??<strong>EXPLORING THE UNDERWORLD </strong>
The underworld is also known as the Underdark.<strong><mark>1</mark></strong>
In the inheritance of the World Tree that Evé had obtained, there isn’t much information regarding the underworld. The only knowledge she has about it is limited to the fact that its history is as long, if not even longer, than the history of civilization on the surface world.
It is said that in the early eras, several ancient gods who had been defeated in the Genesis Era had decided to delved deep underground and opened up Underdark.
However, within the passage of time, these Old Ancient Ones fell one after another or devolved into evil gods, and the underworld gradually became inhabited by sentient beings who migrated from the surface world, which carried along with them their beliefs in the newly emerging deities who attained godhood through faith.
Unlike the surface world wherein kingdoms and social order have been established and overall wars have greatly diminished, chaos and bloodshed reign within the underworld instead.
War, conquest, decadence, and copse form a neverending cycle within thends of Underdark.
There are no established nations here, only rudimentary settlements formed by different races or underground cities centered around a powerful individuals.
The sentient beings here are typically more ferocious than thosepared on the surface, and due to the presence of evil gods lurking within Underdark, even spreading the faith of the surface gods proved quite challenging as well.
Thus for tens of thousands of years, the only ce where true gods have been able to establish themselves sessfully is within the underworld, which has a functioning dimensional passage.
However, the Underdark has such limited space that only a few select gods have managed to achieve such feats.
After the Heavenly War a millenia ago, after most of the dimensional passages around the mortal realm were closed, it became even more challenging for the true gods to propagate their beliefs.
Due to limited exploration andmunication with the inhabitants of the underworld, Underdark gradually became nothing more than mere stuffs of legends for the sentient races residing on the surface. Even the long-lived elven elders of the Rageze n, with their thousand years of experience, possess limited knowledge about the underworld.
The only thing they know about Underdark was that this ce isposed of giant intricate caverns with rivers, andkes underground. The sole source of light emanates from fluorescent stones, casting a faint glow that barely illuminates the surroundings. Additionally, the underworld is adorned with an extensive underground water system that connects its isted regions together.
Generally speaking, ording to the understanding of the sentient races residing on the surface, the underworld represents mystery, wilderness, and chaos…
For adventurers who had somehow managed to survive and escape the hellish realm of Underdark, simply entering and returning with tales of the experiences they have is already an aplishment worth documenting.
As for Evé, it was only after further in-depthmunication with Rose, the Queen of Spiders, that she finally gained aprehensive understanding of the underworld.
Rose exined to her that the underground beneath Rivendell can only be considered a remote area of Underdark.
It consists of a massive cave known as the Profound Cavern, and the primary sentient beings that inhabit such area are the dark dwarves who migrated only a few centuries ago. Furthermore, the underworld is home to a plethora of monsters and creatures, adding to its diverse ecosystem…
Upon acquiring a more deeper understanding of such mysterious ce, Eve’s interest in the underworld grew even stronger.
Currently, there are no immediate threats within the vicinity of the Elven Forest and while the monsters in the northern part of the forest may pose a significant challenge for the yers, these enemies are far too powerful to be dealt with by the yers at their current level.
However, what is the point of constantly dealing with monsters only within the boundaries of the Elven Forest?
Considering the yers’ rtively short attention span, it would be good for them to experience a change of pace and venture outside the forest forbat once in a while!
In any case, Evé must continue training the yers further before the impending counterattack by Uller, the god of winter and hunting. Therefore, the underworld is an excellent choice for this purpose.
After all, it’s a chaotic ce teeming with brutal inhabitants, wherein yers can have all the fun they need much to their heart’s content.
However, in order to prevent idents happening during their exploration and to avoid conflicts with the followers of the death goddess H, Evé promptly organized some information obtained from the Spider Queen and uploaded it to the information section in the official forum.
After all, provoking Uller, who possesses a low level of divinity, is already enough for her. When ites to H, who possesses moderate divinity, Evé still feels apprehensive and somewhat guilty since she’s been using her as a smokescreen without her direct consent.
Regardless, to further ignite the enthusiasm of the yers, Evé has added achievements rted to exploring the underworld.
