With the fury of being humiliated in every possible way, and the firm determination to make a "Zero-Dollar Purchase," Celeste kicked open the crumbling "castle" gate of the goblins.
"Boom—!"
The rotten wooden door shattered into pieces.
Selene followed closely behind, her shield held forward, her breathing steady and focused; she was ready to charge into the fray.
However, the moment they crossed the threshold, The two sisters froze in place.
Inside and outside the door, it was as if they were two completely different worlds.
Outside was a comical shell pieced together from rough logs, stinking mud, and scraps.
Inside, however, was a natural cave of unimaginable size.
Beneath their feet was uneven rocky ground, and hanging from the ceiling were countless jagged stalactites, their tips glistening with water droplets that shimmered with a faint light.
On the surrounding natural rock walls, large patches of strange moss emitting a soft white light clung to the surface, illuminating the entire interior of the cave in a deep and mysterious way.
A cold, damp chill washed over them, carrying the distinct, musky scent of soil and minerals, instantly dispelling the stifling heat of the dense forest outside.
Even more bizarre was the warped sense of space.
Viewed from the outside, the footprint of this so-called castle was, at best, a large shack.
Yet the massive cave before them was spacious enough to accommodate hundreds of people, with countless diverging tunnels of various sizes leading off in all directions, disappearing into an endless, pitch-black abyss.
Its scale far exceeded the physical limits observed from the outside!
"Th-this... what is going on?"
Selene's mouth hung slightly open in surprise as she reached out to touch the wet, slippery rock wall beside her; it felt cold and hard to the touch.
"Outside is a beggar-version illegal structure, and inside is a 5A-rated karst cave tourist attraction? It even comes with built-in space-expansion black technology? How did this group of green-skinned potatoes manage this?"
Celeste's brows furrowed tightly.
The anger in her heart was mostly washed away by the eerie sight before her, replaced by a prickly sense of vigilance.
She whipped her head around to look at the entrance—
Where was the crooked wooden door now?
There was only a complete and solid rock wall, seamless and standing coldly, as if their arrival just moments ago had been nothing more than an illusion.
The "door" they had entered through had vanished.
"Sister... the door is gone!" Selene also noticed, her voice instantly laced with tension. She rushed to the rock wall and pushed against it hard with her shield.
The rock wall didn't budge an inch.
"Wh-what's going on? A ghost wall?"
Celeste walked quickly to the rock wall, her fingertips wreathed in a wisp of holy light as she slowly traced it along the stone surface.
The texture, structure, and energy flow were all incredibly real.
"It's not an illusion." She withdrew her hand, her tone becoming exceptionally calm. "Space has been altered, or... we've been teleported somewhere else, and that 'door' was just a one-way entrance."
She raised her pink staff and tapped it lightly against the rock wall.
"Thud!"
The dull sound and the massive recoil force coming from the staff proved that this stone wall was unimaginably thick.
"It seems the 'procurement' plan will have to be put on hold for now." Celeste's voice turned cold. "Our primary goal now is to find a way out."
[Ding! Trapped in an unknown mysterious space, the exit has disappeared, triggering the exploration mission "Castle Mystery"! Mission Requirements: Explore this place and find an exit or the truth. Mission Rewards: joy value and random rewards distributed based on exploration completion.]
[Host, finding fun in the unknown is the true path to joy! (Although Aha thinks that look of frustration on your face right now is even more amusing)]
Celeste remained expressionless, directly muting this system that loved to watch the world burn.
She focused her attention entirely on the current environment.
The cave was deathly silent, with only the "drip-drop" sounds of water falling from the tips of stalactites into puddles, echoing through the vast, empty space.
"Sister, where do we go now?" Selene gripped her shield tightly, vigilantly staring at the deep main tunnel of the cave, as well as the diverging paths that seemed capable of swallowing light.
Celeste crouched down, her gaze sweeping over the ground.
The rocky ground was covered in a thin layer of damp mud, which was riddled with messy goblin footprints.
Most of the footprints pointed messily in the same direction.
"Follow the direction with the most footprints." She made her decision and stood up.
