After scrambling to his feet, Durin dared not stop for a moment.
Bang! Bang!
The astonishing sounds of pursuit and strange roars constantly coming from behind made both Durin and Slaut intensify their pace, not daring to look back.
All Durin wanted now was a safe escape. Since he already had the Synthetite crystal, lingering any longer would do him no good.
"Huff... huff..."
Durin was panting heavily. The small stone man's embrace had caused him considerable injury, and the frantic secretion of adrenaline combined with his inner Terrify deeply stimulated his nerves.
Even though his calf muscles were screaming in pain, Durin grit his teeth, endured it, and continued to run.
Slaut turned his head, looked at the panting, pale-faced Durin, and asked worriedly, "Can you still keep going? Cough, cough!"
"I'm fine! You just run!"
Durin let out a low growl. Although he was displeased with Slaut for initially hiding the double-barreled flintlock pistol, he truly had no strength left at the moment; if he didn't shout, he felt like he couldn't even speak.
If the small stone man hadn't injured him, he would have already run out of the mine shaft by this point!
Watching Durin sway occasionally while running, Slaut could only speed up, guiding his companion out of the mine shaft.
Fortunately, he had a good memory and was an experienced miner, intimately familiar with the environment inside the mine shaft. Otherwise, finding the way out again would require careful observation to avoid collisions, wasting unknown amounts of time.
Durin shouted loudly, "Run! Don't look back, run!"
His face was pale, and the rumbling sound close behind him terrified him, making him run forward desperately.
A massive cloud of dust, like a long dragon, engulfed the two of them. Their faint headlamps completely disappeared within the cavern, leaving only continuous tremors.
But in the blink of an eye, the two broke through the smoke and ran out, not daring to stop for a second.
Only when the sound of the tremors gradually subsided did they slowly ease their pace.
"Cough, cough! We're almost there, just hold on."
Slaut whispered encouragement to Durin, "Once we're out, the Synthetite crystal is yours. Take it to sell; it will definitely fetch three gold cogwheel!"
"— — Mmh!"
Durin nodded through gritted teeth.
His legs involuntarily trembled. Running behind Slaut, he could feel the small stone men chasing them, and their deafening, strange roars made Durin feel the aura of death constantly surrounding him.
This feeling of surviving by the skin of his teeth was simply terrifying!
After a while.
The two finally ran out of the mine shaft. Outside, it was already pitch black—the kind where you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Durin didn't even know what time it was.
"We're safe... a blessing in disguise, cough, cough!"
Slaut took a deep breath, removed his work clothes, took off the heavy spherical helmet, and put on his mask.
Durin also took off his coal-stained work clothes, put on his mask first, and then reached out and grabbed Slaut's collar, aggressively demanding, "Why the hell didn't you take out the gun sooner! You waited until I was almost dead before you used it!"
"I... I... You... You."
Slaut was frightened by Durin's ferocious demeanor and stammered for a long time, unable to speak.
"What do you mean, 'I' or 'You'! What's your point!" Durin said impatiently.
"My gun only has one bullet, so... I definitely had to use it cautiously," Slaut explained carefully. "Here's the crystal. You need to sell it as soon as possible. Remember, this thing is very valuable! Cough, cough, cough! I've already paid off my debt to Mr. Reno. Cough—"
As he spoke, he carefully took out a transparent, prismatic crystal, about half the size of a fist, which glowed orange-yellow in the darkness.
After hearing Slaut's explanation, Durin's expression finally softened slightly, accepting it as a justifiable reason.
Then, he took a piece of black cloth he had prepared from his pocket and completely wrapped the crystal, preventing its inherent orange-yellow glow from attracting malicious attention and causing him unnecessary trouble.
"Where are you planning to sell it?" Slaut asked.
Durin replied, "Entresol Level, at Ben Suos Grocery Store in Black Alley."
"Ben Suos Grocery Store?" Slaut was momentarily stunned, then nodded in agreement, "That's a good place; he will surely give you a fair price. Shall we take the elevator to the Entresol Level together?"
"Good!"
Durin agreed.
And so, the injured Durin, leaning on Slaut for support, limped toward an elevator not far away, reaching it in about ten minutes.
The man responsible for collecting fares inside the public elevator was dozing off. Hearing footsteps approach, he assumed it was the person coming to replace him for the shift.
But when he opened his eyes and saw that the arrivals were two strangers, covered in dust and looking filthy, he couldn't help but look surprised. The elevator here was mainly provided for miners, most of whom lived on the Entresol Level. Their monthly wages were around 14 silver lun coins, while the rent for a one-bedroom apartment on the Entresol Level generally stayed around 7 silver lun coins.
Therefore, in his view, these two were likely people finishing a shift in the mine shaft. "Working overtime at this hour, huh?"
