Chapter 102: Caution and Awe
Ultimately, Sunan chose to leave quietly. Although he was tempted to investigate the island, he had just been through an intense battle, his mental reserves were depleted, and he only had seven high-level rune gems left—hardly his peak condition.
To play it safe, he decided to return and prepare thoroughly before conducting further exploration.
Back in Shimmering City, Sunan headed straight to the lord's manor. Key had been waiting in the council chamber ever since he learned Sunan had gone to the cave. Seeing Sunan return unharmed, he let out a huge sigh of relief.
He eagerly asked, "Is it resolved?"
"It's resolved," Sunan nodded. But before Key could celebrate, Sunan added, "However, I discovered something new."
Key paused, "What is it?"
Sunan gave a brief account of the underground city-state he had discovered. Hearing this, Key was utterly stunned. He had thought having a monster comparable to a third-circle legendary knight near Shimmering City was bad enough. But now that the monster was dealt with, an underground city-state had emerged.
The threat posed by the latter was undoubtedly greater than that of the Hundred-Armed Monster. Key began to regret having designated Shimmering City as the provincial center. Had he known there was an entrance to the Underground World nearby, he would have stayed as far away as possible.
"If I'm correct, the Hundred-Armed Monster may have had dealings with that city-state," Sunan recalled what he had overheard the kobolds saying. They mined to exchange ore for food to sustain the monster. In the cave, the only possible trading partners were the people of the underground city-state.
"The inhabitants of that city-state are likely aware that the cave connects to the surface. Since they haven't invaded the surface all this time, they probably don't plan to do so anytime soon," Sunan reassured Key.
Of course, it was also possible that the monster had been blocking the passage, preventing the city-state's inhabitants from passing through. If so, it would be even simpler, indicating that the city-state's power couldn't even suppress the monster, reducing the threat they posed.