"Places where goblins are frequently active either contain clues, or... they are their lair."
The two of them heightened their vigilance and carefully explored inward along the main passage.
Smaller caves appeared from time to time on both sides of the tunnel, most of which were empty, leaving behind only some moldy hay and animal bones that had been picked clean.
The further they went, the more obvious the traces of artificial excavation became.
Rough carvings began to appear on the rock walls, looking like some kind of primitive counting symbols or graffiti of unknown meaning.
The damp, mineral-rich scent in the air also became increasingly pungent.
After about ten minutes of walking, faint, familiar chatter drifted from around the corner ahead.
But this sound seemed much louder and more vigorous than the goblins outside.
The two sisters exchanged a glance, instantly lightening their footsteps and lowering their bodies, creeping forward silently like two agile leopards.
Rounding a bend filled with stalactites, the view suddenly opened up.
This was an even larger natural cavern hall.
In the center of the hall, on a raised natural stone platform, a mountain of shiny things was piled up—in addition to the small sequins and bee stings they had seen before, there were many metallic-lustered fragments, colorful stones, and even a few pieces of unpolished magic crystal ore emitting faint energy fluctuations!
However, what truly caught their attention were the creatures gathered around the stone platform.
Still green skin, pointed ears, big noses.
Still goblins.
But these goblins were completely different from the ragged kin outside who carried wooden sticks and bones!
Their bodies were noticeably more robust, with bulging muscles, and their eyes gleamed with a mix of ferocity and cunning.
They wore hard leather armor that, while simple, was clearly much better crafted, with polished bone or metal plates embedded in key areas.
They no longer held broken wooden sticks, but cold, gleaming short swords, sharpened iron hand axes, and some even carried crude crossbows!
Even their movements displayed a level of discipline that the goblins outside completely lacked (relatively speaking).
The bracelet immediately transmitted information:
[Forest Goblin Guard Lv.20 - 23]
[Points: 40 / each]
[Characteristic: Elite warriors within the goblin tribe, relatively well-equipped, possessing simple tactical coordination awareness, mathematical ability may have increased to within 10 (doubtful).]
[Note: Still goblins, but those with iron and those without iron are two different species.]
Dozens of such goblin guards were gathered around the stone platform.
Although they were still noisy, they didn't immediately start fighting over the treasure; instead, they surrounded an exceptionally "large" Goblin Chieftain Lv.25 wearing a helmet embedded with the largest magic crystal shard, seemingly awaiting orders.
That Goblin Chieftain Lv.25 was waving a steel warhammer that looked quite heavy, jabbering away as he gave a lecture, spitting everywhere.
And at the other end of the cavern hall, there was a natural stone staircase leading upward.
At the end of the stone steps was a tightly closed, incredibly heavy-looking metal door, with a simple but sturdy, massive lock hanging on it.
"It seems the treasure and the way out are both behind that door." Celeste lowered her voice, her eyes becoming much more serious.
These goblin guards were not like the small fry outside that could be taken down with a single hit from a staff.
Just then, the Goblin Chieftain Lv.25's lecture seemed to have ended.
He waved his warhammer impatiently, and the goblin guards immediately became restless, scattering in twos and threes; some headed toward the side tunnels, while others stood guard in place.
A few goblins' sharp gazes had already begun to vigilantly scan the shadows around the cavern hall.
"We can't fight them head-on." Celeste made a judgment instantly. "There are too many of them, and their levels are not lower than ours. Plus, the terrain is complex; once they scatter and flee, even if I use'Summon Heroic Spirit,' I won't be able to kill them all."
Selene watched the scene and whispered, "This looks a bit like the 'dungeon' instances mentioned in books—a small Domain within a Domain. It very likely has a multi-level structure. We are currently... probably on the first level."
Celeste nodded, pulled her sister, and silently retreated behind a massive stalactite, completely concealing their figures.
Her eyes were cold and focused, like an apex predator locking onto its prey.
"Hide first, and wait for them to scatter."
"Take them out one by one."
"Whether it's finding the exit or uncovering the secrets here... these annoying green-skinned potatoes must be cleared out first."