The achievement system was officially activated when the yers sessfully built the Chosen City, and the earliest recorded achievement was the construction of Novice Vige. The names of the first three hundred beta-testers, inscribed on a stone monument in the central square, can still be found listed in the “Main City Construction” section of the achievement system.
In any subsequent quests in the future, individuals who make significant contributions to thepletion of major tasks will also receive relevant achievements, and their aplishments will be recorded in the achievement section of the system.
For instance, yers like the life-oriented guild members of Moe Moe’s Life-Department who havepleted the “Crop nting” sidequest have also received corresponding achievements. Their nicknames and aplishments have been listed in the achievement section, and they have even been granted the exclusive title of “Crop nting Master.”
Naturally, exploring the underworld also involves earning simr achievements.
Currently, the guild “First Legion,” renowned for their pioneering spirit in exploration much like Boxlunch’s team, have mobilized all of their guild’s resources to embark upon an expedition into this uncharted territory.
They aspire to be the first sessful exploration team of the underworld!
While these yers were curiously exploring the underworld, Evé also tapped into their perspective, as she silently admires the customs and culture of the underworld.
The entrance to the underworld in Rivendell who was once been guarded by a giant crypt spider is actually just a mere passageway. To gain official entry into the underworld, the yers must proceed deeper along the passageway.
The First Legion’s exploration team descended further, walking for about three kilometers before finally reaching the real underworld.
Having already experienced the breathtaking natural beauty and grandeur of the Elven Forest and the extraordinary wonders and vicissitudes of Rivendell, they found themselves once more amazed by the captivating sight that unfolded right before their eyes…
It was a massive cavern, with no end in sight.
Atop the cavern walls, lies numerous fluorescent stones embedded within the rocks, that emits a subtle blue glow. They provide the only source of illumination within the dark underworld, akin to the stars in the sky, showcasing their stunning beauty and magnificence.
Also around the cave are several hills, valleys and underground rivers featuring a diverse and rugged rocky terrain shaped by intricate geological formations.
The area closest to the yers is an underground forestposed of unknown dark purple giant ferns.
The towering ferns within this area are also bioluminescent, emitting a subtle purple glow. Their graceful forms sway gently in the cave’s breeze, causing the light to flicker ever so softly and crafting an enchanting, dreamlike ambiance.
It was such a wonderful ce…that is, if one can ignore the asional roars of monstersing from a distance.
“Wow, I thought the underworld was just a barren wastnd, but it’s really a whole new alien-like world! Heck, there’s even a glowing forest here! It has its ownplete ecosystem! These underground nts look so cool!” eximed one excited yer while looking at thendscape of the underworld.
“Yeah! These ferns look really beautiful. Let’s see if we can dig up some and nt them on the surfaceter,” another yer agreed.
“Be careful though. The official website mentioned not to underestimate any creatures in the underworld. This new map is filled with chaotic and unknown beings. The surviving species here are not to be trifled with,” warned Tomato <mark>2</mark>, the guildmaster of “First Legion.”
“Also, pay close attention to any creature that looks like dwarves. ording to the post on the official website, these dark dwarves seem to be followers of the Grim Reaper and are the big shots in this area. They have the potential to be neutral or even friendly NPCs. Try not to provoke them if possible, or we’ll be wiped out in no time,” Tomato added.
In contrast to his previous behavior, he now exhibited a significantly higher level of obedience after an incident that led to his username turning red due to engaging in inappropriate conduct.
Because subsequent simr events proved that Elven Kingdom’s judgement mechanism’s evaluation is quite severe.
At that time, he considered himself fortunate as the punishment he received only resulted in a minor loss of contribution points.
Following the saying, “The world is vast; it is home to various kinds of birds,” there were other yers like him who dared to challenge the rules of the game. However, they too encountered different levels of punishment as a result.
Moreover, as yers further leveled up, the severity of punishments imposed by the judgement system also increased exponentially.
There once was a high-level yer who engaged in a conflict with another yer following a field battle and despite the system’s warnings, he still proceeded to kill the other yer. As a result, the game’s administrator promptly announced a three-day ban on his ount, and the penalty imposed nearly bankrupted all his umted wealth.
Converting these three days into in-game time would result in a duration of twelve days, providing ample opportunity to aplish a multitude of tasks.
