*Chugga-chugga-chug~*
After a round of 'cruel' torture, even the most advanced engine on Terra in the professionally modified land-runner was groaning under the strain, sounding like a tractor's engine, chugging and emitting white smoke.
Perhaps the ultimate fate of any engine is to become a tractor.
The land-runner barely maintained 40 mph and finally reached the mountain Magallan had mentioned.
Everyone got out of the bumpy cabin.
Franka rubbed her perky fox bottom and complained.
"My god, this ride was so bumpy, my butt hurts."
This mountain had no name, but the scenery after entering was even more beautiful than from the outside. Lush and green, standing tall in the scorched yellow wasteland, it gave one the feeling of stepping into a perilous paradise.
It seemed very few people had ever set foot here.
At the foot of the mountain, the grass grew fiercely. There were no footprints or wheel tracks to be seen. Occasionally, the chirping of a bird or two could be heard from the nearby woods, the sound clear and pure, washing away the grime of the city from one's soul.
Terra was different from Earth.
On Earth, though cities might be far from mountains and forests, there were dedicated roads leading directly to them. It was just a matter of time. But Terra was different.
On Terra, apart from the mobile cities and a few established countries, the areas outside the city-states, especially in the central regions, were mostly uninhabited wilderness. Let alone mountains, there was very little greenery. The environment was harsh. Even if people knew of a mountain with a pleasant environment, ordinary people couldn't possibly go.
After all...
The Originium Storm just now was the best example; it almost wiped out Lucas's team. Even if Originium Storms were rare, there were many other dangers in the wilderness. For ordinary people, even a few wilderness Originium monsters would be fatal. Therefore, ninety percent of Terra's inhabitants would never leave the city they lived in for their entire lives.
Those fortunate enough to live in a mobile city would not leave the mobile city, and those living in villages would not leave their villages.
Even Jessica, who had grown up in Columbia's largest and most prosperous mobile city, had rarely left it. This was her first time seeing such a beautiful mountain landscape, let alone ordinary people.
"Wow!! The air seems so much fresher."
Jessica took a deep sniff.
This place was completely different from the primeval forest they were in last time in Bolívar.
That primeval forest in Bolívar felt incredibly creepy, making one want to leave as soon as possible. But this place was very inviting.
"See, I wasn't kidding, was I?"
Magallan was the last to get out of the car. Before getting out, she had changed back into her somewhat ugly but highly functional Rhine Lab work uniform, fully equipped with various large and small devices in her hands.
"Not bad. I'll trust you one more time."
Franka patted the front of Magallan's hard work uniform, making a clanging sound. Since they needed to climb the mountain soon, the land-runner couldn't go up. With Magallan as their guide, the group wouldn't get lost. They talked and laughed along the way, seeming to have forgotten that they had almost died in the Originium Storm just moments ago.
Only Liskarm remained silent, because she kept having a bad feeling.
Under normal circumstances.
The moment the Fat Fox and Miss Magallan were relaxing and planting flags together was the precursor to disaster.
The group followed Magallan deeper in.
This mountain seemed to have been visited by few, and naturally, it hadn't been developed.
There were no stone steps built specifically for tourists like in her past life's attractions. The mountain path consisted of naturally formed steep steps. In some places, there wasn't even a foothold, requiring a short bit of climbing. Such a rugged mountain path would require even a professional climbing team from her past life to be extremely cautious.
But the physical constitution of people cannot be generalized.
This kind of path was a piece of cake for Elite Operators, like walking on flat ground.
Franka leaped up a cliff several meters high with three easy steps, with an ease comparable to the qinggong from television dramas of her past life. The strongest rock climber would probably have shed silent tears, sitting on the ground to quietly smoke and contemplate life.
Liskarm carried Jessica, and Lucas carried Lisa as they climbed up. For Ceobe, who had grown up in the mountains, it was even easier. She climbed up directly without needing any leverage.
"Honestly, Jessica baby, don't you think climbing a mountain once in a while is a wonderful thing?"
Jessica stretched lazily. The group had been walking and stopping for twenty minutes and had finally reached the mountainside. The 'Netherworld River' Magallan spoke of was located here, not far now.
The air at the mountainside was even fresher than at the foot of the mountain, with a hint of coolness unique to the mountains. It was very comfortable.
"It really is."
Jessica nodded in agreement.
Lucas didn't say much the whole time. He was observing the surroundings. He had no interest in mountain climbing. After all, he had often gone hiking with friends in his past life and was already tired of it. A 'large hill' of five or six hundred meters high no longer held much attraction or novelty for Lucas.
"By the way, Miss Magallan, how did you find this mountain?"
Lucas had wanted to ask this for a while.
After all.
Magallan was only talking about a legend, so how did she find the place the legend referred to? And, if this legend was widely circulated, in his past life, this place would have already become a must-visit spot for internet celebrities.
Having witnessed the power of the internet, Lucas could already imagine this place being overcrowded, with people lining up in front of the river to pray devoutly.
But along the way.
Lucas hadn't seen any trace of human activity, which meant that in the last few months, his group was the only one to have come here. This didn't make sense. After all, for such a miraculous river, there would surely be many terminally ill patients who, out of desperation, would choose to believe in this legend.
