Saga of the Two-World Emperor
Volume 1: A Spark in the Ashes
Chapter 18 – Beneath the Current
Slip!
In that split second, Adrian's entire world tilted on its axis. The touch of the slick, wet rock beneath his boot vanished abruptly. His frail body, already off-balance, pitched backward with a momentum he could not fight. The sight of the dark cave ceiling and the flickering lamplight spun wildly in his vision. The sound of the underground river roared in his ears, no longer a distant rumble but the deafening cry of a beast about to swallow him whole.
"Second Young Master!"
Garrick's panicked shout echoed from above, but it sounded impossibly far away.
A terrifying, weightless feeling seized his stomach as his body began its descent into the raging, churning water below…
JOLT!
His fall stopped with a violent, bone-jarring jerk. The rope tied around his waist went taut, digging painfully into his sides. The sharp pain from the rope's constriction was immense, but in that moment, it was the most welcome pain of his life.
He was alive.
"Pull! Pull with all your might!" Garrick's voice thundered from above, no longer just a guard but a commander in a crisis.
Adrian dangled precariously in mid-air, spinning slowly over the fearsome river. He looked down at the furious white-water rapids, capable of tearing anything to shreds. He then looked up, seeing the three bobbing lights of the lamps at the edge of the chasm, and the silhouettes of three men straining with all their might.
Garrick, Brock, and Corin were using every ounce of their strength, fighting against gravity and his dead weight. The muscles on their arms bulged, veins standing out under their dust-caked skin.
"Heave!" Brock roared, his boots scraping against the stone floor as he dug in his heels and pulled with ferocious effort.
Adrian did not panic or scream. On the contrary, his mind became colder and more focused than ever. He used these precious, terrifying seconds to scan his surroundings again, absorbing every detail.
And that's when he saw it again.
The faint blue light, dancing on the cave wall on the far side of the river. It shone with a mysterious, ethereal beauty amidst the oppressive darkness. It was the anomaly the System couldn't analyze… the greatest mystery in this world.
*I have to get to it…* The thought became an unshakeable conviction in his mind.
Being pulled up was a clumsy, brutal affair. His body swung back and forth, slamming against the rough, wet cave walls multiple times. The touch of sharp rock scraped against his clothes and skin, sending stinging pains through his body, but it was nothing compared to the burning determination in his heart.
Finally… Garrick's strong hand grabbed his arm, hauling his soaked and battered body onto the safety of solid ground.
"Cough… cough…" Adrian coughed up a bit of water, gasping for air. He lay on the ground, his body trembling from the cold and exhaustion.
"Are you alright, my lord!?" Brock and Corin rushed over, their faces still pale with shock.
Garrick knelt beside him, quickly checking his body for any serious injuries. Seeing only minor scrapes and bruises, he let out a sigh of relief. But then… he frowned in utter bewilderment.
This boy… after narrowly escaping death… had no trace of fear in his eyes. Instead, they were shining with a brilliant light… the light of excitement and profound discovery.
"I'm fine," Adrian said, his voice hoarse. He slowly pushed himself into a sitting position. "Thank you all for saving my life."
"It is my duty, my lord," Garrick replied, but his eyes remained fixed on Adrian, studying him intently.
"Did you see it?" Adrian asked, out of the blue.
"See what, my lord?" Garrick asked back.
"That blue light… on the other side of the river."
The two miner brothers looked at each other in confusion. They had been too panicked and focused on pulling the rope to notice anything else. But Garrick gave a slow nod.
"I saw it, my lord… What in the world was it?"
Adrian didn't answer immediately. He stood up unsteadily and walked back to the edge of the chasm. He looked down at the formidable underground river and the mysterious light in the distance.
"I think… I now understand why this mine is called the 'Rust Serpent Mine'," he said.
Everyone turned to look at him, their attention captured.
"This underground river… it is the 'Serpent' that sleeps beneath the mountain," he began. "Old Man Gram's legend was not entirely wrong… he just interpreted it incorrectly."
He pointed to the dark red layer of rock that was visibly cut off on the cave wall.
"That is the iron vein… the 'blood' of the mountain. And two years ago… this serpent 'awakened' and 'devoured' that vein entirely. That is why it vanished."
He deliberately used the metaphors from the legend to make his story more believable and awe-inspiring.
"But in devouring the old… it has revealed its true 'heart'," he said, pointing to the blue light on the other side. "That light… is what I will call 'Starlight Iron'… It is not a simple metal ore. It is a 'crystal' formed from the earth's energy, compressed over thousands of years. It is the true treasure of this mountain."
He turned back to face them, his eyes blazing with conviction.
"Do you understand? We are no longer digging for scraps of iron… We are about to dig for the 'heart of the serpent'!"
His powerful and confident words instantly changed the fearful atmosphere in the cave. Fear was replaced by excitement and hope. Even Borin, who was waiting above and heard the echoing words, could feel the power in the young man's voice.
"But… how do we get over there, my lord?" Brock asked. "That river is too wide and too strong."
"If we cannot cross it… then we must 'divert' it," Adrian replied.
He summoned the system window in his mind again.
"System… from the scanned geological data… find the weakest point in the cave wall where an explosion could divert the water's course."
[Calculating… A small, empty cavern has been detected northeast of the current position. If the intervening rock wall can be breached… there is a 78% probability of successfully diverting a portion of the river's flow into that cavern.]
*78%… high enough to bet on.*
He turned to Garrick.
"Sir Garrick… I need you to return to the capital as soon as possible."
"For what purpose, my lord?"
"To report this discovery to Lord Cornelius… and to bring me something," Adrian said. "I need 'Thunder Powder'… as much as you can possibly acquire."
"Thunder Powder!?" Garrick's eyes widened. "That's the explosive powder used by the military! Acquiring it requires authorization from the highest levels!"
"That is why I need *you* to go," Adrian replied. "You are a captain of the guard. You have connections and know the ways. Tell Lord Cornelius… that this is a necessary 'investment cost' for accessing a treasure beyond measure."
He had played his riskiest card yet… a card that would decide everything.
Garrick looked at him with a complex expression. He was torn between his "duty" to watch this boy… and the immense "opportunity" that lay before him.
Finally… he gave a firm, decisive nod.
"I will try… my lord."
The journey to the abandoned mine had ended… but the journey to conquer the "serpent's heart"… had only just begun.
(End of Chapter 18)