NOVEL NEXT Chapter 96: Elemental Ore
"Yes, miss!"
Oz had the characteristic of being summoned back by Fischl at any time. It might also be an elemental creature itself, so it basically wouldn't encounter any real danger.
So in this situation, having him scout ahead was the perfect choice.
Oz flapped his dark wings, gliding into the gloomy cavern. His vision synchronized with Fishl's eyes.
The uneven cavern walls and floor flashed rapidly through the raven's peripheral vision. In less than a minute, it reached the end of the cave.
Below it was an indiscernible dark pit, while above stood three small braziers.
They would need to light a fire to see what lay below.
Fischl, who saw this through Oz's eyes, informed Nolan and Ellin of the situation.
"Hmph! This place's secrets are now laid bare before Us. Come, let Us venture forth!"
Fischl's feet landed on the ground as she walked towards the dark cave. The moment before, the green grass brushed against her black high-heeled short boots, and the next second, shoe prints were left on the muddy rock ground inside the cave.
Nolan and Ellin followed without hesitation.
She said this probably because she hadn't seen any danger through Oz's vision.
After all, the Princezz of Immernachtreich's abilities were most trustworthy, though her eccentric persona took some adjusting for Ellin.
Except for some naive people who believed everything or those who were familiar with Fischl, the general public's thinking might be a bit behind.
The role of Oz in facilitating communication among them couldn't be ignored.
The light in the cave was dim. As they walked about four to five meters in, Nolan noticed that the cave walls were somewhat moist, indicating that there seemed to be plenty of hydro elements.
Considering the lush grasslands in Mondstadt all year round, it was normal for there to be ample underground water.
As they continued deeper, the environment became darker, and water stains began to appear on the ground. Their shoes made a "sizzle" sound as they stepped on the sticky ground.
Although there was no wind, Nolan also felt that the environment in the cave was slightly cool.
Unnoticed by all, a water droplet gathered on the cavern ceiling, then slipped through Fischl's radiant golden locks to land squarely on the pale back exposed by her short black dress.
Instantly, a bone-chilling sensation spread from Fischl's spine to every soft inch of her skin.
"Yah!"
In the sudden silence, a girl's exclamation sounded. Fischl couldn't help but stop in her tracks, trembling slightly, and goosebumps immediately appeared all over her.
"A-Are you okay, Miss Fischl?"
Ellin, who was visibly nervous in the dark environment, was startled, thinking they had encountered some danger.
"I-I'm fine." Fischl used her left hand, wrapped in a black silk long sleeve, to wipe away the water on her back. The sleeve became wet, and she sighed slightly. "Even this Princess is not immune to such stealthy ambushes."
"Ah, 'twas but a rogue water droplet. Easily overlooked in this darkness."
Understanding the situation, Ellin breathed a sigh of relief.
Nolan glanced at the slightly protruding wall of the cave ceiling, where a drop of water fell and then another drop began to form.
He saw when he came in that the cave in this hill was only two or three meters thick from the surface grassland, and there were no trees or anything. In theory, even if the cave was damp, it wouldn't reach this level.
It wouldn't lead to some underground river inside, but when it rained, water seeped underground, eventually accumulating into a pool in the cave, which was quite possible.
After a while, Nolan and the others saw Oz ahead of them. By now, the light here was ridiculously dim.
They could barely make out the deeper depression ahead.
"Everyone, there are a few small pyro braziers nearby that need to be lit to see ahead!" Oz flew back to Princess Fischl's side and reminded them.
Nolan nodded slightly. He vaguely saw three small pyro braziers arranged in a triangle ahead.
Since there were braziers, it was very likely that someone had already been here before.
Although having ready-made fire racks without having to set up new ones for lighting seemed good, if there were treasures here, they might have already been taken by previous visitors.
"Let me light them!" Ellin said excitedly.
In her adventurer's backpack, there were two or three boxes of matches for convenient lit, which came in handy in situations like this in the wilderness.
"Alright, it's up to you, Miss Ellin!" Oz gently nodded.
Ellin took out a match from her backpack, struck it gently, and scattered a few sparks. Then the head of the match ignited completely.
While the match was still burning, she quickly placed it on the fire rack. As it came into contact with the firewood on the rack, the fire slowly ignited.
The fire grew larger and larger until it became a roaring blaze.
One fire rack was enough to barely illuminate the surrounding area, allowing Nolan and the others to see the situation below the depression!
About five or six meters deep, the bottom of the depression was slightly inclined. Many crystal chunks and iron chunks grew on the high side.
At the same time, there were three geo slimes with stone helmets moving slowly over there.
On the lower side was a pool occupying half of the pit, with three hydro slimes and some kind of water-blue ore, which looked similar to magic crystal ores, but apparently not...
"Could that be...elemental ore infused with hydro?" Ellin's face showed an excited expression.
"Miss Ellin is right. This is indeed a water elemental ore. With it here, it's no wonder this cave is so damp!" Oz, being well-traveled and experienced in investigating tasks with Fischl, had seen various elemental ores, so he couldn't be wrong about this.
Hearing Eileen and Oz's words, Nolan thought of the Elemental-Imbued Arrow made by Wagner. Because he no longer had any ores containing fire elements, production had temporarily stopped, which meant he also didn't have a means of causing elemental attacks.
If he brought some water elemental ores to him, could he make "Hydro-Imbued Arrows," which could cause hydro elemental damage?
Nolan's eyes brightened slightly, and he said with a little anticipation, "Ellin, go ahead and light the other two fire racks, then we'll defeat the slimes and mine these ores!"
"Okay, no problem!" Ellin nodded lightly.
With all the fire racks lit, the space was completely illuminated.
Fischl's black high-heeled short boots stepped on a moss-covered rock, her feet slightly lifted, and the snug-fitting black silk stockings showed the soft curves of her calves.
She also pointed to the depression ahead and said, "Leave them to this princess!"
(End of Chapter)
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