It's a fantasy role-playing game.

DM: You are Vex Vex'ahlia, a half-elf ranger . You are the member of the famous group of adventurers. Previously, They arrive without too much trouble at a point directly above where you senses the sword. Keyleth glides through the earth as an elemental, but is unable to find the sword, so you decides to look for it by dousing herself in Oil of Etherealness.
DM: And as such, you don't have to make a stealth check. You're down below, and you follow their footsteps underneath. You guys continue on your current stealth run. You get forward about another 150 or so feet. Do you want to keep going or do you want to cast?
Player: Is there an abandoned-looking building or anything I can duck into?
DM: There's a handful. Most of the city has been long abandoned.
Player: Okay, then I'm going to duck under something so I can cast the spell and then re-stealth before I come back out so I don't bamf in the middle.
DM: Right. Okay, so you duck into a small alleyway. You guys are keeping out of view and waiting for the swarms of undead in the street, and as you come around the corner you immediately see about 12 or 13 zombies clattering past. As you're waiting for them to pass by, eventually they get quieter and quieter. You take a minute and you cast the spell Locate Object, and it's a much steeper angle now. You're getting much closer to it. So do you want to keep going?
Player: Yes. I want to re-stealth and move until I'm directly over it.
DM: Roll another stealth check. Both of you, actually, because we've gone partway through. Not that I have to worry about Vax.
Player: 33.
DM: Yeah, because you still have Pass Without a Trace from underneath.