The elevator operator sighed, and after receiving a copper circle coin from each of them, he closed the iron gate, pulled the lever, and started the elevator.
Silence persisted inside the elevator. The luminous green light of Zaun reflected off the smooth metal walls and onto Durin's face.
He was expressionless, simply watching the elevator ascend from the lower levels.
Dong!
The elevator reached the Entresol Level, emitting a dull, metallic crash, and the cabin door slowly opened.
Every time he arrived at the Entresol Level, he would see a massive signboard at the entrance. The writing on the sign was slightly crooked, and each character was different.
The sentence they formed was —
"Welcome to Zaun!"
After saying goodbye to Slaut, Durin walked straight in one direction.
Black Alley was not a single alleyway, but an entire area centered around The Last Drop, and it was the territory managed by Vander, the man in charge of Zaun.
The origin of Black Alley stemmed from a group of thieves who made their living through stealing.
Before Zaun gained independence, many thieves from Zaun would go to the Upper City to steal, then gather the stolen goods for trade.
Over time, this place became a black market specifically for trading stolen goods, and Black Alley got its name from this.
Durin walked down this street. Although the air here was better than that of the lower levels, it wasn't a grey haze.
However, the gases floating in the air were entirely green. These green hazes emitted by chemical factories, when inhaled, caused a slight burning sensation in the lungs, and this substance was also harming the bodies of Zaunites.
Green haze was more difficult to resist than grey haze, requiring a specialized breathing filter to be effective.
Houses built from various scrap metals were exaggerated in their designs, with one even shaped like a shark's head. They were adorned with various gold cogwheels and illuminated by the green light emitted from gas lamps.
The walls, and even the roofs, of many houses were covered in various styles of graffiti, which was also a characteristic of Zaun.
In Durin's view, it resembled the painted Slums of Brazil on Earth, combined with the Kowloon Walled City of Hong Kong Island.
Although sunlight couldn't reach here, various colored light tubes gave this place life.
Ben Suos Grocery Store was another place Zaunites frequently visited, typically for "fencing stolen goods."
It was also the place Durin had stumbled upon after first transmigrating, selling his motorcycle gear and phone to acquire his first living funds.
After passing through several dark alleys, Durin arrived at a grocery store with a sign. The sign displayed the store's name and a treasure chest icon representing wealth.
At this shop, this symbol also meant that everything imaginable could be found here.
Although in the eyes of the noble Piltovers, the total value of all items in this shop was not as precious as a single synthetic Hex Crystal, equating to "trash."
However, in Durin's opinion, many things inside were very interesting treasures.
For example, the small device that could photograph his appearance, which Mr. Reno, who warned him not to try to escape with money from the Chem-Tech workshop, had researched, was developed by Benso, and its clarity was no less than that of a camera.
Durin didn't dare to run away with the money. If he were to be put on a bounty by the other party, he would have no good days in Zaun, constantly worrying about someone ambushing him.
Furthermore, his current job as a mage assistant would also be lost.
To be constantly on edge and have his life turn into a mess for three gold cogwheels? That would simply be a losing trade, not worth the effort at all, like picking up sesame seeds and losing a watermelon, indicating too narrow a vision.
As long as he paid the fee to become a blacksmith apprentice, his current life would greatly improve.
Lost in thought, Durin stopped.
"Hello!"
A thin, short, dark-skinned boy with white hair, who looked about nine years old, was coming out of the shop carrying a bag of trash. When he saw Durin standing at the entrance, he subconsciously greeted him.
Durin couldn't help but look at the boy a few more times, especially after he learned that the plot of "Arcane" had begun, allowing him to fully confirm the identity of this dark-skinned, white-haired boy: the Boy Who Shattered Time—Ekko!
Others might not know, but Durin was very clear in his heart. This seemingly naive little fellow in front of him would one day become a genius who manipulated time.
"Time," no matter which world it is placed in, is a very complex and obscure field, not something ordinary people can easily dabble in.
Who would have thought that a young lad who grew up in Zaun would, in the future, be able to step into this mysterious field with his own intelligence and wisdom.
But now…
He was just a nine-year-old kid, still a long way from becoming a time genius.
Durin walked into the grocery store without a change in expression and took off his mask.
Fortunately, Zaunites also disliked the turbid air, so some capable individuals would install air purification devices in their buildings to ensure their indoor air quality was better than outside.
Benso undoubtedly had such capability.
Durin looked around. The grocery store was filled with alchemical tools of unclear purpose, appearing chaotic. In a corner, several large machines were piled up, some of which were "open" to others, clearly unfinished.
At the same time, he also noticed several masks of different styles hanging in a box on the wall beside the counter.
A lazy middle-aged man's voice came from behind the counter: "Welcome to Ben Suos Grocery Store."