Chapter 177: The Desolate Canyon

Despite not feeling entirely secure about the members of the Angel Guild, Irving did not waste even a moment. Once all preparations were complete, Irving and the members of the Angel Guild entered the Shelter game without delay.

Inside Irving's shelter, Aron spread out an impressively large map. "From the map, it's clear that the distance between Irving's shelter and the Abyss of Death is significant. We can't teleport directly to the vicinity of the Abyss of Death. Therefore, we'll have to proceed on foot. We'll follow the main road until we encounter the first waterfall.

After reaching the waterfall, we'll jump down to arrive at the Desolate Canyon."

Aron elaborated on their planned route. The group, including Irving, meticulously noted down the path they would take. However, Nick, who was standing next to Anna, seemed considerably less attentive. Instead, Nick appeared to be surveying the layout of Irving's shelter. Sёarch* The Nôvelƒire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Irving, noticing Nick's distraction, smiled and asked, "What do you think of the setup of my shelter?"

Nick hesitated a bit before replying, "The level of your shelter is indeed quite high, and from what I can see, your defenses are incredibly tight. However, I think your shelter has way too many redundant defensive measures. You don't really need that many. If you dismantle some of the excess defenses, you'll gain much more space within your shelter."

Nick offered his critique of Irving's shelter.

After hearing Nick's comments, Irving chuckled softly. "You might have a point. However, the location of my shelter is extremely perilous. Without a multitude of defensive measures, there's a high risk of an exotic beast attack. I certainly don't want my shelter to be destroyed by such creatures."

Irving's words were essentially explaining the rationale behind his extensive defensive setup. Nonetheless, Nick's face displayed a hint of disdain after listening.

"Perhaps that's the caution of the strong? If it were up to me, I wouldn't be so overly cautious. If everyone were this cautious, how could we quickly enhance our strength?" Nick's words were dripping with sarcasm, causing a noticeable shift in the expressions of everyone present.

Nick was the first person to mock Irving for being overly cautious. To others, Irving had always been considered quite reckless. His strategies were viewed as the riskiest but also the most rewarding.

Irving's expression was unlike anyone else's. He felt that Nick had finally gotten something right. "You're not wrong; I have been a bit too cautious," Irving admitted.

After saying this, Irving turned his gaze towards Aron. "If there's nothing else, let's get moving. Even though it's only morning in the shelter game, our journey will take a long time. I don't want to waste too much time due to various unexpected situations before we reach the Abyss of Death."

Aron nodded. "You're right, let's head out immediately."

With that, Aron and Irving led the remaining four along the marked path on the map. After leaving Irving's shelter, the group followed the main road for most of the day and finally arrived at the first waterfall marked on Aron's map.

However, upon reaching the waterfall, everyone felt they must have taken a wrong turn. The waterfall before them was not a normal one; it was an inverted waterfall, meaning the water was flowing upwards.

"How are we supposed to jump down from this waterfall?" Wendy asked Aron directly after seeing the unusual sight.

Aron looked visibly embarrassed. He also felt there might be an issue with the map. However, he wasn't quick to decide on changing their route.

"I think we should take a look around. Maybe we can find a way to jump down from the waterfall nearby. I believe the route marked on this map shouldn't be wrong," Aron stated his plan directly.

Anna and Nick immediately started following Aron's plan. However, Wendy found Aron's plan somewhat laughable.

"We don't even know where you got that map from. How can we trust that the routes marked on it are correct?" Wendy questioned.

Before Wendy could finish her sentence, Irving interjected. "I think we have no choice but to trust Aron right now. We don't have any other maps besides the one he has. Let's just look around and see if we find any clues!"

Since Irving had already said so, Wendy decided not to argue further. The group began to search for clues around the waterfall.

Soon, Irving and Benjamin found something crucial. Not far from the waterfall, they discovered an area where the gravity direction was completely opposite to other areas.

"Hey, come over here! We might have found a way to jump down from the waterfall," Irving shouted to Aron and the others after discovering the anomalous gravity area.

Upon hearing Irving's shout, Aron and the others quickly rushed over.

"I think jumping from here will lead us to the Desolate Canyon. We haven't found any other areas with abnormal gravity around, so this must be the only exit," Aron concluded confidently. Anna didn't object to his assessment.

However, Nick, standing behind Anna, couldn't help but voice his jealousy, "No wonder Irving always gets so lucky. He found the way forward in a place none of us even noticed."

As soon as Nick said that, he felt the angry glares from everyone around him.

"I'm just joking. I'm sure Irving won't mind my little joke," Nick said with a slight smile, looking at Irving.

Irving had never fully trusted Nick. Hearing his comment only made him trust Nick even less.

"I don't mind what you said. But I hope you understand that this mission is extremely dangerous. You should focus your attention and not get distracted with irrelevant thoughts," Irving responded sternly.

After saying this, Irving immediately jumped into the area with abnormal gravity next to the waterfall. Benjamin and Wendy, of course, followed closely behind.

Anna followed closely behind Irving and the others, leaving only Aron and Nick.

Before jumping down, Aron turned back to give Nick a warning. "I've told you before, Nick. Even though you're incredibly skilled, you need to stay humble. Do you even know the amazing things Irving has accomplished before? Don't underestimate him. Luckily, Irving is our friend.

If he were our enemy, we would have been wiped out long ago."

After saying this, Aron jumped down the waterfall.

Nick, left behind, wore a grim expression. He always believed he was stronger than anyone else. Upon learning about Irving, he became determined to surpass him. However, Nick's efforts had been in vain because Irving never seemed to acknowledge him.

"You all think I'm not as strong as Irving! I will find a way to prove you wrong! I am stronger than Irving!" Nick declared, and then he jumped down as well.

When Nick reached the bottom of the waterfall, he found that the others had already moved on. Surrounding him was an endless expanse of desert.

Without needing any reminders, Nick knew he had arrived at the Desolate Canyon.

The Desolate Canyon is an exceptionally unique area in the game Shelter.

Players had explored the Desolate Canyon early in the game's history, but initially, it was devoid of any exotic beasts.

However, as players' skills improved, the dangers within the Desolate Canyon also increased. Given that the Desolate Canyon is located at the center of the Shelter game map, most players must traverse it to reach other regions. This necessity has led to a wealth of information about the Desolate Canyon being widely known among players.

This abundance of knowledge gave Aron the confidence to believe they wouldn't face too many dangers before crossing the Desolate Canyon.

As they trekked through the Desolate Canyon, Wendy found herself struggling to breathe. "Why is it so hot here? Didn't we just come down from the waterfall?" she asked Irving.

Irving took a bottle of water from his pocket and handed it to Wendy. "Did you forget all the precautions I told you to remember? The Desolate Canyon is inherently a very hot area.

Although the neighboring regions are quite humid, each area in Shelter is isolated from the others. The Desolate Canyon doesn't receive any moisture from its surroundings, which is why it's a desert."

While Irving's explanation made perfect sense, it did nothing to alleviate Wendy's current predicament. She could only keep drinking bottle after bottle of the water they had brought.

At this point, Benjamin suddenly spoke to Wendy. "You need to start conserving your water. You're almost out of the supply allocated to you."

Startled by Benjamin's remark, Wendy turned to Irving. "Aren't our supplies shared? Is each person given a fixed amount?"

As soon as Wendy asked this question, everyone turned to look at her.

Aron spoke in a low voice, "If someone wastes too many resources, their future allocations are limited. After all, we can only carry so much. This is an important rule for team play in Shelter. It's not too late for you to learn this. Try to conserve your supplies from now on."