Chapter 19: 18. Voice of the Earth Abyss

18. Voice of the Earth Abyss

"I feel so uncomfortable... Li Ang..."

Zoe gritted her teeth tightly. Her usually vibrant, rosy, cute cheeks were now completely pale, like a doll that had been robbed of its vitality.

"Where are you uncomfortable? Has this happened before?"

Li Ang quickly observed her body, trying to find the source of the problem.

"No, it's the first time... My head feels so swollen, there are so many voices inside, talking to me..."

Voices? Did this have anything to do with the roar from just now?

"What are the voices saying?"

"Pain, hatred, rebirth..."

Zoe closed her eyes tightly, her long, curled eyelashes instantly covered in teardrops. Her hair, dampened by sweat, stuck to her face, and her lips trembled uncontrollably.

Li Ang quickly picked her up, returned to her room, and placed her on the bed.

The young girl's body kept trembling. She grabbed Li Ang's arm with difficulty and only relaxed a little when he held her hand, their palms clasped together.

Only then did he realize that her palms were truly small and cute, but at this moment, they were white from the force.

Several minutes passed, and Zoe's pain seemed to have lessened slightly.

Outside the window, the night hung low, and the entire Satus Island was silent; this was not normal.

It was the season when grass grew and warblers flew; in the past, after nightfall, the mountains and meadows of Satus Island would be filled with the chirping of insects.

He was still wondering if Zoe's house was soundproofed well, and listened intently, but there was still no sound at all.

A few minutes later, that low roar, which seemed like an echo in a cave, appeared again. This time, it startled a large flock of birds in the forest.

It seemed that the sound just now wasn't just heard by Li Ang, but had spread throughout the island.

But Zoe seemed to be able to receive more voices.

Li Ang took down the adventure lantern from his waist and lit up the room.

As an adventurer, he always carried this kind of prop. It was called a lantern, but it was actually a product of arcane technology; as long as the energy stored in the core wasn't exhausted, it would keep shining, unaffected by wind or water.

After lying with Zoe for two or three hours, when the chirping of insects gradually began outside the window, the girl suddenly sat up from the bed.

The pain seemed to have vanished in an instant, and her face was once again filled with a vibrant smile.

"I'm better."

"Is there anywhere else that's uncomfortable?"

"No, I feel great, refreshed."

After the young girl got out of bed, she even jumped in place.

Li Ang felt a bit strange and opened her character panel.

【Name: Zoe】

【Race: Unknown】

【Profession: Swordsman, Rank 2.】

【Summoned Beast:?】

【Energy Source:?】

【Equipment: Sinking Steel Bracers, Rank 3. Wasteland Beast Skin Boots, Rank 3. Wind-Breath Sword 【Treasure】, Rank 3.】

【Profound Meaning: Profession Profound Meaning - Gale Chain Slash】

【Skill: Star Soul Greenhouse, Swordsman 【Strong Physique, Morale Boost】】

Soon, Li Ang discovered that she had gained a passive skill, and it was a concept he had never heard of.

What was a Star Soul? And what was a Star Soul Greenhouse?

Clicking on this skill individually yielded no specific information.

【Skill: Star Soul Greenhouse】

【Activation Method: Passive】

【Special Constitution, situation unknown】

From this moment on, the mystery possessed by Zoe's identity as the "world's female lead" seemed to reveal a tiny corner.

Li Ang began to think about things he hadn't noticed before.

Her summoned beast and energy source were marked with question marks, and her race was "Unknown."

When she drew the Wind-Breath Sword, the energy source was the wind elemental crystal inside the treasure. This meant the question mark might mean "exists, but not yet revealed."

If viewed from this level, she had a summoned beast already contracted, but he didn't know where it was.

In the three days Li Ang had been in contact with her, he hadn't felt any traces at all; she herself didn't even have the slightest indication that she knew she could command a summoned beast.

As for race, "Unknown" race was a classification method in the Newbis world.

On the islands that were difficult to count across the various airspaces, there were numerous races. Even if the same race had been separated by the sky for tens of thousands of years, they could still be biologically confirmed as the same race.

But there were some people who, although their appearance was consistent with a certain race, and even they themselves believed so, would exhibit completely different traits.

Either their physical strength was countless times stronger, or they were born with energy hidden within their bodies. The most exaggerated among these people would even grow features of monsters.

Scholars in the Magic Capital speculated that this was due to them having mysterious bloodlines.

Such situations would all be classified as "Unknown" race.

The system wouldn't lie; Zoe indeed had special qualities, but Li Ang couldn't see them.

Whether it was her appearance, physical fitness, or even her talent level, she was no different from ordinary humans.

Now, the only thing that could be said to be related was this "Star Soul Greenhouse."

"Zoe, do you feel any changes compared to before you heard the voices?"

"I feel my body is light."

Li Ang had thought the young girl jumping around after getting out of bed was just her personality, but now it seemed that wasn't the case.

Whether one admitted it or not, human actions and thoughts were often related to physical state. She felt great now; it was very likely that the Star Soul body had activated some power.

"The voices you heard just now, do you know where they came from?"

"It feels like... over there..."

Zoe squinted, recalling the feeling, and then pointed in a direction.

The young girl pointed in the direction she was moving. Li Ang followed behind. After leaving the room and rounding a corner, he discovered that what she was pointing at was exactly her family's basement.

"What's in your basement?"

"I don't know. When Mom and Dad left, they told me not to go in, saying it was all unwanted junk inside."

"Let's go take a look." Li Ang felt it was very necessary to go see.

"Oh."

Zoe glanced at him, a subtle emotion flashing through her eyes, and she immediately went to open the door obediently.

As soon as the basement door was pushed, countless dust fell with a rustle. Li Ang shone the lantern at the entrance and saw that there were indeed some miscellaneous items piled inside.

He adjusted the adventure lantern to beam mode, which functioned like a flashlight. The two followed the steps down and entered the basement.

There was a long table here, with dust-covered books, dried-up ink bottles, and curled-up quill pens.

Not far from the long table, there seemed to be a water well.

A water well in the basement? This combination was rare.

The well had no water-drawing device; a huge boulder was pressed onto the well mouth built of stone bricks.

Coming before the boulder, he saw a seal on it, and the seal pattern was one he had never seen before.

Without breaking the seal, it was impossible to move this boulder.

【Prompt: Satus Island exploration rate reached 90%. Hidden location: Earth Abyss unlocked. Hidden location contains rich rewards; please strive to explore.】

Zoe's family basement counted toward the exploration rate? A hidden location?

Li Ang opened the miniature map and saw a marker named "Earth Abyss" appear on the map, currently overlapping with his position.

This was almost like saying the entrance to the hidden location was right here.

What meaning did this basement have?

Li Ang came to the long table, set up the lantern, picked up the book, and saw that it was actually a notebook.

He opened the first page, and Zoe leaned her little head over, the two reading together.

"Guild Calendar Year 291, September 17th.

"Today, the new house was completed. Zoe ran up and down; it seems her body is no longer affected. Lily and I are both very happy. Satus Island, such a remote and backward island, shouldn't have any more Star Souls. I only hope the child grows up healthy." ===== CHAPTER 20 =====