Chapter 47: The Underground River

Page 1/3

The little tin remained motionless, silently overlooking the small squirrels. However, Chu Jiu was somewhat surprised: “What do you… call it?”

“Beautiful and powerful human male”—wasn’t that the title the little squirrels gave to Lu Qingyan? Why would they use it for the little tin?

…No, perhaps they weren’t referring to the little tin but rather asking, “Where is that human male from before?”

After all, the little squirrels’ language skills were limited; their sentences often had inverted word order, lacked subjects, missed predicates, or objects, which was perfectly normal.

So Chu Jiu first explained, “That human male from last time, he didn’t come.”

“This cat is my companion; you didn’t see it before. Its name is Little Tin.”

The axe-bearing little squirrel tilted its head in confusion, staring at Little Tin for a while, then looked at Chu Jiu: “He is here.”

The pickaxe-carrying little squirrel said, “Seen, seen.”

Chu Jiu nodded, “Yes, yes, Little Tin is here.”

“You say you’ve seen it… Oh, I get it. Did you see Little Tin when you left later?”

Back then, Lu Qingyan had walked ahead, and soon after, he happened to meet Little Tin and even sent a message through it.

Perhaps at that moment, the three squirrels who hadn’t gone far also saw Lu Qingyan and Little Tin together?

The little squirrels scratched their little heads and thought hard about Chu Jiu’s words.

After some pondering, they nodded together and confidently said, “Seen, seen.”

Chu Jiu then tossed a whole cabbage to them.

Since it was confirmed that this creature’s habits resembled those of a swamp hippopotamus, things would be easier.

If this truly was a “gentle swamp hippopotamus,” he could try to lure it away; if it was actually a fierce monster, he would have to find another solution.

*

A short beastman, seemingly even smaller than the three squirrels, stepped forward in response.

But not long ago, this river had dried up!

Overall, these creatures were gentle monsters and wouldn’t attack humans proactively. As long as they were well-fed, they spent most of their time quietly sleeping in the water.

Chu Jiu felt somewhat relieved.

He looked toward the riverbed.

[Scanning…]

Only then did he notice that this square was paved with orderly small bricks, just like Sea Moon City!

Humans couldn’t be left alone here to face monsters.

Chu Jiu pulled out fresh cabbage and carrots from his backpack, paired them with grapes and apples, placed them in a round bamboo basket, and set it a short distance from the hippopotamus.

As he expected, the little squirrels happened to have seen Lu Qingyan and Little Tin together.

More than half of the monster’s body had left the water.

Indeed, judging by its appearance, this creature was truly—

Even the once-proud large tail drooped instantly, looking listless.

Moreover, the pattern of these small bricks was exactly the same as in Sea Moon City!

According to the bowknot squirrel, when the beastmen first carved the water entrance, they made special designs on the riverbed to create a water drop, making it easier to divert water.

The three brothers who were once cocooned by monsters in the underground mine trembled when they heard about the “terrifying monster” below.

“Master said no water, no work.”

The three brothers didn’t knock immediately but stopped to check if their clothes were tidy and their tails unruffled.

Page 2/3

When the squirrels returned to the tribe this time, they found the blacksmiths had stopped working for days. Forget about accepting human commissions; even the beastmen themselves couldn’t forge an axe.

Meanwhile, Little Tin squinted unhappily: Why was that human being compared with me again?

Still gone in an instant.

The axe-bearing little squirrel, while talking, kept its small eyes on the granary door, secretly wiping its mouth and miming with its tiny paws, “Inside, nuts, lots and lots.”

As for why work stopped, the three squirrels gestured for a long time but couldn’t explain clearly.

The little squirrels were quite confident in their thoughts.

Chu Jiu was pondering when he saw the monster’s body shake and then sink back into the water!

Its gigantic mouth could easily swallow an adult human whole, frightening the three squirrels who followed closely so much that they huddled together trembling.

Suddenly, it vanished.

[Scan result: This monster is somewhat related to the swamp hippopotamus. Its habits are similar.]

Chu Jiu stopped feeding it and spent another 50 spirit points activating [Enemy Reconnaissance].

Its small oval ears were completely disproportionate to its head, slightly raised around the eyes, and the nostrils were indeed on the same plane as the eyes and ears…

After confirming its appearance and demeanor, they politely knocked three times at the door.

“Never seen! Never seen!” they all said together.

Chu Jiu immediately spent 50 spirit points to use a skill.

Passing through the square, Chu Jiu noticed an unusual building nearby: at the entrance of this small structure stood several serious-looking beastmen holding sharp axes.

But the bowknot squirrel did not proceed.

It seemed that they couldn’t simply throw explosives at the monster blocking the water entrance.

