Volume One: The Lord's World of Inferno Chapter 23: Entering Silverpine Valley

Crowded. As he squeezed into the fissure, Chen Gu had only one sensation. He felt as though he were trapped inside a carriage—what was once spacious was now so cramped he couldn’t move at all. Yet Chen Gu endured; he understood that the fissure was not particularly large. While the corpse-eating vine could enter without issue, the vine carriage had to force its way through.

After about seven or eight minutes—or so it felt, for Chen Gu had no sense of how long he’d been traversing the stone wall—his body suddenly relaxed. Then he heard a splash, and he, along with the carriage, plunged into water.

He landed in the underground river of Silver Pine Valley. The current in this section wasn’t swift; before Chen Gu was swept far downstream, the vines from the carriage sprang out, dragging the vehicle to the rocky bank. He pushed open the door and leapt out, collapsing onto the ground. That ordeal had nearly suffocated him.

Once he recovered, he took in his surroundings. Though Silver Pine Valley wasn’t pitch black, there was little light. The only thing visible was a bridge not far from him, spanning the river and leading to a small island at its center.

In the middle of the island stood a tree, not particularly tall. Its entire form was silver, radiating a faint white glow.

“Allen, I’ve made it in—what should I do next?” Chen Gu took out the crystal to contact Allen.

“You’re inside? Tell me what’s happening—do you see the Council Hall?” Allen asked.

“No, everything’s dark here. I can’t see anything, and I don’t know the layout. I’m not sure if anyone’s still alive, but I did spot an island with a tree on it.” Chen Gu described the tree.

“That’s the Sacred Tree of Aifera, a defense against the undead. Beneath its glow, no one will turn into an evil undead.” Allen immediately understood the situation.

“Seems Silver Pine Valley was sealed after an undead disaster, likely to preserve an intact city. You’re lucky.”

“So what should we do now?” Chen Gu pressed, more concerned about the next steps.

“Head to the Council Hall—that’s the town’s heart. Capture the Council Hall, and the city is yours.”

“I’ll look for it,” Chen Gu replied. He glanced around, then took out a torch, preparing to explore Silver Pine Valley.

Under the torch’s light, Chen Gu could finally see the valley’s general layout. The entire Silver Pine Valley was built around a seventy-meter-wide stretch of underground river. From the river’s entrance to its end, the waterway extended over four thousand meters. Houses lined both banks.

The first layer closest to the river was comprised of docks, walkways, and riverside wooden huts. Behind these were structures built against the mountain, unlike the riverbank huts—these had carved into the rock, forming hybrid cave-and-wood dwellings. The whole complex was arranged in three tiers, stacked like terraces. The highest point rose a full thirty meters above the river.

Chen Gu assessed what he could see and made a judgment. Silver Pine Valley wasn’t particularly long—even walking, he could traverse it back and forth in an hour. But now, with only his vine carriage and corpse-eating vine, he wasn’t sure what other dangers lurked here. He had to protect himself.

Torch in hand, Chen Gu examined the buildings on the valley’s second tier. Though he couldn’t discern the details of each structure, he judged their functions by appearance. He believed the elves who constructed Silver Pine Valley hadn’t developed it to its current extent. If he were the city lord, he would never place something as important as the Council Hall by the river.

At the time, the third and fourth tiers likely hadn’t been considered for development; building the Council Hall alone above wasn’t probable. Thus, placing it on the second tier made the most sense.

In the cities of the Lord’s World, the Council Hall always expanded with upgrades, unlike other structures that remained as initially built. Therefore, Chen Gu only needed to find the largest building on the second tier.

Following this reasoning, Chen Gu soon spotted the building he sought on the left bank. Seeing its imposing size, a faint smile appeared in his eyes.

“Allen, what should I do next?”

“Take my Hero’s Order and enter the Council Hall. Invoke wartime regulations and claim control over Silver Pine City.”

Allen’s reply was swift.

“Will it be like at the gate—with a warning against non-city heroes?”

“No, once inside, you’re considered a trustworthy hero. As long as no other living heroes remain, we can take over Silver Pine City under wartime regulations. And this authority is permanent—unless someone presents the deed to Silver Pine Valley, the rule won’t be challenged.”

Hearing Allen’s words, Chen Gu finally relaxed. He felt his greatest fortune in entering the Lord’s World was meeting Allen. Without him, such an opportunity—to secure a hidden city—would have been impossible.

Once he claimed Silver Pine Valley, he was determined to release Allen from the crystal and find him a worthy body.

With this resolve, Chen Gu approached the grand house. Torch in hand, he found it was a massive wooden structure draped with withered vines, reminiscent of the city gate.

After some thought, Chen Gu raised the Hero’s Order and declared loudly, “Elven Kingdom, Commander Hero Allen of the Third Archer Battalion, Fafner Legion, here to assume control of Silver Pine City under wartime regulations.”

This time, unlike at the city gate, his proclamation was effective. At his command, the vines on the Council Hall swiftly retreated, revealing the open door.

Chen Gu put away the Hero’s Order and entered with his torch. Stepping inside, he noted the Council Hall’s vastness—the outer chamber alone was the size of a basketball court. Beyond, he could see two more rooms of equal size. Each room had side doors leading to adjacent chambers and staircases ascending to the upper floor. The total area easily exceeded a thousand square meters.

After a circuit of the first floor, Chen Gu deduced the hall’s function. The core of Silver Pine Valley’s control was housed in the central chamber: a silver basin with a fist-sized crystal floating above it.

This was the City Heart of Silver Pine City.