Who Designed This Underworld Dungeon?
Chapter 471 - 326 Jack’s Wine

Chapter 471: Chapter 326 Jack’s Wine

"Snore... Snore..."

It sounded like someone had fallen asleep here, and they were sleeping quite soundly, even snoring.

Generally speaking, if someone can sleep here, it means it should be quite safe, right?

As people walked down, they observed the surrounding architecture. Should this place be called a basement or a kitchen? Various utensils resembling kitchen tools were placed on the surrounding tables, but there were no ingredients. A pot of soup was simmering on the stove, burning furiously not far away.

Soup? So that’s where the fragrance earlier was coming from, but can this smell really be called a fragrance?

Their gaze slowly followed the sound of the snoring, and they saw a chubby, white onion on the ground!

"Onion Knight!" Maru’s eyes lit up, but she quickly covered her mouth, remembering that it seemed the Catalina Knight wasn’t too fond of the title "Onion."

Let’s just call him Jack Baldor instead. Sounds a bit long, so let’s go with Jack! Maru thought to herself.

At that moment, Jack Baldor was sitting cross-legged, asleep, and from behind, he looked even more like an onion. In front of him was what people dreamed of finding—a bonfire.

It wasn’t easy, but they finally found the bonfire.

They chose not to wake the Onion Knight. Leon, unable to wait, sat down beside the bonfire and immediately leveled up his power by one.

Finally relieved of his burden, he breathed a sigh of relief and took the time to observe his surroundings.

This should be a kitchen, with quite a bit of lively ambience. But why would a bonfire choose to appear here in the kitchen?

Because this bonfire was originally in the square when you first enter Yilushier.

However, after defeating Vonier and exiting, there was a bonfire in front of a big bridge; crossing the bridge into Yilushier, there was another bonfire, which made the two bonfires appear too abstract for such a short distance and seemed somewhat useless.

So, Gong Qiying sensibly moved the bonfire from the square to the kitchen, which also served as a connecting point. Heading out the back door of the kitchen, the east was the vast lake under the bridge, and the west was the road to the Yilushier Underground Prison. These two routes were part of the original game setting and didn’t need to be changed.

Neither of the two roads was a simple map, so placing a bonfire here was reasonable.

However...

"Having to defeat four Silver Knights to find this place is just too torturous," Leon complained.

Actually, he could have chosen to jump off the bridge and explore from the lake to here, but the lake had its own unique torments.

The waist-deep water in the lake caused a slow effect that was even more intense than at Fran Fort, and it was also conductive.

Maru deeply understood, then leveled up her agility by the bonfire, reaching level sixty.

"Thud!"

The noise caused by the Smough hammer dragged down by people finally woke up the Onion Knight.

"Uh... huh... huh?"

He raised his head blankly, with the sound of someone waking from a deep slumber, and met everyone’s gaze.

"Ah..."

Seeing Leon and the others, the Onion Knight made a friendly sound.

"It’s you all, I didn’t expect to meet here again, hahaha."

"Thanks to you all helping me find my armor, I can continue my journey. I, Jack Baldor of Catalina, thank you once again!"

The hearty laughter and small gestures made the Onion Knight particularly endearing.

His tone was like seeing long-lost friends, which felt strange for the adventurers, as they had met the Onion Knight just days ago at the Deep Church.

Is this the classic chaotic timeline of the Dungeon? Leon thought to himself, suddenly curious. If he hadn’t helped the Onion Knight at the Deep Church, would he still have met him here? If they met, what would he say? Would the residual shadows in the two areas affect each other?

If there’s time, let’s verify it later.

"Also, this is a small token from me, please don’t refuse."

The Onion Knight handed them a page containing the [Miracle: White Church Halo], which Leon didn’t touch but stored in his backpack to avoid accidentally learning this "magic."

[White Church Halo]

[Throws a halo that returns to the caster after tearing enemies]

[It is said that in the past, during the time when the gods had great influence, White Church miracles often accompanied by halos, people nostalgic for the past firmly believed those days would return someday]

Perhaps it could be given to Drew, as his attack methods are quite lacking.

"Thank you very much," Leon thanked earnestly, while Maru curiously asked the Onion Knight why he was here and how he fell asleep.

The bonfire crackled and burned, the natural white noise relaxing everyone involuntarily. Perhaps this is the purpose of the bonfire, a place for safe rest after a tough battle.

"I didn’t expect to fall asleep here, sometimes being too warm is not a good thing..." The Onion Knight looked a bit troubled, suddenly noticing the pot of soup on the stove and immediately said:

"Right, would you like to have a meal with me? Jack Baldor’s special Element Soup is just ready. It’s not bad for the Undead Man to occasionally emulate others, let us toast!"

"But we didn’t bring any wine," Maru said regretfully.

"I have some, I have some." The Onion Knight patted his chest, looking quite proud, and his enthusiasm was hard to refuse.

