table with no secret compartments, no suspicious books or miscellaneous items.

A broken bed with no secret compartments.

A broken storage cabinet with a secret compartment, containing several silver coins and coppers.

A broken bed with a secret compartment, harboring a low-quality silver necklace.

...

Gaven checked meticulously, not even letting old furniture pass without scrutiny, often smashing and chopping them into firewood, to ensure there were no hidden compartments capable of concealing anything.

Compared to the small savings of repairing and reusing, the task he was undertaking was far more important.

Unfortunately, they were just a pile of old furniture discarded by the previous inn owner, turning up nothing but a mess of small items. Devoid of any Magic Aura, they were all ordinary objects, collectively worth less than a hundred gold coins.

So much for the supposed treasure of the former inn owner—no sign of it was found.