"Any discoveries?"
Raine stopped behind Laisa, asking though he already had his judgment, thanks to his Sensitive Smell Lv2 ability.
"There are a lot of chaotic footprints, drag marks, and bloodstains here. Itās obvious that a battle happened here."
Following the direction Laisa pointed,
With his Dark Vision, Raine saw clearly that the mud by the Dark River was full of footprints of varying depths.
This obviously wasnāt caused by normal walking habits.
And further along, extending along the Dark Riverās bank.
The scattered plate armor fragments and the sudden appearance of several-meter-long heavy drag marks further confirm this.
The commotion in front of the team naturally caused the conversation between Elise and Sulfur Vine to pause.
"Could it be that the last time Gray Dwarves passed through here, they were left behind after battling with the Armor Crawler Monster?"
Elise came up curiously to ask.
"I thought so at first too, but the problem is, from the bloodstains, the battle couldnāt have occurred more than twenty-four hours ago." Laisa pointed at the bloodstains on the ground.
"Hmm?"
Hearing Laisaās words, Elise and Sulfur Vine looked at each other, seeing surprise in each otherās eyes.
At this time, Benest, who was at the back of the team, also came over.
He bent down, first dipping a finger into the bloodstains in the mud, then examined it.
He pondered while rubbing it between his fingers.
Soon, Benest said with confidence,
"The bloodstains are still slightly sticky."
"But the color of the bloodstains is turning dark red, considering itās near the Dark River where the moisture is ample."
"The battle should have happened five hours ago, with a margin of error of no more than an hour."
"Amazing!" Laisa couldnāt help giving a thumbs up, praising, "Sir Benest, your judgment is more precise than mine."
Raine also glanced at Benest with some surprise.
Clearly, such precise judgment would be impossible for a Caster without abundant adventure experience.
While he also deduced the rough battle time, he relied on the Monster Skill granted by his bloodline - āWild Boar Peopleās Sensitive Smell Lv2ā.
Raine again looked at the muddy, chaotic footprints of varying depths, lost in thought.
In the battle where he killed Thorne, he saw those Gray Dwarvesā standard Steel Boots, whose prints on the mine floor were very similar to those he saw now.
Furthermore, recalling the scene from half a day ago when passing the Azure Mineās bottom, a large number of kobolds were still active in the dark river space at the bottom of the Azure Mine, seemingly not stopping their excavation due to Gray Dwarf Thorneās death.
This immediately indicatedāāHalf-Orc Karg, Dwarf Bruno, and the others probably encountered an incident, hence no related intelligence was reported to the association.ā
Itās not an overestimate of human nature.
If they really reached the excavation area smoothly, thereās no reason not to slaughter the kobolds and bring back quite a few rare minerals.
For most adventurers, this would be an irresistible temptation.
Due to the untimely situation, Raine and his party did not investigate further. They slightly bypassed the kobold excavation area and passed quickly.
"The footprints lead towards the Underdark."
"This means a group of Gray Dwarves set out from the Azure Mine, passed through here, then...."
"They probably suddenly encountered an Armor Crawler Monster attack and engaged in battle."
At this time, Sulfur Vine summarized the information and said.
"Yes, judging by the remaining shattered armor, it seems the Gray Dwarvesā squad was at a disadvantage."
"So, having devoured at least one Gray Dwarf, the Armor Crawler Monster was full, and went somewhere to digest. This is also why we havenāt encountered an Armor Crawler Monster?"
Laisa couldnāt help but speculate further.
But Raine looked towards the depths following the footprints.
He was more concerned about why the Gray Dwarves were rushing back?
Was it to notify Dark Furnace City of Thorneās death?
Or were there other reasons?
At this moment, Benest nodded, agreeing with Laisaās judgment, but he also shared Raineās curiosity: "The question is, what is their purpose in returning?"
"If they left only five or six hours ago, wouldnāt it be better to chase after them immediately?"
"Since they couldnāt even defeat an Armor Crawler Monster, it indicates that the strength of the Gray Dwarvesā team is very weak."
Laisaās eyes suddenly lit up, she said.
However, her gaze roamed among the crowd, finally resting on Elise.
"Laisa, why are you looking at me like that?" Elise blinked her eyes.
"Iām afraid we canāt catch up, Eliseās stamina is lacking." Laisa shook her head, teasing with a smile.
"Youāre underestimating me! I can do it!" Elise flushed red, pouting angrily.
But in reality, Elise was not truly angry with Laisa.
She was well aware that Laisa was correct.
If Benest hadnāt cast the āCatās Graceā magic on her, she would probably be sweating profusely by now, with more than half of her stamina depleted, nowhere near as relaxed as she was now.
Looking at the others,
Even excluding Benest, who had the highest Classes Level, as well as Raine, whose monstrous physique allowed him to wear Heavy Armor more easily than herself,
The remaining Sulfur Vine and Laisa both had Classes Levels reaching Level 3, with one being a Druid excellent at traversing jungles, and the other a swift Assassin.
Indeed, she was the one dragging down the entire teamās speed.
"Itās not a big issue, I can cast Big Step Sprinting on Miss Elise." Benest smiled and said.