Chapter 723 – Dreamweaver World 61

Chapter 723 – Dreamweaver World 61

These underground tunnels were products of the early days when adventurers were still brimming with enthusiasm for exploring the floating island. Some were naturally formed, others manually excavated, and they spread across nearly all of Suspended Inverse Isle.

Only by traveling through the underground tunnels could one avoid the worry of a sudden anti-gravity field sending them plummeting into the sky. At worst, a hyper-gravity field would press them flat against the ground.

They were essentially the safe passages of Suspended Inverse Isle.

The route to the Golden Mine Tunnel that she had found on the forum was also based on these underground tunnels.

To distinguish underground tunnel entrances from ordinary holes, past adventurers had placed a ring of crimson-red ore around each tunnel opening.

Because it was as light as a feather and crimson in color, it was called scarlet plume ore.

This ore was completely unaffected by gravity fields. Whether under hyper-gravity, zero-gravity, or anti-gravity, scarlet plume ore remained utterly motionless, maintaining a stable state. It was the most reliable landmark for adventurers on the surface of Suspended Inverse Isle.

The nearest underground tunnel entrance was three kilometers away. Mo Lan had flown roughly a third of the way when the floaty sensation vanished. Her body suddenly grew heavy, and the rocks that had been suspended in midair began falling upward into the sky.

The zero-gravity field had turned into an anti-gravity field. She immediately flipped her body, adjusted her balance, steadied herself with the ground now above her head, and beat her wings hard to fly away from the sky.

After flying a while longer, she noticed the gravel on a slope ahead was firmly stuck to the ground—a telltale sign of a hyper-gravity field. She quickly hugged the surface.

But even with preparations, the moment she flew over the slope she was pinned firmly to the earth.

The clear-sky hawk’s strength wasn’t enough for her to move forward in this hyper-gravity field, so she transformed into a feathered serpent.

The feathered serpent had wings capable of slow, low-altitude flight, and could also slither along the ground—perfect for this situation.

Were it not for the fact that Suspended Inverse Isle’s surface had become increasingly flat from the constant gravitational shifts, leaving no shadows to be found even in broad daylight, traveling through the shadow world would have been easier right now.

After painstakingly enduring the hyper-gravity zone, Mo Lan finally spotted a cave entrance “ringed” by scarlet plume ore.

The scarlet plume ore was simply piled around the cave mouth without any fastening, yet in the anti-gravity zone, they sat completely still, as if welded to the ground.

“Finally found it!” Mo Lan let out a long sigh of relief. She casually took one piece and gave it to the Book of Cards, then crafted a {Mining Card – Scarlet Plume Ore}, materialized a replacement piece and put it back, and only then beat her feathered wings and flew into the underground tunnel.

The underground tunnel sloped gently, angling gradually downward, with the highest point barely reaching three meters.

The moment Mo Lan entered, she released her Transfiguration and dropped easily to the ceiling.

The tunnel was pitch black and eerily silent. She pulled out a magical lantern and summoned her shadow to keep her company.

The lamplight also illuminated the markings left by those who came before.

Some were arrows carved with sharp tools, others were signposts assembled from scarlet plume ore.

Though the tunnel’s interior was uneven, it had clearly been improved, making it far easier to traverse than a natural cave.

After about ten minutes of progress, she suddenly felt her body grow heavy. She plunged uncontrollably toward the floor—the gravity field had shifted again, from anti-gravity to hyper-gravity.

Mo Lan, well-prepared, didn’t panic and let herself fall from the ceiling.

Just as she was about to hit the ground, several dark shapes shot out from her shadow, weaving together in midair to form a soft web of darkness that caught her securely.

“Thanks.” She gave the shadow web a light pat, and the loyal shadow pets immediately merged back into her shadow, leaving only a single cave spider shadow in place. This cave spider shadow, as large as a full-grown wild boar, rose from the ground, its eight long legs firmly wedged into the rock crevices.

Mo Lan deftly climbed onto its back and let her own shadow transform into ropes, lashing her securely to the spider shadow’s thickest leg.

The cave spider shadow sprang into action at once, its eight legs alternating across the rock walls at astonishing speed.

All Mo Lan needed to do was hold up the lantern for light while keeping an eye on the markings along the tunnel walls.

The passage ahead began to level out, and branching paths appeared—one wrong turn could easily lead her astray.

At the same time, she could now free her hands to cast ore detection and Mining Magic.

The ores of Suspended Inverse Isle had never had their uses developed because those who discovered them were adventurers who relied on skill books for spellcasting and had no research instincts. Suspended Inverse Isle itself had no local dream citizens to study and explore them.

But many of these ores were magical minerals containing magical energy within, all related to gravity.

Mo Lan had only read some materials on the Dream Forum, yet she had already thought of numerous Alchemy applications for them.

Unfortunately, they were completely unavailable for purchase in the Beginner Zone. She could only collect some herself.

Mo Lan followed the route map she had memorized, advancing along the clearly marked tunnels while prospecting and mining as she went.

The journey became intermittent from that point on. Whenever she discovered a new mineral vein, Mo Lan would have the cave spider shadow stop.

Sometimes it was “levitation crystal,” which could generate anti-gravity fields. Sometimes it was “anchor stone,” which could stabilize gravity fields. Sometimes it was “mediation stone”—two pieces that would automatically spin and create micro-gravitational vortices when brought close together. Sometimes it was “heavy iron,” whose weight increased exponentially with every slight increase in volume. It gave her the feeling of being back in her days mining at the Witch Academy.

Before she knew it, the allure of the ores had pulled her off course.

Fortunately, the cave spider shadow’s mobility in the underground tunnels was remarkable. After mining the ore, it could quickly carry her back to the planned route.

It wasn’t until her shadow touched the magical watch on her wrist, reminding her to check the time, that she realized it was once again the day-night transition—time for the dream realm to close. She had actually been absorbed in mining for the better part of a day!

Back in her apartment in the real world, Mo Lan’s fingertips still held the cool touch of ore.

She stayed up through the night organizing her collection notes, recording each ore’s properties and potential Alchemy uses in meticulous detail.

Over the following days, she became completely immersed in the joy of mining. Eventually, she even set aside her dungeon itinerary, focusing primarily on collecting specialty ores.

At night she went to the dream realm to mine, and during the day she experimented in the real world, using these ores for small Alchemy inventions.

Only after she had painstakingly assembled a complete collection of all the specialty ores of Suspended Inverse Isle did she reluctantly head toward the location of the Golden Mine Tunnel dungeon.

It was an enormous cave entrance covered in dark-gold ore, its mouth shimmering with a dreamlike radiance.

Mo Lan patted the cave spider shadow. “Head back!”

Once the cave spider shadow had tucked itself back into her shadow, she called up the experience points she had accumulated over this long period and poured every last point into the Shadow Hunter class without hesitation. The level number spun rapidly upward, finally settling at level 78. Then, lantern in hand and accompanied by her own shadow, she walked into the dungeon.