Chapter 549

Chapter 549: The Dark Tomb

Stepping through the gates of Maraudon, Jesse realized they had reached the deepest part of the Valley of the Spears, and in entering this place, they still held some contempt for this Centaur’s holy land.

Perhaps because the Centaur did not seem very smart, or maybe because the buildings here, although grand and eerie, looked shabby compared to human and dwarf structures, after all, Jesse was from Lordaeron.

Of course, it was mainly because of experiences from past lives…

Maraudon, as a dungeon, is not easy, but in older versions, skilled mages could use the terrain to pull creatures and help low-level characters level up, turning this remote and strange underground realm into a bustling marketplace for leveling up.

Jesse also tried to use his small mage to level up, though he could level up, it wasn’t enough to make money from it, and he didn’t have the patience for it.

As they went deeper, those messy memories became more and more distorted.

Jesse stared at the dark passage, with burning braziers on both sides and tall Centaur statues on the walls. He couldn’t help but become serious, unable to connect memories to reality anymore.

After all, this is the source of the weakened and dying of the entire Mashan’she region. Princess Theradras, deep in Maraudon, became a famous joke in the World of Warcraft community because of her curiosity.

But here, she is the only daughter of the Earth Mother, Silithus, a true elemental lord who can determine the life and death of the entire plain. No matter what, Jesse didn’t want this demon-tracking journey to inexplicably provoke her.

Following the Centaur guards deeper into the darkness, souls… like an invisible symphony becoming more and more apparent, striking his consciousness and heart.

"It’s bigger here than I thought."

Greed said a word, his voice echoing back and forth in the deep cave. The nearby Centaurs looked over, some of them Jesse thought were statues in the shadows, actually moving their heads.

Many Centaur warriors lived in the Holy Sepulcher, most of them dressed more gorgeously and beautifully than the ones outside. Jesse noticed that in the Centaur tribe, the more beautiful, strong, and plump they were, the higher their status tended to be. It was natural that the Centaurs guarding this sacred ground stood out.

Greed looked at them, swallowed, and continued, "Even though I’ve heard you and Mosa talk about what it might look like in here before, but… this place reminds me of Ironforge. If a Bronzebeard Dwarf hears me say Ironforge like this, they’ll definitely want to hit me again."

Jesse didn’t respond to him, as the depths of Maraudon were much larger compared to the palaces built by the Centaur outside. Soon, Greed would also see it, as the guards led everyone to the depths of the palace. The walls next to them gradually lost the traces of artificial construction, some tree roots extended down from above, and the floor tiles were missing pieces, no longer as smooth as when they first entered.

After turning a corner, passing through a stone-made gate led them to a wide cave.

Ahead was a dark trench, Jesse glanced down and saw at the bottom a shallow pool, with some indistinct wild beasts inside, perhaps frogs, lizards, or some other strange creatures.

And on the other side of the trench was a natural cavern that had hardly been altered by the Centaur, filled with brilliant clusters of purple crystals.

The Centaur said something, pointing over there, then turned and left, entering a stone gate, seemingly ending the guidance to this point.

Jesse tried to reconstruct the map memories from the game in his mind. He could feel some familiar locations, corners, but to say how accurate…

"Where do we go now?" Greed said, "This place is a mess."

Vereesa glanced at the cluster of crystals and said, "Everything in this place makes me feel like it’s hostile towards us – plants, water… even these rocks and dirt, all unwelcoming."

"Luckily, everything here doesn’t seem to welcome me. The elements here might even be yelling for me to leave!" Saenor said, "That means the demons lurking here don’t have any environmental advantage over us!"

"I hope so," Vereesa said, "But these demons have been here for a long time. They must have their own way of surviving, otherwise the Centaur here wouldn’t be powerless against them."

"I think the Centaur dare not enter Maraudon, not because they lack the strength to do so, but because they are afraid to," Jesse said, "Do you remember the legend of Maraudon, about the ancestors of Centaur under Mashan’she?"

"The Earth Element Princess expelled the Centaur from this place, right?" Greed sighed, "These fools actually abide by this so-called ancient agreement, after all, their souls are indeed threatened by those demons."

"Let’s first go check near those purple crystal clusters," Vereesa said, "The magic inside those crystals might guide us to find clues on this dagger."

"I bet that Goblin Collector’s mage hasn’t been here before," Greed said excitedly, "So every step we take… could potentially bring us closer to uncovering more clues about that Highborne as requested by the Reliquary. Just thinking about it gets me thrilled."

"Be careful, Greed, remember we are facing demons here," Jesse reminded.

"I’ve dealt with demons before, haven’t I, Jesse?"

Greed chuckled, and Jesse knew he was once again showing off his accomplishments at the Dark Portal, but the demons here were completely different from the ones at the Dark Portal.

There are many demons hiding in Maraudon, not just one. They are a group of Satyrs who are skilled at hiding in the shadows. They are likely much stronger than the half-elf Satyr Jesse encountered in Stormwind before.

The leader of the Satyrs in Maraudon, Vyletongue, may have once been a Night Elf or even a Highborne. If he was a Highborne, it means he has been hiding in Kalimdor for thousands or even tens of thousands of years.

Vereesa’s lips moved slightly as she closed her eyes and silently recited a spell. When she opened her eyes, the arcane light in them had significantly brightened.

She took out the mysterious Eldre’Thalas dagger, held it through a magical cloth in her hand, and carefully examined the cave in front of her, saying, "The source of the magical traces is indeed in Maraudon, but the resonance I feel here is quite faint, we need to get closer."