Chapter 154: Absolute Darkness

Chapter 154: Absolute Darkness

In the pitch-black darkness, the two of them stumbled blindly into this room. It was pitch black inside; even for someone like Shaya, whose eyes were as sharp as a nocturnal cat's, it took a moment to adjust. Yet the instant the heavy door slammed shut behind them, an inexplicable chill hit them like they had plunged straight into an ice cellar!

They collided in the dark, and the Poor Bug accidentally got stepped on by Shaya, almost letting out a yelp of pain. Fortunately, she managed to clap her hand over her mouth just in time to choke back the sound.

Shaya pressed his ear against the door panel and listened, but a strange feeling crept into his heart.

They couldn't… actually hear anything?!

Was there something strange about this door? To the touch, it felt cold, much like an iron door, but why did it completely isolate the sounds from the outside? He felt around with his hands, yet could find nothing unusual.

Right at that moment, a flicker of light suddenly bloomed behind him—it turned out the Poor Bug had lit a candle she had been carrying all along. By the dim, wavering candlelight, they were finally able to examine their surroundings.

This place seemed to be a room that had been abandoned for who knows how long. The bare brick walls were exposed to the air without any decoration, looking somewhat dilapidated, with dusty cobwebs hanging from the corners.

Being a young lady after all, the Poor Bug took one look at the multitude of cobwebs, and her expression instantly shifted. Subconsciously, she pressed closer to Shaya's side.

The room did not appear very wide, but it extended deeply inward—resembling a secret passage much more than a standard room.

After taking a couple of casual steps, their boots kicked up a flurry of dust, leaving a trail of footprints on the ground. Shaya looked down at the tracks and sighed: it was likely that no one had set foot in this place for untold years.

There was no furniture or decoration whatsoever; the only peculiar feature was right beneath their feet. The floor was not flat, but instead descended in a series of carved stone steps that curved downward.

Filled with curiosity, Shaya exchanged a glance with the Poor Bug, who wore an equally blank expression. Since the old Duke and Cavishill were currently in the room outside and they couldn't leave just yet, they had no choice but to venture further inside to take a look.

There were roughly dozens of steps leading downward, and the further they went, the more biting the chill became. Moving on tiptoe by the flickering candlelight, the dust kicked up by their footsteps made Shaya want to sneeze so badly that he was forced to clamp his hand firmly over his nose and mouth. The poor bumpkin's face turned beet red and watery-eyed, while the Poor Bug clung nervously to his side.

At the end of this secret passage, there was no exit. The space at the bottom opened up slightly into the rough outline of a square room. Judging by the descent, however, the floor of this subterranean chamber had to be at least three meters lower than the level above.

"It looks like... a cellar?" Shaya looked at the Poor Bug.

Adeline shook her head, blinking, and lowered her voice: "Don't look at me, I have no idea what this place is. I only borrowed this place from Ximinasi to meet you, and I've never been down here myself."

Shaya felt the piercing cold; even his robust physique could barely withstand it, while the Poor Bug was already shivering uncontrollably.

"Hell, why is it so cold down here?" Shaya frowned.

The two inspected the room carefully. The empty space contained no furnishings whatsoever—just bare walls covered in nothing but dust and cobwebs. Shaya reached out and brushed his palm against the wall, but he jerked his hand back the instant it made contact, exclaiming in surprise, "This wall is freezing!"

The Poor Bug tentatively reached out to touch it as well, only to gasp and pull her hand back a second later, vigorously rubbing her palms together. "It really is freezing cold."

Then, the Poor Bug bent down to inspect a corner of the floor, and her eyes suddenly lit up. Stooping, she picked up a small object from the ground and smiled. "Ah, I know what kind of place this is."

"What is it?"

The Poor Bug giggled, opening her palm and holding it out right in front of Shaya. "Look, this!"

Cupped in the center of her slender palm was a tiny, thumb-sized circular piece of wood.

Shaya looked closer. "What's that?"

The Poor Bug smiled. "This is oak. Generally, noble households use this kind of oak to make corks for wine bottles. I imagine this place must have been an underground wine cellar long ago. It's just that after being abandoned for years, all the wine inside was moved out."

After a moment of thought, the Poor Bug narrowed her eyes and said, "Mm, since it's so cold here, it must be built deep beneath the manor. Don't you remember? This manor is built halfway up a mountainside; digging down like this naturally puts us deep inside the mountain's core."

Noticing Shaya's blank expression, Adeline sighed, knowing that this bumpkin came from humble origins and was unfamiliar with the luxurious indulgences of aristocratic families. She explained, "Generally speaking, wine cellars like this are built in cool subterranean areas. To maintain a constant temperature, they are usually constructed with double-layered walls. I suspect that right on the other side of this cellar's outer wall might be an underground icehouse, specifically built to store blocks of ice. Winter has only just passed, so the icehouse is still packed with massive amounts of ice—which is why it feels so bitterly cold down here."