Before long, everyone was sitting around the bonfire, with the pot of Jack Baldor’s special Element Soup in the middle. Everyone had a bowl in front of them, and a small wooden barrel filled with "wine."

[Jack’s Wine]

[Crafted by Jack Baldor of Catalina, travel essentials filled in wooden barrel cups]

[Can restore life force and temporarily enhance resistance to cold]

[Logically speaking, the Undead Man shouldn’t be able to taste the beauty of wine. Jack Baldor must have put in quite some effort to make it possible. With an eternity ahead, even the Undead sometimes long for the companionship of fine wine and songs]

Drinking with residual shadows, it was truly a first-time experience for everyone.

Warm bonfire, steaming stew, the rich aroma of wine, and the camaraderie of warriors who braved numerous hardships to gather here.

Oddly enough, even though they hadn’t known each other for long, it felt like they were old friends. Perhaps it was the Onion Knight’s enthusiasm that made it feel that way?

In any case, the feeling wasn’t bad, and it was somewhat intoxicating.

"Boss, I suddenly feel like I’ve walked into a legend’s story, like a legendary hero from the Ancient Era." Maru whispered.

Seeing the Onion Knight raise his glass, Leon raised his high as well, saying to Maru:

"What if we become legends in the future?"

The Onion Knight’s enthusiastic voice rang out:

"Let’s toast to our reunion today!"

"May your courage, my sword, and each of our missions..."

"Be with the Sun!"

"Cheers!"

The sound of barrels clashing echoed as the wine inside splashed and spilled.

With the atmosphere as it was, even Maru, who never liked drinking, downed everything in one go.

"So spicy!"

The next second, her face turned bright red, and she couldn’t stop sticking out her tongue, exhaling heat even from her head.

It was like she had drunk a mouthful of magma!

"Hahaha—"

Everyone burst into laughter, the atmosphere reaching its peak. At this moment, the Onion Knight seemed nothing like a residual shadow but a living person.

Drinking naturally led to idle chatter, with everyone recounting their adventures. The Onion Knight shared his tales, such as defeating the Flame Demon with an Ash in the Undead Settlement or befriending a giant archer.

"By the way, did you see the painting in the center of the hall? That’s the legendary Sunshine Princess, Gwen Ivia, a beautiful goddess, right? She supposedly lived in Yanor Londo but has now vanished."

The Onion Knight couldn’t share more information, having only heard stories, so he changed the topic:

"I wonder if you’ve noticed that somewhere to the west of this city, there’s an ancient church rumored to hold the Dark Moon Oath. I’m not sure about the details, but if you’re interested, take a look. It’s said to be very safe, perhaps a shelter for the weak."

Shelter for the weak? Leon immediately thought of the little boy trapped in the house.

When Maru once again asked the Onion Knight why he came to Yilushier, he took a sip of wine, pondered for a while, and suddenly his tone turned serious:

"Do you know, somewhere in this town, there’s an underground prison deep within, beneath which slumbers the City of Sin, the hometown of the lonely Giant King, Youmu. I have some connection with him... Promises are always troubling."

Giant King Youmu? That’s right, the Ember King whose towering figure left a deep impression on Leon.

Yilushier was indeed a remarkable place, connected to two Ember Kings.

The Onion Knight fell into contemplation when mentioning promises, and as he fell silent, everyone else gradually grew quiet.

"Ah, sorry, the mood got a bit heavy."

He quickly snapped out of it and returned to his former tone, saying, "Alright, I’m going for a nap. It’s something I must do after a feast, haha."

Watching the Onion Knight fall asleep as fast as light, no one could react.

"Hey, hey?"

Maru tried to nudge him, but there was no response.

"I envy his sleep quality."

The middle-aged Drew couldn’t help but sigh.

"No worries, we’ll be heading back to sleep soon as well."

Leon chuckled, sorting through their spoils this time.

Maps of several streets in Yilushier, the request from the residual shadow of the little boy, scattered Monster equipment and items.

Precious rewards from three treasure chests, White Church Halo, soul of Dorpo, information about the City of Sin and the Dark Moon Oath.

And Jack’s wine; everyone received two cups. Having drunk one earlier, they decided to treasure the other.

It’s definitely not because the wine is too intense to drink, definitely not.

All in all, they’ve gained quite a lot on this trip. If another team received all these, they’d probably indulge in luxury for a month before getting back to work.

"Today marks a perfect end, and there’s not much time left. Let’s wait for the Dungeon to close."

Leon lay down by the bonfire, listening to the Onion Knight’s snores while looking at the grayish ceiling, suddenly pondering:

"How are other adventurers now, did anyone else enter Yilushier?"

"At first glance, this area seems quite challenging, but overcoming hardships brings strong fulfillment. I believe others will have a rewarding experience."

Indeed, there were others who came in.

But whether they found it rewarding, that’s uncertain.