The excavation of the tunnel continued the whole night.
While the mole created the first tunnel, the cultivators followed behind it, widening and securing the path. Ethan and his men compacted the dirt on the walls, floor, and ceiling while moving the stones that crossed their path.
After the first hour of digging, the mole's summoning time ended, forcing all the work into the Esvert cultivators and causing a decrease in their digging speed.
Even so, when the next day's morning arrived, they had already managed to reach halfway toward the foot of the mountain. But the closer they got to their goal, the tougher the ground became, which made their job much more taxing.
Because of this, when the sun came up, they stopped their job and took a break to rest and cultivate. Some Guburg and Yuoko cultivators that were proficient with earth-energy continued in the meantime, and even though they didn't advance at the same speed as the Esvert, they still managed to dig a big chunk.
Seeing that they would arrive at the dwarf tunnels in no time, the leaders decided to meet again to continue planning their next steps.
"We should proceed carefully from this point onwards and act according to our situation and resources," Zack said. "We are about to reach the mountain's foot, but we cannot be sure exactly where the dwarfs' tunnels are."
"We could simply continue right ahead until we find something. Just be careful when we find anything." one of the cowboys suggested.
"Well, I have a summon that can move across the ground without leaving any trace of its movements." the summoner said.
"That's perfect. We can locate an empty room to connect our tunnel. After this, I suggest sending a stealthy group to get rid of anyone around us without being noticed before we start the invasion. Some of my men are experts on this kind of mission, so I think it's the best way to approach the situation. " Zack suggested.
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"Sadly, my men are not suited for that kind of strategy. Our weapons are too loud, so it would be better if we went after the first round." the cowboy said.
"We... noisy and slow..." the zombie knight leader said.
"Don't you worry. My summon can follow your men and aid them in anything they might need while it stays on this material plane." the summoner explained.
"Well, I guess that's better than nothing," Zack replied with a smile.
After that, they continued talking about how they would proceed with the infiltration until someone came to notify them that the Esvert were returning to work.
After hearing that, the summoner went to the tunnel so he could summon his creature.
"Ghost Parrot Frankie, come to my aid!" the summoner shouted as he drew a card.
After the card touched the ground, the ghostly image of a meter-tall parrot appeared on the floor.
"Squawk, want a cookie!" the parrot cried as soon as it appeared.
"Yes, don't you worry. If you do your work, I will give you one." the summoner said."I need you to pass through the ground and look for any underground tunnels."
"Through the ground, squawk!" the parrot shouted before flying through the wall as if it wasn't there.
The beast disappeared for a few minutes before his head reappeared on the wall.
"Room this way, squawk!" it said while pointing with its beak.
"There was anyone in the room?" the summoner asked.
"Two people, squawk. Both of them are asleep. "
"Take care of them when we are about to arrive then." the summoner ordered.
The cultivators continued digging in the direction the parrot had indicated for the next half an hour before finding a polished stone wall.
"Frankie, go!" the summoner said as the cultivators began to cut through the wall.
In a few seconds, the cultivators made a hole in the wall and entered the room, where they found it full of bunk beds. On two of them, they found two lifeless bodies with looks of fear.
"Everything is clean," Ethan said after entering the room.
"Stealth team, it's your turn," Zack said as he let six people into the room.
Behind him, four people in black clothing entered the room. One of them, a young girl with two metallic gauntlets, took a step forward.
"We will do our best to meet your expectations, Master!" she said before bowing.
"Master!" the other three replied before bowing too.