“Human ‘together’ means this, right?”

Swamp hippopotamuses live in the “River of the Past” valley sanctuary, dwelling among the reeds near the river. They mainly eat grass but occasionally fruit.

Chu Jiu took out a [Cold Light Torch] and threw more fruits and vegetables while carefully observing the hippopotamus’s large face.

Chu Jiu nodded, “Yes, I understand.”

She could control herself not to run away but couldn’t stop her body from stiffening.

Yes, animals also enjoy comfort.

One had to admit that the beastmen’s underground tribe was built quite reasonably.

Why did these clumsy beastmen speak so illogically?

Although her mind was strong, instinct was hard to overcome.

The axe-bearing little squirrel hung its head, “Blacksmiths stopped working.”

Even so, they still followed Chu Jiu, biting their teeth as they climbed down.

[For more information, please increase interaction with this monster.]

The other party spoke softly in a girl’s voice, “Hello there.”

Despite Chu Jiu having explained that this type of monster should be herbivorous, seeing such a huge monster approach the bank, the three squirrels instinctively feared and jumped into the water ditch, intending to escape along it.

Additionally, there was nothing special to collect from them—though their purplish-red skin was conspicuous, it wasn’t very useful.

Passing the “Granary,” they walked a winding path and finally reached the beastmen’s blacksmith shop.

Chu Jiu thought this arrangement was quite scientific.

After some thought, Chu Jiu said, “Anyway, take me to see the blacksmith.”

Although gentle, its appearance and size were still intimidating enough to scare off some ferocious monsters trying to invade the underground river area.

Page 3/3

Even if it’s a monster, with many beastmen wielding axes, they could surely drive it away, right?

Originally, when they left the tribe for the Forgotten Forest, the blacksmiths were still hammering ores daily.

For a long time, they drew water from an underground river, letting the cold water flow through special channels to their forge.

Beastmen blacksmiths needed large amounts of water to cool, quench, and temper their metalwork.

After hearing the three brothers’ explanation, the bowknot squirrel shook its head sadly.

If there was a drop in the riverbed, wouldn’t the water flow be relatively swift?

This underground city was built by beastmen long, long ago.

Chu Jiu squatted down and asked in detail for a long time until she understood:

Upon hearing the guide beastman say, “You can put this in your mouth and slowly savor it; the taste is especially good,” they were a bit puzzled but carefully each chose a gemstone of different colors, holding them to admire for quite a while.

The shovel-bearing little squirrel shook its head vigorously: “They stopped working, stopped working.”

An idea flashed through Chu Jiu’s mind; she quickly used spirit power to create a long bamboo strip and inserted it into the river ahead.

What connection was there between the relatively swift water flow and the hippopotamus liking this spot?

A colossal hippopotamus! More than twice the size of a normal hippopotamus seen in a previous life!

While marveling silently at the beastmen’s architectural skills, Chu Jiu subconsciously glanced down—

Perhaps drawn by the scent of fruits and vegetables, the hippopotamus’s nostrils twitched, and its head rose again from the water.

Literally barely enough to fill a tooth gap.

At this moment, the little squirrels noticed Chu Jiu scrutinizing the surroundings and the ground and stopped, proudly explaining:

They looked back and saw the bowknot squirrel, motionless and unwilling to leave, so they ran back, paw in paw, lined up, and stood in front of it.

So she hoped more than anyone else that the monster would leave peacefully and that the water flow could be restored.

“Wow…!” The little squirrels gathered around Chu Jiu, expressing their amazement.

Chu Jiu was the second to do so.

After a moment’s thought, amidst the squirrels’ exclamations behind her, she approached the riverbank, picked a carrot from the basket, and offered it to the monster: Would you like to eat this?

The pickaxe-carrying little squirrel said, “Nuts, tasty.”

That was why she couldn’t leave.

The bowknot squirrel nimbly jumped down.

[Scanning…]

*

It seemed the little squirrels had indeed used the [Beastmen Cleaning Kit] properly, keeping themselves neat and clean!

“We’ve arrived.”

As long as this monster wasn’t like that big bug that sprayed slime…

Also… rumors said mutant hippopotamuses really liked furry creatures? Some even claimed it silently scared off other monsters to protect the nearby furred ones?

The little squirrels said that if a monster invaded, as long as it wasn’t as big as that last big bug, their iron gate should be able to block it.

Such a large bowl of delicious natural salad should please the hippopotamus; it should climb ashore and eat it all at once.

Only liking to stay in a specific spot? What was so attractive about this place?

Indeed, most of the monster’s body was immersed in water, exactly blocking the water entrance and cutting off the flow.