The explanation sounded quite reasonable, yet Shaya remained silent upon hearing it. A vague sense of strangeness lingered in his mind—he couldn't quite put his finger on why, but something about this place felt indescribably eerie!

The Poor Bug, however, relaxed visibly. Holding the candle steady, she sighed, "We'll just have to wait here until the people outside leave so we can head back out... Ah, I only hope the old Duke and Cavishill don't talk for too long out there. If I return too late, I'm afraid I'll be in trouble."

Shaya frowned in silence, his mind suddenly drifting back to the conversation he had overheard between the two men moments ago. A thought involuntarily surfaced in his mind: the two old fogies had been discussing past events just now, particularly mentioning an old acquaintance, seemingly entangled in a rather complex web of grievances... Only—

"Hey, Shaya." While the bumpkin was lost in thought, the Poor Bug called out, gently tugging at his clothes and lowering her voice. "What are you thinking about?"

Shaya shook his head and said nothing. Adeline, adopting a serious tone, said, "What you heard just now... you mustn't go spreading it around! Although I don't know what they were really talking about, given their status, whatever they discussed must be deeply buried secrets of the past! If you rashly listen and then run your mouth, you're bound to stir up trouble!"

Shaya waved a hand dismissively. "I know that much, naturally."

Adeline's tone remained earnest. "Shaya, you have to realize that your status is different now, and the people and things you come into contact with are completely unlike before! The circle you are in now is entirely different from your past life. These matters are far more complicated and dangerous; one misstep, and disaster could strike!"

Although somewhat impatient, Shaya could hear the genuine concern in the Poor Bug's voice. He took a deep breath and said solemnly, "All right, I'll keep that in mind. Do you really take me for a gossip who blabs about everything he hears?"

Adeline giggled. "You're not a gossip, you're just... a bumpkin!"

Shaya smiled. Looking at the Poor Bug's smiling face illuminated by the swaying candlelight, a sudden inspiration struck him, and a realization violently seized his mind!

"Ah!! I figured it out!"

Shaya sprang up abruptly, grabbed the hand the Poor Bug was using to hold the candle, snatched the flame away, and stared intently at the dancing wick. His expression twisted instantly!

Seeing Shaya's sudden, bizarre reaction, the Poor Bug froze. "You... what are you doing?"

"The candlelight! Look at the candlelight!!" Shaya's eyes flashed as he glanced from the flame to the Poor Bug. "Don't you think this place is strange?"

"What's strange about it?"

Shaya's complexion turned somewhat ashen. Hesitating for a moment, he looked into the Poor Bug's face and lowered his voice. "You... when I tell you, don't be scared."

"?" Adeline looked at Shaya with a puzzled gaze.

Shaya lowered his voice, his body involuntarily trembling as he pointed at the ground. "Look around you... do you really not see anything odd?"

"Eh?" Adeline caught a trace of shock in Shaya's eyes, causing her own nerves to tense up. She looked around the room—there didn't seem to be anything unusual present. Just empty walls, devoid of furnishings, covered only in dust and cobwebs...

"Look closer." Shaya's eyes gleamed as one hand instinctively pressed against the hilt of the sword at his waist.

The Poor Bug was no fool after all. After staring closely for a few moments, her expression finally underwent a drastic change!! Her face turned instantly pale, and she let out a terrified shriek, nearly burying herself in Shaya's arms!

"Sha... Shadows! There are no shadows!!"

Shaya let out a dry, mirthless chuckle, his expression as eerie as it could possibly get. "Did you finally notice?"

As it turned out... within this room, even though a candle was burning brightly, a glance across the floor and walls revealed... absolutely no shadows at all!!

The two young people stared at each other. This grotesque discovery made their hair stand on end, sending an invisible wave of freezing terror surging from the backs of their necks straight to the tops of their heads!!

Overcome with panic, Adeline's hand shook, causing the candle to slip from her grip and hit the ground, extinguishing with a soft hiss. Plunged into sudden, absolute darkness, Adeline screamed and instinctively wrapped her arms tightly around Shaya.

At that exact moment, Shaya suddenly heard Dora's voice echoing inside his mind!

The female dragon's tone sounded exceptionally grave and stern: "Kid, watch out! This is a magic domain! I can feel extremely intense magical fluctuations!"

"What?" Shaya blurted out.

In his arms, Adeline shrieked, "Shaya, what did you say? Who are you talking to?"

"This is the domain of 'Absolute Darkness'!!"