Mage Legend
Chapter 57: Episode 10 Underground

Chapter 57: Episode 10 Underground

The Underdark is the underworld of the Anriel Continent, known as the most mysterious and dangerous area on the entire continent. Long ago, it has been the origin of many terrifying legends. Here, reside the cruel and merciless Dark Elves; the cunning and untrustworthy Underworld Halflings; the Minotaur clan that delights in the blood and suffering of enemies; the Brain-sucking Demons known for their evil cunning, feeding on the brains of others; and the demons who bring endless destruction and death, causing the whole world to tremble. This is a paradise for slaughter, a haven for the fall of conscience, known above as the Underdark.

In the history of the Anriel Continent, this place was originally a refuge that saved most living beings. When one Ancient God after another fell before the Great Arcane Power, an endless acid rain poured from the sky, relentless lightning rampaged across the continent, volcanic eruptions everywhere altered the landscape beyond recognition, and various creatures, no longer controlled by Divine Power, roamed about. The undead happily reaped the souls of other creatures; demons smeared themselves with human blood, feasting on peaks made of corpses; evil dragons flew unimpeded across the sky, leaving behind only ruins wherever their shadows passed; and various mechanical creatures, constructed by design, tirelessly, fearlessly, and mercilessly executed their mission: "kill, kill, kill."

The Underdark became the refuge for nearly all creatures.

After the dark and dreadful "Century War," peace was restored to the continent. When the races hiding underground saw the sun again, the entire Anriel Continent had been utterly transformed. Countless mountains were leveled, yet countless peaks rose from the ground; the Great Rift Valley cleaved by Divine Power permanently changed the course of all rivers on the continent; a new ocean appeared in the east where the Magic God had fallen.

Those ancient nations had been completely erased; some races that did not escape left no trace, and all the Great Arcanists disappeared from the world, leaving only fragmented magical notes. Even some gods could not escape the disaster, being replaced by new gods. This protracted battle divided the continent’s history into two parts.

Many years later, races began to return to the surface, starting the work of revival and reconstruction, building their future amidst the ruins. Yet some races were unwilling to return to the surface, filled with dread of that terrible battle. They believed that coming to the underworld was a destiny, that this was truly their home.

Thus, the Underdark gained permanent residents. Civilization began to take root here. However, as thousands of years passed, these races that initially sought to avoid conflict were slowly infiltrated by the harsh environment of the Underdark, gradually changing their habits and thoughts. Like the underworld itself, they began to learn the survival of the fittest, began to learn ruthless competition, creating the dreadful legends of the Underdark.

Lynch continuously recounted his understanding of the Underdark along the way. For a period, the Mage Association had a rather good relationship with the Dark Elves, at least the Dark Elves respected the authority and power of the Mage Association. The two sides exchanged and researched each other’s spells for a time. The Mage Association traded powerful magic items for many ancient texts and Magic Scrolls. However, several centuries ago, the Dark Elves launched an attack on the Mage Association headquarters, attempting to seize a few Divine Artifacts stored in the tower. There had been no interaction since. No one knows how that battle ended, but the towers of the Mage Association still stand intact across the Anriel Continent.

These days, Deluo was forced by Lynch to learn the local pronunciation style—his foreign accent was just too heavy, and he could barely understand the local pronunciation. Lynch no longer used a single word of Eastern languages with Deluo, constantly conversing in the Common Language of the continent and the popular trade language of the underworld with Nimo. Originally, Deluo was a chatterbox, unable to stay quiet, needing to talk endlessly to be satisfied, and thus was terribly bored. Reluctantly, Deluo began to force himself to learn the local language.