Monarch of Solitude: Daily Quest System

With nearly two more weeks and absolutely nothing to do with so many capable subordinates, Rino decided to find some answers to his questions about this world.

It was finally time to explore the abandoned dwarven mines!

"My lord! Please be careful," Sheila warned, and even Deezer agreed.

The earth gnomes collated all their maps for Rinos' mine exploration, but the uneasiness on their faces told him there was more to the story.

"I'll only be gone for a week, at most two," the lich told them. "There's no need to look so concerned."

Despite his itch to linger in the mysterious mines for longer, Rino still remained clear about the possibility of a new daily quest after the deadline was over. He had almost all projects under control, and if they needed him for anything, there was that telepathic bond between him and all the leaders.

Deezer looked uncomfortable and shook his head. The dwarves left behind some rather dangerous things, and certain traps remained active. The earth gnomes who took refuge in the abandoned mines learned early on that it was better to leave the secrets of the dwarven cave untouched and make caverns in it for their dwelling instead.

"Bink explored the mines the most, and the maps aren't complete," the earth gnome explained. "Many traps are still active, and it is easy to get lost in them. We lost a few siblings who wandered off the explored routes. They never returned."

Somehow, the revelation wasn't surprising to Rino. He learned a few things about these dwarves, the only species who tried to fight against the Harvesters. The mine that they lived in wasn't an original dwelling. It was a fortress carved into the mountains that the dwarves used to defeat harvesters.

All their secrets, technology and research were there. Although nobody has seen a dwarven weapon from the stories, Bink claimed that the dwarves left a vault of uncompleted weapons that could be used to resist harvesters, even if it was just for a minute or two. That alone was a breakthrough that no other race has accomplished.

It was only sad that the dwarves could not hold out for long enough and were forced to abandon this mine to die from the harvesters who collected the souls of many brothers. As part of the dwarven tradition, they must bring fallen warriors back to their hometown. Although the dwarves and earth gnomes did not interact much, Bink mentioned that the dwarves he knew told them to freely use the mines and stay away from the deeper caverns that are more dangerous.

"There is a treasury down there somewhere, but not even Bink knows what the dwarves hid there or how to access it."

Thanking Sheila and Deezer for the warning, Rino summoned Mutt. It was finally night, and it was a great time to travel. Rino checked his shadow inventory and hopped onto the sabre tooth wolf.

"I'll find the answers when I get there," he told them. "If anything happens, contact me through the telepathic bond. I'll be back before you know it. Don't tell anyone else I left for now and focus on the projects.

Turning with a flick of his black cape, Rino left with Mutt speeding out of the study, following the rocky mountain path.

Looking at each other, the lovers decided to keep this among themselves and maybe Bink. Rino was strong, and nobody doubted it. However, the dwarven mine was full of mysteries that worked against logic. It was easy to get lost in the fortress even if there was a map. Without a dwarf to guide Rino, Sheila could only imagine the kind of trials Rino had to go through just to reach the actual dwarven city.

Blissfully unaware of the trials awaiting him, Rino enjoyed the night view and starry sky out of his eternal night enchantment barrier. The barrier was useful, but it wasn't as pretty as the things nature provided. The barrier simply acted like a blanket of darkness, and the magical lights powered by his mana array paled in comparison to actual stars in the sky.

The cave entrance wasn't difficult to locate after Rino knew where it was. However, it was very small, just large enough for dwarves and narrow enough. Rino couldn't crawl through even if it was bigger than the fake tunnels the earth gnomes dug.

Who would have imagined that the true entrance to the abandoned mines would be hidden below a small stale pond? Thankfully, Rino knew how to swim. Or at least, he knew how to paddle in the water and sustain himself using air magic to breathe in his previous life. Thankfully, he was a lich in this life, and breathing was an option.

Sadly, the perks of being undead came with several disadvantages. Rino's clothes might be waterproof, but the holes in his eye sockets and the feeling of water going through his ribcage down to his pelvic bones made him shudder. He felt so molested by something that wasn't even alive, and Rino tried to think positively. At least taking a shower and bathing in the breeze did not feel as invasive.

The water was dark, but Rino had no problems seeing without light. Mutt hid in the shadow realm until Rino needed him again. From this point onwards, Rino was on his own.

The pond was much deeper than Rino expected. After he swam past that one rock half-submerged in the water, Rino found himself rising to what looked like a small breathing pocket.

Limestone. He recognised it now from the unique structures from the ceiling. Stalactites, they were called. The stones were living and grew over thousands of years from the continuous dripping of water.

Continuing on his journey and diving down again to find a new opening, Rino found several other breathing pockets with similar structures. Bink was right to dig into the caves for the earth gnomes instead of following the dwarves' route. Rino had no idea those stocky fellows could swim but he was in a different world. Maybe they were really good swimmers.

He finally surfaced in something that looked like a dock, and Rino dried himself off as he inspected the abandoned docks. There were no boats at the docks but instead, many metallic pods were chained to them. They looked dwarven sized, so Rino did not attempt to climb into one. These pods were also equipped with large metal three-fingered claws and a pointed spiral drill. At the back of the pods, he noticed a large but broken tube connected further into the cave.

This was it, the true dwarven mine.

However, Rino still could not understand the need for a dock. Didn't the earth gnomes say that the dwarves made this their base? The construction did not look like it was built to entertain outsiders. Having a dock inside a cave that could only be accessed through swimming only deepened the mystery.

Whatever, Rino would find his answers soon. He was also dry now, and the lich checked the docks for another entrance but found none. The choice was easily made as he kept himself on high alert.

Unsurprised by the extravagant welcome, Rino dodged the cliche pitfall of doom after stepping on a cleverly concealed pressure plate. He was a victim of this in his previous world, and cheap tricks won't stop him. 

Then, Rino simply stood in a hallway full of dispenser fired arrows after triggering a tripwire. His clothing was very good armour, and any arrows that landed on his cape bounced off harmlessly. Rino had to admit, these dwarves made better fletchers than Fowler, and his hunting team did. One arrow got to his eye socket, and Rino had to pull it out to heal properly.

Trap after trap, Rino found himself turning left and right in this maze-like structure. No matter where he turned, there would always be a surprise lying in wait. The lich had gotten so used to seeing traps that when he encountered none, he was slightly alarmed.

Upon inspection, Rino finally understood why there were no traps in some areas. The traps were triggered before, and Rino found himself standing still for a moment. According to his movement pattern, he should not have made any loops. Yet, there was no mistaking that the traps in this corridor were triggered by him previously. Rino discovered it after leaving a mark on the wall in a language that only he knew.

Sitting down in the middle of an arrow pile, Rino started to sketch out the turns he took ever since he left the docks on the wall using magic. According to his analysis, if he constantly picked an opposite direction to go in and counter it if there was no alternative route, Rino should find himself moving in a snake pattern. It was impossible for him to return to the same room as before.

Based on his encounters of these 'triggered' rooms and their increasing frequency of appearance, Rino suspected that something else was at play. 

It didn't really matter. Rino knew how to deal with parlour tricks like this. Hence, he summoned a few clones who would duplicate each time they found a split route. Rino wanted to see how long it would take for all his clones to meet in this room and if there was a pattern to their movements.