Chapter 691 The Purple Worm Tunnels


    Ren furrowed his brow, struggling to wrap his head around the situation. "So, you mean to say you''ve managed to survive on minimal food for a century?"


    Nori nodded, her mouth full as she chewed on another piece of meat. "Yep, that''s the gist of it."


    Elena couldn''t hide her confusion. "Hold on a minute. If you can survive for a hundred years with so little food, why is there even a food crisis here?"


    Nori took arge bite, choking slightly on the meat. Without missing a beat, Princess Lori smacked her firmly on the back, causing Nori to cough up the chunk of meat.


    Unfazed, Nori continued eating, her voice muffled by the food in her mouth. "Surviving isn''t the same as living. Yes, we can scrape by, but it doesn''t mean we won''t die. Our vige has been dwindling away. Children and leaders are dying every day. We''re running out of food, and water has be a raremodity."


    Evie and Ren shared a quick nce, both surprised at the unexpected information.


    "They seemed more human, except for the lifespan," Evie mused, voicing her thoughts.


    Ren nodded in agreement, his expression a mask.


    Then after a few moment, Nori''s eyes widened in realization. "That''s right! We need to leave now!"


    She hastily wiped her mouth and sprang to her feet, devouring thest piece of meat in her hand. "If the soldiers catch us here, we''re as good as dead. They''ll report us to Voraxa for sure!"


    Princess Lori let out an exasperated sigh and ced her hand on her tilted hip. "Who exactly is this Voraxa anyway?"


    "No time for exnations," Nori said urgently, already moving ahead as fast as her nimble legs could carry her. "I''ll fill you in once we''re back safe in the vige!"


    Ren frowned, questioning, "How far is this vige of yours, exactly?"


    "Not far!" Nori called back over her shoulder. "Just a day''s run if we''re quick!"


    Ren and the others exchanged a weary sigh.


    If that wasn''t far, then they didn''t know what far was.


    "A day''s run? That''s quite a distance," Elena protested, summoning her giant lizardpanion, Tiki.


    "Woah, a giant lizard," Evie marvelled at the impressive creature.


    Ren and Princess Lori had already seen Elena''s pets, so they weren''t as surprised.


    "There''s no way I''m running that far. Let''s go," Elena dered, hopping onto Tiki''s back, followed by the rest of the group.


    They chased after Nori, who was sprinting nonstop. When she nced back and spotted the enormous lizard closing in, her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.


    Before she could scream, Tiki''s tongue snaked out, coiling around Nori and then casually tossed her onto its back.


    "AaAaarRgH!"


    Norinded with a thud, dazed and trembling in fear. It felt as if her soul had momentarily deserted her body due to the shock.


    "Are you okay?" Elena asked concern etched on her face, while Evie poked Nori to check if she was still breathing.


    Nori shook her head, her eyes sparkling with realization. "Is this your pet?"


    "That''s right," Elena replied.


    "Whoa, having pets in thesends is incredibly rare. They''re either strong demons or owned by nobles," Nori exined. Then, a thought struck her. "Come to think of it, you killed the Giant Purple Worm with just one shot."


    "You''re only noticing that now?" Ren said, barely suppressing a sigh.


    "I was so shocked that the Giant Purple Worm died, but . . ." Nori''s eyes widened with realization, her eyes sparkling at Ren and the others. "You guys are strong. Who are you?"


    Ren and the others exchanged nces before Ren answered, "We''re just adventurers with a mission here."


    Nori tilted her head. "What kind of mission?"


    "It''s a secret," Elena teased, winking and putting her fore finger in front of her lips.


    "Look, what''s that?" Evie interjected, pointing at a strange,rge tunnel stretching across the horizon in the distance that seemed like a hole towards the surface, with a beam of light passing through it.


    "Ah, that''s an Air Passage," Nori exined.


    "An Air Passage?" the group inquired.


    "To be precise, it''s a Purple Worm Tunnel," she rified.


    Princess Lori pondered for a moment. "The name sounds familiar."


    "It''s the same worm that you killed," Nori deadpan.


    "Why is it called that?" Ren asked, intrigued.


    "To exin that, I have to give you a bit of background about this ce," Nori cleared her throat and began, "Air is a fundamental necessity wherever you go. It''s not a foreign concept, even here. Since this is the underworld,munities here can only survive with constant ess to enough breathable air.


    "It''s not just a resource to be consumed; it must also be replenished. The intricacies of air cycles might not concern passing adventurers like yourselves since it''s abundant in the surface, but it''s crucial to a city''s organization and essential infrastructure here.


    "Aeration techniques vary, each with its own set of challenges and potential risks. These methods include relying on the venttion of purple worm tunnels, constructing dedicated shafts, settling near maelossas and adjoining oases, building water-breaking nts using the abyssal duergar''s sciencraft, creatingplex magical structures, managing a cankerous nest that must be kept under control, and establishing an ecosystem between the nt life of ckwater and the fiery exhtions of the ocean floor."


    Ren and the others exchanged puzzled nces.


    "You lost me at the ''Aeration'' part, or whatever it is," Princess Lori admitted, her brow furrowed in confusion.


    "Let me get this straight," Elena said, crossing her arms. "Are you saying that these worms produce air?"


    Nori shook her head. "Historically, purple worm tunnels were the first source of air in the Netherworld. ording to legends, these colossal beastsid their eggs in the dune regions of the Sand Kingdoms before burrowing into the earth and rocks. The worms left behind new tunnels with remarkably stable walls, which became one of the sources of air in the Netherworld."


    "So, you''re telling us that the worm is originally from the surface? It just stumbled down here?" Evie asked incredulously.


    Nori nodded in affirmation. "That''s right. There are plenty of surface dwellers who fell through that tunnel and ended up right here in the Netherworld because of that."