Chapter 面对 面对

Facing the metal instructor's questioning, Kabataba said impatiently:

"If I succeed in running for Minister of Magic, I will definitely fire you guys! Let me tell you, I have neither formed cliques nor joined the Death Eaters. In the cellar below, there is nothing but rats, cobwebs, and dust! A group of people just came and messed up my place. Now you guys want to continue disturbing my research!"

"Shut up, I have reason to believe you are stalling for time," the metal instructor said coldly. "We detected the aura of Death Eaters in the fireplace in your cellar. The Ministry has ample reason to suspect you are engaging in illicit activities. We will go in and use Floo Powder to try to study the specific direction of your fireplace. If there are any problems, then wait for Azkaban."

"Damn it! You damned..." The old man began to yell, "Don't threaten me with Azkaban, alright, alright, you can stay in the cellar as long as you want, but the important thing is that you must not wrong me." The metal instructor led a group of people into the cellar of this house. The core object here was a huge pot. Although there were no flames underneath, the pot contained a black slurry emitting a strange smell, slowly bubbling. Next to it were scattered piles of toads and the like. It could be estimated that it was inseparable from the Dark Arts. The metal instructor didn't even look at the pot, but walked to the fireplace at the end of the basement. A certain contractor very considerately took out Floo Powder and handed it over. The metal instructor slapped him away, then observed the top of the fireplace, where a painting was hanging, covered in dust, but with a few clear fingerprints left behind.

Obviously, as the painting was moved away, the fireplace rumbled and moved to the side, revealing a deep downward passage. Because this place had obviously been preempted by the Banks gang, there was no need to worry too much about mechanisms or anything. The metal instructor strode in, taking the lead, appearing very impatient. After the others entered, the fireplace returned to its original state.

This passage looked narrow and dark, but the further down they went, the wider it became, and the walls beside them emitted a faint light, which, although making the surroundings look gloomy, also provided a considerable lighting effect. The underground was somewhat damp, and lush gray-green moss could be seen everywhere. However, the air did not have the expected fishy odor and pollution, but instead seemed somewhat fresh. If you paid close attention, you could feel a light breeze brushing your cheeks. If you were quite familiar with cave exploration, then you should know that the space below was quite large. Suddenly, Deke, holding a longbow, issued a warning signal:

"Be careful, I smell blood!"

Everyone stopped at the same time, especially the two contractors who had been directly buried alive at the beginning, who very simply dodged backward. The metal instructor and Nu seemed to know that Finlay's words before his death had quite an impact on morale, so the two of them walked in front. The terrifying armored Stegosaurus was withdrawn, and a gray wolf summoned by Phil was scouting the way in the front.

Fang Senyan only learned when he was chatting with Phil that contractors with summoning abilities weren't all that glamorous these days. The most typical thing was that you had to tame a certain creature first before you could gain the qualification to summon it, and once this creature died in battle, then, unfortunately, you would permanently lose it. Phil had disregarded everything and sent three gray wolves to attack Darth, but Darth had killed two of them. Now, the remaining one was Phil's last summon, and its loyalty had also dropped to a critical point. If it declined any further, it would probably defect.

According to Phil, if you wanted to tame a powerful creature like that armored Stegosaurus, you might even have to sign a life contract. Once this creature died, the summoner would also be unable to escape death. Moreover, a life contract was almost like a marriage certificate. After signing the life contract, you could no longer tame other creatures! Of course, there were advantages and disadvantages. After the life contract was signed, the connection between the contracted creature and the master would be closer, and the attributes of both parties would increase.

The smell of blood ahead gradually became stronger, and the tunnel turned into a wide hall. The hall was of course already dilapidated beyond recognition. The originally magnificent and luxurious curtains around turned to ash at the touch. Only the stone carvings on the side could show that it should be a relic from the Arthurian era. Several overturned cabinets had also basically turned into brownish-red rotten wood chips.