"Sigh~
Jessica sighed.
"Mr. Reeve, although I hate to say it, it's not right for you to keep calling Miss Magallan by the wrong name. How could Miss Magallan be called Magallan? Such a mouthful of a name sounds wrong at first listen. See, Miss Magallan is already trembling with anger."
"???"
No... no matter how you look at it, she's trembling with happiness, right?!!
Lucas screamed internally.
Meanwhile, Magallan was exploding with joy on the inside. As expected of her kindred spirit!
"Me? Of course, I investigated it myself."
Magallan proudly puffed out her chest, her small hand patting her chest a few times, making a sound like hitting a steel plate.
"Investigated?"
Not just Lucas, but the others also became interested.
"Do tell~
"Have you heard of another legend in Siracusa? Oh... you probably haven't."
Magallan bent down and asked Lisa, who was a native of Siracusa.
"Little Lisa, you must have heard of this legend, right?"
"Legend has it that in a remote small town in the western region of Siracusa, this town was built around a lake. This lake is one of Terra's famous inland lakes, very, very large, almost no different from the legendary sea. You can't see the other side. And in the center of the inland lake, there is said to be an unnamed island, filled with fear and death. It's rumored that on the island, there is an opening that leads to the underworld below. Any boatmen who went there either never came back, or if they did, they went mad, shouting at everyone they saw, 'There are ghosts! Ghosts!!!'"
Magallan deliberately lowered her voice, making it hoarse, as if telling a ghost story. Unfortunately, it was broad daylight. If it were night, coupled with a light shining on her face, it might have had a bit of atmosphere.
"Ghosts?"
Franka said dismissively.
"Don't tell me there are people who actually believe in ghosts in this world?"
As soon as Franka finished speaking, Jessica coughed from the side.
Franka immediately remembered Lucas.
"Pretend I didn't say that. I retract my previous statement."
Everyone looked at Lisa.
After thinking for a moment, little Lisa said slowly.
"I... I've heard of it...."
She continued in an orderly manner.
"This legend is quite widespread within Siracusa."
Magallan said as she walked.
"Later, as you know, as Rhine Lab's most professional explorer...."
Everyone: "Pfft~~
"Ahem... part-time mystery solver. We explorers are not afraid of anything. Even if a real ghost appeared, we would go right up and give it a couple of big slaps."
Everyone turned their heads to look at Lucas, who now had a 'physical body'.
"So, after I found out, I immediately went to the small town mentioned in the legend. And let me tell you, the legend seemed quite real. Everyone in the town knew about it and was wary of it. I'd grab someone and ask, but they would clam up. I finally managed to spend 50 Lungmen Dollars to find the fisherman from the legend who had gone mad from a young man who didn't believe in superstitions. Sure enough, just like in the legend, the fisherman could only babble now, or scream madly that there were ghosts."
As they went deeper, the surrounding trees became taller and denser, and the sunlight was largely blocked by the canopy, making it a bit dark. A chill crept in, and combined with Magallan's slightly eerie words, a somewhat terrifying atmosphere was instantly created.
Lisa grabbed Lucas's hand, a little scared.
Lisa could now blow an enemy's head off with a single shot without blinking, but her true nature was still that of a young girl. She would still be scared by this kind of 'ghost story'. After all, people and ghosts were different. People had form, even monsters had form. If one shot wasn't enough, then two, or three, or if that failed, a cannon. But ghosts were formless, and there weren't many ways to deal with them, which was the scariest part.
"And then... keep going, don't leave us hanging here. Why do you talk like that author from the Yanese novels I read, with their strange cliffhangers."
Franka was also engrossed and started urging her on.
Magallan continued: "Then I knew there must be something in the middle of the river. As Rhine Lab's top..."
"Stop! I don't want to hear that line again, continue!"
Franka tapped Magallan on the head.
"Then I spent another 500 to rent a simple fishing boat, and I set out to sea."
Everyone: "??? You set out to what?"
"And guess what? There really was an unnamed island in the middle of the river. However, it seems I was a step too late. The island had very obvious signs of having been excavated. And, in the center of the island, there was a half-collapsed villa. I used special tools to analyze it at the time, and the villa had been collapsed for about two years or so."
"Wait a moment~"
"Two years? When did you go?"
"Last year."
"Got it, continue."
"Later, I investigated but found nothing. I only managed to scan some lingering energy on the island with professional measuring instruments. There were no other discoveries. I later returned to the small town and asked around, even read some books about the town, only to find out that they also knew there was a villa in the center of the island, and that there was a vengeful spirit in the villa. The last group to go out to sea, who spread this legend, was four years ago. Which means... someone had been on that island before the villa collapsed, causing the current situation."
"Then, after careful investigation, I found another legend that had started circulating a little over a year ago, which is this legend about the 'Netherworld River'. I found this place, and successfully found the 'Netherworld River'."
By the time Magallan finished speaking, the group had already gone a long, long way. And in the deepest part of the mountain, they could finally hear the sound of flowing water.
Magallan pointed ahead and said: "We're here! Let's go."
Passing through the dense forest, everyone saw a river at the end, flowing with a somewhat blood-red liquid.
Everyone: "???"
"It really is the 'Netherworld River'...."