Some yers didn’t hold back in venting their frustrations about this severe punishment on the official forum.
Many people thought, “Isn’t it just killing someone? Is it really necessary to be so strict? It’s just a game…”
Of course, no game administrator bothered to respond. Instead, they simply adopted an attitude of “If you want to y, then y; if not, then go away.”
There are so manyizens waiting for the public beta online, and Evé doesn’t reallyck one or two people. If she really need to permaban3 people, or if someone quits the game, then she can just always invite a new batch of yers.
What she need are obedientckeys, not troublemakers. At its core, the existence of the game Elven Kingdom is only meant to motivate yers to work hard, not to make money or let the yers have a great time…
And in the end, the yers can only utter “true fragrance”<strong><mark>?</mark></strong> once again…
<em>After all, Elven Kingdom is truly a unique game, isn’t it?</em>
The game officials are being willful, given these circumstances…
Over time, the yers have gradually epted it. While Elven Kingdom boasts a high degree of realism, it does not actually grant the yers unrestricted freedom. Those who engage in inappropriate behavior must be prepared to face severe consequences, potentially including the deletion of their ounts.
Just like the indiscriminate killing of chickens at the gates of Riverwood in the ssic game Skyrim, veteran yers would not dare push the game’s moral limits… except for those seeking the thrill of bing an enemy of the world.<mark>?</mark>
Of course, if there are yers who really dare to act recklessly and disregard the game rules, then Evé will warn them in advance why the flowers are so red.<mark>?</mark>
After listening to the reminder from Tomato, the other members of team also nodded.
And soon, they witnessed a horrifying scene.
They witnessed a small creature resembling a mouse abruptly darting out from the side of the rocky path, only to identally tumble into the adjacent forest.
The beautiful fern nts then immediately extended their shimmering light purple “tentacles” and entangled it.
After a brief struggle, the small creature finally ceased its movements and then swiftly transformed into a viscous liquid, whilst being rapidly absorbed by the bioluminescent fern nts.
The yers: “…..”
“Oh my god!”
“Oh my god!!”
“As expected…b-beautiful things always have thorns…”
Tomato’s face hardened after seeing such disturbing sight. He then pondered for a moment and said:
“Let’s bypass this forest and go deeper to see if we can find any trace of the underground creatures.”
After saying that, he then led his team into the other side of the rocky path.
That was the very spot where the mouse-like creature had darted out from. If there was a living being there, it was likely an indication that the path ahead was indeed navigable.
However, after taking a few steps, he couldn’t help but turn around and look around.
For some inexplicable reason, ever since he stepped foot into this underground cave, he had a constant sensation of being watched, yet despite scanning his surroundings, he still couldn’t discern anything or anyone watching him.
“Could it be just an illusion?”
He shook his head and continued leading his team forward…
1 (<strong><mark>幽暗地域</mark></strong>) – The Underdark is a fictional setting which has appeared in Dungeons & Dragons role-ying campaigns and Dungeons & Dragons-based fiction books, including the Legend of Drizzt series by R. A. Salvatore. It is described as a vast subterraneanwork of interconnected caverns and tunnels, stretching beneath entire continents and forming an underworld for surface settings. Polygon called it “one of D&D’s most well-known realms”.
2 (<strong><mark>西红柿炒番茄</mark></strong>) – The exact trantion of his name is Tomato Stir-fry Tomato/Xīhóngshì chǎo fānqié but err, writing it as such would be quite tedious so I’ll just shorten it as Tomato instead for more ease of writing/reading.
3 <strong><mark>Permaban</mark></strong> – (Inte ng) A permanent ban on a user.
? <strong><mark>True Fragrance</mark></strong> – a chinese buzzword which generally refers to a situation where a person originally made up his mind not to go or do something, but finally took the initiative to do the opposite.
? <strong><mark>Why is it such a crime to kill chickens in Skyrim?</mark></strong> TLDR – In Riverwood it’smon for npcs to take up arms against the yer if youmit almost any crime because they don’t have proper guards.
? (<strong><mark>花儿为什么这样红</mark></strong>) – Why the flowers are so red from my research appears to be a chinese inte ng that means to threaten someone.