After the riot, nearly half of the underground caves deep in the treacherous mountain range collapsed.
Heavy boulders piled up together in large chunks, and the gaps between them were nearly filled with sand and gravel.
With the death of the "Fissure of Ecstasy," the blue nerves that filled the underground cave lost all vitality and light.
As a result, the cave became dark.
Only the makeshift campfire and the torches held by the group still emitted faint, yellowish light.
Ging, Morel, and Shizuku each held a torch, carefully making their way through the shadows of the cave, moving cautiously.
They didn't want to make any large movements that could trigger a second collapse, nor did they want to move too quickly and miss what they were searching for.
The three were looking for the "Unmanned Rock".
Actually, the "Unmanned Rock" was relatively easy to find.
They were mostly produced by the "Tongue of Theft" in small lakes.
When they found a nearby water spot, the "Unmanned Rock" would typically be in the vicinity.
Of course, this wasn't always the case.
After all, the recent battle and the cave's collapse had caused chaos in the area.
Morel's "Smoke Rabbit" proved extremely effective in such a narrow and dim environment.
Their bodies were flexible and adaptable, easily slipping into small holes without effort, and they were numerous.
As a result, Morel was the one who found the most "Unmanned Rock" among the three.
Once they found an "Unmanned Rock," they would hand it over to Shizuku, who would then use the "Blinky" to swallow each one.
Germain sat cross-legged by the campfire, receiving treatment from "Miss Cookie's Piano Massage."
Due to "Vows and Limitations," the "Pressure Relief Treatment" could not directly remove the "Dark Crown" from Germain's head at this time.
He would still need to wait for about an hour, but at least "Piano Massage" could make him feel much better.
After returning to her petite girl form, Bisky stood with her hands on her hips, chatting away.
Her words were all about this journey through the "Steep Mountain Range."
You could tell she had relaxed a lot; otherwise, she wouldn't be in the mood to talk about these things.
"Luckily, you were here. Otherwise, how would we have dealt with those two 'Champion-level Mutants'...?"
"No, no, no. I should say, without you, this journey wouldn't even have started in the first place…"
"The 'Unmanned Rock'... if we develop and use it well, it'll be one of the most important resources in the human world's future."
"Germain, we've done something great again!"
The excitement from defeating "The Fissure of Ecstasy" and "The Tongue of Theft," the anticipation of collecting the "Unmanned Rock," and the joy of soon leaving the "Steep Mountain Range" all burst out at once.
The happiness in Ging, Morel, and Shizuku's hearts was no less than the joy Bisky was feeling at this moment.
Germain, while half-heartedly responding to Bisky's endless chatter, was rubbing a blue sapphire ring on his left-hand index finger.
This was one of the "gifts" from defeating "The Fissure of Ecstasy"—the "Ring of Thunder."
Another "gift," of course, was the "Teleporting Lantern."
"Ring of Thunder": It can convert "Nen" into lightning and release it.
This was clearly an item designed to work in tandem with the "Thunder Warhammer."
The "Ring of Thunder" releases lightning, while the "Thunder Hammer" can guide and amplify the lightning.
In fact, with proper control, the "Ring of Thunder" could work alongside any of Germain's conjured weapons.
But as for how to develop and use it in the future, that's something for later.
About half an hour later, Ging, Morel, and Shizuku returned to the campfire, holding torches high.
"Where's the 'Unmanned Rock'?" Bisky asked curiously. "How many did you collect?"
"It's with me." Shizuku placed the last 'Unmanned Rock' into Bisky's hand, one that she had specifically kept. "There are 117 of them."
The counting part was something Bisky had told Shizuku to do before they went to collect the 'Unmanned Rocks.'
Otherwise, with Shizuku's personality, she likely wouldn't have counted them at all, just letting the 'Blinky' swallow them.
"We searched carefully several times." Shizuku added, "This is all we found. Some might have been broken or buried underground."
She said this, but didn't seem too bothered.