The most striking thing was that a deep fissure appeared in the center of the hall, and you couldn't see the beginning or end of the crack at all, and it was at least ten meters wide and bottomless. This hall was therefore divided into two parts. If you wanted to get to the other side, you had to find a way to cross this crack. In the center of the hall closer to Fang Senyan and the others was an open space, in which lay a dead person. It should be a storyline character. The dead man was bound all over, and the artery on his neck was cut, and a large pool of blood flowed out, already slightly black. Around the dead man were distributed a large number of palm-sized black things. Upon closer inspection, they turned out to be furry bats, one by one. Although these bats were already stiff, you could still see the sharp teeth in their mouths, and even the wings had claws that had not yet completely degenerated.

"They are black-fanged vampire bats," Phil said immediately. As an aspiring summoner, memorizing the characteristics of various creatures was a necessary skill. He also looked at Nu, who still had his deadpan face and nodded.

The metal instructor sneered:

"This is the habitat of the black-fanged vampire bats. If you want to cross this chasm, you must first eliminate the attacks of these highly territorial bats. The Banks Syndicate scum have saved us a lot of trouble."

Although the crack in front was wide, Fang Senyan and the others didn't spend much effort to find the rope bridge that the Banks gang had previously crossed, and passed through here without any surprises. After passing through this ancient hall from the Arthurian era, the entrance that appeared in front was a cave. You could see that the stones on the ground were scattered and fragmented, obviously opened up directly on the original hall wall.

The further they went in, the fewer artificial traces there were on the stone walls. In the end, Fang Senyan and the others found that they had entered a group of natural karst caves with low tops. The stalactites inside were jagged, and even stone pillars connected from top to bottom appeared. There was also a faint smell of sulfur in the air. After walking for about three kilometers, they heard the sound of rushing water in front. With the light coming from the cave walls, they could see that two small caves emitting white smoke converged in front of them, forming a rapid stream, but the water was clear. Deke's outdoor survival experience seemed to be quite rich. He took a few steps forward first, then leaned to the water's edge, smelled it, and tasted a little, saying:

"The water is not poisonous. It should be that kind of hot spring underground river."

At this time, the metal instructor's expression became serious instead. He suddenly looked ahead and said:

"The surface seems a little wrong."

They saw that at the confluence of the two streams, there was a stony beach with an area of ​​at least nearly a thousand square meters. After the two originally clear and rapid underground rivers converged here, they slowed down immediately. In the center of the shoal were several flat boulders. The abnormality that the metal instructor discovered was that several motionless black shadows seemed to be lying on top of the boulders. Although these black shadows were not huge, they were estimated to be at least two or three people long, and at first glance, they gave people a very dangerous feeling.

After everyone got a little closer, they realized that these black shadows were actually crocodiles! And the skins of these crocodiles looked particularly rough, with a rocky texture. More importantly, this skin was so black that it seemed to completely absorb the surrounding light. If they wanted to move forward, they would inevitably pass within thirty meters of these crocodiles.

After seeing these black shadows clearly, the metal instructor's expression changed, and then he glanced at Nu. Nu stood up and said in a definite tone:

"I've seen this kind of crocodile, it's called the Blackscale Crocodile, and its temperament is quite mild. But remember not to make any noise to disturb them, just pass through quickly." Next, he allocated the number of people passing through, and it seemed that there were no problems. Nu took the lead, the metal instructor brought up the rear, and the two weakest contractors passed through quickly in the middle. A group of people waded through quickly without any surprises. They had clearly already reached the other side when suddenly, a Blackscale Crocodile vigilantly raised its head. Its tail rhythmically beat in the air, actually making a sound like a rattlesnake, and then quickly twisted its body and crawled towards this side! As it moved, the other black shadows also quickly climbed off the rocks, wriggling in the water like snakes, not even splashing half a drop of spray! "Go!" the metal instructor shouted, "They won't leave their nest too far, don't waste time here, we can definitely shake them off."

After speaking, he took the lead and flew forward. With him taking the lead, of course the others followed suit, running madly. But at this time, there was no doubt that Fang Senyan and Deke would definitely have an advantage in speed, while the two contractors and Phil would probably fall behind. The group ran madly, running for nearly a kilometer, but those few Blackscale Crocodiles still "pitter-pattered" and clung tightly to these uninvited guests, getting closer and closer to the three contractors who were falling behind!