Chapter 199 Chapter 197-Ruins Square
Unaware of the conversations taking place among the tavern-goers, Ethan and Sherry remained in their inn room, blissfully ignorant of the townspeople's speculations.
Returning to their quarters, their curiosity wasn't piqued by the folks in the pub; they were instead thrilled at how quickly they'd gathered information on Henry Powell, even if they were also frustrated by their inability to ascertain his exact location.
For Ethan and Sherry, staying in the small town wasn't part of the plan.
Time wasn't on Ethan's side.
The Azure Empire's efforts against the Dark Lords were ramping up, and the curse on Eluna still needed a Blood Source to be lifted—matters of utmost urgency.
After a night's rest, the duo prepared to leave the next morning.
Fate, however, seemed to have other plans.
A snowfall, heavy as down feathers, descended from the heavens, layering the earth and rising to the height of a man.
A thick blanket of snow obscured the roads and painted every building and tree in shades of ethereal white.
"It looks like we're not going anywhere," Ethan said, his mood far from buoyant.
Sherry nodded, adding, "We have no choice but to stay put. Navigating the Snowy Plains is challenging enough as it is; with snow like this, we risk losing our way. And getting lost in those plains could spell real danger."
Ethan knew all too well what kind of danger Sherry was talking about.
Monstrous creatures, formidable in strength, roamed the Snowy Plains.
Despite his confidence in his own abilities, battling or escaping from such creatures would cost them precious time.
But the situation grew worse than they had anticipated.
The snowfall persisted for four relentless days, showing no signs of letting up, virtually swallowing the entire town.
Ethan couldn't afford to wait any longer.
Gathering Sherry, they made their way down the cleared path, venturing toward the perilous expanse of the Snowy Plains.
On their forced march, Ethan suddenly came to a halt.
"What is Wak up to?"
Halfway along their path, Ethan stopped in his tracks.
Not far from him, Wak, the tavern owner, was pushing a small wooden cart laden with frozen meat and fine wine—quite a generous offering.
Sherry followed Ethan's gaze, offering her speculation, "He's probably going to perform a ritual. In the legends of the Snowy Plains, blizzards are said to be the wrath of the God of Blizzard. So, when a snowstorm persists for several days, it's customary to make offerings. Being on the edge of the Snowy Plains, this town might share that tradition."
But Ethan wasn't convinced.
"Something still feels off," he shook his head.
During the snow blockade, their only refuge had been the tavern.
Besides learning about Henry Powell, Ethan's spiritual power had picked up on odd bits of history and experience from the patrons, including Wak.
While most of the stories seemed genuine—usually recounting where and when they'd killed creatures in the Snowy Plains—there was a conspicuous reticence whenever the conversation shifted towards the town itself.
Ethan felt the town harbored secrets; his suspicions deepened with Wak's unusual behavior.
After sharing his thoughts with Sherry, she shook her head, saying, "People from the Snowy Plains are usually rather insular. If Wak and the others chose to hide something, it's because they don't want us to know. Probing could risk arousing their animosity."
Ethan nodded, acknowledging the validity of Sherry's perspective.
Soon after, the pair took their eyes off Wak and resumed their journey toward the Snowy Plains.
Yet just as they were about to enter the icy expanse, the earth quivered, tossing heaps of snow into the air. Wak's desperate cries for help echoed.
"Help me! Someone, please, help!"
The cries were brief, quickly muffled, as if swallowed by the accumulating snow.
"We should check it out," Ethan said immediately.
It didn't take long for Ethan and Sherry to locate Wak's cart in a snow-blanketed grove.
The cart was empty, devoid of the meat and wine that had once filled it.
"Let's split up and search," Ethan said, sensing something ominous.
Before long, Sherry waved from a distance, calling Ethan over. "Ethan, over here. There's a cave."
He rushed over to find a dark entrance, almost buried in snow and crudely barricaded with a makeshift wooden door.
A faint metallic smell of blood emanated from the depths.
"Stay close and be careful," Ethan cautioned Sherry before venturing inside.
The cave was deeper than Ethan had anticipated, but, thankfully, its paths were simple—just a single winding trail leading downward, not the labyrinthine complexity of the caves in Red Jade Valley.
Half an hour later, they reached the cave's deepest chamber, an expansive square that seemed like an underground ruin.
Eight massive pillars stood along its edges, adorned with simple carvings of what appeared to be a ritual.
Candles hung from the pillars, casting a soft glow across the square.
"It looks like an underground ruin," Ethan whispered, scanning the space.
Soon, they found Wak unconscious at the square's center.
After a quick examination, Ethan drew his conclusion: "It seems Wak has been knocked unconscious by some powerful force. But something here puzzles me."
"What's puzzling?" Sherry asked, her eyes clouded with confusion.
Ethan scanned their surroundings before speaking, "Sherry, do you remember where we heard Wak's cry for help?"
"It was just as we were about to enter the Snowy Plains, at the foot of a snow-covered mountain," Sherry quickly responded.
Ethan nodded, his face growing increasingly solemn. "Exactly. We heard Wak's cry there, but now we find him unconscious here. Considering we've been spiraling downward since we entered, we must be hundreds of meters below the surface. How could his cries have possibly reached us?"
Realization dawned on Sherry, and she too felt that something was amiss.
Just then, the earth trembled again.
From the entrance through which they had descended, a colossal head emerged.
A gigantic serpent, so vast that its body filled the entire tunnel, two meters in diameter.
As for its length, Ethan couldn't gauge it.
The creature continued to slither into the chamber, coiling its body while its massive head remained trained on Ethan and Sherry.
"Is this a Snowy Plains creature?" Ethan couldn't help but marvel at the astounding size of the beast.
Sherry nodded seriously, "It must be a creature from the Snowy Plains, but even there, it's rare to find one this large. This serpent must be a mutation."
The massive snake seemed less than pleased by their presence.
Once fully inside the chamber, it launched its attack, expelling a blast of icy breath directly at Ethan and Sherry.
They dodged immediately, also pulling Wak out of the path.
Where the serpent's icy breath met the ground, a layer of frost instantly formed.
"It doesn't seem very strong," Ethan shook his head, not feeling particularly threatened by the immense serpent.
After his skirmish with Edith in the Red Jade Valley, his abilities had surged again.
He felt confident that, barring any deity-level entities, he could easily overpower most threats.
The serpent seemed to pick up on Ethan's dismissive gaze, and its demeanor turned frenzied.
Its immense body writhed and then lunged, headfirst, toward Ethan, who easily sidestepped the clumsy attack.
But luck wasn't on the serpent's side.
Unable to halt its momentum, its head crashed into the ground and slid into one of the stone pillars lining the chamber.
To Ethan's astonishment, the pillars held firm, showing no signs of damage.
Even the ground, which had taken the brunt of the serpent's headlong dive, remained unscathed.
"These ruins are remarkably sturdy," Ethan mused, relinquishing any further thoughts of toying with the behemoth before him.
He drew his long-neglected Dragon Slayer Spear.
Thunder sparkled along its length, imbuing it with an awe-inspiring aura.
Leaping into the air, Ethan aimed the spear directly at the serpent's head, ready to strike.
But just in that final instant, Wak's eyes snapped open, and he screamed desperately at Ethan, "Stop! Stop it now!"
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