She just crouched next to Germain like a child, her voice so calm that it was hard to imagine she and Germain had any special relationship.
"Are you feeling better?"
"A lot better." Germain didn't try to act tough. After enjoying the 'Piano Massage,' he truly felt relaxed.
Even though he had the 'Negative Trait - Thinker,' which slightly reduced the 'decompression effect' from the treatment, as long as the treatment continued, the reduction would soon be undone.
"That's good."
Shizuku nodded, trusting Germain's words.
She wasn't completely innocent, but she didn't feel Germain would deceive her.
Bisky, meanwhile, was holding the small blue stone the size of a glass bead, watching it in the flickering firelight, looking somewhat disappointed.
"Maybe in terms of practical value, the 'Unmanned Rock' is a rare treasure. But in terms of quality and beauty, it doesn't make my 'gemstone ranking.'"
She handed the "Unmanned Rock" to Germain.
"Have I fallen too? Is it because I've gained three types of 'hope' that my standards have risen?"
Germain also examined the "Unmanned Rock" in his hands.
He had to admit, it wasn't exactly beautiful, but the energy contained within the stone was powerful enough to overshadow any imperfections.
Then, Morel spoke up, voicing his concerns.
"If this is an egg born from the union of 'The Fissure of Ecstasy' and 'The Tongue of Theft,' will we accidentally hatch it?"
"If it hatches into 'The Human-Keeping Beast Pap,' it might actually be harder to use the electric currents it releases."
"Probably not," Ging said, pointing to the underground cave. "The egg was laid here for two reasons: one, to keep it protected, and two, to facilitate its hatching."
"The environment here is dark and damp, with cold stones everywhere, and the 'nerves' that carry the electric currents..."
"Everything here is likely needed to give the egg a chance to hatch."
"Otherwise, considering how many eggs 'The Tongue of Theft' can lay at once, if all of them hatched, the entire 'Steep Mountain Range' would probably be filled with 'The Human-Keeping Beast Pap' by now."
"We just need to be careful not to create the right hatching environment for the 'Unmanned Rock.' Simply placing it in water should be fine."
Ging's reasoning made sense, and everyone nodded in agreement.
Germain returned the last "Unmanned Rock" to Shizuku, who had the "Blinky" swallow it.
The group rested for over half an hour by the campfire.
When the "Dark Crown" above Germain's head disappeared and the "Contempt Armor" fell off, they put out the fire and prepared to leave.
Before leaving the underground cave, Germain turned around and took one last look at the ruins.
Unless something unexpected happens, both the "Fissure of Ecstasy" and the "Tongue of Theft" can continuously regenerate as long as the conditions are met.
Once they regenerate, all the anomalies of the "Steep Mountain Range" will return to their original state.
However, this is not something the "Exploration Team" should worry about.
They returned along the same path, and their main concern was the creatures that might get in their way.
Surprisingly, unlike their journey in, the way back from the underground cave to the mountaintop entrance was smooth sailing, with hardly any obstacles.
They didn't encounter a single "Human-Keeping Beast Papu."
It's very likely that the moment the "Fissure of Ecstasy" and the "Tongue of Theft" collapsed, these creatures sensed it and fled, hiding somewhere else.
What remained were only those underground monsters, now sluggish and groggy from the loss of the "Deadly Ecstasy" stimulation.
Most monsters, after losing the "Deadly Ecstasy," regained some of their sanity. They could sense danger and avoided the terrifying invaders, not coming after them anymore.
But there were a rare few who were still berserk. Losing their joy was like losing everything, and they attacked anything and everything around them, living or dead, without hesitation.
The "Exploration Team" merely passed through, yet they were still attacked by these wild creatures.
But their rage was pointless.
The dried-up limbs had already weakened them, and besides, they were facing the "Exploration Team," who had already defeated the two major leaders of the "Steep Mountain Range."
The monsters were dealt with, and the path ahead was clear.
********
Support me on my patreon and read upto 30 early chapters.
https://www.patreon.com/Unique_Writer